Paddleducks
Old Yahoo Group => Yahoo Messages => Topic started by: Christian on June 13, 2005, 07:44:54 AM
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Hi Dave,
> Christian! Don't leave us. We've only begun to have fun here.
Don't worry, I won't go. I am only afraid that I won't be able to do any
great contribution here for some time. But as soon as the Great Eastern
projects kicks in, I'll share each and every step with you guys, even if
it's through URL's.
>I simply must
> watch your grand effort unfold!
Thanks, it will be the effort of two persons. My friend Scott is a 35 years
plus ship modeler. Without his aid I won't be able to do it.
I still have an "all stops out" superdetailed/ fixed 1/350 scale Titanic
going on. Once past A-deck (what a work!) I'll be ready for the Great
Eastern. That'll be a few months still. In the meantime GE research is
running at full steam.
>I am trying
> to restore my plastic model of GE enough to present you with a set of photos
> but time is tight just now. I will post as
> soon as I can.
Great! I could see from the instruction booklet that the Revell/Entex kit
represents the GE in her cable laying days. I would LOVE to see your model,
Dave.
I am planning on a "as built" version: first set of paddle wheels (largest
diameter), and "builders type" model: no weathering, just satin and flat
finish. But a cable laying version (should be weathered in my opinion) would
make for a great model as well.
> For original data on GE I believe the Maritime Museum in London has everything
> that exists including those beautiful
> cut-away hull renderings I sent you from the Time-Life book. ANY PADDLEDUCKS
> IN LONDON? If you simply cannot
> locate that archive (which I believe includes a spectacular very accurate,
> large scale model) I can ask my sister who
> lives in Saint Albans just outside London if she can locate the archive. The
> answers to your research are right here.
> Keep asking and we can keep digging.
> Dave
Thanks again for your help. O.K. I am still a bit foggy about the deck
arrangement and the exact rigging plan including rigging practice.
I know that in 1/600 and 1/350 scales rigging doesn't need to be 100% to
scale. I even might not model her with sails (she used them seldom anyway).
But to know what I don't model I need to know what was there, right?
One of the problems is that Great eastern was a one of a kind. I have books
about rigging practices of the 18th and 19th Century. But these are for
sail-only ships. GE even doesn't have a bowsprit for example and all masts
except one were made of iron (!), also the distances between masts and yards
are much bigger than on conventional sailing ships.
She is usually seen with two or three masts (#2+#3 or #2+#3+#4) having a
square rig, all masts except #2 and #3 have gaffs and there's one jib at the
bow.
I need to know for examples the arrangement of the deadeyes and ratlines,
how the standing rigging was exactly attached, what kind of blocks (type
dimensions) she used etc. the rigging layout looks like a simplified
straight-forward schooner type rig.
I would appreciate any comments about my observations as I am NOT an expert
on sailing ships. I am actually a long time model railroader (I model the
Pennsylvania Railroad of the early 1950s in N scale, there's great info on
the Net about it).
I also would love to hear ideas on how to make the paddle wheels (styrene
strips, resin casting, photo etched brass????). Should I make the hull
plank-on-bulkhead or should a solid "bread and butter" hull with additional
wood planks just to represent the outer strakes of hull plating do the
trick?
Most people recommended plank-on-bulkhead. But here in Portugal I can't get
any good wood for hull planking. I would need to order it probably from
England or North America. I'll browse the Net when it's time to start. In
any case I'll appreciate any URL's to naval modeling material suppliers.
O.K. These are my questions for now. I would appreciate answers/suggestions.
Thanks again for your help.
Cheers, Christian
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Christian wrote:
> I also would love to hear ideas on how to make the paddle wheels
>(styrene strips, resin casting, photo etched brass????).
I'll be asking everyone for their comments on this soon Christian, as
I have some ideas on it, having built my paddle wheels from
cast Polyurethane resin.
> Most people recommended plank-on-bulkhead. But here in Portugal I
>can't get any good wood for hull planking. I would need to order it
>probably from England or North America.
If you go up to the Ship Modelling Forum (SMF)on Yahoo Groups you will
find lots of highly experienced Sailing Ship model experts there who
building all kinds of wooden hulls and their work is MUSEUM QUALITY.
They are very friendly to beginners too! They will answer all your
hull building questions...only one thing though..remember GE was a
riveted plate hull and simulating that is a whole art in itself,,but
again the SM"EFFERS" will help!!!)
You should also ask if anybody up there can help with deck plans,
rigging or layout info for GE. David is a member there, as are a
number of the Paddleducks.
Regards
PJ
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Yes this -too small- scale version is outfitted for the cable laying.
In and effort to minimize embarisment on my part I must clean up this
early (and tired) work for prime time. Bare with me for a few weeks.
I did crudely weather her as though she had been tossing in the
Atlantic for a while but not really enough and probably not very
realistically.