The Ship Model Forum

Thank you all for your insights and help!

Progress on this model is swifter -least it seems that way--than with the Novik-- partly because I am now quite familiar with the various PE parts as well as what bits from my scrap-box that I can use ...

I bought yet another - (No 3 !!) PE fret- they are not cheap--but I was unable to resist the lure of the rather cool 4.7 in gunshields( needed x 8 this time-- Novik (and the Novik PE fret!) only had x 6....

I will NOT be building the other sister.... Izumrud...

--but the remaining shields and other parts will be usable on other ships...

meanwhile progress so far:


Having previously folded up the gunshields it was time to build the 8 x main guns

So as to make the positioning, holding and alignment easier I made a mini-jig
the gun bases were tacked in place with thinned matt varnish

That way I was able to dribble CA onto the trunnion positions using a soft piece of stretched sprue-- and not dislodge the finely balanced barrel!
For ease of assembly by less obsessive modellers (!) the rather nice PE shields incorrectly have base plate..

As a temporary measure, I left in place to ease painting- and removed afterwards
Study of the plans and photos led me to add more doors-as well as the platform ahead of funnel 3; this was made of some PE with wood planking ( Old WEM Askold set from scrap-box )

This platfrom is hard to discern in photos --and it is not that easy to glean from the plans either!!


The lower searchlight platform and its braces was made using the excellently rendered PE platform from the North star PE set. and wrapped with WEM ultra-fine PE rails
The upper fighting top platform was made using again the platform base and shield from the aforementioned PE set--

The wall requires rolling carefully to avoid distortion( and stretching !!) I did this by using brass tubes and exerting pressure evenly on to a 'post-it' note pad

The lower braces / upper mast spreaders where made using 1/350 PE railing longitudinals.

The capstans on the foredeck and the aft deck were turned from resin-mast scrap in a mini-drill.

Resin turns beautifully --and unlike plastic is a ""clean" material to turn--not un-akin to metal!

More soon!


JIM B

Great work on the guns, love the way you sorted them in that scale,'whew', tis awsume.

This is truly great working out.

Created the anchor beds by outlining with the railing
Once furnished with anchors and handling crane it all looked quite pleasing
I have added the gash shutes and some overboard discharge pipes made of 1/350 PE railing longitudinals )
spent crazy amount of time making a small platform ( using a PE door )

supported on 2 small legs...

....spent even more time making 6 x 47 mm guns-- the conical bases were made from cocktail stick tipd immersed in CA. topped with a small styrene sliver-- furnished with shields from a WEM Askold PE fret and a copper wire barrel.

The kit supplied items were too tall and clunky for my liking

The guns on the main deck had drop down flaps like the 4.7 in guns--

LOL--....these were added from one my many Novik frets!!


This evening task will be making 6 x hotchkiss guns--wish me luck!

More teeny weeny stuff to come....


JB

Jim, I admire all your works. Scale 1:700 is a big challenge for me. Could you tell what tools do you use? (especially tweezers and cutting tools).

Thank you Sotter!


I have answered your question ref the tools etc with images in greater detail


here:


viewtopic.php?f=4&t=151846&p=576325#p576325

JB

Onwards to the 6 x Hotchkiss guns

The bases for these were made using a sharpened cocktail stick tip dipped in CA cut to size

Added to that was a cut down and modified old over-scale PE Oerlikon from an early 1990's GMM set

Added small shield and an aiming brace of cut about PE handrail
The midships waist Hotchkiss guns had 4 x small gunners platforms that elevate the gun operator to see and fire across the top of the hammock stowage boxes and bulwark

These platforms were made of two cut halves of some small relief etches circles (from an unknown PE source in my box-a-bits! )
Zhemchug had some truly gargantuan davits--of a pattern that many Russian ships of her era had...
I have in the past built these either by refining the kit resin items, scratchbuilding by laminating brass and styrene strip so as to obtain the taper and then bending the brass to hole dthe styrene strip in shape etc etc

This time I took a new approach....==> using very sharp Fiskar scissors to cut some tapered strips from some old (and pretty thick !) Railway model nickel silver PE fret waste.

