harlequin

without a better look it is hard to tell what is going on but i would cut back the plywood keel and try to fit a piece of second planking to take its place....pin you first piece of second planking where you have it in the picture (dont glue it at this stage) so you have a line on which to work and cut out the plywood to this line and replace it with some of your second planking, then refit your first piece of second planking permanently .... 

16 minutes ago, DaveBaxt said:

I have just notice that my heads on top of the windlass are facing the wrong way and will knead to be correcte dat some stage. Also my timberheads look like broken teeth ha ha. I wish I had my table sander with compound angles to try and get this right. I think I will order some knew ones and have another go at the ones up forward.For the record I am having to do a lot of the work a few time to get it as best I can. Know wonder it is taking me so long.All part of the hobby I suppose.

things always look worse in close up.....looks great to me..

no prizes for guessing but can you tell which job I have just started ?.....

few more pics of the progress of the rigging....few deadeyes added to the mast tops..

Well I have just taken delivery of a few different sizes of rope from the above mentioned firm and first impressions of it is that it looks superb.....far better than any other product I have used in the past....I live in good old blighty and within four to five days it had winged its way over the atlantic and landed on my doorstep.....awesome product, awesome service.....cheers ropes of scale...

first of the shrouds......soon be the dreaded ratlines....

well i think it is time now to start to fix the masts into position.....and hey presto....here they are....including bowsprit

blocks added to the hull with a few rigging lines added for ease of application later...

that is why i dont care about historical accuracy in my builds.....i just enjoy the process....if a kit is inaccurate i am not bothered.

cant add anything that hasn't already been expressed...all the best with your fight against your illness, it looks like you have plenty of cornermen here to help if needed...

yards underway

Bowsprit now added although not yet fixed, and you can tell it is an old corel kit because of the style of the nameplate which i have painted and added the self adhesive 5mm lettering. 

the three masts have been completed with their respective blocks. Not yet fixed to the hull........like i said earlier....i bought this kit for £15.00....it is a very old version, but it is making a decent enough model.

i use swann morton surgical scalpels and chisels....come in a big assortment of handles and blades.... 

work on the masts has begun....loosely pieced together to see how they will fit on the hull...

hope this helps

masts and yards all sorted

excellent, you found a technique that works for you....half the battle won. 

1 hour ago, hamilton said:

That is a cool device - at first I thought it was a drill balanced on a set of miniature parallel bars. In any case your Unicorn is shaping up nicely!

hamilton

minicraft did a series of small power tools including a router/lathe....they are now discontinued but you can still get them on ebay....i bought a couple of stainless steel bars which were a lot longer than the original so they take the longest yards......they were great bits of kit including drills, saws, table saw and sanders...worth a look on ebay for the tools and power packs.

let the masting begin.....my extended minicraft lathe comes in very handy for the masts and yards...

a bit more on the hull with the addition of the dead eyes and chains/brackets.

6 hours ago, Jackson7 said:

Thanks for the advice. I guess it really is an art more than a science.

and each piece of wood varies.....what works for one piece doesnt always work for another....

58 minutes ago, Jackson7 said:

Hey @harlequin, any advice on how to best bend the 2mm by 2mm walnut pieces?

 

i have an amati plank bender which i carefully apply more and more pressure letting the tool cut slightly into the rear of the walnut 2x2. I also use a small travel iron and steam to get the planks to bend.....it really is trial and error to see what works best for you....