HMS Victory by Roberts Orca - Corel - 1:98

[Roberts Orca]

I'm officially starting my first build. 

My wife was so kind in giving me this kit for Christmas, I really love the lines of this ship. I just hope I can deliver. 

The parts are just dry fitted together. It took a lot of filing to get them together. Not going to use any glue just yet. I need to check the decks for alignment first. Please feel free to give advice. I'm open to all help. Thanks. 🙂

[Eugenio Treviño]

Roberts you are going to enjoy this model!

I started mine 4 months ago. My build log may help you to avoid the mistakes I made. 
Enjoy the journey!!!

[Roberts Orca]

13 minutes ago, Eugenio Treviño said:

Roberts you are going to enjoy this model!

I started mine 4 months ago. My build log may help you to avoid the mistakes I made. 
Enjoy the journey!!!

Thanks Eugenio.  I will definitely look into your build. 

[michael101]

Hello Roberts 

welcome to the journey of building the HMS VICTORY  im calling this project a "life project" ! 

there is a lot to learn and think before each step !

so take your time and enjoy the moment

 

about the bulkheads ..

before starting anything you must make a stand for the keel to insure straight keel ..

made it by using a plate of birch plywood and 90 degrees L supports 

from the picture you uploaded I can see that the keel is not straight (its very normal when having very large keel ...)

but you can fix it by making the stand ...

also if you asking me when you will have the stand ready .. don't glue the bulkheads from inside the slots just dry fit them and glue them from outside by using timbers of 10*10mm 

its a bit hard to explain but you can see my build log (my model its a caldercraft one , but the first stages are the same )

you can check the pictures at post no.2 and post no.11at this link

and if you need anything you can pm me

 

best regard

Michael.

[Roberts Orca]

4 hours ago, michael101 said:

Hello Roberts 

welcome to the journey of building the HMS VICTORY  im calling this project a "life project" ! 

there is a lot to learn and think before each step !

so take your time and enjoy the moment

 

about the bulkheads ..

before starting anything you must make a stand for the keel to insure straight keel ..

made it by using a plate of birch plywood and 90 degrees L supports 

from the picture you uploaded I can see that the keel is not straight (its very normal when having very large keel ...)

but you can fix it by making the stand ...

also if you asking me when you will have the stand ready .. don't glue the bulkheads from inside the slots just dry fit them and glue them from outside by using timbers of 10*10mm 

its a bit hard to explain but you can see my build log (my model its a caldercraft one , but the first stages are the same )

you can check the pictures at post no.2 and post no.11at this link

and if you need anything you can pm me

 

best regard

Michael.

This is exactly why I am so glad I joined this site. Because of people like you Michael that don't run away from newbies like me, but are so willing to help out. Thank you so much. It makes the whole building process so much more enjoyable. 

Yes. I will be making a keel support as suggested. And I'll be looking into your post about how you glued the initial parts.  Thanks again, best regards.😃

[Roberts Orca]

After getting some great advice on lining up the keel, I couldn't wait to build my keel support. I used 3/4" melamine board, known for staying very flat. Then I drew a straight line down the middle and made 90 degree braces from 1/2" plywood. 

I positioned 5 sets along the center line, sandwiching the keel between them. Seems to hold the set together assembly nicely. There's a little bit of a twist in the bow piece. Hoping I'll be able to straighten it out later. 

Now I need to get back to work on my cabinet job. Thanks to Michael 101 for his tip on the keel holder.

 

[michael101]

Very nice job Roberts !

about the twist at the bow you will not be able to fix it after gluing the bulkheads !

take your time to fix it now, just don’t run ,rushing is not the name of this game

the best thing is to take the L supports from one side out and draw the rest of the line until the end of the bow ,

and make a big L supports to hold the beginning of the bow between them (put it in the very beginning of the bow to be able planking the ship without disconnect the supports , BTW I did the same thing also at the stern )

The next stage is to work on the bulkheads ... and after glueing the bulkheads in place put som wood supports between the bulkheads for holding the shape permanent you can see it in my build log 

but we will talk about it later on when you will be at this stage ...

 

Best regards

Michael.

[Roberts Orca]

I was amazed at how much the bow was out of alignment. I built some larger L braces and pulled it where it needs to be. I'll probably do something similar at the stern.

I've barely begun construction and already I can say that this is a very intriguing process. The difference between saying it's ok or good enough,  and spending the time to do it right or excellent. I'm greatly encouraged by the help. 

The instructions from Corel are quite vague. So I'm leaning heavily on researching other materials. 

If anyone knows of a really good book on the subject,  I'm all ears. I've seen so many on Amazon but not sure what I should be looking at. 

Thanks.

