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


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3 hours ago, tlevine said:

Regarding coppering...  The plate sizes in AOTS are correct.  I would suggest using copper tape instead of the Amati plates

Thanks for confirming the AOTS size, I actually already have a few rolls of copper tape from building electric guitars, so I am going to go that route after a little homework on a jig.  

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HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Well the theme of last week was "One step forward, two steps back", so I unfortunately didn't take as many pictures of my progress as I would have liked. 

 

I wanted to finally finish the deck and inner bulwarks of the ship.  I decided to use shellac on my deck and inner bulwarks, but ended up with an unfortunate shellaccident.  I have used Bullseye brand amber shellac for years and I had bought a new can for a project just a couple months ago, so I was pretty confident applying the shellac.  I used a brush and started applying thin coats as I normally do with shellac but noticed while applying the first coat that it was gumming up almost instantly in spots, not sure if that is a reaction with leftover glue or the shellac had just gone bad, but my deck ended up very uneven and spotty as the shellac was not allowing me to spread it very evenly with a brush because of how "gummy" it had turned in spots.  I ended up getting the deck cleaned up to a point that I'm not really 100% happy with, but a point where I felt it wasn't worth sinking any more time into fixing spots that would hardly be seen.

 

The sides of the "inner bulwarks" (if that is even the proper term), were a big mess as well and it was VERY difficult to clean up properly with all the little rail pieces that the model has.  This would have taken me days to clean up to an acceptable level, and I was already kind of throwing around the idea of painting the inside walls of the ship in Red.  I like the look of the red on the British ships, and from what I have gathered it's not unrealistic for the time that the HMS Beagle might have had red paint at some point instead of the natural wood finish the model instructions suggest.  Plus Red paint will add a few knots to the speed of any boat, maybe a few racing stripes will really get the boat moving. 

 

Sorry for the wall of text with so few pictures, hopefully the red doesn't make too many Beagle builders eyes twitch.

 

I first taped off everything using Yellow Tamiya tape, and various sizes of painters tape.  I then started with a primer.

PXL_20240210_012443604.jpg.99a5a0546a6974ab2edfa687fb2aa7dc.jpg

 

I then went with Vallejo Red 70926, I had seen the color recommended here a few times so I decided to give it a go.  I don't mind the color, but its a little darker shade than I was expecting.  I will probably try a different shade or brand on my next model.  I did struggle with how thick Vallejo acrylic paints are, even after thinning the paint out I still battled with paint building up in low spots and corners.   

 

Here is the red after 3 thin coats of red.  Don't mind the messy edges where the deck meets, those will be covered up by waterway boards in the near future.  At this point I also started priming the outer hull as you can see in the image. 

PXL_20240210_224408345.jpg.7ad52fa9aae47d09079f6f5127c961ac.jpg

 

After priming the outer hull, I applied 3 thin coats of Model Shipways Black "MS4830", and 3 thin coats of Model Shipways White "MS4831" for the racing stripe that adds another few knots to the ships speed.   The outer hull paint went pretty smoothly, I think I have the hang of acrylic paints on wood now. On this model I wanted to try brushing the paint on to see how it applied, but I will probably use an airbrush on my next model, airbrushes are just hard to beat for painting large areas evenly.    

PXL_20240213_023434803.jpg.45e1b69e0c8def2562fb582062a1ef39.jpg

 

I'm pretty happy with how the paint turned out, I think the Red paint looks pretty sharp on the beagle and will make the model stand out a little from the other fantastic Beagle builds.  My next step is tackling the copper plating before I start on the more fragile parts of the boat.

 

Side note, I can't recommend this Yellow Tamiya masking tape enough, I saw it recommended all over this forum and wish I knew about this stuff years ago. This tape will have a permanent place in my tool box, I will even be using this for home projects.  This stuff really holds a line, any bleed through I had was due to my lack of preparation, not the tape failing. 

PXL_20240210_231551082.jpg.a927e93643c5feac4a7182717e1b2a9c.jpg

Edited by brunnels

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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4 hours ago, brunnels said:

Well the theme of last week was "One step forward, two steps back", so I unfortunately didn't take as many pictures of my progress as I would have liked. 

