Chaperon by John Gummersall - Model Shipways - Scale 1:48

[John Gummersall]

Yves,

 

Totally agree with you.....This one and King of the Mississippi (also a steamship) are really easy to plank compared to other ships.

 

It will get harder (for me anyway) as I build up the ship.

Edited June 11, 2022 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

Did I mention before that this will be a painfully slow log....   Summer is here and it seems the boat building business has ground to a snails pace.   

 

With the side of the hull planking complete, time to start planking the bottom of the hull with 1/2" x 1/16" planks.   Starting with the middle and work you way outwards.   Again very little bending and trimming of these planks to complete the bottom.   They more or less just fall into place.

 

 

 

just keep working your way outward...

 

 

 

Note the two holes in the bottom for the previously mentioned screws to connect model to the base stand.

 

Only regret here, as you have noticed, I did not stagger the bottom planks.    At the time I thought about it, but figured it was the bottom of the hull and it would be painted (no one would see it) so I thought I would just line up the planks.    Again, not a big deal, but the straight line just seem wrong.   I should have staggered the planks.   

 

Only part that requires any effort at all are the remaining pieces (below) to fill in the bottom of the hull.  But will a little patience and sanding, these pieces also fall easily into place

 

 

Below shows hull bottom complete and after an initial light sanding.   I still need to add the keel so I held off on a full sanding until the keel has been mounted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One item I noticed as the very end of the hull where the planking meets the end part of the hull (part 29A) looks kind of rough...  Even later on after a full sanding that area will probably still look unfinished.   I am not sure yet, but probably the solution would be to overlay this area with at 5/16" plank,, just to make it look like one piece.

 

I will see what it looks like later on after filling and sanding.

 

 

[mbp521]

Slow is good. We are a patient group, and it just means you are taking your time on a quality build. Beautiful job so far!
 

As for the bottom planks being lined up, a good sanding and a few coats of paint should cover it nicely. And if you are going to mount it directly to the base, they’ll never be seen. 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

Brian,

 

Thanks for bringing me back to reality....  To me looking at the stern of the hull, even before final sanding, it looks pretty rough.   But I forgot...while this may be the end of the hull, it is not the end of the ship.   That paddle wheel comes after the end of the hull.   So you are correct.... after final sanding the the addition of the paddle wheel, it will not be noticeable.

 

Starting soaking and bending the keel to fit the hull.  A few handy clamps and rubber band easily set up the keel for bending around the front of the boat.

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, the etching on the pieces that are supposed to simulate planking is really thin.   Not sure if it was just my model, but any coat of paint would easily fill in the groves.   I have been thinking (and worrying) since the start of the build about these thin etched planks and how to make the etch  lines looks like planking with out filling them up with paint.

 

A more experienced modeler knows all this stuff, but for me it is new.   Sent a note to Brian (mbp521) asking about this and he mentioned the solution is to use a scribing tool to enhance the etched lines.   Seems like a simple solution, but it was news to me.    Below is the etching tool I used.   It is a slow process, and you have to etch every time between paint coats, but in the end, the simulated planking looks pretty good.

 

Below are the pieces for the rear cabin structure.   The pock marks on the lower right wall are my fault.   After sanding, I use paint thinner too clean up the pieces before painting.    I normally use this as it dries fast and you can paint it fairly quickly.....   Problem was,,,, I did not wait long enough as I assume there was still paint thinner residue as the next coat of paint really balled up and had to be sanded down again.    Looks like I still need another sanding and coat of paint.

 

As for the CHPERON letters,,,, they are still a work in progress.   At this time I masked them off as a block and spray painted the white around them.   I have since gone in with a very small brush and added only one coat of white paint between the letters.   I need to add a couple more coats of white and then fill in the red and black letters.   It will take  a small brush and steady hand to complete those letters,,,,  We will see how it goes, but so far I like the result

 

 

And with letters filled in.    We had some very close friends over for the weekend and when she found out what I was doing she volunteered to add the Red, Black, and White for the letters.    Needless to say she has a very steady hand.

Below are the forward compartment walls.    One on the top left has the same issue as the larger wall above,,,, human error on my part with paint thinner.   Still need to work on that one, but the others seem ready to roll

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

After soaking and drying the keel, it was applied to the hull and a light sanding.   

 

 

 

 

It would seem the keel at the very end did not go on straight...  Not sure it is worth tearing up and fixing as no-one will see the bottom of the hull, but we'll see what happens when I take a closer look at it later on.

