USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76

[mtbediz]

Hello friends. I am here again with my new project 1:76 scale USS Constitution model. Of course, it will be a build from scratch again. While making the model, I will use the Constitution book as well as the kit plan of Model Shipways. Model Shipways' kit does not include gun deck details, but I will add the gun deck and its details to my model. My current thought is to make full rigging equipment except sails, but I don't know what the time will show us because it will be a long-term project. Again, as always, I am open to constructive criticism, comments, suggestions and recommendations.The pictures show what I have done so far and I'll continue to share as I progress. Kind regards.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by mtbediz

[Tobias]

I look forward to a new masterpiece, Mustafa.

[Matt D]

This is very exciting, Mustafa!  It looks like you're off to an excellent start.  I really enjoyed your Essex build.  I will click the Follow button on this one.

[GrandpaPhil]

Very cool build, Mustafa!

 

I’m looking forward to seeing it!

[Der Alte Rentner]

Greetings Mustafa!

I too am beginning construction of the USS Constitution, though I'm starting with the Constructo kit. I've done little beyond opening the box and beginning the research.  Someone else at this site completed the Constructo kit and I've read all 60 pages of his posts.  The first question I had for him seems to have been answered by you.  Do I add the keel, sternpost and stem at the beginning and plank afterwards?  Or Plank and then somehow fit the keel, sternpost and stem?  Before I even begin to glue the frames into the false keel, I want the make sure I have a rock-solid game plan for the planking.

 

I will watch with interest as you progress with your build.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

On 6/14/2023 at 10:21 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

Greetings Mustafa!

I too am beginning construction of the USS Constitution, though I'm starting with the Constructo kit. I've done little beyond opening the box and beginning the research.  Someone else at this site completed the Constructo kit and I've read all 60 pages of his posts.  The first question I had for him seems to have been answered by you.  Do I add the keel, sternpost and stem at the beginning and plank afterwards?  Or Plank and then somehow fit the keel, sternpost and stem?  Before I even begin to glue the frames into the false keel, I want the make sure I have a rock-solid game plan for the planking.

 

I will watch with interest as you progress with your build.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Der Alte Rentner

I always add the keel, stem and sternpost first but before adding them I cut the rabbet where the keel, stem and sternpost will be installed. This helps us a lot when planking,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 28 by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

Thank you so much for the likes and comments my friends.

 

I glued the bulkheads and put spacers between them. I always put these spacers as a precaution against warping the keel in later stages.

Edited June 16, 2023 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 6/15/2023 at 11:44 AM, mtbediz said:

I always add the keel, stem and sternpost first but before adding them I cut the rabbet where the keel, stem and sternpost will be installed. This helps us a lot when planking,

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Excellent suggestion.  I figured that out quickly today as I began working on the kit.  I downloaded the instructions for Model Shipways kit to see how those differ from the instruction book that came with the Constructo kit.  I also assembled a small library of material on planking.  It's slowly sinking in. 

 

The Model Shipways instructions refer to their plans to find the location of the bearding and rabbet lines.  I suppose I could purchase those.  The scale is different, but I imagine I could deal with the scale conversion easily enough.  It would probably be a good idea have those plans anyway as I've already found the Constructo plans deficient.  Clearly, I have my work cut out for me.  

 

I can't remember where I read this in the last couple of days, but I'm going to follow the advice to treat each step as a project on its own.  

 

Thank you for your reply.  Much appreciated.

 

P.S.  Scrolling through your photos I see you've done a nice job of fairing the frames, which will make planking much easier going forward.  The Model Shipways instructions again refer their plans for bevel angles to transfer to the bulkheads.  This is another deficit in the plans with my kit. 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Der Alte Rentner
removed removed irrelevant photos from mtbediz build log

[mtbediz]

I continued with the bow framing. Before glueing the gun deck I cut the openings for the gratings, ladders and masts on it and started the waterways.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Wow, you are progressing quickly.  I love seeing the details in the photos and marvel at the differences in approach between your plans and mine.  

Keep up the good work. 

[mtbediz]

On 6/18/2023 at 7:16 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

Wow, you are progressing quickly.  I love seeing the details in the photos and marvel at the differences in approach between your plans and mine.  

