HMS Beagle by Geordy Aidan - OcCre - 1:60 scale

[Geordy Aidan]

I was given this model by my family as both my wife and sister in law volunteer at Down House which is a few miles down the road. Down House was the family home of Charles Darwin for 40 years and where he wrote "On the Origin of the Species" which was published in 1859.

 

[ccoyle]

Good luck with your project!

[Geordy Aidan]

Having put a a model of HMS Supply to one side because I was constantly being asked by the family how the Beagle was going.  I opened the packaging and I have to say that whilst my initial reaction was this looks OK BUT on closer inspection I have discovered my first major problem The False Keel has a twist to it!  That is not good especially as these models are not cheep.

 

So I have soaked the false keel in boiling water then clamped it between two pieces of 20 mm  MDF and left it to dry for three days.  When I removed it it still has a warp towards the stem forward of frame 4 and a twist towards the stern aft of frame 10.

 

I am attaching the frames and gluing them using Lego Blocks to hold them square  and then adding  stiffeners in at deck level.  I will add larger blocks to fill in the voids forward of frame 4 and aft of frame 10.

[JFMJr]

First build here..have been frustrated,  confused and at the same time...loved it.

Still a long way to go. 

[Firs49]

15 hours ago, Geordy Aidan said:

Having put a a model of HMS Supply to one side because I was constantly being asked by the family how the Beagle was going.  I opened the packaging and I have to say that whilst my initial reaction was this looks OK BUT on closer inspection I have discovered my first major problem The False Keel has a twist to it!  That is not good especially as these models are not cheep.

 

So I have soaked the false keel in boiling water then clamped it between two pieces of 20 mm  MDF and left it to dry for three days.  When I removed it it still has a warp towards the stem forward of frame 4 and a twist towards the stern aft of frame 10.

 

I am attaching the frames and gluing them using Lego Blocks to hold them square  and then adding  stiffeners in at deck level.  I will add larger blocks to fill in the voids forward of frame 4 and aft of frame 10.

If you are not happy with the part then I would go on the Occre website and request a replacement. I did this for a couple of parts in my Beagle kit and they replaced them free of charge and I received them within a week of requesting which considering they came from Spain I think is a great service.

[Geordy Aidan]

Thanks for the advice.  Having spent nearly a week  on fitting the frames  and stiffeners along the length of the false keel I don't feel that I have anything to loose by pushing ahead.  If it does not work then I will contact them in which case I would need all of the pieces from A1 to A18.  I will let you know how it goes.

 

I do think that we modelers would be better served if OcCre used a 5 ply with all of the laminates being the same thickness something like the 3mm ply used on some of the the Caldercraft  Models. 

[Geordy Aidan]

I have now fitted stiffeners  as well as some blocks at the bow and the keel now looks straight.  I decided to do a 4 but shift pattern for the planking and cut the planking into 60mm strips and used a 5B pencil to blacken one edge of the planks. I will fix the planks in place with PVA. I will post photos once the glue has dried.

[Geordy Aidan]

All of the 60mm strips are now in place an I have given it a couple of coats of varnish to protect the surface.  I did mask the areas where the bulwarks will be glued across the deck.  The big question is do I show the treenails in the deck.  My thinking at the moment is no because I feel at this scale they would not be seen as they are so small.  What do others think?

Edited May 6 by Geordy Aidan

[Geordy Aidan]

I have now glued and clamped the main deck in place.  You can see the blocks that I have fixed to the stem and stern  which will be shaped to support the first planking at the bearding line as well as the bow.

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Super job of decking! The random joints look great.  No need for plugs, but if you want to go to the trouble - have the location of the pairs be regular.  So perhaps making a template to mark through on each plank end may be helpful.  I've thought about this (as you scale is 'on the bubble' for a detail like these), and 1" plugs (there is info on the forum on how deck planks were fastened and caulked in some time periods) work out to about 0.017" at 1:60.

 

  Some have used pencil, but sometimes that look like just 'dots'.  The full Monty would be (after marking with a very sharp hard lead mechanical pencil - too keep the mark small and light) to drill with a wire drill, inset a tapered toothpick end (wee bit of wood glue on the end optional) and cut with a flush cutter.  A light sanding after all are positioned would smooth.

[Geordy Aidan]

I have seen the posts on the method that you suggest and it looks like they go through lots of toothpicks 🙂 

[Geordy Aidan]

I have now put the structures that support the fore and stern castles in place.  I decided to open the windows up and then looked at the doors.

 

 I have to say that I do not like the etched brass doors so I decided to make some of my own. They don't look too bad the next question is what colour should they be?  I suppose that is anyone guess really.

 

[Geordy Aidan]

Doors and windows are now in place. I have also glued the poop deck and the deck of the forecastle in place.

 

[JFMJr]

Looks good! I am building the same ship.. I should be finishing the masts shortly..

The quality of the model I think is good.. The instructions..not so good..lol