Old Ironsides - Revisiting the classic Revell 1/96 kit

Now I am a lackadaisical Irishman and the wifey is a little Italian (4'11") whose nick name (behind her back) is Mt Vesuvius.

I have started my Constitution and got off on the wrong foot by filling the kitchen sink with about three inches of water and mild dish detergence and letting the hull halves soak overnight, planning to get up in the morning first and removing the evidence from HER sink before she got up. Well the alarm didn't go off, and I woke to "What's THISSSSS doing in MY sink!?"

The gun stripes are done and the transom is painted (ever feel cross eyed?), and the two hull halves are glued together, held by those little plastic clips from Harbor Freight. 

(6 ea at 99 cents, got 12) Great for gun barrels and masts.

I seem to recall complaints about the spars breaking in here. I had that problem way back when I first built a Constitution, and solved it by purchasing round tooth picks and using those for spars...worked well with minimum sanding...don't use the flat toothpicks, they don't cut it...200 at Shaw"s for $1.00 Just got another two hundred and they also make great paint stirrers for those little Testors and Model Masters paint jars. By the way, if you occasionally spill a jar of paint, a good way to prevent that is a strip of hoops glued to the table and a piece glued to the bottom of the paint jars (velcro).

Waiting for my wood decks now.

Thanks Evan, if you can wearout a thread, I have tried with yours. I bought my second Connie six months ago because of this thread. The first one was when I was twelve and that was 45+ years ago. I hope to post my own build here on finescale someday, hoping to copy your build. I can't wait to see more of your USS Constitution.

Hello Ziggy - thanks for your continued interest in my build and I'm glad folks are still interested in the next phase.  I've gotten caught up in organizing and moving all of my digital photos (family, travels, projects, etc.) so that has derailed me for a bit.  Hopefully the holidays will free up some time away from work to document my progress here... I should probably post a "proof of life" picture to verify that the model didn't fall off a high shelf and disintegrate!

Rick - unlikely that the paintings are distorting colors because of age/fading.  The Peabody Essex museum has the set of four original paintings and they appear to be in pristine condition.  All four are showing the same quality.  Similarly the Naval Academy has an additional set of four that the artist made for himself and those look as vibrant as ever... All eight have the same color gun stripe, hull, sails, flags, etc.  (There are, however, differences in some of the details - different pennants and such.)

The loss of Prof. Tilley has been prominent in our forum.  He was always able to chime in across so many different topics.  I'm pretty much limited to my little corner.

Cheers,

Evan

Sigep Ziggy

Wow, Professor Tilly gone.What a lost to this forum, modeling and sharing knowlege. I really feel like a heel  asking for him for help only to find out he passed away two years ago.

What a shame, I feel for his friends and family.

Rest in Peace, Professor Tilly, you will be missed.

Your Shipmate, Shane

 

It's a good question about Hancock.

You do exceptional work.

I have a question for you...regard colors on the various paintings. I assume the medium is oil, would these colors have faded in the paintings? And would the colors back then have had the same intensity as pigments in use today?

I am starting my second Constitution and will be using your example, it's awesome! The first one was OOB and did come out quite well. That was well over 40 years ago and the old eyeballs ain't what they used to be. (That one took a year to finish.

Force9

Hello Bill -

I'm very glad that my log has helped inspire your efforts.  I appreciate the kind note.

I have made some progress on the guns and boats, but I have not had much time for my build.  The biggest culprit is my competition for workshop space - my son has displaced me with his projects!  I do think I will have something to show coming out of next month.  I am ordering some of the new 3D printed components that Steve Larsen has designed with Shapeways.  I'm particularly intrigued with his Carronades.

I'll try to organize my photos and get some updates going again

Stay tuned

Evan

 

Wow, Professor Tilly gone.What a lost to this forum, modeling and sharing knowlege. I really feel like a heel  asking him for help only to find out he passed away two years ago.

What a shame, I feel for his friends and family.

Rest in Peace, Professor Tilly, you will be missed.

Your Shipmate, Shane

Ziggy,

Thanks for bringing the thread back.

Regarding your previous post in July .... You should look at this:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/176016.aspx?sortorder=desc&page=1

I don't know why anyone wiuld be afraid to try this kit. It's not impossible, just takes time and patience. Go for it.

