HMS Erebus by clearway - OcCre - 1/75 scale - bashed

[clearway]

Here i go again!!! After not learning my lesson with occre's Terror here i am with their Erebus (at least i know more about the ships this time😁).

 

Received the kit yesterday and as i suspected it is their Terror kit with a couple of amendments. This means the hull is 12mm too short, but i might just leave that as i am more inclined to alter the incorrect shapes of the frames towards bow and especially the midships to stern section -Matt Betts stated in his blog that the frames pictured were altered to stop piracy and i think it is these occre used when designing their Terror kit.                                                                                             Onto the kit - they have used M.D.F. instead of plywood (which seems the norm now for occre) for the longitudinal (keel) bulkhead while the frames and deck are in ply- the deck still has the bowsprit location for Terror which will need altered- another alteration is the shape of the forepeak on the stem/ keel/ sternpost sheet (looks like the style of the one on the infamous lithograph was used as inspiration). Also the etched brass sheet now has a nameplate added which looks like the style used on 'The Terror' series.  Everything else is what you get in the Terror kit which has an excellent review on here and also see Keith S and my build logs for our little Terrors (even before the kit arrived i had already bought two of the caldercraft 10 spoke ships wheels)!

 

Not sure when the build will actually start as busy rebuilding my outdoor messy jobs workshop.

 

Take care all

 

Keith

[jparenti]

Oh I’m happy to see someone reviewing this (since it’s pretty much a guaranteed purchase when I’m done with my Terror)! I was wondering how different this kit was from the Terror kit. I do like the nameplate being included (OcCre needs to release a brass nameplate for Terror that can be purchased separately, maybe something matching the one from the show just to be consistent…). I really was hoping the hull would be the proper extra 12 mm though. 

 

I wish I could find a vendor for the Caldercraft wheels, as much as I do like the Syren ones I’m building. I need to do something a little different for Erebus just to have some small differences anyway!

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in everyone -Due to good old Cumbrian summer weather (rain and wind)! got some workshop time😁- copied , enlarged  and printed out lines plan for Erebus as built from one of the books i have. I only have an A3 portable drawing board but using the "keel" bulkhead managed to fit the side profile with the base of the sternpost right on the edge of the paper, so luckily i can fit all the frames bar the stern in.

The red dotted line shows the outline of the occre deck piece , the two small arrows show where the fullest frames should extend to (frames 6 & 7 on model).

 

Did a small check with frames and the midship ones are bang on (plan shows outline including planks so a i reduced 3mm need off for frame width. Frame 9 and frame 5 (either side of midship frames) need made slightly fuller but still need to check frames towards bow and stern as well.

You can see how midship frame 7 (right) is o.k. if adding the planking width, but compare that to frame 9 (left) - i don't know why but frame 8 doesn't exist the part number 8 being used for the mainmast support piece.

 

Take care all

 

Keith

 

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

Due to more bad weather (is a couple of days of calm, dry, warm weather so i can get my workshop roof felted too much to ask) made more progress on Erebus.

The new frames have been cut out- ordered a sheet of 3mm birch ply from model hobbies- and will be sanded to final shape when hull being faired. Frames 5, 9 and 10 needing work- have left frame 10 with plenty of excess as hard to fine tune due to the sterns of Terror and Erebus being altered from original profile- anyone modelling Terror could alter these frames too to avoid that weird bulge in the hull.

Also cut out a hole for the bowsprit closer to the bows on the deck- glued the piece that you pop out for Terrors bowsprit and cut out a new angle between frames 2 and 3 on the keel bulkhead, and widened holes / slots for fore and main masts to accept wider masts as foremast and bowsprit should be 7mm and mainmast 8mm diameter (occre stayed with 6mm as with their Terror kit).

 

pic 1- original frames temp fitted:-

 

pic 2 - altered frames fitted:-

pic 3- new cut out for bowsprit :-

pic 4- new hole cut in deck for bowsprit (mast hole still need widened):-

i have also cut out some midship frames to glue fore and aft of frames 6 and 7.

 

I must admit if this all works out with the altered frames i am seriously considering Terror part 2!

 

Take care all

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

You guessed it- yet more rain so more work on Erebus! Have faired the frames - i will be doing the stern tuck like on my Terror and after that experience decided to remove more of the stern frame at the rudder post and add a piece behind it to allow the planking to curve up easier. In previous post if you look at altered frame 10 there is a dotted line- that was where i thought the outside face of the frame should be and turns out i was about right with my guestimate😁.

Thanks for the likes and looking in.

Seems strange working on the hull as when i was working on Terror which is identical frame wise in the kit we were in lockdown 1.

