1/100 Imai Spanish Galleon Build

My Pirate ship & the Galleon together. Same ships just different names. Really a super beautiful kit.

  I'll be back as I go along. Get this kit if you can, because it is a real honey. I can't wait to get the sails on.

Fabulous work so far, Gene.  Love how you did the decks.

Bob

just beautiful gene

It looks beautiful, Gene. I love the decking work. Something that gave me so much trouble.

Stupendous work Gene, as is usual with you. How did you get the decks to look like that?

Once I figured out what to do, it was easy. I paint with either Tamiya Deck Tan Or wooden Deck Tan. When it is dry I use my old drafting pencils & an electric (old) pencil sharpener & draw down each line & across the joints. I keep sharpening the leads. When that is done I wash with thin raw umber & when dry come back with a heavier Raw  Umber on individual planks. When that is dry I have been using a very light wash of very thin black oil wash. The black is sort of new & really gives a more worn detailed lokk. It picks up the joints & grain best.

  I do it even on Revell 1/96 plastic decks & it works well. The Revell joints are very small, but they are there. It takes me more than 4 hours to do them with the pencils. I really like the wood decks & have ised them even on subs, but it is a lot of money & when you are my age that gets thin. I do it all for fun & can't wait to start doing it every day.  Yo Ho Ho & a bottle of Scotch. 

gene1

  Yo Ho Ho & a bottle of Scotch. 

 

 Bob, That's a decal that came with the kit. The sail decals worried me a lot because they were old, but as I said I coated them with Microscale decal film. Good stuff. 

   My kids, all 6, give me single malt of all kinds, but I buy White Horse because it's bottled in Scotland & is about $15 a bottle. It is the best cheaper scotch I think. A whisky salesman told me one time to get a scotch that is bottled in Scotland as their water is so much better for adding to it.

   Don, I dullcoated the Galleon today & it looks a lot better. Took the shine off the decals.

Gene as you are aware I'm a fan of your models but also of single malts, the best I have ever tried are Laphroaig and Lagavullan, both bottled in Scotland, the land of my ancestors. Lagavullan is very hard to find in Sydney.

Robert, good for you. We have 2 kids that work for the DOD in Germany & teach our Army kids in school. They have been there for over 20 years, but they send me a 16 year old Lagavullan every year for Christmas. I have had the other too, but the White Horse is great for me because I add a lot of water. 

  I am sewing the sails on now & have the masts done. I love the big decals on the sails. I am also tying as many deadeyes as I can before I mount the masts. I think the decaled sails & all the hull color make this model. 

Hi Gene,

  My oldest Grandson is allowed to go online now and I have sent him a link to this page so he can see your work. It is Fabulous as always. The picture of your 2 IMAI kits is a great comparison too. Although the same mold, you make them look so very different with your painting. The decals and Hull colors do make the model.

   There is a lot to grab the attention of our youngest generation these days. Making a model is not very high on the list I fear. I'm hoping some desire to imitate the work of the excellent modelers at this site will help to inspire. Your work sure does for me.

  Your comment about the Water from Scotland made me recall an old Firesign Theater Comedy album about bear-wiz beer.  I think it started as ".. it's in the water, ..."

I will try some of that inexpensive Scotch you mentioned.  I gather drinking it After rigging would be the recommended procedure.

    Nino

Hi Jim, Good to hear rom you. I put the kit shrouds on today & they really look good. I am doing a lot to make it easier to rig. The mai kit shrouds do more than any because the set the masts exactly where they are supposed to go side to side & fore & aft. the Imai shrouds are thinner & have a sag for the ratlines. I have the spars & sails all sewed up & need to do some pre rigging on them. It is much, much easier to do all they before they are installed.

   The white Horse is great scotch,but hard to find sometimes.  Grants is good too for a lower priced Scotch bottled in Scotland. Depends how much you can afford.

    I do love this Spanish Galleon. I will post more pics when I do alittle more. This is real fun for me, talking to all you guys. 

     How big is the Aifix Bounty compared to the Revell Bounty? Which is best?

Gene, I built the Revell Bounty as a teenager and found it excellent (in 1967). I've had two goes at the Airfix kit, which was bigger, but the deck slopes distinctly downwards from aft to fore. It was atrocious and impossible to remedy. I think Mr Tilley commented on that very feature of the Airfix kit some years ago. 

gene1

...

     How big is the Aifix Bounty compared to the Revell Bounty? Which is best?

 

 Gene, I PM'd you with a few of my thoughts and specific details.

My Summary:

      I suspect the majority of Forum members will recommend the Revell Bounty;  And for an Out-of-box "build", I concur.  For a moderate Challenge, The Airfix kit is the" Best Medicine". 

