HMS Alert [1777] 1:48 POF by serikoff. (Two hulls: skeleton and fully rigged)

[serikoff]

Today I was able to complete 6 spans at once...








...the logic remains basically the same: basically, all the lintels are 1.6 mm. In areas under the guns and where the spans are longer, they're 1.8 mm. Where the grates are, they're 3 mm, and near the pumps, they're 2.6 mm.

Here, as promised, is a diagram of my proposed layout for lintels of varying widths.



I was guided by anatomy and (naval) logic, but that doesn't mean I can't make mistakes. So, the decision is yours; here I'm simply showing you how I did it.

So, here's the almost finished deck. It's still missing the last two spans, but it already looks interesting!



P.S. Once again, I'm convinced I did the right thing by only making half the crossbars. The lower deck is clearly visible through the empty spaces, and another very positive aspect is that the work is going almost twice as fast, which is a definite plus.

P.P.S. @Kurt Konrath , I remember when I saw this kit and how I eagerly devoured all the information about this ship from this forum. There are over 25 reviews here, but unfortunately, most of them are still unfinished, which is sad. I hope my review will be helpful to other modelers who want to build this wonderful model.

 

[GIG1810]

Today I was able to complete 6 spans at once...

View attachment 555042


View attachment 555043

View attachment 555044

...the logic remains basically the same: basically, all the lintels are 1.6 mm. In areas under the guns and where the spans are longer, they're 1.8 mm. Where the grates are, they're 3 mm, and near the pumps, they're 2.6 mm.

Here, as promised, is a diagram of my proposed layout for lintels of varying widths.

View attachment 555045

I was guided by anatomy and (naval) logic, but that doesn't mean I can't make mistakes. So, the decision is yours; here I'm simply showing you how I did it.

So, here's the almost finished deck. It's still missing the last two spans, but it already looks interesting!

View attachment 555046

P.S. Once again, I'm convinced I did the right thing by only making half the crossbars. The lower deck is clearly visible through the empty spaces, and another very positive aspect is that the work is going almost twice as fast, which is a definite plus.

P.P.S. @Kurt Konrath , I remember when I saw this kit and how I eagerly devoured all the information about this ship from this forum. There are over 25 reviews here, but unfortunately, most of them are still unfinished, which is sad. I hope my review will be helpful to other modelers who want to build this wonderful model.

Hi Sergey,

As always, top marks with distinction! I'm always full of praise! Great work, and as always, I love how you document everything.

 

[AllanKP69]

Scaling the carlings and ledges properly is great to see. Very nicely done.
Allan

 

[serikoff]

Today I want to talk a little about material things...

Those who read my reviews know that I took a 10-year break from modeling, and I returned to the hobby a year after the war to take my mind off what was happening, but that's not the point...

I don't know about you, but I keep track of my budget, specifically how much I spent on the hobby (3 models) over those three years. And that amount is 1,650 euros (or $1,900), which is quite a lot by my country's standards...

This sum has piled up rather quickly. There are a lot of small purchases: sandpaper, thread, oils, paints, bitumen, patina, glue, drill bits, files, organizers, metal blackening solution, scalpels, saws, and more. There's also the making of stands and a display case, the purchase of wood, and more expensive purchases like a (cheap) engraver, an angle grinder, and a mini saw. And don't forget—the Alert kit!

And so, I'm slowly approaching my next purchase (probably the most expensive one). I've wanted this for a long time, and after we bought my wife an overlock sewing machine and a steam generator for her hobby, she approved of my future purchase as well.

I won't keep you waiting, I want to buy - Proxxon MF 70 (27110)
Well, and some consumables for it (milling cutters and drills).

I've researched this issue, watched several reviews, and I think it's time.
I'm tired of doing everything by hand. It's difficult and slow, but with a milling machine, I'm sure the quality will improve dramatically, and most importantly, the speed!

I want to buy additional drills for the milling machine (they will also be used for the dental micromotor for nailing).
Ø 0.5 мм Proxxon 28864, Ø 0.8 мм Proxxon 28852, Ø 1.0 мм Proxxon 28854, Ø 0.3 - 3.2 мм. 10 шт. Proxxon 28874.

I also want to order cutters right away, and here is the question of which ones to take, but I’m thinking of these for now:
Proxxon 28710, Proxxon 28726, Ø 1.0-2.0-3.0 мм Proxxon 27116, Ø 2.0 мм Proxxon 28750.

