Banshee II by Glen McGuire - 1/700 - BOTTLE

[Keith Black]

 I've said before that the Kraken was my favorite till you built the Lost Jenny but now I think I'll be changing my favorite yet again. That's some great stuff right there, Glen. 

[Glen McGuire]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 I've said before that the Kraken was my favorite till you built the Lost Jenny but now I think I'll be changing my favorite yet again. That's some great stuff right there, Glen. 

Thanks, Keith.  I hope you think the same thing when this beast is finished!  It is proving to be a much more challenging build that I originally thought it would be.  So much so, in fact, that I have placed my friend that wanted me to do a paddlewheel boat on SIB probation.  She is not allowed to suggest any new project ideas for the remainder of the year!  🤐🤐🤐

[Keith Black]

10 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

I have placed my friend that wanted me to do a paddlewheel boat on SIB probation.  She is not allowed to suggest any new project ideas for the remainder of the year!  🤐🤐🤐

 Please tell her 'welcome to SIBSPC'  (SIB Suggestion Probationary Club) and that 2025 isn't that far off. 

[BANYAN]

That's a lot of detail in a very small space Glen.  It's inspiring watching you sort through all of the sequencing issues to get it right.  

 

cheers

 

Pat

[rwiederrich]

Good job…..but those added cowlings taper back to the hull . Not squared off like you have then.   Look closely at the model you posted.    
 

Rob

[Glen McGuire]

26 minutes ago, rwiederrich said:

Good job…..but those added cowlings taper back to the hull . Not squared off like you have then.   Look closely at the model you posted.    

Good eye, Rob.  More (delicate) modifications on the way...  

Edited Wednesday at 02:29 AM by Glen McGuire

[FriedClams]

Clever solution to cut the subassembly in half and then adding the tapered locating pins to each.  Sometimes it seems we modelers spend more time mitigating problems than moving forward.  But that's part of the fun, right?   Glen?

 

Anyway, she's looking great, and I very much enjoy watching your process in this subatomic scale.  You're inspiring me to try a SIB myself someday, but I'll start out with a mason jar.

 

Gary

[Glen McGuire]

1 hour ago, FriedClams said:

Sometimes it seems we modelers spend more time mitigating problems than moving forward.  But that's part of the fun, right? 

Sooooo true!!  And I hope you do try a SIB one of these days.  With the remarkable work I've seen on your models and shadowboxes, I have no doubt it would be a masterpiece.

Edited Wednesday at 09:10 PM by Glen McGuire

[Glen McGuire]

I’m heading to Philly tomorrow for a wedding so I’m trying to jam in a lot of work before I go.  But as Gary (aka @FriedClams) alluded to, it’s 2 always steps forward and one back!  The focus the last couple of days was adding a layer of “steel” to my hull for authenticity since the Banshee II was reportedly the first steel hulled vessel to cross the Atlantic.  

 

I really got a lot of help from @Landlubber Mike in this area.  First, I ordered some sheets of the Bare-metal aluminum foil he suggested (typically used to add chrome effects to car and plane models).  He also gave me some great advice on metal primers and painting.  Here’s what the package of Bare-metal foil looks like ($12 on Amazon).   "The answer to a modeler's prayers"!

 

 

 

The foil is incredibly thin and a bit difficult to get the peel started.  I wadded up a bunch of the edges before finally getting the knack.  Fortunately, there was plenty of material to spare.  Once I got the peel going, it was pretty easy to work with.  Despite it’s razor thinness, it had enough rigidity to hold its shape fairly well while putting it in place.  The only thing that did not work well for me was the adhesive backing on the foil.  It did not stick to wood very well (probably because it’s made for plastic).  So I spread a thin layer of low viscosity CA glue on my hull surface and applied the foil.  It created a solid bond.  As you can see below, the foil is so thin that every slight variation in the wood grain shows through.  But I figured I could smooth that out during the painting process.  

 

 

 

As for painting the foil, Mike recommended using a metal primer first.  I use Tamiya paints, so I got some Tamiya Metal Primer.  On my test pieces, I used 3 coats of primer then 2 coats of paint.  It provided a solid adhesion for the paint to the foil.  Here’s my “steel” hull painted gray.  I know the picture of the Banshee II that I’ve been using as a reference shows a blue hull.  But most everything I’ve read about the blockade runners says they were painted gray for better camouflage.  So I decided to follow that line of reasoning.  Huge thank you to Mike for his guidance and help making my “steel” hull a reality.

 

 

 

While waiting for various coats of primer and paint to dry, I circled back on a couple of things.  First, I revisited the funnel assemblies because I wanted to add the guy wires that are prominent in the painting.  However, since they are being inserted after the ship is in the bottle, I don’t have a reasonable way to run the wires from the funnels and attach them to the bulwarks.  So my alternate solution was to use 1/64” (.33mm) music wire and run it from near the top of the funnel to the funnel assembly base.  This allows each funnel assembly to still be inserted and installed as a single unit.  I think the look came out ok. 

 

 

 

The next thing I wanted to address was the comment from Rob (aka @rwiederrich) that my wheel cowlings needed to be tapered back to the hull.  So I took care of that with some delicate sanding and filing.  Here’s what the ship looks like so far with everything in place (dry-fitted) except the ship’s boats.  

 

Huge thank you to Rob for his comment on the cowling as I think the ship’s profile looks much better than before.  However, Mini-Dimples the ship inspector remains unimpressed until she sees everything in the bottle.

 

 

Up next is @Knocklouder's favorite chore – rigging and ratlines!      

 

Edited yesterday at 07:32 PM by Glen McGuire

[rwiederrich]

She’s looking real smart.  I’m assuming the shrouds will be string so they can flex back when you collapse the masts?

 

Rob

[Glen McGuire]

17 minutes ago, rwiederrich said:

 I’m assuming the shrouds will be string so they can flex back when you collapse the masts?

You are correct.  I will string the shrouds tight with the masts in their full upright position.  Then collapse the masts to the stern for insertion into the bottle.  If I've done a good job, the shrouds will be nice and tight and the masts straight all the way thru the hinge to the deck when I raise the masts inside the bottle. 

[Ian_Grant]

Glen, Banshee is truly beautiful......going to be a magnificent display when bottled.

[Landlubber Mike]

Looking really great Glen, wow!  That wheel is incredible.  Glad the BMF worked!