Endurance by clearway - OcCre - 1/70 scale - kitbash

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in- had a redo of the rearmost steering bracket and made the two others out of pieces of scrap etch- hopefully when painted black will look o.k.

Take care all

 

Keith

 

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in and the likes as always- work has continued with the steering with rearmost support bracket version 3-  forgot to get a pic while still in the brass- all the brackets have been painted matt black and the wheel has had a coat of dark earth (Humbrol matt29).

 

Also obtained some capped rail stanchions, single ball stanchions and some replacement engine room ventilators from Cornwall Model Boats. 

 

On the anchor deck, after looking at a good pic in Getty images have altered the catheads- weirdly enough on my plans for Polaris from the N.M.M. they are shown as Occre have them but on pic they are like mine !?!?

Note the different position of the ventilators compared to Occres position- also have found a good view of the engine room skylight so that will be rebuilt.

 

Take care all

 

Keith

[Montaigne]

It’s a treat following this build, it’s coming along very nicely!

[clearway]

Ty Montaigne, i just wish i had noticed that "gap" under the fore/anchor deck before i installed everything- if anyone is adding nit the deck planking will run uninterrupted into it and there is an anchor windlass under there. According to the plans i have the starboard cabin is the lamp room and the port side is the WC.

 

Keith

[Montaigne]

Are you planning to keep the portholes as they are? I’m planning to build the OcCre Endurance myself some day, and the portholes were among the first thing I noticed and plan to change; the brass rings look far from the original portholes. However it’s not easy to see exactly how they’re supposed to look, as judging by Frank Hurley’s photos they mostly look like just plain holes where the actual window frame is recessed. I’ve only found detailed images of the portholes from inside the cabins (which I can post, should you need them).

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

5 minutes ago, Montaigne said:

Are you planning to keep the portholes as they are? I’m planning to build the OcCre Endurance myself some day, and the portholes were among the first thing I noticed and plan to change; the brass rings look far from the original portholes. However it’s not easy to see exactly how they’re supposed to look, as judging by Frank Hurley’s photos they mostly look like just plain holes where the actual window frame is recessed. I’ve only found detailed images of the portholes from inside the cabins (which I can post, should you need them).

 

 

   I've noted this myself.  The cabin walls (and the ships planking also) were thick - for insulation.  A fire from inside the cabin does show angles going away from the round port hole frame  - so when the time to build comes, I'll do an approximation of this configuration, so from the outside one will see just a round hole in the outer planking, with a round metal frame recessed.

 

  There were many stages of outfitting, starting with the original Polaris - then the amount of refitting down in England, of which there are pictures and the OcCre kit is mostly like this version (except that the steering mechanism was not yet inclosed by a small structure (to keep it ice-free).  Hence Hake Zou modeled his build with the stern mechanism visible.  In South America, the 'Ritz' cabin was enlarged to go forward and join with the central cabin on the weather deck. - as well as adding the ice protection shack over the steering mechanism.  This is the version I may do.

 

  Once trapped by ice, further modifications were made to set up temporary decking over the stern area (after moving the steering mechanism cover), and there is a version like this displayed (until recently, pending museum upgrades) in the Shackleton Museum in Athy Ireland.  One has to sort through all the available pictures to get the proper chronology.  There is also a MSW build of a version 'ship in a bottle'.

 

  The idea for any ship build is to pick a time, place and situation that one wants to represent ... all ships tended to be 'works in progress'.

[Montaigne]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

 I've noted this myself.  The cabin walls (and the ships planking also) were thick - for insulation.  A fire from inside the cabin does show angles going away from the round port hole frame  - so when the time to build comes, I'll do an approximation of this configuration, so from the outside one will see just a round hole in the outer planking, with a round metal frame recessed.

 

Sounds like a good way to go about it. Here are some of the pictures I've found where details of the portholes are visible. Taking the cabin walls into account, it does indeed look very thick:

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

The idea for any ship build is to pick a time, place and situation that one wants to represent ... all ships tended to be 'works in progress'.

 

That's very true.

[clearway]

i am just going to glaze the portholes as they look at the moment montaigne- though maybe enlarge them a little. Thanks for the offer of pics though i do have the book south with endurance which has a lot of frank hurleys pics and of course there are some good ones on getty images you can look at.

 

Keith

[Montaigne]

20 minutes ago, clearway said:

i am just going to glaze the portholes as they look at the moment montaigne- though maybe enlarge them a little. Thanks for the offer of pics though i do have the book south with endurance which has a lot of frank hurleys pics and of course there are some good ones on getty images you can look at.

Cheers, I realized that the images above are actually the only ones I have of the portholes that are fairly detailed. But I’ll be buying a couple of books when it’s time for the build.

[Keith Black]

 Keith, somehow I missed this build when you started it in June of 2021. I've just gone through the log a couple of times and it's coming along quite nicely and I look forward to looking over your shoulder till the finish.

 

 Interestingly enough just a couple of days ago I listened to an interview with Mensun Bound on NPR's Science Friday. The link is below and well worth listening to.

 

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/shackleton-endurance-beneath-the-ice-book/

[clearway]

pull up a chair Keith- though might be interruptions depending on which of my many comely wenches seduces me when i walk into my workroom😜- will check the link out when i have some quiet time.

 

Keith

[Tomculb]

Quote

According to the plans i have the starboard cabin is the lamp room and the port side is the WC.

Clearway Keith, are you talking about cabins under the foredeck either side of the open area?  And which plans do you have?

