Martian Posted January 25 Author Posted January 25 We have been a busy Marian over the past few days. Firstly, I completed work on the frames for the paddle wheel boxes: Next, I managed to break the rudder and skeg off of the ship. Whilst repairing these and strengthening them with Albion Alloys' brass rod, I took the opportunity to add part of the steering mechanism that has previously gone unnoticed. Whilst at the stern, I corrected the stern "gallery". I put the word gallery in quotation marks as I am becoming increasingly unsure as to whether it was a real gallery or just an illusion added to the ship for decorative effect. Thoughts anyone? The final addition made to the stern was to spend two hours! constructing a small deckhouse that housed the rear steering position on the ship before her first conversion to a cable layer: Thoughts then turned to the external pipework on the funnels. The kit provides parts for this but depicts the funnels as having two pipes both fore and aft, joined by a totally unconvincing web of plastic. The references I have all show just the single pipe. So, away with the kit parts, out with the plastic rod and in a flurry of tentacles, new pipes were added to the funnels. I felt it a bit of a shame though as, although it would have meant extra work, I thought twin pipes would have looked really cool, very "Steam Punk" if you will. I have been doing a lot of work on the masts and yards but I think this will be better posted as a separate post (s) when I have got them to where I want them to be. Thanks for looking. Martian 👽 18 2
Martian Posted January 25 Author Posted January 25 A quick heads up following today's earlier update. I was doing some unrelated research on the ship earlier this afternoon when I came across an albeit, blurred picture of the ship with two pipes on the funnels. As I have a good picture of her with one pipe, it would indicate that the number of pipes changed at least once during the ship's lifetime. The twin pipes appear a lot thinner than the single ones which might indicate that the single pipe combined the functions of the two. Now allI have to do is to decide whether I want to strip the funnels back and scratch build a complete set of twin pipes. The kit supplied items are not great so do I put my efforts into trying to bring them up to spec, replace them or do what any sane and sensible person would do and leave well alone? Indecisive of Mars 👽
LorenSharp Posted January 25 Posted January 25 Sounds like its about time to break out the Patented Martian Improbability Drive Decision Determination Apparatus(reg.us pat. off) Heads this way.... Tails that way.... best two out of three should do the trick. 3
Martian Posted January 25 Author Posted January 25 56 minutes ago, LorenSharp said: Sounds like its about time to break out the Patented Martian Improbability Drive Decision Determination Apparatus(reg.us pat. off) Heads this way.... Tails that way.... best two out of three should do the trick. Am I that easy to see through ? Transparent of Mars 👽 3
LorenSharp Posted January 25 Posted January 25 Weellll a certain song by Johnny Nash (if you're young enough to remember it) certainly fits 1
R T Fishall Posted January 25 Posted January 25 1 hour ago, LorenSharp said: Tails that way Good heavens, has he tails as well as tentacles? Those paddle boxes are looking really rather good! Martian, I've pinged you some more images; based on those I think the rear 'gallery' was a later addition, there's no sign of it on any of the stern images of the Great Eastern as launched. There's a plan of the ship that shows that rear space as "Capstans and Cargo" which don't seem like they'd need an expansive rear view so it might have been something added as part of the cable laying conversion? The images from 1860 and 1865 (which should cover the period you're modelling her in?) both seem to show one pipe? If you're going for the Great Eastern in her original passenger configuration (and with that magnificently tiny deckhouse it looks like you are) I think the one pipe funnels are the ones to go with (although I'd agree; two would be more steampunk (which has somehow reminded me of Robert Rankin's book, The Greatest Show Off Earth, which I seem to recall featured a space travelling ship based on the Great Eastern but that's a whole separate digression...)). Cheers, Richard. 2
LorenSharp Posted January 25 Posted January 25 And that ship was probably Captained be one of Martian's Long lost relatives. 2
LorenSharp Posted January 25 Posted January 25 12 minutes ago, R T Fishall said: Good heavens, has he tails as well as tentacles? Nooooo Comment. I wouldn't touch that with a 10 meter Martian Cattle Prod. 3
