Le Chebec by Yvesvidal - CAF Model - 1/48

[yvesvidal]

After completing with success the large 1/48 HMS Bellona by CAF Model, here is another ship that I always wanted to build: Le Chebec (one of the series, being called Le Requin). These eight (8) ships built by a French shipyard, were patrolling the Mediterranean sea and were used for all kinds of purposes. I love the sleek, flat, large and elegant shape of these ships and the combination of sails and oars, allowing them to move even when the wind was null, which happens quite often in the Mediterranean basin.

 

There are multiple kits of that ship in the scale of 1/48 or 1/50th. The plastic model from Heller is a classic and still calls for a hefty price, due to its large size and complexity. The artist commissioned by Heller, also painted what I consider to be one of the most beautiful rendition of that legendary vessel:

 

 

However, I wanted to build something made of wood and after building the Bellona using the plank on bulkheads technique, the desire to build a true "Plank on Frames" hit me. This technique allows for the display of the inside of the ship, which is always an exciting feature.

 

A few Chinese builders are offering the Chebec in 1/48th scale, but having had a great experience with CAF Model, I decided to go with them as they just authored this new kit, recently. Besides, the other Chinese makes of this kit are not authorized on that forum. So, it was a big NO-NO!

 

Procuring the kit was an adventure of patience, renouncement, frustration and finally relief. At the end of the story, I could appreciate and treasure the honesty and incredible dedication of "Tom" from CAF Model. After paying the price of the kit and ordering on the CAF Model web site, Tom sent the kit using UPS and one local "Courier Agency" in China. Tracking on the UPS web site was encouraging until.....I realized that the kit had been delivered to a small town south of Dallas, TX. Bummer! Tom checked the route and realized that the Courier Agency had screwed up and sent the kit to the wrong address. Despite all queries with UPS and the Agency, the kit was never located and the recipient of the kit never tried to contact me or Tom, for the mistake (my name and phone number were on the parcel).

 

Tom initiated a second sending of a second kit (big losses for Tom - I hope that the insurance will refund some of that money) and gave me a second UPS tracking number. The second kit stayed 10 days in the American Custom department, not moving apparently as UPS was not getting the parcel. I lost it and asked Tom again, what was going on. Tom, feeling my frustration refunded me completely for all the money I had given him. He also indicated that he had used another Courier Company and was placing better expectations on them. A quick mail from him, indicated that the kit was now on US ground. Time passed..... And just today, the kit finally showed up at my door: a MIRACLE !!!! Of course, I am waiting for Tom's bill and I will pay him with gratitude and satisfaction. I am not sure what is going on in China at this moment, but I would recommend CAF Model and his owner Tom to all enthusiasts. His honesty, dedication to this hobby and diligence to fix all the problems and issues, are incredible. As Tom said in his last e-Mail, we are now best friends!!

 

My next post will present the kit. It will be a while before I start the construction, but wanted to relay the purchase of that kit and present it to our readers. This is a place holder for my next Build Log.

 

Yves

Edited October 30 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

Quick presentation of the kit. More details about the parts and assembly will be given as we move (slowly) through this complex kit.

 

The box as it arrived from China/CAF Model. Well protected and impervious to rain.

 

 

And we open the lid.... These guys are champions at packing and stacking an incredible amount of parts into a tiny space. I could not put everything back into the original box:

 

 

Instructions and PEs:

 

 

Fabric for the sails....

 

 

A kit in the kit... KIK...the boat:

 

 

 

Back to the main box:

 

 

Masts and strips:

 

 

Some of the numerous frames parts:

 

 

 

 

Details and a little gift from Tom: a miniature drill !!

 

 

Lots of ropes....

 

 

And tons of wood carved parts with brass guns and 3D printed details:

 

 

Two full size plans:

 

 

The special cradle to build the hull and assemble the frames:

 

 

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

Let's take a quick look at some of the instructions. As usual, this is the CAF Model approach and it takes some thinking before jumping and starting to glue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boat has its own instructions in the little box.

 

Of course, that vessel is a lot smaller than the massive HMS Bellona. However, with its masts and oars, it will be a large model to display.

 

Yves

[JacquesCousteau]

Very cool, I missed most of your Bellona build so I'm looking forward to following along with this one. I quite like the look of Mediterranean vessels, and this seems like a fascinating kit.

[yvesvidal]

6 minutes ago, JacquesCousteau said:

Very cool, I missed most of your Bellona build so I'm looking forward to following along with this one. I quite like the look of Mediterranean vessels, and this seems like a fascinating kit.