     Jim.

Oh!

Very Familiar Kit! :)))

but there, even - two at once!

Gene1, You do very nice job... I liked how You did deck color very much...in this greish part, especialy, looks very natural...

All the best !

Kirill

ps

unfortunately can see this forum from time to time only, till my vacation in August...

Krill, Thank you very much. You are the finest ship modeler I have ever seen & I have seen some great ones. Your work is beyond beautiful. Always good to hear from you.

                                                    Gene

Couldn't agree with you more gene . I've learn't a lot off of him .

After about 5 hours with this crazy computer I finally got some new pictures on Google. Here is the galleon with the Kit shrouds & the masts on. I have more work to do on the mast chains, but I have the sails nearly ready to put on. I am pre rigging them as much as I can before I put them on.

 Here are some more pics.

Using the Imai kit shrouds lets you get the masts perfectly aligned each way. You do have to be careful with them. I am anxious to get the sails on. It is a pretty little bugger.

Good day gene1,

plastic shrouds,when placed-  look good! 

as I remember, there were simplified, but pretty good/correct original kit's rigging plans...at least without rough mistakes...

so,what I would like to say, when I look at your preassembled sails...

I would suggest there need to be installed more blocks on the spars ,before preassembled spar with attached sail will be attached to the respective mast... min set of leading blocks and rigging lines as well ,as per kit rigging diagrams,if I not mistaken they are shown - such as lower topenant blocks,sheet blocks,clewline blocks with their lines..on the upper spars/sails some blocks could be ommited,such as sheet blocks depend on your rigging style...

when spars with sails will be fitted on masts,than will be almost unpossible to fit those blocks without damage smthng....

I wish You all the Best progress in your galleon rigging! :)))

Kirill

Hi Krill, it is good to see you again & thanks a lot for the help. I was pre rigging the sails yester day because when I saw how  the sails were rigged I knew I had to do it. I am 87 & rigging is getting hard for me. I can still build fine up to the rigging but the running rigging is hard. I used to build all wood ship models with full ratlines I did, but not anymore. Thanks again for all the help.

  Rob, thanks for the compliment on the shields. They werent easy as I have  a shaky old right hand & the left one is too dumb to do anything. I just hold my arm on the edge of the desk & paint away. This sure is a colorful little ship & a lot of fun.

                                                       Gene

Rob, my wife just added that I am sending it to you to rig as you love rigging                                                                     Gene

Gene, 

     You've outdone yourself.  I think this may be your most perfect model yet. That shaky right hand is an artist unto itself.   I gotta know... Is the lantern done with decals or did you make a deal with the devil to paint that so perfect? If decals, thanks for not making a deal. If you did do a "deal", what's his phone #?.....

     Rob does fantastic work. Don't forget to insure the ship before you send it to him.  Ya gotta love a guy who loves to rig.

    The Mountains are beautiful too.

   Jim.

Thanks guys....very much.  Rigging IMV brings the ship to a working life...reminding me of old Ero Flinn movies... Where working the ships sails and securing her masts is the part of the ship that is the Living part.

Gene..you magnificently painted and captured the Hue of the era and the magnificence of the ship....I applaud you.

Rob

Guys Thanks & Jim I painted the lantern MM Brass & glossed it & then used my old faithful Tempara water paint in green for the windows & the lantern. When it is dry carefully rub it off the high spots & the diamond grills come out & you can put Future on the glass.  I use it in a lot of places on subs for the holes& Then dullcote it. It washes off till you seal it.

   Rob, I used to do full rigging, but I am real happy to still be able to use an air brush. I think I enjoy models more now then ever, except for my RR layouts. You guys have a lot to look forward to.

Oh man!  I gotta call you up about all these cool techniques you've got.  I thought you had some kinda supernatural help and here your are with a most workable procees to impress us. Humbled I am.

     Jim.

You enjoy modeling more now then ever, *Except your RR layouts*..what do you mean by that?

I love RR layouts..I built two myself over the years.  Mtn railroading and at the mid 30's time frame

Someday I will build another layout for the grandkids.

Good job on the Gallion.

Rob

Rob, If you like layouts , we need to talk. Here are a couple of 7 that built since 1957. I loved the old west & modeled it. We walked most of the Colorado narrow gauge & collected spikes. I sold my last pretty layout to a Sec. Of Defense. He flew in , rented a truck & picked it up. 

I have a lot more if you are interested.

Rob, One more as I was building it out in the garage. I did it all by myself. Made the rock molds out in Colorado & got the dirt from Santa Fe NM. I was a die hard . Loved it. Designed my own layouts too. I was good at that, because i designed houses , mostly.