Fifie by Tim Moore - FINISHED - Victory Models - 1/32

[Tim Moore]

I was looking for something different after the long haul voyage with the Bounty, and picked up this Scottish motor fishing vessel from Amati last year. It’s a beautiful kit that looks very good quality. Seems a good choice for a first build given the clarity of the plans and instruction, and anybody else. I’m not entirely sure where I’ll go with it in terms of the overall interpretation but we will see. 

The basic frame goes up straight, fast and trouble free because of the quality of the design and fabrication.

There’s a large hatch area in the centre of the vessel that I might leave at least partially open, so I’ve built a simple enclosure under spanning a couple of frames. I’m imagining this will eventually house a pile of fish crates, nets and other fishing paraphernalia. I’ve incorporated a door to the forward cabins and rear hatch to what would presumably be the motor areas, but not detailing anything outside the hold area as it won’t really be visible. Easier to install and finish the enclosure now in pieces while the frames are still open. The walls are planking on solid panels, with a simple deck floor on sleepers over the mdf base to level it up.
Enough goofing around with this, time to do the planking... 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Tim Moore
Finish

[Tim Moore]

[Rik Thistle]

That internal door with the fish types on it, and the usage stains on the door handle etc is actually a full sized door...isn't it? Otherwise I have an impossibly looong way to go in the model boat building world!

 

Seriously though...what a start.

 

Richard

Edited March 1, 2021 by Rik Thistle

[Tim Moore]

Haha thanks Richard. I’m happy you recognized the grubby use stains!

[Tim Moore]

The top two planks on this model shouldn’t be glued to the mdf frame extensions above the false deck, because those extensions eventually come off. I fixed the second plank first, the bottom of which can be glued to the false deck, and then edge glued the upper plank above it. I extended these first two planks with a scarf joint so that they are continuous. The rest can have joints on the frames (since the boat is longer than the planking material).

Would be better to have a wider 16mm plank of some description to use in place of common planking for these two, but this should be ok when all is said and done.

[yvesvidal]

20 hours ago, Tim Moore said:

 

Excellent choice Tim. I see that you have already done some spectacular work on the inside.

 

Yves

[Tim Moore]

Thanks Yves.... base planking in progress. The boat has a bigger belly than it looks so there’s a lot of it. 

Nice quality lime wood. I was thinking of just doing the one planking, but there is such a lovely pile of walnut that it seems wrong not to use it.

[Tim Moore]

Ahhh rough planking....the sausage making component of model shipbuilding. The process can be pretty messy and bits of it can sometimes look like a dogs breakfast, but you somehow end up with something pretty tasty at the end.

 

[Tim Moore]

A 1mm trim piece is placed on both sides of the keel, which creates a border for the final planks to finish flush against. This eliminates any need for fussing with a groove (rabbet) in the false keel. The underplanking only needs to be feathered to the false keel before placing the trims.

The under planking didn't need much in the way of sanding or filling, so I can start the finish planking as soon as I can get back in the cabin.

[Tim Moore]

[Tim Moore]

And the planking is done. The frame is nice and sturdy to work on, no real issues with second layer just a little finish sanding and then on to some more interesting bits. The walnut is pretty nice seems a shame to cover it all with paint so I’m thinking about my finishing strategy. Kind of looks like a stubby fat cedar strip canoe at the moment.

Edited March 21, 2021 by Tim Moore

[Tim Moore]

With the rubbing strakes on, Fifie’s basic hull is finished and ready for painting. Think I’ll fashion the rudder next so that I can paint everything in one go, before I start on the deck.

[Ras Ambrioso]

Boy, I am envious. Love your hold detail. But tell us about your door. I guess that you took a photo of a door with the poster and glued it to the balsa door. Great idea, in my book, for other details that cannot be fully seen on the finished model. Then I certainly see you work real fast and the planking looks flawless. Compare that to mine which is going to require a lot of sanding and filling to match your. Congratulations and I will be following you.

[Tim Moore]

Thanks Ras - I appreciate the comments; you are a real gentleman for saying them. Nice to hear from a fellow builder also working on the Fifie - yours is really coming along as well. I scratch built the door and detailed it with a bit of paint and graphite pencil. The North Sea fish chart and the map are paper prints I tacked on. I’m planning on putting a few more things down there but for now I’m concentrating on finishing the hull. 

