Steamer Ben Ain

[John]

You have some great pictures you can really see the detail, looking forward to more posts

[Guest]

Fascinating to see the model developing. Keep up the great work! For those of you interested in another steam boat build look in Gallery 13 at:

http://www.edinburghmodelboatclub.org

This model of a Windermere steamer was built by a club member.

Andrew

[Guest]

Nice Pictures Richard.

I do agree this kit lends itself to steam.

My kit arrived today so i'm like a kid in the candy shop.

I'm going to spend a few evenings looking through everything and decide how much detail to go into.

The kit looks well labelled and the plans look nice and clear. So it onwards and up.

When I get going I will start a new thread with pictures so I dont confuse or clutter your progress.

Cheers

Chris

[Guest]

Chris,

First thing is do a complete inventry of all parts including all the white metal bits and the printed ply sheets. I was missing a couple of bits including the printed ply sheet for the rear of the bridge and the plastic tube for the cargo winch drum. Both were replaced after a phone call to Frank.

You should have a CD very soon with pictures of the Mountfleet kit and my own boat on it.

It might also be worth bearing in mind that I was advised by John Hemmens not to use the original stern tube but to get one made with proper roller bearings. This I did from the Prop Shop which was where I got my propeller from as well.

All the best

Richard

[Guest]

Hi Richard.

Thanks Richard. I will check it out

Chris

[Guest]

Great work, I'm very jealous of the steam plant!

Please keep us imformed as I would loke to see the boat on the water.

[Guest]

The last couple of shots of the Ben Ain below show the progression of the construction of the model itself. The additional riveting around the forward bulkhead can clearly be seen. To get the match correct with the plate straps on the bulwarks, which were supplied with the kit, I decided to drill and insert individual dress making pins. Obviously this took some time but I again think the result was worth it.



In the absence of actual drawings I tried to think about how the area would be constructed and scribed the plate lines accordingly. Almost certainly curved plates would be separate from straight plates and an appropriate plate size was considered as about 6 ft by 2 ft. One of the doors was left open to give the area a bit of interest so the rear was boxed in to maintain the watertight integrity.



The anchor windlass was made according to the instructions and was finished in a semi-gloss black with a light degree of weathering. One point of interest is that I wore away the paint on the winch warping ends to look the same as a real unit. This is where experience of real ships pays tremendous dividends, as I have been lucky enough to see first hand how things look with normal wear and tear and how then weather over the years. I did a similar thing with the bollards, which will be finished with a crewmember and some realistic ropes as the model finishes.



Finally, as I work away from home for three months at a time, I always try to take the odd piece with me to continue the project. Such things as crew figures are ideal to work on in my cabin and keep the interest in the project. I am using a combination of the kit figures and some additional ones to bring the ship to life when it will be completed. Never having painted figures before I had to learn some new techniques, practise on bits and bobs and give it a go. Some came out better than others but I am particularly happy with the Captain who will probably end up adorning the upper bridge.

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[Guest]

More great pictures Bunkerbarge.

Are you going for the clean finish as apposed to the weathered look of the prototype.

The foredeck is really beggiining to look the part.

I have started cutting out deck parts for my Ben Ain to get a feel for it. Your pictures are a big help.

Keep posting

Chris

[Guest]

My intention with "Ben Ain" is to make it as realistic as possible. My ultimate goal is always to make a perfect miniature of the real thing at any one moment in time. I never achieve it but what is the point of an easily achievable goal? :shucks:

To this end I will be weathering and dirtying the ship in an attempt to obtain the realism. Years of plastic modelling experience help with this and I am hoping that the realistic exterior will dramatically contrast with the polished brass internals when the covers are removed.

As for weathering ship models I think it is so easy to get it wrong and spoil the model so a great deal of care and research has to be put into it before you embark down the path. I have listed a couple of relevent points of interest below:

1) Find as many pictures as possible and study them for the formation of rust and dirt. Look at the overall condition of the hull finish and at least identify what you are aiming for.

2) Think about how things were done in the period being investigated. A 1920's coaster was painted up by her crew who didn't have access to spray equipment so why do so many modellers spray the hull and strive for that perfect paint finish? I painted my hull with a small flat brush and varied the mix of matt and gloss paint while I was doing it. The idea was to generate a surface that looked like it had been brush painted over a number of years.

