HMS Fly by TimC - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - First Time Builder

[TimC]

Made a lot of progress this last week.  I got one of the grates done as well as the coaming with the ladder at the front of the main deck. The ladder was a bugger but I got it in there.   Only dropped it below deck once while dry fitting 🙃. Just a mild heart attack. 

I applied wipe on poly on Wednesday, allowed it to cure until Thursday night then finally got the main wales on.  

Today I taped everything up to a degree the CDC should use as an instructional video and painted them black.  

Next came the blue for under the PE parts.  

overall I’m very happy with the colors and feel like its a big step for me even though there’s a ton left.  
 

This weekend will hopefully allow more of the detail work and possibly the bow parts

 

thanks for looking!   Enjoy your weekends

 

-Tim

[TimC]

Hi all

 

its been a busy few weeks (as well as hitting 31...a personal best for me 😉) with many bits getting accomplished on the Fly. I was able to place a lot of the PE decorations on the sides as well as the strips that line those decorations. 

I chose to leave the PE natural as I liked the shine of the gold and how the light catches your eye at different angles.  I also used a scribing tool to add a center recess to the small strips running around the friezes which I then filled with a burnt umber wash for contrast. 

 

I was also able to complete the stern portion as well as the 2 window stickers.  That metal work on the stern was a real bugger to snap in the right area to achieve a very slight curve. Only one heart attack.  I added a window Ledge as I have seen others do, which I think frames the windows quite nicely.  I will add another below there at some point as well. 

 

after this I started work on the guns which were a slow process.  I learned to not paint the carriage pieces while not cut out of the wood pallet first. The paint made it quite difficult to cut them out!! But after much cursing it was done.  I spent my snow day making the smaller touches and have them set to begin rigging on the inner bulwarks soon. I made the choice to leave the brass as is for the cannons, again because I like the contrast.  I also did my best to add nails on each of the ledges on the carriage walls.  The look decent from a distance, but up close needs an improved technique.  

 

 

I feel like a lot was accomplished these last few weeks and I am happy with the results.  But I’d love constructive criticism as well.  I’ll want to improve  for my eventual next build. 
 

thanks for looking!

Tim

[Richard44]

That's looking really good Tim, well done.

[robdurant]

There'll be a captain with good reason to be proud of his ship! She's looking really smart. Great idea to put the line down the middle of the mouldings for contrast.

[starlight]

Looks amazing, Tim!

 

I'm still dragging my feet on the task of sanding my first planking... hopefully I can take a page from your book with how decisively you did the second planking.

 

-starlight

[TimC]

On 12/18/2020 at 1:05 AM, Richard44 said:

That's looking really good Tim, well done.

 

On 12/18/2020 at 2:49 AM, robdurant said:

There'll be a captain with good reason to be proud of his ship! She's looking really smart. Great idea to put the line down the middle of the mouldings for contrast.

 

11 hours ago, starlight said:

Looks amazing, Tim!

 

I'm still dragging my feet on the task of sanding my first planking... hopefully I can take a page from your book with how decisively you did the second planking.

 

-starlight

Thank you all for the comments as well as those that liked my last post.  I hope everyone had a great Christmas!   I’m happy to say I received the Amati Polacca as well as Panarts Royal Caroline 😁 so I’m set for a while now with activities 

 

today’s adventure was making a stove for the ship.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to do this, but ultimately I want to include details that can be seen (even slightly), as well as use this to practice some scratch building.  I compiled a mental list of various builders who had completed stoves on their builds (I stole heavily from Blue Ensign—I hope this is ok)

 

it was a test of patience for sure but I think I did decent for my first totally scratch piece! I used some of the edge scraps from the thin ply sheets for the framing of the stove, then cut and formed the detail pieces from styrene sheets from when I made plastic ships...here’s my Airfix Cutty Sark 1/130 for a glimpse into my past 

 

 

Back to the stove.  Here’s what my finished stove came out as. I included a shot with the stove in place with some of the cannons in the background...needed a break from thay hassle.  Still need to fiddle with it before final placement but it seems to match up decently with the chimney port 

 

as always, thanks for looking in

 

Tim

 

[Richard44]

Very nicely done Tim.

[Blue Ensign]

Nice work on the stove Tim, and your gun tackles look good.

 

You mentioned earlier about the issue of dropping ladders down the hatch when fitting.

Ladders are quite tricky to fit; I usually attach a line of cotton to the upper tread, so if they do fall they are more easily retrieved.

 

Regards,

 

 

B.E.

