HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne 1763 by palmerit - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - First Build

[palmerit]

After a decade of following this forum off and on, I've finally decided to try my first wooden model ship.

 

I've always been fascinated by wooden ships, especially wooden sailing warships. Every time we've been on vacation and there's a wooden ship museum, I make sure it's on the itinerary. Usually my family is waiting outside while I slowly make my way through the models. What prompted me to finally start a model of my own was a trip to Maine we just returned from, which included a stop at Bluejacket Shipcrafters near Acadia. While I'm several years from retirement, and a busy professional, my youngest is now in college, so I have a little time to start a hobby I've longed to try.

 

Outside of helping my boys with some plastic models and hundreds of lego sets over the years, I have not built any kind of model since I was a young teenager. I have done some basic home improvement over the years, and have never been afraid to try something myself, but I really have no advanced wood working or model making knowledge I can turn to. I am an educator and scientist so we'll see if any of that transfers over.

 

The first step of course was to pick a first model. I first found this forum years go when I had inherited an old (never begun) wooden ship model, which probably dated from the 1960s. It had a carved hull, basically no instructions, just sets of plans with no explanation, and piles of metal and wooden parts or fairly low quality. I had no idea where to begin, let alone what to do. I bought a planking book, but I couldn't figure out how to apply what was in the book to the model I had. I thought I'd try a simpler model, but the only real novice model ships that were recommended a decade ago were ones like the Model Shipways Shipwright Series. While I actually like sailing and sailboats, I just was not all that interested in building a sailboat or a fishing boat. I'd lose interest. I wanted to build a warship of some sort. But I just couldn't find one that stepped the beginner through the process.

 

A decade later, I quickly discovered Vanguard Models and started reading the various reviews, various build logs, and YouTube reviews. And better yet, the instructions are all available online, so I could see not only what building a model entailed, but also how much hand holding there might be. I could get a high quality model (well, at least the parts are high quality, no promises about the finished product), with some fantastic instructions. They are pricey, but from everything I've read and heard, you get what you pay for. The last thing I want to deal with is wood splitting because of poor quality material (as opposed to poor quality ability). And for me, as a complete novice, part of what I'm paying for is a detailed set of instructions, with lots of color photos.

 

It was a pretty quick decision to go with Vanguard. The next step was which model. They're a new company, so they don't have as many options as some others, but I'm hoping I'll stick with this hobby because I'm excited to see what comes next. The most obvious choice was the Sherbourne, a new model for 2024, designed for the novice. One challenge was that I now have disposable income, so I was really tempted to buy a more advanced model, even if it took me the rest of my life to build. Thankfully, I read the various warnings posted on this forum of people who start a model way beyond their abilities, set up a build log, and never finish it. I also looked closely at the instructions for the Sherbourne compared to other more complex models (and saw some of the plans included with the Sherbourne on various unboxing videos) and realized that the Sherbourne doesn't skip steps in the instructions in ways that more advanced models might. I also knew I wanted to set up a build log, not only to keep myself on track, but because I thought my experience as a complete novice might be useful for others considering or starting this hobby. And finally, I thought that as a novice, if I take on a model ship that is geared toward the novice, there might be more patience with the kinds of basic (silly, stupid) questions I might need to ask here. So Sherbourne was the obvious choice. It's a warship, albeit a small one - well, at least it's armed, I don't know when a ship qualified as a warship in the parlance of wooden ships.

 

Living in the US, I was going to order from Age of Sail, but there were out of stock, and it was going to be a month before they were restocked with the Sherbourne. So I instead ordered directly from Vanguard, which meant paying more because of the exchange rate and shipping. It should arrive by the end of this week.

 

Next step while waiting for the model to arrive is getting the tools I'll need.

[Thukydides]

Sherbourne is a great choice. I think you will enjoy her. Vanguard is great because you can make a wonderful model out of the box and if you want to, some small adjustments can be done to really elevate the model (I would recommend getting some 3rd party blocks and rope when you get to the rigging stage).

 

Take your time and remember this is not a race. Make sure you are reading ahead both in the instructions and build logs.

 

Good luck.

[Knocklouder]

Palmerit.

The only silly, stupid question is the one you dont ask. Ask away, and you will see all the help you will receive.  Vanguard Models are right there at the top of the list, great quality  fantastic instruction .