Yes, like you I love what they call the "voiles Latines" (latin sails) which are so different from the traditional rigging of period ships. The boat provided in the kit is also equipped with Latin Sails and is a mini-Chebec in itself.

 

Yves

[gjdale]

Looks like an interesting project Yves. I’m grabbing a seat in the front row for this one.

[yvesvidal]

I was not planning to start this kit so early, but could not resist putting together the assembly berth for the hull. First the instructions:

 

 

 

Overall, it is like a 3D puzzle and everything dovetails quite well. There are a few exceptions, where filing a few slots is required. Everything is glued with Titebond wood glue and as such it takes a while. However, it is by far the most solid way to assemble this contraption.

 

 

I am using heavy plates of copper to make sure that the berth is absolutely flat during the gluing phase. No warping can be tolerated.

 

 

Again, as I do most of the times, I am not following exactly the instructions order.....

 

 

And this is where we stand at this moment:

 

 

Once completed, that should be a good "dry-dock" to assemble the keel and its 84 frames.

 

Yves

Edited October 31 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

The "cradle" is now completed:

 

 

It is quite a big "box" and rather heavy, being made with 7 ply very nice plywood.

 

 

 

 

 

It is very "encompassing" to say the least and I suspect the hull and its numerous frames will be well protected inside.

 

For comparison, below is the mounting berth ZHL and other Chinese builders are offering:

 

 

As you can see, the approach between CAF Model and ZHL is quite different. We will see if the CAF Model cradle offers as much flexibility as the ZHL one.

 

Yves

[Ronald-V]

Very exciting new build! Wish you all the best and fun with this one  

[hamilton]

Yes - once you've looked in the box it's hard not to just keep on going! Looking forward to seeing another CAF model coming off your bench!

hamilton

[gsdpic]

Wow this looks like a cool but formidable project.   Definitely on the "temptation list".  Do you know if this is a kit version of the Ancre monograph for Le Requin?   I wonder if that monograph would be of help in building the kit.  In the past I've wished that I had the talent and dedication to scratch build from that monograph, but maybe this kit would be doable.

 

 

[Trussben]

That’s a monster build cradle!!

[yvesvidal]

17 hours ago, gsdpic said:

Wow this looks like a cool but formidable project.   Definitely on the "temptation list".  Do you know if this is a kit version of the Ancre monograph for Le Requin?   I wonder if that monograph would be of help in building the kit.  In the past I've wished that I had the talent and dedication to scratch build from that monograph, but maybe this kit would be doable.

I just acquired a used Ancre Monograph and will be comparing the CAF parts with it. We will see how close to it, it is.

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

On 11/3/2024 at 2:44 PM, gsdpic said:

Wow this looks like a cool but formidable project.   Definitely on the "temptation list".  Do you know if this is a kit version of the Ancre monograph for Le Requin?   I wonder if that monograph would be of help in building the kit.  In the past I've wished that I had the talent and dedication to scratch build from that monograph, but maybe this kit would be doable.

I just procured the ANCRE monograph and can confirm that the parts do match perfectly the drawings of Boudriot. I will try to publish some excerpts of the monograph as we build the various parts.

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

Some update related to the bow and bowsprit. All parts are made of a sandwich of two layers of cherry wood: 

 

 

A jig is provided to assemble and give the perfect curvature to the bow:

 

 

Quick comparison with the Monograph. As it turns out, all the parts provided in the kit, match perfectly the original document:

 

 

All the pieces are then glued with Titebond:

 

 

The monograph is quite useful to figure out exactly how the parts dovetail. As usual, the documentation/instructions from CAF Model need some improvements. I am very happy I could find a used Monograph for this ship, on E-Bay for half of what you normally pay for this document.

 

With some oil on it, it brings the richness of the cherry tree wood:

 

 

 

Verification that it fits nicely into the cradle:

 

 

 

And verification that it matches the Monograph:

 

 

 

Et voila for today.

 

Yves

 

Edited November 9 by yvesvidal

[Nearshore]

Hi Yves,

Looks like this is going to be an incredible build. You are quite the master modeler and i will be following you on this journey. I imagine this will take a couple years to complete. I am looking forward watching and learning as you progress with this complexities of this project. I understand that its not realistic to put a timeline on building a ship of this magnitude, but do you have an idea on how long it will take to complete? 

