Endurance by HakeZou - FINISHED - OcCre - 1:70

[HakeZou]

It's been a very busy month since my last update, so not a whole lot of progress. But I've been able to get some time in on the Endurance over the last couple of days. I'm still working on the second layer of the hull and still facing some frustrations. However, I think things are starting to work out. My main goals lately have been to 1) get the port side caught up to the starboard side and 2) install the shear strake.

 

As far as the port side, I'm almost caught up. I've installed six planks from the garboard up to the bilge curve. Once I install the stealers, both sides will match again.

 

 

The shear strake is an interesting problem, since I just can't find a way to run that strake from the stempost to the sternpost. I have, however, installed the top two strakes on both sides, in addition to planking the sides of the main cabin. At this point on the hull, the strakes are significantly longer than the planks, so I've used two planks for each strake, which abut each other roughly amidships. 

 

 

At the forward end, the curves of the hull mean that the top strake curves upward and ends at the channel cut out for the anchor cables. The second strake goes a little further forward. I think it'll be the fourth strake that actually reaches all the way to the stempost.

 

 

The curves of the counterstern cause a similar problem, too. The shear strakes meet neatly at the stern, though the second strakes curve in such a way that they don't actually abut. 

 

 

Finally, a quick note on the lining of the cabin, for those who are also building the kit. I did the lining per the instructions, but think it could be done better. The lining consists of 5mm-wide sycamore planks, but the cabin is about 11 or 12mm tall. The instructions call for two full-width planks and one trimmed very narrow. I suspect that this could probably be done a little more neatly by trimming the planks to 4mm wide. 

 

 

Next steps: I'll add in the stealers below the bilge curve, then continue working my way down from the top.  

[BobG]

Outstanding work, HakeZou!! 👏

[HakeZou]

Thanks, Bob! Nice to have you along for another voyage.

 

I've put in a bit more work on the Endurance this week, adding four more strakes to each side and lining the rail around the forecastle. I also still need a stealer at the bow between the 4th and 5th strakes, and I need to cut out the anchor channels in the sapelli lining. The detail shots show that I will definitely need some woodfiller before painting. My hull planking skills are improving, though I still need more practice.

 

 

I also just bought a 6-inch razor saw, which is helping me cut straighter lines on the longer tapers. In this shot of the counterstern, note that there are no gaps between strakes 4-5 and 5-6! (Ugh...that excess dried glue on the starboard side looks terrible here! It should come off once I start sanding...)

 

 

 

Next steps: More slow and steady progress with the planking.

[HakeZou]

Yesterday afternoon, I placed the shutter planks on both sides. This morning, the birds woke me up absurdly early, so I decided to add the last of the stealers. But now the hull lining is completely on! There's a lot of clean-up left to do, but it feels great to have finished this step!

 

[clearway]

a sigh of relief i sense yes (as yoda would say☺️). i am not a fan of 2nd planking and my Occre HMS Terror was my first serious attempt! Make sure everything is firmly in place for when you glue the "rubbing" strakes on.                                                                                                                                                       Keith

[HakeZou]

Yes, definitely a sigh of relief, Keith. The second planking is definitely needed for this kit. Without it, the plywood walls of the main cabin would have to be left bare.

 

I've squeezed in a little time sanding now and am already feeling better about how things look at the stem. In the photo from my last post, you can see the raggedy edges there, which looked even worse in person. The counterstern is an interesting challenge for sanding and filing. As you work on your Endurance, keep an eye on the hole that houses the rudder. It's not wide enough for my flat file and so shallow that I can't get much movement with my square file. I've already cut the rudder from its plywood sheet so I can check the fit at this stage. It will be slow going to be able to fit the rudder in and requires frequent attention from the shop vac to clean it out!  

 

In watching the next few tutorial videos, I notice that OcCre applies the satin varnish before painting. I'm still new enough in this hobby that I don't understand why...nor do I adequately understand the difference between satin varnish and satin finish (which I thought were interchangeable terms). I'd love to hear some thoughts and advice on this from more experienced builders. I have some time before I'm ready for painting, but will need to make my decisions on that in the next few days.

[Tomculb]

Very nice work HakeZou.

