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1/700 Confederate Raiders CSS Alabama, CSS Florida
- Thread starter Rhino
- Start date
helios
Well-known member
But the dumb stuff is half the entertainment value.....
.....in hindsight once you are done cursing at your own stupidity. And yes, I'm talking about myself....
Rhino
Super Moderator
I resemble that remark, Suh! Don't most of us at one point or another?But the dumb stuff is half the entertainment value.....
.....in hindsight once you are done cursing at your own stupidity. And yes, I'm talking about myself....
Every bit of my modelness wants to add raised detail to the satisfactory and not completely perfect CSS Alabama's bowsprit.
To do so means carving/gluing crazy thin stretched sprue bits to the ship.
I'm choosing discretion rather than valor at this time. Catheads will be added after I get the window/port details on the stern of the Master.
Another tube of Tamiya white putty bit the dust during this project. I used up almost all of it before it dried out.
Focus on CSS Alabama yields pretty decent progress on the Raiders set. It didn't hurt much to have Pajama Perfect Sunday to figure out the bow mod's and give flight to imagination!
Thanks for looking in!
You know a 3d printer could come in handy for such small details I would think... 
Rhino
Super Moderator
I resist 3d printing until affordable 3D scanners appear in the marketplace. I will still make masters the same way. I may stick with resin casting in the face of modern methods. I'm an old man. I have old ways. Besides, some Communist sumbitch will just copy my models and 3D print them anyway.
I do not fear technology. I just clearly choose not to use it.
I do not fear technology. I just clearly choose not to use it.
Rhino
Super Moderator
With all the options for armament for USRC Caleb Cushing, the 6-inch cannon had to be tried on. NO, friends, such a weapon, as impressive as it is, would only have been mounted In Another World.
I got out the airbrush and my trusty, aged Floquil Reefer White for priming duties. The CT will be included in The Deep Bermuda set as a bonus vessel.
Cushing, the CT-56 and the 60' Yacht were primed. Plenty of other 1/700 projects await good quality "Nut Department" time.
The scail sail experiment began today. Coffee filters bathed in Knox gelatin dry for cutting and measuring sometime real soon!
Today is the Anniversary of Robert E. Lee's death in Lexington, VA in 1870. God rest you, Suh.
Thanks, as always, for looking in!
I was going to ask about that gun, wouldn't it be interesting though.
Rhino
Super Moderator
Chop off a hunk of coffee filter, glue the sail to it with a minuscule amount of C/A thin glue, carefully C/A glue the boom and sail to the mast. The CT-56 needs her windows, portholes and skylights painted before I put the Genoa sail on her.
Today's Lesson: It would have been much less fiddley to build mast, booms and sails BEFORE installing them on the sailboat. I never did it before, so as usual, I did it the hard way!
The kit instructions will reflect the better technique!
Thanks for looking in!
That's crazy man, outstanding job! 
Rhino
Super Moderator
I made the comment about focusing on CSS Alabama's master. Then......................
There are 14 ports/hatches on the stern of CSS Alabama. I'm damned if I can figure out if they are windows for the captain's cabin, or hatches at the main deck level. References disagree. I got stymied about what to do, so I did other waterline ship stuff!!
The CT-56 Ketch under full sail.
Obvious flaws:
I rushed up the windows and skylights. They could have been much neater.
I forgot to paint the booms.
The Genoa sail (the one on the front) and mainsail are too short. The mizzen sail is pretty good, but could use stiffeners as it goes up.
The bow pulpit rails should curve down to the deck.
I didn't add the P/E wheel for the helm.
Coffee filters are as close to scail sail thickness as it gets, but the paper-texture is less than impressive up close.
I am also not such a Nut that I will run any rigging lines in this scale. Actual 1/700 scale rigging would be nearly invisible, or lines and sheets would be the diameter of an Elephant's leg.
What have we learned with this first scail sail attempt?:
Detail the Ketch's hull and deck BEFORE putting any masts on Her. Take more time on the portholes, windows and skylights.
Build the masts, booms and sails and add them to the model as sub-assemblies. Hint! Leave extra mast at the bottom of them to fit them to the boat.
Paint/coat the coffee filter sails for better opacity, taking care not to make then too heavy or thick. Some color wouldn't hurt anything.
This 56-footer joins Corsair in the 1/700 Bermuda Lighthouse set. She's nice enough for the box art, but not for display in model contests.
So many real pleasure sailboats are overall white. There is little shade out on the Big Blue, so white fiberglass decks are the norm. The really expensive yachts have actual wooden decks and a Kid to keep up the finish on them as a necessity.
Painting the hull gives a skipper one more thing for the Ocean to beat up. I couldn't bear a boring, plain white boat!
The paint scheme was designed to give the CT the look of a false bow wave. Not that any submarine or torpedo bomber would waste a fish on such a small target.
