Boy, I gotta tell ya, a whole bunch of respect for the madmen that build woodies. The Mary Ann isn't a very involved kit like some of the big blow boats from the age of sail. The guys that build them must have the patience of saints !!!! Glue, clamp, ............. wait.
I like what's developing though and can picture it in my dio already.
I've come up with some new and interesting ways to clamp and hold stuff along with the conventional ones.
In the last pic. [ yes I soaked the heck out of it ] I broke the front piece of the wheel house. I think that's because the wood is plywood like - many laminates. So I glued it, waited 24 hrs., soaked it again - and broke it again, l.o.l.
Scratch time.
Hull planking is next - which should be as much fun as throwing lawn darts with Stevie Wonder.
Anyway here's where I stand.

College tree hockey starts today so watching b-ball and modeling is going to be sweet !!!!

Thanks for lookin - Glenn

Looking sweet Glenn!
I made this thread into a "BLOG" style thread so we can keep track of your progress easier, mate...keep up the great modeling!
Cheers,
~Gunny

Looks like some decent progress.

"Throwing lawn darts with Stevie Wonder" I am going to have to use that.

Thanks Gunny, scratched the wheel house front. The windows are actually metal hatches by Artesana Latina made for a smaller scale blow boat.
The wood under the windows split while being clamped and glued. The good part is that it's curved correctly and won't be seen after painting.
Jim, I spent a lifetime watching comedians, Rickels, Dean Martin, the Tonight Show [ Carson ], Dangerfield, ................... I got a million of em.
Glenn

I've got a question for everyone.
Look at the pic. and tell me if you think the wheelhouse door opens correctly according to the directions for the build.
There is a brown step halfway from the deck to the door and a platform that that extends from under the door.
In this configuration you would be opening the door into yourself on the steps to get into the cabin.
I think the door should open to the left so you could enter the cabin via the stairs while opening the door ? Correct ?
Do you see what I mean ?
Why have the lip and the step if you have to climb around the door to get into the cabin ?
The door can ony open so far and to me it seems that the open door would be in the way of getting into the cabin in this configuration.

Advise would be appreciated.
Glenn
The more I look at it the more I think I'm going to reverse the opening .............. just dosen't look right.

I agree, most definitely, mate...either the door is stated in the instructions as hinged on the wrong side, or the step is in the wrong location...either way, somethings wrong...can the step be moved to the opposite side, Glenn?
~Gunny

Well, I'm an 'old' Air Force guy, and I don't know much of anything about 'floaty thingies' which will probably be obvious...lol. But, what if the door opens 'in'? Course then the hinges are still wrong, but would work better for the steps. It's just that opening out would seem to have the person leaning back potentially almost over the railing to get around the door. Maybe you could ask "Sgt Schultz" there in the background? "I know nothing, NOTHING!" Anyway, as always Glenn, a masterful work in progress and anxious to see this project develop.

Blade48mrd

Gunny, thanks, I thought it was just me.
I switched the arrangement around, the other way just didn't make sense.
Hiya Mike how ya doing ?
The door can't open in because the sweep wouldn't clear the wheel and other controls. The " dashboard " , like them nautical terms ?, also meets the inside of the door by a scale 6 or so inches . That was the first thing I thought of when I checked out the configureation on the box art and promptly gave a Tim Taylor " huuuuh ? "
Thanks guys - Glenn

Yes but in the end you have something which is rather unique!
The other day i went to a figs show in my town, and basically everybody painted the 5 same figs from the 5 same brands!!!
Anyway, i t really looks good and I keep my eyes opened for the next installment as always
JB

More progress - but slowwwlllyyyy.
No manner of soaking and prebending keeps the hull planks from breaking. The quality of the pine is very poor. I picked one piece up out of the box and it broke !!!!!
The hull under the stern [ rudder attachment ] will have to be done as plate, rivited metal. That's the smooth basswood pieces. Placement of the kit planks would have required a bend and a twist to lay them .................... never happen. I figured I'd better quit and use the metal plate and rivit solution before I ran out of planks.
So its soak, prebend, place on the hull, nail brads in the hull sections to bend the planks and glue .................... oh and then wait. The cat loves the rubber bands.
Here's how far I've come.



The hull sides will need some sanding to flush the planking. Iam going to try and keep the lapstrake effect in the bow area though. I actually can quit planking soon because I'm very near where I need to be for the waterline. Although I may want a semi beached look in the dio, still pondering.











Thanks for looking - Glenn

Looking very nice. I'm hoping to do a wood ship one day, so I'm paying close attention. The door - any reference photos help at all? because if I was designing the wheelhouse, i would open it in and to the windshield (pretty standard "house/architect" convention). But that would mean that other little step is still goffy. Hmmm. What sort of vessel, any details?

Hi Wink!


The Mary Ann is a typical 45-ton cutter commonly seen in the harbour at Esbjerg, Denmark; often more than 600 cutters of this type can be seen at a time....here she is when complete:



Looking good, Glen, thanks for the update!

Hi Mark!

Thanks for the info and the pic, love the history. Fine build - yours?

Hi Wink!


Naw, mate, not mine...never had the pleasure of building this one...but it is an interesting subject, no doubt!