 

Take care all

 

Keith

Edited August 1, 2023 by clearway
typo

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in and the likes- a little more progress with the transom planked, think she is now ready for planking to start. On Terror i scratchbuilt framing at the bows and run the planks right up to the bows, this time i won't bother as second planking and plating will cover them anyways.

 

One nice difference with this kit is the rudder, keel and sternpost are laser cut walnut as opposed to stained ply- also the planks are actually long enough to run the length of the whole hull😜

 

It really doesn't feel like 3 years since i had my HMS Terror in a similar state on that mantlepiece!

 

Take care all 

 

Keith

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[jparenti]

This is coming along nicely. What book did you get your Erebus plans from? I'm still accumulating my Franklin expedition library one book at a time and I probably need a copy of the one you used for later.

[clearway]

12 hours ago, jparenti said:

This is coming along nicely. What book did you get your Erebus plans from? I'm still accumulating my Franklin expedition library one book at a time and I probably need a copy of the one you used for later.

I thought i had copied it from a book as i gathered loads of info regarding Terror and Erebus a couple of years ago when the other Keith and i started our Terrors and i had a few books about them, just had a look and for the life of me can't find Erebus lines plan among them so must have just googled and saved it on the computer! however looking at Terrors plans which are in Matthew Betts book and another i have they are more or less the same and as altering the Occre kit will be sufficient- to work out frame 10 i actually used frame 9 from the kit to mark out the lower frame at the turn of the bilge. Another way might be to use frames 5 and 9 from the kit to reduce frames 6 and 7 though will result in a more rounded hull.

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks to some summer weather last Thursday managed to get my messy job garden room felted😁 - which meant i could start on the planking this weekend (still around 4-5 planks to go but nearly there- after removing pins and sanding down will have to fettle the sternpost in. The railway vans in the background are 0 gauge.

Anyone who has built Terror will have noticed i have planked further up than occre state- this is because i want the bulwarks higher as just didn't feel right on my Terror.

 

Take care all and thanks for likes and looking in.

 

Keith

 

 

[clearway]

Thanks for the likes and looking in, the first planking is on and looks better without the weird bulge midships😁- did feel strange not running the planking from the stem and threw me out of synch a bit!

Next job is pull the pins and give her a good sanding (already done a little sanding on the forward frame and transom.

take care all

 

Keith

[AJohnson]

Hi Keith, that does look a big improvement and your profile does look much more like the plan lines. 👍

[clearway]

13 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Hi Keith, that does look a big improvement and your profile does look much more like the plan lines. 👍

Thanks- the one thing that never sat right when doing my Terror was the incorrect shape of the hull. 

 

Today sanded the hull, fitted the ply formers for the bow (still need sanded down) and having learnt from my Terror build started planking the deck using some finer planking from some of my billings builds.

Take care all

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for the likes and looking in- i have finished planking the deck and have the bulwarks in place, also sanded the formers at the bow though not fully to shape yet. The king plank is 5mm while the fore-aft planks are 3.5mm, the diagonals are 3mm (this is another thing i wish i had altered on Terror).

anyone building occres Terror or Erebus will notice the heightened bulwark evidenced by the two slots that should have been located in the two tabs (removed on mine) on the deck ply former- i also used an offcut of ply to heighten the transom.

 

Take care all 

 

Keith

Edited August 12, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

more poor weather = shipyard time😁- because i altered the stern from occres instructions  had to cut a slot in the transom planking to accept the sternpost. Also started on the shroud protector/ ice bumper- in my Terror instructions they had the distance from capping rail to bumper to narrow- they must have listened to Keith S as they have amended the distance (i had to add another 4mm due to heightened bulwark). On the sternpost i cut the ply former above the slot for the prop and added some walnut stock from my bits box- seeing as they had used laser cut walnut as opposed to ply used on my Terror kit i didn't want to ruin the finish the varnished walnut will give.

 

On the plans for Terror/ Erebus you can see the entry ways etc are way above deck level compared to how occre have them.

 

I was trying to figure a way of doing the ice bumpers better, but went with kits method in the end- however this time i am under no illusions as to how much sanding is in store for me this time!

 

Thanks for the likes and take care all.

 

Keith

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by clearway
missed info

[clearway]

The ice bumpers continue- only one plank a side to add now! For a change of scene i marked out and drilled the holes for the sunlights. When i compared occres 1-1 deck layout drawing compared to the admiralty plans they weren't far out- i only had to move the ones near the bulwarks a bit further inboard.

Thanks for looking in and take care all.