 

 

I mentioned earlier about the stern of the boat and being a little "untidy" looking.   Even after some sanding it still does not look right.   And even though the paddlewheel will cover most of it up... Just feels wrong to not plank it.

 

 

I know I said earlier I would not overlay this with planking,,,, but I just could not help myself.

 

 

 

Now on to the filler.   In may case the filler I use is called Gork's Goodfilla FIlla in-a-bag

 

 

 

It comes is a number of colors, but in my case I just choose Natural.   One thing I like about it is that it is water soluble and goes on very smooth.   To get a really smooth finish after application you can wet your fingers and rub over the filler spots.    The filler will re-activate and you can get a glass like finish.   Of course after it dries you it is also very easy to sand.    

Edited July 12, 2022 by John Gummersall

[mbp521]

Looking good John. If I recall (I'd have to go back and look at my build) I put a very thin piece of veneer over the stern to cover up the ends of the hull planks. After sanding and filling you cannot even tell it's there and hides the planking quite nicely. 

 

For the filler, I have never used powdered filler before, but it looks like I may have to try it next time.

 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

Brian,

 

If you are happy with the filler you use, I might suggest you stick with it.   I can not really say Filla in-a-bag is  better or worse than what you are using - just different.    I have had great success with Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler too.   And in some ways, for quick litter filler applications, Elmers is much easier and quicker to use.

 

Back to the build

Later on in the build, once the deck is installed,  a 1/16"x/1/4" rub rail strip is to be glued around the entire deck.  Problem is the deck (1/16" thick) overlaps the hull by about 1/8" on each side.   Thus the rub rail will will hang down from the deck with only 1/16" to glue the rub rail.

For someone with my limited skill that will pose a problem.   Probably way overkill, but for me it makes sense to increase the edge of the deck to better accept this rub rail.    I decided to use a 1/16"x1/8" strips to increase the outer edge of the deck.   The 1/8" plank around the decking pretty much takes up all the extra overhang space.

 

In the below pictures it shows the 1/16"x1/8" wrapped around the curved parts of the bow and stern, just to get the overall curve.   Once dry, they will be glued just inside the decking to make a better gluing surface for the later rub rail.

 

 

 

 

Once dry the curved pieces are glued onto the outside edge of the bottom side of each deck section.   Below shows the end result.   I have not seen this done in any of the other logs, so I guess this really is overkill, but it makes sense to me.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

I just noticed on  the 1/64" wood sheet (LC-24) there are three pieces with the name CHAPERON laser etched.   On all three pieces the name CHAPERON is missing the "N".   Not a big deal as I can somewhat easily add the missing "N", but since it is laser etched and all it would not look the same.   A quick note to Model Expo and a new part was quickly shipped out.   I really like that policy of Model Expo.

 

 

I am finally almost completed the hull.   Looks like I have one more final coat of paint to apply as there are still a few rough spots, but all and all, for a novice like myself, the hull is looking pretty good.

 

 

 

On the bottom you will notice I added two extra keep parts.    Even though I play to screw the hull to the frame I made earlier to work on, in the end I plan to mount the final ship on a glass shelf with no pedestals.   My other models in the glass case all just sit on the glass, so I figured this one would too.  Thus in order for the hull to lay flat on the glass, the two extra keels were required

O

 

All work on the boat is constantly monitored and supervised by a pair of watchful eyes.

While last last set of paint dries I have started playing with the boiler.  Note in the making of the main boiler frame I added some extra strips of wood inside just to give me a little extra gluing area.   Not really required and way overkill, but it sure makes gluing walls easy when you have a little more gluing surface

 

 

 

Here I also added two cross pieces, as the thin wood walls tended  bend in.   These keep the wall straight before the bottom was glued on.  

 

 

 

On the bottom of the boiler nails are to be use to simulate support feet for the boiler.   There are two problems here.  One is that the boiler walls are only 1/16" thick.   There is no way someone of my skill would be able to drive a nail into the side of a 1/16" piece of wood.   The other problem is that the supplied nails are too short.   The distance between the bottom of the boiler and the floor is only a little longer that the supplied nails.   Only solution I could figure out was to add a small wood strip on both sides of the boiler.   That way you have a much larger area to nail into and the distance between the boiler and the floor will be a little less - thus allowing more room to drive the nail into. 