  Good luck on your journey!!    

Bob M.

 

[palmerit]

This is the recommended tool list on the instructions for the Sherbourne. The recommendations from the instructions are in bold, my questions are in regular font. I'd rather get some quality tools to make the work easier, but I'm also happy to get recommendations of what's good enough. I'm in the US, so pointers to US distributors would be fantastic.

1: Craft knife (or standard Stanley Knife, which is robust enough for most jobs)

I assume by "Stanley Knife" they just mean a standard box cutter with razor blade, is that right? I have some decent ones in my toolbox.

I've seen posts where folks say to steer away from X-acto knives (they seem to snap frequently when I've used them in the past). I've seen some recommend Swann Morton scalpels (Swann Morton #3 handle, 10A and 11 blades). Would the "Stanley Knife" be used for cutting out parts from sheets and would something like the Swann Morton be used for lighter work? Is the 10A or 11 blade preferred? Other shapes?

2: A selection of needle files

These seem to be recommended:

Glardon-Vallorbe LA2442 (in a set of 6), around $45

A question is whether cut 2 (finer) or cut 0 (coarser) is more useful.

Cut 0 : https://www.ottofrei.com/products/glardon-vallorbe-la2442-0-needle-file-set-of-6-5-1-2-14cm-cut-0-coarse

Cut 2 : https://www.ottofrei.com/products/glardon-vallorbe-la2442-2-needle-file-set-of-6-5-1-2-140mm-cut-2

 

3: Razor saw

I saw the ASK Razor Saw recommended (https://modelshipworld.com/topic/27804-artscale-razor-saws-and-blades/) and saw that it is not available from a US distributor (https://spruebrothers.com/search-results-page?q=ask). Is that a good option? How many blades would someone want to buy at the outset?

 

4: Pin vice or small electric drill.
5: Selection of drill bits from 0.5mm to 1mm

Is a Dremel fine for times when you need to drill something? I have a descent Dremel but would likely need to buy some smaller bits for it.

 

6: Selection of abrasive paper and sanding block (110, 180, 240, 320, 400)

The Sherbourne instructions recommended Spring-Loaded Finger Sanders available in 4 sizes, 10mm, 20mm, 25mm, 40mm (Medium Grade). Looks like these are made by Modelcraft. How many different sizes would I need? And are there other options (other brands or styles) in case I cannot find Model Craft in the right sizes? I have sanding blocks from work around the house, but they're 1/2 the size of the Sherbourne model.

 

7: Selection of good quality paint brushes
Recommendations on what sizes of paint brushes? What is a good quality brand? I only know paint brushes for painting around the home.

 

8: Pliers/wire cutters (Good quality side-cutters are excellent for trimming rigging ends)

Guess that if this is primarily used for rigging that it's going to be a while before I need a side cutter. What kind of pliers? Neednose? Smaller?

 

9: Good quality set of tweezers (For small parts and rigging)

I've seen lots of posts about tweezers. Are there a few kinds that someone should start with? Or should I just splurge and get a set? I've seen some folks recommend Drumont. Other brands? What shapes? 

 

10: Steel ruler (300mm - for providing a straight edge for tapering the planking)

Self-explanatory.

 

11: Small clamps (2 inch clamps with rubber tips, are very useful for projects like this)

Does anyone know what kinds of clips might have been used in the Sherbourne model photos. I like the idea of having clips with some rubber protection on them (as opposed to binder clips that might damage the wood). I've attached the photo from the instructions.

 

12: Good quality pencil or drawing pen

Largely self-explanatory. But is there a particular hardness of mechanical pencil led that works best on wood?

 

13: Masking tape (Tamiya masking tape is perfect for masking areas around the main wale)

How does Tamiya masking tape compare to something like Frog tape? Is Tamiya higher quality, or made for wood (or other) models (versus walls and molding)?

 

14: A Pin Pusher (Or you can just use a pair of pliers to push pins into the planking and bulkhead edges)

The Modelcraft Pin Pusher With Adjustable Depth Stop is what's recommended on the Sherbourne instructions. Unfortunately, it looks like Vanguard is the only place now that has them in stock, so I might need to place another order with expensive shipping. 

