Imai/Ertl Big Mayflower, Hull done

Nice work Gene! The decks look great. 

Jim  

Thanks Jim, I use Tamiya Deck Tan (gray) & pencil the lines with one of my old drafting pencils with the larger pencil leads that I sharpen in a machine sharpener.  Then put a raw Umber wash, with Burnt Umber on the dark boards. If you wanted more tan, you can use Tamiyas new Deck Wooden Tan.

   Your picture didn't come in, I would like to see them. I have over a hundred & thirty 1/48 fighter planes from 1910 up to new jets. I love the WW1 fighters & mine are all fully rigged.  I put my dad's WW1 Victory Medal & Marine hat emblem in with them. He fought in France in WW1. My wife gave me A WW1 Replica Blue Max medal for my German planes.

Gene,

You are indeed one of the masters in the art of building plastic sailing ships!  Both ships are beautiful!

Bill

  Bill, thank you, but I am too old to be that good but I am having as much or more fun that ever. The Imai Mayflower is a real easy, fun kit to build. There are so many things engineered into it that make it easier. I just finished the 3 lower shrouds on my Airfix tools. I have 4 of them & I have figured out a lot of things that make it easier. If any one wants to learn more how to do it let me know.

 I haven't cut them off the tools yet & will take some pictures of what I did. 3 things I did were , I cut the slots in the ratline grooves a little deeper with a razor saw on one side to better hold the thread, with my inability to tie knots ( even with Tilley's teaching ) I take small pieces of tape & cover the thread on one side so it won't slip ( the pictures will show this) & finally I finally figured out how to glue the threads. I take a small wood handled wire & put a spot of glue on each joint & hit it with instant set right away. It come out real clean that way & does not take any longer. I then run a toothpick over the finished sides to make sure that they are all set. I used the plastic cast shrouds as a pattern on the rigging tool.

 Bill, I thought someone would be interested in making shrouds from the Airfix rigging tool. I have finally got it down to a real good way to do it. Here are some pictures I just took for this . I have refined it over at least 4 models & these are the best yet. 

 These are the Main, Fore & mizzen on my new Mayflower. I use small pieces of masking tape to secure the ratline thread as I work down. I have already cut razor saw cuts in each V groove before i start to deepen the slot for the thread so it won't come out. I have a narrow piece of tape on the bottom to mark the slot for the vertical thread. You only need to make the cut on the one side.

  This is the main mast rigging with the kit shroud I used to lay it out. Tape all over replaces any knots that i don't tie.

This is the 3 lower shrouds with a top mast casting  laying in a rigging tool to do next.

  I individually glue each joint & it is way better & cleaner than using the brushing super glue. That stuf gags you & is messy. & can do a double shroud complete in an hour, from layout to finish.

These are the kit shroud castings. I will cut the bottom off & use it. Rigging your own lets you make them to fit exactly, which is far better than using the kit supplied thread or cast shrouds. I brush a coat of flat black over the shrouds when I am done & they look great. I put a piece of paper behind them when I brush to keep paint off the finished model. I hope this helps someone.

gene you are a marvel , all your work is so very clean , a 20 year old would love to have hands as steady as your's , LOL

steve5

Looks really good, Gene!  I especially admire the deck painting....very well done!  I'll be looking forward to seeing your progress

I have this kit in the stash, and planning to build it someday....Been taking a break to pursue other hobbies right now, but it'll wait in the stash until I'm ready lol.

I agree, Imai makes some terrific sailing ship kits!

Great work!

Dave

  Boy, Steve5 & David K makes me a real winner. Two of the very best complimenting me is a real honor. If you all would see my right hand shake when i drink coffee or eat soup you would believe I'm a magician.  Fine close painting is real hard, but I mostly work around it. It is funny, because target practice is no problem.I still do real good with that.

   David , you are a master & Steve is right along with you. I do love to look at both of your models. 

Gene,

I remember that you were working with perfecting the Airfix/Heller shroud and ratline frame for over a year (perhaps two).  Your dedication to perfecting your techniques is most impressive. I would swear that there is no way that you have shaky hands when working on your modeling skills.

Bill

Outstanding work Gene! I have one of those tools also but mine still don't come out that good. It does help a lot when the hands start shaking. Now if only my eyesight would help out too.

Jim  

Fox, let me know if I can help you on the rigging tool.  Like Bill said, I just kept on it & made it work.Individual glueing with 15 second glue & a wire glue applier really help. Cutting a razor saw into on side of grooves really is the answer & then putting a small piece of tape over every 4 or so ratlines too. Just a 1/32 or so cut.

   I also wrap the ratlines different than they tell you. 

 If  you need to call me & maybe I can explain it better. PM me for a number.

It looks really nice Gene.

 Bill, I really do have a shaky right hand & it surprises me I can still paint as good as i do. Thats why when I take pictures all my mistakes show up & I try to fix them. I developed a head shake 30 years ago, like Sandra O'Connell ,the Justice had.

 The doctor said it is just a pain, no problem just old. It make driknking full glasses with my right hand hard to do. I can't carry my wife's wine & my Scotch at the same time & that is important. For some reason it doesn't bother shooting at all. I just talk about it because I imagine a lot of old guys get it, but you can still build models 

   I just mounted a beautiful Oak base on the Mayflower & put the masts on with the blocks attached.  I really did figure out a lot better way to use the rigging tool & they are not that hard to make after you have done a few good ones. All those little things i put in with the tool pictures are what really help.

