Santa Maria Caravelle by GGibson - Ships of Pavel Nikitin - 1:48

[neilm]

Coming on just great. The kit is not perfect by any means but our modelling skills are what it is all about.   Lovely build. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

    Eastern Europe has a long history of sophisticated paper modeling of all sorts of things.  Of course paper is thin enough to be viewed as a two-dimensional material, and paper model design flows from how one can bend, twist, roll and otherwise join 2 dimensional components.  I wonder if  this background (school of thought or shared history?) is reflected in more recent kits coming from Eastern Europe.

    Model kits (non-ship) from U-Gears are laser cut on thicker wood stock, thus have a third dimension.  But the U-Gears offerings are built like puzzles without having to bend pieces (for the most part).  The Nitkin ship kits have a mixture of thick and thin wood parts, and the the planking does require bending.  The pre-cut shapes of all the planks likely correspond to a certain "perfect" hull shape (determined in the design phase).  The hull frames do have lines on each side to serve as a guide for how to fair them ... but get the builder only 'so close' to the theoretical ideal.  Fairing is a tricky (artistic, actually) process where not trimming/sanding quite enough versus going too far can be measured in thousands of an inch (or hundredths of a millimeter).

 

    Perfectly 'faired' hulls (whether frames or bulkheads, with filler wood or not) won't have any 'kinks' or 'dips' in planking (or springy wire used to lay over a hull in progress to judge the fairing process) put over the exterior.  A plank length designed to fit perfectly over an ideal faired distance will appear short or long in its place depending if the fairing along the hull covered by that plank is not exact.  There's the rub!  2-D laser cutting cannot pre-fair ship frames, and frame assembly also produces slight positional variations in the framing that even 'assembly jigs' (on smaller models) can't completely prevent.

 

    With regular plank-on-bulkhead kits, one must cut, shape and fit one's own planks from long pieces of planking stock to conform to whatever fairing shape the modeler happens to have achieved on the hull.  This may seem inconvenient to some, but the result will be appropriate for the hull being built.  The concept of a 'fully engineered' kit where all the shapes have been pre-determined and will 'fit like a glove' is alluring indeed - but I fear that it will likely remain something of a "Holy Grail".  We're forced to deal with at least a few assembly variables that still require a modeler to 'work around' a few surprises.  But isn't that what model ship building is all about?  So I wouldn't be too hard on Pavel because of the very high (and difficult) bar he's aiming for, and consider the 'partnership' of sorts that exist between kit designer and model builder.

 

    Consider the words of old Einar Billing, founder of Billing Boats:  "The most important point is that this kit is intended to be built, and not merely assembled.  In consequence, you must not expect the parts to fit together perfectly - it will be necessary to exercise skill and imagination in the building of this kit.  I have tried to make the parts as accurate, and the instructions as precise as possible - but thought and care should be exercised during the construction.  After all, any child can put a puzzle together.  I wish you a lot of success in building your model."

[GGibson]

Well, I've completed another phase in this Santa Maria build, so thought I'd post an update with the progress I have made and the pictures I have taken to-date.  At my last update at the end of December, I had not yet stained the outer hull, so it was time to do that.  I think I had noted that Pavel Nikitin had his own set of paints/stains that he was recommending but, being the poor sprayer that I still am, I decided to use more conventional stains and brush or wipe them on.  For the hull, I wanted a darker stain, so I opted for Minwax Honey wood finish.  I wiped it on the hull, then sanded and used some steel wool to smooth it out some, then applied a 2nd coat.  May do a bit more touchup before completion, as it is a bit "splotchy" in spots, but it gives a decent impression, I think, of how a 15th century ship may have looked.

 

 

 

Next task was to work on the main deck and quarter deck rails.  The kit's quarter deck rails consist of 5 sets of two rail pieces glued together to make the proper rail width. while the kit's main deck rails consist of 6 sets of three rail pieces joined to make its rail width.  The char on all of these pieces was removed the best I could using my Dremel with a 220-grit sanding disc.  

 

 

 

 

Once these were all glued together to form two sets of rails, the kit provided a sheet which was needed in order to cut and shape each of the rails to their proper form.  That was completed and then they were set aside for now, waiting to be stained and then placed once the decks were completed.

 

      

 

There is a back wall for the quarter deck that really isn't discussed anywhere in the pictorial instructions but suddenly shows up in a subsequent picture, so we added that now while also working on the quarter deck planking.  As the provided planks were placed on the quarter deck braces, there was a gap in the planking, so I cut an extra piece using the sheet that the planks came from and filled that gap.  The poop deck planking was also laid out.  Again, as is done with all of Pavel's sheet pieces, you can see the numbering on the planks for identification and placement but, of course, these were flipped/rotated when secured on the ship, so the numbers are not visible.