 

I wanted to finally finish the deck and inner bulwarks of the ship.  I decided to use shellac on my deck and inner bulwarks, but ended up with an unfortunate shellaccident.  I have used Bullseye brand amber shellac for years and I had bought a new can for a project just a couple months ago, so I was pretty confident applying the shellac.  I used a brush and started applying thin coats as I normally do with shellac but noticed while applying the first coat that it was gumming up almost instantly in spots, not sure if that is a reaction with leftover glue or the shellac had just gone bad, but my deck ended up very uneven and spotty as the shellac was not allowing me to spread it very evenly with a brush because of how "gummy" it had turned in spots.  I ended up getting the deck cleaned up to a point that I'm not really 100% happy with, but a point where I felt it wasn't worth sinking any more time into fixing spots that would hardly be seen.

 

The sides of the "inner bulwarks" (if that is even the proper term), were a big mess as well and it was VERY difficult to clean up properly with all the little rail pieces that the model has.  This would have taken me days to clean up to an acceptable level, and I was already kind of throwing around the idea of painting the inside walls of the ship in Red.  I like the look of the red on the British ships, and from what I have gathered it's not unrealistic for the time that the HMS Beagle might have had red paint at some point instead of the natural wood finish the model instructions suggest.  Plus Red paint will add a few knots to the speed of any boat, maybe a few racing stripes will really get the boat moving. 

 

Sorry for the wall of text with so few pictures, hopefully the red doesn't make too many Beagle builders eyes twitch.

 

I first taped off everything using Yellow Tamiya tape, and various sizes of painters tape.  I then started with a primer.

PXL_20240210_012443604.jpg.99a5a0546a6974ab2edfa687fb2aa7dc.jpg

 

I then went with Vallejo Red 70926, I had seen the color recommended here a few times so I decided to give it a go.  I don't mind the color, but its a little darker shade than I was expecting.  I will probably try a different shade or brand on my next model.  I did struggle with how thick Vallejo acrylic paints are, even after thinning the paint out I still battled with paint building up in low spots and corners.   

 

Here is the red after 3 thin coats of red.  Don't mind the messy edges where the deck meets, those will be covered up by waterway boards in the near future.  At this point I also started priming the outer hull as you can see in the image. 

PXL_20240210_224408345.jpg.7ad52fa9aae47d09079f6f5127c961ac.jpg

 

After priming the outer hull, I applied 3 thin coats of Model Shipways Black "MS4830", and 3 thin coats of Model Shipways White "MS4831" for the racing stripe that adds another few knots to the ships speed.   The outer hull paint went pretty smoothly, I think I have the hang of acrylic paints on wood now. On this model I wanted to try brushing the paint on to see how it applied, but I will probably use an airbrush on my next model, airbrushes are just hard to beat for painting large areas evenly.    

PXL_20240213_023434803.jpg.45e1b69e0c8def2562fb582062a1ef39.jpg

 

I'm pretty happy with how the paint turned out, I think the Red paint looks pretty sharp on the beagle and will make the model stand out a little from the other fantastic Beagle builds.  My next step is tackling the copper plating before I start on the more fragile parts of the boat.

 

Side note, I can't recommend this Yellow Tamiya masking tape enough, I saw it recommended all over this forum and wish I knew about this stuff years ago. This tape will have a permanent place in my tool box, I will even be using this for home projects.  This stuff really holds a line, any bleed through I had was due to my lack of preparation, not the tape failing. 

PXL_20240210_231551082.jpg.a927e93643c5feac4a7182717e1b2a9c.jpg

Historically as copper plating used on the Beagle? Where do you get it? Looking forward to seeing it applied.

I am currently working on the bow wire steps. Can I use the copper if I have alread sealed the hull?

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13 minutes ago, JFMJr said:

Historically as copper plating used on the Beagle? Where do you get it? Looking forward to seeing it applied.

I am currently working on the bow wire steps. Can I use the copper if I have alread sealed the hull?

Yes it did have copper plating, in fact from what I have read the Beagle even had it's copper plating replaced several times during its life.  There are a few ways to do it, you can buy kits from companies like Amati that are pre made copper tiles you glue on, or you can use copper tape from amazon which comes in a roll like masking tape.  I already have a few rolls of copper tape from building electric guitars so I am going that route.  I will share my process when I find what works best for me, but many people seem to use ponce wheels on the tape to simulate the nail dents.  I think sealing the hull before coppering should be fine, I will probably seal mine first just to add another layer of protection to the wood.  From my research the copper plates should be sized 20mm x 5mm.

