CSS Alabama by J11 - Revell - 1/96 scale - PLASTIC - kit bash 90% historical accuracy

[Keith Black]

Jonathan, Merry Christmas to you and yours and a Happy New Year.......Keith

[J11]

On 12/6/2020 at 5:58 PM, popeye the sailor said:

looks a whole lot better than mine..........I can't even recall if I ever finished it   she looks awesome Jonathan!

Thanks @popeye the sailor, hope to have her done soon. 

[J11]

On 12/12/2020 at 6:17 AM, Bob Fraser said:

I saw a model of this many years ago at a local swimming baths (New Brighton outdoor baths now long gone), but it was in a showcase behind a window.

There was a local group wanting to raise money to salvage her. She was built only a couple of miles from where I lived.

I've also recently found out her Executive Officer was a cousin (distant)!

Great build 🙂

 

 

 

Thank you @Bob Fraser, will have some more images soon and get this one under glass.

[J11]

On 12/6/2020 at 3:02 PM, luponero said:

Congratulations, beautiful model !!!

 

black Wolf

Appreciate the compliments @luponero, working to finish her out will be posting a update today.

[J11]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:51 PM, Keith Black said:

Jonathan, Merry Christmas to you and yours and a Happy New Year.......Keith

Many thanks @Keith Black, and in hope's your family also had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

[J11]

I along with others have been busy with the Holidays and in hopes all had a wonderful season. 

 

This time around we had another seven family members get Covid, all but an older member have recovered and are back healthy again. The oldest member has been hit hard and were not sure he will pull threw. Wishing this blasted mess would leave our family alone, tired of all the wasted time spent with it and seeing it hurt families. If someone says that Covid is a lie and it doesn't exist. their lying I assure you. We have been threw the ringer with it. Please protect yourselves and your families.

 

Here's a updated image of work space cleanup going on in prep for the boom sails to be installed by next week; hopefully. Man; never knew I had stock piled so much material and tools till I started cleanup and organizing the workspace.  Even had to order a roving drawer unit to help easy access.  

 

 

 

 

The fore main mast boom sail mounts have broken and I am working to put new stronger mounts on. Still have rigging also to work on and will be completing some today and this week. As I have inventoried my model span material for the boom sails I do have just enough to finish them from my measurements, so I'll be building sails again also. Well that's the plan for the next couple of weeks with her and will post images of course.

 

Thanks for the patience again, as we all know "Rome wasn't built in a day".

 

[Keithbrad80]

I’m really sorry to hear about your family, whiles its great most got better, it’s sad that this happened in the first place. 
 

Your build looks great! Your sails are coming along very nicely, I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product!

 

Bradley

[J11]

Gentlemen, thanks for all the concern and well thoughts for my family, Really appreciate it, very kind of you. 

 

As starting to rig away; I discovered I'm out of my favorite Syren blocks and have to order more. Looks like I'll need another 100 more in different sizes. So will be ordering this morning and get those a moving in the  mail to me. I'll be prepping the lines as best as possible without driving myself crazy keeping all the loose lines ready to go for attachment to the missing blocks. I look at it as good experience for the Wasa coming up on my next build. Along with a couple of smaller projects I need to finish up.

 

Using the Bluejacket prints for rigging doesn't quite match up to Revell's model layout. So I'm having to add many more tie in eyes along with some cleats which I have to order more also. Be tweezers work and hemostat work in place for most of them which will be slow. Very fortunately my sweetie got me a whole set of hemostats for Christmas, they have already proven their worth.

 

I have also completed the work space clean up for swinging the model around as I work on her. Plus with the boom sails coming up she will be getting really wide once their installed. I have a couple more images soon posted, and thanks for all the likes and interest. 

 

 

[Dart]

Model without royal sail or royal.

(Version of the sails)

[J11]

@Dart, is this your model?? It's a very nice representation of her, and appreciate the image as I thought I had all the quality representations of her on my file images. I didn't have this one and really appreciate the posting. if you have more images of this one please post them!

 

I have been getting parts in as the mail has been slow because of covid. Been doing a little on her and will be doing more today and this week; so should have some images. My blocks arrived yesterday and starting to put them in, but it's slow work along with a appreciation to "Syren" for making some more for sale!! I was in a panic ... arrghh none available!! LOVE these blocks and will always spend the money to place these on my ships from now on.

 

Funny as working on her I don't know why I didn't realize how light this model is after all the work which has gone into her. I'ts barely two pounds!! Kinda give's you the reason why she's so fragile. And yes she does float in the pool ..... .

 

Holler again soon with pics.

 

[Dart]

This is a group building (p.St. Petersburg) for the Musée océanographique de Monaco.

How can I contact you??

[J11]

@Dart,  just put the images here in my blog which would be better per MSW guidelines.

[J11]

Images of the work table cleaned off and of the progress on the ship. Tweezer tying is slow but has to be done considering all the obstacles I have to work around. I only have 1 mm pins to tie to so it has to be precise without breaking anything. I'll have some more images soon ..... working slowly away on her. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell, now I have the room to move her around and install the boom sails. This also helps in not breaking anything as she rotates to be worked on.

