HMS Druid P.O.F. - Unicorn Models by Donnie [COMPLETED BUILD]

Donnie

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REVIEW TIME: EDITED (01-01-2022)

WARNING: Please note that the stairs that lead to the forecastle deck --- the cannons were in the way for my build. Therefore, I had to extend the forecastle deck on each side - which obviously goes against the plans.
Please check your plans as you build as there are some semi-major discrepancies in plans and pictorial manual.


REVIEW TIME: EDITED
Now that I am 6 months into this build, I want to give a short review. Even though this kit is a Plank on Frame (POF) or Plank on Ribs. Even though yes there are RIBS and BEAMS, the kit is sort of a mixture of basic kit and admiralty style - I will say that this kit is a good kit if you wish to get started making an admiralty style. It gives you the real to life example of how the Frames were constructed on a real ship.
You MUST be careful as some of the parts are stamped incorrectly. But, even with that, common sense will prevail and is NOT that big of a problem
The plans are only basic and just give you an idea of how things might go together. Next, the pictorial instructions booklet does show a step by step progression . The steps might not be in a logical sequence that you might be used to. However, again, basic common sense will prevail if you have past experience with advanced models.

I will continue to build the kit and as they say," it will make a model" - mine not be as good as others, but we will see.




This is the beginning of my Build Log of the UNICORN Models HMS Druid P.O.F. Kit. The images are from the first box opening and laying out as many parts as I could. I did not layout every single bundled piece, but if anyone has any questions, they are welcome to ask.

ZHL now sells this Druid kit with the upper deck framing added as a bonus now. The instructions for the bonus package are all in Chinese, but not a problem as I downloaded an APP on my iPhone (thanks to Zoltan) as it is an Optical Character Recognition program. You can operate the APP two ways. You can SCAN the document and it will translate for you, OR, what is really nice about the APP, is that you can also view the document's translation in real-time (as you hold your phone over the document, it will translate as you are looking at the phone. This is pretty cool. However, Chinese to English translation can still be somewhat awkward as it seems that there are only a handful of Chinese characters that can correctly translate to English as the English language is complicated with one word having multiple meanings.

Ok, so the MAIN instructions are in English with pictures. I have not taken the time to review the manual completely. As I start this build, then all those details will come out. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy watching if you so feel inclined to do so.

The box contents are bubble wrapped and then the entire contents of that are also in a clear plastic shrink wrap. I think this kit would survive the harsher environments. I have never seen a kit that the entire inside was completely shrunk wrapped sealed up.

Donald


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Last edited:
Stargazer,
this is the Cherry version. The Length is 655mm or 25-13/16 inches from tip of stem to the tip of stern. I assume by your username, you do Astronomy as well?

Thank you everyone for watching. I am now building the jig and filing off the char. I found that just by filing off the char, (and no more), the pieces fit exactly as they should.
 
Ok, so first things first. The instructions call for making all the frames first, but for some reason, I guess I need some warm-up time and I decided to build the Jig first.

I used a basic Shelf that can be found in any DIY store.

The two large bases have a laser-etched pattern on them that shows all the frame locations along with the frame numbers. You will not see that in this photo. The bottom part of the Jig is being built first and is actually "upside down" which is the reason why the laser patterns are not seen. This is the bottom part of the Jig.

The RED arrows are showing the location of small brass wood screws I am using as the two halves of the Jig do have a very slight bow in them. The slight bow is nothing really to be concerned with as when the bottom part of the box Jig is built, it will square up. I just wanted to take extra steps as with the bottom part of the two halves are screwed down, the pieces can not move around while I am gluing and fixing the other parts.

There are also numerous "right triangle" pieces that will also glue to this bottom to keep it square - however, it is always best to use a real square when checking. After all this "is" the Jig - right?

I found that just removing the Laser Char, and no more, the parts fit nicely. There are a few areas that might need just a very small amount of filing, but not much.

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Stargazer,
this is the Cherry version. The Length is 655mm or 25-13/16 inches from tip of stem to the tip of stern. I assume by your username, you do Astronomy as well?
Hey Donnie, I used to be into astronomy- I had a Starmaster 20” Dobsonian and several very nice eyepieces, but after 4 back surgeries and just age in general I just couldn’t haul that behemoth around and do the all nighter’s anymore - I have considered a small apo refractor but I just put the $$$ into ship modeling and keep building....
 
Actually, I do not really have to have the google translation app bc the English instructions are compiled at the very beginning of manual w reference numbers to images. Just a little getting used to this format. I have more pics coming up soon.
 
i think for the money it is a very high quality kit from what i see it is based on the Hahn model and a great interpretation of the subject.

Even though all the frame parts are pre cut it is the next level of model building and will require skill to build, kind of preps you for scratch building should you want to go to the next step in the hobby.
 
I am still working on the bottom base. To me, it is very important to have a very straight - flat surface as this base has the 'frames' layout laser etched on it and also more important, this is where the keel will be laid along with the rest of the structure is going to be supported by this base.

The two aluminum bars are an example of how I was able to put weights to distribute the pressure. Even though the jig top part is screwed down on the shelf, the two halves still have some slight bow and you can still press the board in the middle and it gives up and down just a little bit. The point is that the rest of the support beams has to be flat as they are being glued down. This might seem overkill, but if you were to build this bottom base, you will see that it is necessary to have the steel weights and those red anvils press down while the beam dries.
As a side note - that center joint is NOT glued. (I figure that the glue from this would make removing the bottom base very difficult to do if glue leaked onto the white shelf.

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it is the next level of model building and will require skill to build, kind of preps you for scratch building
Thank you Dave for mentioning this.
This is a very important note. Even have done a scratch-built cross-section myself, I can say that this is still an advanced kit, and making frames (even from a kit) can still be a confusing and daunting task.
 
Well, I know this is the mundane part of the build, but again if you are reading this and are starting this model, then it is very important to get this part done right. If not, then the rest of the build will be compromised. I know that a Jig is not a glamorous thing. But it is what it is. This determines how the ship will square up and reduce a lot of problems before they arise.

Here, the bottom part of the Jig is complete and drying. It will be removed from the white shelf soon.

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Next, is a more fanciful part, and that is the top part of the Jig that shows the frames (locations). It will have a shallow box built around it as well. Again, the two halves are very slightly bowed and need reinforcement. The same technique will be used for this top as done for the lower. The slight bow is not a problem. That is the reason for the reinforcements. I am not concerned about it - it is to be expected. It is really up to you/ me to make it right !!!

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