USS Constitution by ASlrWnt2C - Revell - 1:96 - PLASTIC

[ASlrWnt2C]

Well, here goes....

 

 

I probably shouldn't be leading with  close-up of such a finicky detailed part. In fact, I should probably have the clumsy hands who carried out this messy paint job flogged through the fleet. But it really doesn't look too bad from a distance. I may fool with it a bit more. Lurking here has certainly given me a  new perspective about what is possible with patience and perseverance. Unfortunately, talent seems to be required as well. 

 

But first things first. My name is Paul. I'm from Rochester, Minnesota, USA. It seems that many here in MSW are very familiar with this kit. In Force9's incredible Build Log he describes it as a "rite of passage". I guess that fits with how I feel about the project. I'm getting a glimpse of how much more there is to the "World" of ship modeling. Than what I thought when I started out with this kit. 

 

I thought I should start with a post about the kit itself. I actually started this kit over 35 years ago. Actually,  I opened the box,  checked out the instructions, checked out a few books from the library about ship modeling, and the frigate's history. I got bogged down in "Paralysis of analysis", and set the kit aside, always meaning to finish it someday. 

 

Then my life happened. One marriage, two kids, two houses, two dogs, and two jobs later, I find myself in an empty nest, nearing retirement, and stuck at home with COVID restrictions. And my thoughts turned back to that Constitution kit. "It must be around here somewhere!". But no, somewhere it fell by the wayside. I shudder to think that somebody (maybe one of you) picked it up for $5 at garage sale. 

 

So I started looking for another kit. I thought a wooden kit might be nice. Sticker shock! Maybe better to start with something small and plastic. I spent a couple of days in a state of confusion over 1:96 vs. 1:196. The more I looked the more I became convinced that what I wanted was what I had. The Constitution is a noble ship, handsome and rich in history and american pride. 

 

That decision made, I started looking for it. Amazon has a listing for it but flagged "not available, we don't know when this item will be available". The Revell site has no mention of it. So I figured it is "out of print". Does anybody know for sure what the deal is? There actually seem to be plenty of these kits around. Perhaps, like Disney, they put the molds "In the vault" periodically. 

 

At any rate I found a couple on EBay, one in an open box that the seller "thinks has all the parts". But for only a few dollars more, a kit in a sealed box. The concoction of fear that this might be the last kit in the world and the abrupt level-set I got concerning what a serious kit can cost, and my nostalgia for wanting what I once had,  convinced me to pay more than I should have, perhaps. 

 

Here is the obligatory box photo: 

I just hope I can do her justice. 

 

I'm about three weeks into my build, and I hope to get this log caught up in an orderly way over the next few days. Thanks for reading this far, and coming along with me on this voyage. 

 

Paul  

[ASlrWnt2C]

I thought it might be helpful to have  post dedicated to Source references and Links...

I mentioned in my opening post that I got bogged down in "paralysis of analysis" with my first attempt to build this kit. I guess It was more like "paralysis of ignorance". Back in 1982, the internet was just a bunch of geeky physicists sharing documents over DARPA Net. 

 

How the world has changed! Now you can find information about any topic online. And just imagine a whole site (quite literally a "World") dedicated to the arcane topic of Ship modeling,  

 

At any rate, my plan is to link or reference   the source material that I find helpful. I plan to update the post as the build progresses. I hope that works out, and will be of some value to anyone building this kit in the future. 

 

Books https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/26830

Ship Modeling Simplified  by Frank Mastini ISBN-10 : 0877422729 

Pictured above, since it's hard to have a picture of the internet. This book is more oriented toward wood kits. I picked up a few general tips. 

 

Videos

Revell 1:96 USS Constitution Ep* on YouTube -- There are currently nine episodes (the link is to the first episode.you can find the rest by searching on the title) . The builder appears to be sponsored by one or more after market kit companies. He's got gun carriages from a 3D printer, deck veneer,etc. Before I found MSW, I got most of my ideas from this series. 

