Endurance by GeneralNuisance - OcCre - 1:70

[GeneralNuisance]

Hello! And welcome to my first build thread. 
 

I bought myself Occre’s Endurance during their Black Friday Sale and while I currently have it wrapped and sitting under the tree I’ve been doing a great deal of research to be ready to start in earnest (pun intended). 
 

This will be my fourth model ship build with the previous being:

Occre’s Albatros

A kit-bashed model of Friends Good Will* using Occre’s Albatros for the material

Occre’s Essex (this one is still in progress)

 

Each model has given me a greater understanding of how to do this more effectively and efficiently and to see where I struggle and what I might do going forward to overcome said troubles. 
 

I hope to get some helpful advice as I go and am using the build logs of @clearway, @Tomculb, @theoracle09, and @HakeZou for inspiration and reference (and some better ideas of how to make this thing more accurate to the original). 
 

Thanks in advance for climbing aboard.

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*Friends Good Will was a 19th century merchant sloop which sailed the Great Lakes from 1811 until its burning in Buffalo by the British in 1813. It was one of the few survivors of the Battle of Put in Bay where it was reclaimed by the Americans after having been previously captured by the Brits at Mackinac Island. 
 

Over the past two summers I had the fortune of serving as crew aboard the recreation of her which harbors out of South Haven, MI and doing so inspired me to build her. To do so I HEAVILY modified Occre’s Albatros to turn a two mast clipper into a single masted sloop (which meant a great deal of rescaling as I had to determine the new measurements for the masts and sails) 

 

 

[GeneralNuisance]

Just to add examples of my previous and current builds.

 

Albatros

Fun fact: I began this ship with my father in law in 2020 and after it sat for nearly four years I retrieved it and began working on it at home.

Biggest takeaway: Importance of properly sanding. 

 

Friends Good Will

Began Oct 1, 2024
Finished Nov 27, 2024

Fun fact: The base the ship is mounted on is a slice from the retired crow jack of the original ship.

Biggest takeaway: The need to go in with a better idea of the scale adjustments when doing a kit bash.

 

Essex

Began Jan 7, 2025

Ongoing

Fun fact: Using a video from Home Harbor on YouTube, I made some adjustments to the stern which gave me a better result for creating a more historically accurate model.

Biggest takeaway: I learned about hull coppering during this build and used copper plumber’s tape to copper the hull. While it’s not accurately applied, the effect is quite striking.

 

Edited December 23, 2025 by GeneralNuisance

[GeneralNuisance]

Plans for this project:

1. Build the yards first: when I reach the point in the build where these are applied I find myself wanting to rush out of impatience. My thought is if I have these prepared and ready I’ll be more excited when I reach this part of the build. 
2. Utilize the experience of the other builders as well as the access to photos of the original ship to create a more accurate and higher quality build.

3. Rejoice that there are so few ratlines.

[vvvjames]

Exciting build! I almost got the Endurance during their black Friday sale but ended up with the Beagle instead. Based on your previous builds you'll do some great work bringing it to life:) looking forward to seeing pictures of your Albatros too, that was my first. 

[GeneralNuisance]

Starting off I wanted to do something small I could work into my rotation as I finish off Essex so I took to the anchors.

 

I’ve seen some different choices for paint/staining on these and I opted for enamel paints. It gives it a little more of a shine than I’d prefer to be there so I’m not totally sold on whether I’ll keep this paint or strip it and add another. 
 

 

I found some difficulty in finding a glue that would properly bond the two parts of the anchor—which is part of the reason I went with the enamel because it acts like its own glue, though if anyone has some suggestions for another material I’d happily hear it out. 

[GeneralNuisance]

So in my early research in trying to get this ship designed I noticed there appears to be an extra boat lashed to the main mast's ratlines. 

As I'm doing some planning ahead I'm wondering if this would be a worthy addition to the build as it adds more flavor to the build. 
I recognize that might be me getting very ahead of myself but I think it's worth considering.

@Tomculb any thoughts on this that could help?

[Tomculb]

The way I look at it, if it looks good to you, then do it!  Even with the large number of Frank Hurley photos out there, there is no right way to do this model (or any other one), because ships like this are not static; they change almost day to day.  I had a lot of fun making my Endurance unique; not better, just unique.  You have the opportunity to do the same.  I've seen this photo many times, but I have yet to see a model with a dinghy lashed to the ratlines. Looks like a great addition.

[GeneralNuisance]

1 hour ago, Tomculb said:

The way I look at it, if it looks good to you, then do it!  Even with the large number of Frank Hurley photos out there, there is no right way to do this model (or any other one), because ships like this are not static; they change almost day to day.  I had a lot of fun making my Endurance unique; not better, just unique.  You have the opportunity to do the same.  I've seen this photo many times, but I have yet to see a model with a dinghy lashed to the ratlines. Looks like a great addition.

Thanks for the input. After part time volunteering two summers now on a tall ship here in Michigan I think the thing I love most about doing these builds are the “flavors of life,” the little touches that reject perfection and embrace these being working ships that were apt to get scuffed, damaged, and dirty

[GeneralNuisance]

In today’s session I got to work cutting down the main bulkhead in the two areas I want to add my own touches to, namely the space for the windlass beneath the forecastle and the adjustment to the propeller space, making it rectangular as opposed to the semicircle it has standard in the kit. This follows in the footsteps of many other builders I’ve seen on here.

 

Additionally I ordered some resin stanchions from a guy with a resin printer that @theoracle09 designed as that option is far more affordable than the brass ones which I was able to find, at minimum, for $8 for a pack of 10. As I got the ship on Black Friday I really didn’t feel like spending half the price of the ship on stanchions.

 

Finally, I finished the anchors paint job off. As I said in a previous post, I opted for enamel even though it leaves the anchors shiner than I’d prefer, but! In my head narrative that’s just because they have a fresh coat of the paint they would regularly repaint them with. Something not removed from reality at all as I know many ships that have the shiny paint on any and every surface.

 

Total time 2 hours

[GeneralNuisance]

I finished off my Essex yesterday which means, at last, it’s time to begin the Endurance in earnest!

Starting at the forecastle; I’m following in the footsteps of several who came before me and planking the outer wall with tapered planks so as to make the wood more apparent.
 

I found a grinding dremel head that matches the 1/4” aimed for by guys like @Tomculb and it allowed me more control with no fear of the wood breaking as I went. Got some good smoked wood smell as the friction burned a little but nothing too problematic. 

 

I also sanded down the wood and used a file to really make those board divisions pop. If it’s still to my liking when I paint it I plan to do some dry brushing to get some grime in those cracks (like a real ship would have). 

 

As you can see with the clamp I put some boards in place so as to make my job easier when it comes time to plank the windlass room and lamp rooms.

 

I'm also planning ahead to do some lighting through the ship but am planning to go the cheap route and simply use fairy lights that I’ll run through the whole ship. These will provide that nice warm yellow glow rather than the harsh white usually associated with LEDs.

 

Thanks for stopping in!

[GeneralNuisance]

Update on the windlass and lamp rooms:

 

I’ve shingled the inner walls and plan to paint them white.

I’ve painted the interior of the portholes gunmetal grey to simulate metal.

I have opaque tracing paper coming to line the porthole interiors so there will be light that can come through but not enough to see inside. 
I have a set of fairy lights coming with 20 lights. This number will be enough to light each room and porthole and provide the needed effect I’m looking for, as you can see in the lower left of bulkhead A3 there’s a hole drilled through which will be used to feed the lights through. 
 

 

Work time today: 4 hours

Total time: 10 hours