Nisha by AJohnson - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Brixham 'Mumble-Bee'

[Jim Lad]

Nicely fixed, Andrew.  A lot of model making seems to consist of fixing problems! 

 

John

[AJohnson]

Update on progress over last couple of evenings, attaching the parts 45 & 46 the bulwarks.  Took a few dry fits to see how they would line up to the lower of the two markers provided on the inside edge of each part and the front part needed sanding to sit flush on the bow, all covered in the instructions.  Pinned and glued up to the level of the deck pattern.  Leaving that to dry before moving onto the first planking.  

 

Also arrived today is a reference book I got from fleabay, that I have seen mentioned on MSW in connection with Chris's Erycina & Nisha and other threads - "Sailing Trawlers" by Edgar J. March and indeed from first looks it is going to be very useful , with plenty of photographs, drawings and plans; including the Nisha! 😁

Edited December 16, 2021 by AJohnson

[Nirvana]

On 12/14/2021 at 12:03 AM, AJohnson said:

 I have just checked it this morning and all is fixed now, all I need to do is a bit of sanding and delete a few posts on this log and no one will know! 😆

 I will quote this as a memory.......😆

Nice recovery though and I love this "small build log".

Thanks for having your fingers in the picture at post #26, it really gave a sense of how small it is, unless you have giant hands.......😁

[AJohnson]

9 hours ago, Nirvana said:

 I will quote this as a memory.......😆

Nice recovery though and I love this "small build log".

Thanks for having your fingers in the picture at post #26, it really gave a sense of how small it is, unless you have giant hands.......😁

Thank you, yes "Nisha" is diminutive, but I think there was a bit of distortion in that shot as it makes her look tiny.  Picture below against a 12inch rule.  Widest part of her beam will be just under 3 inches when finished.  

 

Her size and looks are a good thing.... firstly it opens up many more shelves and 'top' of book cases as "moorings" for model boats and the Admiral and my daughter likes these pretty little ones with red sails.  So win - win! 😁

[Craigie65]

Looking good.

Did you have to bevel the bulwarks much where they meet the stem?

[James H]

Great to see this lovely little boat getting some attention.

 

Just a quick observation, those MDF blocks that fill between bulkheads 1 & 2, and those that sit in front of bulkhead 1, then do need to be shaped/bevelled more than in this picture. Those should be sanded down more in profile with the adjoining bulkhead bevels:

 

 

If that fore block isn't tapered more, the planks would need to be bent around a curve to reach the stem, or they would sit over it and terminate too far forward.

 

This is the pic I did for the manual:

 

 

 

 

 

[AJohnson]

46 minutes ago, Craigie65 said:

Looking good.

Did you have to bevel the bulwarks much where they meet the stem?

Yes I did, they were thinned to a fine edge at the front.

 

@James H thanks - yep looks like more sanding required, the same needs doing at the stern also I think, next job before starting the planking.  I am also doing some of the sub assemblies later on in the instructions (like the fish hatches) while I wait patiently for bulwarks to dry.  But yes the sanding blocks / paper come out to play next, keen to do best I can of the first planking, as I have never been happy with my first planking on builds before.

[Rik Thistle]

Andrew,

 

Thank you, yes "Nisha" is diminutive, but I think there was a bit of distortion in that shot as it makes her look tiny. Picture below against a 12inch rule. Widest part of her beam will be just under 3 inches when finished.

 

I didn't have a mental picture of her size till now.  Since bench/shelf/display room is an issue in my study the relatively smaller size of Nisha makes her more attractive, and she is still on the same scale as Vanguard's other models (1:64).

 

Anyway, she's coming together very well in your build.

 

Richard

[AJohnson]

Moved onto the first layer of planking after finishing fairing the bulkheads more on advice of James H.  Trying out pre-bending and shaping the planks before fitting to the hull, going okay so far taking it steady, but as the Nisha is small, an evening can see a few planks done in a sitting.

 

While waiting for those to dry, I have cleaned and primed the PE ready for painting and also done a few of the later deck fitting sub-assemblies, I'll get some pictures of those uploaded soon.

 

Also enjoying reading  "Sailing Trawlers" by Edgar J. March, this has given me loads of ideas for adding little bits to my version of Nisha (many of these ideas beyond my abilities probably, but I can dream! 😆)

 

Thanks for looking in.

[AJohnson]

Hello all,

 

Hope you are all having a great Christmas holidays, I have been indulging in too much food and drink with family and friends to do much on the little Nisha, but a few updates below.

Completed the first planking and added the keel/stem/stern rabbet patterns and also the stern counter, which I managed not to split this time! (Though I didn't soak it this time just glued and clamped for 24hrs.)

Also completed a few little assemblies along the way (fish hatches, companionway and steam winch)  These are very delicate parts and glad Chris includes some spares! 

Edited December 28, 2021 by AJohnson

[AJohnson]

Btw. sorry for the picture order, still getting "Error 200" on some pictures, so by time they upload, they are out of sync!

