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

[John Ruy]

11 hours ago, toms10 said:

I am looking forward to seeing her with full sails.

 
Sorry to disappoint Tom. I am not hanging sails on this one. It will be in full ships rigging without sails. I hand sewed a full set on my USS Construction, that was some seriously tedious work. Besides I don’t want to hide the rigging and yard arms on this one. 😎

Edited January 3, 2021 by John Ruy

[John Ruy]

Topmast Yards completed with lifts and Haliards. 
 

 

 

Onward to Topgallant Yards and more rigging.  😎 

[John Ruy]

more progress, baby steps. 
 

 

Top Gallant Yards Completed! 🍻

[toms10]

Nothing wrong with baby steps. All steps lead to the finish line. The good thing about a hobby is there is nobody standing at the finish line with a stopwatch!  😜. It is really looking good. Keep on baby stepping. 😁😁
Tom

[John Ruy]

Mizzen Mast rigged. 🍻

 

 

 

Waiting to do Braces after completion of Main and Fore Mast rigging. Lifts, Halliyards, Sheet and Clew Lines. 

 

Almost there... 😆
 

 

[toms10]

John

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting very bright now!  Nice work. 
Tom

[Papa]

Looks great John.

[jep1210]

I was on the real Charles W. Morgan a couple of years ago, this is a build I'll follow with interest. I may have some photos of some details if you need. Most of the pics I took were from below deck and in the cabin.

[John Ruy]

3 hours ago, jep1210 said:

I was on the real Charles W. Morgan a couple of years ago, this is a build I'll follow with interest. I may have some photos of some details if you need. Most of the pics I took were from below deck and in the cabin.

Thanks, I was onboard the CWM in Mystic about a year and half ago. I’ve been working on this  vintage model almost a year now. The kit has 1939 drawings and thus does not resemble the Morgan as she sits in Mystic. 
 

 

The bottom photo is how she looked when she arrived in Mystic before her latest restoration. 
 

Welcome aboard. 🍻

[John Ruy]

Lots of new skills practiced from reading the running rigging blueprints to tying off Halliards. 

Tying off foot ropes after mounting the yard. Oops 😬 

 

Close ups of blocks. Note: 1/8th inch blocks. 

 

Tying off rope to block. 

 

Tying off block to eyelets

 

 

Decided to do the Royals. Completed the running rigging. 
 

Now on to the Bowsprit Downhauls and Halliards. 
 

Later... 🍻

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by John Ruy

[John Ruy]

Bowsprit Downhauls and Halliards completed. 
 

 

 

 

I’m liking the way she looks. Rigging is like the icing on the cake. 
 

On to the braces. 😎

[toms10]

Hi John

You should like the way it looks! It looks great!  You are creating quite an itch for me to start on my Morgan. Not going to scratch it until I finish my Leopard and then my 9000 piece puzzle of Trafalgar. One project at a time. I am hoping for the beginning of the summer. I will then hop on over to Mystic with my video and regular camera and go wild. Lucky for me she is only an hour away. 

Your build log will be a great reference. Thanks for sharing. 
Tom

[John Ruy]

Hi Tom... 

Thanks for all the encouraging words along the way. I’m coming up on a year on this build. I’ve learned at lot on this one. 😎

 

Id like your thoughts...  I am building my Morgan as she was in 1941, when she first came to mystic. Here is a painting of her at the Mystic Seaport. I’m guessing it’s after one of her many restoration. Note the difference in the painting of the hull in this picture versus the one I took in Mystic year and a half ago. 
 

 

 

I am considering painting the hull with the white stripe and fake gun ports?  
 

It’s indicated on the 1939 drawings that way, as is the the mizzen mast with the full ship rig. 

 

Your thoughts...

Thanks

[toms10]

If you are going for how she was in 1941 then you should go with the full mizzenmast rigging and fake gun ports. the black with white stripe is similar to the scheme used on the Constitution and Constellation I believe. 
 

