Avos by BenD - Master Korabel - 1:72 - Russian tender

[BenD]

I decided to take a break from the HMS Snake and do something more straight forward with no kit bashing.  I initially bought the Falconet kit 9th century Viking ship but I plowed through that in less than a month.  I have been wanting to buy the Avos since it came out so I decided this would be a good time.  By the time my Avos is done Chris Watton might have finished developing the HMS Sphinx and My Snake will never get finished.  😆

 

I just post a picture of the box for now, I don't plan on covering all the contents in the box as there is a thorough review buy James H.  

 

[BenD]

Some observations 

 

The ply deck has some off focus laser etching, it's probably because it is warped. I bought the kit from Crafty Sailor, etsinko is sending a replacement deck in maple! Honestly the deck should have been shipped in a lighter color to begin with so it all worked out. 

 

The kit only came with one anchor stock. This piece doesn't match the plans so I guess they were making edits for efficiency and they missed a stock. Not a problem as there is enough material to easily scratch one more. 

One of the boards for planking has some noticeable grain patterns on in with a bit of a dip in the material. The camera isn't picking it up very well. Maybe I'm just being picky and sanding will clean it right up. 

 

 

[WalrusGuy]

I'll take the front row seat! Always have been fascinated with Master Korabel's kit designs. Very eager to see how she progresses!! 😊 

Edited November 18, 2020 by WalrusGuy

[BenD]

welcome aboard WalrusGuy.  

 

This kit is flying together.  Beveling bulkhead parts was a bit of a job and would have been easier with a Dremel tool.  

Finished the planking in one evening.  No fuss, just one after the other.  I must say that pre shaped planking is awesome to work with!

[WalrusGuy]

Looks awesome!! I had no idea planking would be that quick! 

[BenD]

The fore and aft assemblies were time consuming and a bit complicated. There is a lot of shaping to get right in the bow. The aft just had a lot of parts and I looked over the plans multiple times to make sure everything was right.  

 

 

[BenD]

The deck replacement arrived safely. The lasering is nice and sharp, also I like how pale it is.

All of the ribs are in and the deck has been glued. It's almost Time for the inner bulwark planks.

Edited November 13, 2021 by BenD

[BenD]

The inner bulwarks have been installed, they were quite a job to glue and fit. There are some alignment issues but that is my fault for gluing in the frames without thinking ahead. It will be mostly resolved with the pear stock that I glued in around the gun & oar ports.  The gap around the deck will be filled in by the waterways eventually. 

 

[etsinko]

Hi Ben,

I like that you used pearwood inserts around the oar and gun ports. This is the only thing I regret not doing when building Avos.

[BenD]

The planking went on fairly easy.  Using the hot iron method really does work well for this thin planking.  The heat makes pva grab like it's crazy glue which is very helpful at the bow and stern.  Once you get the hang of it you can get 6+ planks glued per hour, of course it helps that the planks are already pre-shaped and just need the tabs trimmed off.  This kit is awesome!       

[etsinko]

Ben,

Using iron is a special secret of these Russian kits! It makes the whole process so much easier and cleaner.

Edited February 11, 2021 by etsinko

[BenD]

Sanded the hull with 220 then 400 grit may do 600 grit after oiling. Also added the wales... which curled the moment I put pva on them, good thing the hot iron sorted that out.

[etsinko]

Looks great! 

Next step was the most difficult for me - getting the wales match the counter in the back. Just go slowly there and you'll be fine!

[BenD]

2 hours ago, etsinko said:

getting the wales match the counter in the back. Just go slowly there and you'll be fine!

The counter is not fitting so well, It's ok at the wales though. I'm still working on it but it's not going to be pretty 👎

[etsinko]

On 2/25/2021 at 5:20 PM, BenD said:

The counter is not fitting so well, It's ok at the wales though. I'm still working on it but it's not going to be pretty 👎

I had similar problem. After adding all veneer layers to the counter its curvature slightly changed. Maybe this will help you, but this is what I did when I was gluing it to the hull. I mostly used PVA glue with a couple dabs of thick CA glue near the edges where there were gaps between the hull and the counter. Then I pressed it firmly to so the counter conformed to the curvature of the hull and held it until CA glue dried. This worked and the counter was "persuaded" to maintain the shape  and, more importantly, stayed attached to the hull.

[BenD]

40 minutes ago, etsinko said:

glue with a couple dabs of thick CA glue near the edges where there were gaps between the hull and the counter

This is exactly what I was thinking. CA glue to the rescue! 

[BenD]

The hull has been oiled and the rails installed. The pear wood turned out pretty dark but I like it.

[BenD]

The Prow, Keel, Rudder post, and stern facia have been glued in. The photo etch parts are beautiful in this kit.   

 

The stern facia didn't quite fit and there is a considerable gap. I thought I had added enough of a curve in the initial stages of it's construction... everything else has been coming together just fine so we will just call this "human error" and move on.

[etsinko]

Nice work Ben!

I also have similar size gap between the stern and the fascia. It is hard to make them so they fit perfectly.

[ccoyle]

17 hours ago, BenD said:

The stern facia didn't quite fit and there is a considerable gap.

 

It is not immediately apparent in the photo.

[Tim Curtis]

Beautifully made. Very neat and tidy. 

Tim

[Scotty W]

Pre-shaped planking?!?!? That's cheating and I like it. lol