Yankee Hero 1899 by wtimlen - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - Scale 3/8

[wtimlen]

Good Afternoon Folks:

Finally completed the molding that surrounds the Hold and Cabin. A lot of masking, painting, and putty to clean everything up. About 3 days of work which I thought was worth the extra time. Mitre cuts for me are difficult, it was necessary to spend additional time cleaning up the joints, etc...

Bowsprit and Samson Post complete: Will place those last parts on the hull just prior to rigging. Too many accidents with bowsprits, so that part will wait until the last minute!

Working on Mast, Gaff and Spar (some easier parts for me!)

 

Be safe folks!

   

[Voyageur]

Nice work! the mitre joints look nice and clean.

[wtimlen]

Good Morning Folks,

Onto rigging, and looking forward to it! Happy with the progress so far and thank you everyone for the help and support getting this far. Some notes:

• Using wire to affix the blocks directly to eyebolts, too difficult (for me) to drill holes through the becket (keep on trashing beckets) on the eyebolts. Used an old eyebolt from previous Blue Jacket rigging class (I never discard extras thank god!) on the triple bock on top of main mast.
• Traveler I did not paint, liked the brass. Also used wire here to affix the block to the traveler ring.
• Main mast glued in, used Yellow Elmer's Wood Glue to ensure the mast was set correctly (no quick setting CA glue for me in this step). Painted the brass pins black on Boom Rest/Pinrail assembly to match the Samson Post.
• Lastly affixed Bowsprit and Samson Past.
• Dry fitted the Boom to make sure it was properly set (a little late for that one could say!). It sets fine.

Some way to go, having a great time with the build and processing the build on the NRG site in order to hopefully help someone in the future with the Yankee Hero!

All the best, stay safe and healthy,

Bill T.

 

 

 

[wtimlen]

Good Afternoon Afternoon Folks,

• Finished the Spar and Gaff, attached the blocks to the eyelets and then affixed them to respective pieces. I thought it would be much easier that way prior to the rigging process.
• Dry fitted the Spar and Gaff to avoid any unforeseen disasters towards the completion.
• Some light at the end of tunnel it feels like (fingers crossed).
• Standing and running rigging next.
• One interesting thing I noticed building this kit to date, I always find myself doing touch ups, question, do we ever actually finish our projects?

Have a great evening, hopefully my next post will reflect completed Yankee Hero.

Bill T.

 

 

 

[MrBlueJacket]

17 hours ago, wtimlen said:

• One interesting thing I noticed building this kit to date, I always find myself doing touch ups, question, do we ever actually finish our projects?

 

 

A model is never "finished" - we just decide to stop working on it.

[wtimlen]

Hello Folks,

Haven't posted in a while so I decided to do a short post prior to a successful conclusion to the built kit and build log (I hope).

• Set the Gaff up and measured up the rigging length according to the instructions. What a mess, organized chaos though.
• Actually I find myself following the instructions closely at this point. I normally do this because I find getting to the conclusion of a build somewhat stressful (for me). I also find correcting mistakes towards the conclusion of a build are very disappointing and hard to fix.
• Completed the rigging (running and standing), straight forward here, set some additional line coils next to the standing room at the stern for detail purposes.
• Next up is applying the dry decals (I have never applied dry decals, a little concerned here).
• Then I will complete the build with the anchor assembly, anchor rope is already coiled and ready to go. I will use the kit supplied True North Enamel Paint for the anchor because I have read the adhesion is better than my trusted acrylic paints on cast britannia metal fittings.

Nice to post again, stay safe and all the best,

Bill T.

[MrBlueJacket]

I see things there that you learned in the rigging class - good job!

[wtimlen]

Hello Folks,

Finally finished the Yankee Hero from Blue Jacket. This was a lot of fun, both the build itself and posting the build on NRG. I have heard from many kind people from when I began on Jan 31, 2020 through today. Thank you all for all your input throughout!

Five parts of the build I walk away with:

• I started and completed a project that was not beyond my ability, however provided an excellent opportunity to learn without being overly frustrated around every corner of the build.
• Once the basic solid hull is completed/shaped, harden the wood with two coats of finishing resin (and a lot of sanding). This step helped prevent dents throughout the build.
• Apply the toe rails prior to placing the "Cabin & Hold" in the hull.
• Follow a build log if possible to avoid unnecessary mistakes, thank you "Jeffrey" for making the your Yankee Hero build log.
• Blue Jacket makes a great kit and is always there to answer questions, great customer service.

Take care folks, see you on my next build log.

Bill T.

 

[MrBlueJacket]

Bill,

 

Without a doubt, that is one of the best looking Yankee Heros I've seen. Very clean and crisp!

[ccoyle]

Outstanding job! I hope you will consider placing some photos in the gallery.

 

Cheers!

[wtimlen]

19 minutes ago, MrBlueJacket said:

Bill,

 

Without a doubt, that is one of the best looking Yankee Heros I've seen. Very clean and crisp!

Thank you for the kind words, and I appreciate your help along the way.

Blue Jacket Revenue Cutter on deck. Excited to start, I will take a week off though!

I will post the Revenue Cutter build on NRG for sure, it is fun hearing from all the kind people out there.

[wtimlen]

27 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

Outstanding job! I hope you will consider placing some photos in the gallery.

 

Cheers!

That is very meaningful to me and THANK YOU. I will be happy to place some pictures in the gallery, just need to look up how to do it correctly. My next build post on NRG will be the Revenue Cutter by Blue Jacket. I think for me that is a good progression. 

