STS Leeuwin II by tallshiptragic - 1/56 as she is today 2015

[IgorSky]

WOW! You are the true artist! For me always is very big problem to draw with the brush the scroll work and to repeat it on the other hand of the hull.

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

[Tallshiptragic]

Haha thanks igor. I've always enjoyed art and drawing/painting when in school. So that does help. I just take my time with each part and it comes together in the end. I had originally thought of making decals for these but then the color would be similar but different to the rest of the yellow and also a yellow decal on a blue hull wouldn't really work so well.

[Omega1234]

Hi Anton

 

You're not only a talented painter, but also a very fast builder!  At this rate, you'll be finished in no time.

 

Will this ship take pride of place on display in your home, or is it destined to be gifted to the Leeuwin's owners?

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[Tallshiptragic]

Hi Patrick, I'be been on leave for the past few weeks so been keeping myself busy. Once I'm back at sea things will slow down but am hoping to have the hull complete before I leave.

 

This will stay at home. There are a few models at the ships office, two of Leeuwin. One is quite an impressive model built out of brass. Not entirely accurate but cool nonetheless. The other in the board room was built during the original design stages so is a little different to how she looks now and some short-cuts were taken. I may donate the model but really haven't decided as yet.

 

I'd like to build one of all the ships I've served on so we'll see. I already have the Endeavour which my father built while working for the building of the replica so that model is a model of the actual endeavour from the NMM plans rather than the replica with the enlarged transom and so forth, so I'll probably make a model of the replica one day rather than the actual endeavour if that makes sense. Haha

[Omega1234]

Hi Anton

 

Thanks for that.  I can't think of a better way to spend your time on leave doing something that you love.  Way to go!

 

Look forward to following along, so hopefully there'll be a few more at least until you get back to sea.

 

All the best

 

Patrick

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Patrick. Yeah I should have a few more posts left in me

 

Made a mock up of the bowsprit and jib-boom. The bowsprit is steel as is the lower part of the jib-boom. The rest of the jib-boom is wood. The masts are built in a similar way. The lower masts fore,main and midden are steel with the upper masts in wood.

 

I've used plastic tube for the steel parts and wood for the wood. Not that it'll really matter what material as everything is painted on the real ship. Anyway just wanted to see how it will look.

[Keith_W]

Geez you are quick. I've been working on my ship for three quarters of a year and i'm nowhere close. 

[Tallshiptragic]

G'day Keith, luckily modern ships don't have all that hull planking and tree nails to worry about plus with my wife working and my son at school, my days are free. I rarely watch the idiot box at home so building keeps me busy

[Tallshiptragic]

As usual, I couldn't resist so ended up making the brackets for the stays etc to attach and the basic bowsprit and jibboom is constructed.

[Tallshiptragic]

Chain stays attached to bowsprit and jibboom.

[Tallshiptragic]

Just another view.

[Tallshiptragic]

Started work on the dog houses today. The foreword doghouse which leads to the foreword accommodation and the middle doghouse which is the main companion way onboard and leads to the main salon. The aft doghouse which I've yet to start is our chart house.

 

I've made them using .5mm styrene sheet and strips. They're still just the raw boxes and will be cleaned up and edges sanded smooth.

[Tallshiptragic]

Aft doghouse (chart house) basic structure built up.

[Omega1234]

Hi Anton

 

She's coming together really nicely and quickly.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Patrick.

 

All three dog houses built and primed. Next will be the aft hatch way in the poop deck which goes down the the lazzerette - this is our paint/hardware stores etc. You can also access the rudder shaft and steering mechanism from here. Two hatches midships forward and either side of the main dog house - these act as skylights and vents when open to the main saloon. Two emergency hatches forward just before the foredeck which allow access to the two most foreword accommodation and also for fresh air and the last hatch, on the foredeck next to the anchor windlass which gives access to the chain locker directly below.

 

Around the aft dog house will also be deck boxes and a large fan above the galley between the aft and middle dog house and bin lockers immediately in front of the middle dog house. Then a multitude of vents, helm station bosun boxes and windlass etc.

[Dimitris71]

Hello Anton, your workmanship is fantastic. She is really great. Keep up the good work. :) I will follow with interest.

 

Best Regards

Dimitris

Edited March 19, 2015 by Dimitris71

[Tallshiptragic]

All three dog houses painted in their cream colour. The gunwales will also be in this cream as well as all deck furniture that isn't wood.

 

When originally built in 1986 all deck furniture was painted white, though with the quick weathering affects of the ship at sea and being a training ship - teenagers feet scrambling everywhere... The white colour scheme was changed to cream. It works well and no surprise does look white from a distance.

[Tallshiptragic]

Another small update. Brass dead lights added to the dog houses. These were a little harder to pull off as they are flush mounted ports. On the inside is an opening glass frame and a brass dead light covering which are both closed in heavy weather. To pull this off on the model at the small 4.5 mm diameter was easy enough. Some might use brass tube cut to size and placed in a hole cut into the structure, I do them a little differently with I believe just as good results.