 

Kieth Black, thanks for posting that NPR link .  It was fascinating, and I imagine his book is as well (The Ship Beneath the Ice). Of course there wasn't much that was helpful for building the model.  Understandably Mensun wants to talk about his discovery. Has anyone seen the book yet?  I'm wondering if it has any photos or videos of the ship in addition to what was released right after the discovery.

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Tom, from what I understand there are a lot of great photos in the book. 

[Tomculb]

Clearway, I think I answered my own question.  The WC and lamp locker are shown in the photo of plans on the Shackleton family's website  http://www.ernestshackleton.net/endurance-expedition

[clearway]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:29 PM, Tomculb said:

Clearway Keith, are you talking about cabins under the foredeck either side of the open area?  And which plans do you have?

Yes Tom i am talking about the cabins under the foredeck- the plans i have are for Polaris from the national maritime museum- unfortunitly they show her as Polaris without any modifications- on the plans the fore/ anchor deck is actually cut away a bit like Cutty Sarks, but the give dimensions for funnels/ masts deckhouses etc- when squaring off your stern aperture for the propellor the top angles upwards to the sternpost by about 30 degrees.

 

Keith

[Tomculb]

Thanks Keith for pointing out the correct shape of the propeller insert; fortunately it's something I can remedy fairly easily.

 

I have now found a couple of photos of Polaris plans on the National Maritime Museum website.  You must have obtained more complete plans, as what I found did not include a deck view.  As I mentioned in my build log, Richard Wright wrote an article in the Spring 2016 Nautical Research Journal about his scratch build of Endurance.  He mentions having obtained Polaris plans from the Whaling Museum (apparently "Hvalfangstmuseet" in Norwegian) in Sandefjord, Norway, where the ship was built.  The photo below shows Mr. Wright's interpretation of the cutout in the anchor deck you refer to, along with other details you may be interested in.

[Gus M]

On board 

[clearway]

Interesting pic Tom and interesting to see everyones interpretation of her- Back in the shipyard and i have started giving the engine room skylight a redux- the film footage of her being wrecked in the ice is posted on u-tube which gives a good view of it- though not 100% correct i hope to have a passing resemblance to the original.

On Friday last went down to the steam gala at Keighley (can't believe a year has passed since last one)! Safe to say i was lucky as it threw a snowstorm for 24 hours beforehand (the Settle to Carlisle railway line stayed open thankfully and first pic shows the view eastwards just after Kirkby Stephen station.

Next Jubilee class loco "Bahamas"

and finally two Black 5s waiting the off at Haworth Station

Take care everyone.

 

Keith

Edited March 12, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in and the likes- not much happening with Endurance at the moment, but i have finished the altered engine room skylight.

Take care everyone.

 

Keith

[HakeZou]

Finally getting caught up over here, too, Keith. I remember running into that discrepancy with the catheads, which you wrote about a month ago or so. I came to the same solution as you after studying that photo of Hurley's available through Getty. Also nice to see you correctly positioning the ventilators—that's probably my biggest regret from my build, that I didn't catch Occre's odd placement in time to more them. Your design of the steering gear looks fantastic!

[clearway]

Thanks Hake- i did realise some things too late for example the lamp room and W.C. and the open deck under the anchor deck (forecastle).

 

If memory serves me right i think yours was the first completed Endurance on MSW.

 

Keith

[François de Saint Nazaire]

Hello,

 

For the chainplate do you use brown thread or metal profil ?

 

Thank you

 

 

[clearway]

22 hours ago, Jorez de Saint Nazaire said:

For the chainplate do you use brown thread or metal profil ?

Hi jorez- i used annealed iron wire for my chainplates.

 

Keith

[theoracle09]

Hey Keith, your Endurance is beautiful and it'll be really cool to see without paint. I know you're busy with Erebus, but when you come back to Endurance, what do you plan on using for the bow stanchion railings? Will you use brass wire, as done with the other rails, or use thread? I'm trying to figure out what I want to do, but am leaning towards using brass wire and painting white even though it's not 100% accurate.

[clearway]

3 hours ago, theoracle09 said:

what do you plan on using for the bow stanchion railings

i was thinking of using thread dyed with heavily diluted humbrol matt 53 gun metal paint (the enamel type diluted with white spirit).

 

Keith

[Keith Black]

4 hours ago, theoracle09 said:

am leaning towards using brass wire and painting white even though it's not 100% accurate.

 You can use white craft wire, sure beats having to paint brass wire. 

 

 https://www.wirejewelry.com/ultra-white-silver-plated-copper-craft-wire-1.html

[Carkinjim3]

Hi All, Love the project your doing Keith! Got the Endurance for Christmas a couple of years ago and started it last year after viewing you beautiful model. I have been completing my last two ships in clear natural wood, as yours started out, because it's different and really eye catching to me. I love researching my scale projects and the Endurance has proved to be a great Rabbit Hole to go down. Have been experimenting with different configurations to complete my model in, and just wanted to post them and see if anyone else is currently building this OcCre kit at this time. Here are some basic pics so far, Jim

[Tomculb]

Hi Jim, welcome to the group of Endurance builders. While your approach is different from mine, I think yours is a beautiful build. Both Keith and Josh @theoracle09 stopped posting quite some time ago, which as far as I can tell, leaves me as the only Endurance builder still posting. A year or two ago there were quite a few. I would love to have some company if you want to start posting.  Or add whatever comments you want to mine. The link is in my signature block below.

Tom

[Carkinjim3]

Thanks Tom! That sounds great. I decided to model the James Caird to display from on of the 22' life boats. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but I love this boat for some reason... Here's some pics of it so far, Talk to you soon, Jim

 

 

[clearway]

sorry guys got sidetracked with Erebus and then 1/35 armour🫣

 

Keith