Airfix 1/180 Great Western Build

Jim, The "inexpensive" Kearsarge that Bill gave me is due today & I am waiting for Santa to get here. I wionder if the UPS man ever gets cookies & hot choclate when he leaves presents?

 We have got to get on the phone together, because I have a ton of stuff that will make the rigging tool & rigging in general much easier. It would have to be easy for me to do it because I can't even tie a knot any more. John Tilley tried to help me, but it didn't take.

gene1

 

".... I have had excellent luck with the Airfix/ Heller rigging tool. Once you learn how to glue the threads together. This is my big Imai Mayflower, I made these ratlines all from scratch on the Airfix rigging tool."

 

   Gene,

     I understand you may be working on a Kearsarge in the near future.  Since your Kearsarge was “inexpensive”,  I'd  love to see you get all the aftermarket stuff like Naval artillery, Flags, etc., and, of course, you've got to post your build.

     Jim.

Thanks Mike for the nice words.

 GM this is what I mean about Revell prethreaded shrouds. This is my Revell Mayflower before it was finished & mounted. I shows the kit ratlines good.

You just have to work with them to get them tight. I have had excellent luck with the Airfix/ Heller rigging tool. Once you learn how to glue the threads together. This is my big Imai Mayflower, I made these ratlines all from scratch on the Airfix rigging tool.

GM, I ordered the Revell CW Morgan on ebay. It is the one with the threaded ratlines. In that scale Revells are real good & I can get them on tight. Also the rat lines come down to the bottom where they are supposed to. Airfix shrouds are heavy & the ratlines don't come down far enough & it is impossible to glue more on. Maybe if I use a Q tip & lacquer thinner on the lines before I glue.

Such outstanding builds you do Gene. I'm in awe.

I know you asked Nino, but if I may.

The Morgan and the Kearsarge both have very minimal ratlines/ shrouds. I'm not a reliable source for the Kearsarge, but the ratlines (foot ropes) may have even been iron bars.

Revell sold models with those thread things dipped in plastic, which were sort of ok. Then they reboxed kits with cast plastic parts, which were garbage. So you have to research which kit you get.

If I were to build my Morgan, I'd probably rig the shrouds and skip the ratlines because of the smaller scale.

For the Kearsarge, it would be little trouble to hand tie them. There's three masts, but only two have a topmast that has ratlines above the masts. No topgallant mast ratlines.

Nino, Thanks for the pictures.I would really like to see the Morgan too & how is the deck & hull detail on the Morgan?How long is just the hull? I know it has a long bow sprit. Revell's ship castings have always been good. I remember building all the big Revell ships when they first came out. Orange Blossom Hobbies down in Miami gave me the big Constitution to build for display when it first came out.

  I really liked the Kearsarge about best of all. What are the shrouds & ratlines on both ships, the premade thread or cast plastic shrouds? Either way, I would use the rigging tool & make them probably, although Revells premade thread shrouds are best of anyones. Once I learned how to use them, they look good on smaller ships.

Thanks for posting that. The whale boats look a lot like the ones in the movie Moby ***, which were Azorean shore launched whale boats. Not at all like the US ones.

One howler is that the Morgan has ocean liner style boat covers for some of the  boats.

But it has a cool little tri works.

gene1

  GM, Thanks, I didn't realize that about how good the Morgan was. How big is the model in length/ Just the hull. I see you can get it on ebay for from $15 to $30 + shipping.

   On the Wanderer, is there any deck or hull detail, like recessed planks?

 

     GM's right, The Revell CWM is a better kit to work from based on all the reports I've read. I have the Revell CWM kit so if you want pics-of-the-parts. I can send'em.

   RE: "...Hull Detail..."  The Wanderer does have detail. The Hull is pretty nice. It is 16" long. My old Aurora kit has 8 sink marks in the deck and 6 are deep. I think they can be hidden with Deck furniture and coiled rope and crew if you are so inclined. The Ships Boats are "little canoes" as near as I can tell. You judge. Some pictures below.

As mentioned previously the sails are molded with the Yards.  I know I could never seperate them so, in my case, I would have to make my own Yards and seperate sails.

 It is a larger scale at 1/120 then the Revell CWM at 1/160ish, but not by much.

    Nino 

I'd have to go dig it out but a guess is about 12"-13". It's a little hard to build because as boxed it's a three masted fully rigged ship, at a pretty small scale around 1/150. 

But it is crisp and accurate in a sense. She was built as a fully rigged ship, with a black hull and no stern windows, plus a few other details.

Later she was converted to a bark like most whalers, she got stern windows late in life, and that gunport scheme was painted on her for the movies.

The kit has a combination of both. You can simply choose not to paint the gunports, though most people like the look. The other changes would take some work.

  GM, Thanks, I didn't realize that about how good the Morgan was. How big is the model in length/ Just the hull. I see you can get it on ebay for from $15 to $30 + shipping.

   On the Wanderer, is there any deck or hull detail, like recessed planks?

Gene, the Wanderer is a bad kit. Two major problems- the yards and sails are molded as a single part. And the whaleboats are all wrong, not at all close to accurate.

I think the Revell Charles W. Morgan is one of the finest plastic sailing ship models ever produced. Especially if it were built as a bark.

Robert, Thanks for the nice email. I have been building models since Pearl Harbor happened. I build everything including train layouts. You have a super model builder in Australia, Steve5 on this site.

  Was the Heller Harriett Lane the same casting as the Lindberg & pyro. It sounds like you build a lot, how about some pictures. 

    How was the Susquehanna? Was it the Imai or Monogram kit? They are the same castings & I am looking at one now. Did you build the Aurora Wanderer Whaler, & is it a good kit if you did. Did it have recessed deck & ship side planks?

