HMS Beagle by Maid of the Mist - OcCre - 1:60

[Maid of the Mist]

Okay guys, my first real ship and my first real ship log.  HMS Beagle just arrived this evening.  This is going to take me considerably longer than Polaris, not least because I intend to do it more carefully....  I will probably only do updates once every couple of weeks, but it depends how I go.

 

So without further ado, first impressions:

 

Nice box, nice materials.  It's noticeable how much longer all the pieces of wood are, I guess this kit is that much bigger.  One of the veneer sapeli strips had snapped during transit, but that's not a big deal.  You might be able to see in the box picture that some of the brass rings managed to escape.  They were everywhere inside the cellophane, but I think I found them all.

 

 

 

One thing I did notice that was different from Polaris is that the bulkheads have these tiny notches on the inside of their slots.  These are part of the design, they're not to be sanded away and I think their purpose is to grip the false keel.  I've slotted a couple of them in some far as they certainly seem to fit more snug than the same pieces did in the Polaris.  Hopefully they'll stay straight without much assistance from Lego.

 

 

That's it for this evening.  Hope you guys will join me and Mr Darwin or our voyage.

 

[Maid of the Mist]

A little under two weeks into this build and I have made quite a lot of progress.

 

Frame construction:
The bulkheads slotted in beautifully, everything lined up straight away without any fuss. I barely needed my trusty Lego jig, just a quick check on each one and I was off to the next stage.

 

Deck:
I decided to go with the 6cm planks as per the instructions, using a 2-butt shift so that each change was a neat 2cm. Cutting and laying each plank individually was a good call, it gave me a nice mix of wood grains across the strakes. I skipped the tree nails this time, thinking it would keep the deck looking clean and tidy with the shorter planks.

I had a little experiment with pencils for the caulking lines, my first choice (6B) smudged more than I expected an dirtied some of the planks, but switching to an HB gave me sharp, clean results that looked better. By the time I reached the bow and stern decks, the process felt smooth and enjoyable.  As for the dirty planks...well, it's not a royal yacht.

 

The doors and windows:
I followed the instructions here and had fun adding some colour to the doors. I learned that scraping away stray paint isn’t the best approach, but it’s no big deal, those little imperfections will be hidden under all the exciting deck details later on.

 

 

I'm happy that I managed to get the bulkwarks to line up at the bow.  This will help me a lot later on!  

 

 

I haven't started tapering the planks yet, but will do so for the planks below the bulwarks.

 

I expect to make a fair few mistakes but nothing that a bit of sanding and wood putty can't put right.

[Maid of the Mist]

I’ve run into a bit of trouble with my Beagle build, the planking at the bow has ended up with some gaps and a bit of a stepping pattern. I’m new to tapering and this was my first attempt.  You can see that to close up the hill I decided to change the way I was planking.  Maybe I rushed this stage….but I didn’t really know what I was doing to be quite honest.  I read a bit and watched some videos.  

 

Anyway….My plan is to tidy it up with sanding and filler. I’ve got two options on the bench: Occre’s own wood putty and a general DIY brand available here in the UK (Ronseal wood filler). I’ve watched a few videos on how to apply filler to planking, and I know it’s a common way for builders to cover all manner of sins but before I start slapping it on I thought I’d check in here first.

 

Any tips on application or pitfalls to avoid would be much appreciated.  My plan is to sand with 60 grit to get rid of the worst bumps in the planking , then fill, then sand with 100 grit.  Rinse and repeat until I get a smooth hull that will take the thin veneer planking to go on top.

 

 

[Greg Davis]

1 hour ago, Maid of the Mist said:

Any tips on application or pitfalls to avoid would be much appreciated

You may run into some problems in the region that displays a gap on the far left of the picture above. Here it looks like the strake above doesn't overlap the stake below. When you sand this out a couple of things may happen - there might be a bigger gap and/or the remaining surface, even after using filler, could be extremely thin. You may not have a good foundation for your second planking. Gaps where the two planks form a more continuous surface won't be structurally as much a problem.

 

Some would recommend that you detach planks in the offending regions and then re-plank.  It does take courage to do that, but if the filling / sanding does not prove satisfactory, this may be a possible solution.

 

There may be a possibility to drill a hole between the bulkheads where the planking is problematic and then spay in a bit of an expanding foam filler; I think I saw someone do something similar (or I may be making it up!). Getting the right amount shot in would be tricky - when I've used this type of material for home repair / maintenance these products always seem to expand more than I expect! But if you get in the right amount and then start sanding, the foam could form a reinforcement to your planking from behind and help form a more solid surface for the second planking.