Edited December 28, 2021 by AJohnson

[AJohnson]

Few more updates on the planking phase on the little 'Nisha'  that I have been doing in the last week or so.  This is one of the areas I mentioned earlier where my copy of "Sailing Trawlers" by Edgar J. March has come in useful and led me down an uncertain path, resulting in a little bit of 'kit bashing'! 😮 

Pages 325 - 327 of March provide elevations, plans and sections of the 'Nisha' and the section intriguingly showed thicker 'topside' and 'bilge' planking.  So I have had a go at representing this on my build.  The actual difference in thickness at 1/64 is very small, but I thought enough that it might add a bit of interest if I got it at least partially right, I'm not really going to know how it looks until I have a coat or two of primer on the hull, at which point it all might get sanded flat again 😆, but worth a go.  I followed the level of the platform Chris provides in the kit for the bilge planking and the topside planking I simply started at the underside of the bulwark parts #43 & #44.  I cut some strip I had into thinner widths to get as near I could to scale of the original 6" wide planks, then using Chuck's dry heat method bent them before gluing in place to avoid the edges turning over along the plank lengths.

This batch of pictures show the process and the March cross section I referenced.  I have just completed the second planking and initial results look okay I think, I will upload these next.

Thanks for looking in.

Edited January 9, 2022 by AJohnson

[BobG]

Really nice work, Andrew!

[Andyrew]

Looking good Andrew, your planking is very neat and tidy.

[DaveBaxt]

Andrew. She is coming on nicely and what a cracking little boat. How did you find doing the single layer of planking?  I am assuming this is also done in pear and is it easy to work with? I also wonder at bending the planks off the medel and allowing to dry as I have always pre soaked my planks and then bend  on the model and dry using a heat iron other than edge bending which i do off the model ( Chucks method) Good luck with this project and I look forward to following your progress.

Edited January 10, 2022 by DaveBaxt

[AJohnson]

Thanks all for the likes and kind comments, hopefully later today I'll get chance to upload the latest pictures to show the current status. @DaveBaxt 'Nisha' is a two layered kit, second layer is 4mm wide Pear (much easier to work with than Walnut I have used so far in kits.), I just did the thicker 'topside' and 'bilge' planking first so that I could get each side symmetrical, once the second layer of Pear went in-between those they were far less pronounced, still a bit of work to make them look "scale", but as mentioned above I think I will need the assistance of some primer coats to reveal the overall effect.

Also when I said "dry" plank bending I did mean Chuck's method of just a dab of water on the top of the plank and let the steam do the work rather than soaking the planks proper.

Thanks again all for following.

[AJohnson]

This batch of pictures brings my log up to date with the planking progress, overall fairly happy with it, with the ever present "wish I had done that better" bits.  As mentioned on todays earlier post, I am going to need some primer coats to reveal the way my little modifications have turned out, but there are many obvious flaws in the finish that don't require primer that can be attended to first.  Out of interest to those who are following my log, the attached picture of the "Pilgrim" being painted shows the look I am after.  The 'bilge' planking is visible, the 'topside' planking less so, the subtle but still visible differences in thickness of planking are what I am aiming to replicate.  In fact the paint scheme is pretty much what I have settled on for my build, black sides, anti fouling (but no boot topping in white) only difference is the deck edge band will be in white.

As a side note I have replaced parts #39 (Stern frame surround)  and #42 (bulwark lower rail patterns) with thin strip from the Pear second planking that I cut to suit.  Nothing wrong with the kit parts, just a consequence of going down the route of following the Edgar Marsh plans of a thicker 'topside' planking means bulwark lower rail pattern would not sit flat and as a result the stern frame surround also needed reducing in thickness to match.

Next update will be me filling / sanding / priming (repeated x number of times) until I am happy or have  pile of sawdust to show for my efforts....

Edited January 10, 2022 by AJohnson

[niwotwill]

Andrew she's looking really good its showing off your work. And you're right about March's book it really brings many things that could be done. Ah kit bashing. I was going to bash Erycina but decided to leave the kit as Chris designed. You can see a large omission in the photo of BM45, below the bulwark planking is a 1" opening the length of the bulwarks for scuppers. Kits have no way to dry the deck.

One note on the wales and floors strakes is 1/64" makes a huge difference in the boats appearance, but too much makes a heavy appearance. IMO.

 

Looking very nice

Will

[niwotwill]

Andrew

I use Mission Models paint and as said above I tested for coverage and lifting with great coverage and not being able to lift with tape. I was spraying at 35psi but have found 25psi give a more even pattern and easier to use as it uses less paint. I used the thinned ready to use paint. 