 

 

Moving on to the smoke manifold, instructions call to start by gluing part 74 to 73.   From there you build the other parts (75,76,77) around them.   Problem I felt with that approach is that the most important part of the smoke manifold is part 75.  It must be perfectly flat to later on accept the smoke stack on top of it.    With all the weird angles involved with the smoke manifold, starting with 74 to 73 and building around them would make it pretty easy to end up with part 75 not flat.   Thus I started with gluing part 75 to 73, insured that was flat, and then build the other parts around them.

 

 

 

Thus the final smoke manifold.

 

 

 

 

Then after a little filler and paint,,,

 

 

 

One additional touch I wanted to add was the simulated top of the three boiler tanks as others have done.   It is a neat look.   Basically it involves cutting 3/16" strip off a 3/4" dowel rod.  Problem is, I do not have a table saw, but even if I did, I kind of like my fingers and not sure I wanted to take the challenge. 

 

Happily I had a close friend who has a table saw and not really in love with his fingers.   He took on the challenge.   For those interested, below are some pictures as to how we was able to complete this and keep all 10 fingers.

 

Get some very strong double sided tape.

Attach the tape to one side of a straight board

Peel off the protective coating 

 

Stick the 3/4" dowel rod to the tape.   

 

 

Then run it though the table saw - cutting 3/16" off the dowel rod.  Again,,,, this tape has to be strong.  We are not talking scotch tape here.

 

 

From there, cut the cutoff piece into 3 - 5 3/4" pieces.   Below shows the pieces attached to the boiler.

 

In front of the boiler doors is documented as ash pan, but the instructions only show a flat surface.   In order to keep the ashes from spilling out onto the floor, I added some little walls around the ash pan.

 

 

 

After a little paint, I see the extra piece of wood attached to the bottom of the boiler (with the feet attached) is coming loose.    I just now noticed that.   That probably happened when I was adjusting the nails to be all the same length.   Nothing a little more glue can't handle.

 

 

 

Now I just need to add the smoke manifold, boiler doors, steam gages, and safety values that this should be ready to go.    It will be awhile before the ship is ready for the boiler, but I wanted to get this little side project going while I was working on the hull. 

 

[Cathead]

Nice job. I agree that adding the boiler tops is a significant upgrade.

[mbp521]

Nice progress John.  One of the great things about this kit is that it leaves plenty of options for upgrading the features on it. I also agree, Model Expo’s customer service is top notch. Every time I have gone to them with a broken, missing or misplaced part, they have been Johnny on the spot with a replacement. 
 

Keep up the great work!

 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

Boiler tank doors have been added along with what I call handles to the doors.

 

 

Steam bar, mud tray, and backward facing dials have been added.   At this point I am going to hold off on the safety valves.   What I would like to do is have them attached to a pipe that winds around and eventually connect to the smoke stacks.   The challenge here (or me anyway) will be to get three holes drilled in a 3/32" pipe and have it bend around to connect to the smoke stack.   I plan to create that bent pipe and if successful then attach the safety valves to the pipe.    That might be easier than first gluing the safety valves to the boilers and then try to bend the pipe to match the valves.   All that will come a little later, I need to get back to completing the hull painting.

 

But before I do that, I was looking ahead and it would seen there is a little issue with the foreword compartment diagram.   Either that of I am totally confused....

I know I am not going to explain this well, but I will give it a shot.   Please ask questions if I am unclear.

 

In the below diagram I am only talking about part 38P, but it applies to 38S also.

The written instructions are show below in italics.

 

Begin by gluing 3/32" square strips to parts 38P and 38S. Do this
over the full size plan shown on plan sheet 1. Note that the outboard
sides of 38P/S will be down during this step.

 

The questionable part of above is there it says "Note that the outboard sides of 38P/S will be down during this step."

Problem is, in the diagram below, it looks like it is showing  38P with the outboard side up.

 

To me in order to maintain the correct angles for 38P/S, they should be reversed.   That is piece 38P should be layed (outboard side down) on the diagram labeled "38S Full Size" and piece 38S should be layed (outboard side down) on the diagram labeled "38P Full Size".   

 

Brian and Cathead.....Am I correct or really confused at to what I am doing here?  

 

[Cathead]

I haven't built this model, but I think I understand what you're asking. If you were to place 38S in the orientation shown in the plan, its outboard face would be up, not down. Same for 38S. 

