Ulises Victoria

People often see my ships and many times they ask me "how much a kit like this costs?"

When I tell them that a good kit for an experienced modeler costs around 1,000 dlls, they usually rise an eyebrow and say... "Wow, that is expensive"

I then make them do the following arithmetic: Cost of kit = x, hours invested in building thus, hours of fun = y  x/y = z... z is usually lower than the cost of going to a movie.  As has been said, all is relative. 

I would turn the question around: why don't kit suppliers sell 'semi' kits? I mean kits for the hull only plus plans. I think this would be beneficial for us modellers at least by 2 reasons. One is that with this semi-kit we could get that proper material for the hull which otherwise would be nearly impossible. Secondly - and this is my weak point. When I start to build a bigger ship, as soon as I am ready with the hull, that's it, enough, interest gone, drive gone. No energy remaining for the more interesting part of the build: deck furniture, decorations, masting, rigging. I wish I could start with a semi kit... am I alone with this?

Janos

Janos. I may be at an advantage here. The part I enjoy the most on building a ship is masting and rigging. This keeps me going past the hull planking and deck furniture, which I like the less. The wish to get to the "meaty part" of my building is what keeps my interest going.

My POV... To me scratch-building is the pinnacle of our dear hobby. It is something I have not dared to attempt....yet.

It is one of my dreams: being able to get a set of plans, and starting from there end with a fully planked, rigged ship. But at this moment, I feel my abilities are not up to par to do that. Will I ever start and finish a scratch build project? I don't know. I'm 67 years young  now and still have several kits that I really want to do: Chris' 1/64 Victory, Soleil Royale, Sovereign of the Seas... these are my dream ships. Those kits I have in my stash are OK, but they are not my dream ships. (I think I'm digressing here.... LOL. ) Anyway, at this moment I build kits. I somewhat modify some of the stuff, but I am far to consider myself a scratch builder. I feel I modify more and more things in every new kit I build, so.... maybe I will scratchbuild a ship if I have enough life and abilities to do it.

Bye

Ulises

First of all, I want to make a comment about my above statement:

Statement: Painting the hull will be a 3 to 4 day job.

Comment: Aha! Yeah, right!   

Well, between the experiments, the DOs and DON'Ts and REDOs it will definitely take me more time. So here are some photos of the painting process. 

I decided to use Model Expo's Royal Louis set of paints for the black and blue. The Milk paint I boasted about sometime ago, just did not cut it in the end.

Still undecided about the ochre color, which apparently came out fine with the milk paint. (It's under the tape)

If paint looks uneven when zooming, it's because it's still wet.

Thank you for visiting. 

Ulises

Thanks all for your comments and patience. Sorry Sjors... photos will be up soon.  

I am painting the hull at this moment. This is a 3 to 4 day job, so photos should be up pretty soon.

In advance I have to say that I am pleased but not totally satisfied with the way this whole planking job came out. Main culprits were those metal frames for the gun ports. I don't know if this is Mamoli's general practice, but in any case, if I ever stumble upon such method in any of my future builds, I will have to find an alternate method.

Best wishes to all.

Ulises

Hello all. Finally, after 9 months and 18 days, today Jan. 7 2016 I placed the last bit of wood to finish the second planking in my R.L.

This is just a simple update. I will post photos once it is fully painted, which I estimate will take me just a few days.

Just couldn't wait to post this milestone.

Wow! I have this kit in my "Will-I-ever-build-this-kit" stash. Only work I have done is gluing both sides of the hull.

I wish you luck with this issue!

golly, 1600 grit - I did't know it even existed

 

 

Mark... these sanding pads go from 1500 to 12,000 grit. I use them extensively in my pen turning hobby, specially when finishing acrylics.

Not for use in my shipbuilding, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Mesh-Assortment-Pack-18-Pieces/dp/B00HJC156U/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1451400577&sr=1-2&keywords=sanding+pads

With that little information, you are going to have a really hard time trying to find the exact original pieces, I'm afraid.

My suggestion would be to try to make them yourself out of putty or even wood.

Edit: a more drastic solution would be to get rid of all of them altogether.

Hmmm good question. The hard part is when you have a straight piece of wood and try to bend it into a sharp curve. Once you bend the wood using whatever method you like, even if its not at the exact curve, the strain in the wood to accommodate to the curve is very little compared to when it is straight. So a little extra bend or unbend has no big effect on it. At least, this is what I do. 

Edit: And I use a hair curling iron, by the way.

No update today but a reminder for myself.....

Read the drawings twice before you do something !!!!!!!!!

When I placed the deadeyes I did not take a good look at the drawing and find something out when I was finished......

I have taken some wrong size of deadeyes 

I nees smaller ones then what i have used.

Not all of them but the smaller ones.

So I have change that and now I have to put back the chains......

First job for tomorrow.

Then I can go to the other side and do it straight away right !

So .....read twice and do it once !!!!!!!!!

I know I'm not the first who is doing this and I know for sure I'll be not the last !!!!!!!!

 

Sjors

Something like this happened to me with the deadeyes in the mast tops of my Vasa. No one has noticed so far.

I think he had a problem when he tried to "format" the sanding disk to use it again.     

 

( Now I have to find a way to tell Anja that I want to buy the Victory from Chris when it is there......)

 

Sjors

Sjors.That would be an even bigger accomplishment than building the kit itself.     

Mark. Well my ship is built as it was just two weeks before the coppering actually started.     

Apologies Daniel. Changed your name to David in my last post. Both names are exactly the same in Spanish.

Dang! I will have to throw away my present stash of kits and concentrate the rest of my life to build David's Santísima and Chris' Victory.

Any of these guys has plans for a Sovereign of the Seas and a Soleil Royale?  (My other dream ships, by the way)

Sjors. That would be a double pleasure!!! You can bet on it!!! 

Oh, and about the updates. I am almost finished with the second planking. Unfortunately, life has had another plans. 

Still working almost every day but at a slow pace.

Best regards

Welcome back, my friend. As always, expecting to see your build which is a pleasure to behold.

checked post- all great suggestions I did purchase fly tying scissors because of the large openings for fingers, found they were extremely comfortable. will add some of the others you folks have suggested have come to rely on all of your experience and have saved myself from making mistakes like (cutting a middle shroud of 6 shrouds)

 

thanks to all again

 

John

Never ever ever approach a line with your scissors open. Scissors always closed until they actually touch what you want to cut. Don't ask me how I know that! 

I just love these paints, specially formulated to be used on raw wood.

http://www.milkpaint.com/

For your decks, these may work also.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013WXH8EM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p21_d5_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0E1HWK04Z87JAQ29WMJC&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

Hi Giant. Just before you go any further. I can see where the wet wood joints the dry wood, that the butt ends of the planks are aligned. Butt ends should never be adjacent one to another. Plan to have them staggered, just like you did on your walls. Much more realistic and correct.

Hope this helps.

Ulises

Hello Again,

 

Especially related to the lifeboats , here's my proposal : this evening I'll post an overview that depicts what kind of paint I used for a specific part of the lifeboats .

 

Feel free to ask questions or make comments/sent feedback.

Awesome! Thank you very much! Will follow with interest!

Thank you Christian. One more question if I may: What paints did you use?

Can't wait for your review of that lathe.   

Many Thanks, Christian. Found exactly what I need! 

Now... making them as you did, that's a whole different story. 

Christian... would it be too much to ask of you to put a link where to buy the Caldercraft mini kits?

Wow! Those boats look fantastic!!!. I am still not sure what I am going to do regarding those same items in my present build.