Posto di Combattimento by bryanc - Panart - 1:23 - Battle Station

[bryanc]

Posto di Combattimanto

 

Which Google translates as "instead of fighting", which I don't think is Panart's intention. A more correct (direct Italian) translation is simply "battle station" which is a lot more appropriate.

 

As far as I can ascertain this isn't based on any real ship, but is a figment of the designers imagination. It is, hopefully an historically accurate depiction of a cross section of a gun-deck based one deck down midships somewhere.

 

During this build I will be constantly referring to the brilliant build of this kit by Cobr@ here on NRG. I make no apologies for this, I only hope my build is half as good.

 

Onward...

 

Bryan

 

[cobra1951]

Nice to see another build of this fine kit

Good luck with yours I shall follow along

Edited October 6, 2016 by Cobr@

[bryanc]

Moving on…

 

The kit itself is quite impressive, not the least because of the scale; none of the photos in this build log will ever properly show just how “big” this thing is. The cannon clearly shown in the first pic for instance, is over 10cms long.

 

After my last thwarted build I am going to be very careful about waxing too lyrical about components, however the quality of this kit seems very good overall, the wood is certainly sound and of good quality, the components (which appear to be all present and correct) also seem well manufactured, even down to eyelets, which are not the usual off the shelf things, but seem to have been procured especially. As ever there is a lot of brass stuff that will have to be blackened, even the cannonballs, but at least they are superbly made, and upon close inspection, have a small hole presumably for easy placement (the manual reveals nothing to suggest otherwise).

 

 

Talking of which, the manual doesn’t overburden itself with text. There are no explanations, descriptions or even instructions short of the curt “glue here” type (in six languages). It is very well illustrated however and the photos do appear pertinent and well labelled where appropriate. I can see the lack of explanation is going to trip me up sooner or later, but thankfully there are, as I’ve said, at least two other good build logs on here for me to get second opinions from. There is also the vast plan/drawing, a full A1 sheet of it, printed both sides. It contains very detailed drawings of the various stages of the build. There is considerable written detail, albeit in Italian.

 

And so to the build.

[cobra1951]

Be careful with the plans and the booklet, in some instances they give different measurements for some parts worse still sometimes there are no measurements at all, the table and benches are an example of that, so refer to both and use the build itself to work out which is best for you.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Cobr@

[puckotred]

Bryan, Bob, I think that you take the measurements on table and benches from the plans? Table size from top drawing and bench height and length from side drawing. Width of benches are two planks... if my memory's not totally blown. (As it might be)

[cobra1951]

You are correct your mind is intact

The benches are two planks wide but if you recall the drawings on the plan show the table 4 planks wide and the one in the booklet shows it to be 5 planks wide, i went with 4 as per the plan drawing

I used one of the pictures on the box and took my height and length measurments for the table relative to the size of the cannon and made the benches half the height of the table

Edited October 8, 2016 by Cobr@

[bryanc]

Thanks for the input guys. Obviously I must be on my toes even more than I anticipated! Don't hesitate to throw more suggestions at me as I go along.

[cobra1951]

No problem Bryan if you hit a snag just ask, one of us will help out i am sure

Edited October 8, 2016 by Cobr@

[bryanc]

...and off we go!

 

The laser cut ply main frames seem solid and well-formed and cut. I sanded down all the laser-cut edges before continuing (something I do as a matter of course these days). The frames fitted together without issue, and I’m praying this is going to be the trend! The cross beams followed and they fitted easily, arguably too easily. In a perfect world the fit would have been tighter.

 

 

 

I dry fitted the whole assembly to give some stability before gluing the individual cross beams in position one at a time (as in waiting until it was dry before moving on). I ensured things were true and square by using a set square fastened to the frame at each gluing. I was well pleased with the finished assembly, it’s sound and true and remarkably stable.

 

 

Although I wondered whether it was a little over the top at the time, this stability is due in no small part to the doweling. The original main frames each has a dowel reinforcing each opposite corner, and the main uprights I also reinforced at the joint with the same dowels.

