BLUENOSE SCHOONER POF MODEL -1:72 – YuanQing Models

[Heinrich]

Ever since YuanQing announced their model of the renowned Canadian Schooner - Bluenose on SOS, it has created considerable interest.

https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/threads/full-rib-bluenose-finished

As to the history of Bluenose, so much has been said and written that there is not much that I can add. Suffice to say that she has always been the darling of Nova Scotia (Lunenburg) and Canada. Seventeen unbeaten years in the International Fishermen’s Cup, record hauls of cod, an enigmatic and inspirational captain and immortalization on coins, stamps, license plates, and in songs, books and legendary tales, have all seen to that.



So, whilst Bluenose needs no introduction, YuanQing Ship Model does. The name is derived from that of its owner, Mr. Yuan Qing (in Chinese, the surname is mentioned first and then the first name). Mr. Yuan first saw the picture of a model sail boat online in 2005 and was hooked. At the time there were no kits of model ships available in China – ship models were all scratch-built from plans and drawings obtained on the internet.

As an entrepreneur, he saw the potential of a model ship kit manufactured in China and believed that such a step would make the hobby far more accessible to many more enthusiasts. However, this was not easy - a lack of manufacturing tools, inexperience and limited capabilities in general, were some of the biggest obstacles. Despite the obvious difficulties, the company started the development and production of Western sail boats in 2006. Many mistakes were made during those early years, but the company stuck obstinately to the principle of doing their own development. Over the years they have worked hard to ensure that they adhere to the latest manufacturing processes and trends in the business in order to improve the quality and consistency of their products.

Today, YuanQing manufactures 16 models of their own of which the Bluenose is the very latest. The Bluenose is particularly important to the company as it employs the very latest in manufacturing technology and also marks the company’s first foray into Plank-on-Frame (or as the Chinese call it – Full-Rib) models. In the case of Bluenose, the model was designed with Rhinoceros 5 (64 bit) 3D software.

The company has also entered into an agreement with Luhaiqingkong Models whereby they can offer some of the latter’s products as well. Included in this agreement – and I am sure of great interest to SOS members – is the absolutely superb Royal Caroline in 1:30 scale.

YuanQing Bluenose Schooner – Specifications:

Manufacturer: YuanQing Ship Models

Model Name: Bluenose Schooner

Model Scale: 1/72

Model Type: Plank-on-Frame; Fully Ribbed

Length: 732mm;

Height: 602mm;

Width: 121mm

Hull Wood: AA Grade Wild Pear wood

Deck Planking & Fittings: AA Grade Red Beech wood

Assembly Jig: Sycamore wood

By virtue of this being the only POF kit of Bluenose in the world, I was immediately interested in the kit. I started communicating with the company on WeChat (the Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp) and as a result, Xiulin at YuanQing asked me to do a kit review of Bluenose for our SOS members. Please note that I have no vested interest in YuanQing Models – the model is sold to the public at the exact same price that YuanQing lists it on Taobao.



As my photographic abilities are limited - to say the least – I made use of a professional photographer for the photoshoot. For fear of “romanticizing” the pictures, we chose a simple background of white printing paper.



Packaging:



The Bluenose arrived in a plain-brown, corrugated, cardboard box, used for the outer packaging. Transparent adhesive tape along the seams protect against damage and moisture. The actual kit box fits snugly inside the outer box so any movement during transport is impossible. It measures 670mm in length, 266 mm in width, 90 mm in height and weighs 3.55 kg.







As befits the quality of the timber and fittings within, the actual kit box is beautifully designed with a three-quarter front view photograph of the completed model on the left while the name “YUANQING MODELS” and company logo are displayed on the right. The inscription “Sail with your love” is transposed onto an ancient map of China – also on the right-hand side of the cover. The side flaps of the box are adorned with various depictions of nautical nature, warnings in both Chinese and English and the company name, address, contact details and after-sales service number (obviously only valid in China).

As a matter of interest. On the front cover of the box you will see a star-grading that denotes the difficulty level of the model. YuanQing has it sitting at 4 out of 7 stars which would suggest a “Moderate” difficulty level. However, on another Chinese website the difficulty level is rated at 5 out of a possible 5 stars. I can obviously not comment on this before actual building commences, but judging by some of the build photographs I have seen, I would be more inclined to go for the higher difficulty level.



