HM Brig Supply 1759 by bryanc - FINISHED - Caldercraft - Scale 1:64

[bryanc]

HM Brig Supply 1759 Yard Transport / Convict Ship - the ship that, ahead of the first convict fleet, was first to enter Australian waters and what became Sydney harbour.

 

First impressions; a very long, heavy box (the delivery note claimed it was 3Kg!), on opening I was surprised first by the amount of sawdust(!) then the reason for all the weight; copious amounts of 5mm thick ply and walnut panels very much in evidence, not to mention a staggering amount of planking, doweling etc.

 

The quality of the wood and indeed the fittings appears good and that is very encouraging. The instructions; well, the actual written instructions little more than adequate, but the 6 huge sheets comprising the plans do seem very comprehensive and well produced. Time will tell!

 

 

 

Construction has already begun, so my next post will be quite soon.

 

Bryan

 

[UpstateNY]

Hi Bryan,

 

This looks like a great kit of a historic ship.  Will follow along if you don't mind!

 

Enjoy!

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel.

[Jparsley]

Can't wait to see iy

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan,

 

This looks like a great kit of a historic ship.  Will follow along if you don't mind!

 

Enjoy!

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel.

 

Absolutely not Nigel, I'd be honoured if you sail along ;-) Its a good, solid kit, should be interesting, but please bear in mind I'm no expert.

 

First set of pics and update coming shortly.

 

Bryan

[sygreen]

I would like to follow the built. Seems interesting from both a construction and historical perspective.

Hope you enjoy it

Sy

[riverboat]

Hi Bryan......... Good choice ....I'm sure you'll enjoy the build..... I just got thru building her... will follow your progress. Have fun!!

 

Frank

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan......... Good choice ....I'm sure you'll enjoy the build..... I just got thru building her... will follow your progress. Have fun!!

 

Frank

 

Hi Frank, did you do a build log, or have any construction pics? I need all the help I can get ;-)

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

The Build Continues

 

I got straight down to work, and was mostly impressed by the quality of materials. The hull construction went ahead without any problems and I continue to be impressed by the robustness of the thing (at this stage anyway). I'm quite convinced that if I dropped it, the floor would suffer, not the ship ;-)

 

I ploughed straight on with the false decking which did need some 'fettling' to make it fit, but nothing unexpected.

 

 

 

But thats the easy bit, now to move onto the first planking, which I always approach with some trepidation, because as usual, the instructions for terminating plank ends, by which I mean where and how, is woefully inadequate. But this time I'll do more research into other peoples planking experiences, and the tips to be found in the 'Technique and Research' part of the site.

 

Bryan

 

[UpstateNY]

Hi Bryan,

 

Wow...fast work and she looks great!

 

As for planking, in case you haven't already seen it, take a look at the below video by Chuck in his great Cheerful Cutter build log. Great stuff and his heat technique has already really helped me on my build to shape strips easily.

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8131-hm-cutter-cheerful-1806-148-scale-by-chuck/page-22

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel.

[riverboat]

Hi Bryan...... here's a link to my build log http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/133-hmat-supply-by-riverboat-jotikacaldercraft-164th-scale/?hl=%2Bhmat+%2Bsupply

Edited March 22, 2015 by riverboat

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan...... here's a link to my build log http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/133-hmat-supply-by-riverboat-jotikacaldercraft-164th-scale/?hl=%2Bhmat+%2Bsupply

 

Thank you so much Frank, you've no idea how much help thats going to be to me - and to others. What a wonderful job you did with her, so many hints and tips there, and I've only briefly skimmed through it for now. And thats got to be a masterclass in weathering!!

 

Wonderful.

 

Thanks again, I'll be referring to it constantly,

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan,

 

Wow...fast work and she looks great!

 

As for planking, in case you haven't already seen it, take a look at the below video by Chuck in his great Cheerful Cutter build log. Great stuff and his heat technique has already really helped me on my build to shape strips easily.

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8131-hm-cutter-cheerful-1806-148-scale-by-chuck/page-22

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel.

 

Thanks Nigel, a really helpful little video. Like he admits though, what a shame a camera couldn't be behind him. Good tips though.

