The Black Pearl by Twokidsnosleep (Scott) - Zvezda - 1/72 scale - PLASTIC

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ever notice how when you use a garden hose or an extension chord, those buggers will form an unreleasable knot spontaneously?

Ya well not the same rigging up ships I have found!

This is a two tweezer, often cursing, battle Royal…actually not that bad just being dramatic, but threads sure do what they want and not what you want.

 

So I am putting in the upper deck cannons

I added a black wire pin and drilled a deck hole to anchor those suckers on tight

 

then the beautiful ropes of scale tan rope 0.45mm as a breech line 

 

 

 

the reference photo

I may add in the tackle lines, but things get pretty small and busy….we shall see
I kept the ropes tan to highlight them a bit more vs the black few I started with.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Yahoo, got my ropes of scale order in

These are the shrouds and such…forgot to get some smaller diameter for ratlines, so will need to order again

 

I did a bit of dulling in the ropes with this flat clear varnish. Seems to work well to take that slight gloss shine off the ropes

takes off the shine and makes it look less toylike

Edited July 7, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

I have not vanished the project is still alive, just summer duties have had precedence.

she got out on the desk last night and some minor internal paintwork done 

Good to get her out and fondled a bit to get the modelling mojo moving 

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Old Collingwood]

More excellent work   - loving it.

 

OC.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Some time at the Pearl...

Rats nest of LED wiring to sort and fish though the keel and then hide in the upper decks

 

Then a test fit of the decks, mast and the plumbing of the wires

 

[Twokidsnosleep]

After covering the rats nest of wiring with the deck I am now detailing the captain’s cabin before closing it in.

There are two LED’s that colour shift through the spectrum and I have 3D printed some furnishings 

Test fit here

 

 

Then I made some bookcases; one will be will be an alcohol storage cabinet and the other is chart scrolls. Another is for books

 

Those bottles are shapes from a resin test file that just happens to look like small bottles. Add a bit of clear green or orange and you have rum and wine bottles

 

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Jeff T]

Very nice!  👍

[Twokidsnosleep]

Desk globe, map and some bottles. Skull candle holder. Everything here is SLA 3D printed

 

 

[Twokidsnosleep]

Messing around arranging stuff in the captain’s quarters

 

 

 

[Jeff T]

Detail is amazing.  Adding Elizabeth Swann is a nice touch, too!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Last good views of the captain's quarters before I closed it over with the bridge deck. It gets a bit busy in there.

Will make the two side windows removable with mini magnets likely

Other than the canons and Barbossa figure, everything is 3D printed

 

 

 

 

 

[Twokidsnosleep]

I have done more at my workbench this past couple weekends than I have for months!

Feels like some good progress as I finally button up the hull and get all the decks in place permanently. Perhaps the rigging by Christmas vacation??

The last of the cannons were put on and their ropes added.

Then I started refining the areas of the deck that had gaps with thin 'planks' of white styrene.

Once these are properly painted, they will disappear. I have a few areas I need to close up due to fitment issues, mostly of my own doing. The railing still has to be repaired from a tumble the ship took.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Buttoning her up more

Some lovely mouldings for the stern of the ship and addition of the lamps with a quick electrical test

 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Filling in open spaces with white styrene planks on the bridge deck and the stern.

These were my fault for not test fitting well before gluing and for gluing in horizontal and vertical parts separately.

 

This was quite a gap on the stern, but that is where the window needed to sit. Would rather take up the slack with a styrene plank than mess with the window.

 

 

These will get primed, painted and oiled up and disappear.

Edited November 27, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Some Christmas time modelling 🙂

Detailing the cannon doors and their rope line system. Messing with the hull and some paint blending and weathering tests

Blackening the planks and then adding the sea spray, verdigris and rust areas

 

Darkened and weathered the small boat up a bit too
 

 

 

[Twokidsnosleep]

A pre-rigging exercise over Christmas break

Tried to make some wooden blocks. This is Alder wood, a hard wood I used for a cabinet front

 

 

 

a brass rod as the internal pivot and a wood splice back into the base for strength else those sides will split

 

Then some wire bending and soldering the loop for strength. That is the kit part in the photo. The loop for the rope line is not one piece of styrene but two halves. I felt that was going to be way too weak for the ropes of scale.

