Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[jpdenver]

Thanks Stu. 

I would not depreciate your own skills at building.  I think all of us in this hobby tend to be
cautious about boasting  too much.  Mostly (in my case) because if you change the camera angle,
you can see the flaws in the hull, or the pits in the paint, or the fact that the brass pieces should be chrome. 

I am not a historian.  I have not seen the movie "Dunkirk" yet either.  I stumbled on this model while on e-bay one night.
and something just struck me.  I do not know if you can quantify how certain boats just "click" in your brain. 
I get the most "highs" from seeing them on the water, cruising at scale speed, cutting thru the ripples on the pond. 
Being a "steamer" I tend to for the slower cruiser types as opposed to racing fast electric models. 

Obviously, all can see that Fairey models strike a similar chord in the enthusiasts represented in this forum.  Since I grew
up in the mid-west of the USA,  I gravitate to Chris-Crafts.  My family had a summer house on a lake in Wisconsin called Lake Geneva. 
I spent many summers there, and we had a Chris-Craft Utility.  My uncle across the lake had a Chris-Craft  Barrel Back.  All my friends had
similar boats, and the parties we had in the middle of the lake are some of my fondest memories.  Specially on the 4th of July when some of the
largest fireworks displays in the country erupted over our heads while we floated, tethered together.   

SO - I am starting to move on to the railings and deck hardware. 
I have the pre-painting done, and will post some pics on the process of assembling the pieces later today.
Regards to all,Stay safe,
Jim
 

[jpdenver]

Railings -

Observations:The kit included all the stanchions,  and laser-cut wood to form the small blocks at the deck,
along with the photo-etched brass plates. 

The railings are provided in two parts, one with holes, and one without.
The border trim on the deck has also been laser pre-drilled as well. 

The only issue I have found is that when the kit makers re-sized the kit from 1:12 to 1:18,
they did not reduce the size of the holes in the wood or metal parts, while the stanchions are smaller. 

So the various parts slip and fall off where they are supposed to be. 

ARGHH. 

To fix this I mounted the PE brass to the small wood "pedestals" using epoxy. 
I allowed the holes to fill in. 

When dry, I re-drilled the holes the correct size and mounted them on the end of the stanchions. 
I used a brass rod thru the center holes on the stanchions to align everything. 

Then I painted the bases to match the white on the stanchions. 

While these cured, I laminated the top rails, and after sanding, added coats of varnish. 

[DJW]

Hi Jim


Great detailing on your build. And coming along at a pace.


I've feeling I've seen the 1:1 'Bluebird of Chelsea', I'm close to the Thames and saw the 'little ships' cruise up in convoy a couple of years ago. Very emotional to see them cruising together.


Saw your comments about remembering the Chris Crafts on the lake too. My interest in the Riva Aquarama come from spending my 20s working in the Greek Islands, saw all manner of beautiful boats, but the Aquarama just stood out for me.


Look forward to seeing Bluebird afloat.
David.

[SteamboatPhil]

I have to say tis is a great Kit, and you build blog is excellent, the manufacturers would be wise to take advantage of it. Keep up the excellent work and I have learned a few tips as I have followed this thread 

[jpdenver]

Phil and David, 

Thanks for the observations. 

I do not want to come off like I regret anything about this kit.
The kit was produced in a very limited quantity.  I think there are still 2 available of ebay. 
As I am inherently lazy,  the amount of very accurate laser cutting was what appealed to me. 
without the pre-cut pieces, I think my frustration level would have climbed to new heights. 

Would I recommend this kit to others?     Yes.      But you also need to supplement with the "Article" and Dave Metcalfs drawings. 

Oh yeah - bookmark this thread!   

Back to the build -   

Time to mount the railings. 

I used 15 min epoxy to give me adequate working time.   
This allowed me to fumble around and get the pieces all interconnected. 

I used a lot of masking tape strips.  and everything tightened up pretty fast. 

Here are the pics -

Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Jim

   

[Backerther]

Hi Jim;
You really did a very good job over the railing and stanchion planting works.
Generally speaking,as you know ,planting many stanchions as well as railing are very difficult and troublesome
 if intended to do neatly.
And good railing work may be an eye-catcher in your whole model of the Bluebird of Chelesa.!!

Backerther

[jpdenver]

Thanks Backerther, 

The next part will be all the wire mesh panels. 
Something the kit manufacturer totally ignored.

I found some brass mesh I think will work, but now I need to
get my hands on the wire to be used for the frames. 

I also need to talk the boss into sewing the canvas panels for the aft deck. 