Not truly a try at camouflage, it does break up her hull profile. The huge white sails do not add to the illusion whatsoever.
Well handled, a really experienced, qualified Captain might get as much as 14 knots out of such a vessel, in a stiff wind, with every sail She carries flying. He would likely be wet most of the time. It would still be great fun! "Don't barf INTO the blooody wind, ye Great Git!!"
This was good practice for USRC Caleb Cushing's masts, yards, booms and sails!
Thanks again for looking in!
There are 14 ports/hatches on the stern of CSS Alabama. I'm damned if I can figure out if they are windows for the captain's cabin, or hatches at the main deck level. References disagree. I got stymied about what to do, so I did other waterline ship stuff!!
The CT-56 Ketch under full sail.
Obvious flaws:
I rushed up the windows and skylights. They could have been much neater.
I forgot to paint the booms.
The Genoa sail (the one on the front) and mainsail are too short. The mizzen sail is pretty good, but could use stiffeners as it goes up.
The bow pulpit rails should curve down to the deck.
I didn't add the P/E wheel for the helm.
Coffee filters are as close to scail sail thickness as it gets, but the paper-texture is less than impressive up close.
I am also not such a Nut that I will run any rigging lines in this scale. Actual 1/700 scale rigging would be nearly invisible, or lines and sheets would be the diameter of an Elephant's leg.
What have we learned with this first scail sail attempt?:
Detail the Ketch's hull and deck BEFORE putting any masts on Her. Take more time on the portholes, windows and skylights.
Build the masts, booms and sails and add them to the model as sub-assemblies. Hint! Leave extra mast at the bottom of them to fit them to the boat.
Paint/coat the coffee filter sails for better opacity, taking care not to make then too heavy or thick. Some color wouldn't hurt anything.
This 56-footer joins Corsair in the 1/700 Bermuda Lighthouse set. She's nice enough for the box art, but not for display in model contests.
So many real pleasure sailboats are overall white. There is little shade out on the Big Blue, so white fiberglass decks are the norm. The really expensive yachts have actual wooden decks and a Kid to keep up the finish on them as a necessity.
Painting the hull gives a skipper one more thing for the Ocean to beat up. I couldn't bear a boring, plain white boat!
The paint scheme was designed to give the CT the look of a false bow wave. Not that any submarine or torpedo bomber would waste a fish on such a small target.
Not truly a try at camouflage, it does break up her hull profile. The huge white sails do not add to the illusion whatsoever.
Well handled, a really experienced, qualified Captain might get as much as 14 knots out of such a vessel, in a stiff wind, with every sail She carries flying. He would likely be wet most of the time. It would still be great fun! "Don't barf INTO the blooody wind, ye Great Git!!"
This was good practice for USRC Caleb Cushing's masts, yards, booms and sails!
Thanks again for looking in!
Nice build Rhino!
Rhino
Super Moderator
As I began to fit deck details, I realized I made a major goof with the 1/700 CSS Florida master. 
There were TWO vessels named CSS Florida in the Confederate Navy. One was a blockade runner of 171 feet in length and 30 foot beam and the other was Maffitt's storied ocean raider at 191 long with a beam of 27 feet, I wished to model.
My CSS Florida raider is 20 scale feet too short. OOPS! I ran out of main deck space when I began to fit the galley skylight and forward hatch and began to wonder why. I used the wrong length overall when I measured the first time.
SOOoooooooooooo..............
DO-OVER!!
Having womped up a few basic hull/deck masters makes this mistake NOT the end of the World. The techniques and experience gained by doing so helps the new, correct CSS Florida raider hull come along much more quickly than the original.
I would not have simply chopped the the original hull in two to add 20 feet. The continuous wood deck would have been really ugly when patched in. The bulwarks/rails would have to be removed and rebuilt to make Her just so. It is less PIA to just make a new Master. I wasn't truly happy with the original wood deck, applied after the rails were on.
"Could the original Master be produced as the Blockade Runner?"
Sorry friends, She is 3 scale feet too narrow at the beam and her bowsprit is incorrect. A swift steam Schooner, perhaps.
The good news is that the teeny skylights and gratings I made so far will be correct for CSS Florida 2.0. Hell, they might even fit the longer 1/700 Ship!
This is an appropriate time to offer me a loud and well deserved "DUH!!" Perhaps "Don't quit your day job, Rhino!" is appropriate at this time as well.
Thanks again for looking in!
There were TWO vessels named CSS Florida in the Confederate Navy. One was a blockade runner of 171 feet in length and 30 foot beam and the other was Maffitt's storied ocean raider at 191 long with a beam of 27 feet, I wished to model.
My CSS Florida raider is 20 scale feet too short. OOPS! I ran out of main deck space when I began to fit the galley skylight and forward hatch and began to wonder why. I used the wrong length overall when I measured the first time.
SOOoooooooooooo..............
DO-OVER!!
