Revell 1/90 Nina Completed

Hey Steve...what you have done is gorgeous!  It looks real as all heck. I love it.

Thanks Bakster for checking out the build.  I have started to finish the rigging this weekend so I'll post some pictures later this week.

Steve

Steve,

How's the Niña coming along?

I've got my Heller 1/75 on the table and am staring at it . I'm torn (more like drawn and quartered) about which kit in my stash to do next.

I think some more pictures of your Niña might push me to begin mine.

Hoping all is well with you.

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for checking in on this project.  I wish I had more pictures to post, but I haven't been able to work on any models since late September due to issues with my hands.  Anyway, you can check out all the pictures I have in my Photobucket library.  I have all my ships posted in their own folders so that I can find a pictures a little bit easier.

If you decide to build your Nina, you won't be disappointed.  The Heller version would be easier to rig as there are two masts vs. the Revell's three.

Steve

A small update but one that actually has photos in it.  After a forced hiatus from the workbench I was able to work on the Nina again.  After debating a good deal about the main mast's rigging, I actually cut it all out.

While rigging it previously, i accidentally glued a couple of lines together at the top which spread the shrouds unevenly.  After trying to fix it in situ which just made it worse, i decided to cut it all out and start again.

After cutting the shrouds out, I then finished the two rear masts shrouds first.  These are the pictures showing the "progress".

Steve

Back to square one on the main mast rigging.  One thing I should have done before cutting the old lines off was to make sure that I had enough of the same size line....... I waxed the line and started the upper seizing.  Once I get these draped over the mast I'll chinch them up and seize them.

Steve

I was actually able to get the first set of main shrouds done this morning.  I'll post a picture tomorrow.  It really felt good to rig something.

Steve

I feel like this is Deja Vu as this is the third time I have had to redo the main shrouds. I have the first two sets done but they need a little bit of tweaking on the deadeyes. The port deadeyes have beeb=n done six times as I had cut the lines while trying to insert the shrouds through the deadeyes. The starboards were only ruined twice.........

Rigging is still really hard as my right hand and fingers go numb after five minutes of doing delicate work. Hopefully the injections will help in a couple of weeks.

Other than that I am trying to finish up the Nina and the Pinta as well as all the other kits I have in various sorts of construction before I start on another. So hopefully there will be regular updates on these threads......

Steve

Have you considered acupuncture? It's done wonders for my wife.

Alright, These are a bit better. I'll tweak the deadeyes some more when I get the other four rigged.

Steve

Bill,

I have tried acupuncture but without much relief lately. We do not have as skilled as practitioners here as I enjoyed in the Bay Area. Just another thing I miss.

I will not get surgery for it as it usually only helps, if it does, for about five years. So hopefully the cordisone will help.

Thanks for  the suggestion, I appreciate it,

Steve

It looks like I am having to go back to square one on each of these deadeyes.

I first had to remove the older rigs and then drill out holes for the different lines, lanyards and shrouds, on the upper deadeye.

This time I threaded the shrouds through first instead of the lanyards which will be stropped and threaded after this.

Here is part of the new process.

Steve

Wow,

It has ONLY been six months since my last update, man, i thought it was way longer than that!

Anyway, I have been slowely, and I mean slowely trying to finish the standing rigging on the main mast. Due to neeve damage with my hands I can usually get about three to five minutes of rigging if I am lucky. However, I was not going to give up and today, I finished the last shroud.

My plan will be to finish the running rigging by Saturday morning. How? Well, I have been staging all the blocks and lines while I could over the last six months so hopefully I'll be able to get 'er done.

Once I finish the Nina, I will start a thread on the Pinta, otherwise this thread could go on and on and on and on.........

Steve

Here are some pictures to resurect the dead. 

Looks awesome, Steve! 

It's so nice to see some pics of your sailing ship models...I'm still amazed by your weathering skills!

Dave

Steve... I agree with David K on all points. I will add that it is great to see that you are still able to work on this.  It would be our loss if you couldn't. I love what you are doing with this build.  Awesome work!

Steve

Amazing the amount of detail that has so far gone onto that ship.  Beautiful!

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the feedback. I have ot admit that sailing ships are my first love, but I'll try and build anything that floats.......

Here's a small update. Spent a great amount of time doing really small things. Cleaned up the extra line from the deadeyes and made a boatload of tieoffs for the running rigging. The halyards are set to go up next with the yards. Doing a lateen rig is definitelty different.

Enjoy,

Steve

Steve,

As just about all who see your work exclaim, your painting/weathering skills are extraordinary!

