BUILDING THE HMS BEAGLE (PART II) :build:

Progress has been slow on my Mamoli kit of the HMS Beagle. This is due to the fact that it is the first true plank-on-frame ship model that I have attempted. I’m still learning the skills and techniques required and what methods work best for me. The books by Keith Julier and Frank Mastini have been of great help and I highly recommend them to anyone new to the hobby or those who have had difficulty with previous kits.

Some of the things that I’ve learned thus far:
:saw: Chamfer the bulkheads before gluing them onto the false keel and then make final adjustments as required. I did not do this, but it is recommended by Keith Julier and I can see why.
:( Be prepared to purchase additional 1mm x 5mm basswood for the hull planking. The wood supplied with the kit is not a very good grade and I have experienced a lot of splintering and breakage. Only about half the wood was workable. I purchased some top quality basswood strips at my local hobby shop and the difference was like night and day.
:lemon: Of all the wood bending tools and techniques that I’ve tried, the Amati “Plank-Planker” (nipper) works the best for me and I find it very easy to use. I’ve only had to soak the strips that require a rather tight bend around the stern sections. For very tight bends, I soak, nip and steam with a planking iron, but have only had to use this technique on planks that curve up under the forward end of the transom.
:coffee: After a great deal of experimentation and practice, I have yet to get the hang of Amati’s (Mantua?) planking machine. The only way that I can get it to work is to remove one of the rollers. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to use this #$@%& thing, lemme know!
:wink: The nailer available from Tallships, Inc. is great for temporarily nailing down the hull planks until the glue sets up. It has an adjustable collar around the shaft that can be set to drive the nails to a pre-determined depth. The rod inside the shaft is magnetic and helps in loading the steel nails. For brass nails with smaller heads that I use to hold pieces permanently, I use the lighter duty Amati nailer. Be careful with this nailer, however. The shaft is copper tubing and will bend easily if too much force is applied. I’ve had to replace mine with brass.
:idea: For wood-to-wood gluing, I have been using Elmer’s “Probond”. This is gel type glue and (supposedly) will not run.
:realcool: Model Shipways water based acrylic paints are excellent for both hand- and airbrushing. For the latter, I us a 60/40 mix of paint and Polly S airbrush thinner. Tamiya thinner works well, but is substantially more expensive than the Polly S. Clean up with soap and water with a final rinse of Polly S thinner is a breeze. Plus, there are no noxious fumes as with oil based paints. I’m still experimenting with sealing, primering, and painting. More on this in a final installment.
:realcool: For painting brass and Britannia metal, I still prefer the results that airbrushing with Floquil gives.

:help: In Part III, I’ll address some of the shortcomings of this kit and some of the problems that I’ve encountered: poor quality basswood, missing parts, et al. In the meantime, I hope that my experiences will be of some assistance to my fellow neophyte shipwrights. :thumbup:

The comments made about building a Mamoli kit and the various problems encountered are very true. I am presently building the HMS Bounty by Mamoli and at the early stage of building the hull there are some notable problems. The wood quality, as previously stated, was considered below standard acceptance of which I tend to agree. Another and more pronounced problem is the accuracy of the precut parts, I am experiencing similar problems with this, and the bulkheads required cutting, shimming and additional bench building to achieve the expected results. There have been errors on the drawings and the written instructions require reading several times and then read between the lines. I now wonder what else is ahead to challenge me with this project. I am having satisfaction that up to this point the problems that I experienced have only slowed me down but has not stopped me from continuing.

..........................I am having satisfaction that up to this point the problems that I experienced have only slowed me down but has not stopped me from continuing.Spoken like a true model shipwright sir! :thumbup:

Where can I find your part 1? I can not seem to find it, thanks.

Sorry, I found it, if I had just looked at the bottom of the page I would have seen it. I too am building a Mamoli ship .... The Friesland. Beautiful ship, just bulkheads and false keel, already slightly warped when I bought the kit. I had to soak the wood and apply SLIGHT pressure to them over several days to starighten them enough to use. Also, the notching was not true with respect to the 90 degree angle they must form to each other. Also, once I got the bulkheads and false keel true, the gun port flange notches did not line up. Some were high and some low, so I used the average height and corrected all to this height on both sides. I like the idea of some pre-cut parts, but they seem to never fit right, I just wonder, who is quality checking these mass-produced parts. Just makes you think. ALWAYS remember, dry build at least three times before even touching the glue.

I too have been working on the Mamoli Bounty (1:100), and have been frustrated by poor plans, poor wood and poor design. As this is my first 'official' wooden model ship (I did do a Viking longboat, but I actually haven't got round to finishing it yet...), I was disappointed with the inaccuracies and inadequate building materials. Also, after looking at the 'Anatomy of HMAV Bounty' book, I realized that the kit was actually worse than I had originally thought. The plan for belaying ropes was all over the place, the guns were in the wrong place, the winch was a 1/4 of the size it was supposed to be, etc. So, I'm scratchbuilding the stuff that I can, and buying the stuff I cannot. I was lucky to have got the kit for $60 (the hobby store I went to was having a sale - was supposed to be $120), so I cannot complain that I had wasted alot of money. For me, the moral of the story is to spend a bit more money to get a better quality beginner's or intermediate kit, and to avoid Mamoli like the plague.