Duchess of Kingston 1798 by glennard2523 - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Royal Yacht by Glenn Shelton

[Glenn-UK]

I have already pre ordered this new model kit from Vanguard Models which is due to be released tomorrow. I plan to take my time with this build and it will start as a low priority side project whilst I complete by current project (Robert E Lee Paddlewheel Steamboat).

 

I will start the build log in earnest after receipt of the kit. The build log of the prototype build by James Hatch was very informative and made the decision the buy this kit very easy. Also I was very impressed with Chris Watton's design, quality of materials and the standard of the build manual and plans with Speedy and I believe he has gone to another level with this kit.

[James H]

Following this one 👍

[gjdale]

I’ll follow along with this one too Glenn.

[Sjors]

I’ll be sitting next to Grant!

 

Sjors

[Glenn-UK]

Planning ahead for this build, especially the rigging phase I have ordered a set of Quad Hands. Thanks to Derek (Delf) for the tip on this great looking tool.

 

The DOK kit is due to arrive on Tuesday, fingers crossed. I am planning to spend the mornings working on DOK and the afternoons working on my current Robert E Lee build.

 

[Glenn-UK]

At 10:37am this morning the door bell rang. Upon opening the front door there was a strange looking package, addressed to me, on the door step.

 

Imagine my surprise and delight, after opening the package to discover the following:

 

 

What a great delivery service and I will start work on the build very soon. My wife's only concern is that I will stop work on my Robert E Lee build. I put her mind at rest with my plan to spend the mornings working of the DOK build and the afternoon's working on the Robert E Lee build. Lets see how long that plan lasts!!!!!

[gjdale]

2 minutes ago, glennard2523 said:

Lets see how long that plan lasts!!!!!

 

My guess would be until the first afternoon...........😉

[James H]

Just remember that there is a lot of soaking to do on key parts and pear expansion is a LOT.

 

It really is a good idea to leave those parts overnight (at least 12hrs) as you can still have a reasonable amount of expansion present in the last hrs before use.

[chris watton]

22 minutes ago, James H said:

Just remember that there is a lot of soaking to do on key parts and pear expansion is a LOT.

 

It really is a good idea to leave those parts overnight (at least 12hrs) as you can still have a reasonable amount of expansion present in the last hrs before use.

This is so important. When James was building the second prototype, he called me to tell me that the inner bulwarks did not fit, being a lot larger than they should be. The next morning, he discovered they fitted exactly as they should, once all moisture had gone.

 

This is a relatively easy kit to build, as long as you take your time on certain parts, and leave all parts to be curved dry fitted (clamped and/or pinned) in place until completely dry before gluing in place.

Edited November 10, 2020 by chris watton

[Glenn-UK]

44 minutes ago, James H said:

Just remember that there is a lot of soaking to do on key parts and pear expansion is a LOT.

 

It really is a good idea to leave those parts overnight (at least 12hrs) as you can still have a reasonable amount of expansion present in the last hrs before use.

I will follow this very sound advice. Many thanks for the heads up. I think it will a week or two at least before I've reached that stage.

Edited November 10, 2020 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

With regards to how I plan to structure this build log I have taken note of a comment made in the build manual which states " Treat each stage as a separate project"

 

With that in mind I will attempt to record each stage separately. In some cases a build stage will be a simple single post, but in some cases it may be necessary to record a completed stage as a series of posts. Therefore each post will start with a Stage Header and Status. I will also try to keep a record of the time spend on building the model. in this respect I will not record any time I have spent reading / studying plan drawings.

 

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 1-5 inclusive

Task: Build of temporary cradle

Parts: 26, 27 & 28 (x2)

Time Spent: 8 mins

Status: Complete

Build Notes: It did not take too long to remove the 4 parts required for the temporary cradle. I used one of my thin medium sanding sticks to clean up the tab marks. The parts fitted together very well noting the slotted parts were a very tight fit which meant the frame was very solid and did not require any wood glue. I might brush in some diluted wood glue at some point for belt and braces.

Build Photo(s):

 

[James H]

To protect the painted hull against any char on the cradle, I glued a few strips of thin styrene over those contact areas.

