Wilhelmshaven 1:200 scale USS Constitution

[Jim Krauzlis]

Hi, Charlie:
I'm a bit surprised at the paper your kit is on...if I recall correctly, it's the normal paper WHV uses, which is about 67# or so, maybe a little less, but certainly thicker than 24#. Yikes! Anyway, having the ability to print more than one copy will probably come in handy anyway, if you're like me. :smile:

Thanks, Tirta!
Hopefully the rigging will begin shortly, but first I have just a few odds and ends to finish up on the hull (might be a good idea to make and lash down the ships' boats that go on the main hatch first before all the strings are put in place), and then I want to make all of the masts and yards, bowsprit, etc., and install the channels before starting the actual rigging. I see a lot of deadeye and block making in my future! ;-)

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Hello, my friends! :smile:
Well, I was able to get just a little bit done this week...actually building the fife rails was a bit involved and took a bit of time, so I was able to finish just the main fife rail so far.

I used parts from the kit, but I adjusted the spacing of the rails to fit the actual configuration used on the ship (the kit has them too close together, and too wide). They also have the incorrect spacing for the belaying pins, so I had to eye-ball them so they would not fall into the stanchions underneath.

This is a photo of the finished main mast fife rail. The belaying pins are cut from small wire and glued into the holes I made...yes, I know they are not all uniform sizes, but that's a result of my bad eyesight. I hope you don't mind their irregularity.

Next is an example of how the stanchions were built up. The kit calls for a tall box, which is not right, so I was forced to improvise a bit. There is a shorth length of wire for the core, with paper strips on the ends for the top and bottom parts, and glue was added to the middle to impart a bit of shaped to it. The original has a more elaborate shape than I was able to create, but it gives the impression I was trying for.

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

And here is the main mast fife rail installed:

Here's a few more views of the installed fife rail:

In this view you might be able to see the bulleyes I installed before putting in the fife rail, which will be used for some of the stay rigging, and some eyebolts for other rigging to be added later.

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

While working out the mizzen fiferail, I figured I would start with the forward hammock netting irons. These are not mentioned in the original kit at all, but they are another distinctive feature that just has to be added. I used small wires to form the irons, and they fit along the cap rail with the hammock boards on each end. I then glued a bit of paint stiffened silk across the top of the hammock irons, which will be the top of the hammock netting to be added later.

Here's a few more views of the hammock irons so far:

I'm trying to figure out the best material to use for the netting. I've toyed with dark panty hose nylons, which I stretched over a frame and sprayed with matte clear acrylic, but when I trimmed them up for the netting it just didn't look right because of the weave which, when you trim down the nylon, is much more pronounced than when looking at the fabric as a whole. I might have to settle on that even though the weave is not right, but I will continue to look for something else in the meantime, maybe a different type of stocking has a finer weave.

Meanwhile, here's a final view of the foredeck showing another perspective of the hammock irons:

I hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

Jim

 

[barry]

Hammock irons etc

Hi Jim

With no disrespect to Christoph you have nearly as much detail as his Victory just do not know how you do it mate.

Mind boggling


barry

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Wow, Barry, that's way too kind! :smile: I would never dare to compare what I make to Christoph or, for that matter, many other real masters such as yourself. But I do thank you so much!

No real secrets, mate, I seem to require a few trial and error runs on a few parts, like that skylight, which explains why this build has taken so long. Luckily I'm not in any hurry...and when I do, the part usually ends up in the circular file. ;-) That's a great thing about paper models, you can always start over...that has saved this build quite a few times, to be sure.

I know I've tried a few times to add details that are beyond my skill level, and I see some things I would do a bit differently now, but I'm glad you are enjoying the updates nonetheless. One satisfying thing is when I look at the Mexico Victory, then the Krakow, I can see where I've managed to learn some tricks along the way; this build is a learning experience in that respect as well.

Thanks again, mate!

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Tirta]

Hi Jim,

What an awesome ship this is !!
I am really amazed with your work.
She becomes more realistic, more beautiful and more complex than ever.

What is the diameter of wire you use for belaying pins?
And what paint do you use for painting wood color for fife rails?

Regards,

Tirta

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Greetings, my friends!
Well, I finally found what I think is the answer to my hammock netting source...and in the most unlikely place! Among the many small shops in downtown New York City are these small shops that sell all sorts of cheap wares. I happened to be walking by just one such shop and spotted a cheap sheer black scarf...truth be known, I had eyed a similar scarf one of the young ladies at work was wearing, although it was the wrong color and had a printed pattern on it...or else I might have borrowed that one! But, that gave me the idea.

Anyway, this is a photo of the scarf...the tattered edge is evidence of my having already started to cut it into strips.

Because of the weave pattern I needed, I had to trim it at a bias to create the criss-cross effect of the hammock netting.

I then cut it into thin strips to fit the hammock irons.

I'm pretty happy with the end result, which has just the right amount of weave, and small enough thread to match the scale.

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

And here are a few more shots to show how this worked.

Now I can work on the starboard side, and finally the two quarterdeck hammock nets.