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in and the likes -ever had that feeling you have been here before! I stated in my Terror log that sanding the ice bumpers was like prison punishment and i am sticking with that statement😁- will be sneezing sawdust for a month!!! have trail fitted the replacement bowsprit and tried the forepeak in place - this will need the raised "humps" removed and fettled further down the stem. One thing i have noticed is that there is no slot for gammoning under the bowsprit on the admiralty plans of her so might actually remove material till the bottom of the gammoning hole on the forepeak.

starting to look a bit Erebus shaped😁

Take care all

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for looking in- i now have the keel pieces and altered forepeak glued in place- as already mentioned i trimmed it back below the gammoning hole to look more like the admiralty plans while altering the angle slightly to align with the altered bowsprit (also had to take a little off the scarph joints).

Sorry about the grainy finish but artificial light and my phone don't mix- OMG this means the long bright summer evenings are getting darker!

 

take care all.

 

Keith

[clearway]

Thanks for the likes and looking in, I have sanded the forepeak a little shorter along with shaping the rudder/ sternpost and gluing it in place. The other thing i am doing on Erebus i didn't with Terror is painting the shroud protector white instead of just varnishing- i will still be cladding the rest of the hull with varnished walnut strip though.

 

i feel the altered forepeak captures the look of Erebus better now.

 

Keith

[jparenti]

It definitely looks like the model in the Greenwich museum now. Raising the bulwark really helped for sure. 

[Swordfish073]

Hello Keith and thank you for posting your work.  There’s a model of Erebus at the Scott Polar Institute, too, along with artefacts from the expedition.  I’m starting Terror soon and will be following your progress closely.  Thanks for the tip on the Caldercraft wheels which seem to be more readily accessible in the UK.  I’d noticed the disparity in the instruction’s framing diagrams too so am really grateful for your comments.  Good luck with the project.

[clearway]

34 minutes ago, Swordfish073 said:

I’m starting Terror soon and will be following your progress closely

Thanks guys - Swordfish i recommend scrolling backwards through my HMS Terror log as well (though i didn't alter the frames on that one) along with Keith S and Daniel D s build logs.

 

Keith

Edited August 26, 2023 by clearway
typo

[clearway]

Little more progress with the inside of the bulwarks planked- also looking at the admiralty plans the entry way and gunports should be more square so sanded about 1.5mm of the top of the bulwarks. Also looking at the plans the forward opening or gunport in the bows should have a door or lid closing it- looking at the opening midships the draughtsman included any items seen through it but not the one near the bows.

 

Also any holes from heightening the bulwarks have been filled with scraps of wood along with half of the rearmost gunport. Openings will need planking filed back and tidied up.

 

Take care all 

Keith

[AJohnson]

That is looking very nice Keith, those Ice-bumpers/channel guards are really chunky.  Think you have the shape compared to the original plan/lines looking spot-on! 😎

[clearway]

15 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

those Ice-bumpers/channel guards are really chunky

Thanks- they certainly give Erebus and Terror a unique look.

 

Keith

[clearway]

The dark nights are really starting to close in now - twilight by 8.30pm now and still need to re-felt my mother in laws garden shed and fit the woodburning stove in my new outdoor messy jobs workshop (hopefully get some decent weather before winter sets in)!

Back with Erebus and i have marked and scribed some extra detail on the keel at the base of the sternpost (not 100%accurate but close enough).

 

Also started on the walnut 2nd planking from the bumpers up- on my Terror it took 4 planks, on Erebus there are 6- its interesting seeing how the 4mm x 1mm stock left over from the terror build has oxidised to a lighter shade.

on the bows below the bumper i will most likely add slightly diagonal planking below where the iron sheathing will be like on my Terror build

 

Take care all 

 

Keith

[AJohnson]

Good luck with the remaining garden jobs before Autumn arrives, after all Keith you live in one of the driest place in England! 😆  My shed re-roofing will have to wait until next year now, other events in the house have taken over this year.  I admire the neatness of the first planking close-up picture of the stern, so looking forward to seeing your second planking.

[clearway]

33 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

you live in one of the driest place in England!

🤣🤣 we were the only place in England that didn't suffer any kind of drought last summer😁. Thanks for compliment on planking

 

Keith

 

 

[theoracle09]

Keith your Terror build is awesome to go through (I'm still reading through it) so I'll pull up a chair for this one too. I like the changes you're making, and everything is coming together nicely!

Edited August 31, 2023 by theoracle09

[clearway]

20 minutes ago, theoracle09 said:

I like the changes you're making, and everything is coming together nicely!

Thanks and the same goes for your Endurance (i should really kickstart mine again..... too many builds sooooooo little time)😱

 

Keith

[Keith Black]

 Keith, I just saw that you have this build underway. Sorry for being late, catching up as we type. Looks like a lovely build.