Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Cutty Sark rigging sheets

      Here are the rigging instructions for the Revell Cutty Sark H-399.  these instructions can also be used for the Revell Thermopylae, 1:96 scale.   once these are downloaded or copied, they can be printed and pieced together, because each side is one complete page.  I will list them as such and in their particular order:  left upper, right upper, left lower and right lower.  here is page 1.








              Here is page two, in the same rotation:




Cutty Sark instruction sheets

     On the "Models Buzz" website, we have seen quite a few inquiries about the instruction sheet for this ship, making it the most "asked for" set of plans.  the kit that I refer to is the Revell Cutty Sark H-399.  this kit, along with about ten other kits of the same scale, was put out by Revell during the mid, to late 60's and is still readily available today.  from what information i have gathered, it was discontinued in the 90's, but it still can be found on E-Bay, and old model kits websites.  here are the plans for this ship.......the hopes are that folks can copy or download the pictures, making them easier to acquire.  the detail of this ship is the best you are ever going to see, in my opinion, and can also be used for it's sister ship, The Thermopylae.  the kit is three feet long, when built and around twenty two inches high.  in earlier kits, it came without sails, later kit sported the sails, complete with the studding sails.  Enjoy.....and AHOY!














Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Cutty Sark - a build log {part 6}

     once I had finished the standing rigging, I then started to look at the next step…..the sails.  I started at the bow, tying on the jib sails.  I had already tied on all the blocks necessary to do the running rigging included with them….the halyards, down hauls and sheet lines.  the stay sails, the Spencer gaff sail and the spanker sail were the next ones to go on.  at that time, I only did the down hauls and sheet lines for them, I would save the Vang lines for later…I did not want them in the way.   I had given thought as to how I would handle putting on the mast sails.  the clew lines and down hauls are directly related to the yards themselves, so I figured that I would do them without the sails on.  the sheet lines would connect the bottom corners of the sails to the yards and would complete their assembly.
     the clew lines are the pulleys, so the lines cannot cross anywhere in the assembly.  care must be taken to route the lines accordingly, so that this does not occur….there are twenty of these lines throughout the masts, all tied to the pin rails along the deck.  as they run down to the deck, they must not intersect other lines, as it would create havoc with the other lines as well and make it look messy.  there must be a sense of order….this takes a lot of trial and error.
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     soon it was time to put the other sails on.  each one of these sails have a name, but to list them all would make for a long list. the bottom sails had to go on first, clew lines were to be connected to them.  from the fore mast to the mizzen, they went on….one at a time.  because the sails are from….so to speak….of two different batches {kits}, the idea of painting the sails began to show me what a good idea it was.  they look great!  I never painted my sails….I always let them age on their own.  I think I should change the way I look at this type of sails {plastic}.  I have a few future kit that i want to do…..  painting the sails took away the semi-gloss finish they had and totally deadened it.  the newer sails even have a bit more detail to them.  they also look a little more grainy in texture.  it’s kind of regrettable that i don’t have the complete set.  these are the main sails the ship is equipped with.  when more speed is required, studding sails are use to achieve this.  these sails are affixed to the fore and main mast…eight in all.  there are twenty-seven main sails in all.  the next step was to do the Vang lines for the Spencer gaff and the spanker sail.  the ensign halyard was the last line that i put on her.
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     If the standing rigging is taught enough, the jibs and stay sails will not sag from the pull of the sheet lines.  there is very little sag here….I am quite pleased.  to have control over the thread and to know where “absolute zero” is throughout the rigging process is essential.  there are many cases where one single line, will have control over multiple lines.  to pull too much, one line or another, will cause slack in other lines, possibly ruining the effects of the rigging.  through symmetrical order of the lines, the pulleys are run and show the actions they will perform.  I still have the sheet lines and the braces to run, before the last step…the studding sails.  they will add more beauty to this fine lady.
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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The search for the United States