So, if anyone has experience with this agriagate and has any advice on consumables, I'm open to hearing your thoughts. Since the original vise is quite expensive, I'm considering ordering these.

Uh... I have a New Year's gift planned now... now I just have to buy it... I'm so excited.



P.S. @GIG1810 , @AllanKP69 , Thank you, friends, for your kind words. I'm trying my best.

 

[serikoff]

Today I finally finished the last two spans...



(Here, all the bridges were 1.6 mm except one, 2.4 mm)

... and now the deck consists of 207 parts...



...and at the moment the first hull consists of 790 parts! *Don't ask me how I know this









And that's it for now, work on the first hull is complete, and I'm starting on the second hull.

First, I smoothed out all the corners on the slipway, and in the aft section, I completely cut off the section that would interfere with installing the second hull.





I also adjusted all the holes so that I could install the locking wedges.





Upon completion, I was able to install the second (plastic) hull into the frame from the first hull without any problems.



Now, I can work on the beams for the second hull.

I used the blank left over from cutting the beam blanks for the first hull as a template...



I outlined the internal profile and cut out the pieces I needed.



I sanded the top profile onto which the rough deck sheathing will be glued using an angle grinder.



And since the lower part of the beams will not be visible (as well as everything below the deck boards), I don’t see the point in cutting out this lower surface.



Then I placed the required beam under the same one (from the finished deck) and marked its edge.



After which I ground it down using an angle grinder.



After that, I cut off part of the beams using the template so that the height at the end was 3 mm...



... this is necessary so that the beam fits into its bed and fills only this space, which is 3 mm high.



This way, all the beams will be about ~2 mm lower than they should be! This space will be used to glue the subdeck to the beams, which will fill this space.

This is all necessary so that the deck can be removed from the hull and is strong and stable. Afterwards, the deck planks will be glued to this base outside the hull. But more on that later.

For now, it all looks like this:





So far everything is going according to plan, so what are we waiting for... let's go!

 

[serikoff]

While I still have access below deck, I decided to make a place for attaching the mast.
The implementation will be almost identical to the Victory.

First, I need to make a template for the mast angle. The hull is raised at the front, and the mast is already slightly raked back, but its angle is even greater. First, let's take the full-size drawings I made for anatomy. I shared them in the review.



You need to draw several lines: one parallel to the keel, one perpendicular to the keel, and one along the mast axis.



If you draw a perpendicular to the keel and a line along the mast axis, their intersection will be the angle of inclination of the mast.



This angle is 5 degrees. (This is approximate; since I'll be creating a template for this angle, I'll have a precise value, but the instrument shows about 5 degrees.)



I traced the angle between the two rulers onto a piece of cardboard, creating a sort of template. We'll need it later.



I then cut out a mast stop from the printed plastic body and filled the bottom of the CA gel.



Then I installed the beams and cut a piece of aluminum tube using their level.



Then I made a connector so that the two pieces of tube could be connected without bending...



... and tried everything on without glue.



After that, I temporarily secured the beams to CA gel (so they would stay in place, but could be removed later). I stretched a string along the hull axis and marked the beam centers.



Then I used a 12mm jig to simulate the tubes and glued some sort of "carlings" to the edges.



Then the conductor is removed and a tube is placed there, and now it can move back and forth, but the "carlings" do not allow it to move to the sides...



...but the lower part is still movable. And after leveling the mast perfectly vertically, I glued in the lower stoppers.



The tube itself is NOT glued and can only move from above and only forward and backward.



After that, I fixed a 5 degree angle template on the tube and by tilting the tube (mast) back I achieved that the level showed verticality.



This method maximizes the correct position, but you need to take into account the fact that in the future the mast will still be adjusted by shrouds and stays, so an error of 1 degree is acceptable even if you do something not very precisely.



As a result, I've removed the top section, and all that's left is to securely attach the bottom tube without connecting it to the beams, since my deck will be removable. I'll show you how to secure it next time.

 

[serikoff]

A few words about securing the mast stopper. There's nothing complicated about it—the tube was firmly and securely secured with plenty of safety margin.





The upright fasteners will be secured in the same way, but more on that later.

