Hi guys starting this build with a few pics of the contents, so you can get an idea of what it's like. I added my watch to a few of the pics for scale and the last pic of the plans.

The kit is a very old Model Shipways solid hull kit not one of the newer bulkhead kits, it appears to be pretty much complete. What ever it is missing i will just scratch build.

I am not shore if to many people have an interest in these wooden ship builds but we will see how it goes. All comments welcome.

Hi Robert,
I attempted a Model Shipways Phantom about 35 years ago I got about 80% complete then it hit the floor and shattered the masts and rigging. I just couldn't pick it up again. I'm interested in the wooden ships and I'll definitely be following your work. Good luck.

Watch out for gravity, it really sucks. But if it didn't we'd all fall off.

John

Thanks for your comment John, i will keep building and posting as long as i get some interest.

I have already started thinning the bulwarks and should have an update in a few days i hope. Sorry to hear that you dropped her.

I'm watching as well. I don't have the skill or patience to pull this off but I enjoy watching those who do.

Ditto!

Thanks Russ and Mark glad to have you along for the ride.

Hi Robert,

I'll be following this build too! I like sailing ships, and this one is of particular interest as I have a Life-Like (ex-Pyro) "Brig of War" kit in the stash.

The original Pyro Brig of War kit from 1963 was apparently based on the Model Shipways Fair American kit, so much so in fact that Pyro Plastics was sometimes referred to as "Pirate Plastics"! I'll be watching your Fair American build for notes to use on my own build of this little plastic version.

Thanks Tim for the info very interesting.

Hi Robert,

as was said before, I'd never have the patience to deal with, for me particularly, the rigging (which seems complicated enough from the pictures of the instructions).

I will follow your build with much interest, only don't count on me as a frequent commenter, as real life keeps me away from MSW and my own build and build log pretty often.

Cheers
Jan

Thanks for your interest Jan, yes this ship has a decent amount of rigging, funny but i think that is my favorite part of a wooden ship build.

Time for an update. I started working on thinning one of the bulwarks, i got the top of it from 1/16 to 1/8 the bottom is a little thicker, now i will start the other side that should take a few days.
I will leave them at that thickness for now until i start work on the out side of the hull just in case i need to remove a lot i don't want to cut through the hull. All comments welcome.

My thought when I saw you first photos was how thick the bulwarks were. You have done an impressive job to thin them done. I will be following along to see how this builds out.

cheers
Michael

Thanks Michael, i have got a good start on the other side. One small problem that dark knot of wood will not cut or grind i think i will have to cut a section of the bulwark out with a razor saw and patch a piece of bass wood in.

Robert, is the rigging good practice for ignition wiring, or vice versa?

Good progress so far, the thinning process on the bulwarks is going nicely. Neat work! I will be following along on this one.

Cheers, D

Thanks Damian, could be either way lol, glad to have you along for the build, this will be a long one.

Hello Robert,

Hope all is well with you there in New York.

WRT the dark knot of wood, you're right, probably the best route will be to cut it out, and try patching things with a similar type of wood. That knot, in addition to being tough to cut out, won't take any paint or stain as evenly as the rest of the hull, and that section will always be off-color from the adjoining sections.

The only wooden sailing ship I've built is USS Constitution, and if I remember right, it was sold under the brand "Scientific American". A good build, but a bit lacking in the instructions.

I'll be lurking around, watching your build! So be sure to post lots of photos!

Cheers,

Tim

Thanks for your comment Timothy, yep i will be cutting away the knot today.

Time for an update. I patched the bulwark with the knot didn't come out to bad, but i had another knot near the transom in front of the stern post location that was a lot worse, looks small in the pic but it was pretty deep.

Both repairs have been drying for about 14 hours so i should be able to grind them down and get back on the bulwarks. All comments welcome.

Robert,

That's some bold work dealing with those knots! Once shaped and sanded down I'm sure your repairs will blend imperceptibly into the surrounding wood. Nice work!

Thanks Tim, will be working on the shaping of the repairs tonight, i will just rough them in until i start the outside hull fairing.

Time for a very small update, i cleaned up the repair work on both the knotted areas, i am pretty happy with the way they turned out. Back on the bulwarks. All comments welcome.

Great work replacing the knots Robert. They blend in nicely. I would think that all wooden ships had some sort of patches to them anyway so will add to the final look of it.

cheers
Michael

Thanks Michael, I agree these ships were far from perfect, i saw a picture of the side of the constitution it was not all that smooth and that ship was pretty well built from what i read.

I have already printed out all the stations to fair the hull and it looks pretty good, the bow is very close the stern is a little off though. I will post a few pics Friday and explain what i am doing.

Nice repair work Rob, looking good!

Cheers, D

Thanks Damian, Working on fairing the out side hull today going pretty good so far.