USS Constitution by Cena - Revell - 1/96 - PLASTIC

[Cena]

Just as quick intro, I'm a newbie model builder, although there may have been a few snap-together kits thrown together for the purpose of stuffing with fireworks in days of yore.  So why this model?  Well, I have a long history with this dang thing.  When I was 17, I was in a horrific car accident, and my boyfriend at the time, who was in the Navy, gave me this kit as gift to while away my recuperation time, I suppose.  Why he thought that was a good gift for a (admittedly tomboyish) teenager I have no idea, but he was absolutely right.  I was enthralled with it.  The details!  The complexity! The appeal to my history and tall-ship loving heart!  That was the start.  

 

As an aside, the gift was likely a 1978 version of the kit, the one I now have is a 2014.   Long story short, the kit I have now is the 6th I've owned, lo these many decades since.  I've gotten to various stages in building them, but no further than the decks.  

 

Most of the time, the reason for the fatal stoppage was a combination of a) (failed) perfectionism, and b) trying to change too many things along the way (like front9 creating a new capstan, for example).  

 

THIS time, it will be different.  After reading many of the logs here, I'm inspired and amazed by the creativity and talent of so many builders.  However, I'm older and more tired now, so more open to being honest with myself about goals, aspirations, and actual capacities. 

 

So, my vow to myself this time, this last time with the good ole Constitution, is:

 

1 - do not get bogged down by historical details or lack thereof.

2 - do not get bogged down by an expectation of model-making perfection.

3 - it's supposed to be fun!  If you find yourself getting annoyed by fiddly tiny pieces, go do something else.

 

Allowed changes from printed instructions:

1 - various paint choices; ie, ochre vs white stripe.

2 - Force9's method for dealing with the deck pieces, a well-remembered annoyance.

2 - maybe some lights.

 

Otherwise, this is a learning project and the result is likely to be a rickety abomination, and that's okay!

 

So, the balancing act for me will be - to keep it light and fun, but without neglecting too many details, which pains my perfectionistic streak.  (During one build, in an attempt to speed things along, I didn't paint the captain's gallery because you can't see even see it.  That ruined the whole thing for me.)

 

After all that talky-talk, I have actually started.  It started with creating an Emacs document for ensuring I had everything required and obnoxiously detailed steps.

 

(Hmm, it appears I can't post pics in the 'right' places, just at the end?  Surely that's not true, but this is one of the ways I go down rabbit holes.  I will find out how and fix later.  In the meantime, although likely self-explanatory, here's a key:

 

1 - overly detailed planning

2 - spray-primed decks and boats as a base for future weathering.

3 - Since I happened to have some, I decided to try copper tape for the hull, but it's pretty wide.

4 - an experiment with the tape.  It seems apparent that even in smallish, carefully applied pieces it wrinkles very easily, and the wrinkles don't rub out very well.  I'm pleasantly surprised with the details on the plates coming through though.   I think the tape is 3" wide, so maybe cutting strips in half would help.    I do plan to do the 'weathering' suggested by Revell ("...use leaf green and enamel thinner..then make a thin wash of black and turpentine...") so possibly that will help hide any likely imperfections.  

 

Other thoughts/questions:

 

1 - when to actually glue hull?  It's step 1, but it seems like painting everything relevant while the halves aren't glued would be easier to manage.  If anybody happens to see this, is there a good reason to glue first, paint second?  Otherwise I'm planning to paint first, glue after.

 

2 - the engravings (bow/gallery).  I dread this, because my hands have never been very steady for painting these tiny details (even with tiny brushes).  I can't remember where I saw it, but someone mentioned using a pencil eraser dabbed in gold paint, and using that to lightly 'stamp' things like the 'Constitution' on the gallery, which sounds like a good idea (maybe doesn't work well in practice?).  I may just go for all white window frames (vs the red/white candy stripe Revell suggests).  We'll see.  I want it look nice, but my past history with exactly this piece bodes poorly.

 

Next:

 

I'm trying to go slow, maybe just a single small thing a day or so, as time permits.

 

My goal here with the log is to post weekly at least.  

 

The perfect is the enemy of the good.  (I've seen perfectionism described as a really elaborate form of procrastination, which resonated a bit.)

 

Fun, remember?

 

[NW Ship Builder]

You got this! I look forward to following the progress! 

[MikJ]

Like the Emacs  

 

The pics can be placed anywhere. If you open one using the file selector, it goes in the collection area below the post. If you copy-paste it from another program, it is pasted at the cursor and also goes in the collection area.

Then, when you click on an image in the collection area, it is inserted where your cursor is.

Edited 15 hours ago by MikJ

[g8rfan]

Welcome to the group Cena. You're going to find this is a great sight with lots of talented and knowledgeable folks ,more than willing to help. This ship is definitely a challenge, but you can certainly do it. Just keep moving even a little at a time.

Regarding the pics, when you click "choose files" at the bottom of the post it will upload the file, then when you click "done" it will insert the file where ever the cursor is. If you decide to insert a photo after writing a bunch of text, just place the cursor where you want it before clicking "done". 

I noticed in your Emac that you were thinking of making eyeballs. Good idea, as the ones supplied in the kit are very bulky. At our scale, making them is not easy. I found that cutting the eye off a fish hook is the easiest thing. You want to use fly hooks, which are very tiny, size 16-24 (bigger number=smaller hook). You can get a pack of 50 from Temu pretty cheap. Also a good place to buy copper tape in various widths down to a couple millimeter.

Good luck, looking forward to seeing your build.

[Mowzer]

I'm delighted to have a fellow builder here who's thinking like me: we don't have to achieve the highest standard of perfection to make beautiful models. 

I'm hoping more people, who might be put off by the intimidatingly amazing skills of many others here, will join us.

Your intro here with its aims of "not sweating the small stuff" and "keeping it enjoyable" are valuable reminders to people such as myself who, given a choice between perfection and happiness, will often choose the former with detriment to the latter. 

Let's build more and worry less. 

Looking forward to your next update!