I have had some good fortune today. A kit that I thought was to be just a fond memory, has now turned into a future reality. I speak of the U.S.S. United States, 1:96 scale, made by Revell. I bought her back in the late 80’s-early 90’s from a shop, long since closed down. she was a stunning ship, wide in girth and measuring 37 inches long from stem to stern and 27 inches high to her flag. the kit was an absolute joy to build, seamlessly joining together, by it’s artist’s loving hands. after she became a reality, she was placed on her new berth, to be viewed by all who would look. one day, it was brought to the attention of the builder, that his creation was in peril. when i saw it, needless to say, I was ashamed….she was completely covered with cobwebs and dust. the process to clean her up was quite an arduous task to say the least, as the surrounding area and I was overcome with flying dust. then the idea of allowing the outside breeze to aide me in her maintenance came to mind.  it worked great, the breeze gave me an advantage! once the problem was worn down to a manageable degree, I had decided to let the breeze that was wafting between the houses, do the rest of the task. I then left to do other chores that i had belayed, in order to attend to her maintenance. the end result was that the wind suddenly picked up and blew it over the railing and onto the asphalt below, shattering it to pieces. I was devastated’ to say the least.

     since then, I had not been able to find another one……and Revell had since discontinued most of their large scale ships…..all seemed lost of ever finding another one to take her place. it wasn’t until just recently, that a new-found friend of mine, who is living in Honolulu, saw one on e-bay. he alerted me….and the chase was on. there was no “buy it now” on it, so I had to rely on the dreaded “bidding war”. I don’t use this form of tactic, in buying my kits. to me, it’s barbaric and underhanded in the way they run the proceedings. but Carl, my friend in Honolulu, had a handle on the situation and instructed me, how to handle it. I knew just how “rare” this kit was, and prepared a bid that was equitable enough to insure a win.
     I figured that I would put in a bid of $81.50…..a 90% shot that I would win……my wife was livid when she found out . in the last minute of the auction, I hit the “bid” button and when the last ten seconds were ticking down, I hit confirm…..within a few mere seconds, I was the proud owner of the ship! I found out later that I didn’t have to pay the $81.50 that I had bid, instead, I saw that all I owed was $33.75….plus the shipping! I was awestruck…..I just couldn’t believe that the top bid for her was so low!
    originally, I had paid $89.99 for the first kit. this kit very well could have topped out over $150.00! these people, in my opinion, had no clue, as to just how rare this particular kit really is.  ever since her demise, I have been looking through numerous websites, spending countless hours, trying to find another kit of this scale.  all I have been able to see are the 1:150 scale versions of her.  I can tell you this;  if you ever get the chance to purchase one of these kits, you would have in your possession, one of the finest kits that Revell put out. I failed to mention, that this kit….so it says…..is still wrapped in plastic……it is “untouched” by human hands. the only other thing that I am relieved of….is that I didn’t have to sub-let a space in the doghouse with my buddy! Very Happy Wink
     I wrote this article on another website.  I have changed the text and restructured it in a way that it will not mimic the original story.  I felt it prudent that I should also post it on this site as well for three reasons.
     1)  I had written the initial blog about the demise of The United States.
     2)  I met Carl on this site.  without his help, I would not have gotten an invoice today concerning this ship and I still would be looking for it.
     3)  this is perhaps the most important reason.  this is the way you would want to see a site develop.  people come and go on this site.  some never return.  the search for the Cutty Sark decals is how i connected with Carl.  we e-mailed one another and through this exchange, we have become friends.  for this chap to extend a hand from over 1/3rd of the globe, is an extraordinary gesture at it’s best.  I thank you Carl, more than words can say!  I can still see plenty more miles in my travels, and I hope I meet more people, just like you. for those of you who come and go  “we’ll leave the light on for ya.”  {old New England saying}  

