Le Chebec by Yvesvidal - CAF Model - 1/48

[bdgiantman2]

What is the size of these frames?  I know they are all laser-etched in the wood by CAF but can't tell dimensions. I'm guessing that each of these frames are 1/8" thick? And looks like 3/16" wide?

[yvesvidal]

Frames are 3 mm thick and from 5 to 6 mm wide, depending of their positions in the hull. CAF is a Chinese company and as such uses the metric system.

 

Yves

[Landlubber Mike]

Looks like a great kit Yves.  That berthing box is such a great idea!  Looking forward to following along!

[aliluke]

Wow. I'd never really thought about CAF until I saw this. It looks like an incredible kit. Will be following!

[Trussben]

Did you do any fairing to that frame yet?
 

That frame may need pre-fairing on the outer sides so as to fit in the jig correctly, especially true around the far extremes fore and aft.

[yvesvidal]

17 hours ago, Trussben said:

Did you do any fairing to that frame yet?
 

That frame may need pre-fairing on the outer sides so as to fit in the jig correctly, especially true around the far extremes fore and aft.

Very true. I have not done any "detailed" fairing yet. Yes, there will be a lot of sanding required on that kit. If you do not like sanding and adjusting, then this is not a kit for you 🙂

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

This past weekend I worked on the bow and got very confused at the beginning. The instructions are showing this:

 

 

I tried the assembly C1-C5 in all directions but it would not fit in the cradle or on the keel. Then I started looking into the Monograph and CAF plans:

 

 

 

And it made much more sense. C1-C5 is just a jig and is not part of the ship. As a matter of fact, that jig is useless and if you glue carefully Frames A to H and 01, on top of each other, following carefully the laser marks, you end up with a very good result:

 

 

 

Below, you can see the assembly with the jig inserted underneath:

 

 

A lot (and I say a LOT) of sanding is required to come up with a decent shape that fits tightly in the keel and slide into the cradle accordingly.

 

 

I like the slight separation of the frames, as it brings more depth and realism to the model. Most bows I have seen on the Internet look like a big block of wood perfectly shaped, which would not have been like the real ship.

 

 

 

Inside fairing was also done to a certain extent:

 

 

Yves

Edited 20 hours ago by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

Major point of no-return.... The bow assembly has been glued to the keel:

 

 

 

 

When reaching that stage, the only thing left is to place the keel/bow assembly in the cradle and start assembling the numerous frames:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this stage, pulling out the keel is still very easy. Once the frames are installed and glued to the keel, it will be another story....

 

Yves