HMS Endeavour by Jii - Artesania Latina - 1:60

[Jii]

OK. so against my better judgement and all sensible advice, given that I have never been into modelling previously (outside of a couple of basic plastic aircraft models for a Grandson) and have no knowledge of the nautical world and it's terminology,  I am proceeding to build this kit. Most of my 'modelling time' over the last few weeks has actually been spent dipping into the many great forums on this site. My build is going to be super-slow as I read up on as much detail as I can find in relation to each tremulous step. 

 

First question. The bow filler piece that came with the kit (made of 'art wood') was markedly convex on both sides. I have sanded this back significantly so that there is now enough purchase afrea for glueing. As can be seen from the photo the bottom of this piece is never going to fit flush without a lot more sanding and I think if I do this the overall integrity of the shape will be lost. Is an option just to fill the underside gap and if so, how? Or do I just keep sanding?

 

Cheers, Ji

 

 

[Matrim]

Nice start and the bulkheads look nice and solid. That filler piece certainly looks 'unusually shaped' which makes me wonder..

 

It 'might' be that intend to allow you to sand back to fit. But that seems like to much effort for a kit so must be wrong. From what I can see the piece looks the right size to fit on the front but where then would the bow of the ship go?? Do the instructions have any shape/positioning comments? On most kits I have seen (not AL admittedly) the bow is a part of the backbone structure of the ship and there are two filler pieces that go either side.

 

Hopefully another Artenesia builder can make a comment as that does not seem right. Though it might be a peculiarity of the ship itself.

[Jii]

Thanks Matrim. As I mentioned the bow filler was markedly convex on both sides. This was mostly on the upper half of the piece and I would have sanded that back by at least 3mm to create a flat surface that can be glued. If I sand more off more it will start to reduce the width of the piece at the top. So far I have sanded back without effecting the width at all.

[Cabbie]

Mine was done this way as well, but it was mostly flat. Hard to say what is needed until you start to fair the hull.

What you could do is screw it on dry and then see if there is enough material available for you to sand it flat.

If not, then  glue it on and fill with car filling bog or builders bog. it was placed centrally and flush with the bulkheads at the top.

 

Cheers Chris

 

[Cabbie]

You should have i think your keel and stem timbers already shaped in the kit.

Maybe you can use them to check the shape of the bow or find a scrap bit of ply to mark the shape on

and cut it out to use as a template.

[Jii]

Thanks Chris 

 

I'll check what other sections are provided in the kit (haven't had a chance yet). It will tolerate sanding back a bit more I think, and then perhaps use a bit of filler if necessary. 

[homer]

Hi Jii, the Endeavour will be my next build. I currently have the AL and the Corel kit. And actually have the Occre kit on order (unbelievable price) unless I got scammed! Anyway,  the Corel kit doesn't appear to have any bow filler in the box (usually put your own balsa there). The AL kit like yours has the bow filler. The front, like yours is convex. However, the back is flat and I have attache a pic for your reference. Unfortunately, AL is no longer in business. You'll have to find a way without altering scale to fix what you have or add some of your own balsa and shape it to the contours. Ron

[Jii]

Thanks Ron I really appreciate your response. As a newcomer to the game it's really encouraging to be able to share one's apprehensions.

 

The  bow filler piece in my kit was exactly the same as the one you show here except the top and spine bulged out significantly. I have sanded it flat as far as possible and have taken off about 3mm. You can see from the picture the part that bulged out. I have reached the limit of how far it can be sanded back. It is still a long way from lying flat. I also had to sand the tip of the piece back on the other side  - it actually curved upwards. Cheers, Ji

 

[Jii]

Another pic of my snail build. Progressed to getting the hold decks in place. And the bow filler piece is now in place. There is still a small gap at the bottom of the bow filler but not an issue any more. The hold decks didn't fit as per the kit so I had to do a bit of adjustment and cut a small slot in the false keel so that they could be maneuvered into place. I'm finding that solving these little issues (and mine have been petty so far compared to others I have read about) is actually a really satisfying aspect of the build.

 

Now, a couple of dumb questions for the next part of the build. The instructions say to nail (and glue) the decks to the false keel. It doesn't mention pre-drilling - should I? Also it says to glue to the frames but doesn't mention nailing to the frames. So can I assume that gluing is sufficient. I thought I saw another build where they were nailed - can't find it now.

 

Cheers,

Ji

[Cabbie]

Hello Ji Yes there seems to be a lot of adjusting, fiddling to get things sitting right with

some of these kits.

Do a test nail into ply and see if it splits or not. The deck needs to be held down somehow.

Some people use a heap of elastic bands, I have glued a timber strip between the bulkheads at the top of

the b'head and used clamps to hold deck down. Probably won't hurt to nail into the b'heads.

And i have used screws at times to hold things in place whilst the glue dries.

Make sure your keel is straight and every thing is squared up before putting deck on.

Hooroo Chris

 

 

[S.Coleman]

Hello!  Im building the exact same kit. Yes you nail the decks to the top of the bulkheads but only nail in halfway as you remove these nails once the glue has dried. Best of luck with your build .

[Jii]

Thanks Chris and Scott - that's really helpful.

Scott did you remove the nails holding the deck to the false keel too, or were these nailed home?

[S.Coleman]

On 7/9/2020 at 7:41 AM, Jii said:

Thanks Chris and Scott - that's really helpful.

Scott did you remove the nails holding the deck to the false keel too, or were these nailed home?

I removed all of the nails. I never leave any nails. I need the glue has dried nails are no longer needed  sorry for the late reply.

[Jii]

Thanks Scott. Don't worry about the tardiness of your reply - quick enough for the pace I am going at.

 

Kind regards, 

Ji