Airfix wasa and ratlines.

Thanks! one thing that i did to add detail was to remove some of the paint from the brush with a paper towel. this is called dry-brushing. this way you can control the amount of paint that is being applied. it takes a little longer but it will be worth it. also a single fine sable brush will be the best brush you have ever purchased!

hmm,thanks for the tip! :D
ill try it.
and ill see if i can find that brush in a swedish hobby shop.
i have one prob.
a drill seems a bit big for drilling in an allready finished mast.
we have  a mini drill but even that feels to big (though i havent tried yet) 
drilling in the platform will be a tuff one 

the lubbers holes are done and im fixing the lower main shrouds now,wich were more of a pain then joy.
the general build is going to hell,glue "spots" all over the model and the rigging is loose,forcing me to do it all over again.
something is telling me that this model will not be as good as i wanted it to be. 
i want to paint over the glue  spots but i dont have a nice brown and i've already installed almost every gunport (or hatches?).
another dissapointment is that i dont know how to paint it so it looks like wood...
maybe you guys can help me out on something of this? 

The glue spots can be taken care of by lightly sanding them with fine grit sandpaper. Be careful to not sand too heavily or you will delete detail.

You can get the plastic to look like wood by a series of washes with a darker color, then highlighting with a lighter color by drybrushing.  I'm sure that others might offer more insight but a lot depends on the base color you used to paint the hull.

Bill

you know any humbrol colours you might recommend?

the sanding worked very well,even though i cant get in between the guns.
but it still feels like it needs a paintjob,i would be very greatful if you guys could recommend some humbrol colours. 

I wish I could help but I do not use enamels.  There was a line of lacquers put out by Railroad Colors years ago called Marine Colors that had wonderful colors. Now I use Model Expo's acrylics that are almost as good.  I am not very familiar with Humbrol.

Bill

CoreTech

you know any humbrol colours you might recommend?

what parts are you looking to paint? for the deck i would use desert yellow #93 or ochre # 83. but that's just me. If you wish to do an oil wash on the deck i would suggest using colors like raw sienna, burnt umber, and black. here's an example, bear in mind that I over did this was to make the ship look like a dirty privateer. the Wasa was brand new and would not have this amount of neglect or wear on the deck.

too bad but still thanks warshipguy!
enemeink,im thinking about the hull,as you said the wasa was a new ship and the deck wouldn't be weared out so im gonna stick with the sand colour with the original colour shining through a bit. 
the gunport (or hatches) is gonna be a pain but ill manage it.
i got sand,light tan i think it was called,and a weird grey-brown,i dont remember the name but its #29
i haven't got any decent wooden colour so im going to buy one if you could tell me what would fit wasa or atleast guess.will one of the ones i have fit as a  basecoat?
i know i ask a lot of you guys,and i cant say in words how greatful i am,my wasa wouldn't be half as good as it is now without your opinions and you have tought me things that will make my models in the future be twice as good as wasa.

this model is getting reeeeaaaally frustrating,the shrouds are coming off all the time,i have tied shrouds for the whole ship on just 3 deadeyes,and on top of that i have lost a gun hatch.
i dont know if its best to lay this to rest for a while or i should force myself to complete it.
im thinking about buying hms victory and work on her instead.
im pretty sick of wasa. 

I'd recommend taking a break. Whenever I get frustrated with a sailing ship model I build a cheap 1/72 aircraft kit. Usually helps. I wouldn't recommend trying to rig the small scale HMS Victory  (either Revell 1/225 or Airfix 1/180) as if anything it is even more fiddly. I'm sure you'll get the hang of the Wasa.

Failing that, you could always scrap the rigging and represent Wasa on her launch- Like this rather nice diorama:

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/ftopic15871-0-0-asc-.php

I really like the presentation of this model.

Will

hmm...well,maybe ill stick with with the basic rigging and no shrouds...but i still want the model to be complete.
as you may notice i am not good at taking decisions.
probably ill justlet it rest for a while then continue,ill give you a small update on it later either today or tomorrow. 

CoreTech,

I would put it down for a few days then try to tackle it again.  Is this your first sailing ship?  If so, please understand that sailing ships present unique challenges; many have said that it is the most difficult type of modeling.  Rigging properly takes time, patience, and more patience (even for those of us who are much more experienced at it!)

Stay patient and keep asking questions! It might help if you could show us some pictures.

Bill Morrison

technicly its my second,but my first serious attempt,so i say its my first,my previous experiences is 2 houses,one tank, and 2 swedish fighter jets.
wich doesnt give a lot when your building a sailing ship 
my first ship was wasa but i was so sloppy that i barely want to tell you about it.
humiliating.
but ill lay wasa to rest for a while,also post pictures to show you how it looks.
maybe ill go for the batavia instead of victory,if thats less of a challenge... 
or maybe ill just buy a tank or something,pretty fun little builds,and often ends up extremely nice looking. 