Honestly, one of the things that made me think I might not want to build the CWM was the solid black painting of the hull and the white masts. I then to like the natural wood look. But then again that is all I ever built and I have only built 1 and 3/4 models. After seeing your model in black and white I didn’t mind the color scheme as she sits today. 
 

My thoughts on the gun ports are that they are going to be really difficult to paint on at this point in your build. It is going to be difficult to get them to come out looking crisp just painting them. They would most likely have to be built up from tiny mouldings that were painted first then attached. 
 

My thoughts so far on my build are to build her as she sits today but I am not convinced yet. I have only built warships so far so that is where cannons belong. This is a whaling ship so it shouldn’t look like a frigate. On the other hand it was painted as one in the period you are modeling. Is it more important to you to be historically accurate or just pleasing to the eye. I think that question comes up often with many modelers other than the pros. 
 

sorry for the “definite maybe” answer but in the end it boils down to your value of historical accuracy or what you would like it to look like. These boats go through so many changes unless you are an expert or building for a museum who would really know?

 

Tom
 

[John Ruy]

Thanks Tom... 
Appreciate your thoughts, even the definite maybe 🤔 

 

I’m going to do the battle stripe... They painted them that way for protection from the island natives in the South Pacific. They tended to back off from gun ships. 😬

 

I was wondering how to get the gun ports painted, pre-painted panels is a great idea. I might play around with some card stock to keep them thin enough. 
 

You nailed it with the historical accuracy or what you like it to look like. My answer is both. 
 

BTW... These plans should be headed your way before summer, if I don’t continue to add more accuracy. 😎

 

Carry On 🍻
 

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by John Ruy

[John Ruy]

On 1/27/2021 at 9:37 AM, John Ruy said:

I’m going to do the battle stripe... They painted them that way for protection from the island natives in the South Pacific. They tended to back off from gun ships. 😬

Decision confirmed with this 1941 photograph. 
 

 

With my course set, here is how it went. 
 

 

Laid her on her side carefully to not damage yards all ready completed. 
 

 

Decided to take this opportunity to improve on my chain plate and channel installation. 
 

 

Once the chain plate and shrouds were out of the way, I laid a 1/32nd strip as molding on the bottom of the new stripe. 
 

 

Painted out the upper white molding and painted in the new white stripe. 
 

 

Glued in 11/32 square card stock gun ports. Painted them over with satin varathane. Installed new chain plate over the Deadeyes. (Silver beading wire 24 ga)   
 

 

Pulled in the wire and glued the Deadeyes down with CA glue. A bit tricky as the shrouds all had to be retensioned 

 

 

Cleaned up the copper links to be reused to attach the chain plate. 
 

 

Reinstalled the chain plate links. I am much more satisfied with the new chain plate detail. It’s always better the second time you do it. 😆

 

 

Blacked out all of the silver and copper. Transformation to 1941 complete. 
 

 

Now she looks like a gun ship on the horizon thru a spyglass. 😎

 

Moving on to finishing the running rigging with the braces. Now I really like how she looks. 

 

Later 🍻
 

 

 

 

[toms10]

Hi John

You have go a lot more nerve than I. I am not sure I would want to go through the rework of the chain plates and retensioning of the shrouds. Not only did you do a great job but you did it quickly.  I was not sure how I would like it but it looks great.  Well done. 
Tom

[rafine]

Really nice work John. It brings back a lot of very old memories. I built the kit about fifty years ago. Your's looks much better than what I remember of mine.

 

Bob

[Papa]

She continues to look better and better, John,  as she nears completion.  I miss working on my models.  But we are in a condo in Myrtle Beach until the new house is finished.  On the up side, we got our first COVID vaccinations. 

