HMS Beagle by brunnels - OcCre - 1:60 - first build

[brunnels]

Hello all, I got a start on my first wooden ship model over the weekend.  I have had a great time so far, with a few frustrating moments created by myself, an injury at the dockyard and a realization I am terrible at small scale painting. 

 

I do have some modelling experience, I built quite a few plastic model airplanes, cars, and military equipment in my youth so I do know some techniques but it has been 20 years since my last model, and as I have found out wood is a completely different animal.

 

I do have some questions on the paint colors, other than the picture on the box it doesn't seem like there is any guide in the instructions on what color parts should be painted.  I bought a paint kit for HMS beagle from Model Expo, but I'm just not sure what colors should be used for, I could definitely use a hand explaining some of these colors I have never heard of. 

 

I'm still learning sailing/ship terminology so please be patient If I name something incorrect. 

 

Anyways here is my start on the HMS Beagle log.  

 

Here are the colors that came in my kit, any help on these would greatly be appreciated.

 

 

Here is the assembly of the skeleton of the ship, nothing much to look at yet just lots of glue and making sure pieces are squared away. 

 

 

Once I had the frame glued together my next step was to start planking the deck. I used a pencil to line the boards, and then lined them at 60mm and added nails.  I know the pencil caulking and nails are controversial, but I wanted to try the process out for myself and see how it looked.  Veterans of this kit will notice a mistake I made at this point, I still wouldn't notice it for another night.

 

The next day I started to assemble to fore and aft interior ship walls and started to add planks to the walls. 

 

After dinner I sat down and started to look over the instructions, I then noticed my deck looked "off" compared to the instructions, and it hit me that I got a little carried away trimming the deck cutouts.  Maybe I shouldn't watch American Football Playoffs while I work on the model......

 

This is where the dock workers should have stopped for the night and started fresh the next morning.  A little frustrated at my mistake I decided to try and see if I could pull up a few of the planks and replace them.  The only tool I could find to fit the job of prying the piece up was a razor blade, I got one piece up without too much trouble and then started on the second piece.  This is when the razor blade slipped out from the wood and straight into my right hand behind my thumb, it was a very deep cut.  The dock medic quickly came over and we cleaned the wound and closed it up with some super glue, no workers comp granted for this dock worker.

 

Getting back to the model I decided just adding planks on top of the old planks and sanding them down a bit was the safest solution.  The spouse says you can hardly notice the mistake, but as most model builders know your own mistakes are the most obvious.

 

I also finished planking the fore and aft walls, you can also see a closer view of my correction, not super noticeable from afar, but if you inspect closely you can see the extra wood.  

 

Next up was the doors.  I wasn't a fan of the solid laser cut brass doors and couldn't find much info on what color the doors should be so I settled on using the American Walnut paint (not stain) that came with the kit and giving it a white outline to kind of match the ships color.  I have not painted with material this small in a long time, and I understand why so many of you have magnifying glasses now.  My doors look terrible, but I came to the conclusion that it was the best I personally could do with what I have, and to not spend too much time getting hung up on them.  I'm still not satisfied and may come back to them, but I'm really not sure I will be able to do much better. 

 

That's all I have for now.  If you read through all of that, I appreciate your time.  I am new to the hobby so any advice, tips, hints are greatly appreciated.  Being a new student is one of the most fun parts of a new hobby.  My main lesson I've learned so far is you really need to pay attention to the instructions on these kits, and I am starting to follow other Beagle build logs to help along the way. 

 

[RossR]

This was my first ship also.  Have you been watching Occre’s YouTube videos on building this ship?   

[brunnels]

20 minutes ago, RossR said:

This was my first ship also.  Have you been watching Occre’s YouTube videos on building this ship?   

 

Yes I have been watching, although I guess I wasn't paying as much attention to their videos as I thought I was. 

