Group Prototype HMS Winchelsea - FINISHED - 1764 - by Chuck (1/4" scale)

[svein erik]

Am also in for "pre-sales"😃

where wil the cost end for starter kit?

 

Svein.erik

[ChrisLBren]

Damn Chuck - that looks amazing !!!!

[Trussben]

Put me down for one Chuck now you are building her in 1:48, another of Pellew's commands.

 

ben

[Chuck]

No pre-sales unfortunately....I am feeling stressed out as it is.  I want to wait until this hull is planked before I start selling starter kits.  

 

I havent worked out the details yet but let me tell you...there are a lot of bulkheads and they are big.  

 

In addition to those, the starter package will include laser cut keel and stem parts, whatever strip wood is needed to frame the gun ports and stern along with the stern frames.  Of course the plans as well.  Basically everything needed to complete the skeleton so you can begin planking.

 

My guess is it will be in the neighborhood of $150 give or take....plus shipping.

[Erebus and Terror]

Wonderful! I'm so pleased to see you start afresh - your logs are always such an education in design and craftsmanship. 

 

Can I ask, Chuck, how do you find the laser cut parts fit in comparison to those cut the traditional way? I used laser cut parts a lot on my Terror model, but not for the stem/Keel/stern as the "v" shape of the laser cut created gaps when I assembled the pieces. Perhaps it isn't as apparent at the scale you are working with?

 

Wonderful work as always!

Edited May 8, 2018 by Erebus and Terror

[Chuck]

You have to plan for that...there are no gaps.  You need to strategically flip some pieces when being cut so the angles match almost perfectly.  For the stem parts I was able to flip some parts so the angles are nice and tight.  You can see that I built the stem in two sections so that after assembly I did tweak the long curved edge so the seam was nice and tight but the individual elements went together better than if I cut them and tweaked them by hand.

 

I do this to all of the parts and for the life of me I dont know why all kit MFGs dont do this.  Note how the letters on the center section of bulkheads are on the other side....that was flipped when cutting so the joint fit perfectly without any need to sand them at all.  The parts of the stem with the X's on them were also flipped on my file when laser cutting them.

 

 

[CWG]

What do you think of using scribed decks for Winchelsea instead of individual strips?  I know that it can look much better from viewing Myron Van Ness's models at the Laguna Festival of Arts in the 1990's.  I know Bluejacket offers scribed decks but I don't know who else does.

 

EA     (CWG)

Edited May 8, 2018 by CWG
punctuation

[druxey]

The ingenious Chuck!

[Chuck]

No ...there will be no scribed or etched planks for me.  There is nothing like planking with individual plans when its done with care.  That is a shortcut that I will never take.

 

Thanks Druxey!!!! 

[Erebus and Terror]

Great hint there chuck. That did occur to me, but I thought it was too much trouble for the result. Now that I know it does work, I will definitely try it!  Now if I can only get the kerf worked out on the machine at the library. It seems to be different every single time I use it (likely due to misaligned optics, I'm guessing). 

[Erebus and Terror]

P.S. I like how many bulkheads you use on your kits! IMO, most kit manufacturers use far too few, and I think it makes planking a chore. 

[Chuck]

I agree....with regard to the laser cutter it is the alignment of the optics but also how clean they are.  A dirty/scratched lens and mirrors will also hurt the overall effect.  It is great that they have one though....very nice resource.  I just ordered a bunch of parts for mine because I have been lucky over the last four years.  Its only now showing signs of needing some TLC.  I just ordered a new laser tube, lens and power supply among a few other things.  $1700......but its well worth it.  I am all thumbs with this electronic/electric wiring stuff though, so I am very nervous about doing the revamp.  Should be running as good as new when its fixed up.  But I have to look for someone who can assist me with it who knows their way around a machine like this.  I have a few engineers and electronics guys in mind...but they dont know I just volunteered them for duty yet.

[mtaylor]

Chuck,  I think the reason for why the other "guys" don't flip to fit parts is that they never thought of it, or somehow tied into time and money.... not sure.

 

On the laser rebuild... do it one step at a time and test/re-test before the next bit.  I'd do the power supply first, the mirrors and then the tube.  Take photos of the wiring and check then check again that the wiring matches.  I found that if I aligned mirrors as I changed them out (one at a time) when I did the tube, there was minimal fiddling.  It's a PITA to be sure but taking time, going slow and douible even triple checking pays off.

 

Oh... don't try to splice the high voltage led (red) to the tube.  If you must connect... solder the leads and lots of heat shrink insulation.  Try to do that part in a place in the chassis where the joint is well away from any metal.    Don't ask how I know... it still pains me to remember.

[Chuck]

My laser cutter brand has improved this model several times over the last few years.  They have made it so the wires coming from the power source are easy to connect to the tube now.....I will send you a pm with a link to a video.  Its the only reason why I am changing the power source because the wires are a pain in the butt to connect to the tube.  But now there is no soldering needed at all....or at least there wont be if I can run the new wiring.

 

Chuck

[mtaylor]

That's good and makes me smile as it reduce both your down time and your headaches.  

[Jim Rogers]

One of the things I don’t miss is tracing wires in Automatic Torpedo Test Sets. There is miles of white wire thrown into a rats nest. Fun fun fun.

[Jorge Diaz O]

 

Good afternoon Mr. Passaro, I just discovered this thread, I wanted to ask about the plans of the HMS WINCHELSEA, for which we are from other countries, we will have possibilities to buy them, alone, without the kit ?? The freight cost would be overwhelming, I wish there was an alternative It is a splendid ship.

