ARM Cuauhtémoc by Eurus - Salvat - 1:100 - Limited Edition

[Eurus]

 

Hello, and welcome to my second build log in the MSW forums.

 

 

 

 

The Ship

 

 

The ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 is the Mexican Navy’s sail training ship. Her keel was laid in 1981, and she is still in service, sailing around the world every year in cruceros de instrucción—the last phase of the cadet training program which requires at least 20,000 nautical miles on board.

 

She is also known as the Ambassador of the Seas and the Knight of the Ocean, and in her many years of service she has frequently participated in sailing races and other international events. Her mission and motto is “the exaltation of seamanship spirit”.

 

The ARM Cuauhtémoc is named after the last emperor of the Mexícatl Empire (otherwise known as the Aztecs) of central Mexico, tortured and murdered by the Spaniards after the fall of his nation. To this day, he is honored and recognized and Cuauhtémoc is still a popular baby name in Mexico.

 

Cuauhtémoc is a steel-hulled tall ship with a single-propeller auxiliary engine. Her sail plan is that of a bric-barca (three-masted barque). Her crew is comprised of 186 including officers, and up to 90 cadets.

 

 

 

 

The Man

 

 

I have extensively researched for this project. My sources range from informal chats with the ship’s crew and officers all the way to the Veracruz Naval Museum and the Secretariat of the Navy.

 

All photographs in this log are my own, be it the real ship or the model.

 

Over the last five years I have had the pleasure and honor to be on board the Cuauhtémoc several times, and I have witnessed various official events and ceremonies. On my seventh time aboard I got this coin from the crew.

 

 

 

The Plan

 

 

This is a 1:100 scale model kit of limited edition sold by Salvat and designed and manufactured by OcCre. It is based on the design and plans of the Deutsche Marine Gorch Foch. Like the real-life counterpart, both ships share the same heritage and blueprints. Among their notable relatives are the USCGC Eagle and the NE Sagres III. ARM Cuauhtémoc’s sister ships are ARC Gloria, BAE Guayas and ARBV Simón Bolívar.

 

I am following the provided instructions around 50% of the time. The kit is really lacking in some aspects, and the instructions themselves are sometimes vague or ambiguous, sometimes inconvenient and sometimes outright wrong. It appears as if it was not thoroughly researched. In this respect, the similarities to the Gorch Foch show up and are not welcome. In order to keep this project as authentic as possible, a fair amount of kitbashing and adapting might be necessary.

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Eurus
Typos, and adding tags

[Eurus]

 

Like in my previous log, I will refer to the pictures in a natural, Western-style reading order—from left to right, top to bottom.

 

What follows now is a series of pictures grouped together intended to bring us up to speed. This project was started in 2019, and went into hiatus while my other vessel, the Providence whaleboat, was being built. You can see the build log for that boat here.

 

After the Providence was successfully completed, launched and christened, the work on the ARM Cuauhtémoc continued.

 

So, without further ado, this is what happened:

 

 

The first thing to assemble was the bow and part of the hull. I used a pair of clamps to help in the gluing process. The first thing I noticed is how big the ship was, and I was initially unprepared. This can be seen in picture 1, at a time when I didn’t have a lot of tools or even the cutting pad. In the early stages I did not have a dedicated place to work, and very soon I understood that this was essential. Picture 2 shows another angle of the assembly.

 

Pictures 3, 4 and 5 show the process of planking the foredeck. This was a hard, tedious activity pretty early on. The number of planks to measure, cut and prepare was staggering, and I decided a bit later to build a jig to help with this, since it was only the beginning.

 

Long wooden planks were cut to pieces of 6.5 cm, and then glued to the deck in a particular pattern. The protruding sections were cut and then the edges sanded to conform to the shape of the deck.

 

In the next instalment: the jig that made all the difference, and we continue planking…

 

[Cathead]

Cool prototype, this looks to be a very interesting project. A Chilean naval vessel is on my maybe-someday list, so following this can be a stand-in for now.

[Eurus]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

Cool prototype, this looks to be a very interesting project. A Chilean naval vessel is on my maybe-someday list, so following this can be a stand-in for now.

 

Ahh could it be the wonderful '84 armored Esmeralda? Or perhaps the other Esmeralda, the modern barquentine? I've been on board that one twice. An elegant vessel, her reputation sadly tarnished.

 

 

[Cathead]

I was thinking of the vessel captained by the famous Arturo Prat at the 1879 Battle of Iquique, seen here in 1:20 glory at the Museo Marítimo Nacional in Valparaíso (me for scale). Or perhaps one of various vessels from the War of Independence. As you say, the modern Esmerelda has a somewhat controversial history. But I should not derail your thread any longer. I look forward to learning more about her Mexican equivalent!

