"Flying Dutchman" - Ghost Ship - OREL Russian Paper Model Build

[zathros]

Man, this ship is so awesome!! The amount of work conveyed in those pictures and effort has boggled my mind!! I probably would have grabbed Brass or Copper stock and made a form tool to bang out those cannons, but no, you did it, with paper, and they look fantastic. Water forming paper is something that can yield exemplary results, and is something I have urged members to do to get compound curves out of paper. Fantastic craftsmanship. When I see works like this, I think, there has to be another word, "model" doesn't cover it. It is more of a miniature realization of the real subject. You're at the limit of words.

 

[mtrappett]

As I have said numerous times, everything is clean, clear and crisp!

Thank you for the very nice comments

 

[mtrappett]

You are one of those auspicious builders that make me stay up at night thinking about all that micro-detailing you do. Incredible work! Thank you for showing us the Tools and techniques you use to create these masterpieces!

You are very kind, and thank you for taking the time to comment I really love building this model.

 

[mtrappett]

Man, this ship is so awesome!! The amount of work conveyed in those pictures and effort has boggled my mind!! I probably would have grabbed Brass or Copper stock and made a form tool to bang out those cannons, but no, you did it, with paper, and they look fantastic. Water forming paper is something that can yield exemplary results, and is something I have urged members to do to get compound curves out of paper. Fantastic craftsmanship. When I see works like this, I think, there has to be another word, "model" doesn't cover it. It is more of a miniature realization of the real subject. You're at the limit of words.

Thank you Zathros I just got the Internet back after we had to move to another place. We have a bit more room now, thankfully. This has definitely been a challenging model, which I am grateful for in many ways. I go to sleep and wake up with the ship next to me. The temperature here in California is crazy right now, together with the humidity. You have to be so careful with the glue as it wants to dry so quickly. I cut it with water until it is thin enough to go on nicely and break up attaching large pieces into small sections to avoid the glue just drying out too fast. So far so good though.

The paper is lots of different thicknesses and is very nice quality with a very tight weave which allows for wetting the paper if needed without it falling apart. Its also laser printed so the colors stay locked in nicely.

Thanks again

 

[Revell-Fan]

There sure are a lot of cannons on this ship! These are all the lower deck cannon carriages completed. I guess this is a mini-milestone.

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This is the front upper deck under construction. I scored the deck planks to give a better 3D effect. Roman numeral part 26.

By the way... "W" printed on the color parts means cut this area out.

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Spray glue seems o work great for the large open areas such as the deck pieces.

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An overview of the pieces for the first wave of deck 26 construction. This part is basically similar to the previous deck covered earlier. Just lots of fine cutting of the grating squares with the scalpel.

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Such beautiful laser cut grating parts! Do yourself a huge favor, and get the laser cut add on kit! There's still a gazillion parts to cut out

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Color the middle with a black felt pen for a feeling of depth below the grating probably where the prisoners are kept

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Score the details on the gratings for additional feedback effects.

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"There she blows", capn'

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There are more details to be added underneath the deck 26. You really have to search hard for some of these parts. The instructions and diagram don't show this hardly at all, so this should help you guys.

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This adds thickness to the deck just at the front edge by the deck supports.

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This is the color veneer part that goes over the top of the edging.

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There is a very slight bow to the deck which is intended, as can be seen here.

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p.n.c. 26 - Upper Deck Cannon Barrel Assemblies Build

- Gently dampen the rolled surfaces using a cotton swab dipped in water.
- keep all seams facing downwards so they are less conspicuous.
- Cut card pieces from below to get a cleaner cut and avoid creating protrusions.
- Keep all parts for the assembly together in a container such as a Ziploc bag.
- Paint edges with like colored watercolor paints.

Card:

1) 61 - Barrel - color
2) 61.1 - 1/2 circle - color
3) 61.2 - Muzzle 1 - color
4) 61.2 - Muzzle 1 - card
5) 61.3 - Muzzle 2 - color
6) 61.3 - Muzzle 2 - card
7) 61.4 - Ring 1 - color
8) 61.4 - Ring 1 - card
9) 61.5 - Ring 2 - color
10) 61.5 - Ring 2 - card
11) 61.6 - Plate 1 - color
12) 61.6 - Plate 1 - card
13) 61.7 - Plate 2 - color
14) 61.7 - Plate 2 - card
15) 61.8 - Plate 3 - color
16) 61.8 - Plate 3 - card
13) 61.9 - Plate 4 - color
14) 61.9 - Plate 4 - card
13) 61.10 - Plate 5 - color
14) 61.10 - Plate 5 - card
15) 61.11 - Pivot axle - color

15 Parts per barrel total
14 Barrels Needed - 7 on right, 7 on left

14 x 15 = 210 parts

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Hi, I'm back gain after working on my ship

Those cannons are quite a challenge for sure! Here's the muzzle part at the front. I used a pencil tip to roll it around.