Having womped up a few basic hull/deck masters makes this mistake NOT the end of the World. The techniques and experience gained by doing so helps the new, correct CSS Florida raider hull come along much more quickly than the original.
I would not have simply chopped the the original hull in two to add 20 feet. The continuous wood deck would have been really ugly when patched in. The bulwarks/rails would have to be removed and rebuilt to make Her just so. It is less PIA to just make a new Master. I wasn't truly happy with the original wood deck, applied after the rails were on.
"Could the original Master be produced as the Blockade Runner?"
Sorry friends, She is 3 scale feet too narrow at the beam and her bowsprit is incorrect. A swift steam Schooner, perhaps.
The good news is that the teeny skylights and gratings I made so far will be correct for CSS Florida 2.0. Hell, they might even fit the longer 1/700 Ship!
This is an appropriate time to offer me a loud and well deserved "DUH!!" Perhaps "Don't quit your day job, Rhino!" is appropriate at this time as well.
Thanks again for looking in!
And now you got an extra hull?
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Nice recovery. Now I'm sure you'll find an appropriate ship to use that smaller hull as a base for.
Rhino
Super Moderator
Yup. An extra 1/840 Florida hull. No "Duh!" so far. OK.
Bearing in mind that that nothing ever goes to waste here, I'm sure I'll find some other obscure bit of historical Naval minutia for such a thing. Time and research will tell the tale!
Rain came. Acorns skip gleefully off our new Leaf Filters & gutters and crash harmlessly into the grass. I will never climb a rickety ladder to clean gutters again. Chili/Stew season is afoot in the increasingly chilly midwestern fall. My Sweetie wanted home-made chili. I like to make a meaty, flavorful blend that isn't volcanically spicy, but has robust flavor. Let me introduce Rhino's Train Wreck (as if a train loaded with cattle and beans smucked into a train loaded with pigs and tomaters.) Chili. A house specialty!
Customarily served with cornbread and punkin pie.
While the Train-wreck chili was on the simmer, I busied myself by sanding/shaping the new CSS Florida Raider's hull and main deck.
The bow profile came along nicely. I didn't record the piece I cut for the inclined after rail. I did not expect to need to make a second one. The stern profile will have a little more taper than her predecessor.
It seemed the appropriate time to apply the 1/700 wood deck to the vessel. It's handy to be able to see the sharpie sanding reference marks through the wood. An unplanned aid to construction!
Thanks again for looking in!
Bearing in mind that that nothing ever goes to waste here, I'm sure I'll find some other obscure bit of historical Naval minutia for such a thing. Time and research will tell the tale!
Rain came. Acorns skip gleefully off our new Leaf Filters & gutters and crash harmlessly into the grass. I will never climb a rickety ladder to clean gutters again. Chili/Stew season is afoot in the increasingly chilly midwestern fall. My Sweetie wanted home-made chili. I like to make a meaty, flavorful blend that isn't volcanically spicy, but has robust flavor. Let me introduce Rhino's Train Wreck (as if a train loaded with cattle and beans smucked into a train loaded with pigs and tomaters.) Chili. A house specialty!
Customarily served with cornbread and punkin pie.
While the Train-wreck chili was on the simmer, I busied myself by sanding/shaping the new CSS Florida Raider's hull and main deck.
The bow profile came along nicely. I didn't record the piece I cut for the inclined after rail. I did not expect to need to make a second one. The stern profile will have a little more taper than her predecessor.
It seemed the appropriate time to apply the 1/700 wood deck to the vessel. It's handy to be able to see the sharpie sanding reference marks through the wood. An unplanned aid to construction!
Thanks again for looking in!
Put the unused hull up on dry dock.
Ah chili, not quit that cool here yet but soon.
Ah chili, not quit that cool here yet but soon.
Duke Maddog
Well-known member
Wow; it may not be that cool out here but you need to flash-freeze some of that chili and send it out here to SoCal! Looks mouth-wateringly delicious! 
.... or just send the recipe....
Florida is looking good! Nice work! I also like Bob's idea for putting the extra hull up in a dry-dock. That way you can have it looking nice without naming it and still do the research to fins out where it fits best.
.... or just send the recipe....
Florida is looking good! Nice work! I also like Bob's idea for putting the extra hull up in a dry-dock. That way you can have it looking nice without naming it and still do the research to fins out where it fits best.
Rhino
Super Moderator
Do-over stern bulwark is proving more daunting than expected.
To make a continuous inclined curve on the inside, the plastic must be one piece. I could do what ever I want on the outside. That can be shaped and sanded smooth. The geometry for the perfect fit eludes me so far. A car-ride and Halloween costume party fun may have been the needed diversion to provide the needed inspiration. Thanks again for looking in!
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Excellent micro work as usual Chris!
Hey Chris! When is the next Meeting going to be?
Hey Chris! When is the next Meeting going to be?