[Chuck]

Nope....you will always need to buy at least the starter package and the plans will NOT have any drawings for the bulkheads and other parts.  This is being done to prevent folks from stealing the design and pirating the project.  You wont need those templates on the plans because you will have the laser cut parts.  It also prevents people from posting the plans on their websites and forums as a download which is unfortunately all too common.   It has happened with my Cheerful and I only need that to happen once before I find a way to prevent it.

 

Chuck

[Jorge Diaz O]

4 hours ago, Chuck said:

No ... siempre deberá comprar al menos el paquete de inicio y los planes NO tendrán ningún dibujo para los mamparos y otras partes. Esto se está haciendo para evitar que la gente robe el diseño y piratee el proyecto. No necesitará esas plantillas en los planos porque tendrá las piezas cortadas con láser. También evita que las personas publiquen los planes en sus sitios web y foros como una descarga, que desafortunadamente es muy común. Ha sucedido con mi Alegre y solo necesito que eso suceda una vez antes de encontrar una manera de evitarlo.

 

Arrojar

Una triste noticia para quienes vivimos tan lejos...

[Chuck]

I ship almost anywhere in the world.   Except for China, LOL

[Dwight]

I assume you will tell us " newbies " where to obtain this semi kit when you are ready

[Chuck]

I absolutely will...yes 

[Chuck]

Now where was I?? 😁

 

Last I reported,  I had completed the backbone with the keel and stem parts.  This was secured to a large baseboard with brackets to ensure the bulkhead former doesnt bend.  Using three brackets on each side ensures that the bulkhead former is completely straight.

 

 

 

Fast forward to today....

 

I have glued the 27 bulkheads in their slots.  I was careful to make sure they were squared up to the bulkhead former.  This is probably twice as many bulkheads than the usual POB kit on the market.  This will ensure that the planks lay nicely without any issues.  Now you might notice all of those clamps.  These are simple binder clips.  They come in a variety of sizes.  I often see many people trying some wacky things to try and prevent the bulkhead extensions from breaking while you fair the hull etc.  I have tried many things as well.  This time I am going simple.  If you just angle the clips so they are both on the extension and on the main bulkhead, they will stiffen up the area that is prone to splitting and breaking.  It really does make a difference.  I encourage all of you to try this at some point.

 

In addition, if you have some longer bulkhead extensions like those shown at the stern,   they have an even bigger tendency to break off because they are longer.  So for these you may want to try using some "L" brackets.  These metal brackets are really cheap and also do a great job protecting the bulkhead extensions.  You can place them on one side or even both sides of a bulkhead extension and use the binder clips to hold them in place.  This will absolutely prevent the extension from breaking while you fair the hull.

 

When installing the bulkheads I made sure that the laser etched reference marks were facing the correct direction.  All of the numbered bulkheads have the etched side facing aft......the lettered bulkheads are facing forward.  This is very important.

A photo of those "L" brackets being used...

 

At the bow, the three "bow fillers" were glued into position following the plans (BF1,BF2 and BF3).  These were pretty straight forward although I made sure that the tops were level on both the port and starboard sides.  You will also notice the wonderful CNC milled boxwood figurehead that Jack made for me.  Its a pretty darn good fit and looks great.  Much better than I could ever carve by hand.  I havent applied any finish to it yet.  Note the bow filler pieces (BF1,BF2 and BF3).

Rather than add the stern frames at this point, I will start fairing the bulkhead first.  This will make it easier to install the gun port framing for the sills, etc.  That will be the next step after I finish fairing the bulkheads which will take a while.  This hull is  a beast.  I will post again once the fairing is done and I have started on those port sills.

 

Its really good to be working on the Winnie again.  Its time to finish this thing.  And yes the stem and keel parts are all Alaskan Yellow Cedar.  The entire model will be made from it except for a few boxwood accent pieces and moldings etc.

 

Chuck

 

[Jim Rogers]

It is going to be a beauty. Can’t wait. Is that figurehead, a work of art, going to be included in the kit?

[Chuck]

Yes it will be made available if you want to upgrade to CNC milled boxwood carvings.  There is a whole set including the stern decorations and drops.  There will also be a less expensive resin set and I am sending these boxwood carvings out to be cast.  So depending on which ones you want there are some options.

 

Here are some of the boxwood carvings placed on a test stern transom for sizing.  These beauties were created for me by Jack our fellow MSW member (HJX).  He is also working on his own line of kits and they will be outstanding as well.  I cant thank him enough.  You guys will soon have some incredible kits to choose from made by companies that dont have a history of pirating others.  

 

And I failed to mention that a Cherry version of the Winnie will also be made available and that should look great with these boxwood carvings.

 

 

[BANYAN]

Up to your usual very high standards of quality materials and workmanship Chuck; nifty idea of the binder clips and 'L' brackets (I'll stow that idea away for future use )

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Rustyj]

Beautiful and I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait! 

[Chuck]

Just to give everyone a really good idea of what this model will eventually look like....here is the first plan sheet.  No worries about piracy as this one is just a pretty drawing.   No part templates.

 

Download a pdf.....Winchelseasheet1a.pdf

[russ]

Chuck:

This will be a beautiful model and a project that modelers will enjoy. I think the planking will be especially nice on this hull. 

 

Russ

 

 

 

[JeffT]

wow...nice