USS Enterprise 1799 by manic8479 - FINISHED - Constructo - My first ever build

[Gregory]

Vanguard Models has  open and closed hearts in sizes starting at 6mm..

 

They are offered with the 1:64 kits in mind so they should be a good fit..

[manic8479]

Well - I know its been a while since I posted anything, and in truth its been a while since I did anything new on the ship. I don't have any pictures but I have tied the stays and all the ratlines (that took a while!)Well - I know its been a while since I posted anything, and in truth its been a while since I did anything new on the ship. I don't have any pictures but I have tied the stays and tapered all the boom's and one of the Yards. I still need to add all the blocks, and belaying cleats, but the end is in sight. 

 

Tomorrow I will finish the spanker boom and hoist it into place which will be a good time to take a photo and share. I am still not sure about adding the sales or not? Done well it can look amazing - miss the mark and it looks flat and immobile. to make it look as though it is sailing on a westerly wind, would be great.... but almost certainly out of my comfort zone, and probably beyond my abilities.

 

[Lieste]

The gun carriages look "quite odd". The original design would have been fairly tight to the barrel width between the inside of the cheeks - slightly wider at the breech ring than at the rimbases only... in proportion to the guns. The kit supplied parts are *much* too large for the supplied barrels, and are too wide at the rear in proportion to the front in addition to the generally too wide proportion.

I'd suggest looking at whether the guns are an appropriate size and proportion and either scratch building a more proportionate carriage for these if they are suitable, or obtaining a more accurate gun and making carriages to suit them if they are also too small for the prototype.

[Gregory]

Good to hear an update.

For a first build, making the most of the kit provided parts and finishing the model is an accomplishment a great many kit builders never achieve.

 

Many, if not most kits are sadly lacking in accurate details and realistic scale..

 

 

Keep doing what you are doing and you will have a fine model, and will have gained the experience to make your next model even better.

[manic8479]

13 hours ago, Lieste said:

The gun carriages look "quite odd". The original design would have been fairly tight to the barrel width between the inside of the cheeks - slightly wider at the breech ring than at the rimbases only... in proportion to the guns. The kit supplied parts are *much* too large for the supplied barrels, and are too wide at the rear in proportion to the front in addition to the generally too wide proportion.

I'd suggest looking at whether the guns are an appropriate size and proportion and either scratch building a more proportionate carriage for these if they are suitable, or obtaining a more accurate gun and making carriages to suit them if they are also too small for the prototype.

 

This is a shame, I hadn't realised that the carriages were too wide, but now that you point it out it is obvious to me. This whole build has been rather frustrating, in fact there is another build log for the USS Enterprise on MSW titled something like "lessons in, adapt and overcome" relating to the inaccuracy of this build. It is a shame this kit is not that good - The warning signs were all there - the sealed kit I brought didn't even have any instructions, and some of the plans were missing! The PDF I got from Constructo is actually for a different version of this ship build, so I don't have half the parts they are referring to. It is a shame that so many aspects of this build are not accurate - but at the time of building I was ignorant (and still am in many cases) of the correct way a ship of the period should look. My only other experience of ship building was of plastic model space ships as a child. I loved Star Trek and my family would buy me various models which I would paint and assemble. I would have preferred her to be more accurate, but I have researched (with the help of other MSW members) a few companies (including Vanguard models) who I am assured make much more accurate models. I plan to buy one of these as my second attempt. I hope that as I learn and develop some of the wood working skills I need I will be confident enough to make changes in the future, to kits that may not be so accurate. 

[src]

Manic,

You have brought back many memories, well done. You friend would be proud. My belated condolances.

Sam

[manic8479]

29 minutes ago, src said:

Manic,

You have brought back many memories, well done. You friend would be proud. My belated condolances.

Sam

Thank you

[manic8479]

As I had hoped I was able to spend much of the afternoon on the boom. I made a cleat by filing down a small piece of wood to the approximate shape needed. I seem to have lost the cast metal one which came with the ship - which in retrospect was a good thing, because I like the contrast of the woods I have used - as well as the simple fact that wood, in my opinion, looks better.

 

Forgive the picture quality - I cannot fathom why this photo is yellow?!?

 

I was able to get the boom completely installed before Michele, Sam's wife, came round for a chat and a coffee. I was able to show her the ship for the first time which was really nice and emotional. We have agreed that Michele will keep the ship, as it was originally intended for Sam. I was comforted to hear from her how much he would have loved it, had he lived to see it. And I am generally grateful for the encouragement from several MSW members to complete the ship in memory of Sam. 

 

I hope to get the all the booms on the main mast completed soon and will keep you apprised of my progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manic8479]

I am opting not to have sails on the finished model based mainly on my complete inability to sew. I tried a few stitches this afternoon and failed miserably. I saw a lovely model ship today in the window of the local adult learning centre and was amazed by how great it looked even without her sails, which has given me the confidence not to include them on this build. So I have continued with the build. This is where I am up to so far.

 

 

 

[Gregory]

Looks really good.