In the meantime - more fiddly bits.  The railings need extended from the upper decks down to
the lower sections by the doors of the wheelhouse. 

The clearance between all the pieces is becoming a concern,
 I need to be able to lift out the wheelhouse in order to load batteries and set switches. 
So the proximity of the stairs and the railings needs special attention. 

So more to come - but it may be a couple of days before I post again. 

Regards to all, 

Jim

[Stuw]

Wow. A somewhat tedious amount of modification to get it all to fit! Looks great with all the railings on. Keep at it and look forward to the pictures soon!

[jpdenver]

Stu -

The tedious part is just beginning - I think.      

I also have to make 22 screens for the lower openings on the railings. 

Started by laminating some pieces of scrap wood together. 
Finishing with a layer of graph paper - 1/10th inch squares. 

Then I laid out the outlines of the various screens - two have a raised section for bollards. 

Drilled holes for short pegs made from a piece of brass rod. 

Then I bent a piece of brass rod around the pegs, and soldered the ends. 

To that rectangle I attached a piece of brass screen. 

I removed some of the strands and bent others over the frame. 

The final view is the test fitting in the space. 

21 to go,   I will paint them white. 

At the same time I need to finish up the railings and paint the middle wire too. 

[jpdenver]

I took an afternoon to watch the movie - "Dunkirk" 
It always amazes me how little the USA has focused on WWII and
especially on the European Theater of Operations. 
I did not know anything of the Little Ships and Dunkirk prior to starting this build. 


Back to work, 
Finished up the initial install of railings. 
I worked on the transitions from one deck to another. 

More to come -

Regards,
Jim 

[Colin Bishop]

There are a lot of inaccuracies in that film. I was quite disappointed with it really. Artistry won out over reality.

Colin

[jpdenver]

Colin,
I actually learned more about Dunkirk from reading the book about the Bluebird. 

I consider the movie at best to be a "vignette" or the story of just one boat. 
The interesting thing was seeing the interior of the boat and its general
resemblance  to the Bluebird.   

I finished up the railings. 
Now back to the screens.

More to come,
Jim

[Stuw]

That’s some level of detail on the railings and screens! Looking good.

[Colin Bishop]

Yes, excellent work on a very attractive subject.

Colin

[jpdenver]

Screens -  Lots of them. 

24 to be exact. 

After  fitting the screens,   
I painted them with a coat or three of Gloss White Automotive. 
Then put them in place and held them by bending over the wires and trimming. 

Thanks for reading.

Jim

 

[Backerther]

Hi Jim;


You did a very good job  for such a tedious and time-consuming work.!!Looks very nice this time as well.!
Generally speaking, making a model ship takes a huge amount of time to make comparatively many parts and/or
their components, doesn't it??


Backerther

[Stuw]

A great effort - I imagine your eyes need a break. 

[jpdenver]

Finished up the Rear Deck Screens. 

Then tested the removal of the rear deck assembly.
Removing the 2 screws at the stern allows the complete rear portion
to be slid out and removed. 

Then I bribed my boss into sewing some pieces of canvas for the
wind-screens on the rear deck. 

Then I finished up the day by mounting the mast and rigging, 

More to come.
Jim

[jpdenver]

Stitched the windscreens to the railings. 

Started to add some of the deck features. 

Next step is to add all the various boxes and furniture
but since we are expecting up to 30 inches of snow this weekend,
I may be busy. 

[Stuw]

It’s such a beautifully and accurately detailed model that you are building. Going beyond the kit with your accuracy I believe.

I hadn’t even heard of Bluebird until I saw your posts I’m shocked to say and I’m only a few miles from the River Thames near London!


Thanks for educating me.


It’s a bit windy here at the moment but milder than your neck of the woods.

[Mark T]

Beautiful job Jim the attention to detail is stunning 

[Capt Podge]

You can be justly proud of how this build is turning out 


Ray.

[jpdenver]

Thanks Stu, Mark and Ray,
I am now moving from the typical kit build to a near-scratch build. 
Or as I like to put it - all the fiddly bits. 

I probably could not have done 1/2 as good a job on this craft without the
excellent article and drawings by Dave Metcalf in Model Boats back in the early '90s. 

Many thanks again to Colin Bishop for providing the archive. 

I am moving to the stern to start the fabrication of the davits, masts and of course - more fiddly bits. 

Thanks for the comments,Stay safe, get your shots, wear a mask,
Regards to all,
Jim Pope
Denver, CO  USA

[jpdenver]

While waiting for finish to dry on masts,
I attached the deck furniture.

[jpdenver]

Still Winter here.
One week until "Spring?"