ArnoldAmbrose Posted January 26 Posted January 26 11 hours ago, LorenSharp said: Heads this way.... Tails that way.... best two out of three should do the trick. G'day, I usually do 'best out of three', unless I don't like the result. Then it becomes 'best out of five', and if I still don't like the result 'best out of seven' etc. It can become quite a long process. 😁 Regards, Jeff. 1
Martian Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 12 hours ago, R T Fishall said: Good heavens, has he tails as well as tentacles? Those paddle boxes are looking really rather good! Martian, I've pinged you some more images; based on those I think the rear 'gallery' was a later addition, there's no sign of it on any of the stern images of the Great Eastern as launched. There's a plan of the ship that shows that rear space as "Capstans and Cargo" which don't seem like they'd need an expansive rear view so it might have been something added as part of the cable laying conversion? The images from 1860 and 1865 (which should cover the period you're modelling her in?) both seem to show one pipe? If you're going for the Great Eastern in her original passenger configuration (and with that magnificently tiny deckhouse it looks like you are) I think the one pipe funnels are the ones to go with (although I'd agree; two would be more steampunk (which has somehow reminded me of Robert Rankin's book, The Greatest Show Off Earth, which I seem to recall featured a space travelling ship based on the Great Eastern but that's a whole separate digression...)). Cheers, Richard. Thanks Richard, I will have to go back to my books as I felt sure I saw a picture of the ship docked in New York showing the "gallery". The number of funnels will settle that question. It is entirely possible that I didn't count them and just went charging ahead; after all, it wouldn't be the first time! Your post seems to answer the question as to whether the "gallery" was real or just a facade added for decorative effect. I am going for the latter. 12 hours ago, LorenSharp said: And that ship was probably Captained be one of Martian's Long lost relatives. I think it was being used as a royal yacht by the prophet Zarquon at the time. 12 hours ago, LorenSharp said: Nooooo Comment. I wouldn't touch that with a 10 meter Martian Cattle Prod. Strangely enough, I have a twelve yard long electric Earthling prod. Want to try it? You do? Bend over then. + 🔌 = 3 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said: G'day, I usually do 'best out of three', unless I don't like the result. Then it becomes 'best out of five', and if I still don't like the result 'best out of seven' etc. It can become quite a long process. 😁 Regards, Jeff. Thanks for your help Jeff! Martian 👽 4
Martian Posted January 26 Author Posted January 26 Just for once I was right. From the Library of Congress "The Great Eastern Docked at New York": If you kook very closely, you can just make out the roof of the deckhouse appearing above the bulwarks. This picture of course begs the question; what colour were the funnels when that pictures was shot? and the masts look dark, whereas in most pictures the lower parts of the masts appear to be white or a very light grey. In this picture however it may be that the masts look dark because they are in silhouette. One question seems to lead to another with this ship which, for me at least, is one of the more fascinating parts of this build. Martian 👽 6
Martian Posted January 27 Author Posted January 27 I think I must be loosing the plot. (Silence the rabble in the cheap seats.) I was thinking that nobody seemed very interested in my post on the modifications to the ship's masts and yards. I mentioned that this was a bit odd to Mrs Martian who, sagely, pointed out that she hadn't taken the necessary pictures yetand Ihad not actuallywritten the post! So, twenty four hours later than planned, here is what I have been up to on the masts and yards. I will go through these two at a time from bow to stern and keep with the names of the week for them, in the same way that they were referred to at the time the ship was in existence. Beginning with Monday and Tuesday masts, I decided that the derrick as supplied by Revell for Monday mast is too long so this got shortened by about 30%. I intend to get as much detail on the masts before I fit them to the ship for ease of handling. With this in mind, I began by adding some etched brass pulleys and wires from a PE set that I bought for this build. What I do lack however is a hook assembly for the derrick, not sure how I