Revell 1/90 Nina Completed

I'll start sending some when I get these dang blasted canons built! Sheesh!! They are a pain, but can do only about 3-4 per day and have to take a day off! Lol Just so little to hold and slap together! Other than that, things are going just hunky dorey!

Steve...looking good! I inadvertently clicked on "do not receive .;.yada, yada, yada!! You know what I mean, now how do I get you back in good graces again, didn't mean to do it.

Bill

My email: b_nartker@hotmail.com if I can't get your comment here!!! :-(

Bill,

Thanks for the kudos and thanks for following the build.  I know what you mean about building cannon, just wait until you decide to tackle the 1/96 USS Constitution, or the Heller 1/100 Soliel Royal and/or the HMS Victory.  The last two have 100 plus cannon!  You might want to paint or build other parts when your eyes go crossed building cannon, or build two or three cannon each modeling session.

Don't worry about good or bad graces, I did not take offense and I apologize if I sounded a bit rough, that is just me.  Anyway, keep up the great work and as I said, post pictures!

Also, a word of advice, never put your email in a post because this forum is open to the public.  Edit your email out of he post by clicking on the little pencil in the lower right delete that light and then click on the post button.

You can send and receive personal emails by clicking on the handle of the person and go to town!

Steve

You are a true Artist my Friend. Beautiful work as usual......Cheers Mark

Thanks Mark, it good to hear from you.  I hope everything is alright, and hopefully you'll be posting your Schnellboot build.

Steve

Alright, I am going to try post more than one picture while on the iPad.  On the quarterdeck of the Nina are the obligatory coiled line.  Even though the Nina and Pinta were made for the 1992/500 year anniversary, Revell must have thought that since the Santa Maria had them then these should too.  I considered slicing them off but then I would have to find some way to camouflage the odd shaped flat area.  I figured that I would cover them with real coiled line and here is the process I used if anyone is interested.

Steve

Well, at least I got two photos to post.  Hopefully here are the next two.

Here is the rest of the coils.

Steve

After reflecting what Prof Tilley said and checking Pastor's "Ships of Columbus" I took the line off the blocks I just did and drilled two holes through the side for rigging the "deadeyes".  The first are the blocks and the second photo are the deadeyes partially rigged.  In the second photo, the left block will tie off at the side rail, the right connects to the shroud.

Steve

Looks good, Steve!  The little touches make a big difference!

Thanks Dave, they are that.  By the way, didn't you have blocks rigged like this on the Chebec?

Steve

You are correct, sir....I loved the rigging on that kit!  Lots of cool styling...though, they were the plastic kit blocks...I actually have a bunch of wooden blocks from ME, and I was thinking of using them on the upcoming GH build, but after close inspection, they look kinda wonky...misshapen and not very well-contoured....I'll probably use the kit stuff, after all.  BUT, there will be some sweet aftermarket parts going into it, namely deadeyes and chainplates...I'm about to order some blacken-it from ME for the chain, and also some brass belaying pins and pedestals for a wooden base...Stoked!

Keep the updates coming, my man!

Dave,

I know what you mean about the ME blocks; however, I wanted that exact look for the Nina and Pinta.  Otherwise, I picked up something from ME that is called a Block Buster which sands the edges off the blocks.  The longer you use it the more rounded they become.  I have a boatload of ME blocks I want to use before I use my Syren blocks.  I even plan on doing chainplates on the Pinta and possibly the Santa Maria (Revell), although the chainplates are for round deadeyes and not triangle deadeyes.  The smallest triangle deadeyes I can find are 3mm and are the ones I used on the Hanse Kogge and Thomas for deadeyes.

It sounds like the GH build will be awesome.

Steve

A quick update on the block and tackle for the Nina and Pinta.  Here is a size comparison on the various blocks that I am using for the ships.  They range from 6 to 3 mm.  The second photo shows the 3mm block rigged.

Steve

Looking good!  Whatever that contraption is that you're using for your ME blocks...good on you...they look a heckuva lot better than they look when new!  And I dig that line!  Is that some of the Syren line?

