Here is the start of my HMS Portland 1770 Portland Scale Ship Co. - 1:48 build. The first two chapters came in a beautiful laser engraved heavy wood box.

It looked so good I put WOP on the cover and intend to frame it. The instructions are downloadable and I also elected to print them out as I like a hard copy to make notes on.

The MDF former is so long it comes in three sections.

The frames are also MDF and some are almost 10" wide. A very big model.

The rabbet and knee are cut in two layers and were glued together and then assembled. The laser cutting was very good and the adjustments were minimal.

Stem and keel added to the former.

The frames removed and dry fitted on the former. Nothing is glued in place yet.

The longitudinal stiffeners are added to keep the bulkheads straight. They slid in place nice and firm.

See how parts are labeled to ensure proper assembly.

More longitudinal supports.

There are many jigs throughout the assembly process.

Bow and Stern framing jigs.

Stern framing jig.

Here is bulkhead framing jig. You will also see the gunport framing pieces laid out for each port.

These are the lower and upper brackets for the frame alignment and them in place.

Rusty

Because we can see the MDF bulkheads behind the frames I needed to paint that area black. The stem and keel were taped off I sprayed it black.

Next it was time to start the stern framing. They were also labeled to ensure proper placement. Care was also taken to not glue the stern framing to the jig. At least I hope so!

Again the labeling of parts is extremely helpful!

The framing for the gun ports has all been added.

Hance pieces port and starboard

You can see the gunports have been added on the starboard side too.

Pear laser cut frames. They were lightly sanded prior to removing them.

Starboard frames removed and char cleaned up. Boy that was a lot of char to clean up.

I then placed them in separate bags to keep the organized.

Here they are all glued into place. Both port and starboard sides. Next will be the forward frames and hawse pieces.

Just for fun here is the Speedwell (3/8") next to the Portland (1/4").

Rusty

Here is the work on the bow frames and hance pieces.

Stern framing.

And this brings me up to date. There is a lot of sanding to do which will be done on nice days outside throughout the summer. As I've returned to work for the summer, I'll only have time to sand. Once summer is over, I'll start the build back up fulltime.

Looking good Rusty!

Thanks JJ. She's very well done and fun to build. My rotator cuff is not looking forward to all the sanding.

6 minutes ago, Rustyj said:

My rotator cuff is not looking forward to all the sanding.

thanks Rusty!

Neither will your vacuum!

10 minutes ago, Scrubbyj427 said:

Neither will your vacuum!

But I can get a new vacuum without any pain!

That is very true. lol

I just received the wood carvings from Portland Scale Ship Co. and they look fantastic. I'm severely tempted to take them out of the packaging but knowing me I would either damage or lose one. So safe and sound in the packaging they will stay!

Glad they made it safe. Can’t wait to see them Go on your Portland.

JJ

Looking good Rusty! Good time to slow down as Dusan and I are just about to start Chapter 4 on the prototypes, we have been working with JJ to fix a few small niggles in the design and parts to make her easier to build, so I would say stay at least 1-2 chapters behind us and you will reap the rewards of our work and experience and feedback to JJ.

Those carvings look so amazing! I can’t wait to see them on the model!