Frigate Essex by Rafine - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Kitbashed

[augie]

McMaster is great.  Micro Mark can also provide any number of a specific size bit.

[mtaylor]

Quick aside and then back to the build.  Yes, suppliers web addy's can be posted.

[rafine]

I have now completed one side of the inner bulwark planking. To begin with, I added some filler pieces to the edge of the false deck to cover up the sizing errors. I used material from the laser cut sheet from which the deck had come. After that, I cut, and bent as necessary, boxwood planks for the spirketting below the gun ports and installed them. Following that, I made up three plank units of boxwood to fit between the gun ports for the quickwork and installed them. Lastly, I did the boxwood planks for the waist, forecastle and quarterdeck clamps. Planking of the forecastle and quarterdeck bulwarks will be left until the framing for those decks is installed later.

 

All of the planking has caulking simulated with pencil on one edge and one end of each plank. I did not do any treenailing since I expect to plank this side of the upper decks and such work will be totally invisible. The caulking was done out of force of habit, although it too will not be seen. I finished the work with a coat of Wipe-on Poly.

 

I'm now starting on the other side, which will be at least partly visible after the upper deck framing and planking.

 

Bob

Edited March 29, 2014 by rafine

[augie]

Very neat work.  Are you planning on painting the inside of the bulwarks or staying natural?

[j21896]

Hi Bob,

 

Take some boxwood, add your modeling skills, and you've got a pretty good recipe for a beautiful ship model.  

 

Robert

[Gahm]

Beautiful work, Bob!

 

Thomas

[rafine]

Thanks all for the nice comments and the likes. Always appreciated.

 

Augie, the interior planking will be left natural.

 

Bob

[augie]

Thanks, Bob.  I don't know how others feel about that but I like the thought.  You've got the skills to pull it off.  I'm going to keep it in mind.

[Chenequa]

I just had a go round w/ME.,  I ordered a replacement board with the stern frames on it, as I broke two getting them out.  At first I was told they had stopped shipping replacement parts for the model.  But when I told Tom Snow that I was sure that particular board was OK, he relented, after apparently talking to a supervisor.  However, sometime next week at the earliest.  He claimed to be unaware of the problems with the kit.

 

Ah well, continue someplace else.

[rafine]

Seriously,Terry,  stop now unless you are prepared to basically scratch build the model without accurate scale plans to work from. That's where I am. The kit's errors just feed on themselves as you go forward

 

Bob

[Chenequa]

well I'm sure you're right, but I'd like to see if I can get through the GP's and then see about planking.

 

However, I'm surprised that ME hasn't recalled all the kits and offered us either a refund or a credit toward future purchases.  Yours look really good, but I'm not in your league, but have enjoyed using your pics as a guide.

 

I've got another kit to do, so perhaps I'll wait and see what they do.    Tearing up what I've done so far doesn't seem practical either.  I was about to correct the BHs I can see aren't right, before I started the GPs.

 

Thanks for the advise.  I'm up in Stuart, FL.

 

Terry

[twintrow]

Terry

If Stuart is near enough drive over to Hollywood and talk with Eric Snow (his name is Eric not tom) about the issues with the kit.  I've always found him to be a good listener and tries to be as helpful as possible.  May not hurt to show him so of the comments being made about the kit.  I would hope he would see it as a way to generate some good PR.  Since Frank retired I guess the parts dept. isn't as responsive as it was under him.

Tom

[kb466]

I think Model Expo and Sam, the kit's designer are well aware of the problems with the Essex kit and are working hard on doing fixes. Sam has said he hopes to have something early next year. They are saying that they will supply customers with the new and corrected parts. Personally, I'd rather have the corrections over a refund because I really want to build an Essex and I do not want to return the kit. If no corrections are coming, which doesn't seem to be the case, I'll keep the kit and make do with what I have.

Bill M.

[Chenequa]

OK I'm convinced!  I'll put it on the shelf and move on to another.  Meanwhile wait and see what ME does for us.  I also want to build the ESSEX.

 

Good luck to all.

