USF Confederacy by Brucealanevans - FINISHED - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Donington93]

I am just about ready to start my Confed build. This is going to be an invaluable help for me, Bruce. Thanks!

[Brucealanevans]

Good luck with your build. Be VERY exacting  with placement when constructing the frame - especially in the stern - and in sanding the curved profiles in the stern per the plans. Time and care invested there will pay dividends down the road. 

[Brucealanevans]

Began fitting the main head rail.

Let's just say hurray for extra parts - 4 supplied for the 2 main rails and I ruined the first two. Finally managed to appropriately adjust the last two.

Clamped the cross beam in place to adjust things so that the cross beam and rails are flush with the beakhead deck.

I have to clean up and re-glue some of the trim strips in that area and touch up the paint before staining these and gluing them in place.

I have tried (on practice pieces) to make the decorative scores just inside the edges of the wood strips and getting a smooth look is simply beyond my dexterity, unfortunately, so I will forgo those.

Not looking forward to the head timbers, which the instructions say is the most difficult and fiddly of the whole business.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

I have roughly shaped the five head timbers and spot glued them in place preparatory to marking the places for the notches for the middle rails. The timbers themselves will require more shaping which I will do when I remove them to do the notches.

This is a very fiddly task overall and I doubt it will look perfect to say the least. Doing the best I can, and will be very happy when the middle rail is finally placed and I can move on.

[Brucealanevans]

Oofff!

first attempt to notch timbers and fit middle rail was a failure. 

 

with tears in my eyes had to rip out the head timbers on one side after staining  and permanently gluing them. The placement of the rail just didn’t work - the rail was too far lateral where it meets the hull and the notches therefore too close the the outboard end of the timbers (at least the first three). Resulted also in the rail being a bit too short. Should have guessed since instructions say it is longer than needed. I have to remake those five and go through  the whole process again and try to do better. But not today. Or tomorrow. Too disgusted. 
I think I’ll work on my Agora Cobra for a while. 

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[WalrusGuy]

I'm so sorry to hear that, Bruce. Taking a break will help. I'm very far off the head rail chapter but I know that's a very tricky part of the build. I struggled with that for the Syren build. 

 

Enjoy your time with the Cobra! 

[Moonbug]

Don’t get too discouraged Bruce, that’s a super challenging and delicate part of the build. 

[Brucealanevans]

Yeah, back at it today 

made 3 new Timbers and I think I can re-use the most forward 2. 
tomorrow will do some final shaping & fitting and will spot glue them and try marking and notching again. 
I do think I learned from the failure. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

I've finally finished the bow rails and head timbers. I found this a really difficult part of the build, and I'm not completely happy with the result. Mainly it was difficult to really achieve a smooth run from the cat head support to the middle rail.

Nevertheless it's done. I still have to add the photo etch details, and given the uneven curve of the lines this may be a bit difficult.

Here are some photos of the (compromised) bow build.

 

[yvesvidal]

Impressive and beautiful. You pulled it out very nicely.

 

Yves

[Brucealanevans]

Thank you sir. Glad to have it behind me. 

[Brucealanevans]

Finished adding the trim and the 6th timberhead, so the rails and timberheads are now done.

Ready to advance to the next chapter to finish the beakhead structures.

As usual, once one (me) struggles through a tough patch and looks at the less than perfect results, you think "well if I ever built this again or something like it (not going to happen) I now know how to do a cleaner, better job." I've never been so happy to turn the last page in a chapter. Tough being a perfectionist without quite the skills and experience and dexterity to get to that level.

Overall, acceptable for home use and display and the admiral loves it so it's all good. She's pick out an unoccupied spot for display, although I'll have to drive it half way across the country.

I find that after building something I have no desire to build something similar again. Getting old, and running out of display space despite 2 homes.

I have a Caldercraft bomb vessel on the shelf, but I think I'm done with 18th/early 19th  century warships so doubt that will ever be built. I have a Dusek La Real as the only other orphan in my stash but I don't feel like tackling that next as I gradually advance towards finishing this 2+ year build. Also, finished it will be huge and I don't think I have anywhere to put it. So I'll push that one off for the foreseeable.

The Amati 1/32 Scottish fishing vessel Fifie has caught my eye, and would go well in our Marblehead home. I've ordered that and will jump it to the head of the list. Sought out build logs here to review/follow.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

Finished with the beakhead today!

Since the railing was supported strongly on both ends with eye bolts, I decided to make the uprights from thin wire to make it easier to mount them into the main rail/false rail without splitting the thin wood.

I am reasonably pleased with the overall look and more than reasonably pleased to have it done. I'm now looking forward to more simple if repetitive tasks to complete the outer hull.

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

Finished installing the skids, steps, and channels on both sides. The cannon port covers are done, with the holes pre-drilled - I will wait to glue them in until the chainplates are done.

After all this time it is getting a bit exciting to be this close to finishing the model (aside from the ship's boats).