The wreck of the U.S.S. United States

     Ship building is a passion of mine.  Each one has a character, all their own….not a one ever the same.  I was bursting at the seams, when I walked out of the 606 hobby store with the 1:96 scale model of the U.S.S. United States in my arms.  I had never seen this kit around before, the owner telling me that there were a lot of gawkers, but no takers.  He was happy to see it find a home.  I couldn’t wait to get it home and start on it.  The United States was a very large ship, larger than her sister ship, The Constitution, which I had built before….for my mother.  Not so much in length, but in girth…measuring at least two inches wider than her sister.
     The build went extremely smooth, as if she was guiding my hands over the many pieces that made up her being.  It went faster than I expected, spending as much time with her as I could at each sitting.  Sometimes i would work on her well into the night. losing track of time, 2:00am was not unusual for me.  When the last of the rigging and few touches of paint was completed, she was finished.  This majestic lady, whose life started out of a large rectangular box, was now sitting on my build table.  She boasted a total of 39 sails, four more than The Cutty Sark, another 1:96 scale ship I had built.  All of my builds showcased them under full sail, I couldn’t build one otherwise.  The sails, I feel, gives life to a ship.  The artist and the sculptor in me, wanted to convey the message that….yes, these ships were real.  They fought our wars, they moved our cargo, and most importantly, they were a window of the past.  As I daydreamed, another thought came to mind…where was she to berth?  During the build, Phyl and i talked about it and I had come to a very good place to put her.
     I mounted a shelf on the wall above the stairwell leading to the second floor.  The Bathroom was up these stairs.  when you would go upstairs, she was behind you, but when you came down the stairs….you would see her and the decent would give you an ever changing view of her.  Standing in the short hallway leading to our bedroom, you could look over the railing and see her in an aerial, diagonal view.  I wished i could have found a way to mount a light over her, as it would have highlighted her in a spectacular way.  For now though, she was put on the shelf in the living room, the shelf where I put the ships during their build.  I had to do it soon, because I had come home with my next project, the C.S.S. Alabama and i needed the shelf for her build.
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     Time went on, and soon the Alabama was very near to completion.  I had worked on her during the morning hours and was putting her on the “holding shelf”, after being reminded by my wife that I had chores to do.  I set about my chores, wanting to get them done, so I could get back to the build.  It was in the middle of my last one, that Phyl laid one more chore for me to do.  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your boat is looking pretty dirty.  I can’t reach it, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I want to….their your responsibility….but you need to take care of it.”
     When I saw her, I was shocked, to say the least!  She was laden with what looked like a good 1/8th inch of dust and her rigging and sails were full of cobwebs!  Ashamed of my neglect, I set about the task to clean her up.  I had a long, soft bristled brush that i used for this purpose and the vacuum cleaner, that I used to suck up what I had loosened.  To clean the deck, I used the “blow” feature that the vacuum was capable of, which was not a good idea.  Dust blew up into the air, which settled around the area and Phyl seeing this did not amuse her.  I had to find a better way of doing this.  I then noticed the light breeze that was coursing through the trees outside…..it gave me an idea.  I set up a table out onto the porch and moved the operation out there.  As I brushed and blew the dust and cobwebs, the breeze took it and sent it harmlessly away.  It got to the point that I didn’t need the vacuum any more, the recurring breezes seemed to had taken the job away from it.  I also noticed that when I would pause from cleaning, the breeze would continue to chip away at it, taking more of the loosened debris away, sending it over the porch railing to parts unknown.  I then decided to position it, starboard side to the breeze with the bow pointing over the porch railing and allowed the wind to pick at it some more, while I finished what I was doing in the house.  I put the vacuum away and carried on with what I was doing before I got distracted.  Of course, another chore came to being and I set on that one soon after.
     It was later in the afternoon, when i started to notice that a much stronger wind had kicked up.  I then thought about the ship outside and figured I had better get it off the porch.  As I started for the door, an even stronger gust came up and channeled between the houses like a freight train!  I quickened my pace, reaching the door just as the next wave hit.  I opened the door seconds too late however, opening it just in time to see the wind do what it was meant to do.  The table, as high as the porch railing, offered no resistance to the wind, for the demise of the United States.  The sound of plastic scraping wood was what I heard as it was pushed over the railing, four feet down, to the asphalt below!  I ran down the stairs, pieces of the ship strewn about and the shattered mass of the broken ship lay in a heap in the driveway.  As I picked it up, string, still tied to the masts and sails, dangled off the sides of the ship.  The hull was cracked….the damage was immense…my stupidity!!! Phyl appeared onto the porch just as I was throwing it into the trashcan.  She tried to make me feel better by suggesting that I could get another one, but it’s been since the mid 90’s and I haven’t seen another one of that scale.  My search continues to this day……I take solace for the fact that I took pictures of this fine ship….and for the memories to look back on.
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Why I work the craft