 

 

The laser cut curved supports along the front were tricky to fit, mainly because they were a tad small. I managed it because they were also doweled at the top joint, and I confess I positioned the dowels before actually applying glue. These supports are true and in line, which is quite an achievement!

 

 

 

I then cut and fitted the grating supports towards the rear and at that stage had to pause and consider whether to paint or not. Whilst staining the wood like Cobr@ eventually elected to do, my every instinct was to paint it. Not necessarily like the Victory, although I have a natural bent to do so, but simply because that was the style in the day in a lot of cases (painted white, to maximise light). So the top deck support beams were painted white as will the pillar supports when they are assembled. When the time comes I am going to see what staining the rest of the wood looks like, but will paint it walnut if I don’t like the appearance.

 

 

I also foolishly painted the upper sides of the deck supports, which was not only unnecessary, but a mistake. Half of them will be visible on completion (which in reality they wouldn’t be, something I will have to give some thought to) and it’s not logical for them to be white.  The upper side of the beams will therefore be sanded down very shortly, and stained or painted walnut. I’ll leave the decision on the colour scheme of the hull until later, although I do have a yen to see it painted the familiar yellow and black!

 

Bryan

[Mike40]

Nice work Bryan. Being new to ship modeling at first I didn't see the value of small cross section models like this, but after hanging out a bit on the site I began to realize how interesting it is to focus on a particular part of interior of the hull to see how it was constructed, outfitted and used. 

[cobra1951]

Nice neat start Bryan looks good

You are right about the top beams best to sand the paint off now because it will help in gluing the top deck planks.

[S.Coleman]

Off to a good start. Nice to see all is fitting well together. A 100mm cannon is a monster.

[puckotred]

Looking great! I enjoyed building this a lot and hope you will have the same experience!

[bryanc]

Nice work Bryan. Being new to ship modeling at first I didn't see the value of small cross section models like this, but after hanging out a bit on the site I began to realize how interesting it is to focus on a particular part of interior of the hull to see how it was constructed, outfitted and used. 

The interest for me Mike is the far greater detail afforded by the larger scale. Of course that creates its own problems, but its all good fun and interesting.

[bryanc]

Nice neat start Bryan looks good

You are right about the top beams best to sand the paint off now because it will help in gluing the top deck planks.

Now done Bob :-)

[bryanc]

Great work so far. No big issue with painting I went white for the Victory Colors and under painted the roof / flooring to match. Only the rear third is covered later and thats broken up with the gratings and additional beam work. 

 

The next choice is going edge to edge including cross beam width or just to edge of floor joists. There is enough wood for both options including hull Its a personal matter of choice. I went full width. Gives you a bit more space to place items later.

 

Paul

Good thinking Paul re. the edge to edge including beam. I had already decided to without really thinking why, it just seemed the right way. I hope your right about the quantity of wood, I've already started cutting to size and its disappearing at a staggering rate!

 

Bryan

[cobra1951]

Paul is correct about the wood quantity there is enough. When I did 2 of them I tried both ways the longer one like you are doing looked the best to me

Edited October 9, 2016 by Cobr@

[bryanc]

Just a small update; nothing outrageous has occurred, nothing remarkable, just a good solid, very pleasurable build so far. Unremarkable because everything has gone according to plan and has progressed so well. Well, perhaps that in itself is remarkable; I simply cannot fault the build, the instructions or the materials. And now I know I’ve set myself up for a fall, but I’m just paying credit where it’s due. Hats off to Panart - thus far!

 

 

Of course there are a couple of errors there, hard to spot from the photos, but one gun-port is less wide than the other, I can't think how it happened, but my mistake, plain and simple. I’m also very aware the inside hull planking is not going to line up with the outside (where the bottom of the gun-port is concerned). The manual seemed to suggest they should I think. Neither of these issues is insurmountable, and my file will be put to energetic use very shortly.

 

 

The deck planking went OK, I did use the provided walnut “caulking”, and yes, the glue went everywhere, but I’m not displeased with the end result. I originally started using toothpicks to make “proper” tree-nailing, however it didn’t go as well as it has previously, and I ended up following the instructions provided and partially cutting through the planks width-ways to represent decking “ends”, and boring small holes and penciling them in to serve as tree-nails. They look fine. It brings to mind the endless discussions about how visible tree-nailing would be. I happily admit that even at this large scale realistically the tree-nailing would hardly be visible, and you can certainly see mine, but I’m OK with it. Why go to the trouble of doing tree-nailing that you can’t see?

