Charles W. Morgan by David Lester - Model Shipways - 1/64 scale [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Jim J]

Agreed. To do the Morgan properly does require a lot of extras not included in the kits - but isn't that what it's all about? Kits are a great starting point, but to do truly realistic scale models does require a lot of extra research and time. That's what makes this hobby so interesting - and no 2 ships are ever the same even if built from the same kit.

 

[Gregoryhansel]

I contacted Artesania Latina and they have no plans to reissue that kit. I’m looking for an 80s boxing of it anyway. I wish I hadn’t let mine go. I actually bought it from a local hobby shop in Germany while I was stationed there.

 

[Dematosdg]

I contacted Artesania Latina and they have no plans to reissue that kit. I’m looking for an 80s boxing of it anyway. I wish I hadn’t let mine go. I actually bought it from a local hobby shop in Germany while I was stationed there.

You need to search every week eBay. The Charles Morgan from AL pops from time to time. It was a kit I wanted to built since I started around 30 years ago. Stopped many times the hobby and I did nothing during the last 20 years.

Many times I saw the Charles M. on eBay and let it go. 5 months ago, I decided to return to the hobby. First thing was to look at eBay. And it was there. Box damage but I got it. It wasn't easy to check if all pieces were still in the kit. And guess what, a few weeks later another was listed. And I got it too as a backup.

Bottom line, don't give up. In the last year 4 were posted, I got 2 of those and I stop searching for that kit.

Cheers
Daniel

 

[Stfleming]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first posting at SOS forum. I have joined as the result of the encouragement of a couple of my online friends and look forward to meeting new online acquaintances here.

I am well along in my build of the CWM, so I'll post a few pictures at this time to bring you up to date and then add new posts at regular intervals as I move forward from here.

If anyone is contemplating this kit, I can recommend it highly. It is challenging, but very satisfying and is an interesting change from warships. The kit is well designed. As per usual the instructions are minimal but the plans are very comprehensive.

View attachment 92367

View attachment 92372

View attachment 92368

Using thread to represent the metal rods in the skylight.

View attachment 92370

View attachment 92371

The tryworks made out of 1mm x 2mm x 4mm boxwood "bricks."

View attachment 92369

View attachment 92375

View attachment 92373

I cut the boats in half to make it easier to shape the interiors.

View attachment 92374

They glued back together seamlessly.

View attachment 92376

View attachment 92377

View attachment 92378

View attachment 92379

This is where I am at as of now, having just started the standing rigging. Lots more to do yet!

David

Hey David thanks for the building log. Can you remember how you attached the trusses to the yards? Thanks!

 

[Old Salty]

Hi Guys,
Yes, I did use boxwood strips to make the bricks. I used 1mm x 2mm strips cut into 4mm lengths. They're laid like actual bricks with thin card stock between the rows, recessed slightly from the front. Once it was finished, I painted the whole thing with orange/brick coloured paint and then filled in the gaps with joint filler. It gives a very realistic effect.

I must make it clear that I did not come up with the approach and cannot take credit for it. I found it had been previously used in two or three other CWM builds and I simply followed their lead.

Have you noticed that everything falls into one of two categories - either you think it's going to be hard to do and it turns out it isn't, or it looks like it's going to be easy to do, but it ends up biting you in the behind. This was one of those things that was easier to do than it looks.

Thanks again,
David

Hi David, I have just purchased plans and full build insructions for the Artesania Latina 1:50 scale which are dated 1984. It is no longer made by them as far as I know. I will follow you with interest as you go through your build. Very good by the way I have only built one ship (still to finish) so far and am 70yrs old with shaky hands,but I enjoy it. Keep up the good work.

 

[Old Salty]

Hello Uwe,
Thank you for you kind comments. The coppering on the hull is nothing special. It's just one way of doing it. The copper plates are cut from self-adhesive copper foil which comes in a roll. The strip is 6.35mm (1.4") wide and if I remember correctly I believe I cut the plates 5/8" long. This is a Model Shipways kit and it includes one roll of the copper foil. If more is needed it's readily available from hobby or craft suppliers. It's more typically used by people making stained glass ornaments. They wrap the edges of the glass with the foil, then solder the pieces together imitating the lead cane that would be between the pieces in real stained glass work.

View attachment 93841

It's possible to suggest rivet heads by imprinting the foil using a pounce wheel (below)

View attachment 93842
I never know whether to include this step or not. I'm not convinced that at this scale the rivet heads should show up, so I always have an internal debate. The pounce wheel impresses the foil deeply and I'm pretty sure that it would be overkill to imprint the entire plate. So, the compromise is to outline the plate, running the wheel only along the edges. Since the plates overlap about 1/32" I only outline two edges on each plate. While this isn't exactly an accurate representation, it does add some texture to the finished product, makes the individual plates stand out a bit and the overall effect is not too bad.

The other question that is often discussed is whether plates should be shiny or patinated. I don't worry about this very much one way or the other. I just put the plates on, leave them shiny and left them naturally dull slightly over time. I notice that many of us (myself included) don't tend to artificially "age" our models, showing much wear and tear the way railroad modellers often do, so I don't see why copper plating needs be shown in an aged state if the rest of the ship looks new. On the other hand, a patinated finish looks pretty nice too, so I don't think it's too big an issue one way or the other.

You put the plates on just as you would if you had used the individual plates like some kits include or can be purchased separately.

Here are pictures of a couple of my other models during the coppering process and the last picture is my CWM with the copper finished.

View attachment 93843

View attachment 93844

View attachment 93845

I trust that answers your question. I am no expert on this subject, but that's just my experience with coppering.

Thanks,
David

Hi David, Great job there. I to copper hulled the ship I am currently working on and used the pounce wheel to mark it. When I researched this I found that it was flat copper head nails used (photo of HMS Victory) instead of rivets.

 

[Stutzi]

Very nice work but, personally, I would have preferred the model to have a patina.

 

[Morghy]

I'm building the Charles W. Morgan after making the drawings