J-Class Rainbow by Davide - Amati - 1:80

[Davide]

Hi all This kit was collecting dust on my shelf for a few years. Gifted by my dad, I was delaying it for lack of time and (mostly) because intimidated by a wooden built. I previously built a couple of plastic warbirds, so this is all new to me!

 

After setting up some time aside for myself and getting a bunch of tools (probably not enough but we'll see), I started looking at the content... to my surprise, the kit is different from both what's advertised on the box AND what I've seen online. It's a solid wood hull, advertised as a resin hull (with instructions for a resin hull) and most of the projects I've seen on the web are planks on bulkheads.. oh well, should be easier

Also noticed that few pieces don't match very well, so will be making up some woodwork there!

 

I've got a few requests for suggestions, hopefully you guys can guide me in the right directions so I don't capsize the project

 

The box and its content

The deck

The deck base was laser cut, but, quite a bit bigger than the actual hull. As there was no wood for the planking of the hull I assumed it was a mistake in the plans or the cutting, so I contoured it enough to leave about 1 plank of space between the edge of the hull and the deck. Also, the planking design is not straight (not sure what the term is, so that was a bit tricky in places, might need to use some filler in places. I've got a couple of questions about the deck: How can I enhance the caulking? Should I use a very think black wash? Black wax? What do you usually suggest for a weathered Teak wood finish?

Cabins

These parts really did not fit well together, especially on the front cabin, the walls ended up plenty within the space for the window... Ideally I would like to give them a darker wood appearance but they require some filler and the laser burn might still push through (that was my mistake not to file them enough earlier). Looking forward for suggestions here

The hull

Aside of being smaller than the deck plan, the hull seems to be not very straight. Anyhow, I sanded it down a bit and primed it so that I could spot all the places where more work is needed. The finish will be a glossy bi-color white / dark red, so I'll need to make sure that the surfaces are as smooth as they can be. Clearly more work needed here Would grains 120-240 and 400 would work well enough for a gloss finish on wood?

 

And that's it for now, would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

 

Safe seas

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by Davide

[Davide]

Dealing with the hull is proving a bit more tricky than expected as a lot of things are popping out through the deck and holes will be required to make all fit together nicely. 

 

In the meanwhile, most things have found their place on the deck

 

[Davide]

And deck on! Needs a bit of cleaning up but I'm satisfied so far

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Davide

[Chuck]

Its looking really good .   Any progress on the model.  I would love to see it.

 

Chuck