 

How to sail a Full-Rigged-Ship - The Sørlandet Part* on You Tube. The link is to the first of four episodes. Interesting to see how a real square rigger was sailed 

 

Links 

Best USS Constitution Model Ship Kits on  historyofmassachusetts.org -- This is a comparison of various Constitution models. This is where I finally figured out about the 1:96 and 1:196 models from Revell. 

 

MRH Acrylic painting guide  by  Joe Fugate- I got onto this from a forum post  in MSW (see below). You have to establish an account to download this guide in PDF form. It's mostly about making the transition from the Floquil line of paints after they were discontinued by Testors. But contains a few nuggets I found valuable as I was getting into air brush painting for the first time. 

 

MSW Links 

Weathering a copper hull - Interesting discussion (cat urine?) I used the technique described by Robin Lous

 

Landlubber Mike's technique for furled sails - I am definitely going to use this technique to put furled sails on most of my Connie's yards. 

 

Painting plastic model (refresher course) -- The link above to the painting guide on https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/ came from this post. 

 

Force 9's Constitution Build Log -- There are plenty of good build logs for the Constitution here. But this was the first one that I read beginning to end(?). It opened my eyes to how building ship model can be an exercise in scholarSHIP as well as craftsmanSHIP. The only problem, is that it ends back in 2013, with most of the build yet to do. I sure hope nothing bad happened to Force 9. 

 

That's all I have for now. Good night. 

 

 

[ASlrWnt2C]

Tools and Materials

 

This is the second of three preliminary posts. I thought I should have a post documenting the tools and materials I used. 

 

At this point I have to give a shout out to my wonderful wife Carol. When I decided to built this kit, we had a conversation in which I told her that in addition to the kit itself, I was going to need to buy some tools. Outside of a mild comment like, "I thought they would give you everything you need in the box!", she has been indulging me in my new pastime. 

 

Tools 

Lighted Magnifier -- Pictured above,  this is the NEWACALOX Magnifier. I'm really glad I got this. These old eyes couldn't do the detailed work without it. I like it, though the cheap power supply that came with it burned out within a couple of weeks. I'm now using the USB port on a power strip. It seems oddto use USB for this much power (10 watts). They say you can use a computer as the power source but I wouldn't dare! 

 

AirBrush - Also Pictured above, this is the Paasche H Series. I am brand new to airbrushing. And this seems to have been a good (if more or less random) choice. I determined (correctly i now think) that you don't need a "dual action" airbrush for modeling. This one is simple to use and to clean. I really like it. 

 

(added 10/15/2020)

Detail Brushes - I had been using toothpicks for painting the details on the stern, gallery and heads(?). But my wonderful wife 

Carol told me about some very fine brushes she saw at the fabric store, I tried them and they work much better for detail painting than toothpicks. I still use the picks for cement. 

 

Homemade Styrofoam Dry Dock -- I stole this Idea from the guy on You Tube. I expect to use it more once the hull halves are joined together.

Styrofoam is a pain to cut accurately. Starting the cut with my Xacto #11 and finishing with dental floss worked the best for me. 

 

 

Scriber - I could use some guidance on this. I'm going to try to scribe the planks on the spar deck after cementing the three  pieces together and filling the seams. I found a scriber at Home Depot with a carbide tip shaped more or less like a pencil. I'm also considering  something like YoungRC Prime Model Scriber which are shaped like chisels or the Tamiya America, Inc Plastic Scriber II. I don't really understand the differences here or how to choose. Any Suggestions? 

 

Materials

Tamiya Masking Tape -- I saw several recommendations for this here on MSW, and I'm glad I picked some up. It's nice to have the small size for detailed work, and it seems to be more manageable than even the premium masking tape from the hardware store. 

 

Paint

For the most part I'm using Vallejo paints, which I started with when I bought the Copper Metal color for the hull as recommended by in Weathering a copper hull. Then from my "painting guide" source I learned that because of subtle differences between brands of acrylic, you should use the manufacturer's thinner. That locked me into Vallejo, which seems to be a fine choice. I mixed up the thinner as described in the "painting guide" source, mixing the Vallejo thinner with Distilled water, flow improver, and retarder. Seems to be working fine. Also the local Hobby Lobby has some Vallejo paint in stock. Carol thinks it's "cute" the way I go to Hobby Lobby every couple of days to pick up one tiny bottle of paint. But hey the 40% off coupon is only good for one item. 

