Capt. John Smith Shallop by Pavel Nikitin 1/32

Macbass said:
Nice Job. I have same model and am frustrated with the frame Have stooped and will restart this fall. What did you have problems with?
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The frames were so delicate and my ham-hands ended up breaking a few pieces. Lots of faring to get the planks to lay right, or at least pretty good. I ended up using lots of wood glue to act as filler between the frames and planks where they didn't quite lay right after faring. I like the look of the synthetic rope better than cotton I've gotten on other ships, but cotton is easier to work with. The cotton ropes don't unwind when you cut them and they tighten on themselves easier. And the ship in general is so small. I have limited experience and this shallop was so much smaller than I've worked with added an extra challenge. And lots sanding to get the laser burn marks off. Overall am really happy with the end product and got good practice with a smaller ship. Good luck with your shallop!
 
Kramer, All or the above!
I especially like how the sails came out! Could you give us a run down on that? Maybe with process pics? All the extraneous detail, the oars, barrel, axe and lantern give the model a cinematic sense of reality, like I expect Capt. Smith and his crew to come aboard any moment! Well done!
I've been looking at the Pavel Nikitin promos for their models and was curious to know if they are as user friendly as the pictures of the kits make them appear. The Drakkar model looks very appealing for this reason. Although my experience with wood kits always keeps "Caveat Emptor" close to mind!Cautious

Great Job. You should Be justifiably very proud!

Pete
 
Peter Gutterman said:
Kramer, All or the above!
I especially like how the sails came out! Could you give us a run down on that? Maybe with process pics? All the extraneous detail, the oars, barrel, axe and lantern give the model a cinematic sense of reality, like I expect Capt. Smith and his crew to come aboard any moment! Well done!
I've been looking at the Pavel Nikitin promos for their models and was curious to know if they are as user friendly as the pictures of the kits make them appear. The Drakkar model looks very appealing for this reason. Although my experience with wood kits always keeps "Caveat Emptor" close to mind!Cautious

Great Job. You should Be justifiably very proud!

Pete
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Thanks Peter! I too looked at the Drakkar, looks real interesting. Billing Boats has something similar https://www.billingboatsusa.com/product/720-oseberg-viking-ship/.
For the sails, I didn't use the supplied sails and instead chose something I thought would look better and was nostalgic for my wife and me. I used a cotton dish rag that her grandmother (greatest lady in the world!) had that she got back in the 1950s or 60s. The rags came free in bags of flour back then. The cotton looks more authentic, in my opinion, and they had aged quite a bit so I didn't have to stain them. To make them look like they were billowing, I followed Olha's technique of tying them at the corner points and resting sandwich bags filled with water to give them shape. I used a lot of spray starch and let them dry overnight. They really held their shape, even after I had to handle them a lot to secure them to the boat.
As far as the directions for the build, they were a bit lacking for someone with my limited experience. Olha's videos helped the most. I watched the videos over and over again. My biggest lesson is to plan ahead, way ahead, by watching the videos to see what the next steps will be and how things will fit together down the line. I could have done a little more planning with assembling the rigging to make it a bit easier on myself (like pre-cut holes in the sails for sewing to the mast), but live and learn. Not sure if she has similar videos for the Drakkar.
 
Thanks Very helpful and instructive! Although I'll have to find something to substitute for your Gandma's dish rags, The idea of baggies of water and spray starch is terrific. Anything to further the elusive art of making believable scale sails. A moving target, I've found!

Pete
 
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I have watched Olha's build and drooled, knowing it is beyond my limits right now. Yours is GORGEOUS and really LOVE the sails and details on board--especially the lantern, axe, and barrels! Thank you for sharing! I agree with a post above that these pics would be great for the kit's advertisements. This is an inspiration. . . . .
 
KAYAK GIRL said:
I have watched Olha's build and drooled, knowing it is beyond my limits right now. Yours is GORGEOUS and really LOVE the sails and details on board--especially the lantern, axe, and barrels! Thank you for sharing! I agree with a post above that these pics would be great for the kit's advertisements. This is an inspiration. . . . .
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Thanks for the kind words. I watched Olha's videos and made some adjustments because I was no where near her skill level. And the kit maker added some great detail, like you point out. It has motivated me to add more detail to my current build, the Endurance, after seeing what a difference it makes. It may take me longer to finish the Endurance, but the added detail will make it worth it.
 
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