Drakkar Viking by Bettiso - Artesania Latina - 1:75

[Bettiso]

Hey everyone,

 

This is my first build log and my first-ever wooden model - so I’m both nervous and excited to get started! (Admins please inform me of any incorrect tagging or formatting)

 

I initially planned to build the Mare Nostrum as my first project, but decided to start with something smaller to get a feel for planking and hull shaping first. A quick disclaimer: I’m brand new to the hobby and still learning the terminology, so please feel free to correct me whenever necessary - I’d really appreciate it! I’m here to learn as much as I can.

 

For my introduction to the hobby, I’ve chosen Artesania Latina’s Viking Ship at a 1:75 scale. Perhaps I haven’t explored the site deeply enough yet, but I haven’t come across many build logs for this particular model. Only a few.

 

 

I began by counting and labelling all the parts before cutting them out, then used sandpaper to clean up and level the cut edges.

 

 

 

From what I’ve gathered on the forums, most builders prefer using wood glue over CA glue, reserving CA for specific parts, so I followed that approach. After a dry fit to check alignment, I glued the first bulkhead into place, using LEGO bricks as makeshift squares while it dried.

 

 

 

 

That’s as far as I’ve gotten for now. Only a small step. Once I’m confident with the clamping and gluing process, I’ll move on to attaching the remaining bulkhead. I’m taking things slowly, experimenting with techniques, and trying not to rush any step. I’m definitely nervous about making mistakes, but I know that’s part of the learning process - or a rite of passage, really - and I don’t want that fear to get in the way of enjoying the build.

 

I plan to stay active with this project until it’s finished, so expect regular updates along the way!

 

Cheers,
Matt

Edited October 26 by Bettiso

[Nearshore]

Hi Matt,

Welcome to to hobby. looks like you picked a good project for your first build log. I look forward to watching your progress.

 

Cheers 

Nearshore

[Ronald-V]

Welcome to this forum! And have fun with your first build 🙂

[Bettiso]

[UPDATE 1]

 

Thanks for the welcome, Nearshore and Ronald-V!

 

I’ve completed the rest of the bulkheads. I found it a bit tricky to get them perfectly level (foreshadowing of an issue I’ll have), but squaring them was pretty straightforward.

 

 

 

When the time came to glue this next flat piece onto the bulkheads, I assumed it would handle the bend without any help. Probably a rookie mistake because I was definitely wrong, and the wood split right at the point that takes the most stress.

 

 

 

I decided to fill the split with some Loctite super glue and let it set for a few hours.

 

 

This time, I boiled some water and poured it into a plate, soaking the wood for about 30 seconds. After a quick wipe with a cloth, I carefully shaped it into position on top of the bulkheads, and it worked perfectly. 

 

 

 

Three things I noticed while it was drying: 

 

1) The flat piece doesn’t line up flush with the ends of the ship. A gap can be seen where it's meant to connect (see below). I decided that aligning the flat piece with the bulkheads was more important than having the ends flush (I tried to get both but couldn't figure it out). I'm hoping that this won't be a problem for me later!

 

 

 

 

2) Something I realised was that I probably should have sanded a slight bevel on the two closest bulkheads at each end. If those frames had been beveled, the connection might have been a bit stronger. 

 

 

3) Finally, remember when I said I had trouble getting the bulkheads perfectly level? Well I’m pretty sure this bulkhead (see below) is slightly leaning more to one side which makes everything the tiniest bit wonky. It's not the end of the world, but worth noting for next time. If anyone has tips for getting your bulkheads perfectly level, I’m all ears!

 

 

 

That's all for now!

- Matt

 

Edited November 1 by Bettiso

[Dr PR]

Welcome to the hobby! The problems you are encountering are things we have all been through. What is important is you are learning!

[Bettiso]

Thanks Phil! I'm glad to hear that the mistakes I am making are relatively common when starting out. However, even with the mistakes, I'm really enjoying the process, I'm not going hard on myself, and I'm learning lots. I'll have a new update for the build log in a day or so. Currently making plenty more mistakes in my first attempt at planking 😅

[Bettiso]

[UPDATE 2]

 

I’ve been busy sanding and shaping the bow and stern to match the hull’s contours. I got them to a good place, though I accidentally took out a small bit of the piece above (on both ends). I don’t think it’ll cause any issues since that section will be covered later on.

 

 

 

 

I also spent a fair bit of time shaping the bulkheads too. I tried to be extra careful here, so hopefully I’ve done it right!

 

 

 

Then came the big step - planking a hull for the first time. 

 

 

 

The instructions were quite vague, so I did my best to follow them. The tricky part was that many videos and books suggest a more methodical approach, with careful measuring and tapering, which I really wanted to try. But since this was my first build, I wasn’t sure whether to follow the kit instructions or the advice from others.

 

In the end, I chose to stick with the kit’s instructions as I figured it would be best suited for this model… and I regret that decision.

 

 

 

 

I stopped here, as I wasn't happy with how this was going. Soaking the planks didn’t help much, and I had trouble shaping them without forcing them into place or relying on CA glue… which I quickly learned I don’t enjoy working with! As you can see below, the planks weren't bending well which left gaps all over the model.