[Sooty]

Your work is pretty impressive for a first model Tim, you have an eye for detail! Very well done, and you did a much better job than I did with the PE (I ended up stripping mine off and going for the 'operational' rough-and-ready look, to cover up the mess I made 😂)

Wishing all a happy 2021!

[TimC]

On 12/28/2020 at 4:42 PM, Richard44 said:

Very nicely done Tim.

Thank you Richard! 

On 12/30/2020 at 2:34 AM, Blue Ensign said:

Nice work on the stove Tim, and your gun tackles look good.

 

You mentioned earlier about the issue of dropping ladders down the hatch when fitting.

Ladders are quite tricky to fit; I usually attach a line of cotton to the upper tread, so if they do fall they are more easily retrieved.

 

Regards,

 

 

B.E.

Thank you for looking in BE, I have referenced your build a lot and appreciate the ability to use your photos for reference. The string tip with definitely be used in the future 

 

7 hours ago, Sooty said:

Your work is pretty impressive for a first model Tim, you have an eye for detail! Very well done, and you did a much better job than I did with the PE (I ended up stripping mine off and going for the 'operational' rough-and-ready look, to cover up the mess I made 😂)

Wishing all a happy 2021!

thank you for the kind words sooty, I have be very careful to say the least.  I ended up placing the PE parts above the moulding before I put the next moulding on.  I couldn’t get around the fear of not leaving enough space or leaving too much.  I was looking at yours and I honestly thought it looked good! But I’m sure the correction will look even better.  Can’t wait to see the progress 

 

happy new year guys!!

Tim

[TimC]

A lot of accomplishments the last few days!  I was able to complete the bow portion for the most part with the basic structures. I added some beams to make a more finished and complete look as I have seen others do.   

 

on the main rail I felt that it didn’t have enough size to the piece so I cut some spare ply from the supplied sheets and shaped it to fit the back, then taper to the point as it should be.  I did the same for the lower rail as well. That whole process was a lot more difficult than I was expecting.   The cat heads also took a lot of fiddling to get them even with the top of the ship and able to fit under the railing that I will place shortly.  
 

I was also able to fit the rest of the bow PE decorations which I really enjoy the look of.  I was not able to fit the one that is flush on the bow, but I felt that would be overkill anyway..  I also have to fiddle with the boomkins at some point which should be interesting with the PE 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

I was also able to finally place the quarterdeck (?) and dry fit some of the bits up there as well as run the rope I will use for the anchors.  I had to notch the beam to allow the stove to fit but this will be covered with another beam shortly. 

 

it finally feels like the boat is coming together and I have less anxiety about mistakes.  Wood seems to be very forgiving in that aspect 

 

 

thanks for looking!!

Tim

[Sooty]

Hello Tim, great job, the bow platform is looking good! I am still figuring out how to do mine.

On the anchor cables; I think we need to ask for help. I took mine out as I wasn't sure about how I had them going over the stoppers. I am not 100% sure, but you may also have them in a wrong way; the cable should be able to run along the deck, I think on the outside of the stoppers.

When placed over the stoppers, I think it should look like this;

 

My reasoning is that -by being on the outside of the bits- it would allow it as straight and long a run towards the capstan as possible, for the messenger rope to hold it.

 

Again, I am not 100% on this one, and I am stuck with the same issue 😂

 

Anyone knows for sure?

[TimC]

5 hours ago, Sooty said:

Hello Tim, great job, the bow platform is looking good! I am still figuring out how to do mine.

On the anchor cables; I think we need to ask for help. I took mine out as I wasn't sure about how I had them going over the stoppers. I am not 100% sure, but you may also have them in a wrong way; the cable should be able to run along the deck, I think on the outside of the stoppers.

When placed over the stoppers, I think it should look like this;

 

My reasoning is that -by being on the outside of the bits- it would allow it as straight and long a run towards the capstan as possible, for the messenger rope to hold it.

 

Again, I am not 100% on this one, and I am stuck with the same issue 😂

 

Anyone knows for sure?

Thank you Sooty!  And I believe you’re right about wrapping differently.  I’ll need to do some more research on this for sure,but your reasoning makes sense.  I also need to figure out where to have the ropes go...I didn’t think to make an opening in the gratings at the mid ship so I may just add portals for the rope to terminate through the deck just in front of the grates.  Might not be accurate but it’ll be functional!

 

tim

[Sooty]

1 hour ago, TimC said:

Thank you Sooty!  And I believe you’re right about wrapping differently.  I’ll need to do some more research on this for sure,but your reasoning makes sense.  I also need to figure out where to have the ropes go...I didn’t think to make an opening in the gratings at the mid ship so I may just add portals for the rope to terminate through the deck just in front of the grates.  Might not be accurate but it’ll be functional!