[manic8479]

so I have began turning my attention to the stand on which the ship will sit. I was helping Michele sort through Sam's shed and came across a piece of ?mahogany? Michele commented that he used to collect all sorts of things and I asked if I could have the wood. I used the router Sam gave me years ago to shape the edges but I seem to have some burn marks. I am not sure if its because I went to quickly, or too slowly, or whether I had it too fast or too slow. I have another piece but don't want to make the same mistake again - does anyone know why this would have occurred??? is it something I can just sand out and then varnish/oil??

 

The whole thing needs a lot of sanding!, but I want it too look good. I have also ordered brass pedestals for the ship to sit on.

 

 

 

 

[manic8479]

I have been ploughing away and must say I am loving this part of the build. It seems that even running 1 line makes a huge difference to the overall appearance of the ship, making it very satisfying indeed! She is not complete, by any stretch of the imagination, but she is looking great - If I do say so myself. My only frustration is I seem to have run out of the thread I should be using. It is a shame that more wasn't provided - but my wife has forbidden me to spend any more money on this particular build☹️

 

 

 

I have been reading through some of the threads on how to take photos of the ships once they are finished, and So will produce come better pictures of the completed ship, once I get to that stage. 

 

[Cathead]

Burn marks sound like the tool was pushed too hard/fast on hard wood, and/or isn't sharp enough. I wouldn't think thread would be a budget-buster!

[src]

Manic,

I agree with Cathead,, feed speed or bit quality, that is a pretty small profile, my guess is the bit was dull. Mahogany likes to burn when you rout it, your bits have to be SHARP. Listen to the motor, if it sounds like it is struggling, slow down. Watch your shavings, they should look like miniature planer shavings not sawdust. Also sometimes it is best to take your cuts in steps, (this is a small profile my guess is with the right router bit combination one pass is fine) Set your router to maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the final depth and then readjust for the last pass. It could also be the router; how much HP is the motor? If it a small trim router that could be a problem too. More passes. The burn marks should sand out.

Sam

[manic8479]

3 hours ago, src said:

Manic,

I agree with Cathead,, feed speed or bit quality, that is a pretty small profile, my guess is the bit was dull. Mahogany likes to burn when you rout it, your bits have to be SHARP. Listen to the motor, if it sounds like it is struggling, slow down. Watch your shavings, they should look like miniature planer shavings not sawdust. Also sometimes it is best to take your cuts in steps, (this is a small profile my guess is with the right router bit combination one pass is fine) Set your router to maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the final depth and then readjust for the last pass. It could also be the router; how much HP is the motor? If it a small trim router that could be a problem too. More passes. The burn marks should sand out.

Sam

Thank you Sam - the router is a triton I think it's 1400 watt. I will try again making several passes as you suggested going deeper in stages, I have another piece from the same stock as the first and would rather do it again so it looks as good as possible. 

[manic8479]

I am almost finished. There is just some touching up to do. I have tied most of the lines, and now want to prep some coils of rope to each of the belaying pins. I hope I can get them all to look uniform - I recon that would look neatest. I am thinking about making a sort of false hitch to hang them onto the belaying pin making it look like the real thing. We'll see if I can pull it off.

[manic8479]

20 hours ago, src said:

Manic,

I agree with Cathead,, feed speed or bit quality, that is a pretty small profile, my guess is the bit was dull. Mahogany likes to burn when you rout it, your bits have to be SHARP. Listen to the motor, if it sounds like it is struggling, slow down. Watch your shavings, they should look like miniature planer shavings not sawdust. Also sometimes it is best to take your cuts in steps, (this is a small profile my guess is with the right router bit combination one pass is fine) Set your router to maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the final depth and then readjust for the last pass. It could also be the router; how much HP is the motor? If it a small trim router that could be a problem too. More passes. The burn marks should sand out.

Sam

 

 

Slow and steady, gradually getting deeper has worked wonders. This second attempt looks much better. I have already sanded it and have applied some Danish wood Oil. I will say it looks really nice. The holes are drilled ready for the brass pedestals but I need some new washers.

 

I figured since I was buying washers I would by some extra thread as well.

 

I have been trying to make the lines and belaying pins look more natural. This is the solution I have devised...

 

 

I made a coil of 'rope' and what I hope looks like a hitch (I have been watching some you tube videos which show this being tied on a real ship) and then just hook the hoop onto the pin.

 

 

There is a lot on deck I need to straighten out and make tidy - I which I had done it before creating a spiders web of rope - it is not easy to access the deck anymore. I hope these are lessons learned for when I make another ship. there are a great many things I would do differently were I to star over - but I suppose that is the same for most people starting off. Anyway, I hope this will look more realistic. 

 

 

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

On 7/28/2022 at 8:30 AM, manic8479 said:

I have been ploughing away and must say I am loving this part of the build. It seems that even running 1 line makes a huge difference to the overall appearance of the ship, making it very satisfying indeed! She is not complete, by any stretch of the imagination, but she is looking great - If I do say so myself. My only frustration is I seem to have run out of the thread I should be using. It is a shame that more wasn't provided - but my wife has forbidden me to spend any more money on this particular build☹️

 

 

 

I have been reading through some of the threads on how to take photos of the ships once they are finished, and So will produce come better pictures of the completed ship, once I get to that stage. 