 

Either way, if you keep at it I'm sure you'll get the save  

 

Greg

[Maid of the Mist]

Thank you.  When you say detach the planks, presumably you just mean back two or three bulkheads?  Not entire strakes?  I ask because the rest of the hull is quite good.  Relatively smooth and nothing like the horrible gaps and steps I have at the bow.

[Greg Davis]

12 minutes ago, Maid of the Mist said:

Thank you.  When you say detach the planks, presumably you just mean back two or three bulkheads?  Not entire strakes?  I ask because the rest of the hull is quite good.  Relatively smooth and nothing like the horrible gaps and steps I have at the bow.

Yes, it would be just the forward portion. Maybe add a few bulkhead doublers to form a better base/support for gluing the new planks. This area is hard to plank with the straight planks included in the kit. Wood strips do not like to bend in as many directions as needed up front. If you replace and use the same provided material consider cutting new pieces to approximately the correct shape, soaking them in water so they become more flexible, pinning them to the hull to get the correct bends, letting the piece dry before taking off, finish shaping, and then permanently attach. This should provide a more satisfactory under-planking. 

 

If you give this a try, and you haven't come across the topic yet, when planks are drying / your having building downtime consider checking out how planks can be 'splied' to provide a very nice fit when bent around the bow. 

[Maid of the Mist]

Thanks Greg, this is quite depressing....  But you've given me hope. 

 

As I've found with model shipbuilding so far, when I make mistakes it's because I couldn't see how I could have avoided them.  Those planks had to be close to the bulkheads to be glued, but that meant I ended up with steps and gaps...  I need a teacher, really!

 

I've got a long weekend this week so I'll spend some hours tomorrow evening and then Saturday/Sunday seeing if I can solve it with sanding and filler first.

[Greg Davis]

9 minutes ago, Maid of the Mist said:

Thanks Greg, this is quite depressing....  But you've given me hope. 

 

As I've found with model shipbuilding so far, when I make mistakes it's because I couldn't see how I could have avoided them.  Those planks had to be close to the bulkheads to be glued, but that meant I ended up with steps and gaps...  I need a teacher, really!

 

I've got a long weekend this week so I'll spend some hours tomorrow evening and then Saturday/Sunday seeing if I can solve it with sanding and filler first.

I started the hobby not knowing anyone that could provide help or guidance. I read a lot of books, but still made a lot of mistakes. I still make mistakes when I'm not giving my full attention. One of the biggest differences now is that I have confidence to go back and fix what isn't to my liking. It still is depressing to have a setback, but it is not as depressing as it once was. 

 

I think there is some truth to learning from one's mistakes and/or working thru issues that arise to find alternative ways to complete a modeling task. The Mamoli HMS Beagle kit was my first experience with wooden ship modeling. I got stuck a lot of times on that model. In fact, I shelved it a few time and started / finished a couple of other models before 'completing' Beagle. Occre's version seems much nicer and closer aligned to what the ship probably looked like in reality. I think you have made a good but sightly challenging choice for your second(?) model. Have you had a chance to read the Conway publication 'Anatomy of The Ship HMS Beagle'? While it could send you down a rabbit hole, this may be one of the best books related to the ship itself and was likely used as a reference when the Occre model was developed, thereby superseding the Mamoli model that is a poor resemblance! I now go back and forth between kits and scratch building. In many cases, I find scratch building to be easier in the sense that I don't feel compelled to make the kit provided pieces / material work. 

 

I hope you keep at it, the learning curve can be steep at times but fellow modelers will often provide guidance and on this site are almost always positive / supportive when an issue develops. With that said, if there comes a time where you are looking for input but don't feel comfortable posting for all to see, feel free to PM if you like.

 

 

[SiriusVoyager]

It will take a little bit of time, but wood filler and sanding can cover up a lot of mistakes.  At the end of the day, You have one more layer of planking that will cover everything.  That second layer is a bit more forgiving since you will have a solid base to work on. 

[Maid of the Mist]

I’ve spent about 4–5 hours over the past couple of days sanding, filling, checking… then more sanding, more filling and finally a last round of sanding and checking. Ended up using quite a lot of filler, not just at the bow but across the whole hull to try and smooth everything out.

 

I think it’s paid off – the overall shape looks pretty good now. I’ve checked that the keel and stem fit properly, which they do, and the curves at the bow and stern look gentle enough for the sapelli planks to sit flush against both the stern post and the stem. I’ll leave it for a bit before moving on, just in case anything else comes to mind.