 

It appears that OcCre makes the kind of kits designed to make very attractive models that do not necessarily accurately reflect the real ship (e.g. interesting exotic woods, brass fittings [such as anchor chain] left bare that would never be brass on the ship, etc. ) Nothing wrong with that style if it suits your fancy, and it is what my Artesania Latina Bluenose build was.  But when I get around to doing my Endurance build, I'm thinking I will probably want to do a more accurate depiction of the real ship, meaning that almost everything will be painted.  If that is the case, is there any real reason to put on a veneer planking?  I'm thinking that bare walls of the main cabin, that will eventually be painted, will be just fine.  Or am I missing something?

 

You should get more reliable answers than I can give you on this, but I always assumed that varnish was a kind of finish, and that satin varnish is simply a kind of satin finish.  Let us know if you learn something different. 

 

I always look forward to your next installment.

[Jeff Titus]

17 hours ago, HakeZou said:

Yes, definitely a sigh of relief, Keith. The second planking is definitely needed for this kit. Without it, the plywood walls of the main cabin would have to be left bare.

 

I've squeezed in a little time sanding now and am already feeling better about how things look at the stem. In the photo from my last post, you can see the raggedy edges there, which looked even worse in person. The counterstern is an interesting challenge for sanding and filing. As you work on your Endurance, keep an eye on the hole that houses the rudder. It's not wide enough for my flat file and so shallow that I can't get much movement with my square file. I've already cut the rudder from its plywood sheet so I can check the fit at this stage. It will be slow going to be able to fit the rudder in and requires frequent attention from the shop vac to clean it out!  

 

In watching the next few tutorial videos, I notice that OcCre applies the satin varnish before painting. I'm still new enough in this hobby that I don't understand why...nor do I adequately understand the difference between satin varnish and satin finish (which I thought were interchangeable terms). I'd love to hear some thoughts and advice on this from more experienced builders. I have some time before I'm ready for painting, but will need to make my decisions on that in the next few days.

I assume they use the satin varnish/finish as a sealer to fill wood pores in order to get a smother paint application.

[clearway]

i always wait until i have finished painting and use matt acrylic varnish which gives a nice deep dull finish, but only paint after all planking/ fittings have been glued in place.

Keith

[HakeZou]

Hi everybody, thanks for the comments so far on the question I asked about the varnish! It's really helpful to have your perspectives as I keep learning.

 

Tom, you ask a great question about whether it's worth putting on the second hull planking if it's going to be painted. This is only my second double-planked kit, so I certainly can't pretend to know much here. But for me, I find the second planking an opportunity to get a better, smoother base for painting. I'm not sure if there's actually a difference or if it's just a perception that comes from doing the additional work. For my specific version of the Endurance, it was definitely necessary, since I had nailed the first planking into place (as OcCre recommends). For this kit in general, if you choose to do a single planking, keep an eye on the tab/slot joints were the bulwarks attach to the decks; those will need a bit of attention if they aren't going to be covered up with a second planking.

 

In the meantime, I've been working on sanding and smoothing the hull. As always at this process, it's such a pleasure to feel the transformation of the wood! (Linda Richman's catchphrase comes to mind, "It's like buttah!") There are some scattered imperfections in my work and gaps, so I'll need a bit of wood filler before painting, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with the hull.

 

 

As you'll note in the photo above, I've also attached the stempost and keel (one half of the K steps, which also include attaching the rails). In doing this, I encountered two issues that others building the Endurance should watch for. The first issue, which is my fault, is a small gap where the stempost meets the keel (see the first photo). The gap was created while sanding the first planking. The MDF frame and the stempost/keel are all the same width, so I worked on sanding the planking down to nothing at the edge, to simulate a rabbet line. In doing so, I managed to round the angled corner of the MDF frame. I plan to carefully insert some wood filler and don't anticipate any further problem once the hull is painted.

 

 

The other issue is that the keel is too long. You'll note in the photo that the sternpost should attach to the end of the keel, then run up to the curve of the counterstern. I'm not sure if this is a genuine fault in the kit or if this was caused when I was sanding the first planking of the deadwood. Given the amount of excess, I think it may be an error with the kit. If so, better that it's too long than too short! The remedy here will just be a bit of unanticipated sanding.

 

[HakeZou]

I took a little time this morning to do some of the small tasks that I wanted to get done before painting the hull. First, I sanded down the after bit of the keel and installed the sternpost. Nothing too exciting here. But once the keel had been sanded back, the top curve of the sternpost perfectly fit the curve of the counterstern.