 

If you've ever super detailed a plastic model car or airplane, you might have heard of Bare metal foils coloured foils and make your own decal kits. I use the decal kits constantly on my modern ships as either the size or specific Aussie labels aren't available. Anyway for the dead lights I use the gold foil. Using a leather punch, I punch out the outer diameter and attach the roundel to the structure - this stuff is self adhesive and about .25mm thick (as a side note with care you can manipulate this stuff around complicated curves like a planes wing or cars fender). Once it's firmly pressed into the structure I again use a leather punch to punch out the inner roundel (on Leeuwin the dog houses are .5mm thick though I've used the leather punch on styrene up to 3mm thick with clean easy results - leaving me with a perfectly looking flush brass port. It does require care as it is tin foil and super thin, though the effort is easy and works great I think.

Edited March 19, 2015 by Tallshiptragic

[Jim Lad]

Must be pretty good adhesive on that foil if it doesn't deform as you punch the hole in the styrene, Anton.

 

John

[Tallshiptragic]

Hi john, with the .5mm stuff it cuts like paper but I always make sure the punch is clean and just give it a quick file to sharpen the edge. Doing it slowly with little pressure it cuts through quite easy and the foil stays nicely in shape. Also with the foil you have to rub it down with firm pressure. It's designed so it will take the shape of very fine detail on plastic car models so if you do do things too quickly it may come off at the edges. So far I've been lucky

[kees de mol]

Nice build! I also like to use the leather punch for a lot of things. A very handy tool!

[Omega1234]

Hi Anton

 

Those brass dead lights for the cabins really look darn good! Sometimes the easiest solution is often the best and this is surely one lesson I'll lock away for the future!

 

Thanks

 

Patrick

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Kees and Patrick. Yeah I've always enjoyed finding simple though inexpensive solutions. I don't have a large budget for my modeling, so even when I know things are available to buy or even stock items like brass rod, these all add up vey quickly so I've tried to find manageable solutions that fit in my budget. Like my carving of the figure head and carvings I remade on my Diana (hated the PE stuff - great detail but flat unlike a real carving) as much as I would love to use fruit woods over here it's cheaper for a stick of miliput clay. Card and paper play a large role for certain details also in my builds. While I would love to make a working brass or Ali for hinge for example, if i can make one that's look right out of card I'm happy even though it won't open.

[Tallshiptragic]

Added a few more items to the dog houses. The first is an 'a' frame attached to the foreword dog house. We have two large dory's which we use as tenders. These are placed on their side up against this frame. There is a wooden slot on the deck - haven't added this yet - where the coaming of the dorys sit in. Just forward of the middle dog house are the bin lockers. All garbage is kept onboard and stored in these lockers at sea. They two smaller long lockers either side of the doghouse, house life jackets. Directly in front of the aft dog house - chart house - Is the battery box. Our batteries which are set up as a series are stored in here - can't remember how many of the top of my head. Lastly two long lockers either side of the chart house. Port lockers are also for lifejackets and starboard houses fresh water hose and tap - we only ever use this to wash down our rescue boat and motor- and climbing harnesses.

[Tallshiptragic]

Small updates on the dog houses. Decided to rework the hatch doors, as you can see quite a bit of detail with the lower portion as they're open. Hinges added to hatches and vents for the bin lockers. I think I'm happy with this now, so just need to add the brass ports back on- took them off due to sanding and repainting.

[Tallshiptragic]

Also finished the main detail on the aft dog house which surrounds the chart house. Directly below the chart house is the engine room and as such there are three vents which extract the hot air on this dog house. These are permanently open unless the engine room is completely shutdown, so I decided to show them open. The small square hatch in top of the chart house is for a small fan which can circulate air inside the chart house itself though we rarely have this on so the hatch is remained closed. Extra detail added to the open door, cradle for the main boom added with the steel cleats for the main sheet port and starboard. Eyelets also added to the bracket which the blocks for the sheet are attached. The white tear shaped 'blob' is a plastic housing for where the ships epirb (electronic positioning radio beacon) this is here for easy access if ever the unfortunate event happens.

[Tallshiptragic]

All that is remaining is the wooden covers for the deck boxes. At present only the battery box in front of the chart house still has one. The boxes either side of the chart house and main companion way currently have them removed but are scheduled to have them replaced. I'll add the battery box cover, and may add them to the other boxes as it does look better with them on. Hopefully they'll be back on soon on the real ship as sitting on the steel hatches aren't as comfy as the wooden covers.

[Omega1234]

Hi Anton

 

The details on your cabins, especially the doors are masterful!

 

Nice stuff.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[Tallshiptragic]

Have made up the wooden battery box cover - yet to be painted a dark wood colour- on the real ship these are made up of Oregon planks. Have also made up the galley vent hatch. This is a relatively large opening which houses a large fan. This acts as an exhaust for the galley and also as a skylight as the surrounds of the fan are thick Perspex. You'll notice I've used graphic paper for the cover which is a canvas dodger to keep the seas out. This will later be painted a dirty grey colour. I thought about making up a fan etc though you can't see any of it so I left it out.

[Tallshiptragic]

Hi Anton

The details on your cabins, especially the doors are masterful!

Nice stuff.

Cheers

Patrick

G'day Patrick, thanks very much this is actually quite a large scale for me so it's nice to be able to include a bit more detail for a change. I stop at adding weld lines though