Cutty Sark by rkre88 - Revell - 1:96 - PLASTIC

[rkre88]

Well, Christmas came early. This purchase wasn't supposed to show up until July. Bummer. Guess I will just have to get a head start on it.

Just wrapped up an Academy model which had no flash. This is going to be a different story. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be though.

Looking forward to working with something bigger. I have never done one this big before.

Got the hull halves glued together. Making the stern look seamless is going to take some work. 

Any tips and tricks from this who have done this model are welcome.

Here we go!

[rkre88]

Dear Revell,

 

Why?!

Why did you feel the need to stamp your name on the TOP of the deck

 

Sincerely,

Ryan

[rkre88]

Main deck, fore deck, and cabin roof painted. I weathered the fore deck by rubbing newspaper on it. Planning to continue that. You can see before and after in the picture where I stacked the fore deck on the main deck.

[rkre88]

Quick update. Deck attached to hull and some painting done.

[rkre88]

It has been some time since I updated. Got slammed with work, plus I am working on a different ship as a gift for a customer of mine. Hope to be back at it this Fall/Winter 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Take your time, and measure twice - cut once.  BTW, the early version of the kit are molded better (fit-wise, etc.) and don't have the Revell Logo on the deck ... I suppose one can skim the characters off and scribe a little wood grain to camouflage.  

Edited August 17, 2024 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[rkre88]

Back at it now. Finished a different build for a customer of mine. Here's the result of what was distracting me from the 1/96 project. Will post where I am at on the 1/96 asap.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   Ahh, the 1:120 version - well thought of by many.  I believe included was a second set of yard with the studding sail booms molded in the inward position.  With the boom out, sails are recommended,

[rkre88]

It's actually the 1/150 from Academy. Unfortunately on that kit the studdingsail booms and yards are molded as one piece with the yards. I am still relatively new to the hobby, so I have not really attempted sails yet 

[rkre88]

Quick pic update on some work done.

[rkre88]

Made a little more progress. Got some more items attached to the deck. Davits are just loosely in place for now. Worked on the lifeboats a bit. Used some leftover deck cleats on the ends of the boats so I have something to attach to when I rig them to the davits. I am not liking the gold anchor chain supplied with the kit. I might get some black chain instead.

[rkre88]

Got my photoetch kit last week and got some of it placed. This was my first time using photoetch. I love the look! Not sure if I can go back to those crappy plastic decals ever again. Currently working on the rope railings on the bow. More updates to follow.

[rkre88]

Realizing just how big this beast is going to be. Running out of workspace!

[shipman]

Making a good job of this,  like your paintwork; crisp and clean.

What method did you use to attach the etch, bow and stern?

Don't forget to touch out the bits holding the letters to the surrounding detail.

[rkre88]

10 hours ago, shipman said:

Making a good job of this,  like your paintwork; crisp and clean.

What method did you use to attach the etch, bow and stern?

Don't forget to touch out the bits holding the letters to the surrounding detail.

I tried Tamiya thin set per a recommendation I read, but that was a fail. Settled on superglue gel. Holds well. Unfortunately a bit got stuck on my finger and left a smudge. Stands out like a sore thumb on the pic. Any recommendations to remove it? I got a bunch of it off by lightly sanding, but didn't want to get too aggressive.

I was looking at the bits you mentioned holding the letters and trying to figure out what I was going to do about that...

[SaltyScot]

This is a nice build! The Cutty Sark is another kit (more than likely wood) that I have on my wishlist, I am just waiting for my skills to reach that level

[shipman]

11 hours ago, SaltyScot said:

This is a nice build! The Cutty Sark is another kit (more than likely wood) that I have on my wishlist, I am just waiting for my skills to reach that level

As a whole the Revell 1:96 comes with a multitude of problems, all of which can be overcome by a moderately skilled model maker (see some excellent examples online).

What the kit provides are two very accurate hull halves, again not without minor solvable issues.

I haven't seen a wood based kit hull that bares even close comparison to the Revell assembly.

The kit is so old I'd say it's antediluvian, yet most sub assemblies, with a little care can be very accurate to the real ship. All the wooden kits are simple parodies, often just crude.

Masts and yards are another matter, the plastic being brittle and easily damaged.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

11 hours ago, shipman said:

As a whole the Revell 1:96 comes with a multitude of problems, all of which can be overcome by a moderately skilled model maker (see some excellent examples online).

What the kit provides are two very accurate hull halves, again not without minor solvable issues.

I haven't seen a wood based kit hull that bares even close comparison to the Revell assembly.

The kit is so old I'd say it's antediluvian, yet most sub assemblies, with a little care can be very accurate to the real ship. All the wooden kits are simple parodies, often just crude.

Masts and yards are another matter, the plastic being brittle and easily damaged.

    Rob Riedderich used the 1:96 C.S. hull as a 'base' to make other clippers, with impressive results.  Most know that Revell's 1:96 Thermopylae has the C.S. hull - and even though they nixed the second deck house, made a modified Thermie rear cabin and fudged the deadeye/shroud arrangement to be more like the Big T, that kit leaves a LOT to be desired.  I've studied my stashed Thermie kit and pondered how to re-engineer the plastic Revell hull and deck to be 'closer' yet to the original, and the problems are manifold - too much to do to be practical.

     Often overlooked and yet essential, the subtle 'racing yacht' lines of the original T's hull are different than those of C.S. (the differences are thought to have given Thermopylae an advantage in light to moderate winds), and no wood kit ever got the T's lines right either.  The correct lines are available on the internet, and can be scaled as desired.  So I've studied and made drawings of those, with an eye to doing an 'old school' solid hull.  We'll see if anythoing can come of that.

[shipman]

To coin a Michael Cain phrase....''Not many people know that''......CS's lines were derived from a steamship!

[rkre88]

On 1/6/2025 at 4:28 PM, SaltyScot said:

This is a nice build! The Cutty Sark is another kit (more than likely wood) that I have on my wishlist, I am just waiting for my skills to reach that level

Thanks! However, I make no claim to skill mastery or even close to that. There is a lot on this build that I am looking at and planning to do differently next time around. My fitment of the deck to the hull halves leaves much to be desired. Many things on this build that are "working" but definitely not right if one looks closely.