Calypso by mandolinut - Billing Boats - 1:45

[mandolinut]

Here are two photos showing what I ran into on the starboard side of the chimney regarding the door. I had created a door showing where there was no room for the Calypso decal.

  I created a new smaller rounded door based on photos. 

First chimney door:

 

New Chimney door with room for decal. Also glued stairs being careful to keep stairway parallel with handrails.

Worked some on the transom detail rollers and chalks.

 

[mandolinut]

I did a little more work on the transom today. Added and painted a rail cap and painted the rollers and deck hardware. Feeling good about the progress. 

Just for fun and inspired by the old Cousteau TV series, decided to build an underwater scooter. Cousteau's documentaries were the first time most of us had ever seen such a thing

and they looked to be fun and practical. I used and old plumbing compression grommet, some wire and the cut off end of an art paintbrush for the build. Yet to be painted. The scooter will

end up living in the Avon dinghy along with a dive flag and dive tanks and floats and a gas tank for the outboard.  

 

Here is a screen shot from a Cousteau video.

 

 

Edited October 17 by mandolinut
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[mandolinut]

I had a little more time to spend on the dinghy today by adding 5 small wire eyebolts to each side. Then taped off to paint the border on top and the two stern extensions black. The grab lines on each side will eventually pass through these eyebolts as in the original photo.

Also painted the underwater scooter yellow.

 

 

[king derelict]

The Zodiac looks really good.

alan

[mandolinut]

I worked today on the bollards. Some nice deck candy. There are eight total.  Should have been easy but then it would not be memorable    The pins on the brass vertical pieces would not fit through the predrilled holes in the brass base plates.  Used my vise to hold the bases and redrilled them. First problem solved.

The next problem is the brass pins are too long to allow me to have a flush mounting surface to glue to the deck.

I will grind off these nubs with my grindstone and then reluctantly paint them for mounting to the deck.

 

[mandolinut]

Working on the binnacle and other fixture and spotlight which will go above the wheelhouse. More deck jewelry.  Once again, the pins below the port and starboard magnetic balls would not fit into the predrilled holes. No problem to redrill.

I added a grab handle for the spotlight to add a bit more detail. I will stain the sides of the binnacle to look like mahogany and leave the base and top natural brass.

Also attached the bollards and fairleads to the deck.

As I was leaving, the Sun shined brightly through the window for a nice photo op.

 

[Nunnehi (Don)]

Really nice job on your build, it looks great!

[mandolinut]

Thankyou Don.  I am taking my time and really enjoying the build of this special ship.

[king derelict]

Really looking very nice as the details build up. There are so many things of interest on the model, it’s a pleasure to look at.

Alan

[mandolinut]

Thankyou Alan. You are absolutely right regarding the large amount of deck features and ornamentations on this model. It seems like there is no limit to be creative and add to the numerous deck projects already supplied with the Billing kit.

For example, I saw in old photos of Calypso where there was a work bench behind the lower deck cabin on the port side.  I came up with this today and added a vice. 

I also began working on the dive platform. The part supplied by Billing is a solid piece of laser cut wood.  I see that other Calypso builders have planked over this.  As a lifetime diver, this would be problematic as the wave action would lift and lower the solid platform in rough seas. Dive platforms are almost always grated to allow water to rise up and through and then immediately drain off. Calypso was no exception.  I ordered this grate today from Model Expo. which I will shape to match the original Calypso grate that had an opening for the divers access ladder to pass through.  Once again, one more little detail to look at.