Beef Wellington

thank you for the comments, makes me feel much better
 
i have always wanted to avoid sounding childish over comments made, but thats the main reason i switched to doing the Aedes Ars diorama over the charismas period, whilst i decided on actually getting on with the AV
it is slightly more difficult to avoid the trolls and comments some times, being a MSW Social Media Moderator, and perhaps i over reacted, but the comments at the time went much further
 
i have still quite a way to go on the AV, and would love to completed her now rather than switching back 

I have also watched you build this model and have been very impressed with the results. I’m saddened to hear about what happened; I hesitate to go to far out on a limb but as the social media moderator for MSW you probably are quite the target/outlet for those who do not like MSW. I don’t really use social media that much (Reddit is my vice though) it’s very caustic in my opinion and my skin is probably not thick enough for it. I hope you eventually come back to the build and enjoy your time with it!

Indeed! Please continue the build! You were working on something truly incredible. I have loved watching the framing come together as a fully framed ship is something I greatly want to do myself but have not yet worked up the courage to go for it.
 
There are always those who would rather criticize than support, but something that I have loved about MSW is how wholesome the community here is towards each other. It is comforting to have such warm place of welcome in the cold landscape of the internet, especially social media platforms. You have many friends here waiting to see you continue!

I keep looking at this model and forcing myself to forget what I've seen...CAF look to be providing a whole range of a type of hybrid kit and I strongly suspect one will be in my future.  Love what you're doing to expand on the kit, seems this would be hard to discern from a true scratch build frame model.  Glad you managed to overcome the early challenges, even the best kits of this complexity it seems have their own foibles to work through.  Know you're working on you Amerigo Vespucci, but can't wait to see more progress here.

I can think of many choice colourful words to describe those miserable FB trolls, but I will refrain from using that sort of language here.
 
You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  I have quite enjoying watching your progress to date, especially knowing that the (high) quality of your build efforts is something that I could possibly achieve, had I the resources (read $$, or €€ or ££) to attempt it myself. 
 
Chin up, and know that I’m among the people here on MSW that wish to see to see you succeed (even if it’s only in experience, it’s 100% worth it!)
 
Looking forward to your continued progress when you’re ready to resume.
 
Andy

I hope you continue working on the model. I'm loving the progress you've made. The photos are like eye candy! 

Kevin,
What the others have said.. ignore the trolls and FB.   You're doing very well.

Kevin,
 
I would think that the solution to that particular issue is to stop posting on the FB group, rather than stopping work on your model. Come back to it after AV and post your progress here. In all the time I’ve been a member here at MSW I don’t think I have ever seen that type of “trollish” behaviour - only ever encouragement, support and constructive suggestions.

I don't know why this kit doesn't come with letters for the stern or even a stencil.  I purchased the letters from Cornwall model boats. They are Amati's 6mm brass photoetch letters. 

I think they only deck fittings left to do are the shot racks and the ladders for the platforms.  Nothing is glued in yet, Not until the rest of the various holes have been drilled.  The masts and yards are under construction. 

I'm going to be rigging the Snake with the option on the right. The middle is a good option as well. I was going to add the left color to my production line but it looks a little off in my opinion. I may add it later if people want something a little darker. 

 

thank you Jason, i stopped doing it when i was slated on a FB group, comments like how i should have left it to someone who knew what they were doing etc, kind of upset me in a way, im not sure if the confidence will return, and if it does i certainly will think twice before showing others

And we all know better than to listen to that sort of folk on FB
 
I was really liking your work on this and was surprised when it stopped. Please restart this one. Plenty here will like to follow it, including me.

Very nice update Kevin, there seems to be a lot of soldering required for the various fittings, that alone would scare me away but you've done a great job.  Seems that the more modern sailing ships and non-military have no armament to worry about, but looks like the work needed on the more complicated metal fittings seem to more than make up for that.