Edited December 26, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

The lanyard for the bow sprite is what this will become, #44 and on what I believe to be the forestay line

Stringing them together with 0.7mm black Ropes of Scale rope

comparison vs the kit lanyard

 

Then dipped in flat ‘magic wash’ for the burnt Pearl effect

Edited December 27, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

I have tried making some smaller blocks so I can stay closer to scale

Just trying to get in the ballpark of the kit ones 

I don’t plan on making all the blocks in wood, just ones in very visible locations

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

I have knocked off on lamp and bent both the others🙄

 

 

Off they come before I damage the entire wire. I will add  new lights and wire them and make better attachment points

 

 

Rigging the last lines on the canons, one side of the out haul tackle lines done

Threaded  0.5mm brown lines were challenging.I need to do some clean up and flat everything

 

[Old Collingwood]

Great work  -  really  impressive.

 

OC.

[Twokidsnosleep]

On 1/2/2024 at 8:20 AM, Old Collingwood said:

Great work  -  really  impressive.

 

OC.

Thanks OC

I am trying to get everything done on deck before the rigging starts. Likely just delaying the process

Final canon pics

 

 

I am working on the belay pins for the rigging to make them out of brass instead of plastic to avoid breaking off on me later

 

 

Edited January 3 by Twokidsnosleep

[oakheart]

24 minutes ago, Twokidsnosleep said:

Likely just delaying the process

I know the feeling. I am struggling with a scratch build of a cutter in wood, can't decide whether to rig or not.

 

You have inspired me with your excellent build, I will have to get and build this kit. 
I need to watch the movies again to get in the mood.

 

Tim

[Twokidsnosleep]

Remade her building berth, the foam was sagging and she nearly fell a couple times

Some wood, some leather, some glue 

 

 

 

Edited January 9 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Making belaying pins

 

brass rod, solder top

 

brass tube

Shape and telescope together 

 

 

I am thinking these will be a bit stronger for the rigging

[Twokidsnosleep]

Finished shaping belaying pins on a makeshift mandrel and spinner

 

 

 

[Jeff T]

Nice and sturdy!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Good to take a step back and see the forest for the trees so to speak

 

 

 

Quiet Sunday afternoon primed the belaying pins tan and then a thin layer of burnt umber  by Aqueilung. 

I usually use Windsor Newton burnt umber but it is running out so I tried this Abteilung for a slightly different contrast colour as it is lighter. Nice fine pigments and it dries quick so I will get  more of them. Oils are nice to work with  as you can thin them out well and not clog up details.

 

Edited January 15 by Twokidsnosleep

[CDW]

Those look very convincing with oils. I need practice with oils. I have the materials but need to start applying them to learn the ins and outs. Any tips starting out?

[Twokidsnosleep]

1 hour ago, CDW said:

Those look very convincing with oils. I need practice with oils. I have the materials but need to start applying them to learn the ins and outs. Any tips starting out?

Indeed

They are super easy to use, just need a bit of patience to let them dry.

I often paint on Sunday  and let it sit for a few days over the work week so I don't f with it

 

Quick tips

Place a little blob of oil paint onto a bit of cardboard...it will soak out some of the linseed oil and let paint set faster

For say making leather or wood effects an acrylic light tan primer layer down first. You can put clear orange tamiya over that primer too

Thin oil burnt umber or sienna and mind your brush strokes direction so they look like grain over top that primer/orange

You can wipe some of the oil away to expose the under layers, gives convincing wear

So many good videos on it, will post some links later

 

This is my favourite video from Plasmo, awesome guy. He started my desire to use oils. I have this airplane kit and want to duplicate the video.

Will is annoying a hell, but has some good tips

 

Edited January 15 by Twokidsnosleep

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ok so here we go starting rigging 😱

 Starting with the Standing Rigging, saw that the main mast has these huge dead eyes on its line

8

 

 

So off to the garage and the lathe to make some appropriate sized ones 

Then lacing up the deadeyes and a temporary placement of the line.

I muffed the spacing a bit as one of the eyes rotated on me as a I glued in the line.

 

Edited January 23 by Twokidsnosleep