 

I read some advice (I think it was here in MSW but I can't find it now) to use Tamiya Flat black paint and to rub it with your fingers to bring up a sheen. So I'm using that. The "Painting Guide" source, claims that Tamiya is alcohol - based and is not really water soluble, but I haven't had to thin it - it's works very well right out of the jar both for the airbrush and for the toothpicks i'm using for detailed work. 

 

My mother is an artist, and she loaned me her box of acrylics 

I've already used a couple of these for washes of the copper hull and the gun deck. 

 

Finally, I got a Gold Leaf pen for the gold details 

I really like how this looks on the model. The pen tip is mostly worthless for the small details, but I can "pump" out some of the gold paint onto my pallet and apply to the model with a toothpick. Should have bought a jar. 

 

Thanks for following along and If anybody has thoughts on the scriber, please chime in. 

 

[Overworked724]

Great idea for the gold paint...really saves overusing a paint pot too.  I'll remember this useful tip for future!  Your build looks great so far! 

[Overworked724]

BY the way...I only use Tamiya paint...it's awesome and you can thin with water.  But Tamiya also sells a thinner.  The paint is solvent based, so it dries very fast and also evaporates a bit quickly.  The sheen on using flat black may just be from your finger oil spreading on the paint base.

[ASlrWnt2C]

Overworked724 --  Thanks for your words of encouragement, Patrick . I took a quick look at your Syren build, and I'm now REALLY Glad I didn't start with a wooden Kit. 

[ASlrWnt2C]

Decisions and Plans

"You can't please everyone so you got to please yourself" --Ricky Neslon

  

This is the final preliminary post, before I get caught up on the actual status of the build. What I plan to do here, it document the key decisions I have made about modifications to the kit. It's partially a plan for me and a way to document how my thinking evolved through the process. It really never occured to me to do anything except follow the instructions, until I started hanging around here. 

 

In this endeavour, I'm going to try to balance the following principles. 

• Aesthetics - what looks good to me. I should note here that if possible the ship will end up living on the fireplace mantle which is only 8 1/2" deep. Since I'm not going to make the mantle wider (see Practicality below) I reckon that I will have to brace 'round the mainsail yards. 
• Plausibility / Accuracy  - I couldn't hope to match the level of historical scholarship demonstrated in Force9's Build Log. Fortunately, there seems to be a lot of ambiguity associated with the Constitution, which I think opens the door to something I will call "Plausibility". I'm more interested in how she might have worked than in capturing any particular phase of her life accurately. So for example, If I have to brace the yards around  too much to fit her on the mantle, I may end up putting her on the book case instead. 
• Practicality - I must keep in mind limitations on my time, and modelling ability. It's very tempting to go down rabbit holes, trying to imitate all the stuff I'm seeing in other build logs. 
• Fun -  related to aesthetics, I guess. But what I have in mind here is doing things that build my skills and that I enjoy doing. 

I doubt if most readers will care much about this, but I felt I needed some kind of "mission statement". 

 

Here's what I have decided on so far: 