[Sjors]

Hi Glenn,

 

 Nice to see you get started with that early Christmas present....

Great job on the cradle, difficult issue?...😂🤣

 

Sjors

[Glenn-UK]

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 1-2

Task: Removal of Keel parts from MDF sheets and cleaning tabs

Parts: 1-25, 1a-15a, 19a-c

Time Spent: 80 mins

Status: Complete

Build Notes: This is not very exciting post but I have included this task in my build log to reflect an accurate record of the work undertaken

Using my trusty craft knife (fitted with a new blade) each piece was released from the MDF sheet(s) in turn. I then used my thin medium grit sanding stick to clean the tabs. There were quite a few different parts and it took longer than I expected to complete this process. I think it was better to take my time, especially with the cleaning of the tabs. All the pieces have been engraved with the part number which I think is a major plus point.

 

A couple of the smaller pieces did delaminate (1 x 19b and 1 x 19c) as there were removed from the MDF sheet. I simply applied some wood glue to the delaminated areas and clamped.

 

I plan to dry fit the hull construction parts before starting to fair / glue any of the hull construction pieces together so that I can get an appreciation of the bulkhead fairing angles and mark the required bulkheads accordingly. Also the build instructions 10,11,12…. etc. recommends the bulkheads are marked and faired prior to being assembled.

 

Build Photo(s):

 

Hull parts 1 – 15

 

 

Hull parts 16 – 25 plus the subset parts (a, b and c)

 

Hull parts ready to be dry fitted, some parts to be kept safe in storage draw

[Glenn-UK]

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 18-28

Task: Dry Fitting

Parts: 1-17

Time Spent: 20 mins

Status: Complete, but I will revisit this task again once I have checked fitting of part 16 with bulkheads 11 and 12 in isolation.

Build Notes:

I have dry fitted the bulkheads (1-13 & 15-17) to the false keel (14). I noted some bulkheads were a tight fit therefore I decided to add some marks to double check the bulkheads were correctly seated. I made a pencil mark on the bottom of the slots, both on the bulkheads and on the keel. When correctly fitted the two pencil marks should be aligned, the bulkheads 1-13 all seemed to make a satisfying click noise when fully seated.

 

I was not able to fully insert the two Longitudinal Patterns (16) as they seemed to be a slight issue with fitting them to the slots on bulkheads (11 and 12). I did not want to apply any undue pressure at this stage therefore when I disassemble the dry fitted bulkheads from the false keel. I will need do some further checks of the slot fitting of the Longitudinal Patterns (16) with the bulkheads 11 and 12 in isolation.

 

The dry fitted hull assembly seems to be very sturdy. The next task will be to mark the bulkheads with a preliminary fairing line as per build instruction 11.

 

Build Photo(s):

 

Marking the bulkheads

 

Bulkhead 1 correctly positioned

 

Bulkhead 1 - 4 correctly positioned

 

Dry fit of parts 1 to 17 inclusive

Edited November 11, 2020 by glennard2523

[James H]

That longitudinal pattern should fit snugly, but you need to tease it down all of those slots a bit at a time or it won't seat properly. There are a lot of slots you need to make sure won't snag those parts.

 

This was why I thought it a good reason to dry fit a lot of this and then paint glue into the joints when assembled.

[chris watton]

The longitudinal patterns (16&17) will fit fine, the slots in those are 3.1mm, plus 3.1mm wide on the bulkheads for the patterns to slot into. 

[Glenn-UK]

4 minutes ago, James H said:

That longitudinal pattern should fit snugly, but you need to tease it down all of those slots a bit at a time or it won't seat properly. There are a lot of slots you need to make sure won't snag those parts.

 

This was why I thought it a good reason to dry fit a lot of this and then paint glue into the joints when assembled.

Thanks James. I was teasing part 16 (port and starboard) and they seemed to be aligned across all the bulkheads but they did not seem to locate fully when I started to apply some pressure on bulkheads 11 and 12. I had to take a break for some household chores. I sure when I have a bit more time they will locate fully.