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, wtimlen said:

THANK YOU

You are very welcome! I think it is one of our forum's vital functions to show beginners that they can complete very attractive models from relatively simple kits. I'd bet dollars to donuts that far more modelers are successful in progressing from sloops and smacks to sailing men of war than those who dive directly into the deep end of the modeling pool!

[Voyageur]

Congratulations. A beautiful boat and fine craftsmanship. I’ll keep an eye out for your revenue cutter build.

[wtimlen]

15 hours ago, Voyageur said:

Congratulations. A beautiful boat and fine craftsmanship. I’ll keep an eye out for your revenue cutter build.

Thank You! That means a lot to me, I appreciate your support throughout my initial experience posting a build online.

 

All the best!

Bill T. 

[LEXLOMA]

Very clean build and lovely result Bill! 

I enjoyed building YANKEE HERO as well and I really like the flat black gudgeons and pintles on yours.

[GrandpaPhil]

Congratulations!  Well done!

[CF53]

I need some guidance…….

Does the boom rest fit snuggly around the mast?  The “horseshoe“ shaped rest is larger in dimension then the mast is on the parts I have.  How did you attach yours? 

[wtimlen]

9 hours ago, CF53 said:

I need some guidance…….

Does the boom rest fit snuggly around the mast?  The “horseshoe“ shaped rest is larger in dimension then the mast is on the parts I have.  How did you attach yours? 

Hello CF,

I had the same situation, the model instructions include a section which outlines to use rigging threat tied across the open portion of the "shoe" to keep the spar on the mast, the rigging will take care of the rest (See slide #34 above). However, you can also install a small piece of brass wire into the spar so it sticks out and then drill a hole into the mast at the position you wish to affix the spar to the mast (With some CA Adhesive). I believe they call this a Fid. I did not end up using this method however it would have worked fine. I hope this helps, I will look up your build on MSW. Any other questions please feel free to ask.

 

Good Luck & Happy New Years!

Bill T. 

[CF53]

Thanks Bill……much appreciated!

[Ogontz]

Hello Mr Timlen,

I'm in the midst of shaping the spars on my Yankee Hero and I've broken the mahogany "jaw" that attaches the end of the boom to the mast twice now. It is so fragile as to be almost unusable. Did you have the same problem and if so, how did you solve it?

[BobG]

I just happened to come across your build log, Bill, and your Yankee Hero is absolutely beautiful! Really well done!

[wtimlen]

On 3/20/2023 at 2:35 AM, BobG said:

I just happened to come across your build log, Bill, and your Yankee Hero is absolutely beautiful! Really well done!

Hello Bob,

Thank you so much for the kind words, the Yankee Hero by Blue Jacket is a great kit.

[wtimlen]

On 3/20/2023 at 12:10 AM, Ogontz said:

Hello Mr Timlen,

I'm in the midst of shaping the spars on my Yankee Hero and I've broken the mahogany "jaw" that attaches the end of the boom to the mast twice now. It is so fragile as to be almost unusable. Did you have the same problem and if so, how did you solve it?

Hello Ogontz,

I hope all is well, I did have a little bit of an issue with this. One can not notice what I did under the white paint. My jaws broke, I glued them each separately onto each side of the spar. In other words, when it split each jaw I had 2 assemblies (for each spar) and it worked out well. I ended up having a gap the end of the jaws though, I closed the gap with some putty though and all was good. A little extra work, however I was pleased with the result. I hope this helps your dilemma. Good luck with your build, if you have a log I will look it up!

 

Bill T.  

[Ogontz]

Thank you very much. I was thinking about that solution as the only option. I will give it a try. 

No build logs on MSW for me - not quite at that level yet. Following your progress on the Yankee Hero has helped me immensely. Thanks again and I've enjoyed keeping up with your work on the  Revenue Cutter.

[CF53]

Greetings Bill……

I’ve really enjoyed finding your build post. Very informative and the pictures are a huge help as I’m working on my build.  It’s been three years since your build and hopefully you still monitor your post.  
 

I’m ready to start the rigging process and I’m literally staring at the model and the instruction manual and feel lost.  You mentioned using wire to attach some of the pieces vs using line.  What type of wire did you use and do you have a source for purchasing it?  Are you aware of any resource other than the instruction manual that might provide me step by step instructions on how to do the rigging from the fittings to the lines?  

[wtimlen]

Hello CF,

When referring to using a wire to attach the spar to the mast I am referring to a "Fid", I am about to use this method on my Blue Jacket Revenue Cutter. At the end of the Boom or Gaff which will butt up against the mast, drill a hole with a #75 drill bit. Then cut a piece of 0.020' brass rod (accessable from BlueJacket or local hobby store) that protrudes out 1/8" from the holes drilled into the Boom or Gaff. Glue the brass into the holes. Conversely, drill a hole into the mast where the Boom or Gaff are to be located on the Mast. Then just fit and glue the Boom or Gaff with the brass wire protruding into the mast hole drilled on to the mast. When rigging in general I always with inboard rigging and proceed to the outboard lines. I use this sequence to execute the rigging in general:

1. Rig Boom and Gaffs
2. Attach and Rig Yards
3. Rig fore and main stays
4. rig back stays
5. rig braces

I hope this helps, if not the people at BlueJacket are great at helping you through any difficulties you maybe having. I you wish, send me a picture of where you are at and will detail how I proceeded from where you are stuck.

 

Good luck!

Bill T.

 

[CF53]

Thanks for the reply Bill…..I’ll keep you posted!