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HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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6 hours ago, brunnels said:

Yes it did have copper plating, in fact from what I have read the Beagle even had it's copper plating replaced several times during its life.  There are a few ways to do it, you can buy kits from companies like Amati that are pre made copper tiles you glue on, or you can use copper tape from amazon which comes in a roll like masking tape.  I already have a few rolls of copper tape from building electric guitars so I am going that route.  I will share my process when I find what works best for me, but many people seem to use ponce wheels on the tape to simulate the nail dents.  I think sealing the hull before coppering should be fine, I will probably seal mine first just to add another layer of protection to the wood.  From my research the copper plates should be sized 20mm x 5mm.

Appreciate the information!

Going to update my build shortly 

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Got to work on making a jig for the copper plates.  I decided to just keep the plates fairly simple with an outline of the nail divets around the edges.  The jig is simple and could be improved, but I wanted to keep it simple and uncomplicated for my first go around.

 

Here is my jig, I have yet to stick any of these on the model so it could be a waste of a night making them, but I think they will work out great.

 

Here is my jig and materials i use.  I made the jig out of some scrap lazer cut plywood.  The gap between the two long pieces is 5mm, and i cut a slot 20mm from the edge.  The sroll wheel tool is a saw blade attachement from a dremil between two pieces of scrap material using a nail as an axle and a couple plastic bushings to keep it straight., I originally tried a few cheap pounce wheels from amazon but found the spacing between divets to large and the divets themselves were too large for the scale of the model.  

PXL_20240214_031031854.jpg.f1f6706ed5c64bf4e43efe73b035f80f.jpg

 

My first step was cutting a strip of tape.  I found cutting much longer than this was getting hard to manage.

PXL_20240214_031103011.jpg.3e16bde7bc22fcda485f41d100c17a48.jpg

 

Next I slide a piece of wood across the stip to help flatten the curve out of it and remove as many wrinkles as I can

PXL_20240214_031151021.jpg.3c9534657a2fdffe5642387b18e2a9aa.jpg

 

I then lay the strip in the jig.

PXL_20240214_031221890.jpg.d759bfdb4d38b22e7f20cf9488bf77b2.jpg

 

I put a piece of 4mm wide wood on top of the tape.  This gives a 1mm gap to run the scroll wheel down the side.

PXL_20240214_031230103.jpg.5358603c0b11ebf3859b38f6f101d01f.jpg

 

Running the scroll wheel down the first side. 

PXL_20240214_031247237.jpg.96c74854f8096cd3425081896599d6f5.jpg

 

I then move the piece of wood up and scroll the other side. 

PXL_20240214_031254532.jpg.e7e44643e1d7bd7fff22f2df670a4ee7.jpg

 

Here is what the strip looks like after the first scroll stage. 

PXL_20240214_031331113.jpg.43091ef30afaff8d7b6e40f58de65129.jpg

 

I then scroll the vertical lines, I match the stip up to the edge of the board and scroll which gives me a 20mm strip, I then align the vertical line i just scrolled with the edge and scroll again repeating the process until the whole strip is done.  One could easily cut multiple gaps in the jig every 20mm to speed up this task, but I wanted to keep it simple to better control the process and it really doesn't take long at all. 

PXL_20240214_031421021.jpg.36c674723dd51bd3fc25303c8f8bcda1.jpg

 

Here is what the strip looks like after the vertical lines are run.  My ceiling light was directly above so the strip looks way messier in the picture than it really is.

PXL_20240214_031428898.jpg.ba61ab20e0485734ab96d47c957a08d4.jpg

 

Again with the lighting directly above it was hard to get a good detailed photo, but here is one completed strip, I can either lay these down in a strip or cut each piece individually to lay down.  Once I got the hang of the process, I could produce a strip about every 30 seconds.  I found it really neat how much these strips stiffened up just by running a few lines of very small dimples down them, it really shows you how effective stamping metal is.

PXL_20240214_031530993.jpg.bf550bdc9c8df801188bb9f0ce6d02d6.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Great idea on using the Dremel saw blade.  I will definitely copy that some day.  