am going to get round that one yet. There also seems to be a small top just above the jib, so this got added. On Tuesday mast I opened out a hole in the platform for the lifts for the masts to pass through. I have also begun cutting back the attachments for all the yards on the kit so that the lifts can pass more easily to the deck. I'm not overly worried if these break as, on reflection, I think I can do a better job myself if necessary: Wednesday mast just needed the extra holes opening out on its platform, but there was a lot mor work involved with Thursday mast. Revell supply the kit with no yards for this mast and although this might be correct for the ship in its later cable laying role, some pictures of her when she began life as a passenger ship show that she sometimes sported a couple of yards on this mast. The topmost yard is easy to miss as in some pictures it has been lowered to a position just above the main yard on this mast. The thick sprues that the kit parts came on, well, those that had not detached themselves in the box, came in handy here and a whirl of alien tentacles soon saw the sprue turned into a couple of extra yard arms. The platform on this mast also had the extra holes opened up: Friday mast just needed a small platform scratch building and Saturday mast needed no modification at this stage of proceedings: Our final picture shows the current state of play with the build. I am pondering how I am going to make a couple of capstans next. Thanks for looking. Martian 👽 19 2
Martian Posted January 27 Author Posted January 27 25 minutes ago, robgizlu said: Wow - that looks terrific Rob Thanks Rob. Martian 👽 1
mark.au Posted January 28 Posted January 28 Boat building is fascinating to a newbie such as I. I cannot fathom how you’ve gone this far without a lick of paint, especially with such intricate plastic around the paddles. Can’t wait to see how you do it; I have no doubt it’ll be as well executed as the work so far. 1
Martian Posted January 28 Author Posted January 28 3 hours ago, mark.au said: Boat building is fascinating to a newbie such as I. I cannot fathom how you’ve gone this far without a lick of paint, especially with such intricate plastic around the paddles. Can’t wait to see how you do it; I have no doubt it’ll be as well executed as the work so far. Thanks Mark. There's no secret at all really. what you are seeing is a number of sub-assemblies dry fitted together. Not even the decks have been glued on yet. I find it easier to work this way, partly because small parts are less likely to get lost, particularly with this kit where dozens of small parts were floating round in the bag, having detached themselves from their sprues and also because by modelling room is only 6 x 6 feet square and I can either have it set up for painting or for building, not both. Martian 👽 3
Brandy Posted January 28 Posted January 28 How on earth have I managed to miss this for so long? (Answers on a postcard) I'm enthralled with how you're dealing with such painfull issues as cut back bulwarks and a Derek that's too long, but you seem to be banging on at it remorselessly and she's really looking rather splendid with her new paddles! Ian 1 1
Martian Posted January 28 Author Posted January 28 16 hours ago, Brandy said: How on earth have I managed to miss this for so long? As is usually the case with me; because you weren't paying attention. Fortunately Mrs Martian has the local vet on standby for derrick, bulwark and other potentially painful operations. Martian 👽 4
Martian Posted February 2 Author Posted February 2 On 28/01/2025 at 15:49, Brandy said: I'm enthralled with how you're dealing with such painful issues as cut back bulwarks and a Derek that's too long, What have I been up to the last few days? I hear you ask. Well, adding to @Brandy's concerns, I have been sorting out the catheads as part of my efforts to get the anchors right. I began by enlarging the holes in the existing kit parts, taking very great care not to break them. I then inserted small lengths of .40 'thou plastic rod in the holes at the halfway marks to represent rollers, over which the anchor chains can pass: Revell supply some brass chain in the kit for the anchor chains but this looks way over scale to me. I therefore had a rummage in my supply of ship parts and came up with a length of pre-blackened chain that looked much more to scale. I the second picture you can see how the chain exits the hawser pipe, passes over the roller, and passes back through the hole in the cat head. In this way, when the chain is wound in,the anchor is drawn up to the level of the upper deck: I had been