Dave

I'll take some pictures of the contraption and some before and after shots of some blocks.  Also, the blocks I am using on this build are straight out of the bag, I haven't altered them in any way.  Also, the line I am using is old Revell line, not the "stuff" they put in their kits nowadays.

Steve

I was able to strop all 36 deadeye blocks and finish 6 of the 21 other blocks for the Nina today.  Once I get those done I'll be able to start rigging.

Steve

Here are the blocks all stropped and ready to go on the Nina.  

Steve

Looks like the product of a very long meditation session!

You have much patience, grasshopper!

Thank you my former Padawan.  It took about 5 nights to complete and once I got into the groove it went along swimmingly.  I have a couple more blocks to do for the yards but last night I couldn't rig for the life of me!  I started to forget how I usually tie knots even though I had stropped all of these...... Very frustrating but go figure.

How is the Golden Hind coming along?

Steve

Funny how sometimes the process is easy, and other times things just don't work...I've got to remind myself sometimes that, if things aren't going together well, it's better to just walk away and come back to it later  :)

Golden Hind is officially begun...got the parts all separated by color, gotta do some parts prep before I lay down the basecoats (trying all that new Vallejo paint!)...I did some work to the hull halves...drilled many holes for the chainplate pins, and holes for the gunport rigging.  Still need to putty in the topsail locator holes on the masts, and make new ones down lower to the masttops (How low should I go?)...

And I scored a few pieces of hardwood from the lumber store for a display base (got some Mahogany and some Oak)....need to get it routered and stained.

I'll post a few pics on the forum when I get to a noteworthy progress point.

May the 4th be with you!

Dave

Thanks Dave.  I agree about walking away, it is just that I'm Irish and it takes awhile for me to walk away.  This is also one of the reasons I have a couple of builds going at the same time.  The work you've done so far on the Golden Hind looks great..... Keep those pics coming.

I actually have the main part of the hull primered and the interior painted on the Gato.  I even filed the bulkheads down so that I could insert a PVC pipe to represent the interior pressure hull.

Steve

Just some updates.

Steve

The hull before the start of rigging

Mr. Steve....

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when all I can say is "wow!  It looks amazing!"...but hey, what else can I say?  :)

The wooldings look great, the finish is superb.  (By the way, I may ask you for some guidance on your woolding technique pretty soon)....

I notice the Rudder doesn't have the same *underwater tar* color as the hull...is that standard?  I would guess that, if rudders were sometimes changed out, they might not be given the same treatment?

I left the rudder *plain* on my Chebec as well, but I've seen some models where the coating was added...

Will you share any pics of your Gato build?

Thanks Big Dave!

I really appreciate the feedback, even if it is just WOW.  No problem on the wooldings, there are a couple of ways to do them, so when you get close to that part on the Golden Hind, let me know bud and I'll show you what I do.

On the rudder,  I have also done it both ways like yourself.  On the Thomas build, I added the anti-fouling "tar", but on the Hanse Kogge I did not.  I believe that rudders were changed more often due to damage, etc... That being said, when I get to doing the coppered hull ships, I will be painting or coppering (on my HMS Bounty) the rudder.

I am not sure if I'll post a WIP on the Revell 1/72 Gato, maybe I'll just post a couple of  finished pictures, maybe not.  I'm not really sure if there would be any interest in a Gato WIP? Right now, I am trying to figure out how to secure the PVC pipe so it doesn't trash the resin sonar I'm installing.  CA did not work, so I am researching whether PVC glue will completely melt the polystyrene, which is REALLY not what I want to happen, especially with the prices on evilBay for a Gato nowadays. After I get that done, I plan on drilling out the flood vents, free flood holes and manholes along the bottom.

How is the Hind coming along?  So far, it is looking fantastic.  What size triangular deadeyes are you planning to use?  I am fairly certain I used 3mm deadeyes on the Kogge and the Thomas so those might work out for you.  On the larger deadeyes for the mainstay, it was either 5 or 6 mm.  I'll do some checking if you want.

