Oseberg by Arjan - FINISHED - Billing Boats - 1/25 - Longship rc conversion

[Arjan]

Since other members have posted extensive build reports of this boat kit I will focus primarily on the choices I have made. The main issue of the kit is the scroll parts for the bow and stern which are far too thick. This is the solution I opted for :

 

 

Some modifications to turn the model into a working rc one :

 

 

I have also added some 1/24 figures (I will order or make some more in the future):

 

 

I have finally finished the shields and now I'm going to tackle the oars (also a rather boring and repetitive job). I think that the oars should all have a different length (the midships ones should be shorter than those closer to the bow and stern),  although BB do not refer to this in their instructions.

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ccoyle]

Clever -- and outstanding job on the figures, too!

[GrandpaPhil]

Congratulations!  Well done!  Great job on the figures!

[Arjan]

Thanks for your feedback gentlemen !  I love figures and all my boat models have crews. Figures add life and give a sense of the model's size. I recently acquired a 1/25 Krick Alert Revenue Cutter but it wasn't until the kit arrived that I realized how small this vessel was in real life. This was mainly because I had never seen pics of this model with figures to match. This photo from the internet (not a Krick model I think) clearly shows how small this vessel really was :

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

[Arjan]

The number of crew members is steadily increasing, for the time being I'm aiming for a crew of six .

 

 

Arjan

Edited April 3, 2020 by Arjan

[captain_hook]

Cool 😳! This is the first RC longship I’ve ever seen. 

[Arjan]

Thanks Herr Hook, there are some who take matters slightly further 😊 :

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

[Louie da fly]

On 3/24/2020 at 11:33 PM, Arjan said:

I think that the oars should all have a different length (the midships ones should be shorter than those closer to the bow and stern), 

You might be interested in this discussion regarding the relative length of oars in oar-driven ships - http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=179436&p=2733651&hilit=longship+oar+length#p2733651

 

I found the statement about inability to keep different length oars in synch enlightening - particularly as I've made the length of oars different for the upper and lower banks for my dromon. I wish I'd noticed this before . . . (I post as Egfroth on the Armour Archive)

 

Steven

Edited April 3, 2020 by Louie da fly

[Arjan]

Much obliged Steven, that's a very interesting thread ! I also love your build (you seem to have an enormous amount of both skill and patience). For me the oar length is quite academic because I will store the oars on the deck in two bundles. Minor length differences would , therefore , not be noticeable anyway (just a matter of a few millimeters in the case of this Oseberg model). 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Louie da fly]

Sounds like a plan, Arjan.

 

My original question on that thread was because Renaissance galleys all seemed to have long straight sides, so all the oars would hit the water at the same distance from the side of the ship, whereas the dromon had a hull shape more like a longship, narrowing toward the ends. As Cap'n Atli had experience actually rowing a longship, I thought he, if anyone, would know whether oar length in a ship of that shape was a problem. As it turned out, it apparently isn't.

 

Steven

 

PS: Your model looks very elegant.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Louie da fly

[Arjan]

Thanks Steven ! In the mean time I have added my fifth crew member, one more to go. Originally this figure was supposed to have a spear and shield in his hands :

 

 

This is his current position on the boat (no social distancing here .....) :

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Binho]

Awesome build Arjan, love that it’s RC too. I’m curious how you made it watertight (maybe I missed it)

 

Really love your figures too! I agree it adds a nice sense of scale.

[Arjan]

Thanks for your kind words ! Making the model watertight was not very hard. I filled some bigger gaps with filler and small fissures with ca glue. I then used some exterior stain to paint the whole model (both the interior and exterior). I finally used Vallejo polyurethane primer (available in various colors such as dark grey, brown and black) and polyurethane matt varnish . I'm a big fan of Vallejo polyurethane primer and varnish because it's waterproof and extremely hard wearing. The only downside of this type of paint is that it tends to clog up air brushes so I usually apply it with a brush. I haven't used any epoxy based products because I don't fancy endless sanding sessions and there is always the risk of mixing in too little or too much hardener (been there, done that .....).

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Geam]

Very impressed by your longship and realistic, fearsome crew members Arjan.

George.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Geam
text correction

[Louie da fly]

Looks great, Arjan

 

Steven

[Arjan]

Thanks Steven, I added a sixth crew member. I should still add the chests/seats for the oarsmen.

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

Edited July 14, 2021 by Arjan

[Geam]

Hi Arjan, very impressed by your Oseberg longship. I see there is one in my local modelshop ...which is tempting me!  Did you use any ballast in the keel of yours?  In which case, how much weight?  I am still plodding along with the interior details of my Colin Archer. I have another CA kit waiting in the cellar store room. but I think I will try to sell that and buy the Oseberg kit.  

George

[Arjan]

Thanks George,  I guess building an Oseberg model is almost mandatory for Norwegian boat modelers 🙂. I regret not having visited the Viking Ship Museum when I was in Oslo many years ago. 

 

As for ballast, my model  has an underwater motor under the keel (140 grams) and a 2S lipo (also 140 grams) inside the hull . So the total ballast is 280 grams. I must confess, though,  that my model should only be used when there's very little wind. The model capsized moments after the attached pics had been taken (in a sudden gust of wind). Fortunately, the boat didn't sink completely and I managed to salvage it. It definitely requires a bulb keel but since it will never make a decent rc model I haven't bothered.

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Geam]

Hello again Arjan, thanks for the info. I had a look inside the Oseberg kit box last week. Not much in there for 250 Euro I feel. I will consider it a bit more while I get on with the Colin Archer build. I might build my second CA kit  as a static model with full interior, and not just two cabins as the one I'm building now. The interior details are taking me a long time to do.

I have not seen any sailing photos of your CA, is it finished? 

Regards,

George

[Arjan]

The BB Oseberg kit does have its issues but  it's much easier to build than the 1/35 Dusek Longship models (due to the correctly shaped hull planks).

 

The interior of your CA model really looks awesome !  I can imagine that this has taken you many hours . I haven't finished my CA model yet, I've been too busy with more pressing matters in the "real" world 🙂. I'm looking forward to seeing more pics of your models.

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[mtaylor]

12 hours ago, Geam said:

Hello again Arjan, thanks for the info. I had a look inside the Oseberg kit box last week. Not much in there for 250 Euro I feel. I will consider it a bit more while I get on with the Colin Archer build. I might build my second CA kit  as a static model with full interior, and not just two cabins as the one I'm building now. The interior details are taking me a long time to do.

I have not seen any sailing photos of your CA, is it finished? 

Regards,

George

 

 

George,

You really should open a build log for your CA.   I note you've posted photos apparently to the gallery but not in an album.  The gallery is for finished models not a build log.  As it is now, your photos are scattered all over in there and not in one place.

[Geam]

Hi Mark, I thought I had a build log. I did say early on though, that so many have built a Colin Archer that it's not very interesting to note every build detail. Obviously something that has passed me by here. I thought that I initiated a build log in the 'kits from before 1900' section. I also have some stuff on the modelboatsmagazine.co.uk forum.

George 

[Rick L Matson]

Hello Arjar. Beautiful model of the Oseberg. I have built 9 of these BB 720 kits. Each one is customized with an extra strake and dragon heads I have been buying my 1/25 scale figurines from Preiser. My question is - where are you buying your Viking figurines? Please go to my Facebook page (Rick Matson) to view some of my models. You may have to scroll down a bit. 

[Eindride]

Looks fantastic. May I ask where you managed to get the figures from as I am struggling to find any.