Cheers

Nearshore 

[Nearshore]

Hi Yves,

 

I forgot to ask if the weights you used are buss bars? Im an electrician and they look oddly familiar. 

 

 

[yvesvidal]

4 hours ago, Nearshore said:

Hi Yves,

I forgot to ask if the weights you used are buss bars? Im an electrician and they look oddly familiar.

Yes, they are.  Old stuff that was dismantled 20 years ago.

 

Yves

[Tonphil1960]

Very interested in this. Im trying to find a great price. Is the ZHL kit a knock off of this kit ?  Following. Thanks

[gsdpic]

8 hours ago, Tonphil1960 said:

Very interested in this. Im trying to find a great price. Is the ZHL kit a knock off of this kit ?  Following. Thanks

The ZHL kit is listed as double plank on bulkhead so not the same.  Note that ZHL is also on the list of "banned" manufacturers.

 

[yvesvidal]

On the Chebec CAF Model kit, there are two keels: the external keel and the internal keel, that supports all the frames.

 

I started building the external keel. Again, each segment is made of two pieces of cherry tree wood, glued together. Their shape and length match the Monograph of the Requin.

 

 

I like straight keels and similarly to what I did with the CAF Bellona, the Chebec keel is sandwiched between two straight rulers and left to dry for a few hours.

 

 

The bow and stern pieces are then glued:

 

 

 

At this point, the keel is very fragile and needs to be manipulated with a lot of care. It does fit perfectly into the cradle, which is a good thing.

 

 

It will be re-enforced by the inner keel later on.

 

Yves

 

 

[yvesvidal]

I was curious about how these thin frames will fit in the cradle and decided to build one (the easiest one), #40. There are 88 frames in total.

 

There are multiple way you can build these frames:

1. You can assemble them on the plans, as each frame is clearly depicted in real size.
2. Or you can assemble them in situ, directly inside the cradle.

I decided to use Option 2. After removing all the chars (most of it...) from the parts, I glued them in situ:

 

 

When dry, the frames is finely sanded and oiled:

 

 

And then placed back in the cradle. The frame does not touch the keel yet, since I have not assembled the inner keel.

 

 

This is not going to be easy and I will be happy if I do one or two frames per day. The most tedious is of course, removing all the traces of charring.

 

Yves

[Trussben]

Looks like an interesting build, I will follow with interest.

[hamilton]

Looks like an interesting approach - assembling in situ will likely give a more accurate assembly. 88 seems like a big number!

hamilton

[yvesvidal]

18 hours ago, hamilton said:

Looks like an interesting approach - assembling in situ will likely give a more accurate assembly. 88 seems like a big number!

hamilton

Yes, I do in "situ", clamp the frames, verification against the plan/Monograph, and back in "situ" for the glue to dry.

And yes, 88 frames is a lot to do.... I am going to start with 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and frames #80. That should give an idea of what the hull looks like.

 

Yves

Edited November 13 by yvesvidal

[Trussben]

So frame 40 is the deadflat? It looks like the floor timbers reverse position on 41 and aftwards?

 

[yvesvidal]

Frames 20, 30, 40 and 50 done:

 

 

 

Now, I need to work on the inner keel.

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

So, the inner keel: it helps strengthen the outer keel and provides a seat for the numerous frames.

 

 

Bellow are the parts used to build it. Each section is comprised of four layers glued together:

 

 

 

Again, the parts are very close to the Monograph. The notches are not spread all along which is not a problem in itself. The seven parts are glued on the outer keel (on a flat table) and left drying for a while.

 

 

After a little bit of filing, the four frames I built previously, are placed and fit perfectly:

 

 

 

Yves

 

 

 

[bdgiantman2]

That was a sneaky solution by CAF about the keels, enjoying following on you building this project

 

Brian D. 

[yvesvidal]

I have completed (more or less) the eight frames #10 to #80 in increment of 10. These frames will still require some more sanding and fine-tuning to fit perfectly and to allow a smooth fairing of the hull.

 

 

Each frame is made of at least 3 parts, all the way to 5 and 7 parts in some cases. I have to make sure that the frames slide freely into their respective notches, otherwise it will be impossible when glued, to remove the skeleton from the cradle. Also, all this sanding really hurts the fingers.... I may have to use  Dremel in the future.

 

 

 

Frame #80 is giving me some problems to sit perfectly in the cradle. We will revisit this issue later on, with the building of the stern.

 

 

Just another 80 frames to build..... 😞

 

Yves

 

Edited November 15 by yvesvidal