 

While the glue was drying, I pulled out the propellor, to make sure it would go in easily. Unfortunately, not so much. In my very first post, you can see that there's a notch for the propellor that is pre-cut into the spine of the ship. Unfortunately, while planking the hull, that notch filled with glue and so there was no way to push the propellor in. I pulled the sternpost off, drilled out the hole for the propellor, installed it, and re-installed the sternpost. If you're building the Endurance, the instructions have you install the sternpost before the propellor; if you do it in that order, be sure to check the fit of the propellor before installing the sternpost. In my case, I will be painting the propellor the same color as the surrounding hull, so it's just as easy to install it first. (Sorry for that bit of wet glue in the photo!)

 

 

 

Next, I checked the fit of the rudder. As I noted previously, the hole into which the rudder is inserted is smaller than the rudder. So, I started by rounding off the top stem of the rudder. Once that fit into the hole, I discovered that the stem was too long by about 6mm (see the first photo). After sanding the stem down, everything fit pretty well, except that I may have taken off slightly too much (see the second photo). I'll paint the rudder separately, since the two faces are so close to each other, so not installing it yet. Once I do install it, the only hardware called for is a pin that runs through the tap off the back end of the sternpost into the bottom of the rudder. One option for upgrading the kit would be to add some brass strips and rivets; this would give a more authentic look; there isn't enough space for a hinge pin, but there should be enough for the brass strips. I'm going to have to look through my supplies to see if I have enough on hand to do that upgrade. 

 

     

 

Finally, I have now shaped and dry fit the bowsprit. I wanted to be sure to do this before painting and adding the various bits of trim/rubrails/etc, so that I could check everything with the bowsprit in place. There's plenty of vertical space for the bowsprit, but I did have to take in the sides a bit.

 

     

 

Next steps: use wood filler to cover up my indiscretions in the lining of the hull, then mark the waterline and start painting. 

[HakeZou]

After sanding off the excess wood filler and applying primer this morning, I've just put on the first coat of paint below the waterline! This seems like a good moment to offer my thoughts on paint selection (note that OcCre offers a very handy color chart with recommended paints for all of their kits). First, the documentary evidence. The ship was built at Framnaes Mekaniske Werkstad, a shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway. Originally named Polaris, it was launched with an all-white paint job. It still had this paint job when Shackleton acquired the ship, as can be seen in a couple photos on Getty Images (Shackleton waving from the gangplank, Endurance leaves the docks in London).

 

 

At some point, Shackleton had her repainted a "sleek black" (as it's described in Lansing's book). This is, of course, the famous paint job we all know and love. That paint job is confirmed, for example, in one of Frank Hurley's color photos of the ship.

 

 

So, the top sides are easy. Below the waterline, a decision is needed for the antifouling paint. A quick Google search will show that some commercially available models have green paint, some a bright red, some a reddish brown, some bare wood, and some black. OcCre's recommended paint job is all black, both above and below the waterline. But that isn't supported by the documentary evidence. There's a photo on Getty Images that shows the Endurance in drydock at the Millwall Docks in London. She still has the white paint topsides, even though the name on the back has been changed, and she appears to have "white stuff" for antifouling below the waterline. Two of Frank Hurley's photos show that the "white stuff" must have been replaced when she was painted black.

 

 

Unfortunately, they're black and white, so it's hard to confirm the color, though it's clearly not black or white. However, the expedition's artist, George Marston, gives us a little bit more of a clue, though the paints on the hull clearly appear lighter in his painting than they were in real life.

 

  

 

All of which brings me to my decision. Drawing particularly on that painting by Marston, I've opted to use red ochre paint to simulate the original antifouling paint, which I'm assuming was "brown stuff."

 

[clearway]

i would have gone with red too if painting mine, they actually used red lead in the paint mix traditionally on wooden ships if memory serves me right.

Keith

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Your images show a couple interesting aspects concerning the life boats and their placement.  (The names of three of the life boat and their dimensions are noted in my posting to the 'review' of the OcCre Endurance kit.)  On the starboard side, the small transomed lifeboat is forward, and one of the double-ended lifeboats in astern.  On the port side, the large transomed lifeboat is astern and other photos show the second double ended lifeboat (likely the David Cairn used by Shackleton for his rescue effort - since they took it down in the photo) carried forward.  

