Charles W. Morgan by John Ruy - FINISHED - Marine Model Company - 5/32”=1’ (1/76 scale) - Vintage Solid Hull Kit

[John Ruy]

Ropes, ropes and more ropes...

 

 

 

 

 

Rope coils completed. 🍻

 

 

On to the “Cutting Stage”.  Finally!

 

Getting so close... 😎

[toms10]

Hi John

i was on the Morgan a year and  a half ago and took some pictures that look a lot like the ones you are posting. Are you sure those pics aren’t mine??  That model looks an awful lot like the real thing.  Hmmmm.  😜😁

 

the elusive finish line is within reach... well at least until you find another detail to clean up. 🤣. It really looks good. 
 

Tom

[John Ruy]

Thanks Tom... That’s my goal is to make it as realistic as I can. I love the way an iPhone camera can get in there and be on deck. Thanks for the compliments it’s really almost there. 😆

[John Ruy]

Cutting Stage progress. 
 

 

Very interesting process, dressing out a whale at sea. Note the sharks circling as the crew works on the extended planking of the rolling whaling ship. 😬

 

Built the railing with beading eyelets and 1/16 dowel rod. 
 

 

 

Cutting Stage completed. 
 

On to hanging Whaleboats. 😎

[John Ruy]

 

All Whaleboats sitting on their Back Spars. 

 

 

Just a few loose ends to tie up.  

 

More rope coils...

 

 

 

 

 

She is done!

 

 

13 Months, 628 hours. I have completed my fist Wood Ship Model, the Charles W. Morgan. 
 

Hard to believe it’s actually finished. A little over a year ago I looked this big of box sticks, took a deep breath and committed to the journey. What a fun ride it’s been. 

 

Thanks to MSW and all of the inspirational 👍 and comments a long the way.  Committing to a build log goes a long way toward staying with the project to completion. Not to mention the encouragement of our members. 
 

Time to go finish my Model Shipways Whaleboat. 
 

Cheers 🍻 

Edited February 25, 2021 by John Ruy

[Duanelaker]

Phenomenal project and outcome.  Amazing work! Congratulations 🍾 

 

i actually have the marine model company solid hull New Bedford whale boat, it’s a neat kit.

Edited February 25, 2021 by Duanelaker

[toms10]

JOHN!

You made it. The finish line is now behind you. You must be feeling a great sense of accomplishment right now and rightfully so. Time to sit back and enjoy it for a while. 

Congratulations. It was a pleasure watching it develop into something really nice. 
 

Tom

[John Ruy]

12 hours ago, toms10 said:

Congratulations. It was a pleasure watching it develop into something really nice. 
 

Tom

 

Thanks your encouragement along the way has been great. Looking forward to watching you complete your Leopard. Plans for the CWM are being packed up for your next build. 
 

Note: I did find something else to add to the Morgan. Flags! She can’t sail without flags! Maybe just the Pendant up top, since she doesn’t have sails. There’s that OCD kicking in again. 😆

 

 

[ccoyle]

Congratulations, John! Finishing that first model is always a joy, and you pulled it off with a particularly challenging subject.

 

Cheers!

[toms10]

30 minutes ago, John Ruy said:

 

Note: I did find something else to add to the Morgan. Flags! She can’t sail without flags! Maybe just the Pendant up top, since she doesn’t have sails. There’s that OCD kicking in again. 😆

 

 

I told you... it will never be "finished".  😀  Thank you again for the plans.

Tom

[Papa]

Beautiful job John.  What is next in line?

[John Ruy]

1 hour ago, PAPA said:

What is next in line?

Finishing my New Bedford Whaleboat. 
 

 

Then I am looking at a Maine Lobster Boat by Laughing Whale. 
 

 

Should be great fun 🤩 

 

Building a Display case for the Morgan as we speak. 
 

 

This hobby just never stops. 🍻

[John Ruy]

Ok, just kidding not finished without the flags. 
 

 

Here the are...

 

 

 Color Cpoier/Printers are great aren’t they?

 

 

Cant hang flags without Halliards.
 

 

48 star US flag for 1941...

 

 

The J & W.R. Wing Co. Flag, mounted to the Main Mast Flag Halliard. 
 

 

And of course the Mystic ceremonial flag. 
 

 

OK! Now she is finished.
 

I think so, we will see...  🤔

[GrandpaPhil]

Congratulations!  Very nicely done!

[Scott Mitchell]

Great build. Gave me much insight on what to do with my build. Like your rigging details the most.  Going to be my first rigging.