 

tim

I just drilled and filed off 1 square off the mid-ship hatch's grating, at the two fore corners. I will fill and stain the adjacent parts of the gratinf, to make it look like it's not part of the grating but a fixed part of the hatch coaming, and have the rope pass through the hole.

 

It LOOKS like this is the way to go, but still not 100% sure. It appears that this is what it would be for weighing anyway, but I want to show it like it is about to be lowered, which could be different.

I realised I should have installed the messenger rope a long time ago. This could be interesting 😂

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Just read through your log.  You're doing an amazing job on this - really nice!  I am working on the Pegasus and have to say that these are fantastic kits!

 

On 10/26/2020 at 5:52 PM, TimC said:

I got a good bit of work done today.  Just got back from hiking in Shenandoah Valley (Appalachian Trail) the past few days with my girlfriend and our 3 pups so being up and about wasnt on the top of my to do list. 

 

 

I went to grad school near the Shenandoah Valley - what a magical place on earth!

[TimC]

3 hours ago, Sooty said:

I realised I should have installed the messenger rope a long time ago

What is a messenger rope?  Is that the smaller pieces of line they use to guide the larger ropes? 

[TimC]

23 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Just read through your log.  You're doing an amazing job on this - really nice!  I am working on the Pegasus and have to say that these are fantastic kits!

 

 

I went to grad school near the Shenandoah Valley - what a magical place on earth!

Thank you Mike!  Agreed , Shenandoah was absolutely beautiful...you were lucky to be there so long.  I did grad school in Scranton...not nearly as pretty. 
 

 I appreciate you taking the time to look through.  Your log was actually among the first I looked through as I was trying to get my feet wet and figure out how to do things without destroying anything important.  You had very helpful posts so thank you for that.  If I remember correctly you stopped posting on the Pegasus for a bit, have you re-started?

 

tim

[Sooty]

2 hours ago, TimC said:

What is a messenger rope?  Is that the smaller pieces of line they use to guide the larger ropes? 

The anchor cable had to be very thick to be able to take all the mooring forces, so you probably couldn't put too many turns over a capstan with it. Also, you probably wouldn't want to do that anyway, as it would mean running the cable all the way to the capstan, then to the hold. And -probably the main reason- you would never be able to handle the cable over the stoppers if it was under tension.

Instead, they used to run a 'loop' of smaller diameter rope called a 'messenger', looped 3-4 turns over the capstan (for friction) and over to the bow (over a couple of rollers just in front of the manger boards).

That piece of rope would run right next to the anchor cable, and it could be tied onto it along several spots to 'connect' the two ropes. You would turn the capstan, keep adding ties along the two ropes as they met, and remove them as the anchor cable was approaching the hole down to the holds.

That way, the anchor cable was under no tension once past those ties, so you could handle it easily, turn it over the stoppers etc.

I'll try and find a sketch for you, as it would probably explain it much better!

[Sooty]

Ok, this is a pretty good video to watch, and it explains how they weighed anchor on HMS Victory. It talks about the messenger line and everything else involved!

Apparently, it was a 5-6h job!

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Sooty
Forgot the link!

[glbarlow]

10 hours ago, TimC said:

didn’t think to make an opening in the gratings

You can carefully drill holes in the grate, better than drilling the deck. 

[Landlubber Mike]

18 hours ago, TimC said:

If I remember correctly you stopped posting on the Pegasus for a bit, have you re-started?

 

Glad my log was of some help.  It of course builds on the work of some really good Swan class builders on here.

 

I haven’t done any work on the Pegasus recently.  I got to the point where I was going to start scratch building the quarter badges to give them more of a three dimensional look from the kit PE, but then wasn’t sure of my skills so decided to start the Morgan (which i got burned out from all the planking), and then went to the Renommee.  Then I got bit by the plastic bug so I’ve been working in plastic for the past year.

 

I’ve been thinking about getting back to the Pegasus, though I’m wondering about my earlier plans of scratching the quarter galleries, carving the stern and figurehead, etc.  All that seems a little daunting, but I guess I won’t know until I try.  Your log and excellent work has rekindled my interest for sure though. 

[glbarlow]

53 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

 

I haven’t done any work on the Pegasus recently.  I got to the point where I was going to start scratch building the quarter badges to give them more of a three dimensional look from the kit PE

Painted they look ok, I considered that at the time as well but thought, my limited skills aside, that it might end up clunky so I moved on. I wish my log still existed, lost in the 2013 crash...

