Bluenose by ObviousNewbie - Amati - 1/100

[ObviousNewbie]

Hi all, it's been a while since I added to my build logs, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. While building Occre's Calella, I interchanged with another kit, Amati's 1/100 rendition of Bluenose. Got so caught up in working on both and life outside the shipyard I omitted to post regular updates, for which I apologise.

 

To try and get some kind of build log on here, I'm going to split up my activities per post, starting with keel and frames (and the first issues).

 

For reference, this is where she is today:

 

 

Hull finished, painted and varnished, deck finalised, masts are dry fitted, all yards finished, making sails now (a first!)

[ObviousNewbie]

Building Bluenose - Part 1: keel and frames

 

Although my experiences with my first Amati model were less than enthusiastic (Bireme build log), I really fell for the sleek lines and the history of Bluenose. After checking that there were indeed instructions and plans in the kit, I was quickly convinced and brought it home to the shipyard.

 

After studying the plans, I got to the keel, and ann issue presented itself:

 

 

The false keel had a serious warp. Normally I would count on the combo of frames and deck to straighten this out, but as the deck sits completely on top of the frames and is split in two, that was a no go. Tried wetting the piece of plywood and clamping it down for some days, to no avail. In the end I visited www.hobbyzone.pl, which had a simple slipway for sale. Using this, and some custom made supports out of pieces of balsa, I manage to straighten the hull enough to fit the deck:

 

 

So after a lot of measuring and trying, the basic shape was set for fairing and planking. She's double planked, but after my experience with Calella, I decided to try single plank again.

 

By the way, I'm very happy with the products from Hobbyzone, good quality, fast delivery, excellent customer service. I ordered some of their modular model storage spaces and the shipyard never looked so tidy 🙂

Edited February 21, 2022 by ObviousNewbie