Santisima Trinidad by Daryl - FINISHED - OcCre - 1:90 scale - Cross-Section

[Daryl]

Hi folks

 

I have just purchased the Santisima Trinidad Section kit from OcCre and have decided to share its build with you. All comments and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated as hopefully they will help make me a better builder.

 

There were only two problems with the kit when it arrived and they were:

 

1. Poor quality (rough finish and holes drilled in all angles) of the small (4mm) blocks and pulleys and
2. 3 of the 6 half frames were warped.

As for the blocks and pulleys, it may be that I am a bit fussy, but there are better quality versions available and I personally expect kits that cost this much to have that higher level of quality. All of the other parts looked to be great so I am not expecting any problems there.

 

In case some of you are wondering what you get, I have enclosed photos of the whole kit so you can get a good idea of what you will be receiving should you purchase the kit.

 

Daryl

[Daryl]

And the build starts.

 

Steps 1, 2 3 & 4 - Keel, Half frames, Mast step & Interior lining

 

As mentioned previously, some of the half frames were warped so I made up some spacers to help straighten them out. I think I will get on the lathe at our Men's Shed and make up some more adjustable spacers for future use.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Daryl

[Daryl]

Steps 5 & 6 - Beams and Rests

 

I have now started installing the interior lining and the lolwer deck beams and rests. I decided to check the Top beam rests into the Lower deck beams as I thought that was a more appropriate way of doing it.

Edited January 1, 2014 by Daryl

[WackoWolf]

Nice work, your doing an excellent job. Keep the pictures coming.

[Daryl]

Steps 7 & 8 - Interior lining

 

Once again, I have changed the way the plans recommended to do some of the build. In the plans, it says that the strips are glued starting from under the beams to the keel. Being one who likes things to look right, I started from the keel and worked my way up to the beams. The reason behind this was that if I did need to fill a small gap, I would prefer that the odd  piece was out of sight and under the beam is the perfect place for it. As it turned out, I did need to put in a very small piece (1mm thick) and it sits nicely under the beam, out of sight.

 

Most of the clamps I use are modified wooden clothes pegs. They are soft so they do not put any indentations in the timber and the spring is just the right tension to hold things in place.

 

I have also included a photo of the wood glue I use. It is great. It gives you a small amount of time to locate what you are gluing before it takes hold and once it does, it certainly sticks.

 

I cut all of the pieces just over the 90mm length so that I can get a really clean edge later on using a large sanding board.

[Jeff-E]

Hi Daryl,

 

You have made a great start to your build and I must say a very nice fix on the warped frames. Did you consider coantacting the manufacturer or supplier to replace the faulty parts?

 

I have seen from other builds on this forum that Occre are not to bad at customer service but can be a bit slow

 

However looks like you are off to a great start and that you have a good plan on how to build the section I will follow with interest  

[AntonyUK]

Hello Daryl.

Looks to be a nice kit

Those frames were well and truly warped ( should be in StarTrek).

Nice blocks to put the frames in line.

Will be pulling in my chair for this build.

 

Regards Antony.

[Daryl]

Hello WackoWolf, Jeff and Antony.

 

Thanks for the kinds words. I have contacted OcCre regarding the warped half frames so it will be interesting to see what they say/do. I have also decided to purchase some new 4mm blocks & pulleys from "Float a Boat" who have a top of the range selection. No sense in using those provided if I am not happy with how they look.

 

Daryl

[Daryl]

Happy New Year to everyone.

 

Today there is good and bad news.

 

The bad news is that the spacers are not working 100% as I would like. Even though they are holding the half frames apart at the correct distance, they are not stopping the warp twisting the half frames to either the left or right.

 

The good news is that I have now built a jig/cradle that holds the half frames perfectly in line. I have attached some photos of my new "device".

 

This has been a lot of work for something that should never have happened. But, at least now the hull will be straight and I should not have any problems fitting the rest of the pieces together.

[Daryl]

Some good news from OcCre. They have advised me that they will be sending me "a new one". Not sure if they mean new half frames or a new kit.

 

On with the build.

 

Steps 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19

 

9 to 11 - Columns shaped and fitted,

 

12 to 15 - Deck lined, varnished and "aged". n the assembly instructions, they tell you how to age the deck planking by using an asphalt solution diluted with turpentine. Good idea I thought, so I walked out on to the road, chiseled off a small piece of bitumen/asphalt and took it inside and mixed it with some turps. The end result can be see in photo 23.