I keep looking at this model and forcing myself to forget what I've seen...CAF look to be providing a whole range of a type of hybrid kit and I strongly suspect one will be in my future.  Love what you're doing to expand on the kit, seems this would be hard to discern from a true scratch build frame model.  Glad you managed to overcome the early challenges, even the best kits of this complexity it seems have their own foibles to work through.  Know you're working on you Amerigo Vespucci, but can't wait to see more progress here.

Very nice update Kevin, there seems to be a lot of soldering required for the various fittings, that alone would scare me away but you've done a great job.  Seems that the more modern sailing ships and non-military have no armament to worry about, but looks like the work needed on the more complicated metal fittings seem to more than make up for that.

Very nice update Kevin, there seems to be a lot of soldering required for the various fittings, that alone would scare me away but you've done a great job.  Seems that the more modern sailing ships and non-military have no armament to worry about, but looks like the work needed on the more complicated metal fittings seem to more than make up for that.

Thanks to Beef Wellington,  BenD and Rob for the likes and also to Rob for your very kind comments. 
I have read about the treatments available (both chemical and biological!) for toning down the copper but have decided to let nature take its course.
 
Rob,  your points on setting up the stern and making sure that stern and quarter gallery lights are aligned are well noted.
 
Having read both your's and Jason's accounts, I am trying to construct  something more representative of the plans in AotS.
To that  end, I have got my daughter to copy the stern gallery from the book and modify it to account for the angle (she's much better with image manipulation programmes) which I will use to make a template and with drawings of the quarter galleries to check alignments. I have also taken the liberty of downloading your drawings for the quarter galleries  which I will make up in cardboard to see how it all fits together.
 
David 
 
 

As a note, do be careful with these, as they're very easy to put on too high or too low. Photocopying the plans and sticking them to the side of the hull will help you here. Also, if in doubt, make card templates of the ply parts and try it out as a mockup (they're easier to bend and manipulate before you bend the parts!). It took me a good while to be satisfied it would all fit together, and I ended up pinning parts so I knew when I glued them they'd go where I'd intended them to go.
 
The line where the top of the stern lights finishes will determine the intersection between the bulwark rail and the capping rail over the transom. And it will also determine how the lights look as they transition between the quarter galleries and the stern... which for me is a line that the eye picks up on (one of those "you'll never notice it if it's right" things?) and makes a big difference. Anyway - I wish you all the best as you set out into perhaps the most challenging, but also the most rewarding section of the build!

What a great start. She's going to look fantastic!

Post Forty-five
 
Working the Oars continued.
 
Ten oars are required, and it is simply a case of getting down to this repetitive, but rather satisfying task.
I used both scalpel blades and sanding sticks to achieve the required results.
 
There is no real way of speeding up the process, but a jig as previously described does help with the tapering of the blades.
For each set of five I prepared all the shafts first, glued them into the Looms and added the handles, I then set them aside for the glue to cure.
The blades were then made.
 
Final sanding of the shafts and the rounding of the handles was then done before adding the blades.
 
Annoyingly one of the shafts developed a slight curve.

2831(2)
I tried clamping in a vice and applying heat, to no avail, then I used the Quad hands with a central weight to straighten the shaft, again applying heat.
This seemed to work after a couple of repeat treatments.

2843(2)
The first five completed, but still requiring a final cleaning up.
 
At this point I cleaned up the rather neat little oar racks designed by Chuck and glued them to base boards of 100mm x 25mm cut from the bulkhead frets.

2825(2)
I think fixing to separate boards more convenient than attaching to what will be the base yet to be made.

2827(2)
Pitch Pine stain was used to enrich the Cherry Wood.

2839(2)
A trial fit in the racks.
 
Work will now continue to complete the oars, but in the meantime the wilds of North Yorkshire are calling.
 
 
B.E.
07/07/21
 
 

Thank you Glenn, Bob, and Hubac, and to those following along with this build.👍
 
Post Forty-two
 
Resin decorations
 
While I wait for the acanthus scrolls to release from the backing I attended to the remaining resin decorations.
Firstly, the hull decoration at the break of the sternsheets.

