HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne 1763 by EspenT - Vanguard models - 1:64

[EspenT]

Hello All,

Finally I get to start a build log  I had big plans to document every small step of my first ever build, but when I started I completely forgot about taking pictures. I was having too much fun. I had originally planned to start with the 3 part Model Shipways Shipwright Series, but it has not arrived yet and I was not able to wait any longer.

 

Yesterday I completed the first steps up until the glueing of the deck (step 21), and today I sanded the hull before  glueing on the prow and the bulwarks. I will leave this to dry overnight before starting on the planking. That should hopefully be a great experience.

 

A big thank you to @chris watton for creating such a nice kit for us beginners. I gave me an instant feeling of accomplishment.

 

Now it is up to the forum to tell me what I am doing wrong and how I can improve

 

One thing I have learnt is to not use too much glue. I made a real mess back at the stern counter and transom (pic 5). I tried to remove the overspill with a damp brush, but that made it only worse. If this was a plastic model I would use a scriber and then a panel liner to fresh up the lines, but I guess that is out of the question on wood. Any tips on how I can fresh up those lines? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 1 by EspenT

[Dan Poirier]

Looking forward to following along!

 

[EspenT]

I have done most of the planking and that was a bit challenging. I felt the start went well, but after 5-6 planks things started to look a bit skewed.

I think I should have marked some lines on the hull after 5 and 9 plank to give me something to aim for. Just not sure how one would do that.

 

I completed most of it last night, but got too tired to finish the last pieces. Instead of doing them today and then waiting for the glue to set, I pulled the nails and sanded what I had done so far. I will now glue in the last pieces and continue the build tomorrow.

 

 

I am quite happy with the top part.

 

 

While the bow is kind of a mess. Can I use a wood filler to make this better?

 

 

Always something to learn. Onwards and upwards!

 

 

[EspenT]

On 11/2/2024 at 1:12 AM, Dan Poirier said:

Looking forward to following along!

 

Your 5 builds are exactly those that I had planned to start with. Are you happy with instructions/quality of all of them?

Edited November 3 by EspenT

[Dan Poirier]

1 hour ago, EspenT said:

Your 5 builds are exactly those that I had planned to start with. Are you happy with instructions/quality of all of them?

 

I really enjoyed building the 3 MSW models that are recommended for beginners. The instructions had some hand-holding for beginners, just not as much as I was expecting and could have made good use of.  At times undefined terms were used, or directions were incomplete. Still, I haven't built enough models to know whether there are others that are any better, or that's just par for the course.

 

I've only gotten about as far as you with the Vanguard Sherbourne model, but so far I'm impressed with the instructions. There's more detail, and many more pictures, which is very helpful. 

[EspenT]

I think I am done with the first planking. I used a white acrylic based filler here. I guess it is OK to use a white filler on the first planking?

And since this hull will be painted white, can I also use the white filler on the second planking or should I use a wood coloured filler?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4 by EspenT

[EspenT]

I guess I need to do something smart in the circled area to get a nice finish and good bond to the second planking.

 

In the instructions it says to sand down the stern planking pattern, but in my case the hull planking is quite a bit higher than the stern.

I guess I just sand and fill until things even out

[EspenT]

I was quite happy with this until I see the photos blown up all over my screen. All the mistakes screams at you at this zoom level

[Stuka]

Hello Espen. Welcome to Msw and it looks like we are in the same boat as Im building the same ship as my first.  As for the wood filler question since you are going to cover it in white paint I dont think it matters what kind of wood filler it is. I personally used Cascols woodfiller (pine).  But you have made fast progress thats for sure 🙂

[EspenT]

Second plating has started. Ran into some issues at first with the rabbit not being big enough.  Used a small chisel and scalpel to fix this. 
 

 

[palmerit]

One nice thing about the hull on this being painted is that you can use tons of filler. Look at my 2nd planking. It's garbage. Absolute garbage. Yours looks way better than mine ever did. I had to do tons of filler and sanding. (Make sure you get some good Tamiya tape to cover up the parts that aren't sanded - the keel, the bulwarks.) After a first coat of paint, more filler and sanding. I probably ended up doing 10-12 passes of painting, filling, sanding before I felt it was okay. There are still places I probably could have fiddled with. In general, after adding paint, you'll see things you didn't see before.

 

I also struggled at the stern end. Also had to use some filler and do some sanding (almost sculpting). Definitely look ahead in the instructions to get a sense of how things will look later, what pieces will be added later.

 

Avoid the temptation to add things like the photo etch to the hull until you have the hull exactly the way you want it (from filling, sanding, painting). I got impatient, added the rubber pieces, and then realized I needed to do some more filling and sanding. Well, I ended up hitting some of the PE pieces and they flew into the ether. I ended up kind of hand crafting some replacements from the PE scrap I had, which worked okay.

Edited November 7 by palmerit

[Nirvana]

Hej Espen, your Sherbourne is coming together nicely and fast.

The way Chris has created the kits are definitely a gamechanger and making builds easier. He has left less room for error.

[EspenT]

First of all thank you for all inputs. As a beginner I don’t  have many skills or techniques to contribute with so I am very greatful for anyone reading or commenting. 
 

I bought a wood filler today. It seems a bit dry for use on tiny models so I ended up wetting the tip of my finger and ran it over the places that needed sanding. It sanded very nicely so that was a big plus for the product. 
 

 

 

I will try to lay the first coat of white paint now. In the instructions it says to mask of the deck and bulwarks. There are still parts to be added that will cover the base layer so I am not sure why I need to mask it off.

 

Edit: is the masking in place to make sure the glue works as it should?

Edited November 10 by EspenT

[palmerit]

20 hours ago, EspenT said:

I bought a wood filler today. It seems a bit dry for use on tiny models so I ended up wetting the tip of my finger and ran it over the places that needed sanding.

Water-based wood filler is nice because it’s easy to thin. I first had Minwax wood filler but it seemed a bit too gritty - a sandy texture with pretty large grains. I like the Elmers wood filler better because it’s a lot less gritty. A saw a few people recommend it here. 

[palmerit]

20 hours ago, EspenT said:

In the instructions it says to mask of the deck and bulwarks. There are still parts to be added that will cover the base layer so I am not sure why I need to mask it off.

You want to glue wood to wood, not wood to paint. That’s probably why. 

[EspenT]

I have been traveling for a few days, but got a chance to do some painting today. Hopefully this will be completed tomorrow so that I can work on something else than the hull 😵‍💫

 

 

[EspenT]

Is this mess fixable? I spray painted the two pieces separately, but stupid me had to try and fix a small error and the paintbrush slipped. 
 

I guess I could just leave it as a reminder of errors made early in my ship building career 😃

Edited December 6 by EspenT

[chris watton]

It is only paint, just touch it up with a brush, as you need to paint the innder edges of the gun and sweep ports red anyway.

[palmerit]

31 minutes ago, EspenT said:

Is this mess fixable? I spray painted the two pieces separately, but stupid me had to try and fix a small error and the paintbrush slipped. 

As Chris said, just use a brush to paint over. If you're using a shaker paint can, you can spray some paint onto a paper plate and then dip a brush into the paint. 

 

I worry most about inadvertently getting paint on wood that's supposed to be left bare, like the deck. I mask off (using Tamiya tape) a lot, even when touching up. It just takes one slip or a paint drip from a brush to make a mess that will be more challenging to clean up.

 

I bought some really tiny 00000 or smaller brushes to do tiny touchups (using my Optivisor to be able to zoom in).

[EspenT]

After glueing all parts I want to try to apply a finish to the deck and bulwarks. 
 

Went out and grabbed some different types. I think I prefer 2 layers of Danish. 
 

[Matt H]

On 11/1/2024 at 1:42 PM, EspenT said:

 

Finally I get to start a build log  I had big plans to document every small step of my first ever build, but when I started I completely forgot about taking pictures. I was having too much fun. I had originally planned to start with the 3 part Model Shipways Shipwright Series, but it has not arrived yet and I was not able to wait any longer.

 

 

Hello, and you're off to a good start, I look forward to seeing more. I too have a problem remembering to take photos along the way. I really like the idea of keeping a build log, but I almost never remember to get photos during a work session only once I'm done for the session. I haven't built much since my last one in my signature, planking is where I always got stuck. However, I'm giving it a go and despite having a collection of unbuilt kits I grabbed a couple of Vanguard kits recently and am waiting on the Sherbourne to arrive in a week or so. I'm looking forward to working on a kit like this with a great design and instructions I think I can really learn a lot from this kit.

[EspenT]

Added some more details last night. It is starting to really come together. I am so glad I found this hobby. It is a really nice way to clear your head and also get a feeling of accomplishment. (All relative to your level off course. I still have most of the things to learn). 
 

After completing maybe 50% of the build I just started looking at the included plans. This is a lesson for my self and I will remember to study them more on future builds. It will save me from some head scratching. Chris’ instructions are so well made that I didn’t really remember that I also had the plans. 
 

 

 

 

I have been thinking about how to finish/varnish the ship. Here I would really appreciate some input since there are so many options and ways to do this. Some posts above I added a photo of some different products that I tested. 
 

I think I will go for this combination:

Do I apply the Danish Oil on all unpainted wood?

 

Do I spray the varnish on entire ship or just the painted parts?