With the lid removed, a further protective layer of bubble wrap is revealed.

Instructions:



The first of the contents is the set of drawings. These consist of four double-sided printed sheets that measure 860 mm x 580 mm (i.e. in total, there are x 8 pages.

Sheet 1:

Jig Assembly, Rib Assembly & Hull Construction

Reverse Side: Deck Assembly & Deck Planking

Sheet 2:

Mast-, Spar-, Gaff- and Bowsprit Assembly

Reverse Side: Deck Fittings Construction

Sheet 3:

Both sides are devoted to Rigging (Ropes, knots, deadeyes, blocks etc.)

Sheet 4:

View of Fully-Assembled Ship

Reverse Side: Parts List and Inventory





The Parts List and Inventory (Above)





Further to the drawings there are two A4-sized instruction manuals supplied.



One of the "instruction" manuals is actually a book which is made up of 1:1 scale drawings of each individual rib/s. In case of the bigger-sized ribs, a complete page is devoted to the construction of one rib, whereas in case of the smaller-sized ribs, up to three can be found on a single page. This is quite handy as it makes copying of the pages so much easier than copying one large sheet containing drawings of all the ribs. Conversely, a single sheet can simply be inserted into a plastic sleeve to protect the original during the assembly process of the ribs.



The other manual contains all the actual instructions with very clear, step-by-step photographs in black-and-white. Obviously, this is where my biggest challenge lies – to translate the instructions into English. Once this kit review is published, I will immediately get onto that as promised.




With the introductions and instructions concluded, that also concludes Part 1 of the review. As a result of the massive size of the files and limited server ability, I am forced to break up the review in sections. Please bear with me - the rest will follow a bit later.

Kind regards - Heinrich

 

[Heinrich]

Part 2: Fittings Container





This very neat container is supplied to house all the fittings in the kit.



Included in the container is its own inventory and parts numbering which consists of clearly identifiable colour photographs.



Four types of rigging rope is supplied - all with different thickness and strand texture for the various rigging applications. The quality seems to be good with no fuzziness that I could detect.



The quality of the brass parts that will make up the winch assembly is in one word - superb! They are very accurately manufactured and beautifully finished with a deep sheen. Whilst they obviously need to be blackened in the interests of authenticity, such as their luster that I would be very tempted to leave them as is. Choices … The brass photo-etched sheets with the decorations and name plates are protected by a very thin transparent film while a roll of brass wire is also supplied.

Now let us really magnify those brass gears and fittings.




Ship's bell and blocks.



Deadeyes





The quality of all the castings is equally good. This shot highlighting the ship's wheel and rudder hinges has been magnified considerably. Look at how clean the castings are - no cleaning-up or polishing of castings is required.





s and chains.



And that dear friends, conclude Part 2.

I will shortly upload Part 3.

 

[Heinrich]

Part 3:

Timbre:

Which then brings us to the wooden parts used in the kit. Most kit manufacturers grade their wood according to quality ranging from A (top quality) to D. Bluenose sees a marked departure from this approach as all the wooden parts are manufactured from AA quality wood with the exception of the jig. Only three types of wood are used in the build of the Bluenose: The keel and ribs are made from Wild Pear Tree wood which is described as having a “delicate texture, ruddy colour – highly popular among wood carvers and model makers”. The deck planking and deck fittings are manufactured from AA Grade red Beech and was designed to showcase the openwork and deck beams on the one side, while the other half is covered by the solid deck planking.

Please see picture below.



The third wood type that is used is Sycamore for the jig construction. It goes without saying that everything is laser-cut with the latest machines to ensure accuracy and precise fitment.




The jig assembly manufactured from Sycamore wood.



Rib Assembly - Wild Pear Wood









Wild Pear Keel Assembly and General Planking.



Close-up focusing on the accuracy and cleanliness of the laser cutting. Note the uniformity of the wood colour and grain of the Wild Pear.


Nowhere is the quality of the wood and of this kit more noticeable than in this close-up.




The Red Beech deck planking - all pre-laser cut.




Masts and wood strips.


The kit is supplied with a beautiful stand and beautifully turned out supports. The red Canadian ensign rounds off the picture.