 

The first question is how thick  38S/P are compared to the 3/32" strip called for? If the same, this doesn't matter. If thinner than the strip, then it does, because it affects whether the strip stands out from the flat piece or is flush with it, when looking from the outboard side. I looked at photos on the Model Expo website and couldn't honestly tell which way they did it. So I checked a few other build logs, which seemed to confirm (a) that the strip is thicker and (b) that it should stand out from 38S/P outboard. This would have been my guess as well, since it seems natural that a corner post would be thicker than the siding between it.

 

@RussR did it with the strip standing out from 38S/P (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21351-chaperon-by-russr-finished-model-shipways-148-scale/#comment-645826) :

Looks like @mbp521 (Brian) did it this way too (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/20408-chaperon-1884-steamer-by-mbp521-finished-model-shipways-scale-148-first-build-log/?do=findComment&comment=635188) :

 

 

 

So this would seem to imply that the plans are right and the written instructions are wrong; lay 38S/P out as shown, outboard side up, and glue the square strips so that they stand out from the flat part on the outboard side.

 

[mbp521]

John,  Eric has described it correctly and should be installed per the drawing and his instructions in the above post #42 from your log. There is a gotcha in there though, before you glue the corner strips in, align the pieces 37P/S up with the holes in the deck to make sure they go in properly. You can reference entry #11 on page 1 of my build log to see how I assembled everything and the trouble I had getting it all together. The picture that Eric provided is after the installation, entry #45 and entry #41 is the installation These are on page 2 of my build. I also posted the pictures below, but the build describes the process a little better.

 

Also, when you get to this point, here is the way that I built the vent pipe for the safety valves. I formed it up before installing the hurricane deck since it was a lot easier to access. Once the deck was installed I came back and installed the pipe. It was still a little tricky, but it was a whole lot easier without the deck in place.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Brian

 

 

 

[John Gummersall]

Eric and Brian,

 

I really appreciate both of you taking the time to respond.   I was looking at brucealanevans build log and looks like he followed the written instructions and reversed the pieces in the diagram as it appears his walls are on the outside of the posts.

Now that I have had time to think about this I do not think it is  critical either way - just depends on what look you want.   When I get to that point and start dry fitting the pieces one way or the other will call my name.

Again I really appreciate your responses. 

 

 

Brian,  

Thanks for heads up on parts 37P/S and the picture of the vent pipe for the safety valves.    Both will save me some headaches down the road.

[Cathead]

Glad Brian saw this and gave you a more detailed answer. I figured I'd jump in just in case you were antsy for a response, I know I don't check MSW every day and I didn't know how long it might take others to reply.

[bobandlucy]

All looks very nice, John- neat work!

[mbp521]

Glad to help out. If you follow the below link there are several contemporary photos of the Chaperon in her hey day. The link is to the University of Wisconsin - Madison La Crosse and they have an excellent collection of old photographs of not just the Chaperon, but numerous other steamboats, Some of these photos also show many of the changes Chaperon had through her career and a couple of them from back when she was the JC Kerr. If I am not mistaken, in some of the photos you can see the changes the area in question above went through over time. If anything, the old pictures are neat to look at.

 

https://search.library.wisc.edu/search/digital?q=chaperon&filter[facets][collections_facet~Historic+Steamboat+Photographs]=yes

 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

Brian,

 

Thanks for that link.   It is interesting to see all the changes over the years.    Speaking of links, the link you sent me in a previous conversation showing the 3D virtual walkthrough of the Chaperon is fantastic.   I really like it.   Anyone building the Chaperon and wanted to know what it really looked like need to visit that link.

 

          https://www.jensmittelbach.de/steamboats/chaperon/index.html

 

Actually, in the above link is shows the forward compartment walls.    Looks like the builder of the real Chaperon also followed the written instructions and reversed the parts in the diagram.   🙂

 

 

Not much else to report other than the final coat of paint is on the hull.   I am ready to put on the deck.    Like in your build, I plan to plank the first two decks.   I think a planked deck looks better than an etched deck.   Beside, "why do something easy when you can make it hard"?   Actually I say that, but planking the deck should be pretty straight forward.   I have the 1/32"x1/8" planking ready to do.    Just need to keep track of all the notches in the deck.

 

It is amazing what some filler and a few coats of paint will do to a model.   Covers a lot of sins... and lack of planking skills     🙂

 

 

 

 

Actually,,,, now that I look at it.... it probably is too good for a riverboat.    I am sure the real Chaperon never was this smooth.    I probably should have left a few plank lines  🙂

 

    

Edited August 15, 2022 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

With hull as good as I can make it, time to mount it on it's temporary base.   To me having a steady base for building is a must.   This way I can push and tug on stuff as the build progresses and not have to worry about the ship moving on me.