[Glenn-UK]

1 hour ago, chris watton said:

The longitudinal patterns (16&17) will fit fine, the slots in those are 3.1mm, plus 3.1mm wide on the bulkheads for the patterns to slot into. 

Thanks Chris. Based on my experience with your other designs I'm 100% certain there is not an issue. I just to take a bit of time to make sure  everything is fully aligned which will be tomorrow's first order of business. Bulkheads 1-13 & 15 fitted very nicely and I did like the click when fully seated.

Edited November 11, 2020 by glennard2523

[chris watton]

Just now, glennard2523 said:

Thanks Chris. Based on my experience with your other designs I'm 100% certain there is not a issue. I just to take a bit of time to make sure  everything is fully aligned which will be tomorrow's first order of business. Bulkheads 1-13 & 15 fitted very nicely and I did like the click when fully seated.

The only parts that have tight tolerances are the the bulkheads and keel that slot into each other. These are 3mm exactly. All other slots have slightly looser tolerances at 3.1mm, to take into account any slight (and I mean slight) misalignment when fitting parts like 16 and 17. It is best to bevel some of the extreme frames before fitting, and once fitted, and if the extreme bulkheads and longitudinal patterns have been roughly bevelled, brush on PVA glue when all is in place. Do not rush any of this, as it is essential all parts are fitted as designed and bevelled correctly for the planking.

[Rustyj]

Your detailed log will be very beneficial for all who follow. Thanks for this.

 

I tend to get in a zone and forget pictures for several steps. 😉 

[Glenn-UK]

I have not made any progress today, but I have done some preparation work as detailed below, approx. 2 hours in total today

 

Unfortunately, as can be seen in the  photo below I have managed to damage (my own stupid fault) 2 of 4 the longitudinal strips (1 x 16 and 1 x 17). The damage to 16 happened when holding the longitudinal strip in one hand with one bulkhead being test fitted, the weight of the unsupported bulkhead caused the damage. The damage to 17 happened when I was trying to "gently" release the parts from my initial dry fit assembly. These parts can still be fitted without affecting the integrity of the model (as two parts rather than 1). It should be noted that both strips were damaged at the same point which is where bulkhead 9 slots in so please take care if you are building this model.

 

I believe I have sorted out the slight issue I had yesterday with fitting the longitudinal strips. When checking each bulkhead in isolation I discovered that bulkhead 10 had a little bit of burring around the slot which was preventing the two parts engaging. I gave bulkhead 10 a very light sand with a 1000 grit which removed the burring and on a retest bulkhead 10 did seat fully in the slot on strip 16, albeit it was still a tad tight compared with the other bulkheads.

 

As part of the preparation I have now marked bulkheads 1-3 ready for the initial fairing as shown in the picture below. I also made a cardboard replicate of the fore deck part and used that to get an rough idea of how much fairing would be required. Hopefully I aired on the side of caution when marking the bulkheads. I also marked an offcut piece of the 3mm MDF which will be my test piece.

 

I have a large selection of dremel sanding discs, as can be seen in the attached picture and I rummaged through them looking for a 400+ grit attachment.

 

With my dremel set to the slowest speed setting I was able to fair the test piece without any problems. The process did not take too long yielded a very nice even result. As can be seen in the following picture it produced a very good result and appears to be a very good match for the picture(s) provided in the build manual. Rather than rush this task I plan have another couple goes at fairing test pieces before I actually start on the actual bulkheads.

Edited November 12, 2020 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 6-9

Task: Fitting Main Support Pattern to False Keel

Parts: 14 & 14a

Time Spent: 5 mins

Status: Complete

Build Notes: This was a straightforward task. It is important to make sure that part 14a is fully locked into place. Once in place I brushed some diluted wood glue around the joins.

Build Photo(s):

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 10-28 inclusive

Task: Fairing and fitting bulkheads to false keel

Parts: 1 to 17

Time Spent: 60 mins + 60 mins preparation work

Status: Complete

Build Notes: Bulkheads 1-3 & 11-13 need to be partly faired before they are fitted to the false keel (14). The same is true with the 2 x bow support patterns (15) and the 2 x inner longitudinal strips (16). To help get a better idea of the amount of fairing required I made a template of the fore deck using some stiff card. I found this to be of great benefit. I have added a couple of photos to show this.