 

 

[J11]

Afternoon gentlemen, been rigging away and at this scale we rigger's know it's a tad tedious. Here's a few update images on the Mizzen and main mast work, this is about ten hours so far and still not done. Slowly as I have said before, with so far only one mishap on the fore mast breaking a boom off while rigging. The boom mount is re-drilled and mounted back on the boom, waiting on a good dry for it, then I'll re-install after touch up paint dries.

 

This shows our favorite trick: Hemostats

 

 

 

This is a close up of the blocks, looks better than imaged though, very gentle slow work as not to break anything. Seems even if I look wrong at her she breaks. 

 

 

Then a couple more shots:

 

 

 

 

I'll try to have some more images tomorrow, really appreciate all the likes!!  Help's with this one as one step forward and three steps back as before. But she's coming along. 

 

Size of the rigging is a tad bigger than normal but still looks in scale. Tying them to the pins and deck is a experiment in terror with holding my breath.     I'm hopeful their finished by tonight. I'll try to get some closeups of the ties and post the images.

 

 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

Those sails really look great, Jonathan!  The bolt ropes are particularly cleanly attached.

[J11]

@Hubac's Historian, I am trying to keep her as clean as possible during the build, so far she has turned out fairly well. As I have also been going over the boom sail mounts it seems that they are going to be quite a challenge to get right with mounting and rigging. Also they will have to be inside the main and fore sails to look right. With adding the wind blown look it has to be as clean as possible with that tad look of age added. 

 

Since this is my first try at sails scratch built, really appreciate the compliments. Confirms I'm on the right track with them, even if they aren't perfect. This has been a great learning curve also, thanks to all the help and suggestions from members she's just not my creation but MSW also.

 

[J11]

Thanks for stopping by and having a look, a quick update on the rigging ties.

Here's a image of the tie downs, I just don't have enough space between the pegs to drape the rope coils over like it should be. So I did the next best thing and winged it. Not to shabby of a look.

 

 

I'll have more images in a few days as I move to the main mast rigging. Did some touch up painting also on her and will wait for it to dry before I tackle the next rigging set. I won't have all the proper rigging installed per Bluejackets prints but will have eighty percent of them installed.

 

[J11]

Continuing research on the booms for the proper look I really like the booms sail shapes and mounting on the below image as I said before. So this is the example I will be using.

 

Does anyone here at MSW know of a model shown at MSW with boom sails installed? So far I haven't seen one and would like to see someones else's example on a built model. Thanks.

,

 

 

 

I'll have more images soon of completed rigging.

 

[Dart]

22.01.2021 в 00:33 J11 сказал:

@Dart, просто разместите изображения здесь, в блоге, что было бы лучше в соответствии с рекомендациями MSW.

Ладно.

Р.С. 

[J11]

Fantastic shots! Many thanks @Dart!!

[Dart]

I'll show you the rest later.

[GrandpaPhil]

The Alabama is looking awesome!

[mtaylor]

20 hours ago, J11 said:

Does anyone here at MSW know of a model shown at MSW with boom sails installed? So far I haven't seen one and would like to see someones else's example on a built model. Thanks.

,

Check some of the Clippers... especially those by rwiederrich.   I've not seen too many who did put the boom sails but vaguely recall seeing a Victory with booms and sails.

[J11]

Got one from more research:

 

 

Shows close to what the Alabama will look like with studding sails installed. 

 

[J11]

On 1/28/2021 at 11:02 AM, Dart said:

I'll show you the rest later.

Great looking forward to them. This representation puts mine to shame. Do you know how many worked on her?

[J11]

On 1/28/2021 at 11:11 AM, GrandpaPhil said:

The Alabama is looking awesome!

Thanks @GrandpaPhil, she's slowly coming along.

[Dart]

1 minute ago, J11 said:

Great looking forward to them. This representation puts mine to shame. Do you know how many worked on her?

The sails, spars, and rigging were made by a woman.  That's all I can say.

[Dart]

15 minutes ago, J11 said:

Great looking forward to them. This representation puts mine to shame.

Not at all. Each model is good in its own way. In addition, it is difficult to compete with the team. And you don't need to.

 

Р.С. Together with the Alabama by the Kearsarge would look good.  

[J11]

26 minutes ago, Dart said:

Not at all. Each model is good in its own way. In addition, it is difficult to compete with the team. And you don't need to.

 

Р.С. Together with the Alabama by the Kearsarge would look good.  

Wow! she's just gorgeous!! Love the fine detail work which was done on her. Love the cannons also, along with all the quality fittings and sail work,

Can you tell me how large she is? Thirty six inch's long? Scale? It also seems that no cost was sparred in her construction, looks to completely custom made also.

 

@Dart thanks for posting them and if you have more please post them.  

[DanielD]

Impressive work!