Jamie Coleman Posted June 29, 2020 #1 Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) I ordered the kit from Model Expo, got a great deal with the Father's Day sale. Unfortunately she's back-ordered for a few weeks, but I hope to be unpacking soon! I'll be using the Syren Model Company blocks and rope, so it should be a good upgrade from my last build where I used cheap square blocks, but that'll be a ways down the road. Edited November 28, 2020 by Jamie Coleman WalrusGuy, VTHokiEE, Justin P. and 5 others 8 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Louie da fly Posted July 5, 2020 #2 Posted July 5, 2020 Mind if I pull up a chair? Looking forward to watching this one after seeing your Thermopylae build. Justin P. 1 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler La Lomellina - Theoretical Reconstruction of a Genoese carrack sunk in 1516 FINISHED Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht
Jamie Coleman Posted July 5, 2020 Author #3 Posted July 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Louie da fly said: Mind if I pull up a chair? Looking forward to watching this one after seeing your Thermopylae build. Glad to have you aboard, hopefully the back orders get cleared up and Model Shipways starts shipping kits. Justin P. 1 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Chuck Posted July 5, 2020 #4 Posted July 5, 2020 Welcome to the Syren club....Glad you started a build log. Have fun with the project. Chuck Justin P. 1 Quote Chuck Passaro - MSW Admin Sloop Speedwell - POF scratch Block Island Boat - POF scratch HMS Winchelsea - POB scratch build HM Cutter Cheerful - POB scratch build Royal Barge - POF scratch Medway Longboat- POF Scratch SYREN SHIP MODEL COMPANY
Jamie Coleman Posted July 5, 2020 Author #5 Posted July 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Chuck said: Welcome to the Syren club....Glad you started a build log. Have fun with the project. Chuck Your fantastic instructions are the reason I chose the Syren, hoping to live up to the quality of the design. Overworked724 and Justin P. 2 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Jamie Coleman Posted July 12, 2020 Author #6 Posted July 12, 2020 The kit has arrived! I started with an inventory, and everything looks to have been included. I decided to work on the ship’s boat as well as the main, so I’d have a side project while glue was drying, etc. I started with glueing up the lifts, then started filing and sanding the overall shape. I found a rasp to work very well for the outside shaping, followed by 80 grit. More to come on the boat. In the meantime, dry fit of the bulkheads just to make sure there were no glaring errors, looking fine so far. Nice flat/straight bulkhead former. Followed by soaking the rabbet strip, and letting it dry wrapped around the bulkhead former, then glueing it in place and “clamping” it up with some rubber bands. I did order a hobby zone building slip, and it’s on back-order, so I’ll be slow walking the build just a bit, I’d like to have it before I start glueing on the bulkheads. JpR62, Overworked724, Justin P. and 2 others 5 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Overworked724 Posted July 12, 2020 #7 Posted July 12, 2020 Love your avatar pic!😆 Pulling up a chair! Great to see another Syren build! Will look forward to your journey. This forum provides a lot of great resources from others building the same kit...so you are most definitely in good (and plentiful) company. Justin P. 1 Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Bill Gormley Posted July 12, 2020 #8 Posted July 12, 2020 Hi Jamie - Nice start. I'll be following along as I recently started Syren as well. Good idea to work on the ship's boat a project within a project. I have been scratching my head a bit as I glue and clamp something and then have to wait 24 hours. Very different from the plastic models I'm used to where you can keep going. Justin P. 1 Quote
Jamie Coleman Posted July 13, 2020 Author #9 Posted July 13, 2020 A little further along, tapered the bulkhead former from the bearding line down to the rabbet strip (mostly chisel work, followed by a light sanding), I added the stem knee, and keel. Keel was ever so slight thicker than the knee, so I took a few shavings off with a block plane. After that all had a chance to dry, I sanded the stem down to accept the figurehead. A bit fussy of a job, but just took it slow until it just fit. Justin P. and JpR62 2 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Louie da fly Posted July 14, 2020 #10 Posted July 14, 2020 Good to see it's arrived and you've got started, Jamie. You certainly don't mess around, do you? Very good progress in a short time. Justin P. 1 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler La Lomellina - Theoretical Reconstruction of a Genoese carrack sunk in 1516 FINISHED Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht
Jamie Coleman Posted July 15, 2020 Author #11 Posted July 15, 2020 I decided to copy a few others and precut the mast holes in the keel, and then I glued a few spacer shims on, so when I glue in the blocks to support the bulkheads, it’ll leave a square for the mast to rest in. I left the spacers extra long to give a little extra support. This seemed like a relatively easy way to get the rake of the masts right, just put the framer right on the plans. I also worked on smoothing up the ship’s boat and attached the keel and stem, applied some wood filler and sanded again. Felt it needed another layer of filler in some spots, so at least one more sanding before I apply some primer. Peter Bloemendaal, Justin P., Overworked724 and 1 other 4 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Jamie Coleman Posted July 15, 2020 Author #12 Posted July 15, 2020 22 hours ago, Louie da fly said: Good to see it's arrived and you've got started, Jamie. You certainly don't mess around, do you? Very good progress in a short time. Works been a little quiet, and I’m working from home, so I’ll make a little progress here and there during coffee breaks. Works out nice for letting glue cure between steps. Justin P. 1 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Overworked724 Posted July 16, 2020 #13 Posted July 16, 2020 Outstanding! Off to a fine start, Jamie. Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Jamie Coleman Posted July 22, 2020 Author #14 Posted July 22, 2020 I've been focusing on the ship's boat, and have completed it. I used some artist's tape as a guide to shaping the hull, to give it a light dip midships. Then laid in the framework, this was some fussy work, no real good way to clamp, so each one was just held in place until it dried enough to let go. The the floor boards and a coat of paint. Gratings, thwarts, cap rail, mast bracketry, splash rail and bowsprit support added next, followed by the winch (carved from a piece of square stock, not perfect, but definitely gives the impression of an octagon). Lastly, the rudder (which is stored inside the boat until needed), oar locks, oars, a few coats of black and white on the hull. So much more detail than the die cast boat from my last project, I'm really happy with the way this turned out. Justin P., Charley54, Overworked724 and 3 others 6 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Overworked724 Posted July 22, 2020 #15 Posted July 22, 2020 She looks brilliant! Nice work! Justin P. and Louie da fly 2 Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Louie da fly Posted July 24, 2020 #16 Posted July 24, 2020 It's wonderful following the process of transforming the boat from a simple shape to a beautiful, complex whole, complete with all the accessories. Lovely work, Jamie! Justin P. 1 Quote It's not really a ship model unless you've bled on it. CURRENT BUILDS Golden City - Ballarat paddlewheeler La Lomellina - Theoretical Reconstruction of a Genoese carrack sunk in 1516 FINISHED Venetian merchant Ship from Basilica of San Marco Australian couta boat RMS Titanic HMVS Cerberus 11th century Byzantine dromon Winchelsea Nef - Late 13th century Mediaeval ship Henry Grace a Dieu - Rebuild of 1:200 model I started in 1967 Mistydeefer - restoration of decor model yacht
Jamie Coleman Posted July 31, 2020 Author #17 Posted July 31, 2020 I’ve been working on deck items recently, and have a lot of them finished. Hatches, steering wheel, binnacle, capstan, galley vent, and a good start on the pump. One thing I did different than the instructions, I was having a bear of a time hollowing out a dowel for the pump “buckets?”, so I used a piece of brass tubing instead, and that worked wonderfully. Need to finish the pump and hang the ship’s bell, then next up are the fife rail and other bitts. Just taking my time on deck fittings, hobbyzone is supposed to be back to work in August, so my building slip should be here soon, if not I’ll next move onto the cannons and carronades. JpR62, Overworked724, Charley54 and 1 other 4 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Overworked724 Posted August 1, 2020 #18 Posted August 1, 2020 Looking nice! Love those detailed pieces! Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Charley54 Posted August 10, 2020 #19 Posted August 10, 2020 Nice. The deck Items are great. Think I will follow along Quote Current Build - US Brig Syren
Jamie Coleman Posted October 25, 2020 Author #20 Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) Well, it’s been a bit of a hiatus, my dishwasher sprung an undetected leak, and we’ve been dealing with reflooring the kitchen, and works picked up a bit as well. But, I have finally laid in the bulkheads. I did a bit of fairing just getting close to lines on the bulkheads, Fine tuning to come after it’s all blocked up and solid. I found I could just fit the base of my small double square in between and use it as a clamping jig to keep the bulkheads square to the keel. I also started to cut and fit blocking between the bulkheads. Edited October 26, 2020 by Jamie Coleman Overworked724 and JpR62 2 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Jamie Coleman Posted November 15, 2020 Author #21 Posted November 15, 2020 (edited) A bit more done, framed out the cannon and sweep ports, still need to do a bit more work fairing them back to the bulkheads. I used a piece of 1/2” plywood (which is really 15/32”) as a spacer to maker sure the cannon ports were sized right, worked out well to keep things parallel too. Also planked the lower level. I found if I used stain, but wiped it off immediately I got a nice color. Ran a pencil line on one side of each joint, overall I think it’s a good look. Not sure if it’ll matter in the end, but I also painted the below deck area black. A bit more (lot more) sanding in my future, but moving onto the rear framing after. Edited November 15, 2020 by Jamie Coleman Overworked724, WalrusGuy and Justin P. 3 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Overworked724 Posted November 16, 2020 #22 Posted November 16, 2020 Looks great, Jamie! Coming along very nicely. The sanding never seems to stop, does it? 