[Tigersteve]

Looking great, Bruce. 
Steve

[Brucealanevans]

I have finished the exterior on the port side (my "practice' non-primary view side) today.

I am actually very pleased with the photo-etch chain plates. I painted them all on the sheet, first with vallejo grey primer airbrushed on and left to cure for 12+ hours, and then airbrushed with model expo hull black suitably thinned and left overnight. This created a relatively durable finish. With a good sprue cutter the pieces are easily removed as needed.

I put the deadeyes in by snipping the round part and spreading slightly, inserting the deadeye with correct orientation, and closing by pinching the base with a fine needle nose hobby pliers. Sealed the snip with a drop of CA and touched up when dry with some black paint.

2 cautions with the other pieces: those with holes for the nails required a gentle reaming of the holes to make certain the nails would drop through easily. I did this before cutting them free. I'm glad I thought to check before actually mounting them. The other caution is not to mix up the middle links that come in 3 lengths - I avoided this by removing them one at a time (or a few sets of 3) when needed and placing them in separate small trays.

Once an entire chain was made, I mounted the deadeye in the channel groove, made sure it was pushed well in so as not to interfere with the subsequent trim strip and added a drop of CA. I found that friction alone was not sufficient to hold them in place when manipulating to mark, drill, and place the nails.

With the deadeyes all mounted, creating and placing each chainplate "chain" was very easy and quick. A bit of black paint touch up where brass was exposed due to tweezers handling, and done.

After that, glued on the trim strips to the channels, put in all the eyebolts called for on the plans, and retrieved by cannon port lids from their labeled card and glued them in. Care is needed (despite the pre-drilled holes for each) as the "pins" - the piece of sprue left on the hinges - is very fragile and buckles easily.

 

One note: There are not nearly enough eyebolts included with the kit to even come close to all those indicated on the plans. So either make or buy lots of extras. I have trouble making them that small.

 

So here is where things stand with the port hull done. I'll turn it around and finished the starboard side within the next couple of days as I have the techniques down now.

 

Then I get to finish the waist detail, step the masts and lash the anchors.  After that she goes in her case of honor till the ships boats are done. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[Brucealanevans]

Gangways now in place.

 

I STRONGLY suggest installing the gangway hanging knees BEFORE installing the channels, chainplates, and cannon port covers. I followed the sequence in the instructions instead, and found it very difficult to install the knees without being able to brace my fingers against the exterior hull to accurately hold the knees in place both to shape them and to apply appropriate pressure while holding them in place accurately for the glue to "grab". Also, necessary to install "from above" as a more deck level approach difficult to impossible due to hands, tools, and arms interfering with the fragile hull structures on the other side. Plus, several cannon port covers were inadvertently snapped off and had to be repaired.

I'm not really happy with the placement of the knees but it will do.

 

Now for 4 gangway stairs.

 

[Brucealanevans]

A big moment!

After 2+ years the Confederacy itself is done. Still have the ship's boats to build, but it's great to see the ship itself finished.

I'll move it up to its case, clean up the shipyard, and start to work on those 2 ship's boats.

Overall I'm pleased with the result, even with the warts most of which only I notice.

The most complex thing I've built, and I doubt I'll be making anything this hard (more accurately, this complex) again.

Here it is:

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Brucealanevans

[WalrusGuy]

Congrats Bruce! She's a beauty 😁 

 

Looking forward to seeing the boats! 

[Brucealanevans]

Thank you sir. 
I put in a few extra hours as I got close. Did the anchors yesterday and today as the last bit and lashed them in place 2 hours ago. 
will take a well earned brief break before dealing with the boats. They will be so visible I want to do a careful job. 

[datadiscovery]

Terrific job, Bruce. Congrats and Happy New Year!

 

Pete

[yvesvidal]

Beautiful Model Bruce. Absolutely outstanding.

Happy New Year and many more models.

 

Yves

[Brucealanevans]

Thanks to all for the likes and comments. Good new year to all!🎉

[Tigersteve]

Looks great! Good luck on the boats!

Steve

[Brucealanevans]

Yeah, those little boats are absolute bast***s to plank, at least for me. Going very slowly and hoping sanding will improve the looks. 

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the first of the two ships boats: The Longboat.

A bit of a challenge at this scale. The planking job was iffy but the final product looks OK.

Tomorrow I start on planking the Pinnace.

 

[WalrusGuy]

Looks great, Bruce! 

[Brucealanevans]

Finished the pinnace! These little boats took me longer than I expected them to take.

 

[Brucealanevans]

And here are the two of them, ready for mounting onto the ship. I'll bring her out of her case down to the shipyard for the process.

 

[Brucealanevans]

Mounted the ship's boats and fixed two small things I bunged while doing so.

At the end of a leisurely 2 1/3 year journey - this model is now finished!

Interestingly I tried to order a brass plate from an Amazon seller I had used for my other builds. It (or their police bot) refused to accept "Confederacy" by policy. So it's titled "United States Frigate 1778". I suppose I could have worked on getting the name on it, but at this point I didn't feel like it.

So here are some final views: