Polaris by Meekes - OcCre - 1:50 - First Build

[Meekes]

Some of you may have seen my roam around on the forums for the past few weeks looking for advice, inspiration and information... Well, here it is, my first build!

 

After getting the Polaris by OcCre suggested to me the most i figured it would be stupid for me to not listen, so i went for the starter kit and also bought the paint set for the Polaris.

 

A little about me, i'm a total inexperienced beginner when it's about model building but i'm eager to give it a shot and try my best to learn and adapt.

 

My life is quite busy and filled so my posts and updates might be really slow and far apart from eachother but i will definitely try to respond whenever i receive a question or comment.

 

Oh, and apologies if my vocabulary or grammar isn't the best at times, i'm from Belgium so my English isn't the best.

 

 

 

First of to get atleast a little bit familiar with sanding, gluing and clamping in proper 90 degree angles i started with the OcCre workstand.

I got this because i felt like i would end up using it quite a bit even if it's not during my first build, and i thought it would also be a fun way to get a tiny taste of woodwork before the actual build.

 

After succesfully having built the workstand i do feel like i can i've learned some stuff that i will take with me on the build.

 

 

Now onto numbering all the parts of the boat, cutting them from the frames and sanding them to get them ready!

[RossR]

There have been a number of very nice results from first time builders with this kit.   I think you made a good choice.  Good luck with your build.  
 

[palmerit]

Definitely useful to read ahead on a number of build logs - and flagging the most detailed ones for future reference. Note that sometimes people will add a "I wish I would have ..." or "I realized I made a mistake earlier ..." noting something that they should have done or done differently many many posts (and build steps) after the step you are on in a model. Good to read through a bunch and take notes (or give yourself reminders to check out someone's log once you get to a particular step). 

 

There were times I thought I was following the instructions (and often the instructions aren't all that clear) and then realize that I didn't quite get a part positioned right because some later step (many pages later) doesn't fit quite right. If only I (and the instructions) had told me to test fit this later part, I might have added that earlier part in a different place (or faired the hull in a different way or whatever it is).

 

Then again, you can always just plug ahead and learn from your mistakes. That's actually more of what I do since I often don't have enough time to read the details of every build log. The nice thing about wooden model ships is that there is rarely ever a mistake you can't correct with some more wood or wood filler (especially when painting) or by removing a piece (with an application of alcohol for PVA glue or acetone for CA glue).

[Meekes]

26 minutes ago, palmerit said:

Definitely useful to read ahead on a number of build logs - and flagging the most detailed ones for future reference. Note that sometimes people will add a "I wish I would have ..." or "I realized I made a mistake earlier ..." noting something that they should have done or done differently many many posts (and build steps) after the step you are on in a model. Good to read through a bunch and take notes (or give yourself reminders to check out someone's log once you get to a particular step). 

 

I have indeed read a few build logs before about this kit and i will definitely look at them again before each part!

This forum is an ocean of knowledge so it would be silly not to use it.

[Knocklouder]

Good luck on your journey Meekes.         Bob M.

[Meekes]

So, two days later and i've finished attaching the ribs to the false keel, this went suprisingly well and using lego blocks to keep it at a perfect 90 degrees went smoother than expected (honestly cutting each piece out and sanding them was the most tedious part and took the most time).

 

 

 

The next step is planking the deck, but while preparing some of the planks i noticed some of them bend quite a bit sideways along the width.

I haven't seen anyone else post about this so maybe it won't be an issue in the long run? Does anyone have any experience with something similar?

 

[Meekes]

Some time later and i'm extremely happy with the progress i've made!

 

When planking the deck i found out the majority of my planks were bending sideways, some even so much it would've been hell to use.

I first looked for all the straight ones and then looked for the ones with partially straight planks or ones with just a very slight bend, these i would use the outer parts of the deck as i didn't need to use the whole length there.

 

Then i started planking the deck using contact glue, first i drew a straight line in the middle so i could nicely place my first plank. And here, i made my first major (and very silly) mistake, i was so focussed on placing it perfectly on the line i didn't pay attention to the length and i reached short at the end! ouch...

As the plank was already stuck on i decided to cut a small piece from another plank and glued it on the leftover part. Hoping it won't be too obvious to see in the end.

 

 

I then drew on the lines and nails with a pencil and put on two layers of satin varnish.

Sadly, i noticed afterwards that some of my pencil lines and drawn nails were badly visible or fully gone after the varnish. i tried to fix it up a bit more but not everywhere was as visible as before. oh well, not the end of the world.

 

After that was one of the parts with stressed me a bit, although, afterwards i realized that wasn't necessary at all.

I dry fitted the deck on the frame and with a bit more sanding i felt like it would fit quite easily.

I put on some wood glue and pushed the deck on, forcing it on with my hands for a good 5 minutes untill i felt like it was stuck enough to let go, adding a drop of super glue at each rib to make sure it would definitely be properly attached to the deck.

 

 

 

 

Overall i'm very happy with how it turned out. After the varnish i also found that the small part i glued on separately wasn't too noticable.

 

[Knocklouder]

Very nice ,  wow if that is your only thing that you don't like,  a well placed rope coil you won't see it. Plus  some thing else may cover it up.  Lol . Nice work in deed.  

Bob M.

[Meekes]

27 minutes ago, Knocklouder said:

Very nice ,  wow if that is your only thing that you don't like,  a well placed rope coil you won't see it. Plus  some thing else may cover it up.

 

Yeah right now it's the only real silly thing i've done, other than that i sometimes feel like i rushed something and could've made some details look better.

And yeah, either something else will be covering it up or you just won't be able to spot it once the whole ship is detailed.

[ibozev]

This particular mistake may not be visible at the end. I think if you're lucky enough the hole for the rudder and the rudder itself could hide it at some point. 🙂