Endeavour by Brendan V - Amati - 1:80 - J-Class

[Brendan V]

Hi,

 

This will be my first model ship build. I first spotted the 1:35 scale Amati model of the Endeavour which got me interested in the idea of making a model boat. However, I was concerned it was probably too ambitious for a first attempt. Having read a number of the build logs on this site on the Endeavour I decided to go with the 1:80, and if I enjoy it then maybe one day I'll tackle something larger.

 

We're in lockdown at the moment (covid), so I've been ordering everything through post and am still without a few key tools, but the kit is here and I'm going to get started!

 

The kit comes with a sanding block, a small hammer, large tweezers, a clamp and smaller sanding stick for smaller grooves. I've a tube of Selleys Interior Wood glue that dries clear, and a box of assorted elastic bands and bull dog clips and a scalpal. This should be enough for now.

 

Looking forward to any advice/tips/encouragement as I go!

 

Thanks,

Brendan

 

[Brendan V]

To start:

I've detached all the wood pieces and numbered them with a pencil to make it easier to keep track against the instructions. The main schematic is in Italian but Amati have provided a second leaflet that has English translations.

A scalpel was fine to separate all the pieces and then a bit of light sanding to remove any rough sections.

Before any gluing, I assembled the basic frame to ensure everything fits and sure enough it didn't - but nothing major. Again, a bit of sanding and filing solved this.

Once I was satisfied everything would fit, it was all glued and left to set overnight. 

 

From reading a few other blogs, and looking ahead in the instructions, it's worth noting that a few elements of the sub frame sit proud of where the planking goes. I was pretty nervous about doing to much sanding/filing for risk of having to build parts back up. Sometimes you have to take a punt, but definitely the brace that connects the front/rear halves of the model does need to be filed down. I might have avoided this if I'd glued it a little higher but even then I suspect some filing is needed. It didn't need to be pretty at this point as it will ultimately be out of sight, but you can get the idea from the pictures. 

 

Once this was all glued and solid, the stern and bow are built up with some additional parts. I was conscious here that the deck needed to have a very slight curvature to it, so wanted to ensure the bow/stern were built up a little proud so that I could curve them later (in line with the deck) with some sanding.

 

Likewise, where the ribs double up towards the middle of the boat, they do not line up precisely. I had to guess a little that once the planks are on there would be some curvature against some of the ribs - and so some sanding on each of them would be necessary down the track. Where there is the pair of ribs joined together, I opted to have one slightly lower and prouder to allow that curve to flow through.

 

Key to all this was keeping things straight whilst the glue dried. Bull dog clips, lacky bands, flat surfaces, and bottles for weights did the job ok but not perfect. There is maybe ~2mm skew to the left from the bow to stern, and perhaps a very minor twist towards the middle which I hope to eradicate once the deck goes on.

 

My dog has been watching patiently but is well overdue a walk... fair enough.