 

Terry

[hamilton]

Hi Bob:

 

Glad to hear you're leaving the inboard bulwarks natural - they look great and it would be a shame to cover up your beautiful work! Too bad also to hear about the continued issues with the kit.....but it seems you've been able to channel your frustrations into a really fine build

hamilton

[rafine]

Thanks Hamilton. I suppose it's a little funny that I advise others not to do the kit ,while pushing ahead myself.

 

Bob

[hamilton]

Well - at this stage there's no turning back - besides it's a good friend who, after falling into the crocodile pit, is kind enough to put some signs up around it - in any case, I'm sure it's not for fear of competition! 

hamilton

[Chenequa]

well, as I said before, I took your advice and will wait on ME....started the Emma .......this PM, while I tape the struggling Packers play Atlanta.

[rafine]

Thanks, Hamilton. I really had been hoping for others to do the build at the same time so that we could help push each other along. Having said that, Terry I think you made the right choice. Good luck with the Emma.

 

The bulwark planking on the port side is now done. Everything was done the same as on the other side. As usual, having done it once made the second effort go a little quicker and easier, though I have to admit that knowing that more of it would remain visible probably made me a bit more careful this time.

 

My plan is to now do the stern windows and finish the outer stern planking, and then do the inner stern planking and cabinetry. That will be followed by the gun deck planking. 

 

Bob

Edited March 29, 2014 by rafine

[Sailor1234567890]

Beautiful job you've got going there. I look forward to "graduating" to wood. Still at the plastic stage.....

[Rustyj]

Hi Bob, I always enjoy your updates and that’s a very nice planking job. It is a shame

you are going at it alone but then your log will be a great reference for all who will

build her once the “issues” are corrected.  

[augie]

Don't rush Sailor.  Plastic is an art form all to itself.  As mtaylor always says, 'the wood is patient'.

 

Bob-  really sorry I didn't join you on Essex but, as it turns out, you're the perfect person to get through this problematic edition.  You're doing her proud and, with Sam's rework, we should see a really fine kit down the road.  Always a pleasure admiring your work.

[rafine]

Thanks guys for the nice comments and the likes. I'm looking forward to the next couple of items of work from the relative monotony of plank, plank, plank.

 

Bob

[Chenequa]

what lovely work...I'm impressed!

 

Terry

[Blue Ensign]

You surely have moved along since I last looked in Bob, very nice progress, those ports and inboard planking looks excellent.

 

B.E.

[rafine]

Thanks B.E. Always good to have you looking in.

 

Thanks Terry.

 

Bob

Edited December 12, 2013 by rafine

[rafine]

I've done the stern windows and the inner stern planking around the windows. Since I wanted to have something that would look right on both the inside and outside and since the kit provided 10 laser cut frames for the 5 windows, I decided to do something a little different. I decided to build up window "sandwiches", consisting of 2 frames with a piece of clear plastic between them (I'm sure that I've seen this done somewhere on MSW). With some thickness sanding, this created a perfect fit for the depth of the stern frames.

 

As I had indicated early in this log, the width of the stern frames was excessive and this required some careful filing to open the spaces between the frames to get the window frames to fit. The window frames were painted white after they were sanded to fit. I then glued in the outside window frames, placed the the clear plastic behind them and then glued in the inside frames. This was all going well until somehow I managed to have an inside frame jump out of my grasp and become a permanent resident of the ship's hold. As a result, I had to make a replacement from strip wood. Thankfully, it's on the side that will be covered by deck planking and not visible.

 

After the windows were installed, I chose to do the planking around them on the inside. This was done with boxwood, finished with Wipe-on Poly. I've started on the Great Cabin cabinetry. That and the exterior planking around the windows will be the next update.

 

Bob

 

 

Edited March 29, 2014 by rafine

[samueljr]

Bob,

 

Really nice touch on the windows. I lost count of how many of those little buggers I broke durring my build...........

 

Sam

[j21896]

Those windows look great Bob!!

 

Robert

[KenW]

I'm really impressed with those windows.  Your craftsmanship is outstanding.  Gives me something to strive after.

Great work.