 

 

So, after a day or two, I decided to start fresh and try some new techniques.

I removed the plank that wasn't working, and measured all the bulkheads to estimate how many planks I’d need and what sizes they should be. This is once again the method I wanted to try.

 

 

 

But yet again... I abandoned the method because the instructions didn’t mention it (although, like I said before, they don’t mention much at all, lol). For future builds, I’ll definitely use the measured planking fan method to taper correctly toward the bow and stern. Another lesson learned.

 

This time around, I borrowed some techniques from a YouTube channel “G kip”. I pre-bent all my planks and took my time fitting each one before gluing with wood glue and pinning in place. I still used a little bit of CA glue here and there, but far less than before. I also switched from the long steel pins to shorter brass pins. I much prefer working with those. Once each plank was on, I trimmed and adjusted them for a cleaner fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This result was a lot better, far from perfect, but good enough to make me quite pleased with my progress.

My only concern now is getting the plank alignment to look natural, since the mid-section needs more planks than the bow and stern areas. That’s where the measured method would’ve helped - but for this model, there will be a workaround that doesn't look too bad. I'll just keep this in mind for the next model.

 

I'll finish planking, sand the hull, and then begin the second layer!

 

Cheers,
Matt

 

Edited November 1 by Bettiso

[Bettiso]

[UPDATE 3]

 

I'm looking for some advice on where I might’ve gone wrong, and on any potential ways to fix this, please!

 

I’m sure I’ve made a few rookie errors, and in hindsight, I think the best thing I could have done before starting the planking was use a planking fan and actually measure everything properly. I did consider it, but since the instructions didn’t mention any of that, I decided not to… and now I really regret that decision (although I'm not discouraged). At this point, I’m a bit stumped on how to move forward.

 

 

 

The middle bulkhead needs three full planks and about two-thirds of a fourth. But as the planks bend toward each end of the hull, everything starts to bottleneck and then open up again. I’m not sure how to line this out properly from where I currently am. The good news is that this is a double-planked hull, so maybe I can fill the gaps as best I can on this first layer, then take the time to do everything correctly for the second layer.

 

Or… maybe I just buy the same model again and start fresh with a better planking method? 

 

Any advice here would be appreciated!

 

-Matt

 

Edited November 1 by Bettiso

[GrandpaPhil]

Wolfram Zu Mondfeld wrote an excellent book called “Historic Ship Models” with an excellent introduction to planking (and all of model ship building).  I have personally read it several times through.

 

To get the last layers to fit, test fit the planks and trim off the overlapping portions to get a snug fit.  Then glue them down.  Since this is the inner planking, none of it will be visible.  Then I would recommend using Chuck’s text on lining off planking for the outer layer of planking for the best results.

[Bettiso]

Thanks so much for the book recommendation GrandpaPhil! I'll order it today. It's comforting knowing that I have another chance to nail the "vanity" aspect of the hull (even if the inner planking is a little wonky). Really appreciate the advice! Cheers

[Bettiso]

[UPDATE 4]

 

I’ve finished planking the first layer - though a little patchy in places! I'm just happy I got through (and enjoyed) my first planking. I made a few mistakes as mentioned earlier, but learned a lot that will be useful for not only the second layer of planking, but my next model ship! Thanks again GrandpaPhil for the advice to how I should move forward.

 

Below are some photos of me finishing off the planking by cutting and gluing some filler pieces into place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, bumps and bruises included!

I’ve also started carefully sanding and smoothing the hull, but I’m taking my time with it since the next layer won’t be as forgiving as these thicker planks. Here is the progress so far with that:

 

 

 

It’s remarkable how much difference sanding can make. I’ll continue working on this until it’s as close to perfect as I can manage before beginning the next layer of planking.

 

Speaking of the next layer... the kit includes very thin veneer strips. I haven’t yet tested how well they’ll bend around the edges, but it might be tricky given how delicate they are. Does anyone have tips for bending 0.4mm thick veneer along its edge? (Forgive my lack of terminology!) With the thicker 1.5mm planks, I used clamps, water, and an iron, but I’m not sure these veneer strips will handle that.

 

 

In the meantime, I’m preparing everything carefully - making sure I take the time to learn about what I'm doing before rushing into it. Here is a photo of me trying out a planking fan for the first time.

 

 

I feel dangerously optimistic about getting this second planking right! 😅

[Ronald-V]

That's a very good planking for a first timer! Nice job! Personally I don't have experience with bending veneer edge wise. I assume it will be a bit trickier than thicker planks.

 

[Nearshore]

Nice job. Looking pretty good. The veneer will more than likely have to be tapered for it to fit properly. Just take your time and treat each plank as though they were there own project. Keep up the good work.

 

 

[Bettiso]

16 hours ago, Ronald-V said:

That's a very good planking for a first timer! Nice job! Personally I don't have experience with bending veneer edge wise. I assume it will be a bit trickier than thicker planks.

 

 

10 hours ago, Nearshore said:

Nice job. Looking pretty good. The veneer will more than likely have to be tapered for it to fit properly. Just take your time and treat each plank as though they were there own project. Keep up the good work.