[Roberts Orca]

Just now, Roberts Orca said:

I was amazed at how much the bow was out of alignment. I built some larger L braces and pulled it where it needs to be. I'll probably do something similar at the stern.

I've barely begun construction and already I can say that this is a very intriguing process. The difference between saying it's ok or good enough,  and spending the time to do it right or excellent. I'm greatly encouraged by the help. 

The instructions from Corel are quite vague. So I'm leaning heavily on researching other materials. 

If anyone knows of a really good book on the subject,  I'm all ears. I've seen so many on Amazon but not sure what I should be looking at. 

Thanks.

[michael101]

very nice work !

now you have a very good starting 

if you have any question don't hesitate just ask

Best regards

Michael.

 

[Roberts Orca]

I'm so glad I was told to hold off on gluing anything yet. The learning curve on this is huge. I've built many radio controlled airplanes, scale ones too, but they are built right on the plans. This makes it easier to build straight and true. But here in the ship model business, one has to do a lot of measuring, and back and forth from plans to structure to fit everything together.  I tried to fit the lower deck in place, and to my amazement nothing fit. So after much careful filing in the right places I was able to fit it in. There are some full length beams that need to go in before this deck does, but it was nice seeing it in place. Also, after inspecting it, I noticed gaps between the deck skin and about 5 bulkheads. I'm assuming that the deck boards will completely cover this gap. I don't like to assume but I don't see any other option here. Also, the stairways that go down through those square openings. I don't see anything under them to attach to. 

I'll have to research this some more.

[Eugenio Treviño]

1 hour ago, Roberts Orca said:

I noticed gaps between the deck skin and about 5 bulkheads. I'm assuming that the deck boards will completely cover this gap. I don't like to assume but I don't see any other option here. Also, the stairways that go down through those square openings. I don't see anything under them to attach to. 

I'll have to research this some more.

 

 

Roberts:

 

Those gaps will be covered by the deck planking. No problem. When planking the decks take care of 3 issues:

 

1. First remove the tips of planks (bulkheads) 9 and 10. See post number 6 in my log to avoid that error.

2. Plank the space between the upper  deck and the poop deck before setting the poop deck.

3. When cutting the beams of planks (bulkheads) 6 and 7 also cut the one on number 11. That is not shown on the instructions. I didn’t do it and it doesn’t looks ok. The height at that point is not ok. See attached pick.

 

Regarding the stairs, they are not supported below the deck. But if you glue them correctly they will stay there without a problem. See second pick here and pick number 8 on post number 4 of my log.

 

Keep up the good work. Happy new year!!!

[Roberts Orca]

I'm not understanding your reference to bulkheads #9 and #10.

Great point on decking the mid deck before the poop deck. Thanks.

I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I want to glue anything yet. Lol. I keep finding things I need to work out first. So much planning goes into one of these. Love your deck planking. Happy New Year 😃

[Roberts Orca]

So after having my build all set together,  still no gluing, I spent some time just inspecting the alignment of all the bulkheads. And found many inconsistencies. Having spent many years building and flying model aircraft. I've learned the importance of well cut parts. This kit by Corel in my opinion, had missed the mark where computer cut parts should come reasonably close to the plans. In this case, there are places where the margin of error is as much as a full quarter inch. So now I need to go back over every piece and change many things, in one location I even need to add some wood. It's difficult enough taking on something new, but spending a lot of money for a quality kit shouldn't come with this many errors in design. Ok, rant over.

I've gone through the first 5 bulkheads and retrimmed and filed as close to the plans I could. Still as you will notice in the following photos. The first photo shows good alignment on the left side. Then you look at the right side. There is a huge indent where wood will have to be added. I'll keep plugging away at it.

Happy New Year to all.

[Roberts Orca]

I have to keep reminding myself I'm new to ship models. I was kinda harsh towards Corel in my last post. They have made an excellent kit. I need to just slow way down and continue to learn and grow in this new journey. 

I fixed all the bulkheads. And it looks like I'm getting close to my first use of glue. I cut 1/2" plywood spacers to be glued in between each bulkhead. Many of the bulkheads were slightly warped and the plywood spacers seemed to straighten it up. Then I'll be gluing some 5/16" square alder sticks alongside each bulkhead where it attaches to the keel. 

[michael101]

Nice job 👍🏻 

just take the time and enjoy the process

Best regards,

Michael.

[Roberts Orca]

Well now I've done it. I glued up all the bulkheads to the keel. Glued square pieces along the lower area.

Took me awhile to get to this point. I have a new appreciation for wooden ship models. In all I'm pretty happy with the way it all lined up. I'll wait for the glue to cure before I proceed. Here's some photos. 