 

I painted the finishing lower deck with a light wash of very watered down walnut wood stain, and when dry it was given a light coating of satin varnish. I am very pleased with the result.

 

 

The hull planking went well, lovely material to work with and easy to handle. I elected to chamfer the lower edges of these planks, and I think the end result justifies the risk taking. Because of the chamfering, I didn’t use any caulking between the planks, not really worth it as it would not be visible.

 

Right, now to tackle those gun-ports, and maybe build one of the cannon to prove the fit…

 

Bryan

[cobra1951]

Looks great Bryan   nice tidy build so far. As for the tree nails they look good and as you say they need to be seen to give a better planking effect.

If you build the canons don't follow the sizes for the wedge assembly part, if you do the cannons will only have a downward trajectory.

Mr Pucko tipped me off about it when i was doing mine, I showed what i did in my log,

[bryanc]

Looks great Bryan   nice tidy build so far. As for the tree nails they look good and as you say they need to be seen to give a better planking effect.

If you build the canons don't follow the sizes for the wedge assembly part, if you do the cannons will only have a downward trajectory.

Mr Pucko tipped me off about it when i was doing mine, I showed what i did in my log,

 

Thanks Bob, I've dry built one just to see how it presents itself to the gun-port (I simply put a bit of waste in position to simulate the wedge). It looks a tad low, but nothing the file can't cure. I very much take your point (and Mr. Puckos') regarding the wedge assembly, thanks.

[bryanc]

I thought it about time I did a further update before all the detailed bits start being added.

 

The build has not gone as easily as it may appear. I had tempted providence earlier! As you can see from the dry built cannon, there isn’t a great deal of room between the barrel and the bottom of the gun-port. It wasn’t that bad, but it would have niggled me, besides the two gun-ports weren’t exactly in line. So out came the heavy file, and that’s where my troubles started! Making both ports look in line and about the same size didn’t prove as easy as I had anticipated, but eventually I had it looking something like.

 

 

I then continued planking the outer and inner hull, and ran out of material. One plank short! After much cursing and head scratching I worked out a solution. I removed, very carefully, the bottom most outer hull plank. It became the missing one at the top. To fill the gap at the bottom I fashioned a second “rubbing strake” from the remains of the laser cut wood and put that in position under the original kit provided one. It didn’t look out of place and arguably could have been there anyway!

 

(Good though the material provided in the kit is, there's not an overabundance of it. I had admittedly spoilt a little of the the 15 x 3 I ran out of, but not much at all. Another case in point is the numerous pieces that make up the hatch covers. When I'd completed both hatches I had one piece left over! Hardly generous enough to cover breakages etc.!)

 

All throughout the build I have been tortured about whether to paint the hull or not, or just inside or both. I first decided to paint the inside white, to match the beams, but on completion it didn’t look quite right. Nothing ventured I went the whole hog and painted it with the good old red ochre. This then persuaded me to paint the outer hull “Victory yellow” to contrast the black of the strakes. A coat of satin varnish completed it.

 

 

I’ve taken a leaf out of paulv1958’s build, and decided to add a ladder to one side of the hatchway down from the upper deck, so have left a gap for it. It will hopefully add more interest to the upper deck (I’ll be borrowing heavily from his methodology in crafting said ladder as well)!

 

 

Now to complete the half constructed cannon, and add all the various fastenings to the hull. I’ll have a think about just how much decking to put in place on the upper deck once all those fiddly things are in place.

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Hy Bryan

 

Very very nice work. Looks terrific. Your doing a great Job.

 

As Bob mentioned the cannon blocks are just a bit to big in thickness. Be aware that the booklet mentions a part no for it that is 'precut ply that needs gluing together to get the width'  but not marked on the parts, whilst the plans show you cutting some 10x10 walnut diagonally. They supply both so it works either way.