• Hull Stripe - White (as she currently is) 
• Copper hull - Process as described by Robin Louis in  Weathering a copper hull. Just enough wash to give the edges of he plates definition (Aesthetics won out over Plausibility) 
• Gun Ports - forward two ports with Doors open per instructions. Other ports have no doors. Notches and holes filled with putty. I'm not a good enough modeler to make the split doors she has now, but it seems that it was common practice for her to stow the doors below. Certainly better for fighting 
• Bulk up the bulkheads - Build logs from AgeOfSail and Force9 convinced me to do this more as an exercise to improve my modelling skills than anything else, though I'm hoping the extra width on the bulwarks will help me get the walkways in place more easily.  This decision caused a big error on sequence, since I had already painted the hull halves. You can see the work in process with this pictured above.  
• Interior Bulwarks painted Green - but not the exact shade you see above 
• Cloth Sails - for the three topsails, the main course, the spanker and the two jibs. The main course will be "brailled up". I understand that this was a common fighting configuration at the time. Courses were furled or brailled up to avoid catching fire.  
• Furled sails - on all other yards, using Landlubber Mike's technique for furled sails 
• Ships bell -- I'm going to try to make a belfry from Evergreen plastic stock. Wish me luck 
• Brass belaying pins -- The pins molded into the kit's fife rails look so fragile, I'm afraid that rigging won't be any fun if I break a bunch of pins. 
• Spar Deck -- I really love the deck veneers in in the builds by Boats Billy and MikeU48. But I'm resisting the temptation and attempting to take on the project of filling and sanding the seams and texturing scribing the plank lines as done by  AgeOfSail and Force9.  I hope I can produce an acceptable result 
• Lighting the Gun Deck /Gallery -- my first thought about lighting was, "too cheesy" but when I saw classicPlastic101's video on what this could look like. I decided to attempt this. 
• Stand -- I'm discarding the kit's plastic stand in favor of two brass rods supporting the keel on a wooden base. I plan to use the gussets(?) provided inside the hull, sort of like how  MikeU48  put his bolts in. But I'm going to use brass tubes, one of which will be a conduit for my lighting wires. 

So that's the plan. We'll see how well I do 

 

[ASlrWnt2C]

First Steps

 

Hello all, 

I see I have picked up a couple of followers. Thanks for that. I'll try to keep things interesting for you. I don't have many photos from the early days of the build, since I wasn't contemplating a build log at that time. 

 

But the very first thing I did after pouring over the directions for a few days was to clean up the Hull halves. This meant filing off the tabs on the keel for the stand I'm not using and generally cleaning up the flashing(?). It wasn't easy at first to tell what was supposed to be there and what wasn't. 

 

Forewarned by comments from other builders, I checked the fit of the stern piece to the hull and discovered that I had big gaps on both sides. Here is how I patched that: 

 

I secured the hull halves together with masking tape. Then I wrapped the stern piece in plastic food wrap to keep the filler from sticking to it and taped the stern piece in place. Then I ran a bead of putty into the gap.

After curing I took the stern piece out and gingerly removed the plastic wrap. Then some filing. it took several iterations but I eventually plugged all the gaps. Thank goodness that the areas that I had to fill are not too conspicuous, because it was very sloppy work. But overall, I'm happy with How I overcame this first challenge. 

 

I was flying by the seat of my pants here. So if there are better ways of doing this, I'd love to hear about them. 

 

Thanks for following along. 

 

Calm seas and favorable winds to all! 

[ASlrWnt2C]

Hull Painting and First Big Mistake 

It seems like the conventional wisdom is to glue the hull halves together and then paint the whole thing. But I wasn't aware of that guidance at the time, so I decided to paint the hull halves separately. I reckoned that the detail work on bow and the gallery would be easier with the hull half laying flat on the bench. I'm not sure that was wrong. 

 

Inexperience came to bite me in other ways though. I wasn't nearly as careful with the masking as I should have been and in particular I got the bottom boundary on the gun port stripe completely wrong. 

I did wonder why the ridge was going through the bottom port of the gun ports, but I taped off at the bottom of the ports. but it wasn't until I was looking at some other build logs here and working on the Gallery and bow  painting 

that I realised that the stripe is supposed to end where the ridge is (of course, why else would they give you the groove?). I do still imagine that this would look kind of clumsy with gunport doors closed. But I'm leaving doors off entirely except for the two most forward, and they will be open.  I see that it makes much more sense to stop at the ridge to blend in with the bow and the gallery. Easier to mask and paint at the ridge line as well. What was I thinking?

 

So I masked it correctly, and sanded it down...

and repainted. 

 

I still have some cleanup to do, but This looks a lot better to me. 

I think it's also interesting to note that there is a lot more space between the edge of the gunport and the gallery on the starboard side than on the port side 

 

It's kind of embarrassing to be going public with these blunders, but I recovered. 

 

...and I'm learning. 

Until next time, smooth sailing! 

Paul