RIver Queen 1:80 Scale River boat Build Log

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Greetings. Here is my Build Log for the River Queen. It's a 1:80 scale Constructo kit. This is my first attempt at building a wooden ship. I chose this one because it seemed to offer a lot of the things that the bigger and more detailed models offer. It is plank on bulkhead construction...even though the hull is very short. It also has planked decks. It offers several areas that could also be used for 'upgrades and scratch building'.

Here are the first few pictures that I have taken. I have the keel and 'bulkheads' in place and the bow and stern knightheads in place. I did the shaping necessary on the bow and stern. I also checked the bulkheads for symmetry. I've been reading "Ship Modeling Simplified" by Frank Mastini, and he had some great ideas for getting everything symmetrical. I've tried to be as prepared as i can be for my first attempt.

Any input or suggestions that you can give me for moving forward would be appreciated. I want to learn the correct ways to do things so that I am successful with this hobby!Here are my first few photos. I will be adding more with each step that I take. Please check back for updated photos!

Thank you! Dave :)


RiverQueen1.jpgRiverQueen2.jpgRiverQueen3.jpgRiverQueen4.jpgRiverQueen5.jpg
 
Ok, here is the next step in the process. This is my first attempt at doing any planking. I have a couple of areas of concern. yeah, this is a very simple planking job...only 5 or 7 planks per side, but I thought it would be a good way to get my feet wet. I have a couple of areas of concern that I will mention with each picture. The hull sides are complete. The stern area has a few more planks to go, and these are some of my concerns.RiverQueen6.jpg

This is just a full side shot. I have lightly sanded it with 100 grit. i need to do it one more time with some 220 and maybe some 400. I dont plan to paint this model right now. I think the wood will look better, but that might change as i get farther into it depending on how badly i mess it up!

RiverQueen7.jpg

This is the bow of the boat. Here is where one of my issues arise. A few of my planks didnt meet up quite as well as I wanted to. I plan on using my old high school shop class trick and use some of the sanding dust and some wood glue to make a filler for the holes. Is this a reasonable way to do this, or is there a better way since i probably wont be painting it?

RiverQueen8.jpg

This side has some of the same kind of gaps, but it doesn't seem to be quite as bad.

RiverQueen9.jpg

An overall shot showing the inside. I did use CA on the planks. I know a lot of people say not to, but it seemed to work of for me on this part. I will probably use TiteBond on the deck planking. There is a lot of that to do and there are 4 decks to plank!

RiverQueen10.jpg

Last but not least, here is the stern section of the boat. I still have to wrap the corners with the verticle planks. This is another area where I could use some advise. I am not sure what to do to make these come out correctly. I know that I will have to bevel both edges, but other than that, what should I do to make the planks line up correctly without big gaps between them?

Thanks for looking and I do appreciate any comments and advise!

Thanks!
Dave
 
This is what I came up with for the stern planing. The plans called for it to be planked vertically so here is my attempt at that. Please let me know what you think or what I could have done better. All comments and suggestions are appreciated! This is my first wooden ship and my first attempt at planking. The deck is the next project and it will be the first of three decks to do on this build. I am hoping to learn as much as possible on this so that when I'm ready for my next project, i will have a little bit better idea of what I am doing when it comes to the planking etc.

Here are a couple of pictures of how the stern planking. Please let me know what you think and what i could do better.

RiverQueen11.jpgRiverQueen12.jpgRiverQueen13.jpg

Thanks for your input!
Dave
 
Hi Dave your work look very good for a firsttimer.
In respect to the CA, this is getting into the wood and if you put lacquer on it you can get color differences. I also have used CA for a complete veneer layer which I beewaxed afterwards, in this I don t see any color differences.
 
Hi Dave your work look very good for a firsttimer.
In respect to the CA, this is getting into the wood and if you put lacquer on it you can get color differences. I also have used CA for a complete veneer layer which I beewaxed afterwards, in this I don t see any color differences.
Thanks for the input! I was thinking of using linseed oil but was afraid that the glue would affect how it penetrated. How do you apply the bees wax? That sounds like the way to go!
Thanks again!
Dave
 
Thanks for the input! I was thinking of using linseed oil but was afraid that the glue would affect how it penetrated. How do you apply the bees wax? That sounds like the way to go!
Thanks again!
Dave
I use beewax mixed with turpentine, you can buy it in better furniture or woodworking shops. Warm it sligthly with a hairdryer and brush it on. The leave it to dry and polish it afterwards.
 
Looking very nice. I will have an eye on this built as I like very much these Mississippi stile ships.

Again... very well done !!!

Daniel
 
Greetings. Here is my Build Log for the River Queen. It's a 1:80 scale Constructo kit. This is my first attempt at building a wooden ship. I chose this one because it seemed to offer a lot of the things that the bigger and more detailed models offer. It is plank on bulkhead construction...even though the hull is very short. It also has planked decks. It offers several areas that could also be used for 'upgrades and scratch building'.

Here are the first few pictures that I have taken. I have the keel and 'bulkheads' in place and the bow and stern knightheads in place. I did the shaping necessary on the bow and stern. I also checked the bulkheads for symmetry. I've been reading "Ship Modeling Simplified" by Frank Mastini, and he had some great ideas for getting everything symmetrical. I've tried to be as prepared as i can be for my first attempt.

Any input or suggestions that you can give me for moving forward would be appreciated. I want to learn the correct ways to do things so that I am successful with this hobby!Here are my first few photos. I will be adding more with each step that I take. Please check back for updated photos!

Thank you! Dave :)


View attachment 155750View attachment 155751View attachment 155752View attachment 155753View attachment 155754
Hallo Dave alias @Warbird99 ,
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Enjoy your day
Birthday-Cake
 
I, too, am building a steamship as my first ship model, the Mississippi King by Artesiana Latina. It looks a lot like your boat. Re planking I have this concern: does the kit include enough extra pieces that I can make up for some errors without running out of material? If not, where might I buy some extra pieces of the planking wood?
Your planking at bow and stern looks very good. Better than mine. I'm going to make new photographs which show my progress now.
Bob
 
Hi Dave,

Great reading about your build (hopefully finished by now!).
I've just bought the same set but unfortunately no iplans/instructions with it. Would you have a copy/scan of the plans and the white sheet?
If not is there anyone else who can help? I've tried finding a website for constructo but no luck so far
 
Could the River's Queen kit be built with RC and an electric motor driving the wheel?
 
Greetings. Here is my Build Log for the River Queen. It's a 1:80 scale Constructo kit. This is my first attempt at building a wooden ship. I chose this one because it seemed to offer a lot of the things that the bigger and more detailed models offer. It is plank on bulkhead construction...even though the hull is very short. It also has planked decks. It offers several areas that could also be used for 'upgrades and scratch building'.

Here are the first few pictures that I have taken. I have the keel and 'bulkheads' in place and the bow and stern knightheads in place. I did the shaping necessary on the bow and stern. I also checked the bulkheads for symmetry. I've been reading "Ship Modeling Simplified" by Frank Mastini, and he had some great ideas for getting everything symmetrical. I've tried to be as prepared as i can be for my first attempt.

Any input or suggestions that you can give me for moving forward would be appreciated. I want to learn the correct ways to do things so that I am successful with this hobby!Here are my first few photos. I will be adding more with each step that I take. Please check back for updated photos!

Thank you! Dave :)


View attachment 155750View attachment 155751View attachment 155752View attachment 155753View attachment 155754
Do you have the assembly instructions for the river queen ?
 
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