[Cathead]

Building wooden kits takes a LOT of attention to detail; it always amazes me what I forgot, overlook, or screw up no matter how much I think I've been paying attention! Just keep your head on straight and plug away.

 

If you're not satisfied with your doors, you could try making new ones from thin pieces of scrap wood. These might be easier to paint cleanly than a single brass piece. You could even consider using a single piece of wood and using a thin pen or pencil to draw in the framing.

 

Beagle is a neat ship and I look forward to seeing how you make this model your own!

[mikegr]

Here is series of a full build of Beagle

 

 

[brunnels]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

Building wooden kits takes a LOT of attention to detail; it always amazes me what I forgot, overlook, or screw up no matter how much I think I've been paying attention! Just keep your head on straight and plug away.

 

If you're not satisfied with your doors, you could try making new ones from thin pieces of scrap wood. These might be easier to paint cleanly than a single brass piece. You could even consider using a single piece of wood and using a thin pen or pencil to draw in the framing.

 

Beagle is a neat ship and I look forward to seeing how you make this model your own!

I'm definitely considering making my own, I saw another build log in which someone went that route and it looked like a great alternative. 

[brunnels]

1 hour ago, mikegr said:

Here is series of a full build of Beagle

 

 

I have started watching this series as well, he seems to give lots of great tips for beginners. 

[JFMJr]

On 1/23/2024 at 12:08 PM, brunnels said:

Hello all, I got a start on my first wooden ship model over the weekend.  I have had a great time so far, with a few frustrating moments created by myself, an injury at the dockyard and a realization I am terrible at small scale painting. 

 

I do have some modelling experience, I built quite a few plastic model airplanes, cars, and military equipment in my youth so I do know some techniques but it has been 20 years since my last model, and as I have found out wood is a completely different animal.

 

I do have some questions on the paint colors, other than the picture on the box it doesn't seem like there is any guide in the instructions on what color parts should be painted.  I bought a paint kit for HMS beagle from Model Expo, but I'm just not sure what colors should be used for, I could definitely use a hand explaining some of these colors I have never heard of. 

 

I'm still learning sailing/ship terminology so please be patient If I name something incorrect. 

 

Anyways here is my start on the HMS Beagle log.  

 

Here are the colors that came in my kit, any help on these would greatly be appreciated.

 

 

Here is the assembly of the skeleton of the ship, nothing much to look at yet just lots of glue and making sure pieces are squared away. 

 

 

Once I had the frame glued together my next step was to start planking the deck. I used a pencil to line the boards, and then lined them at 60mm and added nails.  I know the pencil caulking and nails are controversial, but I wanted to try the process out for myself and see how it looked.  Veterans of this kit will notice a mistake I made at this point, I still wouldn't notice it for another night.

 

The next day I started to assemble to fore and aft interior ship walls and started to add planks to the walls. 

 

After dinner I sat down and started to look over the instructions, I then noticed my deck looked "off" compared to the instructions, and it hit me that I got a little carried away trimming the deck cutouts.  Maybe I shouldn't watch American Football Playoffs while I work on the model......

 

This is where the dock workers should have stopped for the night and started fresh the next morning.  A little frustrated at my mistake I decided to try and see if I could pull up a few of the planks and replace them.  The only tool I could find to fit the job of prying the piece up was a razor blade, I got one piece up without too much trouble and then started on the second piece.  This is when the razor blade slipped out from the wood and straight into my right hand behind my thumb, it was a very deep cut.  The dock medic quickly came over and we cleaned the wound and closed it up with some super glue, no workers comp granted for this dock worker.

 

Getting back to the model I decided just adding planks on top of the old planks and sanding them down a bit was the safest solution.  The spouse says you can hardly notice the mistake, but as most model builders know your own mistakes are the most obvious.

 

I also finished planking the fore and aft walls, you can also see a closer view of my correction, not super noticeable from afar, but if you inspect closely you can see the extra wood.  

