USS Constitution by lambsbk – Revell – 1/96 - PLASTIC – With Fiber Optics

[lambsbk]

I still very much consider myself a novice so thanks for the suggestion. I have absolutely no experience with resin casting and I am kind of anxious to move on with the build so I will wait and try casting down the line. Nice idea though. 

[popeye the sailor]

catching up on your project Dave........the lighting came out super!   nice idea with the cannonballs  

[lambsbk]

The prototype cannon ball rack is finished. It is pretty tiny but I hope will add to the look of the decks. I used the round bit to cup these every 2mm before drilling them every 2mm on center. Now that I have a procedure the rest should be easy to produce.

 

 

 

Yup...I lost one when I squeezed the vise too hard. I changed the gluing method after this loss as well.

[lambsbk]

I scraped down the deck under the shot racks to bare plastic for the glue. That also gave the small amount of protruding wire a place to rest on the underside. I placed them here first since I am learning how to do this addition to the deck - this area will be seen the least - if at all - and is a good place to experiment.

 

 

 

[popeye the sailor]

looks good Dave     idea looks like a winner to me  

[Crowler]

Hi Dave,

 

 

Great build, been following you for 2 years, I am working on my 3rd 1/96 Constitution plastic build, love your fiber optic lights! Sorry if I missed the how to on the rope coil but, how did you get the thread to coil up tight and stay flat?

 

[lambsbk]

At this scale you can't tell without looking closely but the coils are 2 pieces closely approximated. I made them with a device of my own with the following link (see the video in the post the post link below).

I had a couple of small aluminum flat discs and drilled a small hole centrally to allow a straight pin to go through. There is a small spring under that followed by a clamp (I used hemostats). The rope was soaked through and through in dilute Elmers glue and then threaded through the far disc hole prior to insertion of the straight pin. Then apply the second disc followed by the spring and clip. When secure you can wrap the coil according. I then heat with a hair dryer and carefully (sometimes with a straight razor) remove the coil. Hope that helps.

[lambsbk]

To make your own I suppose a couple of bottle caps would work...without the rubber seals.

[Crowler]

That's perfect Dave, thank you very much for the link to your video. I'm making the transition from plastic to wood ship building and it's great to know a guy can get help when he needs it! Love your ship build, looking forward to your future posts!

 

[lambsbk]

I have not had much time of late. I finished the shot lockers and glued them down. Positioning them was a little tricky since few references were found. So I used the references as a general guide and tried to keep them out of the way of other deck furnishings as well as keep them from being a hazard to the working sailors. After finishing the assemblies I lightly coated each with dull-cote to protect the blackened metal, grooved the deck to receive the lockers and secured them evenly. Next up is the messenger cable and researching the "circuit" around the capstan and the deck. Then the rear spar deck section can be glued. I am still wanting to add LED red lighting and coal to the camboose and I think often on how to get that done without damaging the completed work so far.

 

Slow...but at least moving forward.

 

Dave

 

[popeye the sailor]

the shot racks look great!   well done on the gun deck.......wow! 

[lambsbk]

Thanks Denis. Someday I may graduate to another deck like the rest of my model buddies.

[lambsbk]

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I was able to update a post. I finished the manger and hawse  build today. I painted a little mud in the manger but I don't know if it shows up on the pics. I am going to glue the transom and aft section of the spar deck next and insure it is light sealed so the lanterns will not bleed through. It's not much but any progress is better than none.

 

Dave

Edited October 2, 2017 by lambsbk

[popeye the sailor]

very nice Dave........great progress!   

[lambsbk]

I ran into some trouble with the frame on the forward spar deck..it is too weak at the joints. So I am going to have to strengthen these bonds. I will use the mill to groove the underside of the joints and use wire or plastic and glue into the groove. We will see if that helps.

 

I glued the aft section of the spar deck but that also required a fix in regards to the "U" channels I glued to block light transmission. They raised the deck and also had to be milled out to allow a proper fit.

 

I think I am going to quit kit bashing after these modifications are perfected. My build is moving at a tectonic slow speed. With the exception of the shrouds, ratlines, and spar deck gun rigging the rest of this build will, by necessity, be by the book Revell.

 

I will get some pics up to show this description a little better at next post.

Edited March 26, 2018 by lambsbk

[popeye the sailor]

looking good Dave    yea.......that's one of the problems with modifying....the project takes longer.  it all depends how much is done and whether everything goes well.   I'd really like to put both the Connie and the United States on the table........but there I go....off on a commitment that might take the rest of my life to do   

    don't give up on the spar deck idea though........that's gonna look awesome!   

[lambsbk]

As I mentioned above the plastic fore deck frame has strength problems - looks good but not sturdy. In fact I have repaired several joints twice. Denis encouraged me to motor on with the idea (thanks Denis) so I went shopping and found some carbon fiber flat rod at the local hobby store. I used my MF70 to groove out about 1.5mm and then super glued the rod into the groove. I did a test joint on the upper portion of the deck and then a full joint on the underside. So far so good. When dry the rod is sanded smooth to the beam. It is messy but the strength increase is excellent. The pics show where I am in the process. Once this is done paint should hide the joints.

 

Edited May 28, 2018 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

Starboard side finished. It looks a little rough but is actually smooth to the beams. The top side doesn't show any sign of the change - except a little soot from the filing process.

[lambsbk]

Still working on the frame but I forgot to put a pic of the carbon fiber rod. So here is what I am using. It provides horizontal strength and spans the joints to meld them together.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I finished installing the carbon fiber rod and have it mostly filed down flush to the beams. I still have to do a little fine sanding before painting and adding some of the deck furniture. The rod strengthening has made a huge difference. Pics are of the top side  then the under side.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2018 by lambsbk

[popeye the sailor]

glad to see you forged forward with this....it will make for some incredible detail.   nicely done   

[billt]

I'm glad you kept going on it too. I still think it was a good idea.

 

[nino]

I have been following your activities here for some time. Impressive, overwhelming and intensely great work. Love the Carbon fiber reinforcement.

Also, I want to wish you a Happy Birthday for tomorrow and thank you for continuing this most excellent USS Constitution Build Log!

    Nino

[lambsbk]

Thanks Nino. I am just now getting my garage back after a year without a place to work on the build so...hopefully...I can begin making some progress again.

[popeye the sailor]

were you affected by Florence?

[lambsbk]

Not at all Denis. I feel for the guys north of me though. Thx for asking.

[KurtH]

Wow! You have done some most impressive beam work yourself!  You even included ledges which I did not do because I thought they might make it too hard to see the gun deck detail.  The design of these is very different from the present arrangement.  Are they from the Campbell plans?  Incidentally, I downloaded some pics of a scratch built plank on frame model by Herb Ebson.  I do not see any diagonal knees there either.  All in all, this is amazing work.  Your use of the bluejacket crane irons is ingenious.   I cannot conceive of making those little hooks for the gun tackle blocks.  Unfortunately, I cannot see a way to install lights in my model at this point.

[lambsbk]

Thank you - I have not made much progress after losing my shipyard to the car in our garage. The open deck came as an after thought to the lights - seemed a shame to close it in and several members on this forum made suggestions about it - open beams won the day. As far as the plans go and where they are from I will have to research again. I printed them quite some time ago and now the reference eludes me.

Edited November 5, 2018 by lambsbk

[Javlin]

Some Nice work Dave and I really like the idea of the beams

 

 

[lambsbk]

Thx Javlin. I am actually trying to clear a space to work on her again. Too many other projects are competing for my attention that are not modeling related.

 

Dave