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Santa Maria by josh44 - FINISHED - 1/70 scale - RESTORATION


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Its been about a year since my last post; I've been taking some time off.  I had gone full throttle on the SIBs for over a year, and neglected the Ship that launched them all for me. So I eventually decided to complete the restoration on the old Santa Maria.

 

The true provenance of this model isn't fully known: My father, born in 1936, once told me that he built the kit as a boy, but he doesn't rememeber how old he was, or how old the kit was, for that matter.  Having survived many moves long before I arrived, I remember the ship presented herself to me only in states of worsening decrepitude. As a boy I remember the tangle of fallen masts and sails, and a big dead moth that resided within that mess for years.  She sat like that for decades, with most, but not all, parts junked on the deck.

 

Finally, in preparation for a move in the summer of 2017, we were given an ultimatum: Restore the Ship or let's throw her out!  

 

These next shots of her, cleaned up as much as possible, prior to work.

 

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thumbnail_IMG_3129.jpg.2cff041fff117f77eca042c6fe3b7a48.jpgThe Stern has seen better days.

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Since this restoration took place over many months - and years in fact- and since part of it took place prior to my membership in MSW, I didn't photograph the restoration in an ongoing manner.  In fact, half way through I decided to just   show the finished product.  Eliminating the need to capture every moment of improvement  was much easier for me; and quite franky, since my techniques were largely crude, impulsive, and totally uninformed by any nautical wisdom, I don't think I am depriving anyone of any great techniques.  I would be happy to respond to any questions about the hows and whys, and most answers will include: balsa wood, bass wood, cyanoacrylate, acrylic paint, waxed thread, hand drills, and more cyanoacrylate.  

 

 

I started with the hull and all the ribbing - all the easy stuff - just to see how it went.

 

thumbnail_IMG_3236.jpg.2135f52079d548605ee8f4c51389a4d5.jpgAfter a few months of hull work. Fortunatley, all masts and spars were present and intact! 

thumbnail_IMG_3234.jpg.bd6ca5a7e849e4237134021694e78bd8.jpgMany vertical ribs were replaced.   

 

 

 

thumbnail_IMG_3235.jpg.ea19f3266438568be19e0963f58aea8e.jpgPainting the stern windows and gilding.

 

thumbnail_IMG_3247.jpg.76d0fd88b417b0d2e8807d997d194e33.jpgQuarterdeck cleaned and restored as much as possible.

 

Rebuilding the poop deck was what intimidated me the most, and it was unease with this next step that made me take a 2 year break and switch gears towards SIBs in 2018.  

 

 

thumbnail_IMG_3254.jpg.9199e56ba24a30761489c0039b085705.jpgI wanted to respect the original design: It looked like a wire railing, so I tried to replicated that even though most renditions suggests an all wooden rail. Who knows?!?

 

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thumbnail_IMG_3498.jpg.2f0298bae0737f21b0219d686e8f95fe.jpgShileds on the wire poop deck rail were largely destroyed, so I had to be very creative.

 

At this point in the photos I really skip forward all the way to the sails.  

Suffice it is to say, I reworked the shrouds and ratlines first.

 

For the sails, I bought some muslin of pleasing color, texture and heft.

 

I extrapolated the design from online pictures.

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I wish I took more pictures after all the sails were up. They hung there flat and dull.

 

It wasnt literally untill the last 2 days, when I chose to fills the sails with wind, that the model came alive!

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thumbnail_IMG_3937.jpg.eb0367442687494f4f11b7b2beb4bf64.jpgDont mind the doll's head, my daughter uses it for braiding practice!

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Thank you for reading! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by josh44
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A very nice restoration of a model which I'm sure has - and can now continue to have for a long time - a lot of sentimental value to you.

 

It's certainly a very dramatic and impressive transformation from the original condition to the finished product.

 

Steven

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18 hours ago, HGRaff said:

Beautiful, a sight to behold!

I truly admire your perspicacity

on the restoration and it came out great!

 

Thanks! and now i'm learning new words too!

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12 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

A very nice restoration of a model which I'm sure has - and can now continue to have for a long time - a lot of sentimental value to you.

 

It's certainly a very dramatic and impressive transformation from the original condition to the finished product.

 

Steven

Thank you! Yes, am excited to present it to the family!

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