Boulogne Etaples by popeye the sailor- Billing Boats - 1:20 scale kit

[popeye the sailor]

hi Piet........not to worry my friend    glad you could pop in.   I'm probably confusing the heck out of everybody ........working on this......working on that.   I'm just glad I was able to finally fix some of the problems with this project     thanks for the good word !

[popeye the sailor]

well......I started to post something here, but the admiral mistakenly unplugged the modem.....I bought her a new all in one computer.   I am now using her old one......the Sony Vaio is no more.  no more noise,  like a c-130,  taking off in the computer room!   ahhhh....the sweet sound of silence!  long story as to why.......just don't use a large air compressor to blow the dust out of your computers,  I speak from experience!     my desk is also clean as a whistle,  as a result.  we looked for a new one,  but nothing caught my fancy at this time.....so we'll look further.

 

anyway.......what I wanted to share with you,  though it is a bit off the beaten path,  is centered on the Boulogne.  Since she is the mother ship,  I figured this would be the best place to put this....the fleet progression report.   since 2013,  I have done these periodic reports.   I thought this would be a good time,  since last week,  I have been on an impasse in adding to the wood projects.   I settled on a plastic project to pass the time.......time to post the progress of that one too  

 

2013 was when the three frames were cloned from the Boulogne's parts panels

a lot of progress was made by the time the 2014 report came out.   The Holiday Harbor Fleet was established,  and everything was going well.   but there was some growing concerns in the group, that one of them was not feeling good in their own skin.   when the Boulogne's hull frame was being assembled,  there was always that gut feeling that the hull would well in emulating the Andrea Gail.   and so it was decided that the rogue hull would become the Andrea Gail.

2015.....there was no report.   a good portion of the year was spent cloning two other hull frames from a Billing's Bluenose.   yes...there's a story behind it........the frames are wrapped up in the closet.   they will stay there for the time being,  as will the story...there's just too much work involved to get into them now.   I will show you one picture though......one of many that leads up to where they are at now.

2016 brought more progress to the fleet.   the Andrea Gail is complete.....and another of the hulls has taken a separate road of it's own.  it was still in the planning stage at this time.   The Jingle Belle made quite a bit of progress,  along with the A.G.

the Boulogne's deck had been covered over.....the removable decking that I had made for her was terrible,  and I didn't use it.   by this time, it had begun to ripple...the result of the wrong grain direction,  and poor support to keep it flush.   this needs to be corrected......part of the solution was found while working on the rogue hull.

 

[CDW]

Beautiful hulls - I love the work boats.

That's a cute little dog in the next-to-last picture. Looks like he is standing on guard duty.

[Steve 12345]

Love seeing the whole fleet together 😊

[popeye the sailor]

2017 brought progress not only to the rogue hull......but to the boulogne as well.   the rogue had defined herself quite well as another fishing vessel....bless 'er heart!   stopping where she was at the moment.....the internet will be searched,  for a ship that fits her resemblance.   I hadn't done it before.....{not that I'd seen it either},  but I took a fancy to planking and painting the deck,  with the idea of perhaps a little added detail to the deck.   it came out well { I think so},  so the idea was done on the Boulogne deck as well.   the rub rail work was done on both vessels,  which enhanced the outer hulls.

The Boulogne rails were done per the instructions......the rogue vessel,  done in a design that I had seen during an earlier search.

the rogue vessel {I still don't have a name for her} was given her own distinct pilot house set up.......the fore deck though is reminiscent of the A.G.   the A.G. still hold the honor of being the first one finished.

I'm still up in the air concerning the deck of the Jingle Belle........painting the outer hull left over spray...I forgot the scuppers were still open.   the windows are still holding up fairly well

I might give 'er the same treatment.......still have plenty of those thin strips.   as discussed,  there will be a separate log done on the rogue vessel,  when I get 'round to 'er.

With this one taking a powder on the fleet, a requisition was submitted for another vessel to be built.    the foreman was looking at the pictures of what should be looking like the Christmas tree boat about now.   through all the sputtering,  all we could make out,  was something about a sow's ear!  turning the plans right side up......he tapped a finger on the table,  muttering....."this is what it should look like!"   I know it looks nothing like the siblings,  but this ugly duckling deserves an honorable mention in the report.  it's now part of the fleet........think of it as a second cousin,  on it's father's side  

some of the decorations can be seen.......it's keen to know that Hobby Lobby has this stuff out all year 'round now.   we were there yesterday    I found something for the Thermopylae.   this concludes the report of 2017.......I want to thank you all for viewing.   I know it's a bit on the crazy side......but hey......look whose build'in 'em        for you especially Patrick!  