 

Next up was the doors.  I wasn't a fan of the solid laser cut brass doors and couldn't find much info on what color the doors should be so I settled on using the American Walnut paint (not stain) that came with the kit and giving it a white outline to kind of match the ships color.  I have not painted with material this small in a long time, and I understand why so many of you have magnifying glasses now.  My doors look terrible, but I came to the conclusion that it was the best I personally could do with what I have, and to not spend too much time getting hung up on them.  I'm still not satisfied and may come back to them, but I'm really not sure I will be able to do much better. 

 

That's all I have for now.  If you read through all of that, I appreciate your time.  I am new to the hobby so any advice, tips, hints are greatly appreciated.  Being a new student is one of the most fun parts of a new hobby.  My main lesson I've learned so far is you really need to pay attention to the instructions on these kits, and I am starting to follow other Beagle build logs to help along the way. 

 

Looks great. Sorry about the injury. I just completed the hull. Sealed it today.  Paint next.

[brunnels]

Got a little more work done over the past couple evenings.

 

Planked the Castle and Poop decks, fit and glued them in place.

 

I then worked on the Bulwarks.  Initially I was pretty nervous for this step, while I have wood working experience I have never soaked and formed wood to any certain shapes, and the kit only comes with one set of Bulwarks so I was pretty nervous about snapping the pieces.  I let them soak for 20 minutes and started rolling them over a can and they formed up very easily.  I then tacked them to the boat while damp and went over them with a heat gun while they were tacked in place.  I did have some curse words to say while gluing them in place, but that was due to me buying the wrong size nail pusher and it pushing the small little nails in every direction except the direction I wanted, lesson learned not all nail pushers are the same.

 

Next I planked the Bulwarks and cut out the gun ports.  I still need to sand the gun ports a bit more, but I figured It might be best to wait until the outer hull planking is done to do it all at once.   There is a small gap where the Bulwarks meet the deck due to my previous error of cutting the deck slots and having to add more planks, I am thinking about just adding a running board along where the bulwark/deck meet on each side, It's just hard to judge how much spare material the kit gives me to work with for extras like that. 

 

Lastly I decided to remove the brass laser cut windows so I can paint them black, and I may just repaint the doors a solid brown color as I'm really not satisfied with how sloppy my doors currently look.

[brunnels]

Decided to try my hand at planking the first layer of the hull over the weekend.  This was my first time planking and I was pretty nervous getting into it, but once I got started I actually really enjoyed the process.  

 

I know it isn't the prettiest so take it easy on me since it's my first time, I still need to sand it down and trim all the edges and put a little wood filler in a few spots.  What size gaps are acceptable for these first layers?

[Cathead]

Those gaps seem fine for a first layer but I agree you'll want to use some filler. 

[allanyed]

Don't forget to study the planking tutorials in the MSW Articles Data Base and Chuck Passaro's four part video on planking which may be more appropriate if your kit provides straight planks instead of spiled planks.  It does not look like removing all those nails is going to be fun.😀

 

Allan

Edited January 29 by allanyed

[RossR]

The material provided for the second layer of planking is an extremely thin veneer.  Most kits provide 1/16 inch thick material for the second planking.   The method suggested above may not work as intended with the thin veneer.   I would watch the videos and give it a try, but also watch the videos from Occre and then decide which method will work best.   
 

Does anyone know of a build log for a two layer planked Occre kit that successfully used the egde bending techniques in Chuck’s video?   
 

The technique demonstrated in Chuck’s videos will produce a more authentic model, and that is certainly something to strive for, but I think the materials you are working with on this model may not be right for that technique.   

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Many say the brads are to hold the first planking until the glue cures.  Some pull them out after that, while some just sand over them.  Your first planking looks pretty good, and sanding should suffice.  Yet I've seen some who slather filler all over everything and then sand away.  'Guess its whatever works for you.

 

  I don't mind working with thin stock, because its easier to soak in warm water and should bend easily.  Since the bottom gets coppered over (and there are many ways to do that), I'd focus on how the planking that shows looks and not worry too much about the second planking that gets covered over.  

