• Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
  • SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE MARCH/APRIL 2026

Pavel Nikitin 1/25 Oseberg V.3

Joined
Mar 27, 2020
Messages
178
Points
298

Location
Sverige, Västra Götaland län.
Earlier this year, I received this kit from Pavel Nikitin, the 1/25 Oseberg. I initially planned to build it after my HMS Agamemnon. But the Agamemnon will have to wait a while longer; it's been a project of over 12 years now.
So, I started on the Oseberg. First, I made the two brackets (aids). One helps to align the keel and frames properly, and the other helps with the planking. After a minor adjustment, it's a very useful aid during planking. I've now glued the keel and frames together. And now I'm working on the planking. I've made three passes so far. The fit is very good, except for the pre-lasered planks, which require some care during sanding and installation. This is due to the thickness of 1-1.5 mm, and beech tends to split sometimes. However, lightly applying superglue to the vulnerable parts prevents them from splitting or breaking. and can thus be sanded into shape without damage. The photos below speak louder than words.

20251108_212429.JPG20251110_000001.JPG20251110_000008.JPG20251110_000013.JPG20251110_000019.JPG
 
This Pavel kit is getting lots of new logs - So well deserved!! Certainly the best kit example available in the market...She's looking very good.
It will be interesting to see, and learn, from other logs how and if hull cleats will be added to some build logs - in the thousand I would image.
Will also follow your log.

Cheers,
 
The kit is indeed pleasant to work with, and I appreciate its finesse and accuracy. The only minor drawback is that the wood (beech) sometimes splits easily, especially if the length is cut perpendicular to the grain. A tip: treat the very delicate pieces with a drop of superglue; it works very well for me. I don't find the included clamps for holding the planks very effective, but elastic works well, and I've made some supports myself, which work very well in combination with elastic. The photos below give a good idea.

20251111_164228.JPG20251111_164216.JPG20251111_164238.JPG20251111_164320.JPG
 
Nice progress -PS: Did you order Pavel's fixt if parts for the mast step?

I just realized that the 1/32nd also has an updated parts set for same... tempted to order as well.
 
@ oldflyer,
Hey, no, I haven't bought the mast foot upgrade yet. I'm debating whether to do it or not. I'll continue with the hull first, and then check back. Luckily, it'll be here soon if I decide to buy it.
To be continued.

20251114_103127.JPG
It's indeed starting to get quite cold outside again, so all the more reason to start building. In the meantime, I've added the 6th course and started the 7th. As mentioned before, this kit, with dedication and love, can be shaped into a very beautiful model. I'm still pleasantly surprised.
20251119_125922.JPG20251119_125933.JPG20251119_130007.JPG20251119_125937.JPG
 
Last edited:
Still continuing
During this build I realize that people back then had a very good eye for finding and extracting the right pieces of wood from a tree. I really admire how they managed to build such ships back then, mainly with axes and adzes.

Was planning to airbrush her with alcohol ink, with I brought with me from overseas, but a lot was lost, due to the fact that people went to all my belongings, and so a lot of things where damaged or missing, yup that's the price for a continental moving.

So Since I don't have enough alcohol ink to airbrush the entire ship, I had to come with a other solution, I looked at Pavel his side, but the colour kit, is out of stock.

So after a little searching and reading, I bought all the products to make my own alcohol ink.

I use a tiny bit of warm water to dissolve the powder. I use a teaspoon to mix it, which I deliberately heat to keep the small amount of water warm, thus dissolving all the colored powder. Then I mix the rest with alcohol.
which makes a nice strong liquid concentrate, which is easy to work with the airbrush.

And after a bit of testing and experimenting, I'm quite pleased with the result.

20251203_201128.JPG20251203_201146.JPG
 
Still continuing
During this build I realize that people back then had a very good eye for finding and extracting the right pieces of wood from a tree. I really admire how they managed to build such ships back then, mainly with axes and adzes.

Was planning to airbrush her with alcohol ink, with I brought with me from overseas, but a lot was lost, due to the fact that people went to all my belongings, and so a lot of things where damaged or missing, yup that's the price for a continental moving.

So Since I don't have enough alcohol ink to airbrush the entire ship, I had to come with a other solution, I looked at Pavel his side, but the colour kit, is out of stock.

So after a little searching and reading, I bought all the products to make my own alcohol ink.

I use a tiny bit of warm water to dissolve the powder. I use a teaspoon to mix it, which I deliberately heat to keep the small amount of water warm, thus dissolving all the colored powder. Then I mix the rest with alcohol.
which makes a nice strong liquid concentrate, which is easy to work with the airbrush.

And after a bit of testing and experimenting, I'm quite pleased with the result.

View attachment 561413View attachment 561414

That looks great Willbor! It looks like it is probably less expensive than pre-mixed dye concentrate. Here in the US we pay about $24 (225 Krona) for 2 ounces (60 ml) of concentrate, then add 16 drops of concentrate per ounce (30 ml) of alcohol - so it goes a long way, but each color is pretty expensive. Your results look really good.
 
@Willbor237

Could you do me a favor? I have been following Pavel's logs getting ready to start my 1/32nd. Then I got curious his 1/25th looks to be about the same length (visually) as my "smaller" 1/32nd kit.

Mine is 695mm - would you measure your's for me?. It should be longer right?

Thanks in advance
 
That looks great Willbor! It looks like it is probably less expensive than pre-mixed dye concentrate. Here in the US we pay about $24 (225 Krona) for 2 ounces (60 ml) of concentrate, then add 16 drops of concentrate per ounce (30 ml) of alcohol - so it goes a long way, but each color is pretty expensive. Your results look really good.
Thanks for your response, prices are indeed a bit of a different, honesty i was suprised about the price, when i still was living in the Caribbean, i was always using Ranger ink, that i always was ordering in the US, great product, the ones that did not disappear or where damaged I keep them, for special projects and details.
 
@Willbor237

Could you do me a favor? I have been following Pavel's logs getting ready to start my 1/32nd. Then I got curious his 1/25th looks to be about the same length (visually) as my "smaller" 1/32nd kit.

Mine is 695mm - would you measure your's for me?. It should be longer right?

Thanks in advance
Sure not a problem,
The lengt is 86 mm (33,86 inch)
A bit longer, but not so much.
Hope this answers your question..
 
Today I started applying the alcohol ink to the rafters. Since the ink is quite thin and volatile, it's easy to spray. So I applied the first coat, since it dries quite quickly but still penetrates the wood quite deeply.

You can almost immediately sand it down with a small piece of sandpaper and a sanding sponge to achieve the desired result
Below a few pictures, still working on it, but it's a start.
20251204_224151.JPG20251204_224156.JPG20251204_231511.JPG20251204_231530.JPG
 
Back
Top