This is going to be my second try at the 1/96 Constitution. I finished the first one in the early 70's and it came out quite well but was OOB. (The plastic decks were at best ok) It was the first model ship I ever built.

I have two kits on hand now, a new one and one a friend started in the 80's...good for spares. He gave it to me when I got the new one.

On both of these kits flashing and warpage is not a is not a big problem, but keep it away from heat when in storage.

This one will see Scale Model's wooden deck.

I will use Model Master's clear glue and window maker to do the windows...a lot easier to use than that plastic sheet you get with the kit. Ant it works really well.

On the first, I laid a piece of sand paper flat and sanded the gun carriage wheels just a little to get a larger glue area on the wheels...like a bigger contact patch on your auto tires. Not a bad idea if you do an OOB build.

Harbor Freight has some great plastic clamps with moveable pads that grip well, don't mar, and are 6/99 cents. Great for hull, gun barrels and masts.

Floquil makes some great paints, don't limit what paints you use.

This is a great site. My build will be with furled sails, and it with a sense of appreciation that I will be using and learning form the modelers in here.

I am an n scale rail roader. There are a lot of model railroad accessories to use in here if you wish...lighting for example.

Retired now so should have some time to work on this...between grand kids.

This is such a great build and I have followed it so many times that I had to comment to bring it back to the front of the forum.

Force9, I was hoping to see your Connie with the decks installed, have you had a chance to work on her since March? This is my first post and have been watching your build for some time now.

Dr. Tilly, I would love to know where you got the plans for the Hancock/Iris. I wish to build her in 1/96. Any help would be great.

Evan! So glad to see you up and at 'em!!

Steve at Model Monkey does some amazing stuff, and I've ordered quite a bit for the 1/96 USS CONSTITUTION and 1/350 USS KEARSARGE. Personally, I prefer the gray resin castings over the white 3D printing...here's my painted lower capstan from gray casting.

Anxiously awaiting the next chapter in your CONSTITUTION adventure!

Jamie

Evan,

Glad to see you back at it!  I also used a few of Steve's items and was also impressed.  The only item I couldn't use was the ship's wheel.  The tips have all broken off - just too fragile.  May end up making my own, since the Revell one doesn't have enough spokes.  But I will use the stand for the wheel.  He says he has a different type of plastic which is a bit more resilient.  I may try one more time with the wheel using the grey plastic, because otherwise his stuff looks great.

Bob

Folks -

As Steve indicates, I've been organizing the workshop and starting back on my project... Looks like some paint bottles have dried up and some new glue bottles are needed, but otherwise I'm back to it.

I've ordered a few of Steve's Model Monkey 3D printed components for my Constitution and I'm suitably impressed.  They'll show up eventually on this build log as I incorporate them into my model.

I should mention for the record that Steve has NOT offered me any items for free in order to promote his products - nor would I take him up on it if he did.  I want to make sure there is no bias in my opinions and people trust that I'm just doing my best to produce a result that represents my interpretation of Old Ironsides during her most famous victory.

First though - my old Picassa Google photo library is about to be decommissioned and I need to update my build log with newer links to all of the referenced photos... That'll keep me busy for a bit!

Cheers,

Evan

Also very happy to see you, Evan, back at work on this truly amazing model!

Thanks for choosing to try some of my 3D-printed products.  I hope they will be a big help to you.

I, as well as many others, cannot wait for you to get back in the shop.  Currently working on building bilge pumps and wooden columns for the gun deck.  First set of pumps were too large for the space they needed to go, so I started over to get them to the correct size.  Second try was much better.  Learn from your mistakes and keep going.  Isn't that why we call it a "work in progress"?

Bob -

Very nice work on the decks and stern.  I think you're on your way to a beautiful model.

I've been clearing away some of the clutter on the workbench and starting back on my project.  Hopefully I'll have something to show for it soon.

Evan

Thanks for the compliment.  That is actually the new stern which I painted a few weeks ago to get me in the mood and back in the groove.  The original was not as crisp, and I lacked a few colors back then.  I was very proud of it at the time, but compared to the most recent effort, it pales in comparison to my current standards!  The pinball toys and toppers I have worked on over the past 10 years kept my fine motor and painting skills "up to par."  I will have to find a few of the photos of my pinball toys and post them up.