[brunnels]

6 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

  Many say the brads are to hold the first planking until the glue cures.  Some pull them out after that, while some just sand over them.  Your first planking looks pretty good, and sanding should suffice.  Yet I've seen some who slather filler all over everything and then sand away.  'Guess its whatever works for you.

 

 

I ended up pulling the nails out just because i didn't want to deal with them while sanding.  It only took about 20 minutes to pull them out.  I think I will use light wood putty as needed and then sand and add more to fill gaps if needed.

 

A couple HMS Beagle questions for the more knowledgeable, I'm still trying to learn more about these old boats. 

1.  The kit comes with a TON of brass metal pieces as I'm sure most kits do.  Would these historically have been painted black or any other color?  I assume they used mostly Iron covered with paint to prevent corrosion, but the kits instructions and just about every HMS Beagle build log or video has shown the builders leaving the brass mostly untouched.  I have brass blackening already, so not a big deal if I need to blacken these parts, I just want to make sure I'm being somewhat historically accurate.

2.  Were the inner bulwarks and inner gunports of the HMS Beagle painted or did they leave them in a more natural finish like the kit suggests.

3.  I'm not a huge fan of the kits fake hammocks that go on top of the bulwarks, if I were to fashion some fake hammocks out of cloth what type of cloth do you all recommend for this task? 

 

Trying to get a copy of the AOTS Beagle book to help research, but I have yet to acquire a copy. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  As for rolling small hammocks, using a fine 'natural' linen (off white) might work well.  There are also 'linen look' cottons, but they tend to haver thicker threads.  At scale, the material would look nearly smooth.  

[RossR]

I think definitely consider blacken the chain plate, the eye bolts, the pintles and gudgeons and the chains. There are some builds on MSW that made wood doors and window frames instead of using the brass ones provided and they looked great. I discovered MSW as I was finishing my Beagle and when I look at it now my only regret is all the brass.  I wish I had blackened it.   
 

[Cathead]

Leaving the brass showing is an artistic styling choice, not one based on realism. It looks nice but in most cases isn't accurate. So it's up to you which direction you want your model to go (more artistic or more realistic).

[JFMJr]

You mind posting a picture of where you are currently? Love to see it.

[brunnels]

Been a long week so just now catching up on my progress.

 

I first finished sanding down the first planking layer.  I definitely saw a lot of ways I would have done things different for my next build, but I am happy with the first layer for my first go. 

 

I then spent the next couple days planking the second layer.  I really struggled with this layer for multiple reasons, first I found the very thin material much harder to work with, it tended to tear and crack apart at the ends of the plank very easy, the area next to where my keel connects is embarrassing because all the ends just keep cracking and flanking apart.   The other reason I struggled was it was my first time using contact cement and it was much more messy than I was expecting and it also set with the thin material almost instantly which I also wasn't expecting.   I'm still trying to clean up the edges as much as I can, but it's a work in progress.

 

Next I got to work cleaning up the cannon ports, and started on the outside bumpers.

 

I have really started to love these little hobby saws for areas that need to be cut but you don't want crimp marks from snippers.

 

In the AOTS Beagle book, I saw they clearly mention the very rear firing ports were planked over but clearly marked.  I used the port doors and glued it to a piece of wood, which then fit perfectly on the edge of the port quarters panel.  I then planked over and re- added the outer ribbing.

Completed the ribbing and started on the vertical ribs (probably a proper term for these haha)

 

Next I added the Anchor chaffing pieces, this actually took way longer than I was expecting. 

 

I wasn't really planning on copper plating this model, but I kind of want to cover up my hideous plank job lol, plus I am trying to make the model more accurate than the kit in a few other areas as well, so might as well add the coppering in the mix.  

