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Author Topic: Oseberg by Billing Boats  (Read 8860 times)

poulw

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Oseberg by Billing Boats
« on: April 06, 2009, 09:52:49 am »

This build must come under the category "ancient warships" I guess  ok2

I started this build one month ago as a Birthday present for my son, and, during the way, found some terrible flaws in the kit which is the main reason for this thread - in case someone else would like to try it.

The ship is symmetrical at each end, so a mod needed at one end automatically leads to the same mod at the other.

Laying the keel and attaching the frames went without too much drama, but be aware that the instructions included in the kit, or rather the lack of them, makes it easy to make some major mistakes.

Anyway, now for the build:

Here is the start with keel laid and frames attached



When I started the planking, the first thing I noticed was that frame no. 2 and 8 needed some padding for the first two planks next to the keel. Trying to make the planks follow those frames made the bottom of the ship's otherwise beautiful lines look completely wrong - like it was dented



Here the planking is nearly finished and the crew ready to inspect.
(The captain is Sweyn Forkbeard (Svend Tveskæg aka Sven the Dane) with his vikings - Harald, Canute, Erik, and Thorkell - getting ready for a trip to England to battle King Ethelred and collect Danegeld. So, UK watch out )  :D



The next problem I noticed was the carvings included in the kit. The front and aft is supposed to look like a snake with the head curled up at the front and the tail at the aft. The carvings were both of snake heads and needed some serious cleaning as well.

The delivered (top) carving is shown here



And the mods I had to make



There was also a problem when I came to the shaft for the rudder. The shaft is supposed to be carved from some of the timber included, but the quality of this timber makes it unworkable. I splits far too easily.
So, I decided to scratch build it from a 6mm hardwood round (using my drill press and a file to shape it)



Then it was time to start the decking.

The first thing I decided was to avoid the thin, dark, timber strips across on top of the planking where the frames are, and instead put in proper frame separation to break the deck planks.

I then noticed that the kit came with four small "frame" tops for the middle section, around the mast, to create the illusion of two extra frames in place. This did not look very good with full length planks, so I put in two proper false frames, and thought I had solved the problem.
(As shown later, this was not the case).

Here is the middle section planked with the deck plank separators over the frames and the two false frames in between with - Sweyn Forkbeard inspecting



More problems

The whole mast arrangement was 2mm too narrow for the mast  >>:-(

I modified the bottom part (the part under the deck) by adding a 2mm scrap piece of timber in the middle, but the top part (the "fish") could not be modified without loosing its nice look.
So again, I decided to scratch build a proper "fish" using pictures of the original ship in the Viking Museum, Oslo



Here the "fish" is in place



The way Billing recommended to assemble the ship, made the bow and stern look far too bulky when the carvings were added. I therefore removed the tapered lining from the curved part of the bow and stern and tapered the plywood down to 2mm at the front.



That mod took quite a few days, but it looks far more elegant after the mod.

Looking at the port side



The front of the ship



The aft of the ship.

(The ladder/boardwalk - I don't really know exactly what it is - is scratch build since it features on the original ship in the Viking Museum, Oslo)



As you have probably noticed from the above pics, the ship just looked a bit ridiculous with another 4 frames left out (this is a major flaw in the Billing kit), so I decided to put in some false frames.

This was made a bit difficult as the deck was already in place.

I cut some 0.5mm thin planks on my Proxxon saw, the width of the frames, and cut a shallow groove across the deck with a scalpel and then glued the "frame" in place.
I also scratch built the "frame" tops for the false frames.



Finally, a pic of Oseberg nearly completed.

There is a contrast between the top planks and the lower planks due to different timber used on the original ship, but I have overdone it by a mile.
I will darken the top planks a bit tomorrow



Still the sail and rigging to be finished
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dreadnought72

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2009, 11:07:34 am »

That's a really good job of a so-so kit. Well done!

I found the Billings Roar Ege much more fun - and a nicer looking vessel at the end of it.  ok2

Andy
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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2009, 11:23:09 am »

Thanks Andy :-)

You are probably right that it's a so-so kit.
I have no experience, since this is the first kit I have ever built (that includes plastic kits), but to pay top dollars from a well renown (I guess ???) manufacturer, I must admit that I'm disappointed.
Too many flaws and shortcuts :((
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barryfoote

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2009, 11:52:23 am »

Thanks Andy :-)

You are probably right that it's a so-so kit.
I have no experience, since this is the first kit I have ever built (that includes plastic kits), but to pay top dollars from a well renown (I guess ???) manufacturer, I must admit that I'm disappointed.
Too many flaws and shortcuts :((

That does appear to be quite common in the world of kit modeling. That said, you have put your considerable skills to good use and produced a model to be proud of......Now as for doing battle with good old Ethelred......We will be waiting!! :-)) :-)) :-))
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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2009, 12:12:19 pm »

......Now as for doing battle with good old Ethelred......We will be waiting!! :-)) :-)) :-))
Guess the surprise attack has been blown now  :}
... but the gang will come anyway  %%
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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2009, 04:15:59 am »

I finished the carvings today.
It took a few modifications to make it all fit.

First, I added a piece of scrap 1mm ply (tapered) to cover where all the different pieces meet



The top part of the back of the carvings (there is also a part across a little lower) had to be added on the outside of the side carvings (according to photos of the original ship) which therefore had to be flush with each other where they join.
To make this happen, I first ad to cut off a corner of one of the side carvings (the one on the left)



Also, the back top part had to be tapered for the whole top to look nice and smooth



Finally the lower part on the back had to be joined into the side carvings (again according to photos of the original ship)



So, it all looks nice now, and here is what it looks like all together   :-)

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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2009, 07:02:57 am »

My Oseberg build is now finished despite all the heartaches  :-)

From the time I glued the first two pieces of timber together, it has taken me exactly one month to complete,
and it will be handed over to my son as his Birthday present tomorrow morning at breakfast.




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barryfoote

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2009, 07:35:37 am »

 :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))and I am sure he will be very happy with it. A great little build. :-) :-)
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Bunkerbarge

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2009, 08:14:39 am »

Obviously a bit of a challenge and all credit to you for sorting it out but the thing that makes the most impact on me is the absolutely beautiful lines of such a vessel and the fact that scandanavian seamen travelled across the North Sea in these things.  Life in Scandanavia must have been pretty grim for them to go through that just to get away from it. O0
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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2009, 08:30:49 am »

... the thing that makes the most impact on me is the absolutely beautiful lines of such a vessel and the fact that scandanavian seamen travelled across the North Sea in these things...

You are quite right there.

Building a model like this is an eyeopener for the beauty of these ships. Amazing that they could build ships like this over a thousand years ago.
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dreadnought72

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2009, 09:01:55 am »

They are beautiful vessels. Though I have a softer spot for the real working ones, such as Roar Ege and the knarrs Saga Siglar & Bordgundknarren (both replicas of the Roskilde 1 ship) compared to these "fancy royal boats".

Andy
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poulw

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2009, 01:03:53 pm »

Here are some pics of the finished Oseberg from the handover to my son for his Birthday this morning.
He was very pleased indeed  :-) :-) :-)





My little grandson (in the background) was very interested



And the ship finally at its last resting place - on top of a display cupboard and far out of reach of my grandson

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Jimmy James

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Re: Oseberg by Billing Boats
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2009, 04:26:28 pm »

Nice bit of work you've done ..She looks great...  Question ? Is the model large enought to to make it sail??? with say a 2 channel set?????
Freebooter
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