Unlike brass this metal seems to be able to withstand bending ( stretching!) in the 'wrong ' --ie flat plane -

- I tried it with brass first but it kept fatiguing and breaking.

See below the original resin parts as a comparison-- they are too thick, not quite the correct shape, slightly too tall and incredibly fragile ! ( brittle resin)
After adding some small shards of the same thick PE to the lower bases, a styrene strip on the hull , a dab of white glue below the cradle and some PE brass porthole lids to simulate the twin pulleys ...


It all looked reasonably convincing once painted compared to the photos of the real thing

I love a Saturday afternoon of bad weather==> model ship progress!

After the tedium of making wire davits and ships boats ...the fun of erecting masts could commence !

Zhemchug carried outrageously tall masts--three of them.

I have devised a method of enuring the masts all set perpendicular whilst the slow setting epoxy and CA are setting


Simply suspend the ship upside down--the masts dangle nicely... easier than trying to keep them in position with the ship upright!!-- let gravity be your friend!

The ship carried identifying stripes on her main mast--I made these using very thin decal stripes--black thin on white broad....


The various sections of the masts had the strapping simulated with decal striping--makes just enough of a bump to look interesting....

The wild nature of the masts..(!!) is evident in these hastily shot images....


More soon

Jim B

A little gem again Jim. Excellent work!

Hello Jim

the method of installation of masts, by gravity,is really "simple" and effective
thank's for the tip
cheers
Nicolas

Another absolute gem from The Master!

Please don't EVER stop building and posting, your ships inspire ...and motivate us mortals to greater heights.

The fidelity of the details is amazing. One of the best you've ever done, Jim.

Thank you all for your kind words about my wee boatey!

I liberally scattered some crew members about the decks ( GMM and Eduard)

Thereafter the flatcoating was uneventful...( phew!) as usual I was using the Galeria varnish I obtained a very flat even and dead smooth surface. The rigging is quite challenging-- funnel stays in particular....

Boat falls have been made. as well as the main boom rigging


The ship will now be at anchor after all !!


a naval review in 1904 ( fortunately I found a photo to verify this scene...!

....===> mainly so that I can show her with Big Ensigns on all three masts, as well as on the stern,(!!) with the red white and blue ensign on the fwd jack-staff.

( fortunately I found a photo to verify this scene...!
I was toying with the idea of dressed overall

but felt that in modelform it may look a bit clumsy--nay even overwhelming...

aside from the structural issues with the supper skinny top masts



So as to add some interest to the scene I have placed a rowing gig idling about the accommodation ladder ( waiting for the 'brass to return?)-with the crew engaged in fending her off using a boat spar- no big deal ...as the are on the leeward side...

Rigging is not an activity that lends itself well to posting on--so there may be radio silence for a day or six....


Regards

JIM B

Dear god... how is that even possible?!

Simply amazing work!

You never fail to make my jaw drop, Jim!

Excellent work, daringly skinny masts and rigging that lets seasoned spiders pop out all their half-dozen bulging eyes and crawl away in shame.

If I didn�t know you, I�d think you�re from some other planet!

Wishing you all the best for the final phase of the project

Frank

Frank Spahr wrote: .... I�d think you�re from some other planet!.......

Hello

Franck
it may be that just the skin either of a human,and that Under this one ,it is an humanoid
because, to do something as fine.........that's incredible
congrats Jim ,it is always impressive to see your work
Cheers
Nicolas

Handsome ship and breathtaking medeling technique (yet we start to get used to it now )

back from the ( rigging ) wilderness....!

she is complete at last!- there was a lot of very fine rigging to do on some very very skinny masts...

( )


- full photo coverage will be in the gallery in due course.

meanwhile..... here are a few taster shots....

onwards to the new project


Thank you all for following this build--a link to the gallery will be posted when it appears there ....

Cheers

Jim Baumann

incredible!

There are some limited aspects I might be able to replicate on my own models, but on the whole this is modeling on a whole other level. The flawless and near invisible rigging on these skinny masts simply let my jaw drop, into the depression on my desk created by repeated drops over years of wtinessing your builds, Jim.

Kind regards

Frank

Jim,

Are the flags printed paper? How did you get them to flutter so naturally? I tend to use white glue + paper but it tends to appear overscale in 1/700.