Medway Longboat 1742 by Ryland Craze - FINISHED - Syren Ship Model Company - 1:24 Scale

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks everyone for your comments and also for the "Likes".  They keep me motivated to keep moving forward on this build.

 

I completed the thwarts earlier this week and today I completed the cockpit seats.  These took me some time to do as I would sand and file the notches, fit the piece, sand and file the notches some more and fit the piece again.  I did this many times for each piece and found it a slow process, but very rewarding.  I am very happy with the results and received a lot of positive comments for my fellow club members at the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society meeting this past Saturday.  Here is a picture of my work since my last post:

 

Here is a picture of the Longboat with the thwarts and cockpit seats dry fitted:

 

I had jumped ahead of the instructions as I wanted to construct the interior details before I painted the model.  I feel this worked out very well for me as I was handling the model quite a bit fitting the interior details.  I am sure that I would have a lot of paint touch up to do if I had painted the cap rails before I did the interior details.  I cannot wait to get some color on this model as it really looks dull with no paint on it.

[MEDDO]

Looks great Ryland.

[BobG]

Beautiful job on the thwarts and cockpit seats, Ryland. I am just about to complete these on my build as well. I made a card template for the seats and then used that to initially locate where to file the notches on the seats. It was slow going and, like you, I found it very satisfying when it turned out well. I remade a two of the thwarts also from some of the excess stock in order to get the notches in them done a little better and to help me get all the thwarts parallel to each other. It's really starting to look like a longboat and it's exciting!

 

I'm about to doing some of the red painting on the areas under the caprails in the cockpit area. I have a couple of coats of Wipe-on-Poly on the entire interior and I'm wondering if I need to do any light sanding of those areas that are to be painted. I'm using Vallejo Acrylic Paint. Do you know if acrylics will adhere ok to wood that has some poly on it?

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Michael and Bob for your comments and for the "Likes".

 

Bob, I also made a card template of the cockpit seats to get the initial position of the notches.  I agree that completing the interior details is making the model look like a Longboat and I am excited to be moving forward to the next step of the build.  I have applied one coat of Wipe-on-Poly (WOP) on the interior and will be applying another coat on the areas where there will be no paint.  I feel that it is a good idea to lightly sand the WOP where you are going to paint as this will give it a surface for the paint to bite into.  I know that Chuck paints over WOP on his models and achieves fantastic results.  I would do a test on some scrap wood as different paints may react to the WOP.  Also, I thin my paint to the constancy of water and apply many coats to get a smooth finish.  I lightly sand the painted surface after three or four coats and usually apply around 12 coats of paint.

Edited January 13, 2020 by Ryland Craze

[BobG]

Thanks very much for your reply, Ryland. I think I will very lightly sand the areas with WOP that I will be painting just to be safe and doing a test piece is good advice too. What brand of paint do you prefer?

 

I also like the little tabs you placed on the bottom of the cockpit thwart and seats to help get everything aligned and level. It's been fiddly for me trying to steadily align these parts when marking for notches and cuts and it should make the seam stronger than just edge gluing too. Great idea.

 

Bob

[Trussben]

Looking real good there Ryland, nice tight joints.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Ben for your comments.  Your Winchelsea is coming along nicely.

[Ryland Craze]

On 1/13/2020 at 12:37 PM, BobG said:

What brand of paint do you prefer?

Bob, I am using Grumbacher Academy Acrylic Cadmium Red Medium Hue paint on this build.  The cockpit seats below have nine coats of highly thinned paint on them and I will probably add another three or more coats.  I thin the paint with distilled water and lightly sand the surface with 400 and 600 grit sanding sticks after every three or four coats.  I use a thick brush as it will hold a lot of water.  It is just like painting with water colors.  I put a small dab of paint in my painting dish and add a drop of water beside the paint.  I place a small amount of paint on the tip of my brush and then dip the tip in the water.  This thins the paint.  I am constantly adding water as the brush soaks it up.  It takes time, but it leaves a painted surface without brush marks.  I have to credit Chuck Passaro with teaching me this technique.

[BobG]

Great information, Ryland, thank you. Do you have a favorite brand of brushes?

 

Bob

[Ryland Craze]

I am not brand conscious as I buy my brushes from craft stores, such as Michaels or AC Moore.  You can find all kinds of brushes in the artist supply section of the store.  They are reasonably priced when you use the 40% off coupon.

[BobG]

I've done all the painting in our house and, although model painting is certainly different, I have found that good quality brushes are easier to work with and do a better job. I'm not particularly brand conscious either as long as the brush is good quality. My wife was a watercolor artist before changing to pastels and she felt that good brushes made a big difference. Looking at how well your painting looks, I would imagine that the brushes you use are well made.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ryland Craze]

I always buy brushes that are on the upper end of quality.  With the 40% off coupon, it makes them affordable.  I clean them frequently during a long painting session and they seem to be as good today as they were on the day that I purchased them.

[MEDDO]

that's a really nice color I might have to try that one when I get to that point.  The wife always has a few of those coupons

 

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks Michael.  I like this color because it is low sheen, almost a matte finish.  When thinned, it levels out nicely.  I may shoot some dull coat on it.  I have read where Chuck mentions this in several of his posts.

[Ryland Craze]

It has been a while since I posted my progress on my Medway Longboat.  The world has changed a lot since my last post.

 

I have completed the painting using many coats of thinned Grumbacher Red Cadmium Medium Hue.  I am satisfied with the outcome.  It found that I achieved a better finish using a fatter round brush than the one that I posted a picture of in a previous post.  I believe it laid down a much smoother coat than the smaller brush and the color was a consistent flat, slightly satin finish.

