US Brig Syren by Hipexec - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64 - building as USS Argus

[HIPEXEC]

I've glued on the upper head rails with their knights head (timber heads)

Edited September 23, 2017 by HIPEXEC

[HIPEXEC]

Now I'm paranoid and I keep checking symmetry. Looking at photos on this website give me a better more detailed look at the work than with my eye. Somehow photos on this site show every little detail. It's a good way to check your work. 

[HIPEXEC]

I roughed out the catheads. They have to have more work before installing them. They are just sitting in position and not glued

Edited September 24, 2017 by HIPEXEC

[HIPEXEC]

I added stuff to pretty up the catheads. I pinned as well as glued the two pieces together. I glued the three piece sections of the mid rail. Next, I will pin and glue on the cat heads and mid rails. I will leave off the called for cleats on the catheads since the cleats provided are of such poor quality they would not stay glue on. The slightest touch would knock them off 

[fnkershner]

Rich - I should tell you that your build of the Argus has aided me it an entirely different direction. In addition to being a member of my local modeling club. I also belong to the Navel Order of the US. We are a group of current & former US Navy, US Marines, Merchant Marine, & Coast Guard. You can be a member if you served or a member of your family served. We meet frequently and often we share something unique about the history of the above mentioned Services. I have been elected Historian of our local Chapter and it is my responsibility to find a topic from history and a speaker for each of our events.

 

Our most recent event was the celebration of the Battle of Midway. This was celebrated as Brunch at the US Navy base in Everett WA. We will be returning to the base in November. I have chosen to tell the story of the Marine Sword. I have also found a Marine officer to share his sword and hope to have my Syren at least far enough built to be presentable.

 

So thank you for the inspiration.

 

In addition to the above I believe we will have a former CNO for a speaker.

[HIPEXEC]

8 minutes ago, fnkershner said:

Rich - I should tell you that your build of the Argus has aided me it an entirely different direction. In addition to being a member of my local modeling club. I also belong to the Navel Order of the US. We are a group of current & former US Navy, US Marines, Merchant Marine, & Coast Guard. You can be a member if you served or a member of your family served. We meet frequently and often we share something unique about the history of the above mentioned Services. I have been elected Historian of our local Chapter and it is my responsibility to find a topic from history and a speaker for each of our events.

 

Our most recent event was the celebration of the Battle of Midway. This was celebrated as Brunch at the US Navy base in Everett WA. We will be returning to the base in November. I have chosen to tell the story of the Marine Sword. I have also found a Marine officer to share his sword and hope to have my Syren at least far enough built to be presentable.

 

So thank you for the inspiration.

 

In addition to the above I believe we will have a former CNO for a speaker.

Well I'm a Marine and Naval Aviator and If you read the beginning of my Argus build you got a taste of "to the shores of Tripoli." and the Marine's Mameluke sword. I still have mine. The Argus was Marine Lt Presley O Bannon's ship.

[alde]

2 hours ago, HIPEXEC said:

Well I'm a Marine and Naval Aviator and If you read the beginning of my Argus build you got a taste of "to the shores of Tripoli." and the Marine's Mameluke sword. I still have mine. The Argus was Marine Lt Presley O Bannon's ship.

To the Shores of Tripoli by Whipple is an outstanding book. O'Bannon is one of my favorite historical figures along with the young junior officers who learned their trade while in prison during the Barbary War and had their own ships during the war of 1812.

[fnkershner]

Rich - You and your sword are more than welcome to attend November 11th. You could be our speaker! I am sure you have much to contribute and would be a better source than me. Again Thank You for the inspiration. I will get the book.

[HIPEXEC]

Thanks for the invite but I can't. BTW November 10th is the Marine Corps Birthday for your Nov 11th meeting. Semper Fi,

Rich

[HIPEXEC]

I just installed the starboard mid rail. I would have installed the port mid rail but it snapped in half as I was placing it. All the wood in this kit is very fragile.

I've got to work on that ugly forward gun port lid. It needs hinges and some varnish.

Edited September 25, 2017 by HIPEXEC

[HIPEXEC]

I've installed some hinges and given them a coat of varnish. The tricky Head Timbers and top rail are next.