     When I tell people that I build models as a  hobby and refer to it as  my craft, they look at me strangely.  they wonder why I call it that.  a craft can be anything that requires a person to envision something in their minds and translate it through their hands.  a painter paints and a sculptor sculpts, and by the time they are done, they have created a masterpiece that will stand the tests of time.  the degree in which their work is measured by is called craftsmanship.  Modeling is much more to me.  it is a combination of both of these arts, whether it be plastic or wood.  it is sculpted and painted into the subject that is envisioned in the craftsman’s mind and conveyed to the viewer, who are the barometer as to it’s degree.
     there are many craftsmen out there today, who can turn out museum quality pieces.  they are called master craftsmen.  at the basic level of the craft, there are those who just do the craft for fun.  they are your juniors and novices.  then higher up in degree are the intermediate and expert.
     there may be other classifications in between that I am unaware of, these being the main classes.  nestled in between each class, are the journeymen.  these folks are striving to attain the next higher level of craftsmanship.  they study their subjects and plans to see where improvements can be made to further enhance the appearance of their model.  they ply their craft using the combined knowledge and techniques that they have picked up along the way.  when the model is finished and the viewers have given their reviews, the craftsman will know at that moment, whether he has accomplished his goal.  when asked where i lie in the classes, I favor myself to be a journeyman; I try to enhance and add functionality to my models.  when asked what level of craftsmanship I am at, I cannot say for myself; that is for the viewers to decide.




The Cutty sark - windlass modification

    I am currently building The Cutty Sark 1:96 scale, which if you’ve read my posts, I’ve had a few setbacks.  But the build goes on, never the less….I’ve gone too far to quit on it now.  The instruction sheets are the best; Revell did a good job.  But this is my second build of this fine ship in this scale, the first time around, not doing too much in the way of painting.  This time was going to be different…..I was going to go Picasso on it.  After I cleared up the sail dilemma, thanks to a fellow from Belgium, I set to work.  I got to the anchor chain step, and I thought about how fake it made the windlass assembly look in my first build.  I quickly developed an idea towards making it look like a real working windlass. The step calls for three pieces of chain…….I could do that step in two pieces.      I started by drilling two small holes in the deck where the chain gate covers were located.  The chain is supposed to start out from inside these two gates and then the windlass roller.  the first two holes were just large enough for the chain to fit in and cemented into place.  when the covers were installed, they would hide the holes, the chain would appear as if coming out from below deck.
Cutty  Sark bow
The second set of holes, made a bit larger, so that the chain could be threaded through them via my “snake” {a wire with a hook at the end}and then pulled through the bow gates.  Before I did that I had to assemble the windlass roller.  I put this part of the assembly together, and used the forecastle deck to keep everything aligned until it set.
 holes drilled w/ chain
once the assembly holes drilled w/ chainwas set enough to work with, I wound the chain around the windlass roller.
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After I did it, I saw that maybe i should have installed the chain from the inside-out, rather that the outside-in…as you see
     The two small slots on either side of the chain is where the forecastle stairs will be.  I later found that the chain rests against them.  It’s WAY too late to change it now, because the forecastle deck is in place by this time, hiding the two larger holes.
It was fortunate for me that there was enough clearance to accommodate this change in the plans.
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The two white spots that you see in front of the hawser reel, are two missing eyebolt holes that somehow didn’t get molded into this kit.  there were a few other imperfections, but I’ve managed to thwart this kit’s intent for me not to build her.  She Will get finished
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