1/700 Confederate Raiders CSS Alabama, CSS Florida

I have an Optivisor that I got back in 1988 for jewelry class. Have used it ever since.

Bluenose' white hull stripes went less than well. She had a repaint but the smallest Tamiya tape I had was 2mm. Very cartoonish-looking indeed! I ordered 1/32" white stripe decals from Microscale. I will black out the sloppy stripes and apply decals instead. I I bought enough of the white stripe decals to include them in the kit.
Did all y'all know they sell direct? I did not.
The first 1/700 Bluenose kit sold yesterday, even though the build and instructions are not yet finished!

I did not know they sold direct. Good one.

Cartoon-ish white stripe, GONE!! Bluenose has her fore and main masts stepped. She's starting to look a little more schonner-ish! The call "All hands, make sail" is about to come over the 1MC.

Masts, ratlines, booms, gaffs and sails are installed. Jibs will be along presently. This will be my very first "Balloon Jib". Fitting, as the Indianola National Balloon Classic is going on this week, or will be if the the weather cooperates with the Balloonicals.
I still unmercifully tease balloon "Pilots", all respect to the Montgolfier' brothers.

These precision, high-tech jigs are an example of how I get the "billow" in my sail material. Once properly sized, I dip a soft paintbrush in Tamiya Thinner and then in Future, and brush it on the sails. Once the sails cure, they generally fall of the jigs on their own. Care must be taken to billow these to catch the wind from the correct direction.
On square-rigged vessels, I cheat and attach the yards first.

Just finished the book about the Alabama, spent more time talking about the Kearsarge and Capt Winslow but they were the victor. My opinion, they would not have won if Alabama was in good trim and fresh arms. She'd been at sea for a couple of years without a good overhaul while Kearsarge was fresh out of the docks armed to the teeth.

Thanks for inspiring the history lesson Chris. Sails look amazing.

moon puppy said:

Just finished the book about the Alabama, spent more time talking about the Kearsarge and Capt Winslow but they were the victor. My opinion, they would not have won if Alabama was in good trim and fresh arms. She'd been at sea for a couple of years without a good overhaul while Kearsarge was fresh out of the docks armed to the teeth.

Thanks for inspiring the history lesson Chris. Sails look amazing.

Click to expand...

If the shell CSS Alabama's pivot rifle put in USS Kearsarge' stern had detonated, it would have blown her rudder clean off.
The outcome would have been very different. Fortunes of War and all that sort of rot.

This is the amount of sail my waterline Bluenose will carry. Not quite the scale 10,000 square feet of the real 1921 Schooner, but pretty close. The wheel is installed too! T'were Boat Day today as well. Bluenose, Bonnie Dick and HMS Speedy all got their small craft.
There is still some bowsprit rigging to do on all 3 ships, but today was a very productive morning!
It's nice to finally have some progress to post!