 

 

Before putting on the decking, this is a really good time to trim off 3/16" from the top of the keel to make room for the eventual 1/16" x 1/4" strips that form the rub rail and go all the way around
the deck.  Note trimming off only 3/16"allows for the 1/16" x 1/4"  trim strip that also cover the 1/16" decking.

 

 

Below decking is just laid on the hull at this time - not glued.   The area in green blow is some trimming of some of the extra trim I added earlier to make the gluing of the rub rail easier.

Last minute measure of the space for the eventual rub rail.

 

Port side of the hull decking attached.   A real "yard sale" of stuff used to hold down the decking  🙂

 

[MarcusWebb]

I noted something earlier in your build @John Gummersall where you used these screw clamps 

 

These look as though they're really useful, and I'd love to know where they can be found. I've tried a number of Google Searches, but to no avail. I don't suppose you've got some URL to look at where they might be found?

 

[Cathead]

I'm not sure where John got his, but Micromark (an excellent model-tool supplier) sells a similar-looking set:

 

https://www.micromark.com/Micro-Mark-10-piece-Planking-Clamp-Set

[John Gummersall]

Marcus,

 

Brian is correct.   I got them at Micromark.    You need to get these clamps.... They are great when a plank needs a little extra (shall we say) "persuasion", or in a tight spot where a normal clamp will not fit.

 

 

[John Gummersall]

Yard Sale stuff removed, Starboard side glued down, and Yard Sale stuff piled on the Starboard side.

 

Once dry and removed, ready for planking.       Just gotta love those nasty seams in the middle.   Actually, the seams in the middle not not much better.   I had always planned to plank the deck, so not a big deal.   I plan to plank with "1/32"x"1/8" strips.   The trick will be to keep track of all those holes and transcribe them onto the planking.

 

 

One thing I forgot to mention earlier when I was talking about the temporary stand the hull is attached to while building.    Note in green below, the stand extends a few extra inches to "somewhat" protect those skinny extensions off the back of the hull against something sliding up against them or moving the boat and accidentally sliding it into something.     Not fool proof, but hopefully will prevent some  tears.

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

Per instructions I epoxied part 57 to the deck and parts 51 A/B to 57.   If you are not careful and get to  think you know what you are doing, it is very easy to epoxy parts  51 A/B upside down (with the curved side up).   Ask me how I know that  🙂

 

Mistake has been corrected and 51 A/B are correctly epoxied with the curved side down.   After the epoxy set up the aft end of the deck was bent upward and glued to parts 51 P/S.

Still need to clean up some of the glue and touch up the paint.   The black epoxy will not be seen once the walls are up.

 

As mentioned earlier, I planned to plank the main deck and the boiler deck.   Below show the beginning of the very long process of planking the main deck.   Even though I do not plan to plank the parts of the deck that are not shown, it will still be a very long process.   Each plank simulates a 12' plank and is 1/8"x3".   For the caulk lines I used the usual #2 pencil on each plank.  On a 34" boat I am going to be at this for awhile.   I am using a 1,3,5,2,4 pattern and plan to carve out each hole in the deck as I go along.

 

To my simple mind, the hardest part of this 1,3,5,2,4 pattern is the bow section.   As the bow curves away, I have a really hard time keeping track of the pattern.    However, once the bow section is complete, the straight run down the hull should be much easier.  Famous last words  🙂

Edited September 7, 2022 by John Gummersall

[mbp521]

On 8/31/2022 at 10:11 PM, John Gummersall said:

it is very easy to epoxy parts  51 A/B upside down (with the curved side up).

Guilty. 
 

On 8/31/2022 at 10:11 PM, John Gummersall said:

As mentioned earlier, I planned to plank the main deck and the boiler deck.   Below show the beginning of the very long process of planking the main deck.

John, it is a very long and drawn out process to plank the decks and carve out all the notches, but it will be worth it. Once you are done, I think you’ll be very happy with the results and glad you did the extra work. That finger joint was my biggest gripe about the kit. I understand that it was done due to packaging and cost limitations, but I’m sure there could be a better way to go about it. Your Chaperon is coming along very nicely!

 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

Brian,

 

Thanks for your comments....  As I mentioned earlier, and as you have said, it is (and will be) a very long process.   I am about 1/5 of the way down the main deck.  We had guest over for the Labor Day weekend so shipbuilding came to a grinding halt.   