Thank you for all the suggestions given on how to tackle this problem.
I hope you enjoy the end result.
Thanks for stopping by and having a look.

Cheers!

Jim

 

[silverw]

I'm still speachless, Jim.... but, as usual....GREAT stuff!!

 

[Gil]

Scene: Downtown NY, NY

Guy: "Hey Zvi, who's the weird guy picking through the ladies scarves?"
Zvi: "Just some crazy cardmodeler"...,

Nice work Jim! It's really amazing how particular we become and how peculiar the source of the right stuff can be. Such is the quest...,

-Gil

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

:grin:
Gil, you were peeking!

Actually, my Korean friend who operates this little kiosk on John Street did give me a somewhat puzzled look. :smile:

You're right, we seem to look at things a bit different than most folks, seeing other uses for things...I see it as just part of the fun!

Thanks, Bill! I'm pretty happy that I finally found something that seems to work for the netting too. The panty hose I tried first didn't pan out, but for those working on fishing boats, it can fit the bill for netting. What I did was to stretch it over a jig made from a box to open up the weave and sprayed it with matte acrylic spray. I becomes reasonably stiff but still somewhat pliable when dry, and it could be formed into a nice pile of netting on a fishing boat deck. I didn't do anything with the sheer scarf for the netting here, no spray, but I found it can't be prodded too much before it starts to come apart and tatter, so easy does it is the word. At a cost of $3.00, though, it's a fairly cheap solution! And my daughter enjoyed playing with the rest of the scarf while I worked with a portion for my netting. :smile:

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Tirta]

Jim,

I don't know what to say ...
you are truly a genius !!
nice choice with the scarf.
the hammock nets looks great.

Regards,

Tirta

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Hi, Tirta! :smile:

Thanks, but surely I am no genius, just a little driven like most of us working on scale models to try and find just the right thing for the build. I think it's a lot of fun to try and figure out possible solutions to acheive the results we are looking for, and this was a good example. And when the solution is so cheap, that's icing on the cake!

Glad you like the way they came out, now I have to install them on the rest of the ship, but first I am working on some of the other details that would be difficult to implement with the hammock nettings on the quarterdeck area and the fear of damaging them in the process.

Hope to have more updates soon.
Thanks for stopping by and having a look. :smile:

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

I was able to get a little bit more done this weekend, but instead of working on the starboard hammock nettings, I wanted to finish up one of the boats that I needed to install on the main deck hatch gratings. The 36 foot pinnace is the larger of the four boats carried by the ship today; actually, since 1996 she is not even found on the ship, but kept ashore. I thought having it lashed to the main hatch gratings always gave a bit more interest to that area of the ship, so I decided to install it on my model.

I used the kit's parts, to some extent, in building her, but I opted to add a bit of detail to what the kit provided. I ignored the one piece top that has printed benches, all of the wrong color (yellow?) and built up the flooring first, added the benches and made some oars to sit in the boat. I also made up the rudder, which is also stowed in the boat, in the stern area. I added a keel and stem and gunnuls with oar locks.

I then created the chocks and keel supports on the gratings, added the eyebolts used to lash the boat down and finally made up the strongbacks which are the wooden planks that lie across the top of the boat and used with the lashing to secure her in place. Here is the end result:

Here's another view which I hope shows the oars and rudder, as well as the lashing arrangement:

Perhaps this view shows the gear in the boat a bit better:

I could have done a better job on the hull of this little boat, and next time I wouldn't use the kit parts as they seem to distort the actual shape of the boat a bit.

Here's a final shot showing the overall state of the build so far:

Anyway, that's it for tonight.
Thanks for stopping by and having a look.

Cheers!

Jim

 

[CharlieB]

Hi Jim:

You do great work! I only hope that when I start my model of the Connie, I can do 1/3 as nice as a job as you have done.

The detail is amazing! I'll repeat it again - It's have to believe that it's a paper model.

I have the laminating done on the formers and center spine. I hope to get the base mounted on form core tonight and then start adding the formers. Did you use any other glue besides white glue when attaching the formers?

Charlie

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Thanks, Charlie...truth be known, as with the skylight, there have been a few false starts on this model, but it's a continuous learning process on what works and what doesnt' work, as I'm sure you'll find out shortly. :smile:

Except for stick glue for laminating, I used white glue (PVA) for most of the build. I only used CA here and there where I needed a quick bond, such as in some of the gangway cages; even there, I used PVA on the last few as I did not have high confidence in the application of CA in the small areas I was working in.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for stopping by and having a look! :smile:

Cheers!

Jim

 

[barry]

ships boats

Hi Jim

Must have been nice to do a big bit

Well done

regards

 

[Jim Krauzlis]

Hi, Bazzer! :smile:

It was indeed!
I probably won't work on the other three boats until after I finish up the little bits remaining on the hull as they would only get in the way with the rigging.
But it was fun!

Cheers!

Jim

 

[Kevin G]

Amazing build! All that detail that was not part of the kit and so much of it is SO small. Thank you for sharing this build with us and I am looking forward to more updates.