Build Log: Revell HMS Bounty 1/110

I'm on board, Captain.

If you haven't seen this, here's a link to a collection of Pitcairn Island and Bounty materials at Pacific Union College.

The site is pretty self-explanatory about the College, it's connection to Pitcairn through the Seventh-Day Adventist faith, and the story of the Islanders.

https://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/index.shtml

Thank you for the link! As I'm sure many would agree, the history of these beautiful ships are as much a reason for getting into the hobby as anything. 

It sounds simple with great results. Meaning it looks great! Can't wait to see your work on the hull.

Thanks! It almost seemed too simple; I had intended to do more than one wash, maybe with lighter or darker tones-- but it looked decent so I didn't want to mess with it too much. I'm my own worst critic and I tend to nitpick things to death. 

Sometimes less is more, or so the saying goes, I wouldn't change a thing.

Hello! A minor update of sorts. I have been trying to work on it, but I have to admit I'm starting to get a bit frustrated by how difficult the pieces are to fit together. I did plenty of sanding when I was working on the Consitution for a proper fit, but the Bounty pieces are really bad- extra plastic, pieces not lining up properly, and in a number of places on the deck where there is supposed to be a hole to put assembled pieces on, there is still plastic; in some places the holes are still completely filled in. I was trying to put the ship's wheel together, and the three pieces are completely misaligned.

Maybe the molds are getting worn out. Part of me wants to just pick a different ship to build!

Hello Shellback,

I still love to build old Revell sailing ships.

Yes, those molds are past their prime in my opinion.  If you do want to build the Bounty, or any of the other Revell ships, I find is easy to get the old versions (pre 1992) on the auction sites for very little money.  I built the Bounty for my Mother in Law a few years ago from a early 70s release I got on ebay for $14.  the kit was far better than the latest release.  

I told the story a few years ago about my 1/96 Constitution ordeal, where I bought a new kit and the moldings were so poor I sent it back when I found an old release in a thrift store for $3.  Again, the difference in fit and quality was night and day.  

I am about to start a 1967 release of the Charles Morgan.

Another good kit that fits well as an older release and is easy to get at online autions is the Mayflower.  

A suggestion for your deck, add a hint of gray in your paint mix so that it softens the look and give a little bit of a weathered appeal.  If you do decide to not finish this kit due to the fit, keep it and continue to test your painting techniques on the parts.  

Thanks for the advice. I actually did exactly what you said; I purchased a new kit for cheap for a fresh start, so I can try your tip for the deck as well. I also bought a little drill for crafts that will be useful.

I thought the deck looked a little 'warm' too. I like using an enamel spray for the base because it looks nicer and I don't have a ventilated space for an airbrush. would you recommend adding an acrylic grey to directly to my raw sienna for a wash, or do them separately? Or just using a more grey-ish enamel spray for a base?

Thank you!

ShellbackFC2

Thanks for the advice. I actually did exactly what you said; I purchased a new kit for cheap for a fresh start, so I can try your tip for the deck as well. I also bought a little drill for crafts that will be useful.

I thought the deck looked a little 'warm' too. I like using an enamel spray for the base because it looks nicer and I don't have a ventilated space for an airbrush. would you recommend adding an acrylic grey to directly to my raw sienna for a wash, or do them separately? Or just using a more grey-ish enamel spray for a base?

Thank you!

 

 

I mostly paint with acrylics and oils on an enamel primer base.  Since you already painted the sienna, practice doing a very thin wash of gray over it.  This is not a drybrush, but a wash to subdue and blend the reds, tans, and browns of the deck.  

Here is a sample on a quick build Nina I did.  After this, you could do a wash of black or dark gray to bring out the lines of the deck and other features.  Trick is to keep the coats super thin and use a light brush.  Acrylics are great because they clean and wipe off easily with a damp cloth.  

And a full weathered look using multiple gray washes on the Constitution.  Both models had the decks painted with a base coat exactly like yours.

Since acrylics are a bit fragile when dry, when I am all done, I give the deck a spray of this suff to seal everything, especially if I am to do any other painting with enamels or oils.

Thank you for the beautiful examples. I picked up some paints on my way home from work, so I'll be experimenting with that while I wait to begin "Bounty 2.0." 

While I'm in a holding pattern, I have a few other thoughts rattling around. First, I liked how in jtilley's build he removed the first two grates and had the anchor cable running down below. Now, he, of course, built his own deck and used different grating, but now that I'm armed with my little drill I was thinking about drilling/sanding them out to try to achieve a similar effect. I feel like it gives some depth, but obviously it's a pretty permanent decision.

I'm also trying to find a way to tie down the longboat that looks good. Are there any after-market fittings to scale available that I can glue to the deck?

Thanks again.

One thing that it's always good to have around are eyebolts. The plastic ones are always too big, and break at the worst times. They can be had PE or formed wire, or you can make them. I don't find making them worthwhile as hundreds can be had cheap.

