Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160

[mikegr]

Rear section done. I started working on the main deck. There's a gap where bulwarks meet the deck as shown on pics.That means less work for me.

There is some detail paint job to be done but can be done later. I wanted to update here. Time is running out. Tomorrow early morning I will travel to my other place in a nearby island for some self isolation as covid got me and its wise to avoid contacts for a while. Hopefully I will continue next week

 

[mikegr]

Just now, mikegr said:

Rear section done. I started working on the main deck. There's a gap where bulwarks meet the deck as shown on pics.That means less work for me.

There is some detail paint job to be done but can be done later. I wanted to update here. Time is running out. Tomorrow early morning I will travel to my other place in a nearby island for some self isolation as covid got me and its wise to avoid contacts for a while. Hopefully I will continue next week

 

[KeithAug]

All looking very good, I do hope the covid recovery is progressing well.

[mikegr]

Recovered from the covid isolation, not much trouble and found time to do some other activities

 

Back to the project I  am working on the middle and forward sections. I design them myself as these are straight pieces. Besides with some heat applied resin can be curved without the risk of distortion like plastic. I forget to add buckles for rigging so added some with brass wire. Etch primer were used then white color for the internal section

 

 

 

[mikegr]

After slow progress and piece by piece assembly all sections are into place. I painted white the internal part and grey the upper side. Externally putty was applied at joints then sanded but not primed yet. I need to do some work on the bow. The deck at the anchor area is a bit "fat" and it should be trimmed somehow to meet the slim frame. The bow is also quite sharper on the upper end like the real ship and needs to be aligned with the rest of it. Finally there are some design lines that must be deleted so frame will have a smooth finish like the rest pieces.

Edited October 24, 2022 by mikegr

[mikegr]

Small update 

I have been working on the bow. I used some epoxy putty to shape the bow. Very easy to shape but hard to sand. Smaller gaps filled with body car filler. Some hull imperfections were covered with glaze putty as well as epoxy in order to make a smooth surface.

After bow shaping I will concentrate on eliminating last minor  hull bumps and gaps. Nexts pictures won't look much difference but there definitely some work to be done

[mikegr]

Santa Claus came and brought me a finished hull. I contribute a bit too.

After 3 bottles of primer the salvaged hull is saved. Its not going to be perfect neither the model will be any away. 

[KeithAug]

looking very clean, all that filling and sanding seems to have done the trick.

[mikegr]

Next step was to test fit rear area cargo holds and crane bases. Chain is a bit overscale maybe but the result is acceptable. Cargo holds are scratch built and crane bases -which are also storage rooms- are 3d printed. I need only to sand them down so they can fit with the deck which leans towards the sides.

[JKC27]

Glad I found this build log.  As I mentioned before in this log, this is going to be very helpful for my future builds.  Now...if I can only get started on my next scratch build.......these darn kits I recently receive/purchased have taken over my model building.......

[KeithAug]

The deck structures somehow jar with the sleekness of the overall ship design. The designer must have gone into utilitarian mode when he drew them.😀

[mikegr]

Like in the rear section I printed the crane bases-rooms for the front part. The cargo holds are already in place.

I took the long time abandoned superstructure pieces and joined them together with wood glue and body car filler on the front side. After sanding it become smooth, needs to br painted. All parts were placed on deck for final fitting and evaluation.

[mikegr]

Work slowed down because of other project but now I'm back on track.

I decided to make the masts. Wasn't sure how, finally the design and 3d printing was chosen instead of scratch building. After many hours of design I got the first result, two successful prints while one collapsed partially. Using my skills I manage to repair it and save another 6 hour printing season.

[Roger Pellett]

Coming  along nicely!

 

Roger

[mikegr]

I am working on the pulleys. The number required is great,  Not sure about wooden ships but here  more than 50 needed from what i see on the plan

There are also double and triple pulleys that will be used. I am using photos of my archive as a guide to position them and differ remarkably from my plans. Rigging will be more challenging that it seemed initially. Most possibly won't be 100 accurate but thats ok.

Meantime I decided to install the anchor machinery and drill the anchor holes all the way to the ship sides while working to improve paint details on deck

 

 

[Javelin]

Nice work. Love that forepeak entry hatch with the attached davit.

[Mirabell61]

Very nice work indeed Mike,

I love the design of the Cap San.. ships of the Hamburg Süd line, I have myself worked for Blohm & Voss in early work days. You`ve managed to get those elegant lines transfered onto your model.

