The Juanita Sternwheeler 1/24

[Bluebeard]

Hello fellow members.
I would like to introduce a new kit in the market that I just started to build.
This an amazing, high end kit that that when finished will be 40" LOA & should weigh under 10lbs ballasted.
According to online sources the JUANITA was built in 1954 by O. F. Shearer & Sons at Cedar Grove, West Virginia. Another source on the internet says that the JUANITA has been "in operation since 1977."
The present owner of the JUANITA is Tom Cook of Dunbar, West Virginia on the Kanawha River.

Now I would like to bring into being the words written by the brains behind the model:
"Having been raised on the upper Ohio River, I've had a lifetime interest in the sternwheeler towboats that plied the rivers of my home state of West Virginia and always wanted to build a model of the last of these workboats that are still around after a century, now mostly as pleasure boats.

Juanita in 1/24 scale will be the second kit I've got developed through a friend who has a small boat model business in China. As I had done earlier with Major, I commit to an initial run of 10 kits to get a kit produced that I offer as a group buy on a one time purchase. I have no interest in selling kits but only enjoy building hence the unorthodox means to get these eccentric subjects made. Once the initial run is made, the kit will be on eBay & Aliexpress who's sellers who'll offer for 2-3X over the initial Price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256809237077

I was lucky enough to be a part of the first clients that purchase the first run of this fantastic model and I got it for a very reasonable price.

With that being said, I would like to show you guys a building log for this model but buy no means I will say that this is the best way to build the Juanita but this is how Im building it with my limited knowledge and the help of the instructions emailed to me by the designer.
I also like to say that this kit does not have written instructions since this kit was produced in a rush job before kits had to be sent out; the only instructions is a PDF file containing drawings showing the main steps of building process, but the designer himself is very helpful in answering all of my emails about specific needed details in the build.
So, lets get started.

 

[Bluebeard]

Considering that the kit came from China, it was very well packaged. And the wood is excellent with very clean laser cuts.





It comes with a jig to help you solder all the needed brass parts.





It also has a pilothouse console and bench and later on you will see how nice it is.



It has two very handy 9g servos trays for the steering and sped control mechanism.



This kit come in two versions, brass and regular plastic rudders but I choose the brass.

 

[Bluebeard]

This is my first step.
I tried a dry fit with some of the frames to the hull bottom. This was like a snap-on-kit. The parts fit perfectly, but there is a sequence that need to be follow in order to glue the frames to the hull bottom.


First glue sides B1(2) to the bottom B2, be sure to keep all the frame lettering looking to the bow, .

One of the sides had a small bent and I fix it with my guitar wood bender. Now thinking about, maybe I didn't need to do this since the frames will bring the structure straight up, but I felt better buy fixing it before gluing it.


Then starting at frame A5 thru A11, again... with lettering to the bow, glue them all in.
Now go back to the thin frame A16 and glue it in before A2, remember with lettering to the bow.
Im emphasizing this fact because other modelers advise me to build it this way since they find out that is the best way.
Now go to the other thin frame component A17 glue it in then A14 to A12.
Let cure overnight.







I just didn't like to see a blog of glue all over so I decided to use a wet brush to spread the glue around.

 

[Bluebeard]

I will post more tomorrow.

 

[Bluebeard]

After all frames dried, was time to add the bow bottom B3 and the tip A1, also the stern bottom B4 and tip A15.




The bow tip A1 is a thin piece and needs to be sanded with a small angle. be careful because doing this I broke mine as you can see here.







Stern bottom and tip, also notice these two holes. They will be for the plastic columns that the monkey rudders will go through.



Note in these pictures that there is a gap between the bottoms that has to be filled by yourself with leftover scrap, the kit does not supply a specific part for it.

Now you can add the sides B5





This picture shows how I filled the gap between hull bottoms

 

[Bluebeard]

Now the entire hull gets sealed inside with epoxy. I got these on Amazon.

After the epoxy had dried, I spray paint the inside with primer and then paint. After the paint dried I scraped the edges that will receive the deck.


Forward deck was sealed and primed before gluing it to the hull.


Again, I like to say that all of these parts that I have shown, they interlock "Perfectly", no need to adjust by any means. This one in particular I had to force it a bit since the slots got some paint in them, but it snapped like a leg piece. Great and precise engineered kit.
You can see the marks in the deck to show you where everything goes.


This is the rest of the deck.

 

[Bluebeard]

Now that the deck is finished you can fill the bow rounded corners with any scrap leftover.



Next step is to construct the stern wheel arms A18 and A19.


Before you glue A18 to A19 make sure the opening between A19 is exactly 154 mm.


And then glue A18

 

[Pathfinder65]

Fascinating to watch your buid come together.

Jan

 

[Bluebeard]

Now we assemble the superstructure.
The pictures from thew instructions does not say the order in wish it should be assemble, so after giving it a lot of thought this is how I did it.
I started to build from the stern forward. B10 to 11 and B21.

I did a mistake her when adding B20 because I didn't double it up, but I traced and cut a new piece and added later.


Also B16 should be turned around if you decided to open the door and show the inside. I didn't want to show the inside so I just glue it, but it would have being a nice touch to do so.

 

[Bluebeard]

Another part of the superstructure are the stairs from the deck to the sundeck. This part needs to be painted before adding to the superstructure. It has three colors and not too easy to finish.
First, let me show you what you'll see in the instruction pictures.



