YUANQING MODELS 1:50 Scale SAN Felipe Build Log.

[Phillipsart]

️ SAN FELIPE 1:50 BUILD – BACK TO THE TIMBER! ️

After 6–7 solid weeks of living and breathing rigging on my Mantua HMS Victory — and finally getting her completed and proudly displayed — I honestly felt like giving my eyes and fingers a break from knots for a while.

So… I grabbed something big off the shelf that’s been quietly staring at me for ages.

Back to the YUANQING MODELS 1:50 SAN FELIPE!

This ship is an absolute BEAST in 1:50 scale. Photos don’t do justice to how big this hull actually is — it takes up my whole bench and then some. And honestly… it’s been sitting half-done for way too long.

The past few days, I’ve been buried in timber, dust, and clamps, and to be honest it felt great to switch gears.

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PROGRESS SO FAR

• Hull Planking Marathon

Most of my time has gone into finishing the hull planking. This kit is no walk in the park — there are a lot of planks and the curves on the San Felipe are brutal in some areas.

But I’ve pushed through: bending, soaking, trimming, and shaping every plank to get the lines flowing right.

You’ll see in the photos:

• Tons of rough shaping

• Filler work to smooth out transitions

• Correcting dips and highs

• Fairing the bow and stern

• Tightening up the gunport framing

It’s getting there and starting to look like a proper warship now.

• Internal Supports & Shaping

I also added more structural support around the upper hull areas. Because of the size of this thing, the kit really benefits from extra reinforcement — especially without instructions.


• Bow & Stern Shaping

The stern is HUGE on this ship. I’ve been working on the galleries, fairing the layers, and starting to prep the surfaces ready for the decorative work later on.

The bow needed a mountain of shaping and filler, but it’s finally smoothing into that proper San Felipe curve.

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CHALLENGES WITH THIS KIT

This YQ Models San Felipe isn’t what I’d call “beginner-friendly”:

No Instructions — No CD — Nothing.

When I bought the kit, it arrived with:

• No written instructions

• No CD (the kit is supposed to include one…)

• Just the plans.

So every step is basically detective work… comparing drawings, checking reference images, and sometimes just having to trust experience and commit.

Missing Parts

The icing on the cake — several parts were missing completely.

So I’ve been:

• Designing and cutting replacements

• Fabricating my own substructures

• Re-working areas the plans weren’t clear about

Honestly? It’s been frustrating at times, but also kind of satisfying making components myself.

It makes the build more personal — more “mine.”



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WHAT’S NEXT?

Over the next few days and weeks I’ll be:

• Finishing the last areas of hull fairing

• Prepping for the second planking layer

• Cleaning up every gunport

• Shaping the stern galleries properly

• Starting to plan the deck layouts

• And eventually working toward that iconic decorative detailing the San Felipe is famous for

This ship has a long road ahead — but it feels good to finally have it back on the bench after ignoring it for so long.

Timber work is honestly therapeutic after weeks of tiny knots and lines.



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️ Wrapping Up

It’s big, it’s challenging, and half the parts are missing — but I’m loving the process again.

The San Felipe deserves to be finished, and now that Victory is complete, I’m excited to bring this monster back to life.

More updates coming as she takes shape!

Let me know what you think so far


— Phil

 

[Etwas_63]

Success. I've been building this model for the fifth or fourth month now, One thing I can say is that this kit is for people with strong nerves.)))

 

[Phillipsart]

Sanding SAN Felipe side Planks

 

[Phillipsart]

Back on the 1:50 scale SAN Felipe build today, and I finally tackled the big job I’ve been putting off… sanding the entire hull after completing the first layer of planking.

This stage always looks rough before it looks good — gaps, glue marks, high/low spots — the lot. But that’s the reality of first planking on a ship this size. The goal now is to get it all smoothed out and shaped properly before I move on to the second layer.

I started hand sanding like I normally do… and honestly, after about 2 minutes I remembered exactly why I hate doing it by hand on large hulls. Way too slow, way too much effort, and not consistent enough on these curves.

So I grabbed the tools that actually make the job enjoyable — my Milwaukee gear.

Milwaukee Tools I Used

• Milwaukee 12V Oscillating Tool
This little beast comes with a sanding attachment, and it’s perfect for knocking down the high spots quickly. It gets into the curves, it’s controlled, and it doesn’t tear into the wood like a bigger tool would. Great for the bow and stern where everything twists and bends.

• Milwaukee Detail Orbital Sander
Once the rough shaping was done, out came the Milwaukee detail sander. This thing leaves such a clean finish, especially on long runs along the hull. It smooths everything evenly and gives you that perfect transition from one plank to the next. You can actually feel the hull starting to take its proper form.

Why There’s Wood Putty on the Hull

You’ll notice in the photos that some areas are coated in wood putty.
That’s intentional — and there’s a good reason for it.

The section of the hull I’m sanding now is going to be painted white later on. The putty helps fill any gaps between the planks, evens out irregularities, and gives me a perfectly smooth surface for painting. No point leaving natural timber finish under paint — so this step helps me get a clean, crisp hull once the colour goes on.

Progress So Far

You’ll see in the photos the transformation — from rough planks with filler and uneven spots, to a much more uniform, blended surface.
The bow and stern needed the most work, especially around the gunport areas and those tricky compound curves. But it’s coming up beautifully.

Still a bit more fine sanding to go, but I’m really happy with how it’s shaping up.
This SAN Felipe is a big ship at 1:50 scale, and smoothing the hull properly now is going to make the second layer absolutely shine.

Loving the build again — and loving the Milwaukee tools even more.