HM Cutter Alert by Thukydides - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - first build

[mtbediz]

46 minutes ago, Ronald-V said:

We will give you a better example of the game after this match   ( I hope 😆)

Good luck

[Thukydides]

Log #91: The Topgallant Stay & Topsail Braces

Thank you again for all your kind comments and encouragement. I suspect that there are only a few more log entries to go as the list of things remaining to do is getting smaller and smaller.

 

I once again underestimated how much rope I would need and ran out of the 0.35mm rope I need to do the jib so I decided to proceed with the topsail braces and topgallant stay. The topgallant stay was a little bit of trouble as I had already attached the block it will run through to the model and both ends of it need to be served. To get round this problem I first served the eye to slip over the top of the mast and then ran the rope through the block and stuck the other end in my serving machine. Since the rope is rather long there was enough slack that I was just able to get the serving done.

 

Steel calls for 3in rope for the stay which is just slightly bigger than the 2.5in used for the topgallant backstays. However at scale this rounds to the same size of rope (0.35mm). This presented a problem, do I go with a slightly larger rope to illustrate the size difference or go with the more accurate rope size. In the end I decided to stick with 0.35mm rope. To attach the stay to the stem I used the kit arrangement as Goodwin is not clear how this is done. The lanyards were 0.2mm rope.

The topsail braces steel give as 2in. This equates to 0.25mm at scale and I used BE’s arrangement just running them straight down to the bowsprit instead of the kit arrangement of the pendant with a block on it.

And here you can see the tip of the bowsprit with the three lines running through the triple block. The block seemed a bit large and if I had any I would have preferred to use a 4mm one given the rope sizes running through it, but all I had was 5mm so it will have to do.

At this point I tied off the squaresail bowlines to the pin rack on the windlass and also ran the topsail braces to this pin rack.

I plan to add rope coils to all of these once I am done tying ropes off in this area.

 

And finally here is a picture of her with all the new lines. She looks much more imposing with the braces and stay on her.

 

[Thukydides]

Log #92: More Rope Hanks

While waiting for the rope I ordered to arrive I decided to finish off the lines I recently tied off and to tie off the topsail bowlines.

 

The topsail bowlines are run through two small blocks tied to the end of the bowsprit, but at this point I ran into an issue. I had planned to run them to the pin rack on the windlass, but there is no way to get them there without tangling up in other lines. I suspect the problem is I needed to make the pendants longer so that the line would come in from higher up. However it is too late to fix that so I decided to run them to timberheads near the catheads.

This is not a perfect solution, but I was able to run them under the catheads without impacting the ability to lower the anchor so I think it is fine.

 

Following up on my previous hank jig, I made a new one to allow me to do a bunch of hanks at once.

This lets me make multiple hanks at the same time and allows me to make two different sizes of loops for pins vs cleats. After tacking everything in place with super glue I blast them all with the hairdryer and then apply the diluted matt varnish as usual.

 

A few hours later once dry I pull out the pins and remove the hank from the jig to be attached to the model. You can see below I have added 4 hanks to the pin rack for the squaresail bowlines and topsail braces as well as added two hanks to the timberheads where the topsail bowlines are tied off.

Almost done with the rigging now. All that is left is the jib and then I need to do some checking to make sure I haven't missed any random lines or hanks.

Edited July 16 by Thukydides

[Thukydides]

Log #93: Rigging Complete

The last remaining bit of rigging left is the jib. The inhauler, outhauler and halliard all round to the same thickness at our scale (0.35mm) so that is what I went with.

 

The inhaler I tied off on the bits.

The outhauler follows the kit arrangement and runs through a block on the stem. I was unsure of the best place to tie this off and in the end settled on just using the timber head like structure above the hawse hole.

Neither of these needed significant extra rope so I didn’t do any coils. For the jib itself I followed the Goodwin arrangement by making the lanyard like attachment that hooks onto the ring and then runs through the jib cringe. It is a half hitch with the end served twice. The hook is spliced into the end of the rope.

Then it was a simple matter of running the line for the jib. I used a double sheet knot fasten the end of the line to the lanyard with the hook on it. Then the line went up to the block on the masthead and then down to be tied off on an eyebolt. There were no free cleats left so I just left the rope coiled on the deck.