 

Also be aware of the interior planking at the external near the top and internal near gun port. Plans show solid wood, instructions show 3x3 stacked. One again both work.

 

The gin port openings are not supposed to line up exactly they have s small slope on the top and bottom to allow for closing of the ports with he curvature of the hull You will see this when you build the port lid fittings. If you leave it thick as per the plans it will close into position with the slope.

 

Yes  it is a fun kit.

Thanks Paul, a very useful insight. I think I've got the cannon about right, I kept to the 10 x 10 walnut for the "axles" but have fashioned a more sensible sized "wedge" (not shown yet). I've already decided the port lid fittings are unrealistic as shown, and will use only the one thickness of lid. It won't be as good as yours, but will do - I hope!

Yes, I am enjoying the kit! Thanks again.

[cobra1951]

Nice rescue on the outer hull. Strange that you ran out of wood there as I had almost two complete planks left over from each of mine.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Cobr@

[bryanc]

Nice rescue on the outer hull. Strange that you ran out of wood there as I had almost two complete planks left over from each of mine.

One, the topmost inner hull one, I "totalled" when notching it, I accidentally inverted the notching, useless for anything! Quite where the rest went I don't know.

[puckotred]

Looking great! I think I used more of the 3x3 on the inside than said in the manual and also had a lot of wood left over. 

 

Thanks Paul, a very useful insight. I think I've got the cannon about right, I kept to the 10 x 10 walnut for the "axles" but have fashioned a more sensible sized "wedge" (not shown yet). I've already decided the port lid fittings are unrealistic as shown, and will use only the one thickness of lid. It won't be as good as yours, but will do - I hope!

Yes, I am enjoying the kit! Thanks again.

 do you mean the thickness of the gunports? Because that's not unrealistic as they where as thick as the hull of the ship. But a lot of people think that they look too thick (and thats no biggie as one should do as one feels is pleasant to the eye). Not being critical, just a note... ;-)

[bryanc]

Looking great! I think I used more of the 3x3 on the inside than said in the manual and also had a lot of wood left over. 

 

 do you mean the thickness of the gunports? Because that's not unrealistic as they where as thick as the hull of the ship. But a lot of people think that they look too thick (and thats no biggie as one should do as one feels is pleasant to the eye). Not being critical, just a note... ;-)

No! Obviously the gun-ports are as thick as the hull, I mean the lids / covers. I've never seen any that fit the gun-ports like a plug, and were as thick as the hull itself, as the manual and instructions suggest. Not that they might not exist, I've just never come across them.

[cobra1951]

That's the reason i made my own Bryan, they looked a bit over the top to me but that's just my opinion

Edited October 17, 2016 by Cobr@

[puckotred]

Ah, yes. I understand. My mistake. I'm tired and can't even explain what I was thinking.... 

Just disregard my comment. Not the looking great bit though...

[bryanc]

Good job.

 

Yes I had 2 full hull planks left, That explains it. I assume you also used one of the planks for the lining of the gun ports which would account for the other piece

 

The gun ports have three bits. The fat wood, a ply cover and for some strange reason, a pre marked external cover (not listed or shown anywhere).

 

Take your time with the all the accessories and use the plans as there are in mote detail than the book. ONly advice is to review the book as some bits use pre shaped as the plans assume you make it all.

 

Also the keys for the cannon are tiny and hard to see,

Thanks Paul, and yes, you're about right in your working out of my lack of planking. Your advice is welcome as ever.

 

Regarding the cannon keys, I'm afraid I had a laughable but very unfortunate accident; I was about to blacken all the brass parts and after soaking them in thinner to clean them, as I was rinsing them and lifting the shallow plastic bowl I was using to contain them, clipped it on the edge of the sink and all the brass bits went all over my kitchen floor! Cannonballs rolling everywhere! I've retrieved most of the parts; sadly a lot of the cannon balls have gone, and there was no chance of me ever finding the tiny keys. I'm afraid the cannon hinge fittings have had to be bodged.

 

The language was creative though!

[cobra1951]

Oops sorry to hear that . Empty out your hoover then hoover the floor and check the hoover afterwards. They are probably hiding under the fridge.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Cobr@