Development blogs for new BlueJacket Kits

[BobG]

This is going to be a very impressive model!

[John Ruy]

Very nice! I know it’s early in development, but when might this kit be available for sale. I would like to start saving up my pennies for this beast. 👏

 

Nice work, Al. 

Edited April 14, 2022 by John Ruy

[alross2]

Working on companions and skylights this week. This is the mostly finished aft house. Still have to add the skylight and paint the window frames. The large companion has ten laser-cut parts. The gangway comprises four pieces of .015" laserboard.

[rshousha]

On 4/14/2022 at 2:39 PM, alross2 said:

but it came out well.

Quite an understatement! It's really nice!

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

 

[alross2]

Nic will be bringing the WYOMING in its current state to the New London show this week.  

 

[alross2]

The fore and midships houses are mostly complete and glued down, Got a few more pieces for the aft house, then it will be fixed down. After that, I have to make the deflection rails for the skylights and add the mopboards around the houses.

[alross2]

Made up a jig for drilling locating holes for the pegs on the fife rails. There's not much clearance between the mast and inside of the fife rails, so this will align everything properly. It will be part of the kit.  

[alross2]

Made two new templates for setting the chain plate angles. One is for the forecastle mast, the other for the other five masts. The top of the template corresponds with the slots in the channel while the bottom corresponds with the bottom of the chain plate, You just align the top section with the channel slots and use a pin or ,020" drill through the bottom holes to mark the position of the lower part of the chain plate.

[robdurant]

Those are very nice touches that will help the builder to enjoy the process and get a great result. Excellent stuff! 

[alross2]

All of the starboard chain plates are now in place. They will be black eventually, as the hull will get another coat of black.

[alross2]

Catheads, horses, and deck pads are on.

[alross2]

Almost time to start putting in the sticks. Still have to make the brackets for the two stacks, drill holes in the cap rail for belaying pins, and add the rudder.

[alross2]

Stack brackets are installed. These are made from 1/64" x 1/16" britannia strips bent over a jig (included with the kit) and trimmed. As an aside, forceps are great for holding items for painting. These are cheap ones that I toss in lacquer thinner after I'm done painting. They clean up easily and can last for years.

[alross2]

Stacks are now installed on the house roofs. I've also just stepped the #4 mast to serve as an alignment guide for the other five.

[alross2]

There are 120 holes in the cap rail for belaying pins. I decided not to laser them in because of the potential for breakage. So, you have to drill them but there is a template in the kit that will make this less challenging. You align the first two holes with the space between the stanchions, drill the first hole, stick a belaying pin or piece of rod in the hole to maintain alignment, hold the template in place, and drill away. It actually only takes a few minutes and everything is consistent.

[alross2]

Checking alignment on the masts prior to starting the shrouds. Had to shim one or two to ensure they were all the same height.

Edited May 12, 2022 by alross2

[alross2]

Attached the spreaders to the masts today. They're pinned to the cross-trees and actually pivot so the backstay will take a natural angle. The spreaders are laser-cut from .015" laserboard and are laminated (2 ea) which makes them quite rigid.

[alross2]

The bobstay irons are going to be a bit fiddly to install. The arms are trimmed to length and a .020" hole drilled at the end of each, then through the stem. A pin is inserted through the three holes, glued to the arms and snipped off. By allowing them to pivot, it makes setting the angle easier when the bobstays are attached. Once they are in place, the irons can be glued in place.

[alross2]

Started attaching the turnbuckles go the chainplates. Only 59 more to go...

[Nirvana]

All I can say is..... WOW!

This is an impressive ship and lovely model.

She is huge. Teehee, at least my 16ft work bench would be good enough....😀

[alross2]

68 turnbuckles later... There are another 24 on the masts, six more for the bowsprit guys, and miscellaneous others.

[alross2]

Getting closer to final assembly. These are the two attachment points for the two jib booms.

[alross2]

Made and attached the two jib booms this morning.

[alross2]

While I'm waiting for some new rigging line for WYOMING, I'm back on OREGON. Painted up one of the 1 pdr guns.

[alross2]

Lasered the floor boards and thwarts for the boats and bails for the spring stays.

[alross2]

The spring stay bails require a little patience and care to build. They are laser-cut .020" laser board but are surprisingly strong and flexible. They are best built off the mast. Two eyes are glued together, a light coat of thin CA is applied to them, then they are bent over a dowl (front bail) and 1/4" square stick (aft bail). The mast is drilled with a .022" bit, the bail is slid down over the mast, and a pin goes through the holes. Once everything is aligned, CA is applied to the end of the pin and the end is snipped off.

[alross2]

Aligning the masts. It's a simple approach but works well. The forecastle mast was set at the correct angles first, then the rest of the masts were aligned with the distances between them at the boom jaw rests. The clamps keep everything aligned while a drop of glue sets the angles.

[thibaultron]

Neat solution!

 

[alross2]

OK, I'm done building WYOMING. It's now over to Nic to rig her (I hate to rig!). Once he's finished, I'll do any necessary touch up and ensure the rigging plans and the model rigging match. After that, she'll be in production. That table, BTW, is 48" long.

[MrBlueJacket]

*sigh*

 

Not really, I enjoy rigging.