"Mayflower" Yuanqing models

[Aantaug]

Hi everybody. I'm sorry for my poor English. I started building models a few years ago. Assembled: HMS "Beagle" (Occre), "Adventure Pirate schooner" (Amati), "Gunboat" (Milania). On pause, "Brigantine Phoenix" (Milania) is a very small size for me. I ordered a "Mayflower" from Yuanqing Models. Who has information about the company? The address of the official website?

Hi Shipbuilder!
I bought this same model. It's currently on pause along with Mamoli HMS Bounty and Panart San Felipe. I bought the Mayflower fthrough ZHL, who only distributes it. I could not find a web site for them or any other info. I downloaded Google Translate and it helps a lot with the translation. I've been working on Panart's Armed Launch.
I think you are pretty much on your own when it comes to answering uestions or replacing missing parts.
Use your skill and fill in the blanks using your best judgment. The finished product will turn out fine.

 

[AlexSkripko]

Fixing the keel frame. Making a boat. Wooden parts. Not plywood. That's good.

 

[AlexSkripko]

Thank you! This model requires a thoughtful approach. It's more like a model created from scratch, like they do in Croatia.

 

[mick]

Here we go! The box containing the set is of decent quality. The dent is from shipping.

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YuanQing models are derivatives from ZHL like other Chinese distributors who purchase ZHL and put their name on the box. ZHL are well know for pirating a lot of the well known European model companies kits and selling these at well below their retail prices and in doing so stealing lot of their trade.

 

[AlexSkripko]

I'm flying to Shanghai on January 14th. For work. The last time I was there was five years ago. I'll try to find something there. This is what he looked like.

 

[Van]

There are no instructions. There is a part sheet. There is a CD-ROM. I have four computers at home. They don’t have CD-ROM drives. I’ll try to make something at the office tomorrow. The drawings are in 1:1 format. Made on a photocopier. The quality is very poor.

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Not sure how much you want to invest in this model but CD-Rom drives that are portable and use a USB port run about $20

 

[AlexSkripko]

I aligned the keel frame. The instructions are very poor. You should have looked at a few photos ahead. I assembled it without glue. I don't like the lack of parallelism between parts 2 and 3. They are parallel to the grooves in the keel frame. They are not parallel themselves. I will trim part 1.

 

[Roger Pellett]

A caution to those considering purchase of this kit. The circular body plan sections bear no resemblance to those created by Sixteenth Century English design practices. ( no flat floors).

Roger

 

[AlexSkripko]

As far as I know, this ship was built in Holland. In the early 17th century. What flat floors are you talking about?

 

[Bob Cleek]

As far as I know, this ship was built in Holland. In the early 17th century. What flat floors are you talking about?

The exact location of Mayflower's construction seems to be unknown for certain, but what information is available in the historical record is strongly supportive that she was constructed in England. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower
That said, British Heritage Travel as recently as a couple of years ago was quite certain: The Mayflower (sic - a mariner would only refer to her as "Mayflower, never "the Mayflower ) had been built more than 300 miles from Plymouth, in the North Essex town of Harwich, where it was launched and registered. Along with three business partners, the ship was purchased by the man who became its captain. He was Christopher Jones, who lived and was married in Harwich. His small business consortium then ran the Mayflower as a trading vessel." (See: https://britishheritage.com/travel/history-pilgrims-ship-mayflower-london)

Be that as it may, although the Pilgrims were English who left England to live in Holland in pursuit of religious freedom, they ultimately decided to settle in America and sailed from Holland in Speedwell, and then ultimately sailed from England aboard Mayflower.

 

[KAYA61]

Welcome to SOS forum and it looks very nice

 

[AlexSkripko]

The material for the keel frame and frames is losing a lot of its shape. I spent a long time fixing the keel frame and frame #6. I had to install struts and planks. I'll remove them after the hull is planked. The instructions recommend removing the bevel first. Then glue in the lower deck. I'll do it the other way around.

 

[AlexSkripko]

What do you think? I need advice. If you install the lower deck tightly against the keel frame, it doesn't line up with the frames. The gun ports are also installed on it. If you install it along the frames, a gap forms near the keel frame. The instructions mention a gap.

 

[Ted Robinson]

Hi everybody. I'm sorry for my poor English. I started building models a few years ago. Assembled: HMS "Beagle" (Occre), "Adventure Pirate schooner" (Amati), "Gunboat" (Milania). On pause, "Brigantine Phoenix" (Milania) is a very small size for me. I ordered a "Mayflower" from Yuanqing Models. Who has information about the company? The address of the official website?