[Pompei]

I'm an old Charles Morgan ship found at thrift store is it worth fixing up needs minor repairs

[John Ruy]

1 hour ago, Pompei said:

I'm an old Charles Morgan ship found at thrift store is it worth fixing up needs minor repairs

Absolutely, in my opinion building these vintage models is saving the past. Restoration of a vintage model would be well worth it in my opinion. Go for it. 👍

[John Ruy]

Splice the Main Brace, mate.🍻

 

Braces completed Running rigging completed with 572 hours into this build. 
 

 

 

Lower and Top Sail Mizzen braces completed. 

 

 

 

Halliard and Downhaul for for studding sails added. 
 

 

 

Tedious but important detail.

 

 

Close up of Mizzen mast Fife Rail

 

 

 

Mixzen Braces completed. 
 

 

Main Braces completed. 
 

 

Tragedy struck.... Lowered my arm and clobbered my Bow Sprit. 
 

 

Repaired... CA glue to the rescue. 
 

 

 

Fore Braces completed. 
 

 

Extra ration of rum all around. “splice the main brace.”
 

Celebrate every milestone no matter how long it takes. 🍻

 

On to cutting stage and whale boats. 
 

Almost there... 😎

Edited February 13, 2021 by John Ruy

[toms10]

Nice recovery on the bow sprit.  The odds of things like that happening increase exponentially the closer you get to the finish!  Looking good.

Tom

[Papa]

I broke a bow sprit on a model, I think it was my AL Harvey model.  Glue and wrapping with heavy black thread made it look fine.  An “at sea jury rig”. 🙂

[John Ruy]

Work has progressed here on the final details. 
 

 

jig for rope coils

 

 

Details...

 

 

Line tubs of the Gallis Roofing

 

 

Whaleboat rudders hand cut. 
 

 

Painted and rigged. 
 

 

Line tubs and rigging in the Whaleboats. On to oars, harpoons, masts and spars wrapped in sail cloth stored on the Whaleboat decks. Oh, and many more rope coils. 
 

Details so... many details. 
Almost done 😅 

[toms10]

Hi John
The heart rate is starting to increase, palms are getting sweaty, the anticipation builds as the moment gets closer.   Then you realize there is one more detail and the cycle starts over. Kind of like the instructions on the hair shampoo bottle, “rinse and repeat” but it never tells you when to stop. 😜😁  This can be an exhausting hobby!  😁🤣

Tom

[John Ruy]

6 minutes ago, toms10 said:

This can be an exhausting hobby!  😁🤣

Tom

Tom,

 

You are so right! There is always more details to add or correct. Every time I go to the drawings I find more. That’s Ok, it feeds my OCD and my wife says it keeps out of trouble. However, I will finish, as that is the exciting part. Not to mention the 10 model kits on my shelf that are saying, Pick me... Pick me. 😂 

 

Great Hobby Indeed! 🍻

[Papa]

I like your rope coiling jig. Will have to try that when i get to that point.   I had tapped brads into a block of wood but it was very clumsy.  I am learning that taking time to make a good jig for repetitive tasks is always a good idea. 

[John Ruy]

4 hours ago, PAPA said:

I like your rope coiling jig. Will have to try that when i get to that point.   I had tapped brads into a block of wood but it was very clumsy.  I am learning that taking time to make a good jig for repetitive tasks is always a good idea. 

The jig works great, the idea came from Bluejacket’s Monthly News and Tips. They are a great resource...

 

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/News--tips--and-happenings-from-BlueJacket-Shipcrafters--Inc-.html?soid=1105166336677&aid=FkQLg7D1VQM

[John Ruy]

Details progressing... 

 

building oars...

 

 

hammering out harpoon tips...

 

 

Finishing harpoons...

 

 

Mast and spars wrapped in sails...

 

 

outfitted and ready to go Whale hunting...

 

 

Spare oars stowed on deck with spare boats. Details, details and more details. 
 

On to finishing up the Rope coils and we will be hanging those whaleboats as the final touch. 😎

 

Note to self: Don’t forget the cutting stage. 😆

Edited February 20, 2021 by John Ruy