 

I added a pencil line to the bulkheads to indicate the amount of pre fairing required, airing on the side of safety noting the final fairing would be completed once the decks have been fitted. I used my Dremel 3000, on its slowest speed with a 400+ grit sanding wheel, to apply the required fairing. I made sure I did not extend past by pencil lines. I also used one of my thin sanding sticks to finish off the pre-fairing. I have attached a picture of the completed pieces.

 

I did find it necessary to slightly enlarge the slots in bulkhead 10 that are used to locate with the longitudinal strips 16 and 17 using one of my needle files as I found this bulkhead was very tight fitting compared with all the other bulkheads.

 

Bulkheads (1-13) were added to the false keel without any problems. Next I added the two bow support patterns (15) and finally the 4 longitudinal strips (2 x 16 and 2 x 17) were added. I took my time fitting the inner longitudinal strips (16) ensuring all the bulkheads were lining up with the slots. Once all the longitudinal strips were fully inserted the hull became very secure. I was incredibly pleased with how the hull is now looking, which is a great testament to the attention to detail with Chris Watton’s design work. Pictures of completed stage have been added.

 

Build Photo(s):

Pre marking the bulkheads with template

 

 

Pre faired bulkhead, support patterns and longitudinal strips

 

Hull assembly with parts 1 -17 fitted

Edited November 13, 2020 by glennard2523

[dkuehn]

If you are going to brush on glue now I suggest not putting glue in the places where parts 21, 22, 23 and 24 go. It makes it more difficult to fit them if there is glue in the way. 

[Glenn-UK]

2 minutes ago, dkuehn said:

If you are going to brush on glue now I suggest not putting glue in the places where parts 21, 22, 23 and 24 go. It makes it more difficult to fit them if there is glue in the way. 

Thanks, I'm going to take my time and dry fit the next few parts before glueing the bulkheads to make sure there are no unforeseen problems. 

[Kevin]

i will be following on with interest

 

Great start

Edited November 13, 2020 by Kevin

[BobG]

Great build log. I'm aboard for the journey...

[Glenn-UK]

Stage: Hull Construction

Build instructions: 29 – 44 & 47-49

Task: Adding stern patterns, cabin supports, deck supports & thickening patterns

Parts: 212-25, 29-32

Time Spent: 30 mins

Status: Complete

Build Notes: This was a straightforward assembly process, with no problems encountered. I started by dry fitted the 2 main deck rear supports (23) and the 2 mid cabin front deck supports (24). I did not encounter any problems fitting these parts.

 

 

 

I then decided to jump ahead to build instructions 47 to 49 which is where the stern patterns (2 x 21 and 2 x 22) are fitted. With the patterns dry fitted I was able to make a pre fairing line. Using my Dremel 3000 on a slow speed setting and a needle file it did not take too long to complete the process. I did air on the side of safety once again knowing any excess will be removed during the final fairing once the hull has been fully assembled. The parts were glued and clamped in place. I used a couple of wooden strips aid the clamping of the 2 stern patterns 21.

 

 

 

 

Once I was totally happy the bulkheads, longitudinal strips and deck supports were fully seated I applied a diluted wood glue solution, using a small paint brush, to the all the joints.

 

Next I added the 6 off stern patterns (2 x 30, 2 x 31 and 2 x 32). These pieces were a good tight fit and made a nice click noise when fully seated. I also dry fitted parts 19 and 19a at this stage to make sure there were no issues. I was very pleased to note that the stern patterns, when fully seated, rested nicely on the upper stern  patterns (2 x 19)

 

 

The final task for this build session was to fit the Main Cabin Deck (29) and the two thickening patterns (25). With the deck in place I also checked the mizzen mast fitting.

Edited November 14, 2020 by glennard2523

[DWright]

I'm in on this build log too Glenn.  I just ordered the kit last week, and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

 

Cheers,

 

Darrel Wright