 

A question for the veterans, are the AOTS plans accurate for length of plate in the image below?  If I use their scale in feet and convert it to millimeters and scale it to 1:60 I am getting 20x5mm, which is close to Amati's 1:64 Scale plates which are 19x6mm so I feel like the book must be correct.  I already have a few rolls of copper tape from building electric guitars, so I think I will try that route.  

 

Also in the image below you can see gangway steps which aren't in the kit's plans, so I plan on fashioning a set of those as well. 

 

That's where I am at for the week, still have lots of clean up to do on the hull.  I still haven't decided on if I want to paint the inner bulwarks or just leave it bare, and I am also considering refinishing the deck in something a tad darker. 

 

I'm starting to understand why some of these projects take years to complete, the "to-do" list just seems to grow.

[JFMJr]

21 hours ago, brunnels said:

Been a long week so just now catching up on my progress.

 

I first finished sanding down the first planking layer.  I definitely saw a lot of ways I would have done things different for my next build, but I am happy with the first layer for my first go. 

 

I then spent the next couple days planking the second layer.  I really struggled with this layer for multiple reasons, first I found the very thin material much harder to work with, it tended to tear and crack apart at the ends of the plank very easy, the area next to where my keel connects is embarrassing because all the ends just keep cracking and flanking apart.   The other reason I struggled was it was my first time using contact cement and it was much more messy than I was expecting and it also set with the thin material almost instantly which I also wasn't expecting.   I'm still trying to clean up the edges as much as I can, but it's a work in progress.

 

Next I got to work cleaning up the cannon ports, and started on the outside bumpers.

 

I have really started to love these little hobby saws for areas that need to be cut but you don't want crimp marks from snippers.

 

In the AOTS Beagle book, I saw they clearly mention the very rear firing ports were planked over but clearly marked.  I used the port doors and glued it to a piece of wood, which then fit perfectly on the edge of the port quarters panel.  I then planked over and re- added the outer ribbing.

Completed the ribbing and started on the vertical ribs (probably a proper term for these haha)

 

Next I added the Anchor chaffing pieces, this actually took way longer than I was expecting. 

 

I wasn't really planning on copper plating this model, but I kind of want to cover up my hideous plank job lol, plus I am trying to make the model more accurate than the kit in a few other areas as well, so might as well add the coppering in the mix.  

 

A question for the veterans, are the AOTS plans accurate for length of plate in the image below?  If I use their scale in feet and convert it to millimeters and scale it to 1:60 I am getting 20x5mm, which is close to Amati's 1:64 Scale plates which are 19x6mm so I feel like the book must be correct.  I already have a few rolls of copper tape from building electric guitars, so I think I will try that route.  

 

Also in the image below you can see gangway steps which aren't in the kit's plans, so I plan on fashioning a set of those as well. 

 

That's where I am at for the week, still have lots of clean up to do on the hull.  I still haven't decided on if I want to paint the inner bulwarks or just leave it bare, and I am also considering refinishing the deck in something a tad darker. 

 

I'm starting to understand why some of these projects take years to complete, the "to-do" list just seems to grow.

Looks great!

[brunnels]

Quick update.  Last night I got the keel glued in place, I was pretty nervous about how hard it would be to get everything to line up, but I managed to do it without much trouble.  It took a bit of trimming and fitting at the rear where the rudder will attach, but I'm happy with how it looks.  It's amazing how much difference the keel makes to the model look, it's really starting to look like a proper ship.  

[Stauf]

Brunnels, thanks for posting your log. I am looking forward to learning this terrific hobby, my “Beagle” kit will arrive in a few days. My question is in regards to the AOTS that you are using for this build. I realize that the AOTS is probably one of the most accurate sources of info, but how accurate would you say that the Occre plans (rigging and assembly) are compared to the drawings in the AOTS? Looks like you’re doing a fine job on your build! 

