Prince de Neufchatel by rafine - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[rafine]

I will begin by explaining my choice of this kit. As some of you may be aware from my posts in other logs, I have really been taken by the barque Stefano kit from Marisstella. I decided, however, that I am no longer capable of, nor willing to commit to, such a large, complex multi-year build with endless rigging. My age (78) and diminishing dexterity in my hands, just seemed to rule out such a project. When I started Halifax, I had pretty much decided to go with smaller vessels in larger scales, but upon looking around for my next project, I couldn't really find anything that I wanted to do that would fill those criteria. I came across the Prince de Neufchatel (PdN) kit on E-bay (it has been out of production for a number of years), and it seemed to be something of a compromise for my goals. While the model is large and at 1:64 scale, it is a fairly open and straightforward build with a rig that would not be as challenging to me as the Stefano.

 

I bought the kit as brand new in it's original sealed box and was delighted to find that the keel former and bulkheads, although 12+ years old, were straight and true and good to go. I will spare you all from another display of kit contents, as they have been shown in other logs here. I am attaching a copy of the photo from the kit box. I have not fully figured out what I intend to do to enhance the kit, but some things are fairly certain: I will plank the upper hull with boxwood, plank the deck with holly and copper the lower hull. I expect to use boxwood to replace the kit wood for the deck furniture and will certainly use Syren blocks and rope for the rigging. Other changes may be made as well.

 

 I've cleared away the debris from the Halifax build, and I'm ready to go. I hope you will join me for the ride.

 

Bob

[Old Collingwood]

Please count me in bob,  I will bring a nice comfy chair that you are more than welcome to use if you wish.

 

OC.

[jwvolz]

Great choice Bob, she's a beautiful ship. Anxious to see what you do with her. It's been a few years since I built mine, and there are certainly things I would do differently now, so I'll enjoy seeing how you approach this. 

 

Good luck!

[Heronguy]

Bob, I'm excited to see her in your hands!  I will enjoy watching and learning.

 

 

[David Lester]

Hi Bob,

I'm really pleased to hear about your PdeN! I am about to start mine. Like you I found it on eBay and I'm really taken with the beauty of this ship. So far, I have pored over the plans and have written out my list of rigging instructions to follow. I don't plan on making as many changes to the wood as you are going to make, but there are a few things I am going to change.

 

I'm really looking forward to following your progress as we should more or less be at similar points throughout.

David 

[MEDDO]

 Always exciting to see another build from you. 

[alde]

You sure don't waste any time bob. I'm looking forward to watching your build progress.

[Rustyj]

Hi Bob,

 

Very nice choice for your new build. As with everyone else I'm eager to see you progress.

[rafine]

Welcome aboard guys. Great to have you along.

 

Joe, as with Granado, your build of PdN was an inspiration to my choice.

 

Doug and David: It will be great to be working alongside you on this one.

 

Al, at my age I don't have any time to waste. 

 

Bob

[popeye the sailor]

I was waiting patiently for the log to start.....I'm in!   

[Captain Poison]

You're right Bob, there's no time to lose... waste time on what you love!

[gjdale]

I’m in! Always a pleasure to follow one of your builds Bob.

 

11 hours ago, rafine said:

I am attaching a copy of the photo from the kit box

 

 I think you might have forgotten the photo though.....

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by gjdale

[Barbossa]

Hi Bob

 

This place is getting crowded, I'm afraid. I'll  follow anayway and enjoy the ride as so many others.

PdN is an excellent choice. I love her elegant lines and it's a pity this kit is no longer in production.

On the other hand, I fear for the amount of shipping costs towards the old continent.

 

Have fun !

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Hi Bob,

 

I wish you a good start with the PdN and much fun with the build....

 

Nils

[rafine]

Another welcome aboard to all of you.

 

Joshua, I've been following your log, and I'm in good company.

 

Grant, I have no idea what happened to the photo, but here it is .

 

Bob

[Canute]

Reporting for the crew, sir. Looks like another fine build coming up.

[CaptainSteve]

I'm pulling up a barrel also, Bob.

[JpR62]

I'm also on board. It will be a great model. I have a lot to learn.

[Tigersteve]

Following also. 

Steve

[KenW]

Hey Bob.  Looks like an interesting ship.  I'm sure you'll do an excellent job.

Can't wait to follow along.

Cheers.

[rafine]

Plenty of room on board. Welcome. Hopefully, some results will start to show soon.

 

Bob

[rafine]

My first actual progress was the usual mundane work of preparing and assembling the keel former and the bulkheads. I found that it only required relatively minor adjustments by sanding to get a good fit. My principal concerns at this point were to get the deckline right by fitting and sanding as I added each bulkhead and, of course, to mount them square. I use two heavy steel squares to square the bulkheads and then add square strip wood bracing. I have no doubt that, whether as a result of poor parts or my own errors, there will be need for considerable fairing and some shimming to get an even outer surface for planking. Frankly, over the years, I've come to expect that. With the exception of Chuck's almost perfect keel former and bulkheads for Cheerful, that is the rule.

 

My next tasks will be to add additional bracing between the bulkheads, to box in the mast holes and to add the false deck.

 

Bob

[DocBlake]

I’ll be following along also, Bob!l

[popeye the sailor]

quite a few bulkheads...that will insure a nice contour    should be a joy to plank when you get the faring done.   nice progress so far!

[zappto]

This is nice ship i see on the picture, good looking start! Which year ship model it is? i did not notice it anywhere.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Dave, Joshua, Denis, Zappto and the "likes".

 

Joshua, I wish I could tell you where I got them, but it's been about 20 years and I can barely remember what I had for lunch today. 

 

Bob

[russ]

You can get those from Micromark, but probably from a hardware store as well. 

 

https://www.micromark.com/2-x-2-x-2-Inch-Angle-Plate

 

Russ

Edited February 21, 2018 by russ

[Old Collingwood]

Thats a great start bob,   and as you say - its the stage we all go through, but crutial and so important to get it all strong and lined up equal to each other,   I love the closeness of the bulkheads,  that should help no end  - wish more kits did that.

 

OC.

[rafine]

Thanks so much OC and the "likes". I agree with you OC, the number of bulkheads should be a big help.

 

Russ, my angle plates (now that I know what they're called) are 3 x 3 x 3 rather than 2 x 2 x 2 and  the Micromark ones are $21 dollars each, which seems rather high, and far more than I can imagine that I spent. But then again, it was a long time ago, so who knows?

 

Bob

[russ]

Bob:

They sell them in 1", 2", and 3". The price does seem dear, but they will always be correct and that is something to think about. It may be that they can gotten elsewhere for less though, so it pays to shop around. 

 

Russ