[fnkershner]

So now you know what we are celebrating at the Everett Naval Base.

 

I will now allow you to return to your modeling activities. Thank you for your inspiration and the opportunity to deviate from a modeling discussion. I hope to share pictures of the event in my log.

[HIPEXEC]

2 hours ago, fnkershner said:

So now you know what we are celebrating at the Everett Naval Base.

 

I will now allow you to return to your modeling activities. Thank you for your inspiration and the opportunity to deviate from a modeling discussion. I hope to share pictures of the event in my log.

"Anchors away, my lad....Anchors away.."

[HIPEXEC]

Some more shipboard quotes I remember:

 

"Sweepers.. Sweepers.. man your brooms. Clean sweep down fore and aft. Bring all burnable trash to the fantail."

 

or

 

"Make ready the special sea and anchor detail."

 

All those memories come from 14 months of sea duty. Not bad for a Marine Aviator.

[HIPEXEC]

I have installed the top layer of head timbers (the easy ones). Next comes the bottom timbers which will be much trickier. The have large angles to match.

[HIPEXEC]

Upper and lower head timbers finished. These are tricky little devils. I must have cut ten times the number of pieces needed trying to get them perfectly symmetrical. Close, but not perfect. I tried. Top rails next.

[Peter Bloemendaal]

Hi Rich,

It's looking good. I have been following your log for a while now. I realise I've got some seriously fiddly work ahead of me. Just a couple of questions, do you varnish every part first before you glue them on. I always thought you varnish and/or paint once you finished an area or assembly. Also, are you planning to use the figure head supplied with the kit or make your own. The space between lower head timbers look a bit narrow (to my untrained eye).

Cheers,

Peter

[HIPEXEC]

No, I varnish after everything is done even in sections. If I have to glue onto a varnished section, I scrape or sand the area clean, then re-varnish after glued. Most Syren builds are all painted which is the same as varnishing. No figure head on the Argus. As far as spacing goes, I check the pics on at least a dozen Syren builds and the spacing on them varies.

Edited September 27, 2017 by HIPEXEC

[HIPEXEC]

I installed forward eye bolts for future rigging of the bowsprit since it would be almost impossible once the top rail is installed.

[HIPEXEC]

I installed the top rail. I'm not very good with three dimensional puzzles. That's exactly what trying to install all those pieces involved with the top rail are. It's far from perfect, but it's the best I can do. Now I have to clean up excess glue, etc.

[Tigersteve]

Rich, it's looking good. Getting better and better. 

Steve

[usedtosail]

Yeah Rich, that looks good to me. Nice job.

[HIPEXEC]

I've installed the bumpkins. I call them whisker poles. I pinned the end into the hull for support.

[HIPEXEC]

Bow finished for now with a coat of varnish. Now on to the deck

[HIPEXEC]

Pre-painting the carronade swivel brackets. Everything with guns is mass production. These go on the bulkhead so I'm painting them before hand since there is no way my shaky fingers could paint them after glued on. I stuck them to masking tape to keep paint off the glue side.

[Sjors]

Dangerous those "whisker poles" Rich.

It seems to me that you hit those thing all the time.

For the rest it looks excellent.

 

Sjors

[fnkershner]

Wow for a former Jar Head you seem to know quite a bit about Sailing! By the way how does a Marine survive 18 months at sea with a bunch of swabbies? Great work you are my primary guide.

[HIPEXEC]

I spent the 14 months on a big floating airport. The swabbies had to put up with us.

[HIPEXEC]

3 hours ago, Sjors said:

Dangerous those "whisker poles" Rich.

It seems to me that you hit those thing all the time.

For the rest it looks excellent.

 

Sjors

Well I'll just have to fix them if they get bumped. That's part of this game we play building ships

[HIPEXEC]

I scratch my head when I run into this kind of planning. The plans had me install the waterways after they have been sanded to a triangle shape. Now the plan wants me to install the carronade swivel brackets with barely anyway to keep them level since gluing surface available is nil. I'll hold off installing them so I can figure out how to do this.