It is also ZHL

 

[Ted Robinson]

What do you think? I need advice. If you install the lower deck tightly against the keel frame, it doesn't line up with the frames. The gun ports are also installed on it. If you install it along the frames, a gap forms near the keel frame. The instructions mention a gap.

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I’m certainly not an expert but I would stall the deck parts in line with the exterior of the hull. It will be easier to fill in where you don’t have to duplicate the sweep of the hull on two sides of the fillers.

 

[AlexSkripko]

That's what I did. The deck thickness is 1.5 mm. The gap in the frames is 2.5 mm. I filled the gap with 0.5 mm planks. The gap between the deck and the keel frame was filled with 2.5 mm planks. This allowed the deck and keel frame to be aligned at 90 degrees. And there is no free movement of the deck parts. I set the main deck to bend.

 

[Ted Robinson]

That's what I did. The deck thickness is 1.5 mm. The gap in the frames is 2.5 mm. I filled the gap with 0.5 mm planks. The gap between the deck and the keel frame was filled with 2.5 mm planks. This allowed the deck and keel frame to be aligned at 90 degrees. And there is no free movement of the deck parts. I set the main deck to bend.

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It looks good and square. A nice foundation for the fun to come

 

[AlexSkripko]

I started making deck planking samples. The planks are 5 mm wide. Two options. 1. Black thread. 2. The ends of the planks are colored with a soft pencil. The thread seems very thick. What do you recommend?

 

[Bob Cleek]

I started making deck planking samples. The planks are 5 mm wide. Two options. 1. Black thread. 2. The ends of the planks are colored with a soft pencil. The thread seems very thick. What do you recommend?

Since you asked...

Your instincts are correct.

Deck planks in the applicable period were likely fastened with trunnels ("treenails," wooden pegs.) Even in the unlikely instance that they were nailed with iron spikes, the nail holes would have been countersunk and plugged with wooden plugs matching the wood of the deck planks. At the scale viewing distance, the plugged fastening holes in the deck planks will not be discernable. Depicting them on the model is an out of scale detail that ruins the compelling impression of reality that distinguishes a good model.

The model's scale is 1:48. The deck planks are 5mm (~0.20") wide, which is the scale equivalent of full-size deck planks that would be 24cm (~9.5") wide. You can do the research to be sure, but offhand I don't think full-size deck planking would have been more than about 15.25cm (~6") wide. Full-size deck plank seam stopping, even if sloppily done, will not exceed about 1cm (~0.4"). At 1:48 scale, 15.25cm (~6") wide deck planks are about 3.2mm (wide and full-size 1cm deck seam stopping will be about 0.2mm (0.008"). Thus, you should not want your plank seams to be any wider than about 0.2mm or about one hundredth of an inch. Subtly is required! A light rub with a somewhat hard (not heavy black) pencil on the side of the planks (not on the top) might be risked if it only gives a hint of the seams.

At scale viewing distance the darker grain marking of the plain-sawn planking wood that came with the kit is greatly out of scale. Deck planking is quarter-sawn, which does not display such figuring. The planking should appear to be all a single color with no figuring showing. A dark stain may sufficiently conceal the darker highlights of the wood you have. If not, you may want to buy some aftermarket strip wood of a species which shows no grain figuring. A darker wood on the deck of a merchant ship is more realistic as well, given that decks got quite dark quickly from the tar that was liberally applied as a preservative coating at that period and the dirt that sticks to it. (Naval vessels which had large crews were maintained to a high standard of "spit and polish" and decks were "holy-stoned" (sanded) regularly to keep the tar stains and dirt off the decks. Merchant ships, which kept crews to the minimum to maximize profits, did not waste time or expense on such niceties.)

In order to get a feel for what your model should look like, take a piece of wood, put a 1cm black stripe across it and then walk 48 paces away from it. What you see from 48 paces away is what your model deck should look like up close.

Many modelers, and in this instance, obviously, some kit manufacturers, are unconcerned by scaling accuracy, but the fact is that accuracy of scale is what creates the compelling impression of reality that makes a model look like the real thing instead of, well, instead of a model.

 

[AlexSkripko]

Thank you! I think so too. Black pencil along the ends of the board. It looks like this.