Completed Build:   HMS Beagle - Occre

Current Build:         Frigate Diana - Occre  https://modelshipworld.com/topic/33530-frigate-diana-by-rossr-occre-185/

On the Shelf:           Santisima Trinidad Cross Section - Occre, NRG Half Hull, the US Brig Syren - Model Shipways and USF Essex - Model Shipways.

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20 minutes ago, RossR said:

Great idea on using the Dremel saw blade.  I will definitely copy that some day.  

Its funny how when I started building this model I started thinking completely differently about how I could use random items around the house and in the tool box as tools for the model.  One reason I love viewing build logs on this site is so I can see the creative ways everyone achieves a task.

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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2 minutes ago, brunnels said:

I could use random items around the house and in the tool box as tools for the model.

You are right about that.  I have a collection of small pieces of various diameters of PVC pipe that’s I use as forms for bending various wood parts.   

Completed Build:   HMS Beagle - Occre

Current Build:         Frigate Diana - Occre  https://modelshipworld.com/topic/33530-frigate-diana-by-rossr-occre-185/

On the Shelf:           Santisima Trinidad Cross Section - Occre, NRG Half Hull, the US Brig Syren - Model Shipways and USF Essex - Model Shipways.

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Starboard side done except for capping it off at the keel and stern post.  Once I researched where to start and where to end it was actually a pretty easygoing and relaxing process although time consuming.  The material is very thin so it doesn't lay down quite as smooth as I was expecting, but I'm pretty happy with the result for my first time.  I used up almost all my strips for the one side, so I guess its back to the foundry tonight to make some more. 

 

A question for the copper plating veterans of the hobby.  I know the copper foil will darken naturally over time, but will it still darken under a varnish?  I would like to let it darken a bit more than it is now, but If a layer of varnish on top prevents that then I will add varnish later down the line. 

PXL_20240215_131656449.jpg.a4db8dc98d7ddab67a1c3603d5d116b6.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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I managed to get quite a bit done on this ship this weekend.  I finished up the copper plating with one strip of copper tape left, I like to say that was planned but it was pure luck.  

 

I decided to stop doing extra's that aren't in the plans and complete a few tasks from the instructions.

 

First I cut painted and glued in place the hammock railing, the instructions call for a wood piece painted while to simulate the hammocks, but I am ommiting that piece with plans to fashion up the hammocks out of cloth later on.  This step was kind of tricky to glue on because normally the rails would be glued to the fake hammock piece.  1.jpg.3cff2a413310d7c485f06ddc25e7f416.jpg

 

I then added the pieces that form up the gang way entrances.  Later on I will be fashioning up a set of gangway steps.

2.jpg.f6518f31d61de2d4624572dfd52c80b5.jpg

 

After seeing @RobTBays excellent HMS Beagle build log, he points out that the AOTS plans show a water way.  I decided to also add these to my Beagle for one to cover up some nasty past planking mistakes, and two I wanted to try out beveling some pieces at an angle.  I beveled a few pieces of 2x2 at a 45 degree angle. 

Waterway.PNG.b3788447b3b58b9d281ee345ab9b167b.PNG

Here is a test fitting.

3.jpg.98ba7bb8ed2ad42ae24a64662d05b611.jpg

 

After a coat of shellac and glued in place.  

4.jpg.a34abd939a6668c73fbd7d141083181f.jpg

 

Back to the instructions, I started on the catheads.  These took surprisingly longer to make than I had expected.  Once I got the pieces of 4x4 cut and sanded down to the right size, I drilled 6 small holes in each, painted them with black paint and fitted the two holes in the sides with some blackened brass rings. 

5.jpg.393690b87a39165d6f1ca947cb1ee6e2.jpg

 

The cathead openings in the bow of the ship needed quite a bit of filing to get the catheads to fit properly.

6.jpg.ffbfa458aeab32fb9fa362cbaad7e59c.jpg

 

I then added the pin rail which was painted with some American Walnut paint.

7.jpg.d15b8a4ec0f35e67ec32bc8e138a6e20.jpg

 

I then capped it off with the bow railing also painted in American Walnut paint.  I'm not sure if I like this paint color yet, but I will leave it be for the meantime as it's in a location that I can easily repaint if I chose so down the road. 