[popeye the sailor]

thank you CDW.......that would be my 'lil buddy Gibbs.   sticks to me like glue    right now he's a little bummed out........usually we're have our TV time.   I have more to go......and I'm getting used to a new operating system to boot!  thanks for the good word  

 

thanks Steve........all of the hulls,  with the exception of the last one {cloned from the Maine Lobster Boat - Midwest},  are clones of the Boulogne etaples.   the basic hull......with some modifications,  can be altered to create other vessels.  my mistake with this group,  was that they are too much geared towards the work boat.  I did a similar project with the Maine Lobster boat,  where I have the work boat,  and a pleasure boat.  there is a log on these two....most likely in the kit forum.   I'm glad you like them...thanks for the kind word. 

[CDW]

Well Gibbs is a handsome little fellow, that's for sure. We have 2 little Bichons. Both have very unique personalities and our youngest daughter adores them. I have intentionally kept my distance so my daughter can have her time as the dog's best friend. One day when she gets older and gets out on her own, will probably get myself a pup of my own to raise up as my next best buddy. 

[popeye the sailor]

he is an American Eskimo.....rather small for his breed.   our first one maxed out at around 35 - 38LBS.....he about 25LBS.   I kid the admiral,  'cuz when I come home from work,  he practically knocks me over......I tell her he's happier to see me than she is.  he's nothing like our first one though.......Happy was one of a kind.  when I pulled all nighters working on my models,  he'd lay near the table,  and wouldn't go to 'bed' until I did.   I work nights for a couple of years.......he'd lay in bed with me......wouldn't usually leave until I got up.  I even wrote something of a book about him......it's not complete.......haven't had the heart to finish it.   we did some crazy things though....the admiral though we were both stupid.

 

but I enjoy Gibbs just as much......he's seven....or maybe eight {I forget}.   I like both dogs and cats,  but I'm more partial to dogs    don't wait too long...to get one of your own  

[popeye the sailor]

in the very last picture.......you see that snowman and dog on the floor.   Hallmark sold them a couple of years ago.....the one we had broke.  our son Kevin found that one on one of the local flea market sites.   it plays Rudolf the red nosed reindeer and the little dog howls to the music........Gibbs howls along too......almost perfectly in time  

[mrcc]

Hi Popeye, just finished looking at some of your recent logs... this one included... great stuff! Any updates upcoming?

[popeye the sailor]

hello Julian....thanks for peek'in in.   I have the trawler,  the Boulogne,  the Thermopylae,  and of course.......that silly Jolly Rogers on the tables at the moment........any one of them could see an update.  I'm kinda holding off on the others......but you never know,  I could get a brain storm on something or other.   all I can say, is keep an eye on the right hand side of the forum page,  and with any luck,   i'll get something to show up there     I appreciate ya look'in in  thanks again  

[Piet]

Thanks for the fleet show Denis - love the banter!

 

Cheers,

[ejgray52]

Having read through this build so far, I feel inspired to dig out my own part built B E. I started it many, many years ago when working in the Middle East; up to then I had been building plastic kits and approached it in the same vein... How wrong I was! Now older and wiser, (maybe...), I will have another attempt. I hear IPA is good for unsticking PVA joints, so it will be unglueing and doing it a little more carefully this time. There is still the Billings Steam Pinnace to finish - the hull is done, just figuring out how to plank the deck; on the real thing the planks were curved following the line of the bulwarks....

Thanks for providing some inspiration and solutions to short decks etc. looking forward to to seeing the finished boat.

[popeye the sailor]

hi there.......I see you've been browsing through the back pages..........yea....that's my b-b-b-b-boat    as you can see......there is magic in saving the parts panels.   my one rule though is do just the hull,  and fit it out by scratch building.  it's been quite a learning experience.  I have other projects in various stages,  but my most recent,  the Progress,  I'd like to get back to soon.  as for the Boulogne Etaples,  I believe I'm ready for some paint.

   hard to believe that my last posting on the log has been three years.......I have other projects that are older than that.  she sits in the hallway at the present time,  not too far away from the main table.   perhaps I can get her there soon     thanks for check'in her out....and I hope you do finally get yours back on the table.  I've always said that Billing's kits are good.......they are so open to ideas and detail embellishments.  I got so many idea simply building the hull frame!