2 hours ago, Kevin said:

that looks fantastic glen

Thanks Kevin, I am really pleased with the colours.

Thinking ahead: Plan Sheet 4 Gun Deck Details inset for 32 pound carronades shows PE 49 and accompanying ring mounted facing outboard or forward, however on page 103 of the Manual it shows that part facing inboard. Any idea which is correct?

Also, are you going to affix the carronade barrels to the carriages permanently at this stage, or after the hull is complete? I remember that with Indy in was difficult to insert the barrels and glue them at the final stage. But with the short barrels the carronades won’t protrude beyond the ports, so the ports can be taped up to keep dust out while working on the hull, or upside down, so maybe they can be installed now. I know you can’t install the long guns now, but carronades might be different.

37 minutes ago, John Carleton said:

Thinking ahead: Plan Sheet 4 Gun Deck Details inset for 32 pound carronades shows PE 49 and accompanying ring mounted facing outboard or forward, however on page 103 of the Manual it shows that part facing inboard. Any idea which is correct?

Also, are you going to affix the carronade barrels to the carriages permanently at this stage, or after the hull is complete? I remember that with Indy in was difficult to insert the barrels and glue them at the final stage. But with the short barrels the carronades won’t protrude beyond the ports, so the ports can be taped up to keep dust out while working on the hull, or upside down, so maybe they can be installed now. I know you can’t install the long guns now, but carronades might be different.

Hello John

I tend to fit these PE parts facing forward, i.e. toward the gun ports. I have seen then fitted both ways so I don't think there is a right answer. The following shows the method I used to set these parts in the past.

I will decide when to fit barrels once I get around to assembling the carronades which will probably be in the not too distant future.

I am currently painting and adding the windows to the cabin screens. Once that is done I will add all the various eyebolts to the gunports before installing the screens. I might not glue in the breech eyebolts in case I decide to add the breech rigging.

After completing the three cabin screens I decided to spray paint the eyebolts required for the gun ports. I thought I had tidy the workspace before proceeding. I had not noticed the clear window patterns had not been tidied way, what an idiot!

After a bit of advise from Chris, who did not have any spare sheets available, I soaked the patterns in white spirit for a few minutes. Then, using a soft brush toothbrush, the paint started to peel away and eventually the paint was removed.

Good recovery👍….I hate it when that happens. Did you consider Windex?😆

Good save!

If it was acrylic paint, the thinners for that paint should remove the overspray and not damage the window.

If it’s acrylic paint soaking it in water will remove the paint.

Must not have been if it took white spirits to remove it. I’m surprised the plastic didn’t melt.

Post 13 - Cabin Area

I have been working on the cabin area. Starting with the rudder ledge the various parts have been painted and added.

 

I then started working on the screens. Once the 2 halves of the three screen patterns were glued together they were spray painted, initial with a white primer and then with the ivory white colour.

 

The window frames, door hinges and gun port eyebolts were cleaned with acetate and hot soapy water and then spray painted with white primer followed by a black final coat.

 

The window frames and door hinges were then added to the screens, adding the clear perplex windowpanes between the frames. I used the syren door handles.

The main cabin floor was added, using the stiff card printed pattern. See earlier post for more info and a copy of the floor pattern PDF file.

 

I have also started to add the eyebolts to the gunports and I will continue to do so while the gundeck in uncluttered.

Photo of the cabin area with the deck pattern fitted and gun port eyebolts fitted. The mark is on the gun deck by the double door is just a piece of debris which has now been removed.

The stern areas showing all the cabin. Just noticed that some of the door hinges have gone AWOL. It will be a fun task trying to find them and then to refit them.

Central cabin screen in place 

Final two photos of the cabin area.

I may follow @KillicksToastedCheez idea to complete the planking before adding the various gundeck items.

I need to catch up on this exciting build. Looking very good so far, and I appreciate the cabin flooring for future builds.

8 minutes ago, mberg said:

I need to catch up on this exciting build. Looking very good so far, and I appreciate the cabin flooring for future builds.

Welcome aboard. Many thanks for you comments, much appreciated.

Lovely cabin Glenn.

The paneling looks nice and flat. Are the parts thicker than those on Indy and less prone to curling?

14 minutes ago, Craig M said:

Lovely cabin Glenn.

The paneling looks nice and flat. Are the parts thicker than those on Indy and less prone to curling?

Each of the three screens comprise two patterns which must be glued together and can be prone to curling if you are not careful. I used a surface mount spray for this task which does not curl the patterns.

POST 14 – EYEBOLTS AND DECK ITEMS

I have not spent a lot of time in the shipyard over the last few days due to the current heat wave. My shipyard is in the conservatory so gets very warm as the day progresses and is more like a sauna.

 

The first task completed was to add the 130 eyebolts to all the gun ports.

 

I then gave the gundeck a light grey wash to simulate some weathering. This is the first time I have tried this. It is not perfect but does look OK.

 

I then started to add the various gundeck items. They were painted before fitting. I painted the bitts black but the crossbeam flat red. The mask rings were painted black. The stove base was painted brick read and then given a grey wash for simulated wear and tear.

 

The first photo shows the bow area

 

The next photo shows the main mast area and capstan which still needs to be painted before it is fitted.

 

Now a photo taken toward the bow

 

The final photo is toward the stern

 

My next task will be to assemble, paint and glue the three hatches along with their associated ladders. I will also paint the capstan, stove and hand pumps.

On a completing separate note. At the start of last year my wife was diagnosed, after an absence of 16 years, with the reoccurrence of breast cancer which resulted in her having a mastectomy. Further scans then revealed she had bowel cancer, which was totally unrelated to the breast cancer. On the 24th of April this year she underwent a major operation to remove the bowel cancer which resulted in her having a permanent stoma. She is now on the road to recovery.

In recognition of Bobby Moore's 108 England caps I have now run 108 miles in July to raise money for bowel cancer. Bobby Moore was just 51 years old when he died. Shortly after his death in 1993, Bobby’s widow Stephanie Moore OBE set up the Bobby Moore Fund to raise money for pioneering bowel cancer research.

Wishing your wife a speedy recovery. Build is looking great.

Good luck with your wife’s recovery.

18 minutes ago, RossR said:

Good luck with your wife’s recovery.

Many thank Ross.

Hoping for a speedy recovery for your wife.

Hoping all the best for you both.

POST 15 – GUN DECK CAPSTAN, HATCHES AND LADDERS

I have now assembled the hatches and ladders required for the gun deck. I have also painted the gun deck capstan.

 

I painted the ladders with a dark wood colour. The hatch surrounds were painted black as were their associated cannon ball racks. The capstan was painted red, with some black detailing.

 

I still need to add the stanchions and thread to the two hatches fitted with ladders.

 

This is how my HMS Surprise now looks. As per my previous post I did attempt to weather the gun deck using a light grey wash.

 

The next photo shows the capstan.

 

The capstan and rear hatch.

 

The hatch located next to the main mast, complete with the ladder.

 

The final two hatches.

A QUICK UPDATE
I have taken some photos on the current build status.

The oven has now been fitted. I did dry brush on some oxide powder, after painting it black.

The 6 pumps now in place

The gundeck