Cheers,
~Gunny

I'm glad I found this one, sorry I missed it.

Glue.... Clamp... wait - don't forget to wait some more.......

These woodies are fun, but slooooow.

You're doing a great job on this one.
I like the rubber band method. I wish I had those built in spars at the top of each bulkhead on my kit. Makes for a great holder.

As always a great job and will result in another masterful work. I truly enjoy following the progress of your projects. Highly informative and inspirational. But Dude!, you must have the "patience of Job". Thanks for sharing,

Blade48mrd

Hi Jean, how are you ?
Wink, [ thanks Gunny ] she was built in 1957, or so the small write up in the directions say. I'll be showing her in Italy in 1944 so some artistic license - Hollywood FX are in play.
The cabin door problem has been solved, it'll be opening out towards the bow. Opening inward dosen't work. The bridge, controls and wheel are in the way of the arc of the sweep.
This will be a confiscated fishing boat - radio patrol craft.
Originally I thought this looked similar to Rhodes sunken boat. I looked at his dio again and his boat is different. Artesiana Latina 1/35th I believe.
Having worked on this I'm going to check out the 1/35 Latina fishing offerings, to add some more craft to the dio.

Scott, whoa talk about slow and carefull ................ just made it with the amount of planks also. I was afraid I'd run out and have to find matching substitutes with all the broken ones .

Mike thanks, but I have no patience what so ever ........ but this is an excellent teacher.

Well the hull is finished and thank god some better progress will be made on the upper works now............................ heh, heh.

Jean, remember these haunting images ? I'd like in incorporate this into the build also. I had to rethink the church/monastery thing and just have the monastery and a small church on a hill overlooking the harbor area.
Moving into the wee room and being in limbo on selling my house and getting larger digs has helped with this new arrangement. I have to live for today and plan a little for the future. Waiting on a larger house will just cramp my building and modeling.





Progress so far .......................







Thanks for looking - Glenn

I see you've made some great progress, Glenn....looking fine (as expected ), mate!
Thanks for the update, Keep Modeling!
~Gunny

Glenn thanks for posting again those totally great pictures, I can totally imagine this special boat you are building besides masts from other popping out of the sea, that would be a great way of actually occupy a bit of empty space if you end up having too much on the seaside.
I am actually amazed at the speed and the quality of the result you have been getting with that hull! All my congratulations on your latest work!
Ah, and good luck with your housing problems too

Very nice progress on your build!

Hi guys and thanks.
Not much to report . Spent much of yesterday with a little spring cleaning around the Ponderossa.

I did manage to soak and place [ and clamp for 4 hrs. ] the curved stern deck rail. I also added an exterior locker in front of the bridge.
The entire front wall of the cabin is scratch, I broke the kit piece. The dark squares are Artesania Latina hatches with some clear plastic. The entire cabin was just four walls of kit plywood with window cutouts. Everything you see on the exterior was cobbled up from my lumber yard stash.
The brass bit on the exterior locker door is a Tiger screen with some other spare p.e. for the lock hasp. The handle is from an old Tamiya tank.
These are some pics taken last night while watching the news and goofing around with size ref. figs.

One question, I want to arm the ship with something other than the obligatory mgs. I do plan on several on the bow and stern. I was thinking, a shieldless flak 43 or small cal. deck gun, like the Verlinden 5cm kwk l/42 gun.
Any ideas ?

Pics. - thanks again - Glenn

A little more progress.
I decided I didn't like the kit stack, so I went into the parts scrapyard and came up with an old Airfix E Boat torpedo tube and a spare track rack from an old Tamiya PZ IV as a grab rail.
I also didn't like the configuration of the scuppers in the kit and used some eye gussets/rivits from Michaels as the scuppers.
The deck planking went smoothly and is I believe rosewood, [ paper thin ].
The deck siderails needed to be sanded alot to fit and contour to the deck posts.
Well here's where I am so far.

Still no thoughts on some kind of armament other than mgs ?
Thanks for lookin - Glenn

Glenn -

Those 'figures' of yours sure get around...lol. As always, a work of art in progress, and artful progress as well. Keep it coming.

I really like the idea of a little extra 'punch' for armament besides the MGs, something along the lines of what a Sub or E-Boat would use? Too big and recoil, etc could be a problem. I'd think a 2cm, or maybe the 3.7cm Pak might be as big as you'd want to go. Though a 5cm Pak would be nasty too. I have an extra Dragon 5cm and Tamiya 2cm (Quad and Single), and a Tamiya 3.7cm that I'd be more than happy to donate, just taking up space .

Blade48mrd

Sweet progress, Glenn, love the cabin front and other "improvements" that you've made, mate...my thoughts echo Mr. Durr's about additional armaments, and I would stick with a smaller caliber deck gun if you're heading in that direction.......thanks for the fine updates, and the terrific scratch build demonstrations!
Cheers,
~Gunny

She looks fine and schweeeet! The wheelhouse especially, very nice work. The door solution seems just right. 1957/44 (or earlier, presumably) works. A local boatyard (building) in my hometown built mini tugs for awhile, and they looked just like they did in the 30s.

Excellent craftsmanship and progress!