 

  Ahoy, Manic ...  Great first build ever! - in spite of challenges presented by this kit.  You did a very nice job on the ratlines, using dark thread (all standing rigging was tarred) and avoiding thread ends projecting beyond the outer shrouds - presumably with a cow hitch at those places.  On your next build consider dark thread for the lacing of the deadeyes, since those are part of the standing rigging and were tarred as well.

 

  As for running out of thread, consider investing in a Syren 'Rope Rocket' - and you can make your own miniature rope that will look better than most anything supplied by a kit, as well as never running out of rigging rope made to any thickness you need to stay close to scale.  This option (once you have experimented a little) will be less expensive in the long run.  

 

  As for sails,  OcCre kits include a set of sails - certainly serviceable  for those sewing challenged - and are reasonably priced intermediate level kits that can be improved in some respects ... or simply built as supplied.  I can recommend the Endurance (no guns or coppering to bother with), which has a completed build on the Forum, a build underway as well as a kit review in the Review section of the Forum.  Some other OcCre offerings have build logs.

 

Fair Sailing !     Johnny

[manic8479]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  Ahoy, Manic ...  Great first build ever! - in spite of challenges presented by this kit.  You did a very nice job on the ratlines, using dark thread (all standing rigging was tarred) and avoiding thread ends projecting beyond the outer shrouds - presumably with a cow hitch at those places.  On your next build consider dark thread for the lacing of the deadeyes, since those are part of the standing rigging and were tarred as well.

 

  As for running out of thread, consider investing in a Syren 'Rope Rocket' - and you can make your own miniature rope that will look better than most anything supplied by a kit, as well as never running out of rigging rope made to any thickness you need to stay close to scale.  This option (once you have experimented a little) will be less expensive in the long run.  

 

  As for sails,  OcCre kits include a set of sails - certainly serviceable  for those sewing challenged - and are reasonably priced intermediate level kits that can be improved in some respects ... or simply built as supplied.  I can recommend the Endurance (no guns or coppering to bother with), which has a completed build on the Forum, a build underway as well as a kit review in the Review section of the Forum.  Some other OcCre offerings have build logs.

 

Fair Sailing !     Johnny

Thank you

 

The Syren 'rope'rocket', looks fascinating - I have just looked at several videos and it looks like a great and possibly simple (although it may take some practice) solution Thanks.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

26 minutes ago, manic8479 said:

Thank you

 

The Syren 'rope'rocket', looks fascinating - I have just looked at several videos and it looks like a great and possibly simple (although it may take some practice) solution Thanks.

  The version Chuck sells today is easier to build than previously supplied ... within my present build log of the Khufu ship, there is a step-by-step rendition of putting the Rope Rocket together ... really not hard and is done with a couple simple tools.  Now I have experience making demo rope at historic craft fairs, so I was able to get decent sample miniature rope on the first try.  Others have reported that after one or two tries (and looking at the videos) they succeeded.

 

  Much thicker anchor rope is made by setting up the rig with mini rope already made that will get twisted together.

[manic8479]

Well I think I am done - this is the my final result

 

 

It has been a fantastic Experience and one which I hope to repeat in the future. Needless to say, when I do get another ship to build I will start a build log and share the journey. I honestly don't think I would have - or even could have - completed the build without the advice and support of this group. Thank you all very much, your support has been greatly appreciated.

[ccoyle]

Congratulations on completing your first model! It's a great achievement.

[Prowler901]

She's gorgeous!  Splendid work, sir.

 

Todd

[Ryland Craze]

Congratulations on finishing your Enterprise.  Beautiful model.

[Dave_E]

Congratulations Sir! Outstanding! Now… what’s next? 😁

[Cathead]

You've done a great job and should be proud to display her. The stand matches the vessel nicely. I hope you enjoy your next build as much! Let us know here when you start it.

[src]

Well Done!

[manic8479]

On 8/3/2022 at 3:38 AM, Dave_E said:

Congratulations Sir! Outstanding! Now… what’s next? 😁

If this build  has taught me anything it is that I should spend a lot of time and energy choosing my next ship. I have had some great advice from fellow members and I am looking at ships from victory models or vanguard models. what ever I choose I would like to paint the next ship and make her as accurately as possible.

[Dave_E]

2 hours ago, manic8479 said:

If this build  has taught me anything it is that I should spend a lot of time and energy choosing my next ship. I have had some great advice from fellow members and I am looking at ships from victory models or vanguard models. what ever I choose I would like to paint the next ship and make her as accurately as possible.

Superior attitude to have before you even get the next kit for sure! On top of all the advice on what to build next… browse through the build logs, something may just jump out at you. That’s how I ended up with the Rattlesnake for my second build. What’s you name?

[manic8479]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:10 PM, Dave_E said:

Superior attitude to have before you even get the next kit for sure! On top of all the advice on what to build next… browse through the build logs, something may just jump out at you. That’s how I ended up with the Rattlesnake for my second build. What’s you name?

thanks for the advice - I will be sure to follow it.

 

My name is William