[brunnels]

4 minutes ago, Stauf said:

Brunnels, thanks for posting your log. I am looking forward to learning this terrific hobby, my “Beagle” kit will arrive in a few days. My question is in regards to the AOTS that you are using for this build. I realize that the AOTS is probably one of the most accurate sources of info, but how accurate would you say that the Occre plans (rigging and assembly) are compared to the drawings in the AOTS? Looks like you’re doing a fine job on your build! 

I'm probably not the best person to answer that question, I'm only a few weeks into the hobby myself.  But from just studying the hull images there are a few small variations like the aft cannon ports are planked over in the book, gangway steps aren't on the model, other builders have commented that the rigging holding the cannons in the model is poorly done, but these are all things that so far can be tweaked pretty easily as you build the kit.  I haven't even attempted to compare the rigging yet.

[Stauf]

Well I wish you luck with your project. I look forward to seeing your progress! 

[JFMJr]

7 hours ago, brunnels said:

I'm probably not the best person to answer that question, I'm only a few weeks into the hobby myself.  But from just studying the hull images there are a few small variations like the aft cannon ports are planked over in the book, gangway steps aren't on the model, other builders have commented that the rigging holding the cannons in the model is poorly done, but these are all things that so far can be tweaked pretty easily as you build the kit.  I haven't even attempted to compare the rigging yet.

     Doing my first build, also the Beagle. Curious to know what  AOTS  is? Thanks.

[brunnels]

44 minutes ago, JFMJr said:

     Doing my first build, also the Beagle. Curious to know what  AOTS  is? Thanks.

It's a book series called "Anatomy of the Ship", they have a whole book dedicated to the Beagle.  

[JFMJr]

8 hours ago, brunnels said:

It's a book series called "Anatomy of the Ship", they have a whole book dedicated to the Beagle.  

Thanks!

[The Gimps Chimp]

19 hours ago, Stauf said:

I realize that the AOTS is probably one of the most accurate sources of info, but how accurate would you say that the Occre plans (rigging and assembly) are compared to the drawings in the AOTS?

Hi Stauf,

 

This is a difficult one to answer as everyone will have a different opinion.  All models will differ from the actual ship they portray to some degree. 

 

Looking at the model from a distance I would say it's a reasonable representation of the real ship.  The closer you get and the more detail you study it becomes clear there are inaccuracies.  Some of these will be down to cost and some will be down to practicalities of modelling.  One of the first items you come across in the build are the brass etched doors, which look okay but some people choose to make them more accurately from wood.  The deck parts again are generally okay but maybe don't have the precision of detail.  As already mentioned, the rigging of the cannons is massively oversimplified.  Again these issues can be rectified during the build if you wish.

 

I think the most inaccurate area are the masts and rigging which have again been over simplified.  To be honest I can see why that is.  Looking at the AOTS the rigging is very complex and I for one wouldn't have been able to finish the build if it was accurately modelled.  In the AOTS there are many chains used whereas in the kit rope is used for everything.  Here is a good example from my build:

 

 

I'm not sure giving the accuracy of the model a percentage is meaningful but if pushed I would give it 90% to 95%.  You also need to think about the marketing aspects of the supplier.  I would say these kits are not at the high end of quality and are intended mainly for people to make and have an impressive model to display.  If you want high accuracy you can spend the time and improve the 'Out of the box' product, or maybe even scratch build.  I for one, used the kit as a learning experience and was happy that many aspects had been simplified, otherwise I would never have finished it.  Having completed my build I was motivated to improve the quality of my workmanship on my next build.  Had it been unfinished I wouldn't have considered tackling another ship.

 

Chimp

[tlevine]

For this being your first wood ship model, you are doing a great job.  The questions you are asking are even better.  Regarding coppering...  The plate sizes in AOTS are correct.  I would suggest using copper tape instead of the Amati plates.  The tape is self-adhesive and much thinner, making it easier to apply and more to scale.  It's also cheaper.  You can either apply it as individual plates or make a jig which shows the plate edges and apply it a row at a time.  Check out Amazon.