Yikes - been a while since I posted.. This was slow going at first but since Thanksgiving I have been able to get a lot done with it.
Spent a few weekends doing the interior work on the boat, creating bulkheads for ballast boxes and mounts for the motor and servo. I finally gave it a rough paint coat to give it a finished look (something I wasnt happy with on my Tsekoa II build).
I also smoothed out the sides of the hull, and marked locations for the openings.
I made a magnetic build plate from parts picked up at the local Home Depot (10 bucks for a piece of sheet metal, and a few magnets). Keeps things square while drying.
Once the decks were fitted and the seams smoothed out (I am still working on this as it never seems to be how I want)... I began working on the supports, around the sides.
Then it was on to the superstructure, which was a bit of a challenge due to the curve. But it wasnt too bad. The edge around the upper bridge had a weird overlap, and I didnt have any 1/4 round to fill it, so I made a smooth curve using a technique I saw on a home improvement show that is used when adding the spackle to drywall corners... It looks way nicer in person.
Then I worked on a lot of the smaller parts, like the winch, storage lockers, pump fittings, etc.
With this build I tried my hand at creating the railings by soldering instead of superglue. While they werent perfect, they are much stronger than the glued ones used on my previous build, and with some clean up they arent half bad. I will try and see if I can improve them more before painting. Not bad for the first time soldering in 18 years!
The capping strip was done all around with stock styrene strips, and I rounded the deck edges and cap edges. I figured I wanted to give this boat some of my own personal flair and flavor so I started small...
And rebuilt the entire steering gear hatch to something I liked better. I have to add some inspection hatches and the like to make it more than a smooth box. I will also be adding a wood deck to the fantail.
I have also worked on the towing bows, and some other smaller details this past weekend, and pictures will follow. But for now, a simple dry fit of how she looks.
Super impressed with this one, and after the experience my Tsekoa II had and provided me, I am completely hooked on these kits.. I will have to get another one for the next winter project!