With that I think the rigging is complete. There is not much further to go now. To celebrate this milestone I decided to finally place the commander on board. Any small things I have left will not require me to reach into the middle of the deck so he should be safe.

Finally, I took a step back to catalog what remains to be done. In the background work on the swivel guns and ensign is ongoing and I am considering whether or not to add a pennant. Many contemporary drawings of cutters depict one, but I am undecided. I also am considering adding some signal flags. The issue here is Alert was captured by the French in 1778, but the only signal logs I can find online are for the system that came into effect in the early 1800s. Should I just use this or is it better not to bother with them. Any thoughts people have on either that or the pennants would be welcome.

[jpalmer1970]

Excellent work as always. The rigging has certainly come together very well.

 

I think the issue of the pennant and signal flags will have to be a personal choice - is there a danger of overdoing it with the signal flags perhaps? I would perhaps go for the simpler, cleaner look myself.

 

I will be interested to see how you eventually go with displaying the model. Do you have plans for a base and case etc?

[Gregory]

I think a pennant would be a nice touch..    The signal flags might be a distraction IMO.

[druxey]

Very impressive work for a first build. Your care in constructing her is evident. You should be very proud of your accomplishment. Please consider a protective glass case!

[Ronald-V]

It's a fantastic result...so much to learn from your build log and indeed really impressive for a first build!

Edited July 18 by Ronald-V

[AJohnson]

Really impressed with how neat your work is. This log is a great reference for cutter builders - I know I am often consulting it for my Trial build. 👍

Edited July 18 by AJohnson

[Thukydides]

8 hours ago, jpalmer1970 said:

I think the issue of the pennant and signal flags will have to be a personal choice - is there a danger of overdoing it with the signal flags perhaps? I would perhaps go for the simpler, cleaner look myself.

 

8 hours ago, Gregory said:

I think a pennant would be a nice touch..    The signal flags might be a distraction IMO.

This is my main worry with the idea of signal flags (apart from the previously articulated historical issues). I like the thought of them in principal, but am worried it might clutter things up. I am thinking I may mock up a short (one number code) message on normal paper just to get a feel for what it looks like before deciding.

 

8 hours ago, druxey said:

Please consider a protective glass case!

 

8 hours ago, jpalmer1970 said:

Do you have plans for a base and case etc?

I am planning on using the kit stand, the one you always see in my pictures is the original one, but I did purchase the newer version from Chris as well so that nicer one is what I will be using. I have a glass display cabinet it is going in (I will take a picture in it once everything is done, but the pictures don't turn out great due to the reflections). I actually keep Alert in this cabinet most of the time to protect her from dust and knocks between hobby sessions. 

[dunnock]

 

That's a fine model you have built and a great log too with much useful detail that I will shamelessly copy.

 

David

[Glenn-UK]

Fabulous looking model 

[TJM]

It is truly a fantastic build, and the paint job is second to none. A great inspiration! 

 

Are you planning to start a new build when this one is all done? I do hope so!

 

[brunnels]

Fantastic work, I think many will use your log as a reference for painting for years to come.  I have enjoyed your log very much.  Any plans for a next project?  

[Thukydides]

14 minutes ago, TJM said:

Are you planning to start a new build when this one is all done? I do hope so!

 

7 minutes ago, brunnels said:

Any plans for a next project?

I am planning to do a smaller plastic model as a sort of interim project though I am not sure if I will do a build log for it. It will mostly involve painting which is harder to convey in a build log, we'll see. For my next wooden ship model I am well into the research phase, but I will talk about it a bit more once I am fully done with Alert.

[Thukydides]

Log #94: The Ensign

For a while now I have been experimenting in the background on the ensign. Some of you may have spotted a test version in the background of some of my pictures.

 

These early attempts (and there were 4 or 5 of them) were about figuring out the best way forward to make the flag look like it was semi transparent like the real thing. The above example used the method described by BE[link], but I found it looked too solid and dark. I also found that getting crisp lines did not work out as well as I wanted painting by hand. I also struggled to avoid wrinkling the paper as I was continually wetting small parts of it.

