1/96 Cutty Sark WIP (Revell H-399)

Dave....I think your images were simply posted to my Facebook account.....and they popped up there.

Hay....would you consider making me a case for my Great Republic?

Yours are so beautiful and you've perfected your craft....

Rob

Incredible, mate.  Love your work, including the case.

I will seriously have to think about a case for my Connie (if I ever get her finished).

Again, FABULOUS!

Bob

lovely work dave , beautiful and clean as alway's . I really love the weathering on those kit sails , I've never been able to do kit sails justice , but you made them sing mate .

Thanks for the nice words, you guys!  It means a lot coming from such talented folks as you :)

Rob, building a case is really not as tough as I thought it would be.  If you've looked around, you probably found that buying a case for a model ship is pretty spendy (I found online sellers charging 400, 500 or more for a large case-and without glass!)...

There's an ebook available online that details the process for making a case....I bought it for 25 bucks several years ago and downloaded, it looks like it's only 11 now:

https://modelshipcases.com/

It's basically written by a man who didn't want to spend so much on a case and decided to build his own.  I followed his method for the most part, but found some more practical ways to achieve certain construction elements.  For my Cutty Sark case, material was about 100 dollars, and glass was about 100 dollars.  If you have a table saw, an electric miter/chop saw, a drill and some sandpaper, you can build one for a decent price.  It does take time, though, and it's a labor of love.  I think this one took me about 3 weeks.

20190830_080042 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

After building 3 of them (for the Soleil Royal, Catalan, and Cutty Sark), I still don't get absolutely perfect miters, but it's nothing a little wood putty can't fill!

Anyway, if anybody here decides to build a case for their model, I'd be happy to offer some insight and advice for the project to help get them through it....some of the instructions in the book confused me at first, but like the instructions for a model ship, I have it memorized by now!

Thanks!

Dave

dave , I really like the way you did your preformed sails , for something a bit quick , I dug out my revell 1/83 mayflower & decided to do it OOB .could you give me some details, on how you painted your sails , what colours you used etc , please .

Hi Steve-

I've heard good things about the Revell Mayflower (is it somewhat rare?), I hope you'll post a build log!

There really weren't any special tricks to the sail painting.  I have seen vacuum-formed sails that are molded in a sort of cartoonish way  (super-billowy), but the Cutty Sark sails are molded with a much more natural-looking sag, which makes the end result just a bit more realistic.

I cut the sails out from the sheets with scissors, and then punched holes along the top for the gaskets or robands or whatever, and also holes in the corners for clew and sheet lines.  I used a sort of awl that I made from a tiny screwdriver that I ground to a point.  It did a good job of stretching the holes into a nice round opening without tearing them.

Then I took some large pieces of styrofoam and laid the sails out on it, and pinned the sails to the foam using sewing needles (through the previously-made holes) to keep them in place during painting.

The colors I used are Testors Model Master Acrylic Radome Tan and Dark Tan.

I basically just airbrushed the entire surface of both sides of each sail with Radome Tan.

Then I loaded up the Dark Tan and airbrushed it on, but only around the edges and the *recessed* areas, both to create a shadow effect and to hint at weathering.

Applying the Dark Tan for the shadows is a matter of using a light touch, only a little here and there, and anywhere that the sail looks like it curves around (where the light wouldn't be hittting it and reflecting directly off), that's where I would add a little.

After doing that for both sides, I let it dry for a couple hours, and that's it.

Hope that helps!

Dave

thanks dave , I'm of to brisbane today for supplies , only a 400 K round trip . will pick up some MM paints there , just hope they still sell them .

your right about the sails , they don't look too bad , I was going to paint them on the sheet , but I can see the difficulties their now . I don't know how rare it is , I honestly forgot I even had it , till I was scratching around looking for some stuff , this should be a quick , fun build , I will do a build log , thank's again mate .

steve5

thanks dave , I'm of to brisbane today for supplies , only a 400 K round trip . will pick up some MM paints there , just hope they still sell them .

your right about the sails , they don't look too bad , I was going to paint them on the sheet , but I can see the difficulties their now . I don't know how rare it is , I honestly forgot I even had it , till I was scratching around looking for some stuff , this should be a quick , fun build , I will do a build log , thank's again mate .

 

Steve you should stop in and say Hi as I live in Brisbane. Besides the thread Hijack for a Minute, that is one of the Cutty Sark Builds I have seen in a long time and set off beautifully by the Display Case. You must be one very happy Modeller.....Cheers mark 

thank's mark , wish I had of known , went to hobbyrama , great shop , 

Darth Dave,

When you last talked to me you were but a learner. But now you are the Master.

A Master ship builder Darth.

Anyway my former Padawan, you are strong with the Force.

All kidding aside bud, that is one dadgum beautiful model! So what is next on the building stocks?

Steve

Gorgeous. A model of a ship named after a negligee.

Dave,  On the main mast of the ship at one time they had a Mast Vane in the shape of the 'Cutty Sark'. A replica is on display 'between decks' of the ship itself. I added one to my mainmast and get a kick out of explaining it.  

Once gilded, this vane would have been fitted to the top of Cutty Sark’s main mast whenever the ship was in port. It depicts a ‘cutty sark’—the namesake for Clipper Ship Cutty Sark, after the undergarment worn by the witch Nannie in Robert Burns’ poem Tam O’Shanter.

In London’s East India Docks, Willis gave the vane to senior apprentice Robert Andrewes who sprang onto the ratlines and quickly made his way up the main mast amidst a burst of cheers from deck.