 

For those of you who plan to plank the deck, I really recommend using 1/8"x1/32" planking.    1/32" thick plans will not throw off an measurements that might effect the model later on, and the 1/8" width "more or less" matches up with the 1/8" etching on the planks.   Various wood thickness and such you will not be able to stay in the 1/8" etching lines, but they are a good guide to at least help you keep the planking straight.

 

In my case I tried to simulate a 12' plank, so my planks were 3" in length.    Planking a 34" main deck (and eventually the boiler deck) 3"x1/8" is a lesson in patience.  I am going "nuts" staring at planking and trying to keep the 1,3,5,2,4 patter straight.   I do not know if the Chaperon used 20' planks, but if they did, in the name of being more accurate (and not going crazy with planking), by all means use the simulated 20' planks which would come to 5" on the model.   You can thank me later.

[mbp521]

Hard to say what the plank length was on the actual Chaperon, if I’m not mistaken I went with 20’ planks myself. I think the Chaperon, like many others had her decks painted to protect against weathering, so if you were to look at the pictures of her there would be no way to tell what length they were. I chose not to paint my deck, just leaving the natural wood color. This is something that I have done on all of my ship models so far. Although not authentic, I like the way the natural deck looks. 
 

-Brian

[John Gummersall]

As you say the original Chaperon had painted red decks, but I too plan to have just stain and poly my decks.     After all the work, I have a hard time covering them up with paint.     As for 20' decks, I really wish I had done that.   Cutting, marking the edges, and gluing these 3" planks is driving me crazy.    A 20' (5") plank would have been so much easier...  And I guess more authentic too.   I am about 1/2 way down the hull.   I will post some pictures later today.

[John Gummersall]

Planking ongoing,,,,,   I really really wish I decided to use 20' (5") planks instead of 12" (3").   I am getting real tired of cutting, blackening, and gluing  each of the 3" planks.    Even though the 1/8" etched lines are very helpful with keeping the planking straight, with variations in the wood planks, it is very easy to  stray with the planking and get our of line.   Ask me how I know this  🙂   It is a rather large model with long decking.  Play close attention to you plank lines.

 

The black dot (marked in green) is where the little dowel attached to  the bottom of the boiler ash catcher is supposed to be inserted.   I assume this is to insure the boiler is located in the correct sport for the smoke stacks to fit into the holes in the boiler deck.  Somehow I am imaging alignment issues when I add on the boiler deck, so I did not attach the little dowel to the ash catcher.    I marked it with a pencil for general reference, but I wanted to have a little "play" as to where the boiler is located.   To me, pinning down the boiler to one exact spot, with all the other variables in ship building, somehow to is asking for alignment issues.   We will see if I regret this decision later on.

 

The area in red is space under the boiler and can not bee seen.   So no sense planking it.  However that space is much smaller than the actual size designate by the etched lines on the deck.   Test fitting the boiler with the supplied etched lines  I realized if I only planked to the etched lines, when looking at the model you would see the missing planking under the boiler.   This way when the boiler is in place, it will looked like the planks go all the way under the boiler.

 

It is also painfully obvious the variations of color on the planking strips.   Hopefully when I get to staining it they will more blend together...   We'll see, but not much I can do about it.

 

 

Instead of 1/8"x1/8"  boards all around the aft cabin area, I choose to use 3/32"x3/32" boards.    Probably way overkill  as 1/8"x1/8"  boards would probably supply ample gluing surface, but I just wanted a little extra gluing help.   I just know it will be lots of fun trying to square up the walls at the corners.   Hopefully the little extra gluing surface will help.

 

The boards in black below are the normal 1/8"x1/8"  boards and they do not go all the way to the designated end.   Here again I did not want someone looking into that area and see the boards.   Stopping short still provides plenty of gluing area at the end of the wall.   The wall itself will go all the way to the designated end spot.

 

 

 

Same issue with the main opening amidships.   The boards in black are 1/8"x1/8" and they do not go all the way to the designated end.   Again just to avoid them showing when looking at the finished model.

 

Similar to the amidships section in  yellow.   Same over planking the designated area to avoid showing areas not planked.    Not sure I had to do all the over planking, but easy do do now and do not want to risk wishing I had done it later on.

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by John Gummersall

[Cathead]

Personally I think the color variations in planking look more realistic and visually engaging, but that doesn't mean it's the effect you want!