Just one thing missing now - the Bluenose name on the hull stand!



And that my dear friends conclude my review/unboxing/showing of the YuanQing Bluenose. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.



The captions on the photographs are the lyrics from Stan Rogers's song on the Bluenose.

Only one question remains? Will you know the Bluenose in the sun?

 

[Heinrich]

Good morning from Nantong, China gentlemen. After the review, I had to catch some shut-eye before another day in front of class and the PC. I will reply to each and every person who posted and answer all questions in detail as they come along. I will do so in what I think is a logical order and sequence of events. Of course, I should have posted pictures of the completed model as @Dematosdg asked, but I was just too tired. So without further ado here goes: These pictures are supplied by YuanQing Models and are the ones they used in the listing of their kit on Taobao.

 

[Heinrich]

@Stargazer asked about the correctness of the jig. I assure you that the jig is correct. Please have a look at the photographs from the Chinese build log.









I trust that these answer your question.

 

[Heinrich]

Now the issue of the stern decorations as addressed by @DonRobinson and @Canoe21

This what the current stern looks like.



Now we all agree that the supplied brass nameplate is incorrect. This is a simple fix. As @PT-2 suggested it really is a simple case of placing the correct decal in the correct position - nothing that a good CAD designer cannot fix. Whether buyers would first like to have this issue addressed, before receiving their kits or have the decal shipped to them as a retro-fit, is open for discussion. Obviously the decal will be shipped well before the stage is reached where the transom needs to be corrected.

HOWEVER - If we want to be 100% historically accurate, the stern emblem becomes more of an issue - here is why!

Up to 1938, this was what Bluenose's stern looked like.



Note the Masonic symbol of the Square and Compass between the words "Bluenose" and "Lunenburg."

After 1938, however, this was what the stern looked like:



After 1938, she carried the 3-ring symbol of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

So ... which stern decorations do we go for?

1. Simply "Bluenose" and "Lunenburg N.S." without any symbol?
2. With the Masonic symbol?
3. With the Independent Order of Odd Fellows emblem?

Please let me know your thoughts on these before I make the final arrangements with YuanQing models.

 

[Heinrich]

Next, I want to address the Payment and Retail Pricing:

We have set up PayPal for our members to facilitate easy payment.



Even though there are still some Chinese inscriptions, it should give you the English instructions. (Please see below)



For the sake of our members who have not followed the Kit Announcement, here is the Retail Pricing for Bluenose.



The actual link to the PayPal will be posted a little later.

 

[Uwek]

Hallo Heinrich,
first of all congratulations and many thanks for this very informative and detailed kit review.
It is looking really like a very interesting kit, which will find the way to customers.
Also a very interesting original vessel, which will fit very well to other fishing schooners. I think there is also the America in the same scale of 1:72 available from other producers (off course not POF).
This model is very attractive because of the POF structure showing the frames, beams etc.
Therefore I guess most of the modelers will be happy with the given and by the manufacturer defined deck-planking.





It seems that in the kit the portside deck planking is prepared - also with a fixed opening (see red arrows) - and for starboard the deck is not included.
The shown wooden strips I guess are for the hull planking (maybe also only for one side. (BTW: Which kind of timber are they?)
Maybe it would be good, that YuanQing Models would add enough wooden strips for both sides of the hull, but also strips for the complete deck planking.
It is only a suggestion, to make this kit more attractive, because I am sure, that several modelers would like to show the deck planking different than the defined laser deck. Just a thought.....

 

[Heinrich]

Dear Gents - I am back so let us look at the stern issue.

FACT: The brass name plate is historically incorrect.





This picture indicates two locations:

The White indicates the location of the original Bluenose's name.
The Yellow indicates the location of the Bluenose II replica's name.



The original Bluenose. The lettering is in white and contains only the words BLUENOSE, the MASONIC SYMBOL & LUNENBERG all in one line. (The NS for Nova Scotia is omitted).



Bluenose II (courtesy of Halifaxphoto). The lettering is in gold and contains the words BLUENOSE II with LUNENBURG, N.S. underneath.

I think I speak for everyone if I say we stick to the original option with white lettering.