 

      

 

 

The rail system that was provided in the kit for the poop deck was a dark gray resin material.  Most of it would be covered by wood slats, but the decorative "X" supports were painted black in order to stand out a bit better.  The top rail isn't in these pictures, but you'll see it in later pictures.  The poop deck came out looking fairly well.

 

     

 

      

 

Now to the front of the ship.  I had previously completed the forecastle deck but have not yet secured it to the ship itself.  I had also worked previously on the braces that go under the forecastle deck, but they were a bit shorter than I wanted, so I re-did them so the braces extend out a bit more on the sides.  I stained the braces using the same Minwax Satin Antique Walnut that I used for the decks.  The black marks on each of the braces just helped me remember what side to face up during placement, as the forecastle deck will be placed on top and cover the markings, anyway.

 

Once the forecastle deck was placed and secured, I could then place the main deck rails and quarter deck rails that I had previously completed.  They seemed to go on fairly well, but I will need to look at filling a few gaps between the rails and the hull where needed.

 

    

 

But, with the placement of the rails, that pretty much completes this phase of construction.  I think the next project is to work on the vertical buttock riders that are placed on the hull along with the channels, and then there are several deck items to work on, including rails, ladders, the windlass, etc.  So, for now, this is how my Santa Maria looks. 

 

      

 

 

 

Appreciate those of you who have been peeking in with the likes, comments and advice.  Thanks...

[neilm]

Excellent work Gregg.  Coming on beautifully. 
Lovely build. 

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, neilm said:

Excellent work Gregg.  Coming on beautifully. 
Lovely build. 

 

Thanks, Neil.  Appreciate the follow and comments.

[grsjax]

Considering the missing parts and parts that don't fit right you should contact Pavel and let him know about it.  I know that some of his earlier models had issues that were corrected in later editions.

[GGibson]

Another short update... Trying to complete everything on the outside of the ship, so the ship's buttock fenders (is that the proper term for these?) were next on the to-do list.  Like almost everything else in this Santa Maria kit, these fenders were provided in the laser-cut sheets.  The plan was to pop these out and match two of them together to make the buttock lines thicker as they were placed on the outside of the hull.  In order to not mix them as I was gluing them together and fitting them, I made a little box chart to assist me in the organization.

 

   

 

There were also some design pieces included in the kit that needed to be placed on the hull and stern below the poop deck.  Since these were critical for the placement of the aft fenders, the pieces were secured on the ship's exterior with some CA glue.

 

 

The buttock fenders off of the quarter deck needed to be placed so that the kit-provided channel board would fit based on the spaced slots in the board.

 

 

In hindsight, I really messed up in preparing each of the buttock rider lines for placement.  They needed to fit smoothly over the wale strakes and, rather than cutting the wale strakes back to the hull where the buttock fenders crossed, I measured and milled slots into each of the buttock rider pieces.  Nice way to use my Proxxon mill, but it was not the best way to fit these vertical boards.

 

 

After they were milled but before final placement, I stained them, first with a pre-stain, and then with the same Minwax Honey stain that, of course, I used for the hull.

 

 

They were then secured to the outer hull with CA glue and the channel board secured, as well.

 

   

 

 

 

Still a bit more to do on the exterior, placing the nails in the buttock fenders, securing the rudder, and a few other things, but think I will work on the three decks' railings and ladders next.  Anxious to get this one done.

 

As always, appreciate the follows, the clicks and the comments.

[neilm]

Looking great. Coming along nicely! 

[mtbediz]

Very good work Greg. I have made two Santa Maria models before. I have build logs for both on MSW. If you wonder how I did things, you can check them out. Maybe you can find something useful there.

[GGibson]

4 hours ago, mtbediz said:

Very good work Greg. I have made two Santa Maria models before. I have build logs for both on MSW. If you wonder how I did things, you can check them out. Maybe you can find something useful there.

 

Thank you, Mustafa.  Appreciate the kind words.  And, yes, I have looked at your Santa Maria Mantua build.  Actually, I think I have looked at both, but have referred back to your Mantua build more frequently at various points. 👍🏆

[GGibson]

OK, another quick little update on what I've just finished...  Three of the decks (forecastle deck, quarterdeck & poop deck) have railings.  The railing pieces in the kit were in multiple sheets, so I popped them out, cleaned them up, and assembled each of them, noting the positioning of the posts so they fit into the predetermined deck slots.  Gave them each a coat of prestain and then the Minwax Satin Bombay Mahogany stain.  After they were each secured on the respective decks, it looks like I may need to give them another coat of stain before we call it good.  However, it's nice to see these decks continuing to take shape.