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A darning needle is perfect to roll the barrel around after the paper has been wetted a bit. I cut off the tabs for the barrels as it made it much easier to join them and they look much better.

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A lot of time invested in these cannons. We are talking weeks of work for these little guys built exactly to the plan. There were no simplifications or substitutions to make it any easier... all paper!

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These are the front cannons, the triple barrel deals! Just two of these are needed.

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A picture of the actual cannons at the front of the ship. I think they call them "chasers".

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Basically, the same construction techniques as the other cannons with some differences.

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Super-tiny parts to join the three cannon barrels together into a cluster.

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The axle/pivot for the cannon barrel through the middle again, out of paper rolled around a straight pin.

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Aahhhh.... matey! A finished barrel setup!

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So, here we go! This is a picture of all the completed cannons, carriages and barrels for the ship! These were a LOT of work!

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Okay, back to semi-sanity. This is the Waterway, and the Gunwale installation for the front deck.

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Wrapping the Gunwale around nicely. Just glue it a bit at a time, and take your time with it.

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I found that I had to shave off some of the carriage material to allow the barrel to sit properly. Otherwise, it was sitting way to high up! I just used a new blade and bit of sandpaper wrapped around a small piece of dowel to shape it correctly for all the carriages... yes, all of them! LOL. In the photo below, I am pointing to the 2 areas that need reducing.

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Nowhere in the instructions do they mention about gluing the cannons in place! I decided to glue the carriages on the deck as there is another deck platform that goes over the top and makes it impossible to install the carriages. Be very careful with this! There are a bunch of omissions with the instructions this being one of them... a big one.

I also had to shave a bit of the wheels off that re adjacent to the inside bulkhead to allow for the correct angle for the barrels (both sides of the ship).

Remember, a "tiny" amount of glue where its "absolutely" needed is the best approach.

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OK, here we have the 18th Century Battlestar Galactica.

 

[micahrogers]

Amazing build, great detail. Keep up the lovely work.

 

[zathros]

Laser printing can sometimes delaminate. I've seen beautiful models flake into oblivion. Maybe a clear, or satin coat can prevent this. I don't really know of any solution though, it could be because of the way the laser printing bonds with the paper. I stick with Pigment Ink as the matrix of the ink falls invetween the paper molecules, and this electron exchange ensures a archival quality, and water resistant finish. It also makes for great water forming, as Pigment ink does not run, unless you wet the paper so much it starts to come apart.

 

[mtrappett]

Laser printing can sometimes delaminate. I've seen beautiful models flake into oblivion. Maybe a clear, or satin coat can prevent this. I don't really know of any solution though, it could be because of the way the laser printing bonds with the paper. I stick with Pigment Ink as the matrix of the ink falls invetween the paper molecules, and this electron exchange ensures a archival quality, and water resistant finish. It also makes for great water forming, as Pigment ink does not run, unless you wet the paper so much it starts to come apart.

That would certainly spoil my day if I get a delamination situation that's for sure! I like the idea of a satin coat to seal it though. Thank you for your insight, I appreciate any ideas to improve the final product.

 

[mtrappett]

Amazing build, great detail. Keep up the lovely work.

Thank you Micah!

 

[mtrappett]

Had some issues with the Internet where we are staying, but back to normal again thankfully.

Part #25.1 below is a bit confusing where it should be placed according to the diagram. It would be easy to mistakenly glue it to the bulkhead by mistake. It actually stands at the front of the bulkhead and is folded at the edges. Usually, I found that if a part doesn't seem to fit right, its because you aren't looking at it the way it needs to fit. This is most of the time, so don't be too quick cutting a part if it doesn't fit right. A problem is that if you mess up a piece of the model, unless you scanned it in to your computer, you will be missing that part! Not good!



Same goes for the part above and behind part #25.3



This is part#25.3 fitted properly in the middle of the picture.



Another view so you can see what I mean.



I glued the waterways in place before attaching the bulwarks to the ship.



Make sure to paint the edges of the pieces accordingly.



Just double-checking to ensure the edges are the same height off the deck. You may have to brace while the glue dries to be sure.



Bulwarks being fitted.



Left hand bulwark and waterway installed successfully.



Now, the right side fitted too. A bit of a delicate operation, but they are in place. Test-fit until you are sure they are fitting exactly right!



Here are the next parts to fit for the upper d3eck sides.



Oh, and the very back part #25.9. This has to be pre-built to fit. Make sure to score the deck planks.



Back to the upper gunwale's and waterways. I found it better to install the waterways to the bulwarks prior, but you can chose your own way if you like.



