Perseverance 1807 by Fernando E - Modellers Shipyard - 1:48 scale - Colonial Brig

[Fernando E]

After a short break from the shipyard I have decided to start my next project which is another Modellers Shipyard kit of the Brig Perseverance. The Brig was built for Robert Campbell a Sydney merchant a few short years after the colony of New South Wales was established. She mainly sailed off the coast of south east Australia and southern New Zealand in search of seals for their fur and oil. The Captain of the Perseverance discovered Campbell Island (named after his employer) as well as Macquarie Island (after the then Governor of the Colony of New South Wales). As I have an interest in early Australian colonial history and can still see the old sandstone Campbell Stores building in the Rocks in Sydney I was keen to have a go at this build.

 

First a few obligatory pics of the packaging as well as my very clean shipyard desk!

 

 

The contents of the box are as expected and other than one sheet of the laser cut ply showing a lot of burn marks (which I'm not too fussed about as I will be painting or covering these parts with mahogany strips) it all looks like good quality fittings. I did order some new rigging rope from Syren as I have not been too happy with the quality provided in previous kit s from Modellers Central....the rope arrived very promptly (thank you Chuck!) and looks fantastic!

The instruction booklet is, as usual, very detailed (57 pages) with plenty of photos (129 photos!).  

 

More pics to follow....a word of warning to those who want to follow the build progress.......it will be a slow one!

 

Cheers................Fernando 

 

[Jim Rogers]

Do any kits come with good rigging material? 

[lmagna]

2 hours ago, Jim Rogers said:

Do any kits come with good rigging material? 

Heck Jim, most people are happy if they come with good wood!

[Jim Rogers]

6 hours ago, lmagna said:

Heck Jim, most people are happy if they come with good wood!

True that. I look at my own habits and really all I use out of the kit are the bulkheads and former for the most part.

[lmagna]

I think that is true of most builds I follow. Mine will be a little different as I intend to paint it so there is little need to upgrade to higher quality woods and many of the other kit replacement items that others are compelled to do. But even then I suspect I will add at least half or more to the original cost of the kit in upgrades by the time I am done.

[Dowmer]

6 hours ago, lmagna said:

Heck Jim, most people are happy if they come with good wood!

 

Now that's funny! ...but sadly true. 😠

 

 

[lmagna]

What do you think of the Modelers Shipyard kits in general Fernando? By your comment in your post it looks like this is at least your second kit by this manufacturer. They certainly seem to have a unique selection. 

[Fernando E]

Hi Lou

This is the third kit I have bought from them, the first was the HM Cutter Mermaid and the other was the Colonial Sloop Norfolk (which was my first build log on this site).

The company sells a variety of kits as well as does it's own Australian historical kits (see the following website https://www.modelerscentral.com/model-ship-kits/).

From my limited knowledge of kits available in the market I have found their stuff generally very good. I have completed a Panart kit (The Santa Lucia which I recently completed and did a build log on this site) as well as an Artesina Latina  small boat kit which started me on this great hobby a couple of years back. I would have to say that the Modellers Shipyard kits were way better than the Pannart and the AL in terms of wood provided as well as fittings and most importantly for me...great instructions including, if needed, you can buy a DVD of how to build your particular model. One other point I would make is that when I have had an issue with any faulty parts (not many at all) I have contacted them and they have immediately replaced it free of charge......no questions asked! Great service from these guys . Again, this is my personal opinion and others who have been doing this hobby much longer than I have will no doubt have a different opinion.

 

Saying the above I plan to do the HM Endeavour next and I'm not sure whether to get the Occre Kit or the Caldercraft Kit.....whichever way I go it will be interesting to compare it to the Modellers Shipyard Kits!

 

Cheers.............Fernando 

 

 

 

 

[Dowmer]

9 hours ago, Fernando E said:

Saying the above I plan to do the HM Endeavour next and I'm not sure whether to get the Occre Kit or the Caldercraft Kit

 

Based on the survey done for kit quality on this site under the kit forum I'd say Caldercraft quality wins hands down for quality.  There are several builds on this site you can check as well.