[Mike Kliebhan]

John, you are very instrumental in my build of CWM same kit. I am to the point of rigging and find Marine Model 1098 plans very difficult to follow. Would you recommend I obtain Model Shipways rigging plans MSPL2140. I believe in your log you refer to plans you obtained. 
Thank you Mike Kliebhan 

Holliston MA

email Kliebs1@icloud.com

[John Ruy]

On 8/27/2020 at 5:39 PM, John Ruy said:

My Marine Model Company vintage kit did not included all running rigging in its drawings. Sheet Chains were completely left out. Perhaps for simplification, the reason is unknown. Fortunately I have a very good resources here on MSW. Thank you David Lester for your CWM build log.

Mike, Thanks for your comment, it’s really nice to know my build log is useful. 😆 As for MS rigging plans they can be expensive, that’s up to you. There are several MSW builds of the CWM that might be useful. The resource I referenced to complete my rigging was @David Lester build of the CWM. Also @toms10 is currently building the CWM from scratch using the MS Plans. Both of these build would be good references as well as mine. If you have specific questions as you go through my build. You are welcome to PM me and I will  try to help.

 

John

[R Dan H]

I recently commenced not only my retirement but also unboxing a marine model CWM that my wife bought for me about 45 years ago when I thought I would find time to assemble.So I now want to proceed with this project and find your build of this same kit quite inspiring.One part of the build , namely the copper sheathing , I am trying to decide upon tape or individual tiles.Does the tape option offer longevity ? Does it adhere permanently? Please advise, Dan

[John Ruy]

7 hours ago, R Dan H said:

I recently commenced not only my retirement but also unboxing a marine model CWM that my wife bought for me about 45 years ago when I thought I would find time to assemble.So I now want to proceed with this project and find your build of this same kit quite inspiring.One part of the build , namely the copper sheathing , I am trying to decide upon tape or individual tiles.Does the tape option offer longevity ? Does it adhere permanently? Please advise, Dan

Dan, Thanks for your compliments on my CWM build. Congratulations on your retirement. My CWM was my first wood ship build, I learned a lot completing this  kit, I hope you’ll find my log useful. Vintage Models don’t come with a lot of useful instruction. 
 

As for the copper tape, it is been on display for 4 1/2 years with no issues. I would say it’s permanent. The only thing I would do differently is cut the tape into individual tiles. The tiles could then overlap and create a more realistic representation of the copper sheeting on a ship.  

I also found it very useful to log my build here on MSW. You will get lots of encouragement and advice along the way. Let me know if you do I would love to follow along. 
 

Remember to have fun, it’s a great hobby. I am working on my 12th build these past four years. 
 

Cheers 🍻 

John

 

[R Dan H]

Also after looking through your build I can’t remember if you scratch built the whale boats or used the supplied lead castings. Please advise. The photos of your additional models look amazing. I hope to start my CWM now that I have actually found another identical Marine Models kit. You see, decades ago when my wife bought the original kit, it came with a letter from the co. Informing me of quite a few missing parts that they were short of and said they would advise as to when they would ship to me. That time didn’t come and so sat the model until I purchased an additional kit that another builder was liquidating along with several others that his age and time would not allow completion.He actually started on the hull so saving me some time in the process.So I now have 2 kits, one complete and one still missing parts. I will definitely use your build log and hope it stays on this site for the foreseeable future.thanks again, Dan

[John Ruy]

Dan, I used the lead boats all of the accessories are called out in the drawings.  They are actually the last thing you’ll build. Have fun, I found the CWM a very good challenge for my first build learned a lot. 😜

 

There is a CWM scratch build log here that has lots of useful information. just search Charles W Morgan and I’m sure you’ll find it for another detailed reference. 
 

John

 

Here is a link… He built this from Plans purchased at the Mystic Museum. 
 

 

Edited June 14 by John Ruy

[ClipperFan]

@John Ruy

I only just discovered you spectacular build now. There's a detail I must share with you. As a Boy Scout in 1968, our troop visited Mystic Seaport and I had my first opportunity to view the newly restored Whaler Charles W Morgan. At that time she was still a full-rigged ship and not the Bark as she's rigged today. She also had the distinctive transom, identical to the one you felt compelled to discard. Here's a fact that for some odd teason the new restorers reversed. She originally had four large windows in her transom! 1967 restorers were shocked to discover boarded up window frames in their tear down process. Before bringing those windows back, they researched the logs and found an entry by the wife of the captain who mentioned that, in a warm summer day in the Antartic waters, she opened up the big windows to let in fresh cooling air. I own a book "The Charles W Morgan, the Last Wooden Whaler" by Edouard A Stackpole about that restoration which covers these facts in great detail with accompanying photos.

This not to disparage your meticulously built model. It's just to set tge record straight about the ship herself. 

[John Ruy]

@ClipperFan

Thanks for the info I was well aware of her original stern widows, when I chose to build her when I saw her in Mystic Seaport 2019. 

There is a story of those windows being stove in by a rouge wave while coming around Cape Horn. It’s in Charles W Morgan by John F Leavitt. 

Thanks again for the information, always nice to know I others are still checking out my build logs. 
 

John