HSM

Seems there is quite a bit of confusion over the design choices in this kit, so I figured I should try to defend it. I designed the 1:48 scale Phantom as an easy Plank-on-Bulkhead model based on the old solid-hull 1:96 version. Yours is the first online build of the Phantom and your workmanship and technique is flawless, but your build is nowhere near a beginner's level. I am afraid your build log unfairly taints the kit and might give it a bad reputation before anyone has given it a chance and built it "out of the box". I will explain some of the decisions made in producing the 1:48 Phantom, a beginner's level model. The planking as described in the kit is not run the way it would have been on the real ship, but it is very easy to complete successfully, and that is the primary goal of a beginner's kit. IMHO, spiling planks like you have so expertly done is beyond what most first-timers would be able to do. The Phantom will be covered with paint and copper anyway, and for a beginner a nice looking completed model is the most important goal. The transom not being planked follows the same design philosophy. Similarly, for the deck houses I used brass because it would be easier for a beginner to get a nice looking result. I don't like Basswood for complex structures like these because it is hard to sand and fill and get a nice finish on it. I'm sure the Pear or Box you use will look terrific, but those materials and the tools and techniques you use are well beyond a beginner's kit. There must be some scaling errors in the production laser-cut kit parts. For example, the molds with alignment holes were drawn once in CAD, then copied and rotated so the holes are in exactly the right position. Model Expo made me a few iterations of the wood parts and I built and modified the files several times to ensure an easy assembly. The alignment holes were perfect in all of those physical examples. I appreciate the build-log, but I just don't think it's fair to buy a beginner's kit, and then build it as a master-level scratchbuild, and then complain about all the reasons that beginner's kit doesn't produce a masters-level scratchbuild. If you were to "kit" your masters-level Phantom, it probably wouldn't make sense to point out all the reasons it doesn't make a good beginner's kit. With all due respect and admiration, your workmanship is certainly beautiful and I can't wait to see the finished model. Cheers!!! Jarod www.historicshipmodel.com

Couple more images

Hey all, I just published video 5 on making custom photo-etched parts and soldering. Hope it helps someone, or at least is mildly entertaining! https://historicshipmodel.com/how-they-are-made Next-up I will be making some custom photo-etched brass sheets! Any small, thin details you see on the model such as ladders, railings, window frames, antennas, radars, etc... etc... are photo-etched brass. I will show you how I did it from planning and drawing the parts in CAD to sending the files for fabrication to folding the parts to soldering them together and painting. Lots to cover here, but it makes such a difference in the model!!!

Yes Allan you would be right! I am in Winnipeg, Manitoba just North of where North Dakota and Minnesota meet. Your accent identification is impressive! As far as the fibreglass, I'm happy you enjoyed that segment but I'm sure there are much better videos on the subject out there. What I did worked but the radio controlled model airplane guys do that all the time and likely have better explanations.

This isn't really a build log in the classic sense, it is more of a video build log of my recently completed scratchbuilt 1:144 scale cruise ship Oceanic (1963). I documented the build and have edited it into several videos on the design and construction and figured some here may be interested in seeing how it was done. Hope you like the pictures and videos! https://historicshipmodel.com/how-they-are-made

I recently bought the same printer you have and have used it to make davits and lifeboats for a cruise liner I am making. It produces amazing results doesn't it? Being a newcomer to 3-D modeling I am impressed with your figures. Can you briefly tell how you made the computer models?

I have a 3D printer (Anycubic Photon) and use it for making multiple complex parts (propellers, anchors, davits, lifeboats, etc... for a scratchbuilt ocean liner I am working on). but for masts and spars you are better off with wood. The 3D parts are amazingly detailed and look awesome when properly processed, but they are still plastic. Making correct tapers, etc... is certainly possible, but you have to have a good 3D modeling package and know how to use it.

About a year ago I bought this motorized adjustable height table legs. Have wanted something like this since my first model (am working on number 46 now) and its changed the way I work. No more bending at awkward angles and trying to work carefully while uncomfortable! Consider adding it underneath a portion of your workbench.

I bought this one a few months ago with the intention of pushing it under my work table and pulling it out when I work on an awkward area like high rigging or whatever. For the $200CAD that it costs (tabletop is extra) it is very well engineered and high-quality. I have since moved my chair out of the workshop because everything I do I can now do standing up. I can set the table height to wherever I want it to be comfortable and go to work. I have not gotten rid of the chair yet but I could see doing so in the future. If you spend lots of time in the shop these things are great!

It is always fun to experiment, but I have been there and done that and I don't do it anymore. I had the Micromark PE kit and used it for several projects. It works, but is very time-consuming and finicky. About 75% of my attempts were unusable for one reason or another but with lots of work and practice I did use it to make decent parts for maybe 4-6 projects before I gave up. Now I send .DXF files to https://ppdltd.com/ and a week later receive perfectly formed parts. Cheers and good luck, however you decide to make your parts!

You have lots of responses, but I am wondering why stretching does not work... As suggested by xken, put it between 2 pliers, or a vice and pliers and pull on it until you feel it stretch a bit. This is called the yield-point. If you release it carefully it will be perfectly straight. I much prefer this method to any of the others, but do whatever works for you.

I bought an 8050 (thanks again for the recommendation John!) and love it. I haven't used my old flex-shaft dremel in months. The battery seems to have sufficient run time, at least for me. I have never had it go flat or slow down during a job and I use it daily. The fact that it doesn't remember your last set speed is the most significant drawback to this tool. It can be quite annoying when you are doing lots of slow speed work and have to continually be pushing buttons. I put a jacobs chuck on it and it blocks the lights in such a way that there is light everywhere EXCEPT where the blade meets the work! On the possibility of the battery getting weak over time, I have had mine for 6 months and if it were to die right now I would spend the money to buy another one. I like it that much. It is not perfect, but is well worth the money for the cordless convenience. I don't think you would regret buying an 8050.

The Bluenose is a perfect subject to use white decal paper on because the hull is black. I have made 2 MS Bluenoses and drew the name and scrollwork in Turbocad, with the yellow and black printed, leaving the letters white. It worked great and the decal was all but invisible.

#11 Exacto blade and handle A Dremel 8050 as suggested by John Allen in a previous post A small disk/belt sander Digital caliper