[Roberts Orca]

23 minutes ago, michael101 said:

Nice job 👍🏻 

just take the time and enjoy the process

Best regards,

Michael.

Thank you Michael. I'm learning to slow down. It's actually really enjoyable when I take the pressure off of myself. Thanks for being so supportive. 😃

[Eugenio Treviño]

Roberts, congratulations!!! Very nice and clean job. Great start. Your patience will reward you with a great model.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Eugenio Treviño

[Roberts Orca]

2 minutes ago, Eugenio Treviño said:

Roberts, congratulations!!! Very nice and clean job. Great start. Your patience will regard you with a great model.

Thank you Eugenio! Patience, patience, patience. This I'm finding out is a must if I'm going to have success. And it's an enjoyable process. 🙂

[Roberts Orca]

On 1/4/2021 at 9:46 PM, Roberts Orca said:

Thank you Michael. I'm learning to slow down. It's actually really enjoyable when I take the pressure off of myself. Thanks for being so supportive. 😃

So I've noticed that many modelers have painting the bulkheads and inner structures flat black. Does this help with fairing in the hull? Or is there other reasons for this?

Thanks. 

[michael101]

Hello Roberts,

 

Great question you asked!

 

Its nothing  to dill with the fairing process 

but the reason is :
You can look at wood as a breathable and living material that changes in relation to the climate and humidity of the room in which it is located
In summer it expands and in winter it shrinks
For that, in order not to have any distortion problems in the future
The best way is to seal the wood (keel and bulkheads) with paint!

 

Best regards,

Michael.

 

[Roberts Orca]

1 hour ago, michael101 said:

Hello Roberts,

 

Great question you asked!

 

Its nothing  to dill with the fairing process 

but the reason is :
You can look at wood as a breathable and living material that changes in relation to the climate and humidity of the room in which it is located
In summer it expands and in winter it shrinks
For that, in order not to have any distortion problems in the future
The best way is to seal the wood (keel and bulkheads) with paint!

 

Best regards,

Michael.

 

Being a woodworker my whole life, I understand the movement of wood due to climate, humidity and temperature changes. But I've never seen this so much in the use of plywood veneers. Solid wood yes, but not plywood. Well I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. There are many types of wood sealers, I was curious why the color black was used. 

[michael101]

 

Plywood also getting this problem ..

you can see a lot of build log who had issues with the keel (right from the box !)

and believe me at the factory it was flat ,

dont forget your plywood its about 5-6mm ..(but you can see this problem even at 18mm plywood..)

and about the color black ..

its much better to have shadow inside the gun ports .. mor esthetic and impressive that to see the wood from some angles..

Regards

Michael

[Roberts Orca]

6 hours ago, michael101 said:

 

Plywood also getting this problem ..

you can see a lot of build log who had issues with the keel (right from the box !)

and believe me at the factory it was flat ,

dont forget your plywood its about 5-6mm ..(but you can see this problem even at 18mm plywood..)

and about the color black ..

its much better to have shadow inside the gun ports .. mor esthetic and impressive that to see the wood from some angles..

Regards

Michael

Yes, I understand your points. I believe I'll be following suit by painting my framework before I proceed with the lower deck. 

Thanks for your input here.

 

Robert 😁

[Rob S]

Robert, your build looks to be off on the right foot! I think I’ll pull up a chair and enjoy the progress:)

[Roberts Orca]

6 minutes ago, Rob S said:

Robert, your build looks to be off on the right foot! I think I’ll pull up a chair and enjoy the progress:)

Hi Rob, welcome. It's nice having new friends. 

[Roberts Orca]

Hello everyone. 

Spent a little time putting a sealer coat on the framework. Since I'm also a oil painter, I used some black acrylic gesso. Dries flat and it will still allow glue to stick to it. Kinda neat the way it brings out the shape. 

Next I'll be getting the lower deck in place. The following photos show the lower deck just set in place. I'm still a little nervous about gluing anything until I research about 5 or 6 steps ahead. The instructions from Corel are very slim. I'm enjoying getting sound instruction from fellow builders. If anyone wants to give pointers, advise, I'm all ears. Thanks for stopping by. 

[michael101]

Perfecto 👌 

[Roberts Orca]

Spent some time gluing in the lower deck. I've been pondering how I'm going to plank this deck. I've seen a lot said about the 4 butt shift layout. I'm trying to figure out just how much realistic detail I want to put into this ship. Being 1:98 scale is a little on the small size. Regardless of how accurate the details, I really just want it to look good. I am planning on painting my model. So I'm leaning more towards a realistic finish. Any ideas or thoughts are always appreciated.  Thanks for stopping by.          Robert🙂