Please forgive my ignorance on this subject but where are all (I count nine) of the bundled line you've made going to be placed on board? Do they have something to do with the "tieoffs" for the running rigging to which you refer?

If I ever get around to starting my Heller Nina I'll likely refer to this thread often.

Mike

This looks well thought out. The stowed running rigging/ sail control ropes are well done.

A couple of ideas. First, the lateen boom doesn't go around the mast on the tack, so go ahead and rig the sheets to the tack on the sail on the same side as the spar.

Second, depending on which side of the tack the ship is on, the sheets to the square sails are plus or minus but with no sails set, equal.

Mike,

The tie offs are a cheat..... yes, I cheat sometimes when it comes to rigging. Instead of trying to tie off all a tanto on thr model, especially at this small of a ship, I made a jig to create tie offs and then glue them over the spots I need them. The first picture shows where I put some of them.

Anyway, I pulled a marathon session today, which my hands are telling me was a dumb move, but if I tried to work tomoorow and finish, my hands would have been in bad shape either way, so, I finshed! Yes, after three years, I finally finished the Nina. Weird, that it will be three ears as of tomorrow...... queue the Twightlight Zone music again please.

Right now, I am just going to post some finished shots, but hopefully this weekend I'll fill out with the work photos, if anyone is interested. right now, I'm really tired.

Enjoy,

Steve

Bill,

Thanks for the help, hopefully I got it right, but I think I erred on the overdone side. I'll tell you something, it got really crowded in there when I was finishing the main mast. The halyards were especially a bear.

I was using Pastor's "Ships of Columbus" as a guide since the instructions were worse than useless; however, Pastor did not have much on the Nina rigging so I had to improvise a bit using the mizzen for the Santa Maria as an example. I was thinking of scratching the parrels but gave it up after the halyards.

I thought that the main halyard would be the easiest.....but it actually turned out to be the most difficult. Maybe I should have used different blocks like the other two masts but I was sort of laser visioned on the sister blocks and really wanted to use them. The hardest part was finishing off the halyard lines at the cross piece that slips into the loop on the spar. I started by tying off one end of the line at the cross piece, slipped the line through the sheave, down to the top block, through that sheave and back up through the sheave to the cross piece. I then tied the end to the cross piece in situ which gave it a slightly slack look. 

Overall, I am fairly happy with the finished product and now I need to finish the Pinta and Santa Maria......as well as the PT Boat and Dreadnought, etc. Although, I am going to have to give my hands a respite first.

Thanks again for the help,

Steve

POW!

Looks great, my friend!

Steve, congrats with finishing this out! You should feel good about how this came out.  A very nice job indeed...  

She is simply beautiful. All your efforts paid off. Always admired modelers who build sailing ships. 

Oh, and now I know what those stick looking thingies from the Elco pics are.

Thank you Dave, Steve and Allan. That was one crazy rigging session. Friday, from 8 to 6 and my hands are still recovering. But it feels good to be done. It did not come out too bad, but looking at her I see some issues with the rigging that are directly attributed to trying to complete it in one day.

I think I should do the Pinta as a separate thread due to the length of this one. Anyone want to give me their opinion on a separate thread?

Thanks again,

Steve

Hey Steve, I agree with your reason to start a new thread. It just seems that it's a new ship and it deserves a new thread. You have my vote.

Steve

I agree. This thread's long enough; if it gets much longer the Gods of the Ether may object. And the Pinta is going to be another ship; it deserves another thread.

For the sake of anybody searching for models of the Nina in the future, you might consider changing the title of this thread to clarify that it's about the Nina.

Steve they look superb. The Wood effect is brilliant. You should be very happy with the results......Cheers Mark

Thank you Mark,

I always appreciate your feeback.

Steve and John,

I agree especially about the gods of the ether, John. As you hopefully noticed, I changed the name and will start a new thread with just the Pinta.

I also want to thank everyone who has commented, offered advice and just plain stuck with me through this really long thread. 

Thank you again,  gentlemen,

Steve

Hi Steve,  Wonderful work on your Nina.  I started to build the Heller version and you make some great references I wish I could duplicate. I am noticing a huge difference between the Heller and the Revell kits.  The Heller is only a two masted lantine rig, probably for when the Nina was used in the Medditerrean.  Oh, and I signed up to build this kit in the Weekend Madness 48 hr group build this weekend.  I have been in the doldrums in my ship building of late and hope this would give me a jump start.  I look forward to your Pinta in another build log in the future.  I have the Heller kit and maybe do a log as well.  Cheers, Scott.