Ship Update

Here are the latest.



I have to say that I'm fairly please with the outcome. The varnish (3 coats) instantly made a big difference and the filling of the cracks with the putty went better than I thought it would. In fact, the putty is more noticeable in the pictures than just holding it in your hand. I think it's because it reflects the light from the flash so much less than the varnished wood does.

The fourth picture shows the modification I had to make to the brass molding at the aft end of the ship (this was because the company sent me two starboard pieces instead of a port and starboard). It's okay, but I'm thinking of getting some paint to match the mahogany (the darker wood) and just painting it along with the starboard side so they'll match. While I'm at it, I may still paint the brass moldings that join the different railing levels you can see in picture three.

You can also see that I've attached the rudder, which does turn. The rudder head can be seen in picture four. A tiller (the stick you steer with) will go into the hole in the rudder head (thank goodness I thought of drilling that hole before attaching the rudder). I also took a picture of the bottom of the hull just because I hadn't taken a picture of that yet.

Next I will be attaching on a lot of fiddly-bits (I've been looking forward to this stage), then the bowsprit (the beam that extends from the bow). I'm not sure when I'll post the next set of pictures. It will definitely be before I step the two masts.

Mike