La Nina - Artesania Latina - my first Wooden ship model.

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"And I guess one never ever forgets their first". - Kit was a Christmas present from the family and a complete surprise as I've only ever assembled 1/350 scale 'Regia Marina' plastic warships.
My efforts in this adventure turned out to be challenging to say the least due to total inexperience and lack of knowledge relating to sailing, sailing ships, rigging and other issues pertaining to assembling wooden kits. I was a total "Duh".
Members are free to chuckle, but please no laughing out loud or falling off chairs. Over the weeks I have viewed the magnificence of your work(s) trembled in admiration and gasped in awe at the builds, Knowledge and final works by members.
Anyway :_
My first mistake was not checking and double checking that the keel hadn't twisted or warped slightly since production laser cutting. Oh well it made little difference except to the trained eye.

La Nina_ 01_Made the Decking.jpg
 
After many hours You-Tubing and a few practice runs I finished the deck and dummied the trees nails like others have by using carbon pencil and patience. The toothpick tree nails looked interesting but not for this model or time.

La Nina_1B_Pencil Deck.png
 
First planking was done via many new English words and chewing PVA glue off fingers. To achieve bends I first drew the on plywood how much bend was needed then hammered nails to the drawing outline. (sorry no photos were taken) Planking sat over night in the Grandkids plastic play pool then bend and attached to the plywood drawing and dried using my daughters hair dryer. Over all I think the end result wasn't too bad considering.

La Nina_02_1st Planking.png
 
Gaps and slight hollows filled with water based "Selleys, Spakfiller" described as a heavy duty filler for holes in walls, cracks etc. Overnight dry and then sanded off to what may or may not have been a good finish.

La Nina_03_1st planking Filler.png
 
So the tricky bit started for the second planking which the instructions specified should be Contact Glue. Sadly being subject to COPD I searched online for an alternative glue and eventually found a water-based product "Ados Greenstik" contact adhesive. Application was super challenging and dare I say I managed to stick almost everything together except for the second planking. perseverance and a few wines got the desired result

La Nina_04_2nd Planking_with sticky fingers.png
 
The rudder assembly gave me problems, mostly because there is no Birchwood Casey available anywhere in the world due to COVID and no international delivery. In the end the brass got semi blackened with some leftover Mr Hobby aqueous Mat Black. La Nina starting to look a bit like the picture.

La Nina_07_On the Mother box.png
 
Not having most of the wooden ship modelling tools required it was a matter of improvising in order to make the hatches square. It worked for me.

la Nina_08_Squaring the Hatch Frames.png
 
Birds eye view of the deck as I stumbled along very much confused by the supplied instructions and whilst it was easier to follow the colour photos of the instructions, sharper, clearer photographs would have bee ever so much more helpful.

La Nina_09_ So far so Okay.png
 
Thinking maybe it was time for the mast and rigging and stuff that makes the boat go forward. By this stage there was so much learnt, many 'wished I'd known' and Ahuh! shoulda done it differently.

La Nina_11_Not looking to bad.png
 
The fuzzy ropes really got to me and while happy with having finished La Nina I wasn't at all satisfied with the rigging and Artesania latina's supplied ropes. The FUZZ really got to me.

01_Rope Fuzz.png
 
No matter what. There is always a way. It's never impossible the way is there it just has to be found. So time was spent You-tubing Rope Walks, viewing over and over again Olha's rope making ( I enjoy her videos, she never has a scratch, cut on her fingers or broken finger nail- amazing lady. hope her family back home is safe. My prayer are with them and all) and finally experiencing A rope Walk at the local primary school. I made this from all I've seen. Bit 01.

02_Ropes_what I made on Sunday.png
 
After lots of failures and a couple of mishaps I added a revised Bit 02 from a 40 year old battery motor I found in the attic.

03_Ropes_Made on Tuesday from Frustration.png
 
All up it seems to work. the biggest problem has been getting to same stretch tension on all threads and making sure the wife doesn't start looking for her sewing kit(s)

04_Ropes_Works Almost all the Time.png
 
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