Royal William by pirozzi - FINISHED - Euromodels - 1/70

[GLakie]

The windows came out good Vince, and I like your bowl-bending jig.  Creative thinking. 

[pirozzi]

G'day Vince

Good idea, but is the curve on the pot the same as what you need, or is it close?

Greg

Hi Greg,

I think it will be a little more than needed. With the curve in place I can then just place it on the deck ends and clamp it to the exact curve needed. There will be just a slight adjustment and no fear of it breaking. I picked a cooking pot big enough to approximate the curve needed.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

OK, the pot did the trick. The transom piece retained the curve needed to wrap it around the end of the decks.

I placed the transom piece without gluing, just to see how it fits. It fits very well and will be easy to secure properly once I get to that point.     I still have to create the upper deck gallery windows and place them before the transom piece. The transom piece will also need to be planked on both sides.

 

Vince P.

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

It's looking great shipmate!

Greg

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

Btw. Does your admiral let you do your model INSIDE THE HOUSE? I've been delegated to the garage because of the dust!

[pirozzi]

Btw. Does your admiral let you do your model INSIDE THE HOUSE? I've been delegated to the garage because of the dust!

Hi Greg,

We have a big house and the admiral allowed me to convert the living room with the pool table in it to my workshop. Yes, dust is a problem, but as long as I keep it all in that room I won't walk the plank.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

Working on the next gallery deck up. I cut a piece of plywood like before for the deck (not supplied). It will be planked, stained, and trimmed before it is installed.

 

Vince P.

[GLakie]

Doing those stern decks looks like a complicated process, but you seem to have it licked. 

[pirozzi]

The amount you paid for this kit and the problems you are experiencing is to unreasonable to believe. This looks like a great ship and will make a great model, but the manufacture is sure ripping people off. All these problems should have been fixed before the kit got released. Obviously, the end product was never built from this kit. When you pay as much as this kit cost, we have a right to expect better products, with better reseach  etc.

You are doing a great job solving these problems and are creating a great model. Kepp up the good work.

Hi Gary,

In defense of Euromodels, I don't fault them for the problems I am having. Yes, the kit is very expensive, mostly because of the numerous metal castings and materials. This kit however is so much like a scratch build that very little is defined in instructions and drawings as is with most kits. The plans are really excellent and if the builder uses them very carefully before making any complex moves with the build, it should turnout OK. The problems I am having is that I was spoiled with other kits like the SOS, which had more detailed instructions, even though they were flawed. This kit requires the builder to really have a scratch build mentality, which is new to me. As I gain more experience here it is becoming easier to progress. I can't emphasize enough that this kit is an extremely difficult and challenging project. I thought I was a pretty advanced builder until I started this.  I have made some mistakes and had to cover them up, but the more I work on this, the more confident I have become. It is so challenging that I find it difficult to walk away from the work bench. I have found myself waking up from a sound sleep with a solution to something that was bugging me during the day. So I either wrote it down, or went to the work bench at 4 in the morning to try it. This is so much fun! I do warn anybody thinking of building this kit to give it a long thought, but it is the best project I have started to date.

 

Vince P.

[piratepete007]

Vince,

 

I have waited so long (years in fact) for somebody to put pen to paper and explain the incredible excitement I too experience with Euromodel ship building. You show an appreciation of the material costs of such kits and the value is there but one just needs to start constructing a Euromodel kit to see this. Apart from building them, I am involved in writing about my constructions in great depth and I too have disturbed sleeps caused by evolving ideas, challenges and solutions. I could never go back to a standard kit build and quite rightly you say this is virtually a scratch build. However, this is not to suggest that the kits are beyond the average ship builder - far from it. It just needs patience and thinking 'outside the square' that too many of us get caught up in.

 

Sorry to hijack your build but I just had to say that. As an experienced builder, your comments should be valued and not refuted. By the way, I greatly enjoy watching your build and wish that I had seen your magnificent work before starting mine.

 

Pete

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

Hi Gary,

In defense of Euromodels, I don't fault them for the problems I am having. Yes, the kit is very expensive, mostly because of the numerous metal castings and materials. This kit however is so much like a scratch build that very little is defined in instructions and drawings as is with most kits. The plans are really excellent and if the builder uses them very carefully before making any complex moves with the build, it should turnout OK. The problems I am having is that I was spoiled with other kits like the SOS, which had more detailed instructions, even though they were flawed. This kit requires the builder to really have a scratch build mentality, which is new to me. As I gain more experience here it is becoming easier to progress. I can't emphasize enough that this kit is an extremely difficult and challenging project. I thought I was a pretty advanced builder until I started this.  I have made some mistakes and had to cover them up, but the more I work on this, the more confident I have become. It is so challenging that I find it difficult to walk away from the work bench. I have found myself waking up from a sound sleep with a solution to something that was bugging me during the day. So I either wrote it down, or went to the work bench at 4 in the morning to try it. This is so much fun! I do warn anybody thinking of building this kit to give it a long thought, but it is the best project I have started to date.

 

Vince P.

G'day Vince

As you said it's a challenge, and in this challenge I'm sure that you have gain unexpected knowledge. Every mistake that you have made has made you a better modellear,(this is my own word) and you have worked out a solution to fix it!