Dave Lester - who originally explored the connection between the Masons and Bluenose - built the Model Shipways Bluenose in 1:64 scale here on SOS. Dave is unfortunately no longer a member of SOS - neither do I know where to find him to obtain permission to use his photo. However, since the picture is still available on SOS, I am sure that it will be OK seeing that we are using it for a good cause here.



This is David's model of the Bluenose with the original lettering and masonic symbol. (Photograph by David Lester)



This is the lettering that David created. (Photograph by David Lester)

On the picture this looks good, but he did mention that the letters were very small. Obviously in 1:72 scale, they are even going to be smaller.

Is everyone happy with this?

 

[Heinrich]

Have you noticed if the kit build is in the racing or fishing presentation which would affect both deck items as well as rigging. Just wondering. again???? Rich

@PT-2 Rich - to be very honest - I have no idea what the differences are between the fishing and racing rigging. The best that I can do you is to show you a very large drawing of the kit fully rigged. Whether this rigging is representative of her in fishing or racing guise though, I would not know.

 

[Heinrich]

So this morning I was browsing ZHL.s website, when I came across this.



They are offering Bluenose at a marked up price of 268 USD !!!

Please do NOT be confused or misled by the above - the official price supplied by YuanQing to SOS Members is and remains:

 

[Heinrich]

And as promised on @PT-2 Rich's birthday - his gift!



Notice how the "B" and "L" of Bluenose wrap around the stern as well as the floral decorations on either side.





Obviously the previous nameplate should be ignored. Now it's for quality verification wherein the consistency and ageing are tested and then final production.

 

[Heinrich]

I just couldn't resist another shot of that fabulous stern!


I neglected to give you a shot from the starboard side - so here it is!

 

[Heinrich]

In case you guys missed it: You spoke ... I listened ... and our moderators created!



A big thank you to all the moderators - but in particular to @zoly99sask Zoly who worked hard to create it. And of course a big thank you to all of you - our family members who created the demand in the first place!

 

[Heinrich]

Good morning everyone. The Bluenose Group Build is now officially open so please join the group!

 

[Heinrich]

Once again a big Thank You to the moderators and to @zoly99sask for creating the group. It is much appreciated by all of us gents!

 

[MM2CVS9]

Will there be an English translation for the instruction sheets?
I found an excellent translation site that works very well, however, the Chinese text on this site is contained in photos and I am not able to copy and paste it into the program for translation. It worked great for the post from your associate however. Maybe when I get my kit I can scan the sheets into PDF and copy them from there. We'll see.

Eugene

 

[Heinrich]

@MM2CVS9 Hello Eugene. I am busy translating the instructions and am verifying them at the hand of my build log - so join us on my build log page - that is where all the action is. I would appreciate any help I can get in this regards so if you can put together a PDF file for us when you get the kit, it would be great. There is a full instruction book with photographs included as well.

 

[Makesawdust]

Part 2: Fittings Container

View attachment 195020

View attachment 195021

This very neat container is supplied to house all the fittings in the kit.

View attachment 195023

Included in the container is its own inventory and parts numbering which consists of clearly identifiable colour photographs.

View attachment 195024

Four types of rigging rope is supplied - all with different thickness and strand texture for the various rigging applications. The quality seems to be good with no fuzziness that I could detect.

View attachment 195025

The quality of the brass parts that will make up the winch assembly is in one word - superb! They are very accurately manufactured and beautifully finished with a deep sheen. Whilst they obviously need to be blackened in the interests of authenticity, such as their luster that I would be very tempted to leave them as is. Choices … The brass photo-etched sheets with the decorations and name plates are protected by a very thin transparent film while a roll of brass wire is also supplied.

Now let us really magnify those brass gears and fittings.

View attachment 195030
View attachment 195031

Ship's bell and blocks.

View attachment 195032

Deadeyes

View attachment 195026

View attachment 195027

The quality of all the castings is equally good. This shot highlighting the ship's wheel and rudder hinges has been magnified considerably. Look at how clean the castings are - no cleaning-up or polishing of castings is required.

View attachment 195028

View attachment 195029

s and chains.

View attachment 195033

And that dear friends, conclude Part 2.

I will shortly upload Part 3.

Isn’t that ship’s wheel actually a necklace pendant

 

[Heinrich]

@Makesawdust Hi. I presume it's just a little tab used during the casting process that needs to be removed before assembly.