 

Nils

[mikegr]

On 7/9/2023 at 1:08 PM, Mirabell61 said:

Very nice work indeed Mike,

I love the design of the Cap San.. ships of the Hamburg Süd line, I have myself worked for Blohm & Voss in early work days. You`ve managed to get those elegant lines transfered onto your model.

 

Nils

Thanks  for the encouraging comments.

Hamburg has a very nice nautical museum which I hope I visit one day.

 

 

Now back to the project, while preparing the superstructure for final fitment I made the winches: main body and another piece were designed and printed plus a plastic rod and a pin.

I used copper wire primed and painted black.

then  i put the winch cylinder on the main body and secured the whole system with a pin which i chopped the extra length and glued the last part.

so got a fully functional system minus the motor which i can adjust the length of the wire during the rigging phase, i only need to add more black paint to fill the gaps on the white reel.

 

[mikegr]

While working on the masts suddenly realized that I was totally out of scale.

I reprinted two of them with some modifications on top and other an one inch extension to the 3rd one.

Then i moved to test fitting.

And a last pic with the funnels on

 

[JKC27]

Looking great!  I sure wish I had the capability/knowhow to 3D design/prints parts.  Great attention to detail and again a build I a following closely.

[mikegr]

2 hours ago, JKC27 said:

Looking great!  I sure wish I had the capability/knowhow to 3D design/prints parts.  Great attention to detail and again a build I a following closely.

Thank you

Actually a year ago I was no related to 3d design either. And 3 years ago I was wondering how people could make ship models without a kit, just only from plans

[Javelin]

She's a very gorgeous ship. Your model does her justice. She'll look awesome with some colour as well. 

[mikegr]

On 9/21/2023 at 5:04 PM, Javelin said:

She's a very gorgeous ship. Your model does her justice. She'll look awesome with some colour as well. 

Thanks for the comment. I did avoid early painting to avoid any accident as I am quite messy

 

Too much trouble for little progress. I added some shelters on bridge deck. Started with scratch building then decided for a more delicate job so I just printed them. Still measurements were incorrect, so multiple couples were tried to get the final fitment. On the top I used sandpaper 280bgrit pieces to simulate the material show on first pic. Before installation, a pair of compass were fitted one of each side of the bridge

[mikegr]

Work on cranes started. I printed the parts. Then assembled together and paint. Put crane frame supports using 1mm chopped plastic rod. After the fitment I scratch built a crane holder and glue it on port side on deck. It was difficult because my scratch built skills have been deteriorated since I spent most time on 3d design than making my parts by hands

 

[mikegr]

I'm working at the funnels. Its a highlight spot of this ship. I printed a couple of pairs and I had to do some scratch work to correct some mistakes

After lot of sanding I get a desired outcome

[mikegr]

Next was to replace the swimming pool. I printed the walls, glued them together. Wood fillet chopped ,varnished and put on.

Next step was the davits. The base was 3d printed but the upper part was a bit hard to draw so it was scratch built from 1mm styrene. Then 2.5mm reels added.

[mikegr]

It was about time to do what I avoided to do lately. To paint the hull.

Body was prepared by sanding it with 400,600 and 1500 grit sandpaper.

For this size of hull an air compressor with a medium pistol would be ideal. Spray cans are far away from appropriate. The museum models are painted with colors from automobile industry therefore looks so impressive even bit unnatural.

Then I layered tape strips and start spraying. The curved rear area was troublesome to tape. This hull also requires 3 colors, white, red and brown.

After finishing the layers it took me another week working on evenings to get the desired outcome. Finally a medium gloss varnish was used.

[mikegr]

As it was expected with so much paintwork a mesh was causes plus I had left some detailed job unfinished. I started with the stem section

Now I have to work the front area 

[mikegr]

 Last 2023 update.

I was looking for a way to make the cargo masts. I opted for a durable material so I skipped plastic over brass. The ends were a bit thinner and these were designed and 3d printed.

The 2.5mm brass tubes  had thick walls and proved to heavy for the resin base tip. So I took some 2.5 mm plastic tubes  and reinforced them by putting a 1.5 brass piece inside them. Then resin edges were glued. Therefore a desirable stiff part was created without being extra heavy.

Finally I printed a pair of life boats and started the paint job

 

[mikegr]

I made the rest of the cranes. All were put in place except those based on the rear sides of the funnels. The model almost has taken its shape except some radar masts and smaller details like winches etc. I ended up with the most messed  workbench in the world but in return I got a model of a fine looking vessel