Armed Virginia Sloop - 1:100 - Seahorse

[catopower]

Having taken a pause from other builds, I decided I really need to know more about paper kits from other publishers than Shipyard, which is really about all I'm familiar with. I've completed three of their kits, including HMS Alert paper kit, the Cape Bowling Green lighthouse laser-cut kit, and the Bremen Cog laser-cut kit. So, now I turn my attention to the Armed Virginia Sloop paper model kit from Seahorse.

This is one of their lowest price kits at zł31.00, which is about about $7US. But, that's not the reason I got it. I got it because it seemed to be the simplest subject that I was truly interested in. I didn’t want something too complex and involved, but enough to give me a taste of building a kit from Seahorse.

I ended up getting the basic kit, the sail set, the laser-cut gun carriage set, and the laser-cut parts set. With international shipping, the whole thing cost me about $25.

I’m pretty impressed with the quality of the kit and the parts. This is billed as a skill level 3/5 kit.

This should be interesting!

[catopower]

Although I already have plenty of things to work on, I was anxious to start this kit. The hull framework construction is very much like the way Shipyard kits go together, except that in the Virginia Sloop kit, the framework is much more basic than in the Shipyard kits. Perhaps is due to the small size of the model – with the hull being only about 7-1/4" long.

The process of adding the first layer of "skin" is also similar, except that there are printed lines that I'm assuming should help with the laying down of the second layer. Also at the bow there is a "cant" frame.

The first layer went on without any issues. The process was rather quick, as the model is so small. Once done, I cleaned up the layer with a bit of light sanding to take down some of the high spots, usually at the corner of the frames.

After cleaning up the first layer with a bit of light sanding, the second layer is going on. This is done using parts from the laser-cut parts set, which is a big time saver, and may very well be a lot more accurate than I'd be able to do from laminated and hand-cut paper.

I find pre-shaped planks pretty amazing. On a wooden ship model, one usually has to use a process called spiling in order to get the correct shape of the hull planks. I'm trying very hard to not end up with the frame edges showing through the plank layer. It's probably a lot easier with this model, as it's so small, the planking layer is pretty thick, and the frames or bulkheads are so close together.

[catopower]

The decks provided in the kit are nicely colored. They have the appearance of weathered wooden planks. The decks from the basic kit.

The second layer is now done. It took me a while to make sure that bulwarks piece was positioned correctly. I was worried about the gap below it, but as far as I can tell, this should be hidden pretty well when the final planking layer goes on. I think the main guide here was the scuppers, which open right at deck level.

Finally, small strips are cut and glued into place to create the thickness of the bulwarks. Note that I've also added the parts for the faces of the exposed bulkheads at the step of the deck, and at the front of the cabin.

So far, the build has been very easy, and the process only took a couple days up to this point. The next step gets harder, as I have to cut the paper parts for the inside and outside faces of the bulwarks, which includes cutting the gunports as well as the holes for the sweeps and also the scuppers. Then, I believe the final planking for the hull goes on.

[romanmodels]

looking good so far Clare.

[Michael Mash]

Fine work.
Tomek's kits are wonderful.

[birder]

Your start looks great, and the idea of a bit smaller is appealing, very nice

[Wyvern]

Watching with interest!

Wyvern

[catopower]

Thanks, everyone. I'm very happy with the progress on this model, and on the quality of the kit. Really glad I opted for the accessory sets. I think the laser-cut parts are making quick work of the hull construction.

[catopower]

Adding the inner face of the bulwarks was the next challenge. This is a thin piece of printed paper that has a lot of small openings that have to be cut out for the gun ports, sweep ports, as well as the scuppers. The gun ports and the scuppers were easy enough, but cutting the complicated shape of the sweep ports was more of a challenge. It's basically a slot with a round opening in the center.

After a couple attempts at this, I found that the best way was to cut the slot portion of the sweep port, then afterwards cut the round part in the middle of the ports. A tapered dowel helped to make that opening more round. The results weren't perfect, but the ports themselves, with a little touch up paint that I applied from behind, seem okay.

I tried to stiffen the openings up a bit by the application of thin CA glue, again from behind. However, the glue soaked in VERY quickly, and you can see how it kind of stained or darkened the area around the sweep ports. I will probably try to carefully give the bulwarks a wash of thinned paint in an attempt to even out the color of the bulwarks.

One of the things about the inner bulwarks pieces is they didn't quite fit at the aft end where they meet the rise in the deck and the stern cabin. For my model, it was necessary to use the gun ports to determine the exact alignment of the bulwarks piece, then carefully trim the aft edges, little by little, until I had a proper fit.

[Wyvern]

Looks dang good.

In my experience, woodwork on a working wooden vessel is never uniform in tint, so I wouldn’t let the discoloration from the CA bother you overmuch. To me it looks quite realistic. Your model, though.

Wyvern