HMS Sphinx 1775 by Glenn-UK - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - V2 Kit by Glenn Shelton

[James H]

1 hour ago, glennard2523 said:

Thanks. I do use my fingers quite a bit when sanding. I have discovered that cleaning the dust off with a damp brush also helps to highlight the flaws.

To remove dust, I have both a fat, stiff-bristled brush, and a make up brush. I wouldn't use something damp as it can lift grain and give a 'false reading', if that sounds right.

[Glenn-UK]

Fitting the Main Wales Take 2

One of the problems I had the first time around was ensuring the main wale was held in place whilst it was drying out during the bend process and when it was being glued. I ended up drilling some larger holes along the lower edge of the main wale so I could use map pins to hold the main wale in place as the glue cured. This time around I am experimenting with different approach. Using some offcuts from the main wale sheet I glued a support piece on top with an overlap to provide a clamp with a locating edge. The idea behind this is the top support piece will be flush with the hull and top of the wale as the bottom piece is the same thickness of the main wale. A brass pin can then used to hold the clamp in place, using the pin holes already provided on the main wale. A bit of overkill maybe but it seems to work well for me.

 

As can be seen in the picture below I also used these clamps for the top edge

 

The next photo shows the the entire right-hand side main wale held in place. At this stage this main wale had been soaked in hot water for 30 mins before being positioned and clamped. It will now be left to dry overnight before it is glued in place. I think this method works quite nicely so I will make a few more clamps this afternoon so I can repeat for the left-hand side also.

Edited February 9, 2022 by glennard2523

[tomganc]

Looking great  She is slowly taking shape.

Apart from the normal issues during the build we modellers have to invent some jigs or other tools to make our life easier and getting job done at the same time. I love this aspect of our hobby. In many cases it is the "how you did it" that makes all the difference

 

Happy build
Tom

[Glenn-UK]

24 minutes ago, tomganc said:

Looking great  She is slowly taking shape.

Apart from the normal issues during the build we modellers have to invent some jigs or other tools to make our life easier and getting job done at the same time. I love this aspect of our hobby. In many cases it is the "how you did it" that makes all the difference

 

Happy build
Tom

Thanks Tom

There are many different ways to achieve the end goal.

 

I have learnt so much by using other people's method detailed in their posts.

[Theodosius]

I'm sure that the underwater-part in white will turn out great! 🙂

[Glenn-UK]

Main Wales & Strakes Take 2

Taking much more care the replacement main wales were glued in place. This time I made sure the top edge followed outer pattern from bow to stern. The upper strakes were also glued in place. I am much happier with how they look this time around.

 

 

 

I have also fitted the upper counter pattern (inner) and inner fascia (inner). As can be seen in the photo below the fascia top edge alignment is approx. 2 mm above the  bulwark.

 

I have also dry fitted the outer upper counter pattern and stern fascia pattern. I am very pleased with how the stern area looks as can be seen below.

 

The next task will be to shape and fit the quarter gallery patterns, 45 (x2) and 45a (x1) per side along with part 51 which is used to ensure the upper two patterns are properly angled.

[Glenn-UK]

Quarter Gallery Patterns

This was a nice task to undertake today. The 6 quarter gallery patterns were shaped, doing plenty of test fitting as I went along. Once I was happy with the fitting I started with the right-hand side and glued the middle pattern together with the alignment pattern 51 to ensure the pattern was properly set.

 

Next the upper pattern was fitted and aligned with part 51. The task was complete when the bottom pattern was  glued in place.

 

 

The above process was then repeated for the left-hand side.

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Painting The Wales and Strakes

I decided to use the same Plastikote Black spray paint as used on the prototype, and as shown in the build manual. The first task was to prepare the hull. I started with some 4mm tape to mask above and below the wales and strakes. The tape was pressed firmly into place using a steel rule. I then used copious quantities of 50mm masking tape to cover the rest of the hull, leaving middle section of the quarter gallery open also. Finally a coat of wipe on poly was added to the wales and strakes.

 

 

 

The hull was then taken to my garage when I sprayed the hull with the Plastikote Black paint. 3 light coats of paint were applied.

 

Once the paint had dried I applied a wipe of poly coat to seal the paint finish.

 

In the photo of the right-hand side below there is a bit of leakage below the hawse holes. This is not an issue as this area will be coved by the hawse bolsters later on in the build process.

 

This is the left-hand side

 

There is a tiny bit of leakage around the quarter galleries but apart from that it looks OK.

 

 

[James H]

That paint job came out real well.

[Glenn-UK]

37 minutes ago, James H said:

That paint job came out real well.

