Cutty Sark 1869 tea Clipper full sail sea base 1/130 Airfix kit

[Bubbles_Barker]

challenge accepted Captain Nadar

I don't doubt you will make an excellent job of it. It has a close competitor with the Ford Trimotor.

My Trimotor actually flew on completion in 1973, straight out the ******* window.

 

[LARD]

I'm beginning to see that now, what with your story and 4(t) I think I can hear Kate Bush in the background. I remember Tom Baker being told that his Doctor Who cheered up one lad in a children's home, meant more to the lad than he could have imagined. Seems like Airfix did the same.

Agree there chap! All pocket money went up in Airfix series increments and was spent every week on said products.

I've still got to get my mojo back and get some modelling done - stash is quite large now - but by the time I leave the office each day, the pub pulls me like a lodestone!

 

[robinrocket111]

* The Bentley is a magnificent model. Is that on anyone's build schedule?

Done!

 

[SPROCKET321]

Done!

Do you know Rob ,had you photographed that without the giant grass, and just the concrete, that could have passed for a real one

 

[SPROCKET321]

Trial fit of the three masts, so what it needs now is standing rigging.

starting with the shrouds, these support the masts from forward and backward movement and provide a ladder for access to the yards and masts for the crew. It's Shroud C9 we're looking at first.

using the chart in the kit instructions, we go to the table marked C9, And following it down we see it's start point Z there are 27 vertical and horizontal lines.

the loom supplied in the kit is well worked out by Airfix, you click the two parts
together at point C, then wind the thread around the loom using the numbered grooves.

I've enlarged the area that will be used, marking start point Z.

 

[SPROCKET321]

I used tissue soaked in pva glue, poking it between the hull and the water line, then teased it out so it appears to be foaming water at the hull line.

 

[SPROCKET321]

I was pleased at how it turned out.painted Das Pronto clay waves painted blue.
the water at the bow looks quite good, with the foaming bow wave.

 

[SPROCKET321]

the painted sea needs a lot more work, I'm thinking more coats of PVA to make it look wet.

 

[NSP]

I was pleased at how it turned out.painted Das Pronto clay waves painted blue.
the water at the bow looks quite good, with the foaming bow wave.
View attachment 682594

Coming on nicely.

This is apparently a colourised photo of the actual 'Sark from the 19teens when in Portuguese hands as the "Ferreira" (for bow wave - however, it looks to be a beam or quarter sea with no significant swell whereas you are modelling a bow sea from the looks of it):-

It's a nice effect you've got there. I like the swell that's running. How are you going to get a realistic sea surface? Same way as the crashing Jap'? What are your views on the resin water effect that the guys that do the submerged U-Boat models use? It looks very realistic but I expect it would be a ball-ache to create a swell with that - I guess you'd have to turn everything upside-down and create some sort of heat-formed plasticard shuttering for the swell and then pour the resin from below?? Then the curve of the hull and stickiness of the resin would make removal of the plasticard nigh on impossible and it'd have to be poured into a glass box for the sides and - oh, forget that idea; yeah - it's for the submerged stuff, as nice as it is. Oh, and there'd be a whole lot of hull missing. Although that does offer a means of showing "below the waterline" as well. Hmmmmm...

If you wanted to give a greater impression of speed through the water then this might offer some ideas:-

 

[putteesinmyhands]

Wiki gives the ship's complement as 28-35 which strikes me as a surprisingly small number considering the number of sails. Presuming that the crew would still have to be organised in watches in order to get some sleep, that leaves fewer than 10 to maintain the ship. I guess that once the ship sets off, there would be a frenzy to set the sails and they'd be left like that until nearing port or unless some really severe weather was encountered.

Good news for Sprocket though - as a model of a ship under way, it would be odd to have deserted decks but at least the visible crew would be in single numbers most of the time, not the dozens that I initially anticipated.

Of course, I'm making the presumption that, at 1:140 scale, there'll be crew figures in the kit.

 

[SPROCKET321]

Of course, I'm making the presumption that, at 1:140 scale, there'll be crew figures in the kit.

no figures in the kit, but I've a matchbox full of figures left over from the SRN4 Hovercraft build.

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/airfix-1-144-scale-sr-n4-hovercraft.286395/

 

[SPROCKET321]

This is apparently a colourised photo of the actual 'Sark from the 19teens

That's an amazing shot of her bow, not seen that before, thanks for posting it, it seems she was well thought of even back then to get a decent picture of her.

 

[NSP]

That's an amazing shot of her bow, not seen that before, thanks for posting it, it seems she was well thought of even back then to get a decent picture of her.

I think it gives a good overview of what state a hard-worked working vessel would be in. The ship of today gives a false impression because it is kept clean and shiny for the tourists.

I imagine it courted such interest as it did because right up until it was decommissioned it was pretty much the fasted thing on the sea. Given a good following wind and fair sea it would get on for 20kts, outpacing powered freighters. The only reason that steamers beat it on the journey time is because they could use the Suez Canal (opened the same year as the 'Sark was commissioned, if I remember rightly) and the clippers couldn't.

 

[06FA56Paderborn]

For a very good depiction of what it was like to sail on a clipper it is worth reading
Eric Newby’s The Last Grain Race,

where he signs on as a crewman on the Moshulu, a four masted 7000 to barque with a crew of 28, 4 Officers, cook, steward and two watches of 8 and it’s final voyage from Australia just before WW2 winning the last race in 91 days.

 

[SPROCKET321]

the third time lucky, this time I used Humbrol enamel Varnish and it did the job, holding the vertical and horizontal lines held together after the net is cut off the loom.

the last and prior attempt on the right.

 

[LARD]

Another good book about life on a clipper in 2oth century.

 

[SPROCKET321]

first shroud held in place while the glue hardens.

 

[SPROCKET321]

so that's the fore and mainmast lower shrouds fitted, now for the mizzen masts shroud, it's drying in the loom having had it's first coat of varnish to hold it together.

 

[SPROCKET321]

the Sprite mast with it's standing black rigging tied up with the Dolphin striker.

the mast stays in place. These were steel cable in their day, able to brace the masts against the forces of nature.

first piece of sail in, the Spanker.

 

[Wightsparker]

the Sprite mast with it's standing black rigging tied up with the Dolphin striker.
View attachment 683461
the mast stays in place. These were steel cable in their day, able to brace the masts against the forces of nature.
View attachment 683462
first piece of sail in, the Spanker.
View attachment 683463

Looks really good. Interesting to see you call it a sprite - I always thought it was "bowsprit".

But things do change; port used to be larboard - and "port your helm" meant turning the wheel clockwise to make the vessel turn to starboard. It was a hangover from pulling the helm to port to make the rudder turn the ship to starboard.
I think.....