 

15: Cutting mat

My wife's a quilter, so I'm familiar with these, and maybe she has an old one I could use. She has probably 1/2 dozen of them in different sizes.

 

Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

[Thukydides]

See below for some answers:

1. A craft knife or a scalpel should be fine. Start with what you have on hand and if you find it isn't working feel free to try something else. I just used a normal exacto craft knife and I was fine.
2. Nice tools are nice, but you can get away with cheap needle files for a kit. My recommendation is hold off on buying too many fancy tools until you are sure you need them. I just used cheap files for alert, though the ones you linked are really nice.
3. Any razor saw will do. You don't really need this unless you are planning on doing some kitbashing. The only time I use my razor saw is when I am making parts from scratch to replace the kit versions.
4. I would recommend a pin vice in most cases, a cheap one will do. Power tools near fragile objects can be dangerous.
5. Any selection of small bits will do. HSS ones are better than carbide as the carbide ones have a tendancy to snap.
6. I just use small pieces of sandpaper folded over. You can also glue sandpaper to popsicle sticks. Just pick up whatever is at your local hardware store.
7. This is a bit more complicated. I would recommend starting with mid range synthetic brushes. Take a look at what you want to paint, you probably want a flat and a round and they should be as big as possible while still being small enough to get into the places you need them to get into. This is a bit later in the process so to be honest I wouldn't worry about this yet. Lots of time to read up on it when you get closer to painting.
8. They are helpful for some of the PE as well, but I would wait on getting these till you find that you have a need.
9. Again wait till later, you won't need these early on
10. As noted
11. Check out your local dollar store, they tend to have tonnes of these little clamps and since you need so many it helps that they are cheap.
12. I just use HB
13. Masking tape made for modeling is more exact than normal painters tape. Also it is thinner and less tacky (doesn't pull up your paint). Any modeling brand will do, I use tamiya.
14. I made one myself by pulling the bristles out of an old small dollar store paintbrush.
15. Get as big a one as your workspace will allow, that being said if you have old ones on hand free is best. I wouldn't recommend using your wife's current one, she might not be pleased when bits of glue are dried onto it.

Edited July 23 by Thukydides

[palmerit]

The Sherbourne instructions also list:

 

1: White PVA wood glue or suitable Titebond adhesive.

I assume Titebond Original is what I want.

2: Cyanoacrylate (superglue) thick and medium viscosity.

The instructions show Gorilla Super Glue Gel. Is the "Gel" the thick velocity type? What is medium? I saw that there is also Gorilla Super Glue Ultimate.

 

3: Natural colour wood filler (Water based wood filler is recommended as this can be diluted and made thinner)

Would that be something like Minwax 42852 Natural Stainable Wood Filler (in a tube)?

 

[palmerit]

The Sherbourne arrived from the UK and it was pretty straightforward going through the first several steps to construct the hull. Once put together it’s very sturdy. Are the larger Vanguard model this sturdy?
 

You definitely have to pause and think (and then pause and think again) when putting a wooden ship together - it’s definitely not a Lego or a plastic Revell model. You also have to be patient putting together pieces with a tight fit to not snap the wood. 
 

One small example, one of the suggested steps is to slightly pre-bevel some of the bulkheads. I started putting the bulkheads in with the numbers facing the same direction but then realized I had to reverse the pre-beveled pieces on one end of the ship to properly follow the shape of the bow. 

[palmerit]

Despite being an expert Amazon shopper, I think I’ve bought a lifetime supply of Titebond. 

Edited July 28 by palmerit

[palmerit]

Adding the false desk was a bit more of a challenge. I wanted to dry fit but it was a really tight fit and I thought it’d be impossible to remove the deck since it’s only .8mm thick. So I put glue down and slowly - very slowly - pushed the piece down around the bulkheads. It was a bit of a dance at first to apply enough pressure while also making sure the deck wasn’t getting caught on one of the many bulkhead pieces. 
 

I did get a tiny bit of splitting (see photo) and one of the tiny tabs on the deck popped off (see photo).
 

I used an Emory board on its side to apply pressure at the end (worked better than my finger).

 

I guess that since this is a “false” deck and structural (and not visible) that those splits are okay (I’ll lightly sand). I don’t know if I need to jury-rig something in place of that tiny tab on the false deck that snapped off or if it’s okay. 

