Iron Duke 1/200 scale

[deckape]

Ahoy
Thank you Grandson Peter for your wonderfull reply I will do my Sundays best on this old girl, I always had a love for the Royal Navy there is alot of History of the masters of the sea... Okay shipmates the build is going slow for now but it will speed up as i get going as to the construction all frames and sheers have dried over night to make certain the hull is warp free i added weight to the topside to keep the hull straight.. When everything has dried its time for the decks on all of the weather decks I added vanillia cardstock to reinforce the decks dont want no wavey decks an old sailor like me would get sea sick looking at that wavey deck. I added weight to keep the decks straight and make quite certain its glued properly on the top of the hull frames....so far no fit issues havew arised but due tell......after 6 hours of drying time I removed the weight and its straight all through I am a happy camper the instructions in the kit are horrible there are hardly no assembly illistrations showing each sub assembly like that of most card models in general. the kit is like a blue print you got to put your head in the designers head and think things out before you leap or you will run into trouble and you will regret it later... The casements on the foreward section of the ship is as confuseing as a steril rabbit there is a hull layout on one seperate sheet showing the steps to build the hull but its crowded with center lines and no seggestion of doubling formers you got to get arounbd the all those lines and study the parts where they go the longer you look at the assembly sheet the more clearer the build will be as for the next step i am going to add all of the connector tabs and then I skin the hull bottom side on up ten add the casements looking at the hull it reminds me of the old Battleship Utah Florida class. Here are the build update i will post a couple more this evening.

Boats

[deckape]

Ahoy
here is the last update for the night, The update build report is the starting of the skins, Before the skinning process begins I added the conector strips that will except the top hull skins and the bottom skins got the port side sone on the top skins letting the unit dry over night tomorrow i will start on the styarboard side just like the port side there are no fit issues to the hull skins Once I have the Starboartd top hull skin finished I will tune up the hull by adding hull plate on the4 sides I already made a batch of dark sea gray paint and sprayed it on some vanilia card stock i will cut out a series of hull plates and add them to the hull sides before I get started on the bottom portion.Looks like a battlrship now instead of a keel with frames............ I worked in the casements on the forward hullk top sides the same will be added aft as well, After ingestingt the hull plan on the kit I finally got into the designers head and it worked out the way he designed the kit the casement guns will be added when the intire hull is finished.no warps in the hull I am happy anyone who has this kit dive in and build it my thread will help you out as to the warning before construction started about the hull sides dont fit up to the deck they fit just fine a lot of dry fitting is a must you cant go overboard and start glue things down as you all know modelship building is a slow process here is the build update for the night.

Boats

[deckape]

Ahoy
Here is a update build for now i will post another later..... Next will be the bottom skins i am starting on them as of now, no fit issues were incountered the wraping of the top skins were rougher then a cobb but i got them on I added the hull panels like the real vessel had. The tops skins are burnished..... I notice also in the kit there are two missing pieces they are the forward casement deck as the deck blends into the casement superstructure they were part of the weather deck i have to add that to complete the hull. in view of the kit its not the best out there by far the kit is ancient and have no clue whats ahead of me on the build its full of surprises..... I just hope the bottom skins go on with no fuss but I will make it work....... when i get the hull done i will airbrush on some weathering and washes . Here is the update for now.

Boats

[peter taft]

She's already starting to look the grand old lady that she is. Look forward to the weathering effects Skipper, i know you are a master at this

[Bluenoser]

I am watching this with great interest as I am thinking this may be my next build.
Looking forward to your weatheing as well since I am attempting to do this on the Travestein.

[vbsargent]

Looking mighty good there!

I have been meaning to ask, how exactly do you burnish your seams? I am familiar with the concept of burnishing (from using press type as a graphics artist back before desktop publishing). But what tools do you use, and how do you go about it in such a way that you never seem to mar the surface texture or print of your models?

Please share your secrets oh, grand and powerful Boats!

vbsargent

[deckape]

Originally Posted by vbsargent

Looking mighty good there!

I have been meaning to ask, how exactly do you burnish your seams? I am familiar with the concept of burnishing (from using press type as a graphics artist back before desktop publishing). But what tools do you use, and how do you go about it in such a way that you never seem to mar the surface texture or print of your models?

Please share your secrets oh, grand and powerful Boats!

vbsargent

Ahoy vbsargent
thank you very much my man for your reply on my Iron duke. The best burnishing tool you can use on card kits and its worked form e for yuears on end in the old fashion Teaspoon or the end of a butter knife. Make very certain you burnish after the glue has dried. or you will shift the glued part and leave a smear on the finished skins let them dry when dry burnish and dont be bashfull on applying presure on the burnishing toool card models are tougher then nails and they have thier weakness too. thank you very much for your reply.

Old grandad boats

[deckape]

Ahoy
back at the build sorry for not keeping the thread going i8 had a bunch stuff arised another honey do list. One thing about having a first mate you got to keep her happy or you end up sleeping on the couch and have no glue. Okay fellas back at the build I started at the stem of the bow the first two skins fitted very well then it got out of wack. The bottom skins were to undersize causing a bad fit issue and a eyesore you dont need so i went back to the law of scratch building useing vanilia file cardstock wjich works wonders on cardmodels, I doubled skin the bottom useing the kits pattern of the bottom skins I cutted them out and sprayed red oxide on the cardstock trimming as I att5ach the bottom skins with the first layer of the bottom skins make the nbew skins fit very well with no fuss i am happy........ I will add some bottom panels to the finished skins whjen the hull bottom is done and lastly add the black boot topping. hopefull with this thread you fellas can get a heads up on what you are about to build Here is the update foir now i will post another this evening.

Boats

[deckape]

Ahoy
Here is the last update build report for the day, Just completed the bottom skins the kits bottoms skins are so out of wack it brings me bad memories on my Thud build. oldboats learns something everyday. these old kits are trial and error builds..........with enough errors on these old kits they soon become upgraded and redone. There is anothert kit of this by the same publisher buts its upgraded so if you have that kit the hair pulling will stop. This is a old first run printing and it has its share of fit issues but they can be dealt with........ so if you have the old kit such as this one you have to make your own bottom skins the best way is to build your own such as i have done....... tomorrow I will have the intire hull completed and ther funparts will come into play I have another 15 minutes or so that is left on the hull... here are a couple pictures of the hull.

Boats

[peter taft]

I have the mind that says "if our Skipper can't fix it, then it can't be fixed" You always give these kits 110% and manage to overcome such issues. This is your baby and you are doing her full justice SIR