8.jpg.866ee6d79f72461324769a7a754f0428.jpg

 

Next I started on the big stern piece.  The piece needed some curvature to install flush, so I soaked it for about 10 minutes and heated it with a soldering iron and slowly formed it to the stern.  I then glued and nailed it in place.   Also you can see in the image my new Styrofoam dry dock.  The Misses was watching me struggle with the crappy stand that the kit comes up with, and mentioned that I should cutout a stand from the big piece of Styrofoam I was using while coppering the ship.  It was a fantastic idea that I was jealous that I had not thought of myself, and it turned out to be a very sturdy way to work on the boat.

9.jpg.f729bda6394ae4fbdea80ab264e3b1bc.jpg

 

While the glue was drying on the stern piece I decided to start cutting out the railing in the location I will put the quarter galleys in.  Here is where I have left off, but here is a couple full ship photo's to show off the coppering of the other side and show where I am currently at. 

10.jpg.0caf799af1b9bf8bb909f35f6adb05db.jpg

11.jpg.7187240e247941ffdcfa67cd35dedbce.jpg

 

Thanks for looking.  

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Spent the week on the bow and stern of the ship, both taking far longer and more challenging than I was expecting.

 

I started the week planking the bow, the instructions showed the planking on the stern as vertical, but the AOTS book showed the planking was done horizontally.  I'm starting to learn to double check all the Occre instructions to the AOTS book.

 

I then added the boards that outlined the stern.  This was probably the most frustrating part of this model I have done so far because the wood needed to be bent in two directions to match the lines of the stern piece.  I snapped many pieces attempting to make it look good, but after spending a couple nights and getting very frustrated trying to make it look how I wanted, I decided my skill level wasn't up to my expectations for this step and decided to do the best I could with the shape, add a little wood filler, and move on.

PXL_20240224_031413733.jpg.3bb4a47668264527980e7ca41cde88ea.jpg

 

I then formed the brass rods into stern decorations.  I wasn't a fan of the use of brass, and I spent some time trying to do this part with wood, but this was another step that my skill level wasn't good enough to make me happy, so I settled with the brass.  I followed up the picture with some wood filler to fill in some of the gaps.

PXL_20240224_043353834.jpg.a04f41a34a21d95c3ac20aa6163c7131.jpg

 

Then some clean up and paint.

PXL_20240224_213628635.jpg.df2474854e480de3141449e54174f6c2.jpg

 

Other side of the stern painted, also got the quarter galleries and boards on the quarter deck glued in place.  

PXL_20240224_213617562.jpg.88e29b0f8605fd0b30bb56d6b10a9403.jpg

 

Horn davits with holes drilled and hardware installed.  Unfortunately one of the holes chipped while drilling out. I need to start pre-drilling, even for 1mm holes.

PXL_20240224_225314762.jpg.a9b99e4e1c6bae050d4a31325cc904f2.jpg

 

Horn Davit's and flag staff mount installed. 

PXL_20240225_154256341.jpg.4eceda7648bf750048d5d18a7fa646a5.jpg

 

While pieces were drying on the stern I was also working on the bow.

PXL_20240224_031400136.jpg.99c28463d597ca14a6aca4b6e609988d.jpg

 

OH JOY, more brass to bend.

PXL_20240225_202823891.jpg.17cd91efddeba05ac65a499332afcc8b.jpg

 

And bow painted.

PXL_20240226_131546488.jpg.eac4816d8c0adb3b1001f511ec73c7bf.jpg

 

My next task is to get all the port doors and hinges installed, and then maybe I can start on the furnishings on the deck. 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Got a few more items checked off over the past few weekdays.

 

Got the port doors painted, hinges installed and glued onto the ship.  Those little hinges were not an easy item to deal with, I really wish the kits would have given extras as they are insanely hard to hold onto and work with, and very easy to lose if you drop one. 

PXL_20240229_194656939.jpg.cc182ec651ea79635c5154ab1146d6b8.jpg

 

Copper plated the rudder, and installed it on the boat. 

PXL_20240301_173950506.jpg.73b7507c7f662a9b673fa25e5f51cb36.jpg

 

Painted and glued on a strip of timber for a false keel.

PXL_20240301_173933789.jpg.8b8cb4597808f1357dfbcb439e5bf1ff.jpg

 

Installed the channels

PXL_20240301_173924123.jpg.e49995579bbb95e4f528b1394ba11634.jpg

 

Started on the first pieces that go on the deck.  Happy to get to this stage as it feels like a bunch of mini projects.  I started with the two storage lockers at the rear, I used the spare port door hinges from the port doors that were planked over, I wasn't a fan of the instructions way of simulating hinges with cut pieces of brass rod.