Actually, that is how so many of us approach the hobby!  One kit gives some trouble, lay it to rest for awhile and come back to it sometime in the future and get something else.  Many of us have collections of hundreds of kits that we have accumulated in this manner.  Mine is over 500 kits, some started, most not, and about 50 completed.  The point is to have fun with what you are modeling . . . when it becomes frustrating, put it down and come back to it later.

Batavia is an excellent kit; mine sits in a protective display case in my den. But, you will experience some of the same rigging issues.

Bill Morrison

i wish we had more money and lived in england or something,models aren't the biggest industry here in sweden.
but i agree,batavia looks very beautiful and im eager to build it. 
though the rigging is a pain indeed... 

here is the photo update,although not much of an update but still.
some of the yardmasts have fallen of so...http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb428/Core-Tech/DSC00636.jpghttp://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb428/Core-Tech/DSC00636.jpg 
the glue spots i talked about (or stains)
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb428/Core-Tech/DSC00633.jpg
sorry,my camera isnt the best..

CoreTech,

One thing that would help your decks look more realistic is a dark wash to bring out the planks.  Mix 1 part dark brown or black with 5 of thinner and let it run over the plank lines.  Another method is to darken the lines with pencils or charcoal. 

Bill Morrison

thanks for the tip,i have thought about how to "highlight" the planks.
its the space in between the planks i should darken right?
i can take my black colour but i wonder if my thinner works...cause its not made for hobbypaint.

im thinking about to start on wasa again,but not building,painting as this is for me the most fun thing to do.
ill touch up some faults,fill in where it has not been painted properly,and i found out that mom keeps some hobbypaints in the...uhm...i dont know the word for it...laundryhouse?
its not a laundry room but ill say that.
its just 4 basic colours but just the ones i need,since i dont have yellow and green and im gonna use hers to paint the ornaments and sculptures,atleast try. 

oops,some grammar faults but you get the picture

i have been painting wasa for a while nw,and im very torn apart.
im trying to paint the figures historicly,but that demands having a part of the stern red,and i dont know if this fits since im making the blue version?
its too late to paint it red since ive already glued the deadeyes in place.
im far from done so it may get a little better but it doesnt feel right.
you think i should keep painting and see what it looks like?
or should i paint it white and gold again? 

im also thinking about painting some planks (the ones that "pop" out on the hull) black.
what do you think of that?
a reminder:i am not interested in making it historical,just look good to the eye. 

Core Tech,

Those planks are called "wales".  Many ships have them painted a different color, black or darker brown being very common. And, it does make a ship look better.

Bill

well im painting the wales now,makes the ship look much bettter.
just what the ship needed.
ill put up som photos tomorrow.
but what purpose does the wales have?
hull reinforcement,decoration,or just a part of the hull? 

In service, they act as protection against hitting other vessels/ dock walls, but they are really there to strengthen the hull. They are an integral part of the construction process, so you can go in to quite a bit of detail as to what role they play!

If you're interested in learning more, I would strongly recommend finding a copy of Bjorn Landstrom's 'The Royal Warship Vasa' which gives a beautifully illustrated guide to how the Vasa was built using the Dutch system, and compares her to the techniques used by the Danish, Dutch and British (amongst others) It is very easy to follow and it will give you a good knowledge of all the parts of a wooden warship's hull and rigging!

Will

CoreTech

i have been painting wasa for a while nw,and im very torn apart.
im trying to paint the figures historicly,but that demands having a part of the stern red,and i dont know if this fits since im making the blue version?
its too late to paint it red since ive already glued the deadeyes in place.
im far from done so it may get a little better but it doesnt feel right.
you think i should keep painting and see what it looks like?
or should i paint it white and gold again? 

well for years the common belief was that the Wasa was blue. I've been thinking about doing one in the historic blue and gold. it wasn't until recently when it was decidd that the figures had color and the ship was red. stick with the blue. it looks good.

CoreTech

i have been painting wasa for a while nw,and im very torn apart.
im trying to paint the figures historicly,but that demands having a part of the stern red,and i dont know if this fits since im making the blue version?
its too late to paint it red since ive already glued the deadeyes in place.
im far from done so it may get a little better but it doesnt feel right.
you think i should keep painting and see what it looks like?
or should i paint it white and gold again? 

well for years the common belief was that the Wasa was blue. I've been thinking about doing one in the historic blue and gold. it wasn't until recently when it was decidd that the figures had color and the ship was red. stick with the blue. it looks good.

i have painted historicly now,and are almost done,i like the little sculpture on the side and the bow sculptures beeing so colourfull,but i dont know about the stern.
compare these pictures to the other ones i sent and tell me what you think suits best
as i said,my camera is not good in close up pics so sorry for that

the reason to why it looks sloppy is beacause i havent touched it up yet.
i dont wanna make that effort if it doesnt fit anyways.
lthough i kinda like the colour combination.
you think a compromise would be in place?
having the stern painted in the blue version scheme but the "support" sculptures (the ones beneath each gallery) beeing painted historical.
i need ideas haha 

check and see if your camera has a macro setting. it's the little flower button on digital cameras. this will allow you to take up close pictures.