 

I hope you get back to it, it’s a great kit. At least until I finish Cheerful, still my favorite model.

[TimC]

21 hours ago, Sooty said:

Ok, this is a pretty good video to watch, and it explains how they weighed anchor on HMS Victory. It talks about the messenger line and everything else involved!

Apparently, it was a 5-6h job!

 

 

 

This video was very helpful!  Incredibly interesting also.  It’s amazing how much work and time that would have taken 

[TimC]

19 hours ago, glbarlow said:

You can carefully drill holes in the grate, better than drilling the deck. 

I think you’re right and that’s probably what I’ll end up doing now.  Thanks for the advice! 

 

6 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

I’ve been thinking about getting back to the Pegasus, though I’m wondering about my earlier plans of scratching the quarter galleries, carving the stern and figurehead, etc.  All that seems a little daunting, but I guess I won’t know until I try.  Your log and excellent work has rekindled my interest for sure though

I think you should just give it a go.  Based on your work so far you have nothing to worry about in the skills section. I’d hate to see your work so far go to unfinished 

[TimC]

Small bits of progress this week so far with completion of a majority of the bow features. I added the upper rail that rims the bow as well as the main mast bits.  I decided to keep them stained instead of red.  I find the Puritan pine stain on the walnut to be very nice.

 

I also added the gratings and coamings around the bits.  I decided to sand them down to about 1.8mm from the deck.  The 3 mm just seemed to be way too tall compared to the other pieces (by my eye anyway). I also added in a simple smoke stack for the stove using spare dowel fit to size. The piece at the base of the mast I tried to carve out of walnut but it kept falling apart, so I ended up using the kit piece and putting the deck planking on/around it for more depth (also lightly stained). 

 

next up was the belfry which was decently straight forward.  For the upright rails I used walnut strips so that I could add a little offset at the top for finer detail.  Not excellent but not horrible. On the bell piece I added some darkened wire around the wood for No other reason than it felt like it belonged there...and I included a piece for a rope to actually rock the bell 

 

I’m happy with how she’s coming along.  Starting to really come together.  Hope to have more later this weekend 

 

cheers all 

tim

[Richard44]

That's looking really good Tim, you're way ahead of me 🙂.

 

Cheers

[TimC]

Thank you for the comment Richard. Also thank you for the likes from everyone else 

 

I got a bit more accomplished over the last few days, especially with the snow on the east coast here. I was able to get the rear deck planked and glued in place after finishing the guns beneath that section.
I left a few unfinished in the middle of the ship, but will finish those last 3 this week. I decided to use decking around the crossbeam above the pumps. I felt like it fit better with how I have chosen to color things.  Plus it matched what I had done of on the forward deck

 

i was also able to complete a fair amount of the bits on the rear deck including all of the hatches, ladder, skylight, binnacle, and tiller housing section.

 

I used the frame of the binnacle pieces and added decking to overlay it and create a more complete piece to my eye (taking ideas from BEs log).  I attempted to make a more fancy skylight but I couldn’t get the wood to work properly.  After 4 failed attempts I went with the kit pieces.  I’m happy with it but I would have loved to complete the modification.  I’ll have to gain those small detail skills for carving/cutting.  
 

I used spare walnut to give the tiller housing a more wooden plank look instead of the plain ply and I used two glued walnut pieces that I carved down to replace the kit tiller arm   
 

Lastly, I decided to remake parts of the ships wheel...more to gain the knowledge of custom making pieces that are achievable than anything else, but also because I felt the others didn’t look completely right for the time?  I closed the ends with left over cannon PE. The wheel still spins!  I think it came out pretty decent and I’m happy with the effect, especially with the rigging installed.  I left a block out of each side as I felt it was too cluttered.  May not be functional but I think it looks better 

 

that’s it for now.  I will most likely get more done this weekend

 

thanks for taking the time to look. Have a great night

 

Tim

[TimC]

Small update this time.  Completed the upper capstan with some mods that I saw in TFFM even though I couldn’t do it nearly as well. 

 

also decided that I wanted to add pumps as I’ve seen in other builds.  These I made 100% from scratch.  The most difficult part was the portion that holds the handle. I’m actually quite happy with the effect I was able to achieve.  Feeling much better making my own pieces where I can! 

 

cheers all,

Tim

[Richard44]

That's a good looking capstan Tim, and very well done with the pumps.

[TimC]

Thank you Richard!