[Ras Ambrioso]

Again have to say it: fantastic job on the door

[Tim Moore]

Installed all the timber heads and gunwale. Decided on painting the bulwarks white just because that’s what I usually see on fishing boats.  A little harder to do well since white shows up every defect on an assembly. Laid on the basic hull colours, and may do some weathering with the airbrush before applying a final finish. The walnut hull seemed too nice to completely paint over so I’ve used a rust coloured stain for the underwater, which lets the grain and planking come through, and for the upper I used an ebonizing technique which transforms wood to a really deep black without hiding the texture of the planks. Not sure it really comes through in the pictures but i think it has been pretty successful. If anyone wants particulars on how this is done I can provide details on the technique I use, after some trial and error in the past.

 

 

[JpR62]

Very nice paint job. The rust coloured stain  is really superb and the ebonizing technique seems perfect.

Complicated to put into practice?

 

[G.L.]

I like your colors, Tim.

[Tim Moore]

Thanks Jean-Paul and G.L...Ebonizing is a piece of cake once you’ve prepared the two necessary solutions.  It is accomplished by the reaction between iron acetate and tannin.  For the acetate I submerge a clump of fine raw prewashed steel wool in a plastic container containing 10% (double strength) cleaning vinegar. Put holes in lid for offgassing and leave for a week and then filter using a coffee filter. For the tannin I steeped a dozen tea bags in a cup or so of water to make ridiculously strong tea. 
The tannin solution is the key to the process.

When you’ve concocted these two witches’ brews paint the wood with the tannin solution first, let soak in for a few minutes, then paint on the acetate. Let that dry, and then apply the tannin solution again and your wood will magically be dead black and ready for any finish.

 

[goetzi73]

The Colors look fantastic. One question about your "special mixture": Once dried, does it leave any stains when touched, or do you apply a clear coat afterwards?

[Tim Moore]

It seems to chemically change the wood so there really isn’t anything to rub off I don’t think. But I will definitely put a clear coat on the whole thing, it will give it more depth and look more finished. Another option is just to buff it which usually gives a very soft sheen.

[PJG]

The hull looks great Tim...both the super clean planking job and nice color choices. The white timber heads and gunwale is very sharp 👍

Is the pottery in the background your work as well? Also very nice!

[Tim Moore]

3 hours ago, PJG said:

The hull looks great Tim...both the super clean planking job and nice color choices. The white timber heads and gunwale is very sharp 👍

Is the pottery in the background your work as well? Also very nice!

Thanks PJ...my wife is the potter....I use her studio here for painting because it is heated and attached to house and has a sink etc for cleanup.

Your Fifie diorama is a museum piece. I’m pulling for the fish to show up in the final product.

 

[Tim Moore]

Airbrushed a shadow line in a rust colour just below the white band to suggest that part of the hull that would often sit above the waterline and be less weathered by the sea. Satin spray finish on the hull to protect it. Now I can get going on the deck.

 

[JpR62]

This paint job is really beautiful. Perfectly executed. And a big thank you for the explanation of the ebonizing technique.

[bobandlucy]

Just beautiful, inside and out! Your wife is very talented also.

 

Bob

[Tim Moore]

Thanks Bob and Jean-Paul!

Just starting the deck. The deck wood is an odd sort of beige, so I brushed it with some of the iron acetate solution which I only let steep for 24 hours. It gives the wood a warm grey patina which I think should be right for a fishing boat. I’m in agreement with PJG and using thread to separate the planks slightly, rather than the wood strips provided in the kit.

 

[Tim Moore]

Planking the deck requires a bit more precision than usual because the white border at bulwark isn’t very forgiving, visually speaking.

[Tim Moore]

Main decking on Fifie completed. I know, it perhaps looks a little too posh for a fishing boat. Not sure I have the heart to scuff it all up with a little sandpaper. The deck was accomplished by prefinishing the planks with a weak concentration of iron acetate, tacking down 0.15mm black thread using CA and then setting the planks with wood glue.  

[bebopsteve]

Fabulous Build!