Keep up the good work. 

Thank you my friend. Do you have a build log? It would be interesting to follow for me.

Edited June 20, 2023 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

Not yet.  I spent the better part of the last week poring over the instructions for the Constructo kit and reviewing Hipexec's build log.  I'm really impressed with Hipexecs results but the deeper I dig into the details of the Constructo kit, the less impressed I am with it. 

 

As mentioned previously, I ordered the plans for the Model Shipways version.  I'll have to study those in depth before deciding whether to continue with the kit I have or switch to Model Shipways.  (I'm pretty sure already that I'll be switching boats in midstream).  Once that decision is made, I'll launch my own build log.  I imagine posting one has quite the motivational effect on the builder. 

 

 

[mtbediz]

I started the assembly of the gunport headers on the gun deck by completing the waterways. Like other modelers, I used spacers to keep the headers at the same height. I will add the cannons with full rigged carriages instead of dummy cannons on the gun deck.

Edited June 22, 2023 by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

Gunport sides had to be prepared in a parallelogram shape to fit perfectly. Using the extensions of the gunport spacer as a template, I marked the side strips and shaped them with a disc sander.

Edited June 25, 2023 by mtbediz

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Love the way you're proceeding with your project.  'Much the same way I often work ... cut to fit, bend to suit, and trial fit things - especially good for insuring that the cannon barrels will look reasonably straight and orderly when run-out.

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'm taking notes..  Excellent work.

[Sjors]

Finf your build 😀.

I have a little problem with the kit and you build it from scratch……

I will go on at the follow stand.

You are a little behind me so i will be slow down so i can see what to do.

 

Sjors

 

 

[mtbediz]

54 minutes ago, Sjors said:

Finf your build 😀.

I have a little problem with the kit and you build it from scratch……

I will go on at the follow stand.

You are a little behind me so i will be slow down so i can see what to do.

 

Sjors

 

 

Thanks for stopping by Sjors.

I will be away from the model until the end of August as I am out of town due to the Summer season.

[Sjors]

Then i’m on holliday to 😄😄(not)

Enjoy your vacation.

Where do you go to?

 

Sjors

 

[mtbediz]

3 hours ago, Sjors said:

Then i’m on holliday to 😄😄(not)

Enjoy your vacation.

Where do you go to?

 

Sjors

 

I am in neighbour city Antalya right now. Normaly I live in Mersin, Turkey 

[mtbediz]

Hello friends. After a long summer break I feel happy to be back at my shipyard. Continuing the construction of Conny.

The gun port frames on the gundeck are complete. The stern frames have been prepared but have not been glued in place yet. Since I'm going to make the captain's cabin visible, I modified the stern middle frames by going out of the plans.

The filler blocks were made for the stern and bow. They have not been glued yet either.

By the way, I tried making the gratings in a different way. I am quite happy with the result. It is also very simple to make and I will show you how I did it in my next posts.

Edited September 6, 2023 by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

In my previous post, I mentioned that I made the gratings in a different way. This method gave both easier and more satisfying results.

Of course, I am not the inventor of this method. I also saw it in another modeler's build log and I am sharing it here for my friends who do not know about this method. There is only one tip. The depth of the slots in the South-North direction and the depth of the slots in the East-West direction should be different so that a depth can be achieved.

Edited September 6, 2023 by mtbediz

[JSGerson]

Beautifully done gratings. They look exactly like the real thing

[mtbediz]

9 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Beautifully done gratings. They look exactly like the real thing

Thank you Gerson.

[mtbediz]

The openings on the gun deck (gratings, hatchways, and ladders) were constructed but have not been glued in place yet.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

By the way, I wanted to make a prototype cannon carriage and test it.

[mtbediz]

I painted the gundeck waterways green. The color looked different in the photos due to the lighting, but it is actually a darker green.
I started doing the inner planking of the gundeck side walls. First, I cut the planks to the same size, paint them white and glue them between the gun ports.
 

Edited September 13, 2023 by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

Most of the modelers who built the kit for this model mentioned the incompatibility of the stern frames in their build logs. I had to modify the outer frames on both sides, which was really incompatible, and align it with the others.

Meanwhile, the inner planking of the deck side walls has been completed.

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!