 

Bryan

[Tallshiptragic]

Great start Bryan. I'm a big fan of the caldercraft kits, having built a heavily bashed Diana a few years ago. Unfortunately the log was lost when MSW 1 crashed. They're brilliant kits OOB and true masterpieces can be made with care and not too much effort. I admit even with the Diana the instructions where not the easiest to understand at times but there some wonderful builds of the supply on here so I don't think you'll have any problems. Will follow with interest.

[riverboat]

Looks like you're off to a nice start Byran..... I see you've already done the Lady Nelson, That really is a little nicer kit then the Supply, I think you'll find the instructions were a lot better than one's with The Supply. You Nelson came out real nice , so you should have no problem with the Supply build......... just take your time fairing up the hull, it's very important so your planks have a nice run. I hope my log will be of some help,if you need it.

Have fun!!!

 

Frank

[hornet]

Hi Bryan. I am somewhat ahead of you on the same build. Am about to start work on the masts and yards. Have done a fair bit of bashing of the kit though. My only comment at this stage is that the supplied timber for the second layer of planking is quite brittlle, rough and splintery, particularly on the edges. You will probably need to go through the whole lot and disregard some of them. Luckily Caldercraft provides more than enough to complete the job. I also found a very good example of this ship in the online exhibit from the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. It is worth a look if you are considering any bashing. Use the Museum search facility - enter HM Armed Brig Supply - 24 hi res pics.

[bryanc]

Looks like you're off to a nice start Byran..... I see you've already done the Lady Nelson, That really is a little nicer kit then the Supply, I think you'll find the instructions were a lot better than one's with The Supply. You Nelson came out real nice , so you should have no problem with the Supply build......... just take your time fairing up the hull, it's very important so your planks have a nice run. I hope my log will be of some help,if you need it.

Have fun!!!

 

Frank

 

Hi again Frank,

 

Yes its planking the hull that always tests me! I'm taking it more slowly and deliberately, but am still struggling!

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Great start Bryan. I'm a big fan of the caldercraft kits, having built a heavily bashed Diana a few years ago. Unfortunately the log was lost when MSW 1 crashed. They're brilliant kits OOB and true masterpieces can be made with care and not too much effort. I admit even with the Diana the instructions where not the easiest to understand at times but there some wonderful builds of the supply on here so I don't think you'll have any problems. Will follow with interest.

 

Thanks Anton,

 

Yes the quality of this Caldercraft has impressed me very much - mostly. The aft deck facia is actually quite pathetically bad! For the first time I'm going to have to indulge in some quite dramatic 'bashing'! I'll try and photograph it all.

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan. I am somewhat ahead of you on the same build. Am about to start work on the masts and yards. Have done a fair bit of bashing of the kit though. My only comment at this stage is that the supplied timber for the second layer of planking is quite brittlle, rough and splintery, particularly on the edges. You will probably need to go through the whole lot and disregard some of them. Luckily Caldercraft provides more than enough to complete the job. I also found a very good example of this ship in the online exhibit from the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. It is worth a look if you are considering any bashing. Use the Museum search facility - enter HM Armed Brig Supply - 24 hi res pics.

 

Hi Hornet,

 

Thanks for the message. I can't find your build log, I'd love to see it. I can't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I'm already familiar with the Powerhouse Museums superb photos of the 'Supply', and have plundered them unmercifully. I have grave doubts my work is going to end up of a similar standard though!

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Planking Begins!

And so to the planking. As discussed, something I'm always apprehensive about, but I'm feeling a tad more confident than previously.

The photos will speak more loudly than I can...

 

Stern post and keel edge to be glued on first (I know, I know, the keel should be longer and the stern post sit on it, my first mistake, but hardly vital. I hope).



...and the planking proper begins...



...and continues. The eagle eyed will notice a hole 'carved' into the aft deck facia. This is part of my first attempt at 'bashing'. The hole is an aperture for one of the two windows (plus a door) in the aft deck 'wall'. I'm completely replacing the facia with a home made one, and got completely carried away in an attempt to make the windows (and door) 'see-through'! You can actually see the brass 'windows', and the door (which will also be replaced I think) on the mat at the bottom right.

It remains to be seen how successful it is! But, plenty of planking to be done yet...
 