 

 

    

 

Working on the rudder now.  I'll show how far I've gotten today.  Again, like all of the wood pieces, I popped the rudder parts out of the sheets and cleaned up the laser char.  The rudder, like the hull, is double-thickness so parts were glued together and then fit to create the full rudder piece.  The kit provides a sheet containing the brass pintles and gudgeons.  These were popped out, cleaned up, and I began shaping them using my parallel pliers, which worked out well.

 

    

 

    

 

Will work now on where to position the four (4) pintles to the rudder and where to position the corresponding gudgeons to the transom.  A 1mm brass rod will serve as the pin for each and will be secured on the pintle so that the rudder slides onto the transom.  I will also be staining the rudder and hinges so that it matches as best it can, of course, with the hull color.

 

Baby steps, but steps closer to completion, so that's a good thing.  Appreciate the likes, comments and critiques. 

[GGibson]

Got a few more little things done, so... time for another short update.  A few weeks ago, I had placed the fenders on the sides of the ship, so it was now time to place the bolts (nails) in the fenders.  Forty-seven (47) of them on each side, if I am counting correctly.  Used a pin vise to create the holes that the trimmed nails were then secured into.  Looks nice with the faux bolts in the fenders.

 

 

 

I had also begun work on the rudder previously, so wanted to finish it.  Positioned the kit-provided rudder straps for the pintles and gudgeons to fit properly and, with the ship flipped upside down, it was much easier to secure the rudder in place until the CA glue dried. 

 

      

 

 

Wish I could get the brass straps to appear a little darker and may continue to work on that.  But, with the exterior work pretty much completed on this Santa Maria, it is time to get this on the cradle.  The kit provided a pretty nice stand for the ship to sit on.  So, popped out all the cradle pieces from the sheet, cleaned up the char as best I could, and then pre-stained it, stained it, and assembled it.  Still a bit undecided on if I want to permanently secure the ship to the cradle but will make that decision shortly.  Placing much more stuff on the various decks will make it difficult to flip the ship in order to drill the necessary holes for any permanent rods between the ship's keel and the cradle.

 

    

 

 

OK, time to work on some of the deck accoutrements. First, the three ship ladders.  The kit provides three sets of rails with slots already pre-milled for the steps, and a whole bunch of rungs/steps that were popped out of the sheet.  After cleaning up the char on everything, I noted that the thickness of the kit-provided steps was 3/32", while the pre-cut slots in the rails only had clearance for 1/16".  At first, I sanded a few of the steps at the ends in order to fit, but then decided to just cut some new steps using a couple spare 1/16" x 7/32" basswood strips I had available.  Worked much better, less frustrating to fit in the rail slots.  Assembled the three ladders, tested them in place and then stained them.  Will wait on permanent placement of them (and several of the other deck pieces) until I know placing them won't be in the way of anything else going on the decks.

 

          

 

 

One of the next pages in Pavel's Santa Maria Instruction Guide has a diagram of several deck pieces that require assembly.

 

 

The kit contains some small plastic-type pieces that were designed to all be snapped off a base from which they were created (the red arrows), representing various deck pieces and parts, including the windlass barrels, bucket rings, pump parts, and stove parts.  Unfortunately, the stove pot and pan were all broken in the kit.  So, my Santa Maria stove will only have the grates with no pots.  However, I was also able to make some buckets and pumps.  I was able to shape, as best I could, the circular slats to create the buckets and the pump covers, and then using my Dremel sander, was able to shape them into more rounded shapes.  At this scale, that'll do fine.

 

    

 

    

 

 

The windlass was a fun piece to assemble.  The Instruction Guide showed MULTIPLE pieces required for assembly.  

 

 

 

Like the other deck pieces, these will all be permanently placed in their positions once I am confident they won't get bumped while doing other work on the decks.

 

Another example of items in this Pavel Nikitin kit that suddenly appear in diagrams or pictures without discussion are the anchor ropes that go from the anchors through hawse pipes at the bow and are then secured around the windlass barrels.  It would have been much easier and cleaner to create these hawse pipe holes earlier, especially on the inside, under the forecastle deck.  

 

      

 

So, we will now work on the anchor rope and then get some of these deck pieces secured onto the deck.  Also, it's about time to begin working on the three masts for the ship.  Continuing to trudge forward...

 

Again, as always, thanks for the reads, the likes, the comments, and the criticisms.