Many thanks James

[Glenn-UK]

Stern and Starting Work on Quarter Galleries

When looking at gluing part 29 to part 45b I was not 100% sure about how these two parts should be aligned. I think the alignment should be as shown in the photo below. Does this look correct?

 

 

When I built my V1 build I was confused with build step 220 with regard to the position of part 45c. Thankfully @James H was able to send me a modified picture, which I have added to this post. It should be located directly underneath the middle gallery pattern (part 45) and not as shown in the manual which is on top of the upper gallery pattern (part 45).

 

Moving on with todays progress the outer upper counter pattern was glued in place without any problems.

 

While I let the glue cure I decided to test fit the windows to the outer stern fascia pattern. I recalled on the V1 build the  windows did require a little bit of fettling so thought it would be easier to sort out the fitting before any of the parts were installed. I have added some tape to the windows for identification purposes to ensure the correct windows will be fitted to the right frame.

 

The outer stern fascia pattern was then glued in place. I took plenty of time to ensure the part was properly aligned with the inner stern fascia pattern.

 

 

 

The quarter gallery berthing pattern needs to follow the curve of the quarter gallery patterns. To make the fitting process a bit easier I applied a bit of moisture to the berthing patterns and then clamped them to part 45c. These will be left overnight to fully dry out and hopefully they will have retained the required bend.

[Malcolm Greig]

Good process, paint job looks very tidy and stern construction looks excellent.  

 

regards

 

Malcolm

[Glenn-UK]

21 minutes ago, Malcolm Greig said:

Good process, paint job looks very tidy and stern construction looks excellent.  

 

regards

 

Malcolm

Many thanks Malcolm, overall I am very happy with this build.

[Glenn-UK]

Work on Quarter Galleries Continues

As with stern fascia pattern I decided to trial fit the windows to the quarter gallery window frame. They all required a bit of fettling to make them fit.

 

Next I bevelled the front edge of the upper patterns. I also assembled the lower finishing patterns.

 

Next I did a dry fit of the window pattern to make sure.

 

As everything looked good.  I spent a bit more time shaping the  upper patterns. Once I was happy it was time to glue the various parts in place.

 The right-hand side looks reasonable Ok. As can be seen in the photo below I will need to fill the edge between the stern fascia and window pattern

 

 

This is the left-hand side which will also require a little bit of filler. I also need to blow and brush the dust away.

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by glennard2523

[Glenn-UK]

Quarter Galleries and Hull Painting

The first task today was to complete the lower finishing pattern for the quarter galleries. Using a rotary tool I carefully shaped the stern end. Once I was happy with the shaping of the stern end I moved on to bevelling the front end so the top edge was flush with the berthing pattern and the lower edge was tapered to a fine edge. Once again I used my rotary tool I took my time with plenty of test fits during the shaping process to make sure it was a good fit. I also used a sanding block and sanding paper for the final shaping.

 

The photo below shows the right-hand side. I have added the filler to the side of the window pattern/ berthing pattern. I did managed to break off the leading edge of the lower finishing pattern during the shaping process. I have started to add some filler to correct and it will look Ok with a bit more fettling and then painted black.

 

The photo below is the left-hand side quarter gallery. Again this will look Ok when the black paint has been added.

 

The photo below show the stern view. It does not look too bad, but I will need to add a bit of filler before the black paint is added

 

Next I taped the hull above the waterline, and using Admiralty Matt White diluted with water I brushed on the first coat of paint. Once the paint has had time to dry I will inspect the hull and then sand and fill as necessary. I am hoping this will not require too much as I did quick a bit of work in this respect when I completed the second planking. I plan to use diluted Admiralty Matt white and once I am happy the hull is smooth. If necessary I will finish off with a spray can final coat.

 

The photo below was taken after the first coat of diluted Admiralty Matt white paint had been brushed on the hull

[Glenn-UK]

Painting The Hull White

I have spent the last few days painting the hull white. This has been a long drawn out process. After each coat of paint a filler mixture was applied to fill the various depressions. I used wood filler mixed with titebond and water to fill the depressions. Once the filler mix had dried the hull was sanded, taking off the excess filler and most of the paint. The hull was then repainted white. After 4 (or 5 interations) of this process I reached the stage where I was resonably happy with the look of the hull. It felt and looked smooth so I sprayed two final coats of white paint. It is not 100% perfect but I think it passes muster. The hull is still in the paint shop and will be left overnight to allow time for the paint to fully dry. Fingers crossed the taping has done its job. Tomorrow will be the day of the big reveal.

 

 

 

 

As can be seen in the photo below I inserted pins in the horseshow and fishplate holes to ensure the remained paint free.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by glennard2523

[Blue Ensign]

Both the lower hull and those tricky Quarter galleries look good Glenn. 👍

 

I don't think you should have any issues when it comes to getting a clean run of moulding rails around the stern and QG’s.