 

  One could really do these small craft justice by modifying them to conform to the known dimensions ('busting' them as 'mini-kits').  They had a slight upwards curve toward bow and stern - easily achievable by fixing the strake under the gunwale first with this curve, then planking downward to the keel.  The gunwales would appear more to scale if they were thinner (using the kit supplied gunwale as a template over thinner stock of better wood), and they would bend to the curve fore and aft easier and glued into place.   I plan to equip mine with oars, unstepped mast(s) as applicable, rolled sail(s), rope and other supplies they likely had.  As seen on other builds, the ribs above the footlings can be replaced by more and thinner internal ribs.  Shackleton's boat was well photographed and now on display in a museum.  I note that it received extensive modifications by the crew before they set out on the hazardous sea voyage, and many of those are photo-documented.  Ergo the two same-sized double-ended life boats should appear as they did before being stranded in the ice.  The two transomed crafts served as vital winter huts for most of the crew.

 

  The most important and effective enhancement to the OcCre kit (in my opinion) is with the railings.  I've obtained correct sized 3-D (turned by miniature automatic Swiss lathe) stanchions from Cornwall models - including the ones forward having a hole for the single rail, and the far more numerous twin-rail stanchions. The are bulbous where the rails pass through, and have cylindrical bases to better mount them on the gunwales/deck edging.  I'll have to make a scale plan view marking each location, then determine the exact spacing needed for discrete 'runs' of railing.  Then these distances will be drilled in a straight line on a wooden holding jig, railing passed through entirely straight - then each joint will be soldered with a mini propane torch and thin circuit board resin core solder.  I've worked in this medium before and as long as not too much heat is used the joining will come out very well.

 

  Then each 'run' of railing will be formed either with bends or gentle curves as needed to conform to the plan view.  The formed rails will have the very bottom of the stanchions daubed with gunsmith's inletting black so an exact series of 'dots' will be transferred to a piece of wood to serve as a drill jig (drilled through on a drill press to insure perpendicularity).  The jig will exactly fit over the required area of the model, then the pilot holes (slightly smaller the the stanchion ends) will be hand drilled into the model squarely.  I'll remove any remaining inletting black from the railing runs, degrease then paint the railings white.  They can likely be assembled on the model snugly enough without glue, or a tiny amount of slow setting glue can be pre-inserted into the pilot holes with a fine probe prior to final assembly of the railings.

 

 The railings were a distinctive feature of the Endurance (as they were also on the Aurora, the 'sister ship' to the Endurance that headed to the opposite side of Antartica to pick-up the team that was suppose to traverse the continent).  Enhancing this feature will greatly improve the model.  Dogs were a key part of the venture (they finally learned this from Amundsen - first to reach the Pole), and special dog runs were constructed on the Endurance that all have to receive railings on either side.  Indeed, the dogs insured the survival of the crew ... just not in the way anticipated.

 

Smooth sailing ... Johnny

[HakeZou]

Hi Keith! I was wondering if you might be leaving the wood unpainted. I've been admiring your work on your Terror, which promises great things for how your unpainted Endurance will look! I can't say I know a lot about antifouling paint, though I've been researching it a bit while preparing for and working on this kit. My understanding is that, in England in 1912, copper antifouling was the most common option, but maybe lead was popular, too? This has been a hard topic to research, so there's a lot here that I don't know.

 

Hi Johnny! Your experienced eye noticed something I hadn't in those photos. In terms of the lifeboats, I have been more struck by whether they were carried inboard or outboard. It seems as though the forward lifeboats were carried inboard until sometime in or near the Weddell Sea, at which point they were turned outward. The aft lifeboats seem to have always been carried outboard, presumably since the dog kennels made it impossible to bring them in. I'm strongly considering turning the forward lifeboats inboard, but have a long time before I need to make a firm decision. Your advice on the lifeboats is well taken; this will take more study on my end to figure out if I have the wherewithal for those modifications, though I really like the idea of including oars and unstepped masts. As for the railings, I hope you'll share your work on those in a buildlog! What you describe is well beyond my skill set right now, but I'd love to see how your approach turns out!

 

[clearway]

regarding stowage of the boats- on the plans i bought from the N.M.M and some of frank hurleys photos ther are actually boat skids for the forward boats to rest on- the after boats look like they are hung from the davits (see the pic you put on with the white painted hull). They would have swung the boats out for readiness once in the ice pack. One other aspect i am wondering about is when were the dog huts built on the quarter deck?

 

Keith

Edited July 19, 2021 by clearway
missed info

[HakeZou]

Hi Keith, it took me awhile, but I found the same thing on the plans and in the photos. It looks like the skids for the forward lifeboats were mounted under the walkways that went from the bridge to the quarterdeck. This was the clearest photo I could find; and this photo shows them from a slightly different angle, with a clearer view of the cradles on which the boats sat.

