harlequin

right ….time to get going on this again.....3 month break......quite a short break as breaks go.....but I have other models shouting at me from unopened boxes so the workshop has been tidied and off we go again.

Michael Palin of Monty Python fame has a new book out about HMS Erebus.....sounds like its a really interesting read....must get a copy.

Not sure this would work for plating the hull and it would be tricky to do because of the thinness of the tape but £1.50 for 20mm x 4m worth a go maybe. I actually bought it for its intended purpose. Plenty of similar on ebay. 

some more progress on Bellonas hull...……..wont be too long before the hull is completed...…..the cannon are not yet fixed...…...few days away climbing soon in Snowdonia and the Lakes so progress will ease for a little while.

my workspace is not the tidiest on plant earth.

Bellona begins to take shape....slowly but surely.....only been five years to this stage...……..on and off.....softly softly catchy monkey.

addition of the heads....no privacy here....

Rudder attached.....all the knocks and repairs of Bellonas hull can be seen that have occurred over the years....adds to her character I think.

bit by bit she is coming on.

little more done at the bow....a lot of fiddly little components on this section so will be on it for a rew days.

cheers Busby.....long gaps occur during my builds.....Bellona was left alone for almost 18 months then suddenly I get a spurt on.....I have ready for the off corels HMS Unicorn and Endeavour....once I move onto the masting and rigging I will start one of the others.....more than likely Unicorn.

Bit of colour for the figure head...…..it is amazing how rubbish your work looks when it is larger than normal. Not sure these will be the final colours for Bellona just happy playing about...

on the pic you posted those will be the natural colours of the wood supplied in the kit......the builder has probably only used a clear varinish on them if any at all. There should be several colours of wood planking supplied with your kit.

they are the natural colours of the wood.....1 could be several woods, 2 is probably walnut and 3 is beech.

Not decided what finish to apply yet....will be a water based matt or satin or combination of both. 

fenders. ladder, hawse holes and other bits added. 

well its amazing how suddenly a model seems to change character and start to resemble a finished product....not that I am anywhere near that yet but there is a little chink of light that seems to be emanating from the end of the tunnel. Will post some pics later of progress...a lot of niggly little bits have been added which helps. The hull is slowly getting there.

morning old boy.....you are just like me....not satisfied with one build on the go......I have bits all over....it is a wonder I can find them all.....my Bellona is very slowly coming together now......good to see a sub on the menu.........I went the other way...upwards...as I was a paratrooper in my youth.

before and after the repair....not brilliant but better than it was yesterday. needs a final sanding...

next job is to fix the bow where butter fingers dropped it...thin veneer repair to hide the damage.

positioning a few cannon....not fixed yet but trying to get a feel as to what they will look like.

Rudder and hinges.

second planking now complete......needs a few tiny fill in pieces and a repair veneer to the front bow keel where I dropped it and snapped it off....Bellona has become somewhat battered and is full of tiny marks where it has been scratched and banged but I think it adds to the character of the ship. A final sanding down is all that is required now. Included a pic of my revamped work space....shows several minicraft drills and power tools. 

why not keep this kit....I say this because I did the same when I first started building.....when I realised that my skills were a lot better than I thought I started building my second kit at the same time....even today I still do the same.....I have on the go HMS Bellona, Pandora and another HMS Victory. 

I use minicraft drills and tranformers.....not made anymore but available on ebay......they have been exeptional.....I have some that are at least 25 years old and still going strong.