 

 

 

[lmagna]

Thank you Fernando

I have not really built any kits. I am currently using an AL kit as a base for another ship but my modifications are extensive enough that it would not be fair to judge the kit by my build.

 

I looked over these kits and it is nice that they have such a unique selection of historically important vessels. from Australia's colonial period.

 

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one.    

[Fernando E]

First update on how the build is coming along.

 

The false keel had a very slight bow to it but no real issue as this would be fixed once I built a simple jig to straighten it out once the bulkhead frames are in place. One good thing with this kit is that there are marks on both the bulkhead frames and the false keel keel to ensure that they are at least correctly placed (third photo below).

 

 

 

 

This is where the first problem arose.... bulkhead frame 4 was way too short on the port side. The starboard side fitted in perfectly once I dry fitted the false deck (to make sure if this was an issue for any other bulkhead frames) but the port side was about 1.2 mm out!. As this will be covered by two layers of planking I was not too concerned (just a bit annoyed ) as I could put layers of  spare deck planking to pack the the frame out. I'll pass on this issue to Modellers Shipyard so that they can look at this for any future kits.

 

 

Once all the bulkhead frames were square with the false keel these were glued into place then the false  keel was also glued on. Overall not a difficult process (other than the short bulkhead frame!) 

 

Once the glue dried it was time to start the fairing of the bulkheads as well as packing out bulkhead 4. Another issue then arose  in that the ply used was starting to fall apart when fairing. Again not happy with this but will continue with it and hopefully will not look too bad once finished...glad it will be covered by two layers of planking!

 

 

 

More to come....

 

Cheers.............Fernando 

[rvchima]

Hi Fernando,

 

I thought that you were considering building the Endeavour, but I'll plan  to follow along on the Perseverance instead.

 

Rod

[rvchima]

Fernando,

I had trouble finding this post. You should consider putting your current and previous builds in your signature.

Or is there some way to search for build logs or other threads started by a specific member?

Rod

[Fernando E]

Hi Rod

I was planning to do the Endeavour but thought I would practice one more time on another build before I tackle the biggie! The Perseverance is only my fifth build, the first two were relatively straight forward and my third build was my first attempt at a bluff bow....the Norfolk, which was also my first build I put on this site (see below)

 

As to current and past builds on my signature I did try to put it on some time ago but could not find out how to do it. Will give it a go again later today....I must admit that computers are not my forte!

 

Cheers..............Fernando 

[Dowmer]

Better than me Fernando 😀  How did you insert a window to your Norfolk build?  Is there a button or something?

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Dowmer

[Fernando E]

Hello Jason, I won't take any credit for how I inserted the window.......it was a pure fluke on my part.! I went to my Norfolk Build page, copied the URL (the address ) at the top of the page then "pasted it on this thread and magically the window appeared 😎 . I've done it for my Santa Lucia Build (see below) and it works a treat!

 

 

Cheers............Fernando 

 

[Fernando E]

Next update.....a bit overdue!

 

I've now put in the fillers which sit in the tuck of the transom. This took me a while to get right as the different shapes of the fillers needed a bit of sanding. After some time I am now happy with how it looks, although having to get the first layer of planking to fit around these curves is going to be interesting!

I'm making a start on the first layer of planking later today and hope to post a couple of early pictures in the not too distant future.

 

Cheers................Fernando 

[Fernando E]

Another update.

Started on the first layer of planking and so far so good.  No real issue but then again have not yet done the curves in the tuck of the transom. You can see that the plywood on the bulkheads were really starting to fall apart....very annoying but at least they will be hidden under two layers of planking. If time permits I hope to move quickly on finishing the first layer so that I can "enjoy " putting on the second layer then move on to the more enjoyable deck furniture!

 

More to follow soon (hopefully!)

 

Cheers...........Fernando 

[Fernando E]

Latest instalment...

 

The first layer of planking has been completed and although not pretty , after some wood filler and a bit of sanding the hull has come up very nicely. Surprisingly not too much filler was needed. I had originally thought that the tuck of the transom would need a bit of plank bending and a number of them did split when putting them on. It's either the wood supplied or most likely the model maker! A few photos of the current status of the build....