Next, I glued the beams together in pairs using something like carlings. I tried to lay them so that the boards fit snugly against the beam plane and ensured that the sides were of uniform height.





Then I glued all the pairs together into a single piece. I did this quickly (speed is more important here than "beauty," which will be covered by the boards anyway). The main thing is that everything is precise; accuracy here is detrimental to speed.



Let me remind you, the whole idea is to make sure the deck can be removed until the last moment!



Now it's time for the deck base. The first layer of planks (rough). And again, everything will be covered here, so I work quickly (sometimes messily), but the main thing is precision!

I glued the planks with liquid CA, pouring it under the plank. The key is to press firmly so the glue flows by capillary action between the plank and the beam. A couple of seconds and I move on to the next beam. The excess must be trimmed before each new plank to ensure a perfect fit.





Several central belts and the front and back can be reinforced.









At this point, we can now glue the boards outside the body (since before this we needed to trim the front and back).

To strengthen the structure from twisting, I glued a couple of boards along the inside.



I also filled all the gaps between the boards with liquid СA to prevent them from bending during sanding.

These are the insects I got:





In the end it turned out like this:



After scraping and sanding...





... I sanded down all the excess around the perimeter.



This is the base we got for the deck, which turned out to be very durable.





The dark spots were pits; I filled them with glue and sanded them down to a level surface instead of using putty.

I liked the surface finish; everything was smooth and free of any irregularities or unevenness.









I really wanted to insert the deck into the hull, but there were no holes to pull it out with.

I made the beams and basic deck in four days... but I can imagine how long it will take to finish the real deck...

 

[Peter Voogt]

A few words about securing the mast stopper. There's nothing complicated about it—the tube was firmly and securely secured with plenty of safety margin.

View attachment 556961

View attachment 556962

The upright fasteners will be secured in the same way, but more on that later.

Next, I glued the beams together in pairs using something like carlings. I tried to lay them so that the boards fit snugly against the beam plane and ensured that the sides were of uniform height.

View attachment 556963

View attachment 556964

Then I glued all the pairs together into a single piece. I did this quickly (speed is more important here than "beauty," which will be covered by the boards anyway). The main thing is that everything is precise; accuracy here is detrimental to speed.

View attachment 556965

Let me remind you, the whole idea is to make sure the deck can be removed until the last moment!

View attachment 556966

Now it's time for the deck base. The first layer of planks (rough). And again, everything will be covered here, so I work quickly (sometimes messily), but the main thing is precision!

I glued the planks with liquid CA, pouring it under the plank. The key is to press firmly so the glue flows by capillary action between the plank and the beam. A couple of seconds and I move on to the next beam. The excess must be trimmed before each new plank to ensure a perfect fit.

View attachment 556967

View attachment 556968

Several central belts and the front and back can be reinforced.

View attachment 556960

View attachment 556969

View attachment 556970

View attachment 556971

At this point, we can now glue the boards outside the body (since before this we needed to trim the front and back).

To strengthen the structure from twisting, I glued a couple of boards along the inside.

View attachment 556972

I also filled all the gaps between the boards with liquid СA to prevent them from bending during sanding.

These are the insects I got:

View attachment 556974

View attachment 556975

In the end it turned out like this:

View attachment 556976

After scraping and sanding...

View attachment 556977

View attachment 556978

... I sanded down all the excess around the perimeter.

View attachment 556979

This is the base we got for the deck, which turned out to be very durable.

View attachment 556980

View attachment 556981

The dark spots were pits; I filled them with glue and sanded them down to a level surface instead of using putty.

I liked the surface finish; everything was smooth and free of any irregularities or unevenness.

View attachment 556982

View attachment 556983

View attachment 556984

View attachment 556985

I really wanted to insert the deck into the hull, but there were no holes to pull it out with.

I made the beams and basic deck in four days... but I can imagine how long it will take to finish the real deck...

Working on the deckplanking separate from the model gives you a big advantage, Sergey. I did it also with my two latest models.
Regards, Peter

 

[serikoff]

I've made the deck removable on all my hulls. Because I agree with you, @Peter Voogt , that it offers a number of advantages, especially when it comes to subsequent deck finishing and polishing.

So, the final work on the deck base.

To somehow remove the deck from the hull, I made some access holes.







But the base had to sit firmly in place, without any shifting. So I made a fastening using a screw that connected the deck base to the hull.