Anyway, thanks again for the response, as I said, I do appreiciate it,

Steve

Yeah, keeping a WIP is a bit of a commitment, 'specially for a guy who is usually building multiple kits all the time! I would like to see a few progress pics of it, though I'm not really interested in the *steel* ships...it'd still be neat!

Oooh, you're going to build a Bounty?  I just watched the Clark Gable version of Mutiny on the Bounty...pretty good movie...then I looked online and bought the more recent remake with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins...should be here in a couple days...I haven't seen a lot of "ship movies", but I have watched Master and Commander a couple of times.

Is there a preferred kit of the Bounty available?  I know Zvezda has one, but I'm not sure if it's a re-box of someone else's???

Anyway, I'm probably going to paint a light grey underwater hull coating on the GH, when I get all the ornate detail painting done on the hull...which is a PITA, by the way!  I'm using a flat red and pale yellow alternating color for the *stripes*...at this point, it looks like a kindergartener went after it with a crayon!  the panel lines are not very pronounced, so I'm going to need to go back over it a few times to even it all out....I didn't realize how tricky these tiny decorative paint schemes can be! I might need to find some better pointy brushes to get it right.  I see that guy from the German Forum whose detail is impeccable...don't know how he got such clean lines on his painting...incredible.

Funny you should specify triangular deadeyes...I was just going to use round ones?  Is that a terrible idea?  I happened to have a bunch of round deadeyes that I bought from a guy last year, and I have enough quantity of the correct sizes...the kit molded deadeye/shroud/ratline parts show round deadeyes, and I just based my sizing from what those are...now that I think about it, Triangles would probably be more realistic, but on the other hand, I might just use what I have....

In short, the GH is going slowly right now...this isn't really the time of year when I have tons of down-time, so I find myself busy with other stuff (getting the house ready to paint, working in the garden, etc.)....but also, I want to take my time with it...I've found that sometimes I get into a mode of "get it done", and I can overlook certain things in the name of completion...with this one, I'm trying to be more methodical...I'm not even looking past the painting right now...I won't move ahead until I've gotten it just right....which might be awhile, based on how it's going so far!  haha!

Sorry for the long-winded reply...might have been better as an email!

Dave

docidle,

This is an outstanding build log.  Your painting on his project is really stunning.  I am looking forward to seeing this finished.

Phillip1

Revell in plastic is the one

Very good model

Dave,

Thanks for the incentive to post a WIP.  I know I have to finish the Nina and Pinta but also the Santa Maria which has been put on the ways but not worked on.  You are so right about trying to post WIPs on multiple builds, but then I'm mad as a hatter anyway! I am going to try and finish as many partially built ships this year as possible...... Well, I did say "going to try"!

On the painting front, unfortunately the colors for the GH are some of the worst for coverage.  Man, it is tough trying to get multiple coats of paint without it looking rough.  I am not sure if you are referring to Chris (Drake) or Schmidt, but both are amazing modelers.  They use brushes that are only one or two bristles to get the fine detail and a lot of patience and their initial painting can be rough also.  You could airbrush the detail but you know as well as I do that entails a boatload of masking!

I agree with GM that the Revell Bounty is the best.  There are some issues but it's still a cool model.  The Zvezda Bounty is the same as the Heller which is the same as the Airfix.  It has the coppered bottom but Professor Tilley has listed it's faults on other threads so I won't go into them.

This goes back to our discussion on rudders and anti-fouling methods, if I don't use Burnt Umber for a tar hull, I usually use Model Master Light Ivory for a tallowed hull but I am not sure when or if  or where they apply.  

I'm not really sure if triangular deadeyes would have been used on the GH.  I am not sure when the transition from triangular deadeyes to round ones took place and where.  This also gets into the issue of how well researched the models are.  The Revell Golden Hind has triangular deadeyes whereas the Mayflower has round ones.  So was the transition around the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th?  But I also know that you're not a big stickler for absolutely authentic historical models.  I say go for the round deadeyes, especially since you have the correct sizes already.  It will look awesome when you are done either way bud.

Thanks for following along Philip, I do appreciate it!  Hopefully, it won't be too much longer until I finish it.

Steve