 

So after a bunch of experimentation I came up with the following method. Step 1 was to staple the paper (silkspan) to a frame to hold it tight and then coat it in a combination of watered down pva and white acrylic ink. I used a large flat brush and regular strokes to give a slight hint of brush lines. On the reverse I brushed perpendicular to the front so as to give the impression of a weave. You can’t really see much of this, but I found it gave the best looking white base.

This ink, which I also used for the other colours, is essentially just pigment and water (no other additives). It has high pigmentation, but is very translucent so you can get bold colours without making it look like a thick layer of paint has been applied. See below for all the inks used in the flag.

I used the same template as BE used and printed out pictures of the ensign on non-permanent full sheet labels. I then carefully cut out templates for each colour. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of these, but you can see below the results after spraying the red ink with my airbrush. I added a small amount of airbrush medium to the ink to provide a tiny bit of binding agent. The reason I made two of them was that mistakes happen and this process takes a long time so I decided to make two and just take the better one.

Once dry I placed the template for the blue (I used 3 parts of the dark blue ink with 1 part of the lighter blue plus a tiny bit of airbrush medium as before). You can see below the results as with much of my work there was a minor miss alignment, but I decided that one of them was good enough to not do the whole thing over again.

Once everything was dry I cut the ensign off of the frame and proceeded to work on the ropes. I decided on 0.2mm rope so it is visually smaller than the other ropes in the area. For the toggle end I made a eye splice and then looped the rope on itself. I then pulled it tight around a spare off cut from an eyebolt.

The other end of the ensign rope was formed into an eye splice and the edge of the ensign was folder over it.

Next came the shaping of the flag. I experimented a bunch trying to find the best way to do this and in the end I found the following method worked best.

1. I folded over a piece of tin foil and then cut this double thick piece to approximately the same size as the flag.
2. Using round dowels and brush handles of various sizes I formed this tin foil into the shape I wanted.
3. I placed the flag on the tin foil and blasted it with the hair dryer into the foil. This softened the pva in the flag and the wind blew it into the shape. I then allowed it to cool and it held its shape.

Finally I attached an eye splice to the toggle and ran it through a 2mm block with a hook on it. This then looped around to tie onto the eye splice at the bottom of the ensign. I wasn’t sure of the correct way to secure this so used a single sheet knot which seemed fine.

And here is the ensign on the model. After some thought I have decided I am not going to do the signal flags. I am still undecided on the pennant. I may make one and see how I like the look of it before deciding.

Edited July 21 by Thukydides

[jpalmer1970]

Looks great. The use of the tin foil 'template' is an ingenious way of getting the ensign to the desired shape!

[AJohnson]

Thank you for the ensign tutorial, it looks very good with those natural curves in it.  Quick question, did to airbrush both sides?  If so could you see through sufficiently to line up the red and blue okay, just curious for when I try it!  👍

[Thukydides]

3 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Thank you for the ensign tutorial, it looks very good with those natural curves in it.  Quick question, did to airbrush both sides?  If so could you see through sufficiently to line up the red and blue okay, just curious for when I try it!  👍

Yes I airbrushed both sides otherwise one side looks washed out.

 

The ensign is slightly transparent, you can see in the picture where it is lying flat how the lines on the cutting mat are visible through the white. The first template for the red just gets placed on the front side and then the whole thing was flipped over so the front is lying flat on the desk. Then you are able to see through enough to line up the template on the back.

 

When doing the blue it is a bit trickier to line up the front, you just need to do it several times to make sure everything lines up properly.

 

Spraying ink with the airbrush is super easy, just make sure you do multiple thin coats. Let it build up the colour slowly or it may run or caus ripples in the paper.

 

I should also mention in case it wasn't obvious that the paper I am using is silkspan. I don't know how well this would work with normal paper.

 

Edit: I forgot to add that don't forget you need to mirror the templates on the back so remember that when you are printing them off in preparation for cutting.

Edited July 21 by Thukydides

[Thukydides]

And for those asking earlier about a case, here she is in her cabinet.

