1/700 LNG carrier Excel

[Neptune]

Ok, since all the Belgians are building, I should follow too

Finally finished with those exams, so new free time!

I found the courage to tacle the lifeboat problem and tried several ways to solve it. First of all there was a solid styrene version, two 2mm sheets on each other and then carve out the shape. And the second solution was milliput. I found out I couldn't really shape it well during construction, so I made a large "drop" of milliput and decided to let it dry and afterwards carve it out.
I discovered this afternoon with the first Milliput version, that is wasn't going to work. It started to fall apart once I started to cut it. It's still there and maybe it needs some more time to cure... The others are also there to cure.
In the meanwhile I started carving the styrene version with this as a result:


It's already acceptable for me, it'll get some doors too afterwards and some more shaping of the small window on top.

I will try the Milliput version too next weekend.
In the meanwhile I have given the boat a new coat of white paint to see what she looks like. And to be able to proceed with the manifold, otherwise I would have to paint below the tubes which most likely wouldn't work.
I'm also working on a Rob Kernaghan project which I'll show when it's finished
Also a picture of the lifeboat davits and entrance to the lifeboat, which I made last weekend. Also not that she has received the liferafts near the davits.

[Laurent]

WOW !

tiny scale to work with , I wouldn't be able to do that ( no nerves anymore )

yeah , it seems the Belgians are active on their models this weekend , have no idea why ...

might be the wonderful weather

Regards ,

Laurent

[Neptune]

Hi Laurent,
If I built her in your scale she would be 2m77cm long... Not exactly feasible with my space...

I didn't really do much this weekend. Made the second lifeboat, put the doors on both and painted them orange. I tried to put the sprinkler system on them too, but that failed because the glue messed it up. I will have to clean up one of the boats and repaint it. Here is the "succesful" version. I also tried the rescue boat, but I'll need a different method for that!




And of course you should keep in mind the size of these babies. The picture enlarged it a LOT! This is one next to Excel and on her spot, although I'll have to find a way to "hang" her in her davits because they don't really have support, they're just hung by steel wires and two lashings to keep them tight to the davits.




I will also try to paint the windows on the hatches and steering stand.

The Rob K project has been proceeding much more though!

Regards
Roel

[ARH]

You could always live aboard Roel,

[Neptune]

Didn't do much this weekend and last weekend either. Starts to become annoying, I guess I'll just give it some new paint and stop detailing the thing.

The start at the manifold. Small pipes for fuel, the large ones for the cargo and vapor. Now I will mount a pipe to the top and then they'll run from one side to the other. The bends won't look good and will be real corners, but I've noticed that bending is too hard and often not a succes.


Didn't like the earlier U-shape so I threw it off and finally succeeded in repairing it to a decent level. The U-turn under the manifold isn't worth a dime either, but I'm too lazy/discouraged to redo it, so it'll stay like it is, more V than U. This one came out rather nice. Now I've started to do some of the platforms that run over the pipelines to get fast from one side to the other and to open certain valves that are mounted on top of the pipelines. Lots of the work to do on that but I can't even seem to cut these platforms straight, so bent and curved they'll be.


I've started the superstructure with a different kind of white than I'm using on the ship now, so I had to repaint it all. Not sure if I'll be able to fix those windows as most of them are between the superstructure and the funnel casing (and there's not much space for a brush, let alone do careful movement with the brush). Lifeboat's there for show, I still haven't figured out how to mount them. I'm thinking of using stretched sprue, but that isn't strong enough I guess.

[Dave Wooley]

Hi Neptune nice to see you back making progress. I often think of these types of vessels , along with all their attendant pipe work as complex subjects. Great to see models of ships like these being built. I read some technical litrature recently of the procedures used for evacuating vessels using free fall life boats . I think they give a strap in time of somthing in the order of 30seconds before the release lever is thrown.
Dave Wooley

[spikesliew]

Hi Roel,

I'm one of the silent ones who are following the builds here.

Thanks for posting all the great progress pics, and looking forward to more updates for tis and on your Talwar!


Chin Wen, Liew

[Neptune]

Dave I'm making major progress on the Rob K project, the Excel has now become a minor project.
I still don't know how to tacle the rescueboat issue either. I've tried the Milliput blob and styrene cutting method for it, but to no avail. ANY Idea is welcome!
Mr. Liew, the Talwar has been declared dead. I might however start a new one, this time with the Milliput method. I have made a few frames when I drew the plans about two years ago. I also found new, better, non-self drawn plans which I might use for the new effort. I'm not too sure about this though, I have many projects going on and ideas for the coming time.

[Jefgte]

That's hard to scratch at 1/700...


Congrat for the quality of your work Roel.