[Thunder]

Hello Bryan, excellent choice of kit. I built this, unfortunately what I put on this site was lost. Just watch one of rear bulkheads. One of mine was too small so had to do a lot of work to correct. You can see the same fault on some other builds.

 

Bryan, you are not far from me if you wanted to look as this build or the William kit. I am only in Burton on Trent.

[hornet]

You may also want to shape and glue a couple of pieces of ply under the front and rear of the main deck ( part 21). There is quite a lot of flex in it where it butts up to bulkhead 8 at the stern end and bulkhead 3 at the bow end. I have also sent you a PM with a few pics and some other ideas I have used in my build so far.

Edited March 26, 2015 by hornet

[bryanc]

You may also want to shape and glue a couple of pieces of ply under the front and rear of the main deck ( part 21). There is quite a lot of flex in it where it butts up to bulkhead 8 at the stern end and bulkhead 3 at the bow end. I have also sent you a PM with a few pics and some other ideas I have used in my build so far.

 

Yes Hornet, I think bulkhead 3 caused me a bit of grief and I wish I had the foresight to reinforce it a little. Didn't get your PM (as far as I can tell!!).

[bryanc]

Hello Bryan, excellent choice of kit. I built this, unfortunately what I put on this site was lost. Just watch one of rear bulkheads. One of mine was too small so had to do a lot of work to correct. You can see the same fault on some other builds.

 

Bryan, you are not far from me if you wanted to look as this build or the William kit. I am only in Burton on Trent.

 

Yes Thunder, its proving to be a really enjoyable build. The errant rear bulkhead is probably the one refered to above.

 

Thats a really kind offer, and yes Burton on Trent is not too far, perhaps when the weather (eventually) picks up?

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Port side (first) planking complete.

 

I cracked on, encouraged by things going fairly well. Very enjoyable build this is proving to be. Of course mine is far from perfect, but my word I'm improving!

 

Photos below show the port side complete and filled, but not yet sanded and much of it is little more than a 'wash'. Now I know filler covers a multitude of sins, but its so much better than my last build.

 

 

Now a good sanding session, then the starboard side gets the same treatment!

 

Bryan

[hornet]

Brian, do you have messenger enabled. From my end it says the massage has been sent but not read by you. I've never had a problem sending a message before. Not sure what the problem is otherwise

Edited March 26, 2015 by hornet

[Tallshiptragic]

Looking good Bryan. I've always used my first planking just as a base - still try to keep as neat as possible but mainly to give good lines for the second planking. A lot of builders treat the first layer as if it was the only but I'm one of the lazy ones... can't wait to see more.

[bryanc]

Looking good Bryan. I've always used my first planking just as a base - still try to keep as neat as possible but mainly to give good lines for the second planking. A lot of builders treat the first layer as if it was the only but I'm one of the lazy ones... can't wait to see more.

 

...and I'm sure you're right, its obviously just a base for the second and more important one. I was just waxing a little lyrical because its such an improvement on my first ship:-) Mind you having just completed the sanding, its not quite so pristine looking now!

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Brian, do you have messenger enabled. From my end it says the massage has been sent but not read by you. I've never had a problem sending a message before. Not sure what the problem is otherwise

 

Hi Hornet, I've just checked my settings, and while they are a little confusing, as far as I can make out I should be able to receive messages - in fact I have an old one from ages ago. !?

[hornet]

Hi Hornet, I've just checked my settings, and while they are a little confusing, as far as I can make out I should be able to receive messages - in fact I have an old one from ages ago. !?

I'm not keen to 'clog up' your build log with my stuff Brian. I'll try resending the PM.

[bryanc]

Second Planking

 

The second planking continues apace. It's going well thus far and I think it will look good when fettled and finished properly. Of course I've made errors which I'll have to make good before too long.

 

In an effort to avoid pin holes, I've used superglue for the planking (except at the very tip of the prow, where the curvature of the planks was too much for the glue to hold initially), but its wicked stuff to work with. This type (the yellow labelled bottle) is a tad too runny, and resolutely fast and hard drying. Its hell for the finger tips!

 

A lot of work yet before I can turn my attention to the more interesting deck planking.

 

 

 

Bryan