 

B.E.

[Glenn-UK]

1 minute ago, Blue Ensign said:

Both the lower hull and those tricky Quarter galleries look good Glenn. 👍

 

I don't think you should have any issues when it comes to getting a clean run of moulding rails around the stern and QG’s.

 

B.E.

Thanks, so much happier with the v2 build as I made a right pigs ear with the tricky quarter galleries with my v1 build

[mtaylor]

Looking good and I'm looking forward to how it looks when the masking comes off.

[Glenn-UK]

19 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Looking good and I'm looking forward to how it looks when the masking comes off.

Thanks Mark. I will be taking the tape off with a mix of fear and excitement. Hopefully I have made a good job of masking.

Edited February 20, 2022 by glennard2523

[KirbysLunchBox]

That is looking really smooth! Beautiful work!

[Glenn-UK]

44 minutes ago, KirbysLunchBox said:

That is looking really smooth! Beautiful work!

Thanks Kirby

[Glenn-UK]

Hull Painting and Dry Fitting Next Stage

The masking tape was removed this morning and I was very pleased that there was no bleed. The hull is looking good, not perfect but much better than my previous builds which required a white painted hull below the waterline.

 

Planning ahead I have glued the two outer rudder patterns to rudder. I have also removed the laser char. I have also removed the various rails from the 1mm sheet and these have been dry fitted to the hull. I think I will follow previous builders examples with regards to removing the laser char from the rails by cutting the rails up into smaller pieces.

 

The horseshoe and fishplate have also been dry fitted. The photo below shows the Sphinx with the rails, horseshoe and fishplate and rudder dry fitted.

 

The next photo is a close up of the horseshoe dry fitted in position

 

The next photo is a close up of the fishplate dry fitted in position

 

The next photo shows the rudder in position and the stern rails dry fitted.

 

The final two photos shows the midships and bow areas with the rails dry fitted.

 

[Glenn-UK]

Preparation Work

The last couple of days have been spent as preparation for the next phase of the build. The first task undertook was to remove the laser char from the various rail patterns. Rather than split the rails up I decided to see if I could remove the laser char with the rails in tact. Using a mixture of scraping with a sharp blade and sandpaper I actually managed to complete the task with all the rails still in one piece. I still plan to cut  the rails which fit between the gun port openings before fitting.

 

The laser char that is visible on the photo below are on the rail parts which sit over the gun ports which will be discarded.

 

 

The next task was to prepare the rudder PE parts. These parts were all cleaned in warm soapy water before being placed in acetone. Some of them were then blackened and some sprayed with a coat ofr primer, in readiness for a coat (or two) of white paint. The horseshoe and fishplates have also been primed and are now ready for a coat )or two) of copper paint.

 

The area where the rails will be fitted to the hull were covered with 2mmW masking tape before the WOP and paint could be applied.

 

 

The area's on the hull where the channels will fitted were also taped.

 

The hull was then coated with a wipe on poly (WOP) coat, using two paint brushes. The first paint brush applied the WOP mix (50% poly varnish and 50% white spirit) which was then brushed away using the second brush. Once the WOP has fully dried out the hull can be painted.

 

State of play after the WOP

Edited February 23, 2022 by glennard2523

[yvesvidal]

Glen, it is coming along very nicely. Congratulations.

 

Yves

[Glenn-UK]

39 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

Glen, it is coming along very nicely. Congratulations.

 

Yves

Many thanks Yves. I am pleased with my 2nd attempt at building the Sphinx.

[mtaylor]

Looking good, Glenn.  

[Theodosius]

All the effort with filling/sanding of the white area pays out now! Looking very good!

[Glenn-UK]

1 hour ago, Theodosius said:

All the effort with filling/sanding of the white area pays out now! Looking very good!

Many thanks, it was a time consuming task.

[Glenn-UK]

Painting

Today I have been painting the hull. The hull had already been taped, as per my previous post when I applied the WOP. I applied 3 coast of the red, blue and black paint to the various parts of the hull, quarter galleries, upper stern counter and stern fascia pattern.

 

The first photo shows the right-hand side of the hull.

 

The next two photos shows the stern area of the each side

 

 

The next two photos show the bow area.

 

 

The next photo show the stern counter and fascia area.

 

The next two photos are close ups of the quarter galleries

 

 

I have dry fitted the various rails to make sure I was happy with the painted areas on the hull. The next 5 photos shows how the hull will look with the rails fitted, noting I will soak and bend the bow rails overnight.

 

 

 

 

 

FInally I have fitted the pintle straps to the rudder, noting I still have to add the shortened brass pin to the holes.