Jef

[Neptune]

Hello Jef, much appreciated! You know how hard it is!

It's that time again, finally finished that thorne in my eye aka the Manifold. No bending nor iron wire because both didn't really work out. I just cut them all and glued. Some turns have been sanded to a more or less round appearance, but I'll just leave it like this. It's pretty fragile and I don't want to lose my patience with this.
I also did one of the masts (not fixed yet) and some platforms. I also cut the crane jibs but didn't attach them yet. There is some work left on the manifold, mainly the big platform running from one side to the other over the vapour line.

[ARH]

Taking shape Roel, what are you doing with the sides of the ship,

[Neptune]

Well Pain is what you feel when you discover, after having thought for weeks over every step you took, that you made an error in the very beginning of it. And that's what happened with my Excel build.
I discovered, by placing the third vent mast in place, that I had actually misplaced all of the cargo gear on tank Nr.2!!!
This is the thing:



So off it goes, cutting the stuff away:



But I got it repaired quite swiftly, it' uglier than before, but it's repaired. This build has to get finished soon....
And a new coat of paint. ARH, the thing I did to the sides was sanding, in some places the Red paint remained, because those areas were in dents in the hull. By sanding it flat it got much better now.

I still have some work to do, the cranes and fixing the vent masts because the thoser are just there for showing purposes now.
Some other details too of course, I'll notice it when it comes. I still have to connect the boil off line in the funnel casing and the boil of line on the superstructure. The deck also needs a new layer of coat. And of course the windows of the superstructure...
I guess these are the last pictures I'll take before I "finish" the build.

[ARH]

Now were cooking, its looking 100% better, looking forward to the finished job,

[spikesliew]

It's looking better by the day, Roel!

[KV_Pharaoh]

Really starting to come together now, I always find once the final coat of paint goes on the hull it always looks better. Takes a seasoned eye to see through the "construction" phase I think. Keep the updates coming, shes looking great.

[Neptune]

Hmm, kits are easy! If the parts are finished, you are finished...
With scratchbuilding, you just keep adding parts! She should have been ready for a while by now! But she isn't... I've added more and more detail, up to a level that the crew of the ship would probably have a hard time finding any errors! But at least now I'm finished (I think). As far as I can see I haven't left out too many parts.
The Anchors didn't come out too well yet, I should have painted them before I glued them to the ship. But I'll have to add some more layers of paint anyway so that's not a problem. The anchor shape is pretty good, although they are slightly too large (which is of course relative if you speak of a matter of tenth's of milimeters).

Today the deck will (normally) get its final coat. Then the white will follow for some touch-ups and then the red of the hull. Afterwards she'll go onto a board and only after I finish the silicone water, I will add the radars and tops of the vent masts.






Notice the anchor, which is good in shape, but badly painted. Also note the stairs and doors added to the bow and changed bow piping layout.



She has her own anti-ship defence with her now. A 1/700 Nanuchka!





Most of the masts are added because I wanted to have most of the glue staining before I did the final coating. Only details have to be added here, but that'll happen after the creation of the water.


Here's the manifold closer by and the supports for the crane jibs.

[ARH]

Well Roel, Thats the thing with scratch building, you never know were to stop, you can go on for ever, with kits , when the last piece has been glued and painted and put in position, its finished, we wet lads have to do ballasting tests, sea trials, transportation trials, what a life, looking good. ARH

[Neptune]

Here's the lifeboats, good enough for me! The ship itself is nearing completion too. Too bad I don't have decals for her... I have broke off the funnel again. I had to add the red E on it, but made a mistake. Tried to wash it off, but didn't work out well with the other colours. So I decided to give it a new white background and restart all over on it. I've also added the powder extinguishing boxes on deck and painted them and added the supports of the manifold platform, which came out rather nicely but took a long time to get it more or less straight.
I also chose to put one big crane in operation and one stored on its support.

[spikesliew]

The lifeboats look great!

[Neptune]

Well, STILL NOT FINISHED!!!

I decided to put her in the water before I do some final adaptations. Sticking it to the base, moving it a lot to put it in the right position etc. would be too dangerous for breaking off the real sensitive stuff. So first this one. The gel is drying now. Then I will do a thorough search for inaccuracies and add some more details. After succeeding with the fireboxes, I will also place the metering cabinets on deck. That should work too and add a little more diversion from the overal grey.
And she finally received the Owner's sign of Exmar. I actually repainted the entire funnel. First an extra layer of white because I had made an error in my first attempt for the E. Then repainted the E and repainted the blue. I also added the four funnel outlets from the boilers and auxiliaries. A detail I wouldn't have done if I wouldn't have succeeded in the other details. But now of course I'm somewhat obliged to add it.