 

As for the dog huts, perusing the photos, it looks like they were built during the stop in Buenos Aires, before departing for South Georgia Island. Lansing confirms that the dogs only joined the ship during the stop in Buenos Aires (p. 26), but I didn't see a reference to building the huts there.

 

As for my Endurance, some forward progress this week and some frustrations. The hull is painted and I'm working on the rails and trim. At the moment, the only rails installed are on the aftdeck, the after bulkhead of the cabins, and on one side below the portholes in the cabins. I had attached a few other pieces along the maindeck, but they looked terrible and weren't sitting right. So, I pulled them off and am remaking the pieces. To help them sit better, I've jumped ahead a bit and installed the pieces (M10 in the plans) that sit between the rails (K3) and the rubrails (L3). Since the M10 pieces abut both the rails above and rubrails below, I'm not quite sure why OcCre calls for putting them in so much later. By installing them now, I'll have a wider surface on which to attach the rails and can better ensure consistent spacing of the rubrails. Sorry for the mess in the background, but a quick photo of my current progress.

 

 

Next steps: 9 more rail pieces to finish the K steps. Then, the rubrails and some trim pieces (the L steps). After that, the hull will be complete!

[clearway]

Having read Lansings account i agree about the dog huts, Model is looking good- i tend to use occres instructions as a loose guide, but i do have 30 + years experience with wooden ship kits so kind of know what to watch out for (still get caught out sometimes though)! Have you thought about adding bootstriping to the waterline?

 

Keith

[consitution]

Hello

i am following this log with great interest 

the knowledge and information stated is amazing.

 

I was wondering how difficult would it be to convert one of the lifeboats to James caird before it’s journey to Elephant island.

 

best regards,

 

gerry

[HakeZou]

Hi Keith, I've only been building model ships for a bit more than a year, so am definitely relying more on the instructions than you. Learning a lot from studying the photos on your logs, though! I had to look up what bootlining was, so it definitely wasn't on my mind. After going back to Frank Hurley's photos, I'm not convinced that the Endurance had a boot line, so I think I'll keep it as is. I haven't found clear decisive evidence one way or the other, though, so am happy to be proven wrong.

 

Hi Gerry, thanks for coming along! In my non-model-building life, I'm a historian, so I'm trying to leave as many breadcrumbs as possible for those who want to do further research when they build this kit. As for the James Caird, this tutorial video and the three preceding it will give you a good idea of the base version of the lifeboats (though the one shown in the video has a transom and the James Caird did not). I think the conversion could work in much the same way that Harry McNish did back in 1916—that is, build up the sides of the hull from the rails almost to the top of the stempost and sternpost, then fashion a deck with one open hatch. The James Caird made that journey rigged as a ketch; since the base model doesn't include mast feet, you'd have to fashion those, too. In addition, the model kit doesn't include a rudder for the lifeboats, which you may want to add. There are a lot of photos of the James Caird and various replicas, so it should be pretty easy to find inspiration; I note that one of the replicas, the Alexandra Shackleton, even has some schematics that are pretty easily available (for example) 

[consitution]

Hi HakeZou,

that video is very helpful and I believe it would be possible to convert one to resemble the James Caird.

 

this is a kit I hope to build in the future.

 

just one other thought 

Have you thought about a painting or drawing of the trip from elephant island to South Georgia as a background to your build.

 

best regards,

 

gerry 

Edited July 27, 2021 by consitution
Missed

[HakeZou]

Hi Gerry, I haven't thought much about how I'll display the ship once she's done, since I still have a lot of time. At some point, I'll need to do that though—my other ships are moderately protected from dust and sunlight on a deep bookcase, but this project is far too big for that. I suspect I'll need to research display cases, but I just haven't invested much thought in that yet.

 

And a brief progress check after some significant frustrations. First, I've remade and re-installed the rails along the main deck. The bulwark curves slightly, so I needed to use an iron to edge set them. Once the glue dries, I'll sand down the vertical pieces so I can install the quarterdeck rails. I've also had to scrap another piece of the rails (the second one that runs below the portholes in the cabin); I discovered this morning that it's a few millimeters short. ARGH! 

 

 

Second, I've shaped the trim pieces on the counterstern. These were a real pain; thankfully, I had plenty of leftover 2x2 planks from my last build. After breaking four pieces, I was finally successful with attempts 5 and 6 (though I still had to sand down some splintering on the larger piece). My final strategy was to cut them significantly longer than the final length, soak the pieces for about 30 minutes, then bend them with my daughter's curling iron. Finally, I used rubber bands to mold them on a can of vegetables overnight. Here's a shot of the pieces by themselves and in approximately their final position.