[palmerit]

I ended up experimenting to try to replace the broken tab. I cut three small pieces (the size of the tab that had broken off) from the remainder of the piece of wood the false deck was on, stacked them and glued them together, and then glued the wood sandwich back where the tab had broken off. I’ll need to later do some sanding. 

[palmerit]

So I think I hit on my first of what will likely be many mistakes and I need help knowing what to do. 
 

I’ve attached the section of the instructions that I thought I followed. 
 

I’m pretty sure I attached the inner stern counter (62) properly. It’s lined up properly and flush. 
 

But the inner stern transom (63) would not lie flush with the top of the inner stern counter (62). Maybe I should have sanded the top of 62 to allow it to lie flush (the instructions don’t say to do that).

 

Now there’s a gap.
 

What should I do?

 

I could use a razor saw to take off the inner stern transom (63) and move it down (sanding 62 to make that possible). I just don’t know if trying to do that is going to damage other parts (including the delicate stern frames). 
 

Or should I try to use wood filler? I think that part of the ship is painted. Not just the best way to apply to keep things neat. Suggestions?

 

Other things I might do?

[palmerit]

Trying to do a bit of problem solving. I read ahead and decided to clamp the back of the bulwark to get a sense of how things might line up later. 
 

It looks like I’ll need to fair/cut/trim the stern pieces a good bit to get things to lay flush, like it appears in the photos in the instruction. Not sure if I did something wrong or if this is just the norm.

 

I’m trying to figure out when I’m making a mistake vs. what’s just the usual work you need to do in construction. 

[chris watton]

Any part that meets another at an angle will require sanding in order for them to sit flush. The stern counter requires sanding so that the top edge is level with the bottom edge of the upper stern part.

 

Do not be afraid to sand/file parts that would fit much better if you did this - wooden kits require much sanding/filing, unlike plastic kits.

 

I have attached your pic with added yellow lines, showing you what you need to take off. I suspect the bulkhead tabs above deck level also could do with a little more sanding, so the bulkhead pattern will sit flush with the whole of the contact surface of each.

Edited July 29 by chris watton

[palmerit]

I’m hoping I did okay fairing the hull. I guess I’ll know when I do the planking. I seemed to follow the laser lines pretty well. A foam core emory board seemed to work well. It was small enough to see around and flexible enough to know I wouldn’t break something. My sanding block was way too large. 
 

While waiting for my files to arrive, I cannibalized (i.e., cut in 1/2 and then 1/4) one of the emory boards to file between the bulkhead pieces in order to sand down some of the places where the false deck had split. I was also able to sand smooth the replacement tab. 

[palmerit]

34 minutes ago, chris watton said:

Any part that meets another at an angle will require sanding in order for them to sit flush. The stern counter requires sanding so that the top edge is level with the bottom edge of the upper stern part.

 

.

.

.

 

I have attached your pic with added yellow lines, showing you what you need to take off. I suspect the bulkhead tabs above deck level also could do with a little more sanding, so the bulkhead pattern will sit flush with the whole of the contact surface of each.

Thanks! And I didn’t think to sand the bulkhead tabs. 

 

What (if anything) should I do about the small gap between the two stern pieces? I could use wood filler (but it would be a real challenge to sand it in the inside) or craft a small piece of wood (that’ll be a doable challenge). Other suggestions?

[palmerit]

With Chris’s advice, I was able to shape the stern section. Phew. Thanks Chris for the help (and for making a great model). 
 

Just need to figure out what to do about the gap. Would slightly watered down wood filler work better? This is the kind I bought. 
 

[palmerit]

I faired the top of the bulkhead tabs above the false deck (after first sanding the top, I realized he meant fairing the sides along the top). 

I added the keel. 
 

One thing I hadn’t paid enough attention to until after the keel was glued on was the fair lines along the bottom of the bulkheads. I had seen them but it wasn’t until I put the keel on that I realized why they were there in terms of the overall shape of the hull. I started to sand with my emory board but realized I should wait until the glue was cured. It would have been easier to do without the keel there certainly. I’ll need to be careful (especially since noticed that I inadvertently sanded a bit of the place where the rudder attaches). Learning a bunch from my mistakes. 