 

16 & 17 - Waterways, beams and beam rests fitted,

 

18 - Sides lined and

 

19 - Bracket frames fitted.

 

The kit seems to be going together nicely.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Daryl

[Daryl]

Steps 20 to 34

 

Photo 27

 

20 - Lower deck Beam,

21 - Interior lining,

22 - Bracket frames,

23 - Lower deck battens and

24 - Lower deck columns installed

 

Photo 28

 

I got a bit lazy with taking pictures today and built the whole deck before I took the first picture. I think I was getting a bit carried away in that it was going together very nicely.

 

25 - 1st Battery deck,

26 - Deck planking, (good old bitumen and turps again)

27 - Waterways,

28 - Mast tabernacle,

29 & 30 - Hatch coamings,
31 & 32 - Battens and

33 - Grating installed - The grating is a lovely piece of work. very well made and a pleasure to put together.

 

Photo 29

 

34 - 1st Battery gun port installed

 

I had to remove the model from the cradle to fix this part. Once the step was completed it went back in.

 

Photo 30

 

This shows the curve that is required to mount the gun port. As this is not a large piece I found it necessary to glue, nail and clamp the bottom section and allow that to set before doing the same to the top. As I am not happy with the quality of the ply used I did not try and dampen the ply and curve it when wet and allow to dry in its required shape. I have found this ply snaps very easily.

 

fyi. Melbourne is currently going through a spate of 4 days with above 40^o C. (It was 43.5⁰ C outside according to my cars sensor as I drove back from lunch today) I have dad to bring everything into my office to continue the build as it was just too hot in the garage where I normally do my work.

 

I think I will give it a rest until the weekend when the temperature is expected to drop by 15-20⁰ with some possible rain thrown in. For those who have not heard this before, Melbourne (Australia) is known for having all for seasons in the one day. Check out the poor tennis players at the Australian Open this week.

 

ciao

[AntonyUK]

Hi Daryl.

She is coming along very nicely.

I do like the frame/jig you have made to keep everything straight during construction.

I often forget to pick up the camera when in the middle of something.. Espetially when everything is going well

 

Keep the photos coming and I look forward to your next post.

 

Regards Antony.

[cristikc]

Hi Daryl.

Good start, wait to see how she is moving

I am now at the end, with mine

 

All the best

Cristi

[Daryl]

Hi Cristi

 

I have been watching your build with interest to see if I can pick up any hints. It is looking good. I am happy with my build to date even though I have had some problems as I have mentioned in my log.

 

Daryl

[Bindy]

I am truly amazed at how you tackled such bad warping and twisting!  I love the jig/cradle

[Daryl]

Now that the heatwave has finished, it is much more comfortable to be working on my bench in the garage so here is the next installment.

 

Steps 35 to 43

 

Photo 31

 

35 - Interior lining,

36 - Gun port base,

37 - Gun port sides and

38 - Beam rests installed

 

 

I don't know why, but I seem to keep finding small problems. In the case of the Gun port base, I found that if I installed the interior lining as suggested, when the gun port base was installed it was not parallel but had a large slope upwards. If you look in the photo, you will see that I replaced the first piece of 5mm lining with a piece of 3mm lining. This then gave me a perfectly level gun port base. Looks much better.

 

Photo 32

 

39 - 2nd battery beams and

40 - Bracket frames installed

 

 

Photo 33

 

41 - 1st Battery columns,

42 - 2nd Battery deck and

43 - Deck lining installed

 

 

I think that the "aging" of the decks looks good, But now, I am getting a bit impatient and wanting to do more and more so I have to take my time so I do not rush it and make any mistakes. Overall, still an enjoyable build.

 

Daryl

Edited February 1, 2014 by Daryl

[Daryl]

Hi Bindy.

 

Thank you. It has been fun. The jig has allowed me much more freedom in handling the model without worrying about it being damaged. I will have to alter it a bit when I get to the rigging but it will make that a lot easier too.

 

Good luck with your build.

 

Daryl

[Daryl]

The 2nd Battery deck has now been completed and the 3rd Battery deck commenced. I had the same problem with the Gun Port bases as I did on the 1st Battery deck, but it was easy to fix.

 

What's been done recently.

