Bomb Vessel Granado 1742 by gjdale - FINISHED - 1/48 - Cross-Section

[GLakie]

The iron-work turned out great and looks much stronger Grant. Nice fix! 

[Rustyj]

Great recovery Grant. It all looks perfect. Well done.

[rafine]

Very nicely done Grant.

 

Bob

[mtaylor]

Beautiful recovery, Grant.   

[mobbsie]

Nice fix mate with excellent results, :im Not Worthy:  it all looks rather spiffing.  

 

Last leg mate, Entry Ladders that's all and of course the dusting and any last minute adjustments and of course the final display base and case.

 

Seriously, a very good job and one to be proud of, very well done.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[gjdale]

Thanks again folks for all the kind comments and the "likes" - they really do encourage me to keep striving to do better.

 

The home straight is in sight!

 

Entry Port Ladders

 

The entry port ladders were fairly simple to make – once I used the right timber, and the right method. My first attempt was using 3/16” square stock Yellowheart, and using the Mill to cut the stepped profile. I quickly discovered that while Yellowheart is fine for planking, it is very difficult to use in other applications. It is very coarse grained, and very brittle, meaning that it will splinter as soon as look at you. I also decided that this task would be better accomplished using the Byrnes table saw rather than the mill – quicker, easier, and cleaner.

 

I decided to use Castello Boxwood for the task as it still retained a pale colour to blend in with the external hull planking, and at the same time was consistent with the timber used for the Channels.  These two decisions made the task very simple. The profile along the long edge of the ladder steps was cut very quickly onto longer lengths of stock. I decided to add a degree of difficulty by continuing the stepped profile onto the short edge of the steps.  The pieces are too small to safely attempt this with the table saw, so they were individually cut using a chisel and finally cleaned up with a file. This last task was also much easier than I had first thought – perhaps I’m starting to develop my skills with the hand tools too!

 

Here is what the steps looked like after profiling:

 

 

I decided that they would be easier to mount on the hull if they had a locating pin, so I made up a very simple length jig for the drill press to ensure that all steps had a hole exactly in the middle of their lengths, then inserted a long brass pin “handle”.

 

 

This handle was a useful holding aid while applying a coat of Wipe-on Poly to the non-glued surfaces, after which it was cut off to a more appropriate length.

 

To aid in placing the steps accurately on the hull, a template was printed from the drawings and attached to a piece of card stock.  This was taped in place on the hull while the centres of the steps were marked through with a brad point.

 

 

The locating holes were then completed by very carefully hand drilling, and the steps glued in place. PVA was used for gluing, which gave ample time to ensure that each step was aligned parallel to its neighbour.

 

 

Also during the week, my shipment of monograms from Chuck’s Syren company arrived – I think mine may have been the very first order placed, or if not, it was very close. I have to say that I am delighted with the product. The larger size is just right for this scale – a side-by-side comparison with the Russian-made (? or perhaps Ukrainian?) guns that Danny had given me previously showed that Chuck’s monograms were pretty much identical in size, and they also match really well against Jeff’s drawings.  Well done Chuck!  I gave them a coat of Floquil Engine Black prior to cutting from the sprue, and then put a tiny dab of CA glue on the barrels before placing the monograms ever so carefully with a pair of very fine pointed tweezers. This job would of course have been much easier to do prior to mounting the guns.  Anyway, here’s a couple of shots showing the monograms in place on both the Mortar and Gun barrels. Unfortunately, the photos also show just how badly the model needs cleaning up prior to completion.

 

 

 

I have been working on the "optional" Mortar Pit Housing over the last couple of days. Not sure if I will complete this yet or not for two reasons.  Firstly, as I have been doing this, I have discovered that the recesses I cut into the top of the Mortar Pit are not actually the right size - I didn't appreciate at the time how everything worked together, so I went with something that looked "about right" at the time.  If I had studied the plans more thoroughly, I might have realised this and been in good shape at this point.  The other reason is that as far as display goes, it really needs for the Housing to be completely on or completely off - there doesn't seem to be a 50/50 option.  So, I may just continue to make the parts for the heck of it, or I may get to the point where I simply call "done".  I ordered the display case this week, so I've got until that arrives to finish this task, make the final display cradle/stand, and apply some Wipe-on Poly finish to the external lower hull.  Oh yes, and clean the pesky dust off !!!!!

 

 

[mobbsie]

Hi Grant,

 

Nicely done mate, the ladders have come out well and look great.

 

If you continued to make the Mortar Pit Covers you could add them to the base of the display case as an extra item, sometimes the display base needs that little extra to fill a void, just a suggestion mate.

 

Monograms really do add that finishing touch to the Mortar and Guns, pity their not straight, but you most likely have seen that already.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

 

Can't help the dust mate, good thing is it doesn't take much to remove.

 

Be proud of her, she's lovely.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[GLakie]

Mobbsie is right Grant!  Be proud! She turned out beautiful. 

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Grant,

 

Nice trick on gluing up the steps .

 

Chuck's Monograms look the duck's guts - wish he'd have brought them out a couple of years ago .

 

  Danny

[mtaylor]

Sweet, Grant.  Steps look great and the cannon have moved beyond the "oh wow!" zone.

[Chuck]

I am so glad the monograms worked out for you Grant...They look really good.  You have a great looking model.  

[rafine]

That is one beautiful model Grant.

 

Bob

[cog]

Perfect job Grant. I've enjoyed yours and Mobbsie's build tremendously ... lots of tips and tricks to remember too ...