Now it was time to glue the deck stop along the entire perimeter of the deck-hull interface. This would serve as a starting point for the subsequent deck design.









This completes the deck base!

​

 

[serikoff]

Deck. Waterway.

I'll start with the theory and drawings.



In order:

1. First, I plan to attach the deck boards (marked with a red rectangle), fitting them to the waterway at the same time.

2. The waterway will be divided into two parts. The first part (turquoise rectangle) will be attached simultaneously with the deck boards, so that everything can be sanded at the same time.

3. The second half of the waterway (purple) will be attached to the finished deck after this part has been milled to the profile shown in the photo.

4. Then the deck will be glued to the hull to the deck stop (the one I've already glued, marked with a black square in the photo, between the frame, beam, and waterway.)

5. Next, the window sill will be installed from the inside, and the side planking (orange rectangle) will be pressed and secured to it.

6. And finally, this will be covered with another sideboard (Spirketling, the brown rectangle that will connect the waterway and the sideboard).

This diagram will be as close as possible to the visualization of this section of the sheathing.

To do this, you need to mark the contact line between the two waterway pieces. I use a template to scratch this line with a needle.





Surprisingly, the waterway from the kit was quite close to the desired shape.



I made the first fragment based on his image, but only the outer contour! The rest will be made as construction progresses.



First, I cut off the excess with a blade and polished it further on a sanding machine.



To make sure these pieces were removable but still held in place, I used pins as positioning dowels.





The inner profile will be cut simultaneously with the planks when they are joined. Before this, however, all the deck planks will be chamfered (beveled). This is necessary to create a small gap between the planks when they are joined. In the future, I will go over this gap with a blade, calibrating it to a uniform size. After coating with oil and bitumen, pigment will be applied to this gap, coloring it, imitating caulking.

I created the bevel with a scalpel, running the edge of the yoke along the plank at an angle.



Next, I cut an internal profile (within which the stepped transitions would be) into the waterwall and cut notches for the two center boards. I then scratched a border onto the boards along this notch profile and cut the boards along this border (more details later in the text).



To glue the first board evenly, I pressed the ruler along the deck axis line with clamps.



I glued it with PVA TiteBondII, pressing the board firmly against the ruler...



... and then, using a wooden block, pressed the board to the base for 5 minutes (that’s how long it takes for this glue).



I applied the glue not in the center of the board, but slightly closer to the edge of the board opposite the previous one. This is to prevent excess glue from getting between the boards and filling the gap. Otherwise, it will be difficult to slide the blade between the boards and the gap will be uneven, which will affect the visual appearance. With this method, the glue doesn't flow to the adjacent board, and the excess flows out the other side, which I scrape off with a blade.



As a result, there is no glue either between the boards (in the gap) or outside it on the other side, which will provide good contact for the next board.



Next, all the operations are repeated: first, I cut a notch on the waterway to the size of the board and then scratch this profile on the board itself.



I cut, adjust and if everything fits, I glue them in pairs.



At the moment I have glued 6 standard boards (4.5mm of one color) and the next ones will be one on each side of the power boards (5mm of a different color), but more on that later.





N.B. This complex joint design offered several advantages. Firstly, it increased rigidity, as each board had its own place, preventing it from shifting toward the center as it slid along the waterway. Secondly, the boards didn't have to end in a sharp edge, which would make them structurally more fragile.

 

[Peter Voogt]

Deck. Waterway.

I'll start with the theory and drawings.

View attachment 557978

In order:

1. First, I plan to attach the deck boards (marked with a red rectangle), fitting them to the waterway at the same time.

2. The waterway will be divided into two parts. The first part (turquoise rectangle) will be attached simultaneously with the deck boards, so that everything can be sanded at the same time.

3. The second half of the waterway (purple) will be attached to the finished deck after this part has been milled to the profile shown in the photo.

4. Then the deck will be glued to the hull to the deck stop (the one I've already glued, marked with a black square in the photo, between the frame, beam, and waterway.)

5. Next, the window sill will be installed from the inside, and the side planking (orange rectangle) will be pressed and secured to it.

6. And finally, this will be covered with another sideboard (Spirketling, the brown rectangle that will connect the waterway and the sideboard).

This diagram will be as close as possible to the visualization of this section of the sheathing.