          Thanks, Gene

Gene your work is superb, I'm looking forward to seeing your model of the Harriet Lane when you build it. I've built that kit 8 times since 1966, the first time as "Le Sphinx", manufactured by Heller, and all the others either Pyro or Lindberg. It is my favourite kit of all time. The Heller issue was the best of them all as the deck and cabins were molded in white and the hull in black. For some weird reason Pyro and Lindberg cast those pieces in a weird bluish grey. My several attempts at the Great Western cannot possibly compare with yours. I love the transition period with sail and steam on the same ship, and I agree that Imai is the best quality - my Susquehanna went together perfectly. Will you be building that as well? May I wish you (and all us viewers) many more years of happy modelling. When I see your work I realise I'm still in modelling kindergarten. Robert  

Thanks guys for all the compliments. It is a pleasure to read them. Once again, this is a great site with a lot of nice guys, & gals. Not enough gals & I have seen some great lady modelers.

 I have to go down & clean up my Great Western mess & get back on my Imai Pirate ship. I have the hull together & painted dark tan & ready for the oil stain. No more trying MinWax as it takes forever to dry. I will use tube oil & spirits & do this one a little darker. I have to clean out my spray booth too. Everything I work with gets in a mess with each model.

  Nino, that new Pasche dual action airbrush is a lot better than the old one. It has the new easy to install air plunger. I had one of my cabinet makers build me a mica desk with a top support to put a 30" kitchen hood fan in to vent it. It must be 40 years old now & I did replace the hood fan. I put a 4 or 6" vent pipe to outside over it. 

Gene,

Once again, you have built an excellent model. You can take great pride in personifying one of John Tilley's favorite statements, "You can make a great model out of a beef bone!"

Bill

really stunning work as alway's gene , 

Hi,

That's a great looking build of a really interesting ship.

Pat

Very, very nice looking ship.  The paint work and detail is outstanding.  It sure beats the old black and white photos.

 Here are a few more for those who are building it. It is a real bear for clean up , but is an interesting model. A lot of work.

 Well thats all folks & you are done with me untill I do the Imai Pirate ship. Boy it will be good to get back to Imai. what a relief. Then I will do the Harriett lane. I will be 87 in Dec. & the model urge is just as strong as ever. 

 Well Father Time is back with pictures of a mostly finished Great Western. After I took the pictures ,I found a few things more to do, but here the pics are,  

 I will go to another post.

Nino, you have more kit info than anyone & thanks & PFJN, just hijack away with those great pictures you put on. It really brings out a lot of good stuff when everyone talks. GM tells me al kinds of things I want to know. This is one really great forum.

   Don,

   I saw the Lindberg Fulton's Clermont (North River) parts a few years back. I swear there were parts/gears for the engine room or maybe to attach to the Paddlewheels. The ITC kit does not have that.  You got a good kit. Glad Lindberg or Round2/AMT are keeping the old molds Hot!

 I edited my previous post on the list of Side Paddlewheelers.

   I added in the USS Susquehanna. It and the Lindberg Fultons' Clermont are still available.

Nino

 

 

      Unfortunately only the Lindberg Civil War Blockade Runner and maybe the Zvezda  Sirius might still be in some stores.
   

A few observations...

 

       Lindbergs Clermont is a better detailed kit then ITC's.

       Zvezdas' Sirius does not match the Prototype in several areas.

 

And, Gene,

     If you intend to bid on the GREAT EASTERN,  Let Me know!

     (so that I don't!)

 

     Jim.

 

I just picked up the Lindberg Clermont on line recently.

Jim, I won't bid on the Great Eastern, be my guest.

PFJN

 "...in looking at my copy of the Revell SS US model and pictures of the ship online, I believe that the model actually is meant to be a waterline model (although the waterline the hull is cut at is a little below what might be considered the ship's design waterline, and as such part of the red bottom shows). 

 

Pat,

    Unloaded, she road pretty high as you mentioned.  In reviewing the Photo's I have, the Revell kit hull appears to stop at the no-load waterline.  If you depict her as launched /unloaded and put her  into a seascape, it'll look pretty realistic IMHO.

The Kit:

The Ship, unloaded:

The link below is an As-Launched picture.

  Nino

gene1

...   Are any of the ships you all are talking about like the Great Western, a paddle steamer. 

 

 Gene,

 The following kits are all Side Paddle Wheelers.

Revell Great Eastern  1/380

Revell Great Western  1/144

Pyro Harriet Lane  1/124

Heller Le Sphinx  1/124

Lindberg Civil War Blockage Runner  1/124

Heller L’Occident  1/100

Minicraft Oriental Star 1/100

Zvezda Sirius  1/100

Nino

...

     Revells’ SS US is not quite "waterline" but if you cut it down to the actual waterline it looks much better.  It was one of Revells’ Flat Bottom Boats circa 1953.  ...

Hi,

I hope I'm not high jacking the OPS thread too much, but in looking at my copy of the Revell SS US model and pictures of the ship online, I believe that the model actually is meant to be a waterline model (although the waterline the hull is cut at is a little below what might be considered the ship's design waterline, and as such pafrt of the red bottom shows). 

As shown in the images of the unbuilt model below the 1 piece hull is perfectly flat on the bottom and as shown in the images of the full scale ship you can see that the ship did not always operate with the hull loaded down completely to the white line between the black upper hull and the red underwater hull).

As such, I believe that the Revell hull more or less is meant to represent a waterline model of the ship loaded in a similar condition.

Sorry for the temporary highjack.

Pat

 I just ordered Lindberg's Blockade Runner from Hobbylinc for $19  4 days ago. It looks like it & the Harriett are the same. I am going to build it as the HL & paint it black hull with white thim. I saw it on Model Ships Gallery, but in green. I forget where I saw the HL in black, but it was supposed to be when she was Coast Guard.