Albatros 1912 by EricWilliamMarshall - FINISHED - HMV - 1/250 - CARD

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I can't recall if it was @VTHokiEE or @ccoyle, but someone mentioned that Amazon had a few of these paper models and at $12 dollars, I was game. I attended an event at the National Lighthouse Museum (https://lighthousemuseum.org/) yesterday as part of a demonstration of ship modeling by the SMSNJ (http://www.shipmodelsocietyofnewjersey.org/) (of which I'm a member despite their better judgment).  And I thought, I can't lug all the stuff I need at this point my wooden model build, so I'll try a paper build. I figured I would share here. May the bridges I burn light the way for others!!

Edited January 25, 2022 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

The kit is small - just a few pages of instructions and two sheets of card which will be come the steamer Albatros. There is also photo-etch (also available through Amazon.com).  She had a fifty year history that covered two world wars and then became museum twice. I didn't find much info at first since due to the common name but there is more to  be had in German.  For the curious, the first stop would be the German Wikipedia entry (which lead to the two images below): https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_(Schiff,_1912)

 

Edited November 14, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I have used a #11 Xacto blade and ruler (for long straight cuts) and CA glue (as applied with a needle mounted in a pin vise). So far, so good but I'm part where my errors won't bite me until later!

[VTHokiEE]

Good luck! I hope yours goes better than mine! I had to take a short break, but I’ll return to it.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

@VTHokiEE thanks! Personally, I assume it won’t since this is my first go in a new medium. This will secondary to my Perry build, but it might finish first due to the small size and the ability to work almost any where with a very small set of tools, cleanly. We will see!

[VTHokiEE]

Have fun (and change your blades frequently)

[EricWilliamMarshall]

The sides attached with a couple camels lumps. I.e the starved horse problem as master builder @ccoyle calls ‘em. I also tried to use thin plastic to enhance the join at the stern without success. Despite those literal and figurative bumps, the boat looks somewhat boat-ish!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Things I need to remind myself of when cutting with x-acto blades:

- there is no rush.

- the slower the cut, the more accurate the cut.

- more light never hurts seeing clearly.

- orient the cardboard so the blade is not hiding any part of the piece I wish to cut out.

- orient my straight cuts so I’m drawing the blade towards me allowing my elbow move back in a smooth motion.

- when cutting long curves, I can move my wrist and my elbow.

- hold the blade at a lower angle to the cardboard for straight cuts.

- hold the blade at a higher angle relative to the cardboard for curves.

- there is nothing wrong with multiple light cuts.

- dragging the blade very lightly (so as not to cut anything) across a previous light cut will allow you to find it by feel and drop your blade into the same cut, even if you can’t see it.

 

[Captain Slog]

- place the ruler for the cut line over the part so if blade slips or wanders it will cut into the waste not the part. 
 

Slog

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I broke down and ordered the laser cut details (also through Amazon). And had my first encounter with said photo etch! No one got hurt but it took a while before my stairs looked like stairs someone might walk on.

Edited December 5, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[ccoyle]

That's a good first effort. They look like stairs, and that's the important thing!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

55 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

They look like stairs,

Only due to the camera crew,  the set designer, the long shot and hours of Photoshop.

[Canute]

Oh come on, they do look like a nice short flight of stairs. 😉😃

[EricWilliamMarshall]

19 hours ago, Canute said:

they do look like a nice short flight of stair

I’m quite happy with them; fear not!  While I’m not up @Landlubber Mike’s standards, I have endeavored to steal some of his wisdom regarding working with the tiniest of the tiny.

[Landlubber Mike]

Standards?  I have no standards.  I just fumble along with the PE like everyone else.

 

Your stairs came out really nice.  Do you have a hold and fold?  On my first build I tried doing stairs using tweezers and never could get them looking right. With my 1/350 current build, I used the hold and fold and the stairs came out much much better.  

 

For what it's worth, I use the "Bug" from Small Shop:

 

https://thesmallshop.com/products/sms002-the-bug-hold-fold

 

 

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Standards?  I have no standards.

Hahaha, how about: you are much more ‘less worse’ than me.

 

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Do you have a hold and fold?