 

Steps 44 - 58

 

Photo 34

 

44 - Waterways

45 - Mast tabernacle

46& 47 - Hatch coamings

48 & 49 - Battens

50 -  Grating

 

Photo 35

 

51 - 2nd Battery gun port

52 - Interior lining

53 & 54 - Gun port bases and sides

 

 

Photo 36

 

55 - Beam rests

56 - 3rd Battery beams

57 - 2nd Battery columns

58 - Bracket frames

 

 

It wont be too long before I have to remove the supporting feet from the frame which will mean that the existing jig will become obsolete. So I am now looking a designing a new jig that will hold the hull steady using the keel and the gun ports as support points so that I can have the keel perfectly stable for doing the rigging. I have a "lazy susan" that this new jig will be mounted on so that I do not have to lift the jig & model up to change positions when working on it. It just makes it a lot easier when you want to view the model from different angles to see how all the alignments are.

[Daryl]

And yet another small problem. I ran out of 1x3 Ramin deck planking halfway through the 3rd battery deck. The instructions state that I needed 68  1x3x90 to do the job when in fact I needed 76. I then checked all decks and found that I used more on each than the instructions stated. Unfortunately I was not counting but just laying them down. It just meant another drive to "Float a Boat" where I was able to purchase some more decking and get on with the job. I contacted OcCre but this time there was no response. I think I may have complained just one to many times.

 

Back to the build.

 

Believe it or not, but I am enjoying the build. I quickly forget the problems as I find ways of fixing them so they are not a long term issue.

 

This entry covers steps 59 to 81.

 

Photo 37

 

59 - 3rd Battery deck

60 - Deck planking

 

 

Photo 38

 

61 - Waterway

62 - Mast tabernacle

63 - Crossway battens

64 - Grating

65 & 66 - Coamings

67 & 68 - Ammunition frames

69 - Battens

 

 

Photo 39

 

70 - 3rd Battery gun ports

71 - Interior lining

72 - Gun port bases

73 - Gun port sides

 

 

Photo 40

 

74 - Beam rests

75 - Deck beams

76 & 77 - Bracket frames

78 - Deck planking

79 - Mast tabernacle

80 - Bulwarks

81 - Waterway

82 & 83 - Frames

 

[Bindy]

Despite the problems you have had Daryl, this is looking fantastic!

[Daryl]

Everything is running nice and smooth at present. This entry covers steps 84 - 98.

 

Photo 41

 

 

84 - Interior Bulwark lining and

85 & 86 - Pin racks

 

Photo 42

 

 

87 - 1st battery rubbing strakes and

88 - Exterior lining

 

Photo 43

 

 

89 - 2nd and 3rd battery rubbing strakes

 

Photo 44

 

 

90 - Exterior lining of batteries with rough cut out of gun ports

 

Photo 45

 

 

91 - Gunwales,

92 - Waist beam,

93 - Channels,

94 - Channels brackets,

95 & 96 - Small and Large ladder bases and

97 & 98 - Small and Large rungs

 

 

Photo 46

 

 

 

Whole exterior surface sanded and varnished.

[AntonyUK]

Hi Daryl.

Excellent work.

Love the finish.

 

Regards Antony.

[Daryl]

Back again. I am now getting into all the "fancy bits". I think it is looking good and I am still enjoying the build.

 

This entry covers steps 99 to 112.

 

Photo 47

 

 

99, 100 & 101 - Gun ports, frames and covers

 

Photo 48

 

 

102 - Side pin racks

H - Belaying pins

 

Photo 49

 

 

Deck Pulleys before installation

 

Photo 50

 

 

B - Eyebolts

C - Slings

E - 4mm Pulleys

 

Photo 51

 

 

F - 5mm Clump block

G - 4mm Clump block

103 - Clump block slings

104 - Chain plates

105, 106 & 107 - Loft

108 & 109 - Mainmast rail & columns

110 - Ammunition

111 & 112 - Waist stairs

 

 

 

 

[AntonyUK]

Hello Daryl.

Nice progress since I last looked in.

Must be putting in a few hours to get this far so quick.

 

Regards Antony.

[Daryl]

On the home straight to finish the hull component.

 

This entry covers the remaining steps.