[John Allen]

it gets better

[gjdale]

Once again, thank you all for all the kind comments and the "likes".

 

Finishing Up

 

Well, I decided not to go ahead with the Mortar Pit Housing, for the reasons previously described. In the meantime, my display case has been finished and I picked that up this week. As usual, he has done an excellent job with this. The case is 3mm Perspex, with the front/top/back being all one piece bent to shape. This gives a nice clean look.  The base is gloss black Perspex, which he has routed to provide a nice rebate for the cover to sit on. I think it looks great!

 

Yesterday I made the final version of the display cradle, using Pear stock. Just as Mobbsie found, our timber supplies couldn't quite cater for the size as drawn by Jeff Staudt in his excellent set of drawings. My recollection of my discussion with Jeff Hayes (HobbyMill) when I was ordering the timber, was that he couldn't quite get the width required, although he did manage to get close.  Instead, following Mobbsie's lead, I trimmed down the drawing to fit within the timber that I had available. The effect of this is to make the stand a little less chunky, which makes it blend into the frames a little more - so it's probably a good thing.

 

With that, I’m calling “done” on this project.  It has taken just over 15 months to complete and it has been a lot of fun.  It has provided some great learning opportunities, and while it has provided its fair share of frustrations, the opportunity to work from such great drawings/plans and with such wonderful timber, have far over-shadowed any set-backs. It has also been fun building this in tandem with my mate Mobbsie in the UK. We have often discussed challenges over Skype or email before one or other of us was the guniea pig for the next step – usually Mobbsie, as he’s so much faster than I am!

 

To celebrate completion, I broke out the serious photo-tent and lighting to try and do her justice.  Even though I spent some time cleaning her up for the photo shoot, the close-ups show that there is still a bit of dust here and there.  Anyway, here she is in all her glory.  The last photo shows her in her case at last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I close off this log, a few thank you's are in order.  Firstly to Jeff Staudt for producing such an excellent set of drawings that even a first-time scratch builder can make a decent job of it!  Secondly to Jeff Hayes of HobbyMill for his patience and advice when working through the timbering needed for this project, and also for producing such wonderful quality timber to work with - and for being so generous in his allowances! I swear I have enough timber left over to make another whole model!!!

 

I'd also like to thank my build-buddy, Mobbsie for agreeing to take on this project with me. It has been a lot more fun being able to toss ideas around together when facing a particularly challenging part. On that note, I'd also like to particularly mention the assistance provided by Rusty. I have a very lengthy set of PMs exchanged with Rusty, as whenever I got really stuck I would refer to Rusty's log and if the answer wasn't there, I'd PM Rusty with a question or follow-up and he never let me down with his replies - thanks Rusty.

 

And of course, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed along with this journey.  Your support and encouragement means more than I can say.  Thank you one and all.

 

Now, it's time to dig out that other "concurrent" project - the Dumas Chris Craft RC build. It was supposed to be built in tandem with this cross-section, but in reality hasn't been touched since about March last year.  There is a link in my signature block if anyone is interested in having a peek at that one.

 

[mtaylor]

Congratulations, Grant, on a wonderful voyage and a great build.  She looks super nice in her new home.

[mobbsie]

And another superb build comes out of the Dale shipyard.

 

Doesn't seem like 15 months since we started this venture and the results are well worth it mate.

 

You have a lovely model there so you have every right to be very proud indeed.

 

Thanks for dragging me along mate, I think we've both learned a lot.

 

Good luck with the Launch and I most definitely will be following along.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[Sjors]

Congrats Grant !

 

it's a beauty and be proud of what you have done.

Thanks for the journey .

I think that whenever I do a scratch, I'll be taken this one to start with.

But the level that you are showing us should be difficult to reach.

 

Sjors

[Mirabell61]

congrats, very nice work Grant,

 

also the racks in the bomb-magazine look great......

 

Nils

[ianmajor]

Well done Grant. That looks absolutely wonderful.

[GLakie]

Congratulations Grant. You've done a beautiful job on her and you should be proud. 

[shipmodel]

Congratulations, Grant.  She is a beautiful build.  The photos of the ends really demonstrate your fidelity to engineering and construction methods.  The deck shots show your fine artistic use of wood colors and contrasts.

 

Bravo.

 

Dan

[Canute]

Congratulations, Grant! She's a beauty. And your display case looks excellent, too. Outstanding work.

[usedtosail]

Congrats for a job well done. She looks great in the case.

[Rustyj]

Well done mate! She looks as good as I thought she would when you started this build and thanks

for the kind words. It was my pleasure. The only thing I wish is that I could have built mine alone with

you and Mobbsie. It would have improved mine considerably and been a lot of fun.

 

Enjoy that Chris-Craft and I look forward to seeing some more of that great work you do.  

[cog]

Marvelous build, Grant, wouldn't have missed it for the world, especially with your co-builder so we could see the different approaches/solutions you both displayed

 

Cheers

Edited February 7, 2016 by cog

[Beef Wellington]

Congrats Grant, beautiful result, and such a great build log to learn from.  Thanks!

[rafine]

I love it Grant. A beautiful piece of work.

 

Bob

[Dan Vadas]

Very well done indeed Grant, and also well done on some of the solutions you came up with in constructing various pieces .

 

Welcome to the Scratch Building Club - I'd reckon you won't be doing too many Kits from now on .

 

  Danny

[Remcohe]

Congratulations Grant on completing such a fine model. I really enjoyed following your build. 

 

Remco