 

The red bulwarks have a really weird color tone in these pics for some reason.

PXL_20240301_173908353.jpg.5ef9d4a51c0149457e890cd41d78533b.jpg

 

PXL_20240301_173914917.jpg.ca180e5040b53ef70b1b6aeabfa10de0.jpg

 

 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Few updates, been working on all the deck furnishings the last few days.  It takes way longer than I was expecting to get all these little pieces put together and painted and I have only just begun on them.

 

Ships wheel and ladders, still cleaning up the CA glue mess I made while struggling to glue down the wheel.

PXL_20240305_173826890.jpg.a921181032771f230a4e407fb87e93fa.jpg

 

Pin rails, I really need to get a drill press or something, because the hobby pin drill took forever on these.

 

PXL_20240306_182320024.jpg.c407d1305daf8cbd4c032f3299a6c56a.jpg

 

Poop deck hardware and mounts for the 28ft whaleboats that the kit doesn't include.  Might have to see if anyone sells anything close to a 28ft whaleboat in this scale. 

 

PXL_20240306_182310901.jpg.1f86dc6e244b461b05d33bb32e2e932f.jpg

 

Forecastle hardware, I glued on the carronade mount and not two seconds after i glued it something looked off and i realized i forgot to install the hardware hooks on the mount so i quickly pried it off before the CA glue got too hard, but you can see the remaining residue.

PXL_20240306_182316338.jpg.41b53327289fcba1527cb253e8f47c19.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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23 minutes ago, brunnels said:

Poop deck hardware and mounts for the 28ft whaleboats that the kit doesn't include.  Might have to see if anyone sells anything close to a 28ft whaleboat in this scale. 

The build is looking great! A 28-ft whaleboat could be fun to scratch-build.

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58 minutes ago, JacquesCousteau said:

A 28-ft whaleboat could be fun to scratch-build.

 

That thought has crossed my mind, I haven't put together any of the ships boats yet, so I'm not sure if that would be beyond my current skill level at the moment. 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Been working a lot on all the deck fixtures which means lots of painting and brass blackening of tiny parts.

 

Poop deck hardware, azimuth compass, and hand railing.

PXL_20240309_213433372.jpg.cbbbc4e69d936d4a9c129216495967e9.jpg

 

Windlass painted and glued in place.  I'm going to have to figure out what to do for the windlass handles, i formed up the brass rod to exactly match the kits template and they turned out not to be long enough, I tried to reform them to work but they just looked way to mangled up and I wasn't happy with them. The one material that Occre seems to be stingy with on this kit is the brass rod, so I am either going to have to order some more or find an alternative solution. 

PXL_20240309_213428277.jpg.0269e425d4428a495bb70eda2e30a80b.jpg

 

Spent a while saturday night trying to rig up the carronade to somewhat match up how it is in the AOTS book.  It doesn't look great and the blocks look way out of scale, but it's way better than just the single rope the kit instructions called for. 

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Sunday I finally decided to tackle the deadeyes, these took the better part of the day to install but weren't nearly as difficult as I was expecting.  

PXL_20240311_031140191.jpg.7082ea4b229a0b1dbad25dafb11ec95e.jpg

PXL_20240311_031116356.jpg.c2716fcc0fce1f88190a810cd930351e.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Couple more items completed.  Forward deck hatches.

PXL_20240312_030430798.jpg.e637f3d048f73df072d404fc5799aa81.jpg

 

Deep sea sounding wench.  Does anyone know if they stored the rope on the wench, or just attached it when in use?  Instructions don't show any rope on the wench, and its hard to find any images of deep sea wenches of the period.  I think it would look good with some rope wrapped around the drum.

PXL_20240312_030425208.jpg.72ef7849531120502f50ce30bdc09514.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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On 3/12/2024 at 9:00 AM, brunnels said:

Deep sea sounding wench.  Does anyone know if they stored the rope on the wench, or just attached it when in use?  Instructions don't show any rope on the wench, and its hard to find any images of deep sea wenches of the period.  I think it would look good with some rope wrapped around the drum.

Your work looks lovely, but I feel obliged to point out that it's "winch", not "wench". The latter has a very different meaning that makes the above paragraph unintentionally hilarious (especially the deep sea line)!