 

 

 

Thank you both!

Ronald-V, I did some tests with some spare veneer and managed to get it to bend, but I’ll need to take it slowly - I definitely found it trickier than the thicker planks... but just like you said Nearshore, I’ll have to treat each plank as its own little project. I’ll definitely be tapering these as well, learned that lesson the hard way with the first layer of planking 😅

 

I’ll post another update once there’s something to show!

[Bettiso]

[UPDATE 5]

 

Hey everyone!

It’s been a little while since my last update... but rest assured, I’ve barely taken a day off this build 😅 I’m just taking my time to learn what I’m doing and not rush the process. So here’s what I’ve been up to over the past month...

 

I started by measuring out all the veneer strips I’d need for the second layer of planking, this time with proper tapering. I tested a few bending methods and found that dipping the veneer into water, clamping it, applying a little pressure, and then ironing it gave the best results. Very similar to what I did with the first planking. Once I had that down, I got into the planking. I drew out the tapering guides using measurements I took from each bulkhead position on the hull and began sanding.

 

 

 

Even though I was careful, I very quickly realised how delicate the strips were. Even tiny differences of pressure and sanding angles could change the width on one strip by a millimetre, which by the way... I didn’t realise until later 😑. After sanding the first few strips, I shaped each one by trial and error against the hull and using the iron. Each strip took about 1.5 to 2 hours - I treated them like small projects of their own.

 

I glued the strips with clamps where I could, otherwise I used pins. It worked well, though I’m hoping the decking will cover most of those pin marks. We’ll see.

 

 

 

Around this stage I noticed the tapered measurements weren’t lining up anymore. My tapering was off. This was caused by the rough sanding I initially was doing and also by not checking the strip's width with a calliper as I go. So I re-measured everything using a calliper this time instead of a ruler and got far more consistent results.

 

 

 

Once this was sorted, I began planking again. 

 

 

 

However... I discovered yet another issue. I had sanded quite a few strips while one was flipped the wrong way, meaning the measurements for bulkhead 1 ended up sitting at bulkhead 9... "sigh" ...So after gluing the pieces on that I had already tapered, I remeasured once again and decided to do each strip one at a time with its correct individual measurement. I'm doing a lot of learning in this round 😅

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the hiccups, I finished the planking and was pretty happy with it.

But I did notice a big problem from my first planking layer... I hadn’t tapered the initial planks enough to blend into the ends of the ship. Because of that, the veneer doesn’t sit flush with where the keel will go. I also used way too much superglue at the bow and stern where I couldn’t use pins, and now that part will be visible. I’ll probably fill the gaps with wood putty and try to stain or paint it to blend in. I’m not sure though… I’ll need to think more on that.

 

A bit discouraged after seeing this, but not defeated, I kept going. I trimmed the veneer and sanded the hull smooth.

 

 

 

 

After nearly a month of planking, I was honestly really happy with this result. Despite the mistakes I made along the way, I think the planking actually turned out looking quite nice and I think it is a huge improvement from the first planking I did. Sure there might be some problems with the keel lining up against the veneer, but I have to remember that it's only my first build and I'm learning. So I'll take the small wins I get 😊 (and it has also been incredibly enjoyable!)

 

So that’s where I’m at. I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons for future builds, and I’m really looking forward to continuing this one. 

Edited Sunday at 08:45 AM by Bettiso

[Bryan Woods]

I think you have done an outstanding job! I bet not very many first builds with double planking ever make it this far. I tried one on my fifth build. And ended up putting it back on the shelf for a year before I attempted the second planking. 

[Ronald-V]

Very nice! 👏

[Bettiso]

16 hours ago, Bryan Woods said:

I think you have done an outstanding job! I bet not very many first builds with double planking ever make it this far. I tried one on my fifth build. And ended up putting it back on the shelf for a year before I attempted the second planking. 

Thanks for the encouragement Bryan! I'm glad you got around to attempting your second planking too 😅

[Bettiso]

9 hours ago, Ronald-V said:

Very nice! 👏

Thanks Ronald-V!

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Your nice second planking completely conceals any irregularities of the first layer.  I had a good look at Chuck Passaro's 4 part planking video again (not that I've done any planking in a long time (I have a couple solid hulls going), and see the good effect of marking, tapering and side bending.  It gives me the idea of using veneer to over-plank a solid hull to get real look of planking - even if the hull is painted ... the plank lines and some of the grain will telegraph through a thin paint layer.  (ref. the 1st video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCWooJ1o3cM  )

 

  I saw a posting of building a ship's boat in an HMS Beagle log, and Chuck's taper methods could easily apply to get a better result on those darn little built-up boats found in a number of current kit offerings.  Now the laser cut ribs come a bit thick as supplied, but they could be duplicated in thinner stock or simply thinned by sanding (but not too thin lest they break easily ... OCcre does have the builder glue the ends of the extended ribs to a piece of wood to build on to support the unplanked skeleton.)  You can see the glitches with the untapered planks in the photos below - later fixed with filling and sanding).  Tapering for smaller sized hulls may be a bit finicky, but should still work much the same as on larger hulls.