For the deck boards, I ran a black permanent marker down the edge of each board before I glued them together.  Used heavy masking tape to keep them all aligned as I went.  Made it easy to hold them in place.  I then cut out the shape and all the holes through the deck.  I will bond it to .040 styrene to stiffen it up and allow me to glue in place all the plastic pieces.  After they are in place, I will cut out the holes through the plastic.  The deck will be firmly held in place by the side walls, which I beefed up similar to what Force9 showed.  Left the bottom board out so I can slip the deck in a tad easier, and will glue that in place once the deck is in.

 Luv, beautiful painting on the stern. Really worth saving. I would have loved to se the whole model. Also the decks look perfect. I did all my decks on my wood ships (years ago) with individual wood strips & thread between for caulking

So I have posted a few images on postimage.org.

stern painting  https://i.postimg.cc/HnyB36Gn/Flickr07.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/YCkbfNd2/Flickr08.jpg

  https://i.postimg.cc/GpgXGJhC/PI-01.jpg

GMorrison

If I could offer my two bits, if you haven't bought the flicker units yet, I've been told by others more knowledgeable than me that a well trimmed oil lamp in the 19th century didn't flicker. That's more of an open flame candle effect.

 

Any flame will flicker if there are drafts or changes in airflow or oxygen content.  My thoughts are that turbulent airflow is a given on an open-air ship, and the constant pitching to and fro almost guarantees it.  Yes, oil lamps have significantly more stable flame than an open candle, but I doubt the boys back in the 1800's were very concerned about whether the lamp flickered.  That being said, I have adjusted the flicker to a minimum, and each lamp is independent, meaning they flicker asynchronously and not together.

Thanks Mike for the image posting tips. 

Bob,

I hope I helped someone some time back (although I'm never sure about my tutorials ) so, if you're up to creating a Flickr account (It's free), here's what I used to try to explain how to post pictures here on FineScale:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/feedback_help_and_testing/f/43/t/173158.aspx

BTW, Postimage is another similar image hosting site that's also free and works similarly to Flickr. Not exactly the same, but close.

P.S. I should have stated at the beginning that you can't post images directly from your computer to this site. You need an image hosting site. From whichever image hosting site you decide to use (there are several free ones  - I've noted two above) you need to learn their method for posting on other sites.

Welcome to the group, Bob. As soon as you can, would love to see pictures of your models.

If I could offer my two bits, if you haven't bought the flicker units yet, I've been told by others more knowledgeable than me that a well trimmed oil lamp in the 19th century didn't flicker. That's more of an open flame candle effect.

Look forward to more on this thread.

I too built the USS Constitution some 35 years ago, and followed the plans exactly.  It was my pride and joy, and endured several moves.  Sadly, it was lost (scuttled) by an unfortunate accident.  I saved the stern and a few of the sailors, but that was it.  Years later, my brother found one in a garage sail NIB and purchased it for me for my birthday.  It has sat in my basement for almost 15 years.  When I decided to open it, I also decided to research the ship as it was in 1812 as well.  When I found your blog, I was duely impressed.  I have scratch built and modified hundreds of models, and built all kinds of toys for pinball machines as well.  Your work is expert-level.  I have incorporated many of your ideas, as well as those of many others into my build.  I hae modified the hull following many of your cues - your knowledge and research is also impressive BTW.  I have decided to light the ship as well using micro LEDs with a flickering candle mode to simulate the oil lamps used in the day.  The captain's cabin and adjoining commodore pantry has also been faithfully recreated, right down to pictures on the wall and maps on the table & desk.

I hope to see you get back into the workshop soon, as do many others I would guess.  You are an inspiration for us.

Bob

Evan,

It's been awhile since I have visited the Shapeways site. I will check those carronades out.

Bill

Hello Bill -

I'm very glad that my log has helped inspire your efforts.  I appreciate the kind note.

I have made some progress on the guns and boats, but I have not had much time for my build.  The biggest culprit is my competition for workshop space - my son has displaced me with his projects!  I do think I will have something to show coming out of next month.  I am ordering some of the new 3D printed components that Steve Larsen has designed with Shapeways.  I'm particularly intrigued with his Carronades.

I'll try to organize my photos and get some updates going again

Stay tuned

Evan

Evan,

Your effort on the Constitution has inspired me to do something very similar with the Revell CSS Alabama.  I know that its been years since your last post, but yours is still an extremely impressive effort!

Bill

Good to hear from you Evan. And compliments of the season to you and your's

Steve