Another big one

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

Words fail me, Bob (and that doesn’t happen very often &nbsp

 

Peter. 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks for replies.    I feel that my eyesight is no better or worse than most people of 66, but I do wear reading glasses to build models.   To me, a steady hand is far more important than perfect vision.

 

When the CARMANIA is complete, I will be calling it a day on this sort of thing and quitting!     I don’t mean stop building ship models, but certainly stop building these giants of 21 inches hull length.   I find it extremly awkward to move it around my small work desk without damaging it.

 

I will probably limit future models to about 15,000 tons with hull lengths in the region of 500 feet maximum.    Also hope to be doing more iron & steel square-riggers.

 

Bob

 

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Nearly finished now and I will be glad when it is.    Remaining work is to rig the davits on 11 lifeboats and rig the two masts.   Should be complete by the week-end ta the latest.

Been at this one for two months now and am really wear

y of it.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have now completed the model itself.   Here is a photograph taken from a  low angle with a photograph of the sea superimposed on the bottom part.

The model sea will be painted tomorrow.

 

The CARMANIA marks the end of the line for me as far as building big ships is concerned.   With a hull length of 21 inches, it has really been too big for my work area and has been really hard going from the start.

 

Whatever I build next will be very small.

 

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

That’s lovely Bob, you have really captured the essence of the ship, at first glance it looks as if it is the real thing. A superb photo.

 

Colin

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob, really superb model. The last photo with the superimposed sea defies belief!

If the hrizon had been slightly higher it would have been taken as a photo of the real ship without question (maybe lack of smoke would have been a givaway?).

Robin

PS finally getting round to finishing off my Glenroy but stuck on a method of doing the rigging. I know you use contact adhesive but does not work for me

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks for replies.    The rigging on something like this is very little trouble – did it in a day.   

No reason why you should find rigging difficult if you use wire.    Take a short length of fine copper wire and stretch it slightly with two small pairs of pliers.   That makes it perfectly straight.    Measure the length you want on the model with a pair of dividers.    Cut the straight wire to the correct length.   Pick up in center with pair of fine tweezers, dip each end in contact adhesive and simply place it in position on the model  (I use Bondloc Contact Adhesive from Maplin) .

Infinitely easier than messing about with twine or cotton and knots.

 

I could have made the horizon higher, but if you are in a small boat looking at a big ship from a low angle, the ship seems to be on top of the horizon.

 

I suppose I could add a bit of smoke and a bow wave for a bit more realism, but most of the time the funnels didn’t smoke on steamers unless they were “blowing the tubes.”

 

Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi Bob, thanks for the info. I find the Bondloc is difficult to apply as it goes stringy and pools out a long thread as you remove the wires end from the adhesive glue nozzle. Do you find this happens as well?

I take your point about viewing from a small boat – not something I am accustomed too. Most of my ship viewing has been from land and relatively high up on a pier or similar. Its really infromative having someone on the forum with your experience of the real thing Bob. 

Robin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Not really, because I don’t use very much of it.   I find that when the tube is new, it does tend to string, but as the tube gets used, the stringing gets less.      Evostik is useless for this sort of thing because the stringing is excessive.    I used to use Thixofix that was very good and hardly stringed at all.   Then they “improved” the formula and it became as bad as Evostik.

 

I find Bondloc OK though.

Bob

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Ok Bob I will give it a go as you suggest.

Regards

Robin

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

absolutely stunning model….very envious, and i hope the new owner is very proud of her……..she really is beautiful.

neil

[Author]

Posts