 

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28 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Your work looks lovely, but I feel obliged to point out that it's "winch", not "wench". The latter has a very different meaning that makes the above paragraph unintentionally hilarious (especially the deep sea line)!

 

Lol, there is a reason I am an accountant and not a grammar teacher. 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Spent the last week working on deck furnishings, all these attachments to the deck are deceptive with how much time they take to complete.  Also looking at these pictures makes me just want to pick up a touch up brush, its crazy how a camera points out so many imperfections that you can't see with the eye. 

 

Got the chain wrapped around the windlass after I spent nearly an hour looking on the ground for one of the chain pipe outlets I dropped.  I even saw exactly where the piece landed, but by the time I got on my knees to grab it the piece it had been sucked up by the small parts black hole.

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Main jeer bits, water pumps and main hatchway.

PXL_20240317_152640482.thumb.jpg.b708548cdf602071e2e7e2146c5c2208.jpg

 

Skylights and companion ways. 

PXL_20240317_152649810.thumb.jpg.60087d09189e4b1db8c0ae61b4f927fe.jpg

 

Boat mounts

PXL_20240317_152643416.thumb.jpg.7fb7189585aa297bc8eaf76db077e7cb.jpg

 

And that takes me up to how the ship currently sits.  

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Just a few more items for the deck, I need to figure out how I want to rig the stowed cannons, start making the hammocks, then the ships boats.  After that then Its time for the masts and rigging.

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Two of the last major additions that I wanted to add that weren't part of the Occre plans were better hammocks, and gangway steps on the hull.

 

Spent the last few nights working on the hammocks.  I used some sail cloth that I bought online, which was hard to work with as the cloth seemed to unravel faster than I could work with it, plus the gap in the railing to place the cloth was only about 1mm wide, so it was very hard to work with until I decided to open the railing up a bit with a chisel. Not the best, probably larger than they should be for scale, and I know I added way too many of them, but I am happy with the result with how frustrating it was to add them. 

PXL_20240322_125721727.jpg.a120797146a75ef11969a2cb141ac0b6.jpg

 

After the hammocks I added up the gangway steps on the hull.

PXL_20240322_125703723.jpg.301b921a6f5c1217764cfb0fa7bd5200.jpg

 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Spent the last weekend building a new office desk/hobby desk.  Previously I had been working on a small foldout table relegated to the corner of the living room, the cramped space had really starting to frustrate me and my office computer desk was also on its last legs. I decided to solve both problems and went to the hardware store bought an 8 foot butcher block counter top, ordered some metal desk legs online, along with some under desk cabinets.  It's already so much nicer to work on the boat having some space to breath and lay my tools out.  My next plan is to eventually get rid of the cheap pdf hobby organizer rack I am currently using and expand with something more permanent and with more useful organizational space.   Only thing I see that needs improvement is some better lighting. 

 

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Back to the Beagle.

 

I started on the ships boat carried on the deck, these little boats are harder to put together than I was expecting and I made quite a few mistakes that I will try to improve on the other 3 boats.

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I have also started on the cannons, I am doing a pretty simple rigging for them since they aren't really the focus of a boat like the Beagle.  Next step is to get them fastened to the deck.

PXL_20240328_015610380.jpg.247f35ed5a1c8520f35b9d12af4c16a6.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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New office/workshop looks great. I have a similar setup.

 

And the build is looking really impressive 👍🏻

Cheers,

James.

 

Current Builds

Microaces Scrappee Liaison Radio Controlled

Occre Polaris 1/50

Hong Kong Models 1/32 B25 J Mitchell

 

Completed 

Airfix Westland Sea King HU.5 1/48

Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/24

Airfix Avro Lancaster B.III (SPECIAL) 'THE DAMBUSTERS' 1/72 

Airfix Titanic 1/400

Airfix King Tiger 1/35

 

In the hangar, dockyard or factory 

Airfix Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4 1/48, Airfix North American P-51D, Mustang 1/48, Airfix Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk.XIV 1/48, Airfix MGB 1/32, ICM Gloster Gladiator 1/32, 5 Airfix Tanks, Airfix Blackburn Buccaneer S.2 C/D 1/48, Artesania Latina Zuiderzee Botter 1912 1/50, Airfix WWII British Army 30-cwt 4x2 GS Truck 1/35

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I agree, having a pleasant workspace that you want to spend time in is an under-appreciated aspect of modeling (or regular work, for that matter).