 

I was also worried that with so much filler on the hull, white glue might not hold as well. So I did a little test: sanded some filler smooth on a scrap piece and glued a spare sapelli strip to it. After an hour or two it was stuck firm, so that’s a relief!

 

I’ll hold off on posting any photos until I’ve got the second layer of planking on. I’d rather share some pretty pictures instead of all the filler.

[Cathead]

As a geologist, I'm always excited to see someone take an interest in the Beagle. Hope you have fun with this one!

 

Greg's advice has been good so far. One thing I'd add, is that while planking with thin veneer can be easier because the thin pieces bend more easily, it's also less forgiving, because you can't fill and sand mistakes as easily. Since it seems that you're still working on learning how to plank tightly curving areas (we all had to learn this at some point!), there's an argument to step back before you try the final layer and do some more practice planking runs. This is why some folks advise re-doing the first layer for results like yours, because it helps you learn to do it "right" before diving into the display layer.

 

You could consider getting the NRG's hull-planking tutorial kit, or you could simply mock up a version of Beagle's bow by cutting out rough hull forms to match the bulkheads from the kit and setting up a "fake" Beagle bow to practice a few strakes on.

[Maid of the Mist]

One side of the hull is now finished with the second layer of planking. I chose to work on a single side first so I could focus on getting it to look as good as possible, without being distracted by both sides at once. My thought was that if I managed to get one side right, it would serve as a guide when planking the other.

 

I limited myself to four planks a day to make sure each was positioned carefully. I didn’t do any tapering, but instead followed OcCre’s instructions fairly closely. Overall, I’m pleased with the result. There are a few minor uneven spots and some glue marks, but I expect these will be hidden once the paint and/or matte varnish is applied.

 

 

 

The second layer of planking goes on the stern after both sides are finished.

 

I've test fitted the keel and stem to make sure it fits in this slot.  

 

 

Now for the other side 🙂

Edited August 30 by Maid of the Mist

[Greg Davis]

Very nice work! It looks like you did a great job overcoming the gaps from the first layer of planking.

 

Greg

[SiriusVoyager]

The second layer looks good!  Remember, your eyes are inches away from all of the work that you are doing, so you will notice everything little thing that almost no one else will notice.  Nice job working through that first layer.

[Maid of the Mist]

Thanks for your encouragement and support 🙂

 

The second layer of planking is now complete, and I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out after the challenges I ran into wit the first layer.  I've done a bit of light sanding which is why it looks a bit dusty and since the hull wasn't shaped as well as I'd hoped the finish could be better.  That said, I like the result and it's definitely a step up from my first build (Polaris).  

 

 

 

I trimmed one of the stern planks too zealously, so I've had to replace it, hence the masking tape.  No bother, I'll trim it and sand it tomorrow.

 

The top two inches of the hull will be painted soon and I'm very excited for that stage because it will totally transform the look of the ship.  Before I get there I have to add the rubbing strakes.

 

I'm trying the steam method this time around.  Unlike the plank bending tool, this method requires no soaking the wood.  Using pliars also makes getting the precise curve a bit easier and since there's little moisture involved the pieces dry and are ready to use in no time.

 

[Maid of the Mist]

I worked on the rubbing strakes today and decided to pick up some higher-quality masking tape in preparation for the upcoming painting. By happy coincidence, the tape is 6mm wide.  Perfect for spacing the strakes: 6mm between the top and middle, and 12mm between the middle and bottom.

 

 

 

Sadly I've run out of CA glue so the shipyard is now closed for the day with one and half sides done!

 

One more thing I should mention is that the sloping triangular pieces were cut entirely with a sharp knife before being glued in place. The OcCre instructions, however, recommend gluing the pieces first and then shaping them with a file:

 

 

I have to say, that’s really poor advice and they recommend something similar on Polaris.  I know from experience that small pieces of wood like that can’t withstand something as abrasive as a file.  They’ll just get ripped off the side of your ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maid of the Mist]

I realised after the fact that I’d placed the rubbing strakes about 2mm too low. That small shift was going to cause a couple of big problems: the middle strake wouldn’t pass cleanly through the centre of the gunports and the quarter galleries were not going to line up properly. Since the whole area will be painted anyway, I decided the best option was to bite the bullet, remove all the glued strakes and reposition them. The surface looks a bit messy now from the additional glue stains, but everything around the rubbing strakes will get at least two coats of black or white acrylic paint, so those stains will be invisible I hope!  And I’m much happier with the corrected position. Funny how just 2–3mm can create so much extra work!

