HMS Harpy 1796 by dunnock - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[dunnock]

Thanks Maid of the Mist.

Vanguard Model copper plates are of much better scale and thinner than those found in other kits and I found them easier to cut and apply.

You can find more information at entries #30 to #33 in this log

David 

[dunnock]

Gunwales and Rails

I’m back from a very nice two weeks in Scotland so not much progress made until yesterday, when rain provided a good reason to stay in and resume work on Harpy.

 

I’d missed out the stage in the instructions that said fit the outer sheer rails. They were painted matt black while still in the fret and then dry fitted and left clamped to the hull overnight before gluing them up.

I painted the gunwales before cutting them out and touched up the edges with a black Pigma pen.

The hole for the bowsprit was enlarged and a piece of 6mm dowel lined up with the bowsprit stop.

The presence of the bowsprit gives the correct positioning of the forward pieces of gunwale which are now glued in place.

The stern cabin roof, stern davit and cathead all need to be considered together to ensure that each fit correctly. @ECK and @Blue Ensign’s logs are both helpful in describing this. The top edge of my stern cabins were only marginally lower than the bulwark sides and needed to be sanded back and shaped so that the roofline met the gunwale. I also needed a little filler piece on the starboard cabin.

The basic arms of the catheads are made up to give the correct forward position of the gunwales. The gunwales were clamped and glued in sections to give time for correct alignment.

The cabin roofs were trimmed to reduce the overhang and then soaked and shaped around a jam jar to make fitting and glueing simpler.

I cleaned up the excess gunwale and outer sheer rail at the stern and fitted the assembled taffarel and it’s frame. This piece was also soaked and clamped to give the required curve to make fitting and clamping a bit easier.

Here it is all masked up ready to paint the ports and also the stern cabin sides. Originally I was going to leave the cabin walls natural but now think that I prefer them to be painted red ochre. It's a pity I didn't do this before because I think it's going to be an awkward paint job.

 

Thanks for looking in, the likes and kind comments

 

David