Nope, it’s on my list to get. Thanks for the recommendation. I folded that an #11 X-acto blade and a bit of a hack saw blade. And tweezers, since I couldn’t pick it up with my fingers!

 

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[amateur]

Is it PE or the HMV-card lasercut detailset?

 

Jan

[EricWilliamMarshall]

2 hours ago, amateur said:

HMV-card lasercut detailset

The HMV product - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009H748N2/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[EricWilliamMarshall]

After a brief frenzy of fold and hold research, I had ordered the Bug that @Landlubber Mike mentioned and it finally arrived. It is nicely made, and well designed, to my untrained eye. So thanks for the recommendation! 
 

I wrestled the stove pipe/funnel. I found it quite tricky to glue the vertical edges of the cylinder together. I also struggled with keeping strips folded into square shapes, um, staying square or even square-ish. What else vexed me? The colored pencils I dug up didn’t work well for coloring the edges of the cut paper. All part of the learning process.

[ccoyle]

Eric, did the funnel have a joiner strip? If not, it's easy enough to create one from scrap paper. Use regular 20# bond for joiner strips inside narrow-diameter tubes.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I wasn't clever enough to use that on funnel but there was one for a flimsy box that the designer had, so I reached a bit of enlightenment. Perhaps there is one for the funnel. I'll know at the end if there are 'extra pieces'.  

 

I also need to hunt about to create a collection of different diameter rods. There are two curved funnels also lurking in my future!  I made a bit of progress with the deck goodies.

 

Thanks again for everyone's kind support. I know there are many more interesting, skillful build logs here at MSW you should be reading instead of this!  It is a free country though, so you are all welcome and have my appreciation! 

 

I've started working on the deck seating, of which there is a great many, I'll be doing more of that for the near future.

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work  - keep having to remind myself its  card model  - you guys who do this are a level above as far as I am concerned.

 

OC.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

9 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Amazing work  - keep having to remind myself its  card model  - you guys who do this are a level above as far as I am concerned.

a) Thank you very much!
b) The card kit does most of the hard work - yes, I stumble but this is my first attempt in the realm of paper and card.

c) For the fellow who has painted thousands of buttons, I believe this work is well in reach. Really!!

 

For the rest of my gentle readers: check out OC's build & paint log: 

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

It took me a while to find but I highly recommend Chris' excellent work - an overview and tutorial in eight parts (and you can follow along with a free model.  Originally I was going to build the V108 (the model he builds in the tutorial) but I couldn't find the collection in the wilds of MSW until much later.

Hey Chris, when are you going to write the book!!

[EricWilliamMarshall]

I’ve added benches and wrestled the rails into place (for the most part!)

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 11/24/2021 at 1:07 PM, Landlubber Mike said:

On 11/24/2021 at 1:07 PM, Landlubber Mike said:

I use the "Bug" from Small Shop

It also works like charm for coppering hulls with tiny copper plates!

[Old Collingwood]

On 12/6/2021 at 2:48 PM, EricWilliamMarshall said:

a) Thank you very much!
b) The card kit does most of the hard work - yes, I stumble but this is my first attempt in the realm of paper and card.

c) For the fellow who has painted thousands of buttons, I believe this work is well in reach. Really!!

 

For the rest of my gentle readers: check out OC's build & paint log: 

 

Thank you so much  for saying and doing that  - so very kind of you.

 

OC.

[Landlubber Mike]

Looks really great Eric!  Wouldn’t have known it was your first card kit.  Nice job!

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Landlubber Mike

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 12/18/2021 at 9:22 PM, Old Collingwood said:

so very kind of you.

Ha, the truth hurts. Seriously, @Old Collingwood it is a low-risk field of endeavor and you will have a 'feel' for the realm of card models after a single afternoon and with kits priced at FREE, it is hard not at least to think about it. I also think that some of the skills in paper crossover to wood kits and vice-versa.

@Landlubber Mike thanks for the kind words! Not to worry, I still have time to make a nubie misstep or two. 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

Via the inter webs, I found an interesting book on paper models. It has a couple chapters on general techniques then a chapter each for different models: trains, cars, ships, etc. Does anyone have other favs books on the topic?

Edited December 26, 2021 by EricWilliamMarshall