In the world of sailing ship goodies, they tend to be listed by actual dimension rather that scale. Because a large eyebolt at 1/120 looks pretty much the same as a small eyebolt at 1/64. It's the same generally with blocks and rope.

If you are inclined to plank your deck, I'd be more than happy to guide you through it. It does really look good.

Have a look at Blue Jacket Shipcrafters and Model Shipways sites, and Micro Mark.

You can buy replacement gratings. There are some nice laser cut wood ones that aren't spendie.

Hello GMorrison. Do you have a recommendation for a good size for eyebolts? I've found a few, but they seem large: 

https://modelexpo-online.com/search.asp?keyword=jackstay+eyebolts&search=

BlueJackets had a few as well:

http://www.bluejacketinc.com/fittings/fittings29.htm

Do you need to drill a hole in the deck to put these on?

the 1/16" ones scale a 6.8 inch hole which is biggish, but not horrible. Look at Northstar, they make some 1/350 tie down sets that include pretty small eyebolts.

Yes you drill a hole. If you install them before you glue in the deck, you can bend the tails under and glue those.

There isn't much more annoying in a ship model than brushing a previously installed, nice tight line and having the eyeboly snap ot the pin rail break off.

Yeah, that sounds pretty rage-inducing. I just got my new kit, so I'll do some tinkering over the next few days and report back. 

Did it come with little figures?

It's a really great kit. One of the curiousities is that the hull was not molded with copper plates, which the ship had in service.

That's fixable if you care about it. 

It did come with figures; I'm looking forward to painting them. I had seen the issue with the copper plates. Looks like people have dealt with them a few ways.

I'm hoping to try the method of sanding off the raised planking and cutting copper plates out of rolls of copper tape. I already picked up a couple rolls. How I'm going to cut them consistently and to scale, I haven't worked out yet.

They are really nicely cast little gems. 

To be quite honest, painting the hull copper color works just fine. The next best is to cover the hull in runs of tape and indent a little vertical every scale four feet with a tool like a screwdriver. That's 1/2". If you are going to cut individual plates, I'd do it after the tape is on the model.

Forget the nails. 

I'm on the fence about it; at least now I have a spare so I can play around with it. If I do just paint it, would you still sand off the planking?

Yes, for sure. You have do do that with the tape approach too. Otherwise the grain telegraphs through.

Do you use those sanding sticks from CVS? The gritty black ones could cut through steel.

Here's a good article.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/15623-hms-bounty-by-husky1943-revell-plastic-2nd-attempt/

Excellent link, a lot of good ideas there. I think I will use the tape, if for no other reason than I already bought two rolls. They're probably a little large scale-wise, but maybe I can overlap a tiny bit.

And I'm absolutely stealing some ideas from his longboat- I was thinking it was kind of boring as is. I'm at least doing the styrene ribs he added.

OOPS !

     I noticed a BIG difference between the "Connie" and this. Cap'n Bligh was the Penultimate Seaman of the day. His further exploits back that up. He demanded holystoned decks and he got them! That would've lent them a color close to the one you did on the Constitution ! Well, Don't stop Now !   T.B.

Hey " G " 

     I see you recommend the same sanding stick hardware store I use !  T.B.

Hello Tanker. There is quite a difference between the two; I'm experimenting with painting techniques to try and give the deck some character this time around. I really like the look of scottrc's examples, so I think I will try and emulate those.

Thanks for the reply!

Will be watching this Build with interest my Friend. Did you used to visit another Forum (Nameless for now) a while ago..?? If so it's great to see you again on the Boards.....Cheers mark 

Hi Mark, welcome aboard! This is the only forum I've participated in, and I'm pretty new at that. I've been diligently working behind the scenes so I should have some updates soon.

Thought I'd share what I've been tinkering with the past few days. Mostly I've been using Scott's example to work on the deck, which has been fun. The washes of grey did indeed tone down the color and added a weathered look, which I like. I also used the drill I got to make holes for the eyebolts I'll be adding. Turns out I'm not a big fan of the drill; it's an electric one, and it is unwieldy and hard to be precise. The holes for tying down the longboat are a little off-kilter, but not much I can do about it now. I'll be investing in a pin vice for future projects. 

Nothing is glued down; I was doing some dry-fitting to make sure everything is going together smoothly. The drill helped me in that regard too. At this point, I'm waiting for the matte spray before I finish up the deck. I'm also still considering how to paint the longboat; I mostly see white used, but I liked jtilley's paint scheme. I have a flat black spray can, but I'm on the fence about it.

Well, all things considered, it has been a much smoother process this time around. Hope to get the deck finished up this week. As always, if you see anything I could add, I'm always up for suggestions!

Indeed, pin vise is the way to go for holes for eyebolts and other small fittings.  I use mine a lot on ship models.

I suggest getting the type that has a 1/8" collet. With a set of drill bits of different sizes all with 1/8" shanks.

On the right: