Shipyard 1:72 HMS Alert/Continental Navy Revenge

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Mar 16, 2020
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So my Alert kit arrived and I’m getting ready to figure this thing out, and since it’s my first ever ship, I’m sure I’ll be needing help.
First thing off, I’m going to be building the kit as the Continental Navy cutter Revenge, which won’t necessitate any major structural changes to the hull or rig. She was bought in Dunkirk in 1777 from an unknown owner, but there’s no record of any major alterations to her. Most of my changes will be cosmetic, painting her to be a former merchant cutter with some wear and tear before she became a warship. My goal will be to have a model with a weathered look, rather than one spanking new.

Opening the box, I was impressed with the components. I’m a 18th century historian, and familiar with what period warships look like. As a novice modeler, it’s crucial to me to have most of the ship precut, and just assemble parts with minimal shaping. This kit seems to provide that. It’s organized well, in a tray with everything labeled, numbered, and tagged.

19902496-ED43-46BA-B065-1813B5DCF239.jpegC68BB365-AEF0-4535-AE07-A089F228D817.jpeg683BF0DB-0315-48BE-82D9-68D4CD357F35.jpegAs a former artilleryman, I was obviously drawn to the gun tubes, and they look awesome. They’re even bored out, separate trunnions and well cast.


Under the tray, we’ve got the card sheets, and they look good to me. I’m going to be glad I don’t have to do any planking by myself here. The deck looks good, with the planking laid out, and I’m already thinking about improving it when the time comes to paint it. Again, since I’m somewhat familiar with how a real ship was built, I can visualize what parts are what.

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Included is a suit of sails, and they look good, although my model will not have them set. I’m planning to display my Revenge alongside a wharf, as if she’s fitting out, so my sails will be folded onshore, waiting to be put aboard.
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That’s the positive part of this kit. The one negative is the instructions are rather slim, in broken English. They’re really almost like an IKEA set of instructions with a lot of photos and few words. Again, it’s not too huge a deal since I’m not functually retarded, and I joined the forum for supplemental help.

The only other quibble I have is the kit doesn’t come with glue supplied, which is literally the only thing missing from the kit. Not a huge problem in normal times, but the Kung Flu has everything shut down.

Overall, I’m really pleased with this kit, and don’t expect major problems with fit.

My first question is this, what glue should I get to build this kit, commercially available in America?
My second question is, until I get my glue, are there other things I can do to get started, such as painting and detailing the deck, etc?
 

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I use 'Aleene's Tacky Glue' for anything paper or card - I searched the internet for "the best glue for paper crafts" and it seemed the most recommended. It works for me - gives enough hold while you get a clamp.
 
It’s been a few years since I built this, but I believe I used ordinary Elmers glue. It’s tacky when you apply it and you can readjust parts or even pull a plank off if the glue hasn’t set. i applied and spread it with a toothpick. You can still get it at your drugstore. There hasn’t been a run on it.

We’ll designed kit, but doesn’t have the same tolerance for mistakes as a wooden model. You also can’t clamp anything. You have to use finger pressure until the glue sets.

what is your Revenge? Is it a kit?

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Thanks guys. My carpenter friend also said simply use a glue like Elmers or craft glue, which I certainly have at the house. So that’s what I’ll use. I removed the main hull components from the card and test fit them. Looks like it should, and it fit together perfectly. I’ll glue it up tomorrow and set it in the cradle to dry.
SMB, it’s a stock Alert kit, I’m going to basically modify it by leaving off all of Alert’s fancy work, put a beat up and weathered paint job on it, add two more 6 pounders and more swivels (the documentary evidence says she had 14 sixes and 20 swivels) and make a Continental Navy ensign and jack to fly on her.
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Hello Eric!

I hope you don't mind, but I consider this paper\carboard kit is challenging and not really suitable for novice\begginer. I know this kit and it is very well designed. I am sure the laser cut parts will make an assembly somehow easier, but...paper\carboard are not 'forgiving', Once parts are glued, you cannot take them apart! Also, this kit designed as a 'clinker' type hull: something experienced modelers considered challenging.
You have to be very familiar with how the carboard\paper behaves once the glue applied. This is why choosing the correct type of glue is crucial.
Shipyard (the manufacturer) recommends Butapren - it is a variation of contact cement (made in Poland).