Gene,

That is one beautiful ship. I know about shaky hands now because of the nerve damage to my right hand, but it does not look like it has slowed you down one bit. You give me hope! 

I had picked up the Trumpeter Mayflower thinking that it was a repop of the Imai kit. Unfortunately, after looking at it and dry fitting the hull, decks and masts, I found that the masts were undersized. The hull and the stern were exact replicas of yours but the masts were only about 2/3 the height they needed to be.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing the rest of your fine model.

Steve

I find my shaky hands depend on the task I am doing.  The more frequent the task, the less problem I have.  I find the more tired I am, the more time I have been working on a project at one sitting, the worse it gets.  So for intricate tasks, I have a limited working time. I either need to quit and take a break, or do some task that doesn't require the fine motor skills.

Steve, the trick to the shaky hands is stay away from fine close painting as much as possible. Airbrushing still goe great & most hand painting is ok. I hold my hand on the desk to calm it down & do the fine stuff. Masking is a big help. I use Tamiya tape & a metal ruler on a sheet of glass & gut the tape into thinstrips , about 1/8" wide. 

   I have the sails painted ,sewed on the spars & then stained with raw umber , very thin. I also brush burnt umber in the recessed places & then when dry, clean up with Q tips. When all is dry I dullcote the whole ship.

   I have the 2 main shrouds on & they went on easy & tight. I have most of my standing rigging on. I cheat with that as I pre drill a hole , to size, & run the standing rigging thru them. It is real easy to leave one end loose & tighten when needed.

  I looked at the Trumpeter kit , by reading, & the Imia kit is beautiful. Goes together like a dream & fits perfect everywhere. 

   Don, I answered you on the regular email & lost it I guess. 

Gene;

 I will have to agree with you . I used the Imai Kits many years ago as the basis for client builds .They supplied the model and I got to build them .You are right stating the obvious . These are kick butt kits !

 Did you know or have you tried ? The plastic the hulls are made from can and will take regular wood stains ? I tried it on the Spanish galleon that Imai had . Wow ! It worked great ! You shake , Well you got to prove it to me ! .   T.B.

  Tanker, I had read that about stains on Imia. What kind of stain did you use, tube oil or like Min Wax ? I use tube oil wash a lot on my ships & even the sails but it is over paint. Will masking tape take it off?

 The Imia kit let me build differently. I was able to glue the hull halves together & put in my 1x2 shaped wood for screws & then put the decks in. It gives a lot stronger hull that way.

  David K has been the master on building & especially on painting & Steve5 is coming right along too. I have seen some of the best ever too. 

A friend of mine uses stains a lot on period hulls. I think me mentioned Minwax among others.  They look great. I have not tried it yet, but intend to some day.

Don, MinWax I think, is the best stain made & it should be the best for this. I use MinWax Gunstock stain on all my ship bases. My son & son in law both make them for me. My son has done all my last ones . They are really pretty. I use lacquer spray sanding sealer & at least 3 coats of gloss spray lacquer on them.  I think I have built most of 16 in the last year & a half. I've only had the bad shaky hand for the last 3 or 4.

  Tanker talked about staining the Spanish Galleon & I have it's twin the Pirate Ship by Imia. I will stain it. I think  will try some different colors on the inside of the hull. I have a bunch of it . 

Gene,

Thanks for the advice on the shaking hands, and Don too. It has been a bear trying to paint and doing 1/350 PE! 

Anyway, I would highly suggest checking out Rod Millard's threads. He posted one a few years ago on his Imai Catalan Ship. He is the master in my humble opinion of staining Imai ships as well as others. He was my inspiration to try oils on my ships. I tried to link his posts here on FSM but got an error message. However, here are his ships on modelwarships.com. Take a look and I think you will be impressed. He uses a different stain but for the life of me I can only remember that it started with a Z.

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/users/Rod-Millard/user-index.html

Hope this helps,

Steve

Steve, I remember reading some of his posts, but I never saw the pictures you sent. Thanks. I get a little (lot) garish with my colors, but it is fun. My Mayflower is really turning out nice, for me, & has been a beautiful ship to buildI am working on the 2 sets of top shrouds now & have the lower sail & a lot of rigging done.

                                                                       Gene

 I am replying to myself, but I guess that is ok. I am about to finish the Mayflower & I've got to say that it is one of the nicest & easiest sailing ship models you can build. It has been a joy. The Airfix Golden Hind was a real nice one too, They were a little bigger than what I have been building, but not that big.

I am doing the last of the rigging , & thank goodness for CA glue or I would be stopped if I had to tie a knot. I still have to do the anchors & I will post some final pictures.

 I just did this set of pictures & lost them, so I will do them in 2 sets now. This is the nearly finished Mayflower. I need to correct some things & add anchors. It is not David K, Steve5, or Kirill, but just as much fun.

 It might look like Disneyland, but it is as much fun.

gene

I love seeing your work gene , wish I could paint like that , you are amazing my friend .

steve5

Gene,

Beautiful! I never tire looking at your models sir. I wish I could produce anything close to yours or as fast.

Steve

Good day gene1,

She looks nice!!! :))) nice model You built!

a few small remarks - may be there is sence to add tack ropes to the main and fore sails?( should be approx as thick as shrouds) and anchors ... or they were not included in the kit? and bowsprit gammoning ?... these parts/ or their abcense quite visiable on the model...