I've also started on one of the "jolly" boats which will be placed on the deck of the Perseverance as a break from planking. Putting it together is very straightforward , so no issues here other than cutting out the pieces as they have not been laser cut.The boat has been dry fitted at this stage as I will want to put some planking on all but the hull as this will be painted white.

 

 

I will be starting on the deck planking next so will follow up with progress in the next few days.

 

Cheers............Fernando 

 

 

 

[Fernando E]

Update on a disaster at the shipyard....after a break from modelling due to work commitments and Christmas holidays I arrived back home to find that a fight between the dog and the cat and the subsequent dropping of the model from a first floor balcony, my build was, to say the least, unable to be salvaged .

In disgust I threw the lot in the bin and sulked for a while before I ordered replacement parts (I was able to salvage some of the parts and all of the deck furniture yet to be built). Long story short, I will start on the Perseverance again but unless something crops up during the initial stages will not post any new pics until I start again on the second layer of planking Here are a couple of shots of where I was at before the disaster...

 

I still can't believe it has happened but the moral to the story is to either get rid of the dog and cat (highly unlikely as we are pet lovers) or just keep the workshop under lock and key and put away all the work in s safe spot before heading off anywhere!

 

 

Cheers..............Fernando  

[ccoyle]

Bummer! At least in this instance, the finished model will be truly deserving of its name!

[DaveRow]

Hi Fernando,

Accidently found your new log.

Have pulled up a chair to follow along.

 

 

[Fernando E]

Welcome aboard Dave. It may be a while before I send updates but hang in there!

 

Cheers..............Fernando 

[JamesBhm]

Fernando,

 

Sorry to hear about the disaster. I had just started following the build to see what other wisdom and skills I could poach! As an owner of three cats (and no separate room for my workbench), I can appreciate the challenges of dockyard security. Good luck on the recovery. Would love to see more progress.  

[Fernando E]

Hi James.....have already forgiven the animals so am getting on with the new build. Will hopefully be posting some pics over the coming weeks.

 

Cheers.......Fernando 

[Fernando E]

A huge apology for the very long delay in posting some pics on my second attempt on this build.

 

I have been working on her for a few months (on and off....in between work,travel and grandson minding commitments) but time goes by quickly and despite my best efforts have not had an opportunity to upload some progress shots....so here goes. I finished the second layer of planking and despite some re-planking some parts I was happy with the end result. Work on the model so far has been relatively straight forward. The build plans are very easy to read and the photos are excellent. Parts have, generally, been easy to install with some minor sanding or adjustments on some of the smaller parts.

 

I've been fitting some of the deck furniture and will be moving on to the masts and rigging in the next few days. Hopefully I will be giving a lot more detail and more regular updates as I progress to the next stage of the build.. 

 

That's it for now....apologies for the lack of detail but I thought that I should update where I'm at before going further on the build.

 

Cheers...............Fernando T

[Fernando E]

Iv'e now placed all of the deck furniture, anchors etc on the model and have made a start on the masts. This will be my first double masted ship so should be interesting! Here she is without the masts.

 

The only piece left of the deck furniture I have left off is the binnacle (see below) which doesn't really inspire me. I was going to either leave it off altogether or  paint it black(!).  It looks too clunky and just not right. I don't know if this type of binnacle is representative of the early 19th century ships so will need to do some more research. Any suggestions from those more in the know would be greatly appreciated.

I'm off for a "long holiday" so won't be back at the shipyard till mid October but will keep looking in from time to time.

 

Cheers.............Fernando

[Fernando E]

A brief update on where I'm at. It has been slow progress to date as work and family commitments have been keeping me away from the shipyard.

 

I've started on the ratlines and will send photos as soon as I have made progress on them. In the meantime the standing rigging is almost complete.

 

Cheers..........Fernando 

[ccoyle]

Looking very handsome there, Fernando!

[Fernando E]

Many thanks Chris.

 

Cheers.............Fernando