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This type of glue doesn't 'wet' or 'soaked' into paper, which is a really important property when gluing cardbard\paper models. Regular Elmer's (white) glue may be suitable for carboard or structural parts, but for the thin paper, I wouldn't recommend it.

Anyway, good luck with your project, I will definitely watch it! :)
 
Interesting project - so I am looking forward to see the progress and your work.
Nice to see your build log.

I started my build yesterday. I use Kittfix as glue (I don't know, if it is available in the US). It's a sort of White glue special for card board models.
Hallo Christian, why not showing also yours in a building log?
Would be great
 
Today’s progress. Got 14 bulkheads installed, and did the stern framing. I’ll let it dry and get bulkheads 15 to 18 in place tomorrow since those go in from the bottom. So far, it’s going well. The Tacky Glue Sulaire recommended works just fine. Everything is lining up with the laser cut guide marks well. We’re going to see how much fiddling has to take place when I install the lower deck halves.
8B6A4259-5184-4D98-A3A9-589EE4A3335B.jpeg2CE7C16C-B1C0-4737-87C9-937B22531D39.jpeg3510DA77-67ED-4F13-9883-BCEAF10EA3F6.jpegWhile the hull dries, I’m thinking about hitting the upper deck and the visible lower decks with paint. Remember, my goal is a weathered look. I’m doing a little research on real deck colors, and at least on some extant ships, (Victory and Constitution) the upper deck has weathered to a gray color. The question is, is that color actually period correct? Since the decks aren’t being holystoned on a regular basis as they were when they were manned as functional warships, is that color incorrect? The Marryat watercolors show the decks as a grayish brown, but I’m not going to take it as gospel until I hear some other opinions.
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I laid the first coat of weathered deck.
Instead of paint, I used some walnut dye I made last year from black walnut hulls for 18th century material culture projects. Wiped it on and quickly off. There’s little bits of sediment in the dye that add darker spots and imperfections that really seem to make this technique have promising results. The deck isn’t a uniform color. An added bonus was it made the ink on the planking and treenail print begin to bleed into the planks just ever so slightly, so it looks more like a working deck, rather than a printed card. I’m going to add one more light coat tomorrow and see if that’s what I want. 0FEF6315-3008-4721-BF09-14A0964AF6A9.jpeg
 
While the hull dries, I’m thinking about hitting the upper deck and the visible lower decks with paint. Remember, my goal is a weathered look. I’m doing a little research on real deck colors, and at least on some extant ships, (Victory and Constitution) the upper deck has weathered to a gray color. The question is, is that color actually period correct? Since the decks aren’t being holystoned on a regular basis as they were when they were manned as functional warships, is that color incorrect? The Marryat watercolors show the decks as a grayish brown, but I’m not going to take it as gospel until I hear some other opinions.
You are absolutely correct. The appearance of the decks was and is more grey than brown
On modern sailing ships the timber is oiled, but in the past not....
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That’s why I wanted to build a weathered model. Doing the research is always half of the fun for me as a historian. In addition, it broke loose some memories from my old days as a US Marine I haven’t thought about in years. We did our own version of holystoning the deck as boots on Parris Island, scrubbing the deck of our squad bay on our hands and knees with the “scuzz brush”. It was a distant echo of the 18th century naval service. I remembered the first warship I boarded when I got to the Fleet. It wasn’t a brand new ship. She was old, tired and beat up. The well deck, which was still planked in wood, was grimy, scarred and smelled funky.
Building this model is bringing back memories and smells I thought I had forgotten.
 
Today’s progress. Yesterday was too nice to be inside so I was out in the woods scouting for turkeys.
I got the bulkheads on above deck, and started the wales and strakes. Not too bad right now, but this is the easy part.477840C1-861B-41ED-BEB7-A51FD50A1549.jpeg936CE081-E2BB-4A14-AE10-54DA19AE35BD.jpeg
 
Nice progress.
What happens with your deck? I think your technik has not worked as expected?
No, it’s just laid aside as I get into the hull build. I want to get the inner bulwarks painted and the other stuff in before I lay down the deck.
 
Nice to see your build log.

I started my build yesterday. I use Kittfix as glue (I don't know, if it is available in the US). It's a sort of White glue special for card board models.
Hello Christian,
It would be great to see your Alert build log as well!!! Also, can you show the photo of the glue you mentioned?

@Eric sorry to highjack your thread... Beer on me ;)
 
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