 

Here's a picture of the paint used the white is for the boot line

 

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

On 1/10/2022 at 10:59 PM, niwotwill said:

And you're right about March's book it really brings many things that could be done. Ah kit bashing. I was going to bash Erycina but decided to leave the kit as Chris designed. You can see a large omission in the photo of BM45, below the bulwark planking is a 1" opening the length of the bulwarks for scuppers. Kits have no way to dry the deck.

 

Thanks for the update about your paints Will, I've not come across that brand this side of the pond.  But with your comment above you started an itch I couldn't shake when you mentioned the scuppers, as you say very obvious on the "Pilgrim" (BM45)  and shown on many of March's sketches and sections,  but how to include them?  I briefly flirted with trying to reproduce full length scuppers as the picture above, but then thought better of it as this would weaken the bulwarks in the kit too much I thought.  So I settled on sectional ones, between bulwark stanchions; that I have seen on some sailing trawlers.  So I set to with my Dremel and thinnest file I possess, admittedly my scuppers are a bit too wide, come out probably nearer 2" than 1" at scale, but hopefully not too bad as not full length.

Also sprayed on my first coat of primer, apart for the rough 'horrors' it shows up (especially in a close up digital picture!) I think the 'bilge' and 'topside' planking have come out okay and with more sanding etc. think will give me the look I was after.

[niwotwill]

Ah! the horrors of first coat of paint. It looks like you did a good job planking, I've done worse. Filler and sanding to fix. Your adaptation of scuppers is right on. When on the wind or towing the net the sat low to the aft. Pictures I've seen they are wet boats in weather so your scuppers are right on.

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

Quick update showing the sanding, filling & primer coats and first coat of anti fouling! For the sake of full disclosure, some pictures of the "ugly" stage when doing the filling and rubbing down, I took three goes at this process until I was happy with it, a fine balance I think between getting a good finish and not obliterating all trace of the planking!

Also at this stage I assembled and attached the rudder, a lovely little detailed section with laser detailed pear and PE parts, hopefully won't knock this off in later stages. 😖

Between the coming days of painting and allowing 24 hours to dry I have made a start on a small boat; wish I had known about Chris's new clinker built ship’s boats he released recently, but will do the best I can with this resin version, updates to follow!

Edited January 18, 2022 by AJohnson

[niwotwill]

nice Andrew very nice. The floor heavy planks show really well a great feature you added. What colors are you going to paint?

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

On 1/17/2022 at 11:12 PM, niwotwill said:

nice Andrew very nice. The floor heavy planks show really well a great feature you added. What colors are you going to paint?

 

Best Regards

Will

Thanks Will, the paints I'm using are "Colourcoats" from here in the UK, enamel paints I use a fair bit on my aircraft builds.  I marked off the waterline , masked and put down the first coat of black. Will see what that looks like tomorrow, can see the odd little area might need a flat down and touch up with the airbrush. 🤔

 

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and likes! 😀

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by AJohnson

[niwotwill]

Andrew the black is astounding and really shows off the scuppers. Well Done Mate!

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

Update tonight of the hull now it has been painted.  There are some minor areas to touch-up (as usual with my painting! 😮); where I have not quite got the masking right, but overall I think this is fairly close to what I wanted to achieve and looks similar to B.M. 45 "Pilgrim" in post #47, the black is Sovereign Paints' "Bomber black" which is not jet black, I think it looks like a slightly worn black paint which I personally like.  I will seal everything in a matt varnish at a later stage.

Also made a start on painting a few of the small parts.

Next up need to add the deck and start on fixing all those fiddly little bulwark stanchions! 

Plus work on going on the little ship's boat...

 

Thanks all for your continued likes and comments.

[niwotwill]

Good Morning Andrew

 

Wonderful job on the painting the colors look great!!! Your comment about masking is unnecessary as I can only imagine how hard it was masking at the joints of thick planks and thin planks joint must have been. WELL DONE

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

7 hours ago, niwotwill said:

Good Morning Andrew

 

Wonderful job on the painting the colors look great!!! Your comment about masking is unnecessary as I can only imagine how hard it was masking at the joints of thick planks and thin planks joint must have been. WELL DONE

 

Best Regards

Will

Thanks Will, some of the touching up due to the masking tape lifting the underlying red anti fouling paint, but only a few places. I’m watching your build closely to see how you do the masts and rigging l, so I can copy! 🤓

[niwotwill]

Andrew I saw how you were holding the small parts for painting and said "Oh Wow" what a great idea. I have quite a few clamps that have lost their rubber tips and now I'll use them to paint not worrying how much overspray.

 

Best Regards

Will

[AJohnson]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:53 AM, niwotwill said:

Andrew I saw how you were holding the small parts for painting and said "Oh Wow" what a great idea. I have quite a few clamps that have lost their rubber tips and now I'll use them to paint not worrying how much overspray.

 

Best Regards

Will

Morning Will,

Yes I have a collection of old 'abused' clamps I use to hold smaller parts when painting, saves me getting green fingers!  I do also use blutack or tape, just depends on the shape/size of the item to be painted.