 

[Eurus]

 

As soon as I learned that there would be a boatload of planks to sand and cut, I built the jig shown in picture 1. A long wood strip can be inserted and is automatically aligned and measured, ready for cutting. This helped me to mass-produce the huge number of planks that will be needed for the three decks and bridge of the Cuauhtémoc.

 

 

In picture 2 the building of the ship continues, as I glue the remaining bulkheads. Here the frustration begins. According to the instructions, part of the deck had to be glued first—which I did. This did not sound right, though. As we advance in the building process, you will notice how I slowly depart from given instructions and continue using common sense and my own previous experience at modelling. In this photograph you can see part of the main deck already installed and even partially-planked.

 

In the background you can see the already-planked foredeck.

 

Picture 3 shows the rest of the main deck glued and in the process of planking. This should have been done later in the build, now I know. The planks were glued using the powerful 5000 contact cobbler adhesive. Afterwards, the deck was sanded to a smooth finish.

 

So far, the instructions from OcCre do not look entirely right. My engineer-sense detects something’s amiss…

 

[Eurus]

2 hours ago, Cathead said:

I was thinking of the vessel captained by the famous Arturo Prat at the 1879 Battle of Iquique, seen here in 1:20 glory at the Museo Marítimo Nacional in Valparaíso (me for scale). Or perhaps one of various vessels from the War of Independence. As you say, the modern Esmerelda has a somewhat controversial history. But I should not derail your thread any longer. I look forward to learning more about her Mexican equivalent!

 

 

Very interesting! I was not aware that there was yet another one bearing the same name. And then after some research, I found that there are actually at least five, possibly six Esmeralda ships associated with Chile. All of them are historically-relevant in one way or another. The one from the pic looks fantastic! And probably it's the most famous indeed. I guess it would have to be scratch-built?

 

[Eurus]

 

The next step is the planking of the quarterdeck, which the sailors onboard call toldilla. The method is the same as above: the planks are already cut and sanded.

 

 

In picture 1 you can see the quarterdeck half-finished. To make it easier, I grouped together some planks and then applied contact glue to all of them simultaneously. The planks were held together by Scotch tape.

 

Picture 2 shows the same procedure with the remaining section of the main deck. In Spanish it’s called alcázar.

 

You can see the quarterdeck fully covered in picture 3; the protruding sections of the planks must be removed. The hole for the mizzen mast will be drilled again.

 

[robdurant]

Very nice that jig seems to be producing very good results.

[Eurus]

40 minutes ago, robdurant said:

Very nice that jig seems to be producing very good results.

 

Yes, it does! These pics are still pre-Providence, so I was a total rookie then. There are obvious mistakes and things that I'm not that happy with the result, but that's the price to pay for inexperience. Today I hope to post more pictures, closing the gap between these and the current state of the project. It looks much better now!

 

[chborgm]

Just found this log and would like to follow. I am in the process of building the Esmeralda and have a log running.  It is a lot of fun.

[Eurus]

6 hours ago, chborgm said:

Just found this log and would like to follow. I am in the process of building the Esmeralda and have a log running.  It is a lot of fun.

 

Welcome aboard! All comments and suggestions are welcome. Also, don't forget to share your log. I'd like to follow you as well. 🙂

[Eurus]

 

With the main deck finished, it is time now to build the next element.

 

This long deckhouse block is the ship’s galley, and also provides access to the rest of the Cuauhtémoc belowdecks. The other two doors that will be glued here later—port and starboard—lead to a pair of stairs and the ship’s mess.

 

 

In pictures 1 and 2 you can see the galley—which was prepared separately—being adjusted in place. The forecastle deck is shown in its final position but still unglued.

 

The big picture 3 shows the process of correcting the severe warp the deckhouse block had. The whole interior is now reinforced with wooden blocks to keep it square forever. This was an unexpected difficulty that I discovered only after the deckhouse was already built. One of the walls was subject to little tension forces that ended up deforming the whole structure. I left it in that correcting position for three days. Fortunately, the solution worked.

 

Picture 4 shows the completed set of bulkheads in their place, and the finished main deck.

 

In picture 5 you can see both the foredeck and quarterdeck positioned in place (not glued yet) along with the ship’s galley. Notice that the holes for the masts have been drilled.

 

Up next: more planking…

 

[Eurus]

 

I decided to rest a bit from planking and focus my attention somewhere else instead. There are lots of small tasks to do, after all. I chose to work on the Cuauhtémoc’s wheelhouse.

 

OcCre kits have horrible, glue-on imitation windows made of Zamak. These do no justice to the ships, so I decided to make my own.

 

 

 

You can see the kit’s provided windows in picture 1, and a to-scale door for reference—these are not without problems, but we will deal with them later. On the left is the wall where the windows must be placed. For the actual window panes I will use some transparent plastic—I’ve been eyeing some old CDs.

 

Picture 2 shows the process of drilling the holes for the windows. These were made with a Dremel multitool—one of the very few times I resorted to using it. The detailing I will do by hand, though.