 

The keel went on today.  I stained it walnut, even though the only stain provided by OcCre is sapelli I had enough left over from my Polaris build to use walnut instead.  I think it looks better.

 

The plan is to start varnishing tomorrow so that it's ready to begin painting at the weekend 😁

 

 

[Maid of the Mist]

Painting was done today.  I loved this part.  Nothing transforms the look of a ship so quickly and dramatically as a coat of paint.

 

It was fairly straightforward as the rubbing strakes effectively provide a guide of where to paint!  I tried to copy OcCre's pictures to help judge where to draw the water line though.  I settled for 10mm below the bottom rubbing strake midships.  I then knocked together a waterline tool, which took a few attempts to get the right height but it was fine in the end.

 

 

 

It needs a bit of touching up with tiny brushes, and I need to give the stem piece another coat of white.  I don't know why but I think the walnut staining is leeching out into the paint and turning it slightly cream coloured.  I used OcCre's acrylics paints.  The black took only two coats, but I went over the white six (!) times before I was happy.

 

[Greg Davis]

Looking very Beagle-ish! Love your waterline tool!

[Cathead]

I agree, the paint really begins to transform the look toward something finished. Nicely done.

[Maid of the Mist]

Lots of painting and staining small parts this week.  I thought I'd take the opportunity to discuss the selection of paints OcCre provide for the Beagle.  I'm hoping you guys may be able to guide me on some of the more eccentric choices they made 😆

 

 

First off, the strangest choice has to be the enormous 50 ml bottle of blue paint. As far as I can tell, it’s only needed for the gallery windows at the stern, and those took literally a tiny drop to cover. I’ve now got a whole bottle left over with no clear use for it. 

 

Next up is the gold paint. From what I can tell, there’s nowhere on the ship that actually calls for gold. Maybe a couple of small details, like brushing the ship’s wheel with the tiniest touch for highlights but even that feels like a stretch. I’m also scratching my head over the ochre and the copper. What are these actually meant for? Is the ochre supposed to pass as a kind of wood tone? I know some of the ladders are metal and need to be painted to look wooden, would ochre be the right choice there?  Is the copper for the cannons?  Those would look better painted black, in my view.

 

Even more oddly, the instructions call for walnut stain in several places, but no walnut dye was included, only sapeli. I've had to use what I have left over from Polaris.  Honestly, swapping the huge blue bottle of blue for a smaller one and including walnut dye instead would have made much more sense.

[DonSangria]

You are correct, these are some odd choices of paint for the Beagle. During my own Beagle-build I ordered more and more paints and stains to satisfy my taste of how it should look. If I were you, I would not adhere too much to the Occre paints and do whatever you like the most for your model. There is great inspiration here in the forum for different paint choices.  

[Greg Davis]

I curious as to where you obtained the paint set. 

 

Interestingly, on the Occre site, the Beagle paint set is like what you received (probably were out of the smaller vial of blue and made a substitution):

 

 

 

But on Amazon, the Occre Beagle paint set is a bit different from what you receive. It includes the Walnut dye and two additional paint colors; also, it is a little cheaper ($51.29 with free shipping).

 

 

When I first started the hobby, I did by paint sets matched with a couple of models (Model Shipways) but was rarely satisfied with what I obtained for various reasons. Similar to DonSangria, I now tend to obtain paints and stains individually as I desire them for my models. I've never used Occre (EarthMark) paints so I'll be interested to see how you like them. Currently I'm using Vallejo acrylics - they have two lines Model Color and Model Air. Model Color can be brushed and thinned for airbrushing whereas Model Air is specifically for airbrushing and does not go on very well with a brush. They offer a huge range of colors and are relatively easy for me to obtain.  

[usedtosail]

Is the copper paint intended for the bottom of the ship's hull, to simulate the copper plates? The kit itself not include any copper for the bottom, but I had some rolls of copper tape left over from a previous build which I used for the bottom.

[Maid of the Mist]

I’m still fairly new to the hobby, so my experience with paints is limited. That said, I’ve found the OcCre colours to be excellent, provided they’re the shades you actually want to use. A little really does go a long way. Those small bottles hold far more paint than you’ll need to finish a ship, probably three times as much.

 

I bought the Beagle paint set from Amazon.co.uk. It had the exact same product code as the one listed on OcCre’s website and came in identical OcCre packaging. So the mystery remains…

 

If I do have one criticism of OcCre, it’s their instructions. Yes, they provide plans, photos, and YouTube videos but many important details get left out. I often only notice these subtleties after I’ve already glued a part in place, which means reworking it. Clear, thorough written instructions in proper English needn't be the preserve of high end manufacturers like Vanguard.