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Feels like I hit a milestone in the kit.  The hull and deck are complete other than the last 3 ship boats and hardware to attach them to the boat.  I plan on completing the last 3 boats after rigging as I think they will just get in the way while rigging.  But for now my mind is shifting gears to the masts and then rigging which is something brand new to me. 

 

Here I added the 4 Quarter Davits that will secure the boats when they are ready.  I also installed the rudder safety chain, which the ropes can be seen in the photo hanging off the rear of the ship. 

 

PXL_20240401_172239963.jpg.e1ecb75d1d2967f667137d55bf0bd719.jpg

 

 

The Beagle comes with two types of Anchors, one with an Iron stock, and one with a wooden stock.  The wooden stock provided by the kit was pretty terrible looking and was pretty far out of scale for the size of the anchor it was attached too.  So I fashioned up a new set out of basswood, sanded to shape, coated with Amber shellac, and used electrical shrink wrap for the iron straps. 

PXL_20240331_220006610.jpg.2ec9c601719af3712cacc3a4564a615a.jpg

 

Anchors and chains installed along with the Beagle figure piece. 

 

 

PXL_20240401_172229105.jpg.81ac78ab8a0bee0d06792c7921534c97.jpg

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Here are a couple full ship shots to show the milestone point before I start adding masts and rope. 

PXL_20240401_172221005.jpg.9e59645248604fd1542a3d4c773b8dab.jpg

PXL_20240401_172251789.jpg.5c66f6ad0b533d2189dc28f0d28457a6.jpg

 

 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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Started on the masts last week.  I was pretty ignorant to how many parts were involved in building them up, and the Occre instructions are borderline horrible especially regarding the mast tops, I had to watch quite a few videos just to show steps that aren't even in the instruction book.  I'm really starting to understand why people avoid kits that have bad instructions.  Another common complaint I see about this kit is most of the builders seem to run out of 1mm brass rod.  I ran out before I even started on the masts, and the masts require quite a bit of the material for the railings on the tops,  I broke down and just ordered 10 bucks worth of brass rod from amazon and that should last me for many future kits.

 

Lower mainmast and foremasts, Mizzen mast work has just started and was in the garage drying with a fresh coat of shellac.

PXL_20240408_172714564.jpg.35d82287bc46f091dd7e9bb54fe152b8.jpg

 

Bowsprit ready for some rigging.

PXL_20240408_172707604.jpg.173af11a43aab3cfb3f22bc040d16cc5.jpg

 

I also decided to add a head to the ship with some 2x1 walnut strips, this wasn't part of the kit but I thought the ship looked a little naked with nothing there to fill the void. It's not accurate to plans or anything, and I may add a seat of ease and toilet paper holder in the future. 

PXL_20240408_172735903.jpg.4aa269b2cf0bd34604038cfa39c70f87.jpg

 

How the ship is currently looking.

PXL_20240408_172702453.jpg.b6f10f3f31e85b58ba5ca64aa97a3637.jpg

 

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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  • 2 weeks later...

Haven't posted for a couple weeks, father in law passed away, and my Australian Shepard who has shadowed my side for the last 14 years has been in pretty poor health and required nearly full time attention.  I have actually been working on the model quite a bit to take my mind off of things, but I haven't been very good with pics, so sorry for the lack of progress picks but here are few shots of the whole ship to show my progress.

 

I finished the masts, and have started on the standing rigging.  I decided to replace my rope with rope from Syren, the difference in quality is staggering.  Since this is my first ship model I have been focusing on how the rigging works and what the purpose of each rope is and I am not quite as focused on making sure all the correct knots are being used and everything is whipped etc., but I am trying to add those things and learn how they should be done where I can if they aren't too much effort. 

 

PXL_20240412_012231705.jpg.ba6ae798530a1723754f838abea52586.jpg

PXL_20240421_233527868.jpg.02d404f789fbe0bc870b50e42b815529.jpg

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PXL_20240421_233539794.jpg.b587b18fb8c948afb5e4116c9c638baa.jpg

Current Build

HMS Sphinx, Vanguard Models 1:64 Scale

 

Finished Builds:

HMS Beagle

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