Polaris by Occre. Pirate version. Build log

[logofios]

Hello! I'm glad to be here, on board

This spring I saw a ship at the train museum in Porto (what a lovely city!):

Spoiler: the ship photo

That's when I decided to try this hobby.

Lucky for me, I found Polaris by Occre. I also found a cool tutorial on Home Harbour YouTube channel. That guy made a pirate version of Polaris, and I decided to do the same. I don't really like it when models look brand new. Besides, a battered ship can hide all the defects!

I realize I'll make a lot of mistakes. That's why my motto is "Good enough". So, I hope the project will be finished by the end of the year

 

[logofios]

~001~

First, I glued the frames in place. Then I used a craft knife + saw blade to cut out parts of the frames to make room for the lower deck:


At the stern it was easy - I only had to cut out a small piece. At the bow it was a bit of a challenge - I couldn't do it using the craft knife. So, I decided to use a drill with 1.5mm bit:


Unfortunately, I broke frames A4 & A5 :


I didn't give up and glued them with CA glue. I sanded down all the areas, and they look as good as new.

 

[logofios]

~002~

For the deck I cut 6 cm planks. I used an action knife and realized it would be a great idea to order an Amati strip cutter
I marked the edge of each plank with a black marker:



Then I made the lower deck:


The whole deck-making process:
1. Glue the planks and sand them (120–150 grit)
2. Make treenail holes (I used a bit from Ikea toolset and a hammer);
3. Paint black (because it's going to be a pirate ship!);
4. Sand it (120-150);
5. Stain it (walnut stain);


The result:


When I put the lower deck in the bow I realized it was silly to make it rectangular - but I'm going to put some cargo there - barrels and crates - so no one will notice this flaw

 

[logofios]

~003~

Then I glued the deck and started planking it. A few times I had to remove already glued planks - symmetry was off:


Also it was silly not to cut planks beforehand and it was tricky to make a neat rectangular hole at the bow. I used a file very careful. And the result looks nice:


Then I sanded it, made treenail holes, painted black and sanded it again:


I really like the result!

 

[logofios]

~004~

I sanded the hull. What I don't understand is whether or not that is enough. The planks fit well when I lean them...

 

[logofios]

~005~

I spent a lot of time to create a little stair. I don't like it 100% but it's good enough
The deck is painted and the next step - place the bulwark!






I see the dust is stuck to the painted surfaces. How do I clean it? I tried using a sponge, but it didn't work.

 

[logofios]

~006~

I cut the gun ports in the bulwarks - there will be 8x cannons. Unfortunately, I damaged the bulwarks a little, but the planking will cover it:






Before gluing, I inserted pins and sanded the bow a little. There's a gap at the bow - I can't join the two bulwarks. I hope to fix it somehow later.