[Greg Davis]

1 hour ago, Maid of the Mist said:

I’m still fairly new to the hobby, so my experience with paints is limited. That said, I’ve found the OcCre colours to be excellent, provided they’re the shades you actually want to use. A little really does go a long way. Those small bottles hold far more paint than you’ll need to finish a ship, probably three times as much.

 

I bought the Beagle paint set from Amazon.co.uk. It had the exact same product code as the one listed on OcCre’s website and came in identical OcCre packaging. So the mystery remains…

 

If I do have one criticism of OcCre, it’s their instructions. Yes, they provide plans, photos, and YouTube videos but many important details get left out. I often only notice these subtleties after I’ve already glued a part in place, which means reworking it. Clear, thorough written instructions in proper English needn't be the preserve of high end manufacturers like Vanguard.

Good to hear that the paint is of good quality.

 

I agree, they are not great with instructions; either written nor with their photo collages. The builder really needs to continue to look at the pictures throughout the sheets of paper and determine a course of action. Certainly it is clear that some construction must come before others, but in some cases the builder must make adjustments and / or choices (best guesses) as they proceed. It doesn't seem that it should be that difficult for each and every model company to produce a solid set of instructions that are straightforward to follow. Its not even a question of language - I don't see that those that read Spanish would be any better off with the Occre instructions! Either way, I still think you are making very good progress with the model.

[Maid of the Mist]

Update on a few bits and pieces

 

 

I’ve noticed that many modelers struggle with the stern piece, since it has to curve both around and underneath the stern at the same time, a tricky fit.

I’ve seen a few different techniques: some people use nails, while others soak the wood and clamp it into shape as it dries. Everyone seems to agree it’s one of the more challenging parts. My own approach was simply to glue and clamp it directly in place. Seen above with only one clamp as I had to re-glue one side.

 

Practically no gap on the sides:

 

 

 

I chose not to worry about closing the gap underneath. It won’t be visible, and I didn’t want to risk snapping the stern piece by forcing it into two opposing curves. A more experienced craftsman might have managed it with relief cuts and then hidden any flaws with veneer strips, but I didn’t feel confident enough to attempt that.  I may break out the wood filler and then paint it and be done with it

 

 

That said, I do think this section of the kit could have been designed better to allow a flush fit. Still, at this price point, compromises are to be expected.

 

 

[Maid of the Mist]

Over the past few days, I’ve been working on some smaller details. They may be minor compared to the big changes from earlier weeks, but they took just as much time.  Plenty of shaping, painting, staining, varnishing and finally gluing.

 

The bow pieces went on without much trouble, though the catheads required more shaping than the instructions let on.

 

 

Next came the stern details: the davits and the stern galleries. For the windows, used the medium blue provided by OcCre. On a ship that’s otherwise mostly brown, black and white, that small touch of colour is a bit of fun. I like to imagine it as the reflection of sea and sky in the glass, as though the vessel were already out on the water.

 

 

Finally, the rudder.  This only my second model ship.  My first was the OcCre Polaris and I still find the rudder really catches the eye on the finished model since OcCre does their pintles and gudgeons in bright brass.

 

The rough section at the top of the rudder slots into the hull and disappears from view once the rudder is installed.

 

Fitting it all together without making a mess proved a bit challenging. Although the gudgeons came with pre-drilled holes, they didn’t line up for this rudder size. I had to cut the gudgeons down, re-punch or drill new holes, and shorten the nails to just a couple of millimeters before fixing them in place with CA glue.

 

 

I still need to fit the rudder to the ship, but here is the current state of play, after almost 7 weeks.  Perhaps approaching the halfway point?

 

 

P.S.

 

Bending brass wire is no fun at all.  I didn't like it for the stern decorations, and I'm dreading it for the bow.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21 by Maid of the Mist
Removal of bad photo

[Maid of the Mist]

Attaching the prow adornments gives me another opportunity to have a quick moan about OcCre's dodgy instructions 😆

 

See below the attachment location for H13, as per the paper instructions.  

 

 

Then the same step in the YouTube tutorial:

 

 

The attachment location of that piece matters for the vertical supports.  Only a minor adjustment, but it means yet again having to detach and rework pieces I've already done!

 

That said...  I've found the wire bending at the prow to be quite enjoyable 🙂  It's much thicker wire than used at the stern, so it doesn't lose it's shape easily.

 

 

[bigcreekdad]

You building a very nice ship...well done!