Sanding and gently modifying the support protrusions to assist the correct fit of the bulwarks.



Take your time gently testing and correcting until all looks good.



This is a challenging part... the fitting of the draft-top-rails to the bulwarks. parts 24.8P and 24.8L right and left sides. Water is needed to get the nice bends to the rails. I used a cotton ear bud to apply the water to the parts. A sharp pair if tweezers to get the 90 degree angles too.



Just take some time to think about how your going to tackle it to start with... just-a-bit-at-a-time!



Yep, there is where it needs to go!



A word of warning... don't use too much glue in the corner of the join as when the glue dries, it will cause the rail to be pulled down at an angle! It's a real pain in the butt!



Ah, finally, there we go! just like a little waterfall stepping down at the end.

 

[mtrappett]

Moving over to the other side. It seems easier once you have completed one side Eventually, there will be a final rail that goes over the top of this.



Ah, yes, railings parts #27. Beware that they are a bit too wide, and may need to be reduced a little in width. There are also a LOT of parts for these little guys! I built everything according to the plans, and substituted nothing to make it easier. Its all paper.



The completed waterways, and bulwarks.



Oh, yes, the width of the part #27 ladders.



They look nice when they are done. Worth the extra effort I'd say?



The Pewter Gray Ceramcoat Acrylic is a close match for painting areas that need a little extra.



This is the plan of the gangways. Still more to make later on down the line.



Here are the part #27 ladders in place. I kind of like them! Imagine clambering up them in a hurry!



Now to add the rest of the draft panels parts #29 through part #35 left and right sides.



Here's all the remaining draft panels.



The first piece.



The parts fit pretty nice. You may need to add a little support using some scraps of paper/card to provide a shelf if there isn't one available.... no biggie!



For the most part, all the pieces fit extremely well! This is a very well engineered paper model in my opinion.



Moving along to the next piece part #30L and #30P



Make sure to cut out the window ports.



I paint along all the exposed edges of the paper just to make sure there are little or no tell tale edges showing. I leave out gluing the very top edge of the panels to provide some flexibility later when fitting other parts.



Cut to the lines, as that seems to work best rather than cutting to the edge and leaving the black cut lines.



Oh yes, and you may need to sand and carve the hull parts to provide a smooth transition for the panels. I took a lot of time with this as it seems to be key to preventing bumps and dents in the panels. I used sanding files, needle files, brand new scalpel blades and so on to really make sure I got rid of the high points that were sticking up proud. This was difficult to understand what was needed when first building the hull, as it seemed like I had done a decent job of the smoothing, that was until I held the panels in place over the structure, and you can see exactly the problem areas.

 

[mtrappett]

This shows some additional shelving for supporting the panel. Without this, the panel would be weak and likely depress into the hull.



Post its make great temporary supports while the glue dries.







The last panel for the left side about ready to be installed.



All the edges nice and flat.



And there it is! The draft paneling completed for the left side of the ship. The special stand I ought is super-useful. It should come with the model. I don't know how you would build this model without one or something similar.



Time to move onto the ight side of the ship.











A view from the bow.















Don't squeeze the sides while you work on fitting the panels! This will distort the bulwarks.

 

[THE DC]

Watching this build thread is as humbling as it is inspiring!

Your thread, and the pics, detail, and description are all valuable and educational too.

I love this thread!

I am going to have to hunt this kit down!

The best advertising they could have asked for...

 

[micahrogers]

I have officially been GOBSMACKED by this build, and the talent necessary to do it.

 

[Revell-Fan]

Absolutely fantastic!

 

[mijob]

There is a lot of craftmanship put in this model. I absolutly love it.

 

[mtrappett]

Watching this build thread is as humbling as it is inspiring!

Your thread, and the pics, detail, and description are all valuable and educational too.

I love this thread!

I am going to have to hunt this kit down!

The best advertising they could have asked for...

Well, thank you so much! I very much appreciate your kind words. I have to admit that this model has taken my interest by storm. I remember seeing pictures of the Flying Dutchman ship model on the Web, and when I found out it was made of paper, it inspired me to build it at any cost The detail is remarkable I feel.

 

[mtrappett]

I have officially been GOBSMACKED by this build, and the talent necessary to do it.

Thank you Micah. I really love working on this project.

 

[mtrappett]

Absolutely fantastic!

Glad you like the model Revell-Fan! It's keeping me busy for sure! It makes me think how much work it took to build some of those full-scale old ships back in the day. It must have been quite something to see.

 

[mtrappett]

There is a lot of craftmanship put in this model. I absolutly love it.

You are most kind Sir! I will have to break out a barrel of rum when Its finished for us all to have a celebratory drink together!