To do this, you need to mark the contact line between the two waterway pieces. I use a template to scratch this line with a needle.

View attachment 557979

View attachment 557980

Surprisingly, the waterway from the kit was quite close to the desired shape.

View attachment 557981

I made the first fragment based on his image, but only the outer contour! The rest will be made as construction progresses.

View attachment 557982

First, I cut off the excess with a blade and polished it further on a sanding machine.

View attachment 557983

To make sure these pieces were removable but still held in place, I used pins as positioning dowels.

View attachment 557984

View attachment 557985

The inner profile will be cut simultaneously with the planks when they are joined. Before this, however, all the deck planks will be chamfered (beveled). This is necessary to create a small gap between the planks when they are joined. In the future, I will go over this gap with a blade, calibrating it to a uniform size. After coating with oil and bitumen, pigment will be applied to this gap, coloring it, imitating caulking.

I created the bevel with a scalpel, running the edge of the yoke along the plank at an angle.

View attachment 557986

Next, I cut an internal profile (within which the stepped transitions would be) into the waterwall and cut notches for the two center boards. I then scratched a border onto the boards along this notch profile and cut the boards along this border (more details later in the text).

View attachment 557987

To glue the first board evenly, I pressed the ruler along the deck axis line with clamps.

View attachment 557988

I glued it with PVA TiteBondII, pressing the board firmly against the ruler...

View attachment 557989

... and then, using a wooden block, pressed the board to the base for 5 minutes (that’s how long it takes for this glue).

View attachment 557990

I applied the glue not in the center of the board, but slightly closer to the edge of the board opposite the previous one. This is to prevent excess glue from getting between the boards and filling the gap. Otherwise, it will be difficult to slide the blade between the boards and the gap will be uneven, which will affect the visual appearance. With this method, the glue doesn't flow to the adjacent board, and the excess flows out the other side, which I scrape off with a blade.

View attachment 557991

As a result, there is no glue either between the boards (in the gap) or outside it on the other side, which will provide good contact for the next board.

View attachment 557992

Next, all the operations are repeated: first, I cut a notch on the waterway to the size of the board and then scratch this profile on the board itself.

View attachment 557993

I cut, adjust and if everything fits, I glue them in pairs.

View attachment 557994

At the moment I have glued 6 standard boards (4.5mm of one color) and the next ones will be one on each side of the power boards (5mm of a different color), but more on that later.

View attachment 557995

View attachment 557996

N.B. This complex joint design offered several advantages. Firstly, it increased rigidity, as each board had its own place, preventing it from shifting toward the center as it slid along the waterway. Secondly, the boards didn't have to end in a sharp edge, which would make them structurally more fragile.

Nicely fitted boards in the nibbled waterway, Sergey.
Regards, Peter

 

[Corsair]

Your work is beautiful and I love your explanations and demonstrations !
Thank you again !!

 

[dockattner]

Outstanding, Sergey. The joinery is perfect!

 

[serikoff]

Nicely fitted boards in the nibbled waterway, Sergey.
Regards, Peter

Your work is beautiful and I love your explanations and demonstrations !
Thank you again !!

Outstanding, Sergey. The joinery is perfect!

Friends, thank you for the kind words; they motivate me to continue sharing everything in detail. Yes, this is already a visual part that will be visible, so accuracy is very important. I'm not sure I'll have time to do everything I plan to do before the competition, but I'm in no hurry. If anything, I'll participate next year, but I really want to go to the next competition. I haven't been there in a while, and I want to take lots of good photos to share with you. I see everyone liked what I posted in 2013 and 2014.

 

[serikoff]

I recently bragged that I wanted to buy all of this:

HMS Alert [1777] 1:48 POF by serikoff. (Two hulls: skeleton and fully rigged)

Today I was able to complete 6 spans at once... ...the logic remains basically the same: basically, all the lintels are 1.6 mm. In areas under the guns and where the spans are longer, they're 1.8 mm. Where the grates are, they're 3 mm, and near the pumps, they're 2.6 mm. Here, as...

shipsofscale.com

And so I did it:



The only thing is that the vice hasn't arrived yet and instead of 28726 I bought 28725. + 28722.

I haven't tested it yet; the war is causing power outages, and my UPS broke, so I had to fix it. I also bought a new, more powerful one. So, I've got myself some New Year's gifts covered, and I'll be showing you the results soon.