As I have said before, I'm building an AL HMS ENDEAVOUR with 150 + changes and still counting. I've gain a lot of experience this way rather than following the plans, and again like you, I've woken in the middle of the night with the answer to a problem. I'm sure we are not alone with this aspect.

As I have said before, this is what make our models our very own unique creations.

Keep up the great work!

Greg

[maggsl_01]

Hi Vince and Greg

 

I totally agree with Greg - thats the exciting aspect with building this kind of models. If you glue a plastic model (what I did for years) you won't get the kick to change so much. My most important change and own expression was the finish with colors and dust etc... some kind of very realistic finish.

 

But as you say, Greg: I am doing the Occre Endeavour and of course I have the AOTS and compare the plans and the possible changes. So the number of changes is not as big as yours, but I use some other timber, some different Colors, I will add some things etc. So the kit is just a suggestion (a very great one of course) but you can make much more out of it. And I understand this as the "challenge": To improve my craftmanship, my knowledge, my creativity. And every kit has ist own challenge. I look so much forward to the day when I start with my Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde from Euro Model. After looking at the plans I am sure, this is nothing more than just ONE CHALLENGE, perhaps a project for several years.

 

I wish you both a pleasant time

 

Cheerio

 

Max

[md1400cs]

Vince,

 

I have been following along silently (now actively).

 

Beautiful craftsmanship [should it be craftspersonship? (:-)]. Love all the details, text, and especially the very large jpg's that allow us to really see your quality of work,

 

It was time for me to acknowledge your build log. I hope to one day reach your level of skill to build such a beautiful model of such a gorgeous ship.

 

Cheers,

 

Michael

[pirozzi]

The  gallery quarterdeck extension is in place. It will be trimmed and beveled to fit the transom.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

The quarterdeck windows have been constructed and placed on the deck.

 

The next step is to place the transom itself.

 

Vince P.

[GLakie]

Looking really nice Vince. The stern is shaping up beautifully. 

[pirozzi]

The transom piece has been placed. The curve I steamed into it previously, really made a difference. It wrapped around the curvature on the ends of the decks with no problems. It was easy to glue into place. I used CA glue to tack it on and some instant bonder to keep the ends firmly against the edge of the decks.

I now have to plank the transom on both sides where it will be exposed under the metal decorations.

 

I am getting on with this part of the build and still have a long way to go before the transom and stern galleries are completed. Very tedious work trying to get things to fit. Had to remove parts and redo them numerous times, but it is taking shape. I don't think any other part of this build will be as difficult as this section.

 

Vince P.

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

Great job on the transom. Looking good mate.

Greg

[pirozzi]

The gallery quarter deck railing. As the galleries go up, the bends needed in the metal pieces get more severe and complicated. Using a torch really helps but then having to use plyers to make the twists creates another problem. The metal gets so soft that the plier jaws marks up the castings. A couple of layers of tape wrapped around the jaws does help.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

The railing with the decorative ovals has bee placed. The quaretdeck has been trimmed to follow the curve of the galleries. The kit comes with metal trim for the lower gallery decks but not for the uppers. Pieces of 4x1mm and 2x1mm are bent and glued together to make the trim, and then painted gold.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

I decided to paint the raised srip of the trim black. It looks better to me.

 

Vince P.

[GLakie]

I like the black stripe on the gold too Vince! Nice work! 

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

I like the black stripe on the gold too Vince! Nice work! 

 

Ditto

Great job on a very difficult stage. Your time and effort are paying off.

Goodonyamate

Greg

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Vince

Just wondering when will we be able to see more of your log?

Havagooday

Greg

[pirozzi]

G'day Vince

Just wondering when will we be able to see more of your log?

Havagooday

Greg

Sorry Greg,

I have been away the last 2 weeks on my annual hunting trip. No communications or ships.

Just got back today and saw your message. I will be posting again in the next day or two with new updates.

 

Vince P.

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

Hope that you had a 'bang' of a time.

Havagooday my friend

Greg

[pirozzi]

The transom has been planked on both sides because some of it in small spots will be seen in between the metal ornamentation to come. A whole lot of cutting and carving was needed to cut the planks around all of the odd shaped holes. This is why the transom and galleries are taking so long to complete. I have probably 100 hours in this part already and I am not half done.

Next up is to start adding the decorative railings and many more windows.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

Still working on the transom and stern galleries. There are so many parts that make up this section of the ship. Since there are no instructions on the assembly, the order in which to place parts requires much study. Many of the parts require other parts to be installed first in order to get a proper location and fit. I would have thought that the large decorative statues would be somewhere near the end, but in order to place railings and windows, they need to be placed early.

Here, the four statues are placed and the balcony railing is placed.

 

Vince P.

[pirozzi]

The lower deck extension has been trimmed and contoured and a decorative strip has been added all around the edge. The strip is made from a piece of 4mm x 1mm walnut and enhanced with a 2mm x 1mm painted black.

The lower railing has stantions added. I did not use the metal strips supplied by the kit, even though they are OK. I used wood 8mm stantions from my stash.

The 2 sattelite windows are added to the top of the ends of the railing.

 

It is finally getting to look like the fancy stern of the RW.

 

I still have a long way to go with the transom and galleries.

 

Vince P.

[GLakie]

Can't rush beauty Vince. You're doing an awesome job.