 

Photo 52

 

 

Steps 113 - 125

 

113, 114 & 115 - 1st Battery stairs

116, 117 & 118 - Lower deck stairs

119, 120 & 121 - Bales

122, 123, 124 & 125 - Barrels and Stones were installed  at a later stage and shown in a following photo

 

Photo 53

 

 

The photo in the instructions show the gun port covers in an open position but do not show anything holding them open. I am presuming that they want them glued open.

 

Photo 54

 

 

Instead, I drilled each port and added a small rope which is attached through a hole in the hull.

 

Photo 55

 

 

Steps 126 - 133

 

126, 127 & 128 - Large guns

126, 128 & 129 - 2nd and 3rd guns,

130, 131, 132 & 133 - Small guns

 

Photo 56

 

 

Steps 122 - 125

 

122 , 123 & 125 - Barrels

124 - Stones

 

Photo 57

 

 

Steps 134 - 138

 

134, 135 & 136 - Base

137 - Nameplate

138 - Ropes

 

 

And now we come to the completed Hull.

 

Photos 58 to 62

 

Aft view

 

Forward view

 

Port view

 

Starboard view

 

Top view

 

As you will be aware from previous comments, the build so far has been an interesting one. I have learnt a lot of lessons and appreciated your feedback.

 

I think I will do some serious reading and checking on the internet before I start the masts and rigging.

 

I hope you have enjoyed the build so far.

 

Daryl

 

[Daryl]

Hello Daryl.

Nice progress since I last looked in.

Must be putting in a few hours to get this far so quick.

 

Regards Antony.

Hi Antony

 

That's what happens when you are retired. Lots of hours to fill and what better way to do it.

 

Daryl

[Daryl]

So now it is the Masts and Rigging's turn. My 12mm sapelli Lower mainmast was too warped to use so I found a great piece of 12mm hardwood dowel at our Men's shed which I will be using for all 3 mast components. I turned the Lower mainmast down on the lathe which certainly made it a lot easier for me. I built the top trestletree completely before fitting to the mast. I remembered blindly following the plans in a previous build when I had to try and fit the blocks/pulleys underneath after the mast was fully mounted. Not a good move.

 

Photo 63

 

 

144 - Top trestletree

145 - Top crosstree

146 - Spreader

147 - Main top

148 - Mast top splint

149 - Large cap

150 - Platform cap

151 - Top column
152 - Top guard rod

153 - Fairleads

D - 4mm block

E - 4mm pully

 

Photo 64

 

 

139 - Lower mainmast

140 - Batten

141 - Fish

142 - Woolding

143 - Cheek

155 - Cleat

 

 

 

 

[Daryl]

I took some time off from building the Trinidad to build a Cigar Box uke for my nephew's birthday. Now that is finished it is time to get going again.

 

This entry covers the completion of the masts. Once again I found discrepancies in the assembly instructions.

 

eg. On Page 3 of the mast plans, it shows only 1 x 4mm pulley above the Top Gallant mast cleat whereas on Page 4 it shows 2 x 4mm pulley's and 2 x 4mm blocks.

 

In the coloured photo instruction document, on it shows a completely different mainmast crosstree to what has been provided and is shown on page 3 of the main mast plans.

 

I am not sure if people are interested in reading about the problems I have found but I will keep adding them in case someone is thinking of buying this model and they can use my comments as a heads up. My final report on the build to OcCre is going to be very interesting. I just might add it here for everyone to see. Any comments?

 

Photo 65

 

Photo 66

 

Photo 67

 

I am taking another break now to build my wife a Japanese Shamisen Kankara.

 

Happy building all.

[Bindy]

Hi Daryl,

 

I for one would be grateful for any report on problems, challenges and hiccups (as well as good news too). Not only is it interesting of course but also so helpful for us learners as a tool on things to watch out for in your kit and others. But also to know we are not alone when we discover theses things for ourself.

 

And happy birthday to your nephew too

[Daryl]

Hi Bindy. Thank you for the comments and I will pass on your birthday greetings to Geno. I will keep everyone informed of my progress and publish the report for all to see. I have read the logs on both your build and wish you all the best.

 

The only advice I will give you is 1) to read all the instructions several times before you do anything. Sometimes the tell you to do something later on when it would have been a lot better to do it a bit earlier and 2) Be patient and take your time.  Rushing can lead to having to try and undo a mistake that can be difficult to do. As you will see from my log, I have multiple varying projects underway which gives me a break from each so I can look at them and think about them before getting back to them.

 

I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy the journey

 

regards

 

Daryl