😃 Justin P. 1 Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Overworked724 Posted November 16, 2020 #23 Posted November 16, 2020 Interesting building board! Did you make it or was it manufactured? Justin P. 1 Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Jamie Coleman Posted November 16, 2020 Author #24 Posted November 16, 2020 2 hours ago, Overworked724 said: Interesting building board! Did you make it or was it manufactured? I cheated and bought one. https://www.hobbyzone.pl/en/boat-building-tools/105-small-building-slip.html I got it through hobbyworld. Stock situation wasn’t very good due to covid, and they were pretty poor at responding to emails, but in the end, one showed up, and it’s working pretty well. 9 hours ago, Overworked724 said: Looks great, Jamie! Coming along very nicely. The sanding never seems to stop, does it? 😃 So much sanding... I've got to admit, I’ve been following along on your build and the sandpaper on a paint stir sized piece of wood has been the best tool for so much of the work. Overworked724 and Justin P. 2 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Jamie Coleman Posted November 27, 2020 Author #25 Posted November 27, 2020 I've been doing quite a bit of work without getting a chance to post updates, the kids have been monopolizing the computer for school (and world of warcraft :-) Anyway, I've done quite a bit, starting with some pictures of the stern framing and the framing for the deck accessway (opted to work on this while the stern was drying, just to keep making progress). Framed the port openings and installed and faired the stern filler pieces next. And I installed the bow filler pieces as well, I'd put off doing this so I could get them faired a bit more true to the final shape of the exterior after I'd finished framing all the gun ports and truing them up. You can see my interior side of the framing was left large, I'll clean all that up once the exterior is framed and gives it all a bit more structure. Justin P., JpR62 and Ryland Craze 3 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Jamie Coleman Posted November 27, 2020 Author #26 Posted November 27, 2020 I made a jig to pre-shape the planking, and it'll hold about 8 planks at once, so I can soak and let them dry overnight. It ended up working very well, but as these were just plain steel nails, it did end up leaving a bit of a rust streak I'll have to sand out later. I painted the ports and then laid down the first plank after laying it out with some battens and pins. Continued to plank from the wales up. Clothes pins were the clamp of choice here, but I did end up using rubber bands for the final bow planks, as the were high enough the rabbet wasn't holding it inboard. WalrusGuy, Ryland Craze, Justin P. and 3 others 6 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
Ryland Craze Posted November 27, 2020 #27 Posted November 27, 2020 Your Syren is looking good. I like the red you are using. Is this artist acrylic paint? Justin P. 1 Quote Ryland Member - Hampton Roads Ship Model Society - Ship Model Society of New Jersey - Nautical Research Guild Current Build - Armed Virginia Sloop, 18th Century Longboat Completed Build - Medway Longboat
WalrusGuy Posted November 27, 2020 #28 Posted November 27, 2020 Very nice and neat planking! Justin P. 1 Quote Current: USF Confederacy - Model Shipways (Build Log) HMS Pickle - Caldercraft (Build Log) Complete: Virgina 1819 - Artesania Latina (Gallery) U.S. Brig Syren - Model Shipways (Build Log, Gallery) On the shelf: Armed Virginia Sloop - Model Shipways
Overworked724 Posted November 27, 2020 #29 Posted November 27, 2020 Excellent!!! Justin P. 1 Quote ---------------------------------------------------- “Work like a Captain....Play like a Pirate!” — Every Ship Modeler...everywhere.
Jamie Coleman Posted November 27, 2020 Author #30 Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ryland Craze said: Your Syren is looking good. I like the red you are using. Is this artist acrylic paint? Thank you. The paint’s from model expo, it was part of the acrylic kit they sell for the Syren, there was black, red, white and a primer. The red is their MS4835 Bright Red Trim. I think it’s a nice deep red color without being too bright. Edited November 27, 2020 by Jamie Coleman Justin P., Ryland Craze and Overworked724 3 Quote “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” ― Jacques Yves Cousteau Work in Progress: US Brig Syren Completed Works: Thermopylae
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