So here is how I did it.
After painting all of the components, I assemble the steps to one of the sides using a square piece of leftover wood to make sure all of them went straight.

Then I added the back of the steps with the corresponding angle that will touch the deck.

I assemble the steps on a flat surface so they all be even.


This side is the top that will be at the sundeck. Here you can see that the stairs goes in but the tabs need to hace some angle so it could slide in.





Comple stairs.


Now, this is the front of the stairs meeting the front of the structure but the tabs behind it that interlocks with the crossbeam in the structure, doest permit to slide it further down. The only solution that I could come up with, was to slightly sand the tabs in the back with a small angle to it so with lots of care I could slip it down.


Tabs angled to fasilitate insertion into the structure. I wonder how the designer did it, but this way will work also.

 

[Bluebeard]

Another part that should be assemble separately is the Pushing Heads.
First I will show the instruction pictures.


This are the parts.

Steps edges need to be sanded.


This are the pre painted parts. Here again you have to use three colors.


Assembled.


After assemble I painted the step edges.

 

[Bluebeard]

Wile letting the super structure dry I used the time to built the pilothouse.
Here is the instruction picture.
Note that the plastic rounded corners have a number on the inside and they should go to its corresponding corners.


First thing I did was to mark the parts, then I glued C13 and C15 to C12.


Then I built the console and the bench.


This are the console parts.


Bench parts.


Bench and console assembled and stained. Console still need the details overlay.

After assembling the bench I had to add a 1/33" piece of ply to the back to make it look even.


This is the overlays.


Finished console and bench.


I created an anti-fatigue mat giving it a nice touch. I saw this item on a real pilot house on line.

 

[Bluebeard]

Let me continue with the Superstructure.



Here I felt that the structure needed some support between B19 and B20+20, so I didi this bridge taking in account he should be placed flush on top because it will interfere with the the sundeck.



Next was to place the doors and windows in its positions and I made some markings in the structure to make sure that I had the correct orientation to where the door handles will go.



As you can see in these pictures I thought that I needed some back support before I mounted the doors.














And here is the complete Superstructure with primer. I never glue this structure to the deck because I want it to finish it completely before attaching it to the deck.
Note the corner supports I glue to the front of the structure where the stairs will go later on after I give the final finish to the entire vessel.



After sanding and priming to my satisfaction, then I glue the structure to the deck.

I used some spare wood wedges to make sure that the structure will touch all of the hull sides.

 

[Bluebeard]

This is how I assembled the glasses to the pilot house windows.

And this is the final product of which Im not satisfied at all, it shows too much dried glue.
Any suggestion from my fellow modelers about how to do this and make it as clean as possible?

 

[Herrmill]

This is how I assembled the glasses to the pilot house windows.
View attachment 503382View attachment 503381
And this is the final product of which Im not satisfied at all, it shows too much dried glue.
Any suggestion from my fellow modelers about how to do this and make it as clean as possible?
View attachment 503384

Recommend applying glue sparingly with a toothpick inside the window frame.

 

[Bluebeard]

Thank you for the advice Hermill, are you new in this forum?
i just remember this morning that here in Miami there is a plastic company by the name of Faukner Plastics and they sell plexiglass glue, and I had use it in my job before.
I will try tomorrow to purchase it and apply just a small bit with the toothpick like you mentioned, that might be the way to go.
Thanks again.

 

[Bluebeard]

Next in line is to build the monkey rudder components.

Before putting together all of it, first and foremost is to locate, mark and drill a small pilot hole on top of the paddle horns A18, like this. This is where you will glue E1-7.


Be careful here with E1-7 because you have a right and a left, also be very gentil when drilling the final hole to accept the brass tube from E1-7.


Now put all of the components together and do a dry fit.
Your kit will receive two pieces, one at 154mm (top) and one 161mm (bottom).
After you see that everything fits together nicely, take apart and epoxy only the bottom pice H3-6, make sure that the holes to accept H3-4 (monkey rudder stock) align and match the position of K3-5.
Now that you have the bottom piece dried then epoxy glue the rest of the components.

 

[Bluebeard]

While the monkey rudders assembly was drying I started to assemble what I call the belt housing .
This are the instructions.
F1-3 The Back plate I will prime, finish and add the provided decal before gluing it to the back of the model. Maybe when I complete with the final finishing to the model. Don't know excatly jet.





These are the pieces.


Again with this step, I tryed a dry fit and adjust the belt housing to the structure. Just a little sanding did the trick.
I made sure that the holes from the belt housing aligned with the holes of the structure and then marked with a pencil the area on the structure that the housing will be glued.




Then I proceed to epoxy glue all together.

 

[Gravman]

Thank you for posting this build log. I got one of these first run kits. When I finish getting my new shop set up I hope to start my build.

 

[Bluebeard]

While that is drying, I started to tape off the wheels for painting. You'll need lots of patience here because there is a lot of taping to do.

Thank you for posting this build log. I got one of these first run kits. When I finish getting my new shop set up I hope to start my build.

Thank you for posting this build log. I got one of these first run kits. When I finish getting my new shop set up I hope to start my build.

Gravman thanks.
I will get all the bugs out for whenever you start building your model.
According to Chuck, he will be releasing The Barge kit to go along this model by the middle of March.