2563
Fairly straightforward, small sections of the rails need to be removed to accommodate the fit.

2561(2)
 
The final fittings are the Mermaid figures that adorn the stern.
Somewhat trickier to fit, requiring removal of sections of the rails and capping of the Flying Transom.

2570(2)
The figures also need a gentle tweaking using hairdryer heat  to take the stress out of the fish tail end where it follows the round of the hull.
I found it tricky to attach the figures without marring the finish, and they will inevitably need touching up once in place.

2602(2)

2598(2)

2587(2)

2585(2)

2583(2)
I’m not entirely satisfied with the colour reproduction of the resin castings, they are not a bad match to the bare Boxwood, but I rather feel a little more richness is called for.
 
With the resin decorations in place, I was happy to find that the first of the Acanthus leaf Boxwood decoration finally released.

2646
Relieved to find it fitted between the rails.
 
They won’t be fitted into place until the whole set is available.
I wonder if I should apply a coat of wop before fitting.
 
 
In the meantime, I can attend to the rudder.
 
 
B.E.
27/06/21
 

good evening everyone
 
the foremast continues, everytime i look at the donar build, i see something new to add, looks like rope ladders next
seams like a lifetime away from getting close to this

 

Looking good Stergios!  Getting close now to the finish line.

@ Mike - no not officially an engineer, but my brain does work that way....am a physicist by education, and have played a little with battlefield engineering.  Up to this point, its been possible to get by just by look and feel, and the philosophy of thinking ahead and not sweating the small stuff 🙂.  This task just required more planned precision.  BTW - you can never have enough serving on a model if you have the patience for it.
 
Hopefully this photo makes the jig operation clearer (I left the tape off the outside guide templates for clarity).  The fine sandpaper shown is around 0.2mm thickness which would pretty much be offset by the electrical tape thickness.  (0.2mm plank width variance would add up to a 4mm problem per side, so it adds up quickly)

 

To say that my self-imposed deadline has lit a fire under me would be an understatement!  It has been a week, now, and I’ve been painting in the day AND in the evenings.
 
At this stage, all of the primary colors are down and I am ready to spray the ink wash before the gilding of the ornaments.  It is all extremely vivid, right now, but these pics will give a sense of how the frieze will come to life on the aft bulwark pieces:
 

 
Yellow ocher, I think, is a good unifier of these three colors as they all seem to play nicely with the yellow.
 
Figuring out exactly how I wanted to highlight the timberheads took a minute, and execution of the painting took many more minutes!
 

 
I wanted to draw attention to the fore and sprit sheet block entry, so I painted it black.  It seemed unlikely that the sheaves, at this time, would be cast bronze, so I painted them a dark wood brown.
 
Merely by padding the thickness of the sheer railing by 1/32”, I have created a much more realistic sense of scale for this detail:
 

 

 
So, I will finish up the wash and ornamental paint for this piece at home.  Incidentally, the dolphin hances will get the same aqua treatment as the figurehead, and this will be a consistent theme that runs through the ship, all the way to the dolphin on the rudderhead.
 
Tonight, I’ll airbrush the red base-coat for the port side bulwark piece, and the whole process will begin again!  Despite my urgency, this is the standard that I will doggedly maintain.
 
Thank you for the likes, comments and for looking in.

@ Mike - no not officially an engineer, but my brain does work that way....am a physicist by education, and have played a little with battlefield engineering.  Up to this point, its been possible to get by just by look and feel, and the philosophy of thinking ahead and not sweating the small stuff 🙂.  This task just required more planned precision.  BTW - you can never have enough serving on a model if you have the patience for it.
 
Hopefully this photo makes the jig operation clearer (I left the tape off the outside guide templates for clarity).  The fine sandpaper shown is around 0.2mm thickness which would pretty much be offset by the electrical tape thickness.  (0.2mm plank width variance would add up to a 4mm problem per side, so it adds up quickly)