wondering how the anchors were got into the horizontal position ready for securing but then I came across a photo showing a series of ports in the hull, clearly for this purpose. Of course, I couldn't resist opening these up in the model's hull. No! I shall not be super-detailing the interior of the ship. I might, just might mind you add a small section of deck behind some of the holes in order to show a crew figure in them. All this took a seemingly inordinate amount of time to accomplish but I pleased with the result. All I need to do now is to repeat the exercise on the stern. I think I will give the open ports a miss though and show them shut. Further digging has shown that the kit anchor parts are reasonably accurate after all, the picture of the odd looking anchors that I posted, turns out to be an artist's misinterpretation, due to their appearance when stowed. Best get the local 3D print chap to run me off some more anchor parts. In other news, the pedestals for the base have arrived here at Martian Towers and the base itself is expected imminently. This means I can start painting operations and not have to handle the model, which should help avoid breakages. In consultation with such eminent personages as @general melchett and more importantly, Mrs Martian who thinks it a cunning plan, I have decided to try and build at least one of my larger ship kits each year and have a dedicated shelf in the house to display the Martian "Ship of the year" model. Can I stick to this? Only time can tell and I am a somewhat easily distracted Alien at the best of times; ooh! is that a new Airfix surprise release 1/24 scale TSR2 I see before me? Thanks for looking. Distraite of Mars 👽 18 2
Courageous Posted February 4 Posted February 4 Well I must say your Great Eastern is looking rather splendid, so that means all your mods and corrections has worked well. Keep up the good work. Stuart 1 1
Terry1954 Posted February 4 Posted February 4 I agree with Stuart that things are looking very good. On the matter of building one larger ship per year, I was wondering if we might see a 1/48 HNLMS Karl Doorman (R81) carrier anytime soon? I do believe you already have constructed some of her airwing. Terry aka Hopeful from over the water.
Martian Posted February 4 Author Posted February 4 1 hour ago, Courageous said: Well I must say your Great Eastern is looking rather splendid, so that means all your mods and corrections has worked well. Keep up the good work. Stuart Thanks Stuart, I think we are slowly getting there. 54 minutes ago, Terry1954 said: I agree with Stuart that things are looking very good. On the matter of building one larger ship per year, I was wondering if we might see a 1/48 HNLMS Carl Doorman (R81) carrier anytime soon? I do believe you already have constructed some of her airwing. Terry aka Hopeful from over the water. Thanks Terry, I shall run your splendid idea past the Memsahib, making quite sure that you get the credit for it. Martian 👽 1
Martian Posted February 5 Author Posted February 5 13 hours ago, Terry1954 said: On the matter of building one larger ship per year, I was wondering if we might see a 1/48 HNLMS Karl Doorman (R81) carrier anytime soon? I do believe you already have constructed some of her airwing. I have now mentioned your cunning plan to Mrs Martian, I'm not sure if it's a good sign or not but she put on a "smile" and has invited you over for a little "chat". I am hoping that the rack she ordered second hand off of EvilBay is merely a courtesy detail. Martian 👽 4
Terry1954 Posted February 5 Posted February 5 35 minutes ago, Martian said: I have now mentioned your cunning plan to Mrs Martian, I'm not sure if it's a good sign or not but she put on a "smile" and has invited you over for a little "chat". I am hoping that the rack she ordered second hand off of EvilBay is merely a courtesy detail. Martian 👽 I wouldn't want to upset Mrs Martian, but perhaps you could at least point out that such a "large ship" would only be a mere 4 metres long in that scale. It would run nicely down the hall into the kitchen if memory serves me correctly 🤫 T. 3
Martian Posted February 5 Author Posted February 5 6 hours ago, Terry1954 said: I wouldn't want to upset Mrs Martian, but perhaps you could at least point out that such a "large ship" would only be a mere 4 metres long in that scale. It would run nicely down the hall into the kitchen if memory serves me correctly 🤫 T. I quote Mrs Martian: "Why is he such a stirrer? I mean he looks such a nice man, so harmless." I'm staying out of this one! Sir Coward de Martian 👽 5
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