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Interesting show on the Discovery Channel

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  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Interesting show on the Discovery Channel
Posted by jtilley on Saturday, October 18, 2008 11:53 PM

I happened to catch part of an interesting episode of the series "How It's Made" on the Discovery Channel this evening.  The subject was ship models, and the segment consisted of a behind-the-scenes visit to one of my favorite manufacturers, Bluejacket.  (I think I caught a glimpse of one of our Forum contributors, Al Ross; he was identified as "another worker.")

I didn't see the whole segment, but it looked reasonably well done.  Though the voice-over narrative was kind of simplistic (probably unavoidably), the photography was excellent and so were the models being examined. 

But what foul timing - especially for the population of New England (where Bluejacket is located)!  Smack in the middle of Game 6 of the playoffs between the Red Sox and the Devil Rays.  The people in charge of the Discovery Channel must be a gang of barbaric heathens.  I confess I caught the Bluejacket show while surfing between innings.

Oh, well...Discovery Channel shows get repeated frequently.  I'll watch for that one.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Sunday, October 19, 2008 6:16 AM
I missed that one, Prof, thanks for the 'heads up", I'll be looking for it in the reruns.

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    September 2008
  • From: Minneapolis MN
Posted by BigSmitty on Sunday, October 19, 2008 11:32 AM
 jtilley wrote:
  

But what foul timing - especially for the population of New England (where Bluejacket is located)!  Smack in the middle of Game 6 of the playoffs between the Red Sox and the Devil Rays.  The people in charge of the Discovery Channel must be a gang of barbaric heathens.

Probably disgruntled Yankees fans.  Wish I would have caught that as well.

 

Matt - IPMS #46275

"Build what ya love and love what ya build..."

Build Logs, Rants and Humor

 

 

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: NJ
Posted by JMart on Sunday, October 19, 2008 8:10 PM

Thanks for the heads up Prof.... 

And I LOVE my new U-verse (like TiVo)... I can record all the good stuff and watch and my own leasure :)

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • From: Lewiston ID
Posted by reklein on Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:26 PM
I saw that segment a couple months back. Nicely done,far too brief. Maybe it'll come around again.
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: San Bernardino, CA
Posted by enemeink on Monday, October 20, 2008 2:48 PM

i found the clip on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ0At_Xskk8

 

"The race for quality has no finish line, so technically it's more like a death march."
  • Member since
    February 2016
Posted by alumni72 on Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:18 AM
That Youtube clip was annoying - if I had no idea how a model was built, i would be completely lost within seconds.  Even so, it seemed to wander quite a bit.  I would hope that it's just a condensation of the complete program - if the whole show was like that .....
  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Tulsa, OK
Posted by acmodeler01 on Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:47 AM

It's a cool show. Each one is divided into 3 segments about as long as the youtube clip.

I had not seen that one, it's pretty cool but as mentioned, far too brief. If building a wood ship kit was as easy as they make it seem, I'd be posting in here a lot more frequently.

  • Member since
    February 2016
Posted by alumni72 on Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:59 AM

That's it, though - I couldn't verbalize my thoughts until what you just said, ac.

Were those guys designing a model for production, or were they building a model?  It looked like they were doing both of those things - that's what was so confusing to me, why it was so hard to follow.  Half the time they were making the parts, and the other half they were putting them together.  When the guy was building the Portland, I expected them to continue and show how it became a kit for the public to purchase and build themselves. But no - the guy just built it from the parts he made in his professional shop.

  • Member since
    March 2006
  • From: Bangor, Maine
Posted by alross2 on Thursday, October 23, 2008 1:01 PM
The production company actually spent an entire day at BJ shooting hours of film. The segment on Portland was Charlie Cook quickly assembling a bunch of laser-cut parts. Believe me, it's far more extensive than that! The "four-masted schooner" on which I was supposed be working was actually a five-master (CORA F. CRESSY) I was in the process of scratch-building. We just put four sticks in it for shooting purposes.

One of these days, I'm going to write an article on how a traditional wooden kit is developed and produced. One of these days....

Al Ross
  • Member since
    February 2016
Posted by alumni72 on Thursday, October 23, 2008 1:13 PM

Thanks, Al - that's what I hoped it was!  But someone viewing that Youtube clip may be as confused as I was.  Not that it's any too hard to confuse me.  Even so, that would be a pretty neat workshop to have in the basement... Big Smile [:D]

I just read a piece on the Portland within the past week - although I can't remember where I read it at the moment. But someone's discovered the wreckage at the bottom of the ocean, off the coast of new England.  A very sad story - frightening, actually - to think they were trying as hard as they could to reach land, but the storm just kept pushing them further and further out to sea.  I can't begin to imagine what that must have been like - the sheer terror of it.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: San Bernardino, CA
Posted by enemeink on Thursday, October 23, 2008 4:12 PM
Did anybody catch dirty jobs with mike tarring the the Star of India?
"The race for quality has no finish line, so technically it's more like a death march."
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Thursday, October 23, 2008 9:33 PM
I saw a good part of it - and liked it.  In addition to covering some decidedly unromantic aspects of the sailing ship world, the cameras got into some parts of the ship that, I suspect, visitors normally don't see - and probably wouldn't want to.  Looked like a good show.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W
Posted by scottrc on Friday, October 24, 2008 1:25 PM
Wish I got to see it.  The only episode I was able to watch was "The Aluminum Ladder".  Now THAT was an exciting topic.

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