 

[Thukydides]

3 hours ago, palmerit said:

I’m hoping I did okay fairing the hull. I guess I’ll know when I do the planking.

Hold a test strip against the bulkheads to make sure it lays flat against them. Do this all over the hull to test all of it. Getting the faring right will make the planking much easier. I didn't fare the bow on alert enough and it caused me all sorts of headaches with the first planking layer.

[palmerit]

Thanks for the suggestion.
 

I’m almost to planking and I’ll be checking a bunch of logs, videos, and web pages. 
 

It was a bit of a challenge to bend the bulwarks just with a pan of hot water. I have them dry-mounted on the hull to set the bend. Glad I bought lots of small clips. 
 

I’ve seen the crimped type and the heated (soldering-iron-like) plank bender units. Not sure which might be better and which kind to get. I'm probably going to get one for planking the hull, even if it's just as a time saver and not strictly necessary.

Edited July 30 by palmerit

[palmerit]

One thing I’m confused about is how to glue the bulwark. Later on in the instructions, after planking the hull, the bulkhead tabs are snipped off and sanded down (see photo). That seems pretty common from other ship builds I’ve seen. When I glue the bulwark, do I glue around the deck *and* the bulkhead tabs that will be later snipped off, or just to the deck and frame under the deck. 
 

Going from the directions, I’d assume I’d glue to every point of contact with the bulwark (including the bulkhead tabs). But the photos later in the instructions don’t make it look like the bulwark was glued to the bulkhead tabs (maybe they just snap off clean, even when glued). 

[James H]

Don't apply glue to the bulkhead ears. It will be a nightmare to remove those ears later and will make an unholy mess...as well as pull chunks from the bulwarks. 

 

Only apply glue along the deck height (lowest deck line) and to where the lower bulkheads are. Alternatively, you can dry clamp everything and then brush the glue in carefully and sparingly along deck height (keeping away from the bulkhead ears) and also from underneath into where the bulwark and bulkheads meet.

[PaddyO]

Thanks James for that great clarification.  I was asking the same question about gluing the bulwarks on my Sherbourne kit, and your response was exactly what I was needing to hear.

[palmerit]

I was able to fix the stern area (showing photos before and after sanding down), getting everything lined up and flush, with a bunch of careful sanding and a tiny bit of wood filler carefully applied (a couple of times, over a couple of days, sanding between). I might do one more wood filler application. 

Edited August 1 by palmerit

[palmerit]

I hadn’t noticed that the bow bulwark was bent in a bit, I think because there’s not a bulwark ear at the front and I wasn’t paying attention. Nothing I can do about it. Something I’ll try to remember for the next model. 

[palmerit]

Well, I survived my first planking. I watched a bunch of videos and read a bunch of posts but I learned the most by just doing it I think. My first ones were poor and thankfully this is just a base. I think I got a bit better. Glad this is an “easy” hull. I’ll have a lot of filling and sanding to do. I’m hoping I’ll be able to apply what I learned to the thinner second planking. 

Edited August 5 by palmerit

[palmerit]

Oops. Sadly, while removing a stubborn nail from the hull, my hand slipped and I smashed the back a bit. I have some glueing to do. Thankfully, it’s going to be painted. Every step is a learning experience. 

[AJohnson]

37 minutes ago, palmerit said:

Oops. Sadly, while removing a stubborn nail from the hull, my hand slipped and I smashed the back a bit. I have some glueing to do…

Don’t worry we have all been there, well I have anyway! 🤣

 

Good progress. 👍

 

 

Edited August 5 by AJohnson

[Ronald-V]

Smashing pieces is indeed part of this hobby 😄

[Olli Sukunimisson]

Yeah! I have recreated all the beams protruding beyond the hull for my Lady Nelson several times
It seems like an emotional rollercoaster is part of the process Everything is lost, I’ve broken it! I’m a bloody genius, I’ve fixed it! And over and over again. It works like a stimulant, at least for me 
And I must say, your Sherbourne does look beautiful even at this stage

[palmerit]

Probably more wood filler than I might have needed if my planking went a bit better. Lots of sanding tomorrow. 
 

Most of it I watered down. I few places I used “full strength” in the place with some stair stepped planking. We’ll see how it goes. 

Edited August 6 by palmerit