Essex by General Nuisance - OcCre - 1:60

[GeneralNuisance]

This is more a “final lap” type of post as I didn’t start it when I began the build but rather here during the final stages of getting the yards, rigging, and sails completed. 
 

Fortunately the rigging is where I think it all comes together. 
 

 

One thing I learned in this build was the history of coppering and so when learning about this I needed to add this as a feature as I think it adds a certain pop. 
 

 

This is a bit of a deviation from the build recommendation but as I refuse to pay the 50 odd bucks for the Occre paint I think I prefer it.

 

That being said I didn’t go with the more accurate planking version but rather settled for applying it, at times unevenly. Does it look as good as if I applied the rivets and such? No, but it doesn’t really bother me as the overall effect is striking and it’s only upon close inspection that anyone would notice (and even then the only ones who would notice would be other shipbuilders).

 

Next post will be the major deviations and modifications from the kit as it’s intended to be built.

 

[GeneralNuisance]

The first deviation is in the stern. After looking at the historical paintings, modern depictions (Heart of the Sea was a big inspiration), and watching videos from Home Harbor on YouTube, I opted for a different layout. 
 

This allowed for the eagle insignia as well as the placement of the name plate which, in this case, was made from some gold stickers. 
 

Finding the eagle was the real struggle, I bought a 100 pack of assorted eagle pendants online and the quarter style eagle ended up being the only one that fit… and so it became the eagle on the stern.

 

You’ll also notice I added rudder chains that weren’t in the original build and while I know these wouldn’t sag this much on the real ship, again, I find the look of it like this to be striking and so artistry won over accuracy. 

 

Another change I made was in the tryworks. While the original style called for an exposed brick layout, I preferred the idea of a tarred or painted brick oven and so I went with that. Historically accurate? Probably not but it fits better with the aesthetic I’m going for. 

 

Next is the alterations in the deck. You’ll notice the weathering as I like to make my ships look as though they’ve been sailed for a few seasons rather than being the off the lot clean. My practical time on a ship then has shown me how quickly the paint on deck wears down so I think it has, once again, a nice look to it.

 

In addition to this I made the decision of cutting an actual hole into the deck for the hatchway, I painted the interior black to lend a greater effect and depth. You’ll also notice the sharpening wheel and the coil of rope, again, for greater effect. 

 

I altered the wheel rigging as well into something functional. Now if I turn it the rudder will turn! Which I just found neat.

 

Some barrels for texture.

Finally I added a spritsail yard. The reason for this is, firstly, aesthetic, but also because in a great many of the paintings of the ship the spritsail yard is present (and once again it offers more line texturing so it got included).

Edited December 25, 2025 by GeneralNuisance

[GeneralNuisance]

Finished the yards today, time for a few days off for a family Christmas.

[GeneralNuisance]

Got back to the shipyard and finished off the yards on the main mast. 
 

Of course I realized I somehow forgot one of the yards for the mizzen, so I’ll have to backtrack to get that together before I can put the finishing touches on the yard rigging. 

[GeneralNuisance]

Got the yards on the mizzen finished. Next up will be lines and then the long work of sheets before I reach the finishing touches.

[GeneralNuisance]

Today it was the outer and staysail jibs. 

 

I love this part of the build when I start to really see it all coming together. I’ve got a lot of work to do yet but we’re making progress and getting closer 
 

[GeneralNuisance]

The jibs are in place as is the mizzen sail. 
 

I’m currently trying to find an effective way to shape the sails and would appreciate any suggestions that are effective. 

[GeneralNuisance]

Alright, we’re nearing the main stretch. After deciding to furl the lower sails so as to leave the deck more visible I’ve run into the problem of there being so many lines that it’s hard to tie them to the pegs without pulling on another line or fouling something or other. 
 

So really it all boils down to patience and sturdy hands. On the side I’ve also been working on a cheap model from Amazon and doing the preliminary work on the Endurance. 
 

I’m quite happy with how the sails turned out. I toyed with some different designs but in the end I opted for just furling the sails provided in the kit. 

[GeneralNuisance]

Progress and some setbacks.

 

I got the sheets installed on the mainsail and that all went well until I realized part of the reason I was getting sag in some of my lines is because I attached the two sets on lines on the sail too high. So it’s pulling in the wrong place on the block it connects to, thus causing sag. I decided then that it really didn’t bother me so much that I needed to redo it. 

However there was something that did bother me and that was the sag in the jib line, I just couldn’t let it go. 

 

And so for that one I went back and tightened the top of the line. It lessened the sag, not totally but enough that I could love with it.

 

The thing I know about these builds is that the ONLY person who ever notices these flaws is me, and if I can live with it everyone else can too. 
 

Today it’s on to prepping the remaining four sails.