[Thukydides]

Log #95: The Swivel Guns & the Pennant

I decided to only show half of the swivel guns so I assembled six of them. As with all PE I filed it down to make it look less bulky. The PE handles didn’t look like the pictures I found of them so I decided to do some modifications. I had some parrel beads I had bought which were much smaller than I thought they were. So they were no good for the gaff or boom, but they are about the right size for the cascable of a swivel gun. I also noticed that in the illustrations they appeared to have the handle wrapped around the cascable. I realized the eyebolts I had were about the right size for this. So I did a bit of mixing and matching and here was the result.

For the pennant I mad a number of unsuccessful attempts with silkspan, but I couldn’t find a way to stiffen it enough to hold its shape given how long an thin it is. So in the end I had to use tin foil.

I still had to shorten the pennant a bit, but next time I might try a heavier duty tin foil and that might work better. Then I painted it with my airbrush (thought the cross I painted by hand). At the same time I also primed the swivel guns. I then dry brushed them in the same way I did the cannons.

I thought about trying to rig the pennant properly, but in the end I decided to just glue it to the mast as I need to keep it rigid.

Then I drilled some holes and added the swivel guns.

[Thukydides]

Log #96: Concluding Thoughts

After 2 years, 11 months and 20 days, Alert is finally finished.

 

Overall, looking back at the experience I can say that as a beginner I would wholeheartedly recommend the Vanguard Alert kit. It is easy to follow along with and you can build a great model out of the box while also having scope to make small improvements if you desire.

 

The first picture I took of alert back on August 3, 2021

 

As a general rule, I stuck pretty close to the kit with this build making small improvements here and there where I felt comfortable. Most of the changes were made with the repurposing of kit parts or random household items I had on hand and I would say any beginner with a bit of patience should be able to do a similar level of kitbashing. The largest deviations were the replacement of the rope (courtesy of @BenD) and my decision to throw caution to the wind and attempt to replicate the Marshall painting decorations.

 

The Marshall painting of Alert

 

I would say I both overestimated and underestimated how hard building a model ship would be. Some parts turned out better than I had hoped while others fell short. However, as a learning experience I have no complaints. In the end I think it is fair to say that I achieved a unique look that I am proud of and I look forward to doing better on the next model.

 

I want to take a moment to thank some people without whom I would never have been able to reach the finish line.

 

• @chris watton - I have long desired to make a ship model, but had no idea how I would even go about learning how to do such a thing. Chris’ excellent model made it possible for me to enter into what is a fairly overwhelming hobby in a way that I was able to slowly build the skills necessary to actually complete it.
• @Blue Ensign - BE’s Alert log was my second manual. I don’t know how many times I read it through, but it is safe to say that almost all of the changes and additions I made to the build had their inspiration in BE’s log. This model would be significantly worse had his log not been there for me to follow along with.
• All other Alert Build logs - I have read every word of each of them at least once and have taken lessons and inspiration from all of them.
• MSW - I couldn’t possibly name all of the people who made critical contributions at one time or another. Your many suggestions made the model better and It is highly likely that without all your encouragement I wouldn’t have made it to the finish line.

 

So without further ado, here are some pictures of the finished model:

Edited July 23 by Thukydides

[brunnels]

Beautiful model all around, I wish I could paint like that, the frieze work is exceptional. 

[JacquesCousteau]

Amazing job, congratulations on an excellent build! Thank you as well for doing such a thorough job of documenting your process, this log is an excellent resource.

[tmj]

Congratulations! That's a very fine specimen of a quality model ship!

So... "what's next?"   

[CiscoH]

Beautiful!  I especially admire the painted stern and bulwarks.  

yes, so, whats next?

[jpalmer1970]

Congratulations! An excellent model and an excellent build log. You should be very proud of your achievement! 👍👍

[Glen McGuire]

Such clean and crisp craftsmanship.  The ensign and the pennant really accentuate the look.  Well done, Thukydides!

[Seventynet]

Beautiful work! Your attention to detail is second to none. Thanks for documenting your build.

 

Ian

[Jay 1]

Congratulations, she’s a beauty—well done! 

 

Cheers,

Jay