The vane was reportedly lost when the ship was severely damaged in a storm in 1916, but incredibly it turned up in a London saleroom in 1960 with a letter of authentication from the Portuguese captain.

Today, a gilded replica can be seen on the ship’s main truck, while the original mast head vane is displayed on board, on the ’tween deck.

Scrool down in the article and you will see the images.

https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/blog/ship%E2%80%99s-blog-mast-head-vane

Many thanks to Steve, Bill, and Jake!  you guys have helped me so much on my journey in this hobby!

Steve, speaking of Obi-Wan and Vader, I hope you've seen the *reimagined* fight scene between them?  Super, super exciting!  here's a link to the youtube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to2SMng4u1k

I'm actually already getting started on my next kit....it's Imai's Spanish Galleon.  I did their Pirate Ship version of this kit way back when (think it was my 3rd or 4th ship) and while I very much enjoyed the quality of the kit (and everything they made), my training was incomplete.  I found this one on eBay recently for 40 bucks (!), but it had a bunch of the sprues (still intact) brush painted in garish gloss colors and the hull halves were glued together.  I bought it anyway, and was able to pry the hull and stern pieces apart, and hit all the parts with Tamiya primer...Boom!  Just like new!  I know that kit, if you can find it, goes for over 100 bucks most of the time, so I feel pretty lucky.  I've already ordered deadeyes, chainplate strops, and eyebolts for it, blocks and line will be coming soon, but my next step is to airbrush all the base coats.

I'm excited about it, thinking I can do a pretty good job...though not as elaborate at Kirill is doing with his! Lol

Bill, I'm a sucker for a witch in lingerie!

Jake, that's a pretty cool bit o' history about the Cutty Sark, never heard about that vane...

Anyway, thanks again you guys for your kind words and advice and support!  You rock!

Dave

Dave, you have done a stellar job on this build! I will be using your build as a guide to build my own 'Cutty' soon. I hope it can measure up to yours.

A pleasure.

The figurehead is of Nannie holding Meg’s tail and sort of wearing her cutty sark.

I cant post the picture here without irritating the bosses, but it’s easy to find.

Sigep Ziggy

Dave, you have done a stellar job on this build! I will be using your build as a guide to build my own 'Cutty' soon. I hope it can measure up to yours.

 

I'll second that, I have a Cutty sark also but will have to build myself up to it. When I do I'll be referring back to this thread. Enjoyed looking in

I wanted to see this build at the front of the forum where it belongs.

Sorry to bring this up now Dave.....but what are the dimensions of your CS case....I'm getting ready to plan out my case build for my Great Republic

Rob

Hi;

 In reply; When I do Restos,I advise the owners to invest in a case. The man that does them for me leaves 3 inches forward of the Bowsprit and 3 inches aft of the Spanker Boom. He also leaves 2 inches outside the tip of the widest Yardarm,( Both Sides.).

David_K

Many thanks to Steve, Bill, and Jake!  you guys have helped me so much on my journey in this hobby!

Steve, speaking of Obi-Wan and Vader, I hope you've seen the *reimagined* fight scene between them?  Super, super exciting!  here's a link to the youtube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to2SMng4u1k

I'm actually already getting started on my next kit....it's Imai's Spanish Galleon.  I did their Pirate Ship version of this kit way back when (think it was my 3rd or 4th ship) and while I very much enjoyed the quality of the kit (and everything they made), my training was incomplete.  I found this one on eBay recently for 40 bucks (!), but it had a bunch of the sprues (still intact) brush painted in garish gloss colors and the hull halves were glued together.  I bought it anyway, and was able to pry the hull and stern pieces apart, and hit all the parts with Tamiya primer...Boom!  Just like new!  I know that kit, if you can find it, goes for over 100 bucks most of the time, so I feel pretty lucky.  I've already ordered deadeyes, chainplate strops, and eyebolts for it, blocks and line will be coming soon, but my next step is to airbrush all the base coats.

I'm excited about it, thinking I can do a pretty good job...though not as elaborate at Kirill is doing with his! Lol

Bill, I'm a sucker for a witch in lingerie!

Jake, that's a pretty cool bit o' history about the Cutty Sark, never heard about that vane...

Anyway, thanks again you guys for your kind words and advice and support!  You rock!

Dave

 

Dave,

I finally watched the fan art (?) segment you posted. That is the first time I’ve seen it but I’m sure my boys have seen it! It’s kinda cool but I’m a Kenobi fan so seeing Darth fling him around was weird. It was nicely done though! I’d like to hear what you think of the last three films but would probably be better through email, otherwise we might start a revolution and it would take away from your most excellent build.

Steve

The deck plan is from 1870. She was rebuilt in 1930. The anchor chain in the model is in idle position in 1870. In working condition the anchor chain runs clear over the hatchcover. (so elevated). From the anchor, around anchor winch, over deckwinch, chain locker. It saw some pictures from 1915.

Dave,

Your Cutty Sark is magnificent! It stands up as well as your Soleil Royal.  These kits to me are every bit as good as wood models.

Bill Morrison

Thanks, Bill!  I had a great time building the Cutty Sark, it was my favorite Revell kit.

I haven't been modeling much the last couple of years, other hobbies and responsibilities have claimed much of my free time....I have a partially-built Imai Spanich Galleon that I need to get rigged, someday I'll get back to work on it! 

Dave

You have done a superb job on the Sark. I love it.....Cheers mark