Rollin'...rollin'...rollin' down the river... [Scalemotorcars Archive]

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harrypri

07-14-08, 10:05 PM

Thought you might like to see what's been keeping me off the streets the past few months. Huck and Tom never had it so good...

This one is about the size of a Pocher, but much smaller scale–1/80. Many of the wooden pieces must be cut, soaked, bent, shaped, etc. from scratch. The planking on the hull and decks is all laid individually, as is the "siding" on the staterooms and wheelhouse walls. The twin spiral staircases in front are built with individual stairs, balusters and handrails (which must be soaked and bent to shape). The handrails along the deck edges are all built of individual pieces which were cut and glued in place one by one. The railing balusters are PE brass pieces, and the round ball atop each railing post is a round-headed map pin painted to match the railings. The stable doors are made of individual planks for the field, individual pieces for the red trim, and PE hinges with tiny brass tacks to hold them in place. The "steel" smokestack cable stays are thread painted gray. All windows are clear acetate with the individual panes created by scoring with the backside of an xacto blade and wiping flat black into the resulting grooves. The ladders and short staircases are built with individual treads and stringers, and the wheelhouse even has a stove to keep the pilot warm on those cool Mississippi River evenings!

Still need to add a flag to the forward mast and a pennant to the rear mast, plus several other small details, but otherwise it's ready for its maiden voyage!

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/63.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/64.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/65.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/66.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/67.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/68.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/69.jpg

MojoDoctor

07-14-08, 10:29 PM

Oh baby!
No wonder you were asking for 1/80 people in mid 19th century garb earlier. This looks like great fun.

Love that decking! Harry, that is beautiful. There is no substitute for good wood. 1thumbup1

harrypri

07-14-08, 11:07 PM

Nortley

07-15-08, 12:13 AM

Harry, that is one fine looking boat, makes me want to chug on down the river. HO scale figures might work for you, they're nominally 1/87 scale, a bit smaller than 1/80, but people do vary in size and we are supposedly a couple of inches taller than those of a century ago. The Walthers HO catalog has several pages of figures, some look like they may be adaptable, say a railroad conductor in his blue suit, brass trim, and cap could pass as a deck officer.

sydeem

07-15-08, 12:54 AM

hot ford coupe

07-15-08, 01:36 AM

Wow, that's one fine piece of work, Harry. I was wondering where you got to. Looking at that makes me want to get out my tall hat, my walking stick, a derringer and a good deck of cards and take a roll down the river with Miss Kitty.

harrypri

07-15-08, 09:37 AM

That is really exceptional.

Wish I knew how you were able to tie the "steel" smokestack cable stays so taunt. I can't seem to pull thread tight like that and make a knot without pulling something else loose.

My trick is that I don't try to tie the cable tight with a knot.

What I did is attach the "cable" to the deck ring by tying it to the ring and "locking" the knot with a drop of CA and snipping off the excess thread. Then I glued the deck ring in place in the hole I drilled on the deck with a drop of CA. Once that sets up I run the other end of the thread through the ring that's attached to the smokestack, pull it tight and apply a drop of CA to the ring where the thread is passing through. I hold the thread tight for a few seconds, until the CA sets up. Once I have the thread tightly "locked" with the CA, I give the thread a few turns around itself at the smokestack ring to simulate a "knot" and give my fake knot another shot of CA to hold it all in place. Last step is to snip off the extra length of thread close to the "knot". I'm not relying on tying a knot to hold the line taut...I'm doing it with CA glue.

That's how I did all the rigging and lines. Attach one end with a knot and CA, stretch the line tight and lock the other end in place with CA, and finish off with a fake "knot".

Don Garrett

07-15-08, 02:29 PM

Is this the same Harry that said....."No Way" when the the conversation turned to plank and bulkhead construction, rigging and tall ships? Perhaps a trawler or tug....hat's off to you buddy, sweet paddle wheeler!

harrypri

07-15-08, 02:37 PM

The planking I can deal with...but you'll notice no sails here!

All that rigging on a tall ship is more than I want to get into...although I HAVE been tempted to build a "Santa Maria". Not nearly as many sails!

harrypri

07-15-08, 03:43 PM

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/70.jpg

http://www.scalemotorcars.com/forum/images/imported/2008/07/71.jpg

sydeem

07-15-08, 03:56 PM

Really great detail: the curved banisters, curved bow planking and nails, rope ends coiled. I wonder on the real boat if they had to lift and hold up the capstan at the front in order to use it?

harrypri

07-15-08, 04:39 PM

I don't know.

This capstan is pretty generic and not very detailed. I guess it's possible that it could have been mounted on a vertical shaft and could be lifted. Yeah...let's go with that idea!

Thrillbilly Rich

07-15-08, 06:30 PM

All it needs is a Dixieland band playing on the main deck! That is way cool! Fine Job!!!!!