 

I have a few more items to complete and I will be finished with the hull.  Please stay safe.

[MEDDO]

Looks great.  It is surprising how much a larger brush really makes it smoother.  Unfortunately my daughter absconded with my nice brush so I am using a very small one again.  How are you liking that color choice?  I can never really tell on the computer screen 

[Nunnehi (Don)]

Ryland, she looks great, very nicely done!

 

Don

[BobG]

Beautiful, Ryland! I'm glad to see the progress you've made.

 

I'll have to try painting with a larger brush like you have done. I still have problems avoiding all lap marks no matter how many thin coats I put on. It's not noticeable with black but red tends to be transparent and any lap marks are noticeable if you look closely.

[Richvee]

36 minutes ago, BobG said:

Beautiful, Ryland! I'm glad to see the progress you've made.

 

I'll have to try painting with a larger brush like you have done. I still have problems avoiding all lap marks no matter how many thin coats I put on. It's not noticeable with black but red tends to be transparent and any lap marks are noticeable if you look closely.

You and me both Bob. I can’t seem to learn thin coats and trust the paint. I keep going over spots Instead of painting a thin coat, let it dry,  then another coat-and I get lousy results. I’ll get there. 
 

Rayland - Absolutely beautiful!! 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Richvee

[Bill Brown]

A true thing of beauty Ryland!   Masterful work!

 

Bill 

[JpR62]

Wonderful job ! The red color is superb and magnifies the model. A beauty !

[Chuck]

Ryland that looks fantastic.  The cedar really looks wonderful and your careful paintwork is what highlights that.  You are in the home stretch now.

[Ryland Craze]

Thanks everyone for your comments and for the "Likes".  I am really appreciative of those Medway Longboat builders that have created build logs as I refer to them often to see how they constructed a certain component of their build.  This has helped me in my build.

 

Michael and Jean-Paul, I like the Grumbacher Red as it gives a low sheen, almost matt finish.  I like the red color as it does not have the orange tint that some of the reds do.

 

Don, thank you for checking out my post and for your comment.  I am very pleased with the model and I cannot wait to see it finished.  This is a really nice kit and the instructions and materials are first class.

 

Bob and Rich, my paint job is far from perfect, but I am very happy with it.  The thin coats are the key to getting a good paint job.  I must have around 20 coats of paint on this model and it is just like painting with water colors.  I feel the more that you paint, the better your technique gets.

 

Bill, thanks for your comment.  I am following your progress on your Cheerful as I have this model on my shelf and considering it for my next build.

 

Chuck, the cedar has worked out great.  The WOP over the cedar has made it look like boxwood and I have used your technique for the painting.  I am striving to get to your level of craftsmanship, but realize that I am no where near that.  However, just trying has made me a better modeler than not trying at all.

 

Thanks everyone for looking in.  Please stay safe and wishing everyone the best of health and happiness.

[Chuck]

I am sure you couldnt tell them apart if my model was right next to yours.   Wonderful work.

[Ryland Craze]

1 hour ago, Chuck said:

I am sure you couldnt tell them apart if my model was right next to yours.   Wonderful work.

Thanks Chuck.  A compliment coming from you like that means a lot to me.

[BobG]

3 hours ago, Ryland Craze said:

Chuck....I have used your technique for the painting.

The only thing I know about Chuck's method of painting is to use many thinned coats of paint. I remember reading a post from him some time ago where he mentioned that, when he was in art school, he had to paint a square area without leaving any lap marks or brush strokes. He said that it would be easier for him to demonstrate the process rather than to try and give a written description of the technique. Do you know anything further about the way he does that?

 

He also mentioned that he had learned to paint a straight line without using any masking tape!   

[MEDDO]

1 hour ago, BobG said:

he had learned to paint a straight line without using any masking tape

Sorcery! Magic! Witchcraft!

[BobG]

57 minutes ago, MEDDO said:

Sorcery! Magic! Witchcraft!

🤣🤣🤣

[Ryland Craze]

3 hours ago, BobG said:

The only thing I know about Chuck's method of painting is to use many thinned coats of paint. I remember reading a post from him some time ago where he mentioned that, when he was in art school, he had to paint a square area without leaving any lap marks or brush strokes. He said that it would be easier for him to demonstrate the process rather than to try and give a written description of the technique. Do you know anything further about the way he does that?

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see Chuck do a demonstration on his painting techniques.  I remember that he had a piece of wood that had several squares drawn on it and he had a jar with water that contained several paint brushes.  The brushes had been in the jar for some time as the tips had curled due to the weight of the brush.  He explained that in art school he had to do a color pallet with one inch squares that he had to paint perfectly square and with no lap marks or brush strokes.  Failure to do so would result in failing the class.  He showed how to thin his artist acrylic paint with water and paint within the squares.  The demonstration was only 30 to 45 minutes long but he was able to build up the color after many coats of paint to reduce the opaqueness of the thinned paint.  The curled tip of the brush helped to get a fine line as he stroked the brush along the border of the squares.  He also talked about breathing and "pinky" control.  He also had a brush with clear water and a piece of sandpaper that was cut in an arc to touch up places where the paint was outside of the area he wanted to paint.  I wish I had videoed the demonstration as it would have been a good reference tool.  I have tried his painting technique and find that it works very well.  Before this technique, I was painting my models trying to cover everything in one coat and wondering why I had brush strokes and lap marks.  If you use Chuck's technique, you will find that your paint jobs and confidence will get better with each coat of paint that you apply.

[Rustyj]

Great workmanship Ryland. I remember that demonstration well. You did a great job applying it!