 

Picture 3 shows the wheelhouse pieced together prior to gluing, displaying my brand-new windows, and placed approximately where it should sit on the quarterdeck. Notice the hole for the mizzenmast for reference. Picture 4 shows another angle, and also the port wall with windows of its own.

 

The problem with doing this is that now I have a partially-open, hollow wheelhouse that still requires even more windows and doors. Since the interior will be visible, I will have to furnish it—at least to an acceptable degree. All this is completely foreign to the OcCre kit, so we are sailing into uncharted waters now.

 

There is also another ugly detail that can be noticed from the last two pictures: the top piece is the wrong size. I will need to add some augments from scrap material.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Eurus
typos

[Eurus]

 

And now for my next trick, I will attempt to turn a pile of scrap wood and the remains of an old diskette into the integrated bridge system central console of the Cuauhtémoc.

 

 

Picture 1 shows what I’m talking about. I collected the materials and a lot of patience.

 

In picture 2 you can see the result. The console is less than three centimeters wide, and I recon it is rather ugly, but remember that it is just to fill up the space inside the wheelhouse. At best, only the silhouette will be discernible. Even then, I tried to make it at least decent-looking, and you might recognize the order telegraph, a telephone, the radar and AIS screens, engine control and of course the caña (rudder joystick).

 

Picture 3 shows the console in its place inside the wheelhouse. At this point I noticed that once I glued the roof, this section would be sealed forever; I would need to either completely furnish it beforehand, or think of an alternative to manipulate things on the inside. This alternative was to cut holes on the floors of the wheelhouse, as you can see in picture 4. Why did I need to do this? Because I will need access in the future in order to install the transparent window panes.

 

In picture 5 you can see the interior of the map room painted matte black. I did not want to waste my time with extra detailing for unseen sections of the ship, and besides, this room has frosted windows and is always kept closed. I also painted the wheelhouse ceiling white, and in picture 6 you can see why: the ceiling panels are simulated, and I also added a fluorescent lamp. Notice the seat for the guardiamarina (officer of watch). This seat is painted in black to simulate the real one, as can be seen in picture 8. I will dye the floor a darker color, and the inside of the wheelhouse is ready.

 

Remember the ugly problem with the outside of the wheelhouse? In picture 7 I corrected it, by augmenting the wheelhouse roof’s sides with scrap wood. The end result is not that bad, as you can see in picture 9.

 

The wheelhouse is still not finished, but we will continue later. We need some more planking to do.

 

[Eurus]

 

We return now to the ship’s galley deckhouse block.

 

 

As you can see in picture 1, the same problem we had with the wheelhouse has appeared here: the top piece does not match the dimensions of the block and some augmentations are required. Luckily, I have lots of scrap material.

 

In picture 2 the galley is ready, augmented and sanded, and it definitely looks better. The corners have been rounded as well. I will need to drill more holes for the portholes in order to match the real ship to port and starboard, and fill the extra ones in the lower aft wall. A ceremonial anchor will be located here later. This area is important, since much of the sailors’ activity takes place here, including the official ceremonies.

 

In picture 3 the planks are in place—I really don’t know what should I call this area. It is a continuation of the foredeck, aft of the foremast and above the ship’s galley. I have heard the term cubierta de trinquete (foremast deck) but I suspect it’s not correct. Is it an “upper deck”? In the past, the lifeboats used to be stored here, before switching to self-inflating rafts which are more compact. So, I guess no “lifeboat deck” either.

 

Take a look at the picture and tell me your opinion.

 

 

Picture 4 shows the galley in place, prior to clipping and sanding the planks. Some Zamak doors have been included for scale, however, if you look closely at the photograph of the real Cuauhtémoc above, you’ll notice that both the size and shape are wrong. Also, there is no outer watertight door. I haven’t yet decided how to solve this.

 

I put a stick in place of the mainmast for reference.

 

 

[Eurus]

 

The next module is located aft of the mainmast, and it comprises two ship stairs, a skylight, the funnel and twin mushroom ventilators. Later it will also have a commemorative plaque, a clinometer and the ship’s bell.

 

 

In picture 1 you can see the assembled module. Unfortunately, the dimensions are wrong, and it is too long. In order to keep things authentic, I had to cut it to reduce its size; however, this resulted in an unsightly patch on the deck, as can be seen in picture 2. ☹️

 

Picture 3 shows the mushroom ventilators for reference, and also the ugly patch on the deck planking. I plan to obscure it with some rope coils in the event that the dye and varnish do not manage to hide it. 😞

 

In picture 4 the module is treated with filler and sanded, and adjusted in place prior to gluing. I’m just checking everything fits together properly.

 

[Eurus]

Hello friends!

 

I'll be on shore leave for some time, so no updates in the immediate future.

 

I hope to be back at the shipyard next month. Meanwhile, no shipbuilding, but I can still participate in the forums.

 

Cheers from Mexico! 🍹