 

     

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The stowed position lifeboat photos are very helpful.  It appears that the 'ratlines' are solid bars fixed between the center pair of wire-rope shrouds.  I note additional funnel detail, the whistle and various lines attached to things.  'Looks like there are u-shaped rowlocks on the lifeboat.  The first photo shows a small platform in a 'lowered' position (notice the longer length of the ropes between the double blocks used to raise or lower the platform), and the second photo show a higher position, also judging the new downward angle of the safety rope going through the stanchion eyes.  'Would be nice if there were more pictures to better show how that rig worked.  Note also that the portholes in the aft cabin are simply round holes in the wood with no eyelets (as provided by OcCre) or any external  fittings.  Ergo the porthole glass was mounted internally and opened inwardly. Too many details to process now.   Johnny

[HakeZou]

Hi Johnny, some helpful and interesting observations! I ended up using the eyelets provided in the kit, since some of my portholes weren't as round as I would have liked. But you're right that Hurley's exterior photos show that all of the portholes were simply cut into the wood, with no fixtures outside. For those looking to be more historically accurate, here are a few photos to better understand the windows on the ship: 

• This photo of Schakleton's cabin (aftmost on the starboard side of the main cabins) shows some of the interior fixtures. There's actually another porthole in the photo, too, hidden behind the bookcase; zoom in to the second shelf on the right and you'll note that the porthole has been boarded up. (Side note: I wish this photo were a little higher resolution! I think I recognize a full set of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, several dictionaries and other reference books, Cassell's Book of Quotations, Whittaker's Almanack...I'd be curious to know what the other books were!)
• This photo of the scientists' quarters (aftmost on the port side of the main cabins) offers another view of the interior fixtures on the portholes.

And a progress update. Apart from some clean-up, the rails are all on!

 

 

I ended up needing to add one additional piece that the kit doesn't call for. Above the bowsprit, the foredeck is rather blunted and the forward rails wouldn't make that sharp of a bend. So, I sanded them off even with the flat part, then added a short cross-piece. Still pretty messy right now, but I'll finish cleaning that once the glue has firmed up (my sanding was a bit too vigorous and I had to reattach that piece...). Shown here with the bowsprit in place.

 

 

Next steps: attach the rub rails, hull decorations, and the rudder.

[clearway]

starting to look the part now😉.

 

Keith

[HakeZou]

I have celebrated the end of my summer courses by devoting more time than usual to my Endurance and, I'm thrilled to announce, the hull is finished! So, some photos to celebrate. (My apologies for the graininess of the images...the ship is large enough it's giving me fits with lighting, distance, zoom, etc., especially since I'm just using a cell phone camera.)

 

First, the profile shots. I'm generally pleased with the overall impression here. Some imperfections, of course, but since I've only been building model ships for about 16 months now, I'm satisfied with the progress of my skills.

 

 

 

Next, the prow. The imperfections are a little more obvious here (argh...the misalignment of the hawseholes!). This area posed a variety of difficulties for me. To others building the kit, be prepared for challenges with fitting the rub strips and the forward rails. The brass decoration pieces were also particularly challenging for me, since I'd never worked with pieces quite like them (flat brass sheets that need to be bent to follow the curves of the prow). I added the bowsprit for reference in the two profile shots.

 

 

     

 

And, of course, the iconic stern. The curved rub rails were again a real challenge for me. They still aren't perfect, but look fine if you aren't looking too closely!

 

 

Next steps: I'm up to the M and N steps in the instructions, which focus the fittings for the fore- and main decks, including constructing the "Ritz" (the galley and dining saloon where the crew spent much of their time).

[clearway]

the camera is a cruel mistress when photographing models! i keep looking at the occre deckhouse and think "hmmmm on plans and pics i have seen there are arched top windows not portholes at the aft part😇. As you build more models your skills improve,

 

Keith

[BobG]

Beautiful, HakeZou!

[Eurus]

Beautiful indeed!

 

I did not know that the screws could be painted red too--yet it makes sense, if they are subject to the same corrosion as the rest of the hull below the waterline.

[Tomculb]

Very well done, and you have every reason to be proud.  No need to focus on the occasional minor hiccup.  I sometimes use photos to check something out that my eyes may not be good enough see well, but the risk is I'll discover something I'd just as soon not be aware of.  It's all part of the hobby.

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Tom