3) Think about how you are going to achieve the effect you are after. So many modellers use air brushes for weathering on model ships and it looks very unrealistic. Rust and dirt do not form as a fine dusting on ships. on hulls rust forms in vertical streaks and follows the path that the sea water normally runs and it is never only one colour. I do rust with a dry brush following where I would expect water to run and combine at least three colours. I have added a picture of a destroyer hull that I played around with a couple of years ago to show you what I mean.

4) Practise on numerous bits of scrap until you are happy that you are going to get the effect you are after.

5) Do not overdo it. There are many models out there that have been spoilt by over weathering and it is so easy to do too much in an attempt to get it right. I am the first to admit that I think the destroyer hull below is a bit excessive but that level will probably be right for the "Ben Ain".

6) Do all your weathering at the same time at the end of the model otherwise you will have areas of slighly differring colours and intensities.

As for the Mountfleet "Ben Ain" model care must be taken with the construction of the focsle bulkhead. The instructions say that you should fit the main deck then the focsle deck and finaly the bulkhead should be inserted as a prefabricated unit. I do think that this is the best way however the angle of the main deck is slighly less than that of the focsle. This means that the forward bulkhead is slightly taller than the aft bulkheads so fitting the prefabricated unit is tricky but it can be done by gently prising the focsle deck upwards. Use the plan to get the exact angles of the decks in relation to the vertical bulkheads and you should be rewarded with no horrible gaps when the prefabricated unit is slid in place.

I hope that this is of some use to you.

Richard

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[Guest]

Hi Richard.

I know what your saying about the decks. I have been playing around with them to make sure i get the correct heights and angles. So far I have the quarter deck set and have fixed the bearers. I have taped the other decks into place to check the positioning

looking at the pictures of Doris Thomas the coasters bow should sit up higher compared to the stern when unladed. Then presumably as she was loaded the bow begins to sit lower in the water. Rather than the whole ship being flat in the water loaded and unloaded. Sorry if its a daft question I want to get the dynamics of loaded and unloaded correct.

I want to look at creating a fake cargo hold with removable boards. It would be nice to have a cargo in there when the boards are removed. The hatch is one of the stunning featurs of Ben Ain.

I see what your saying about the weathering. The dirt that runs down from the earlty coasters and does follow the way the waters would runs. The rust around the anchor and around the plating on the destroyer look very realistic

I'm tempted at this stage to turn this model into the Doris Thomas and go for the 1920's look. The lack of colour pictures is the only drawback. The Ben Ain does have a nice distinct colouring though.

Keep Posting

Cheers

Chris

[Guest]

Chris,

Just think of the ship as your fibre-glass shell sat in the bath. When it is loaded the downwards forces acting on the hull are the main machinery which is all located aft so the centre of gravity of the mass would be somewhere below the funnel area, plus the cargo, located below the main hatch so the centre of gravity would be somewhere in the area of the centre of the hatch. The resultant centre of gravity would be somewhere in the centre of the vessel.

As you unload the cargo the resultant centre of gravity moves aft until, when unloaded, the only downwards force is from the main machinery. The resultant centre of gravity is now somewhere below the funnel.

The hull is designed to be at its most efficient at it's loaded condition as the ship is expected to be in this situation for the majority of its life. An empty ship isn't making any money so that was avoided at all costs. Larger and more modern ships are fitted with a ballast system to compensate for this effect but 1920's coasters were pretty basic in thier design.

Consequently, as you say, when the ship is unloaded the bow is a lot higher out of the water than the stern. In this condition the propeller and rudder are usually not fully submerged and so neither are working at thier most efficient. I have deliberately ballasted my Ben Ain to put her right down to her marks at which level she is suprisingly manoeuverable. The only trouble there is that she weighs in at about 2 stone 2 pounds, which takes a bit of lugging around.

I am just about to go back to work for three months so all building will be halted for a while. I expect when I get back that you will be further ahead than I am!! Post some pictures at some point or even start your own thread so we can see how it is going.

All the best

Richard

[Guest]

Thanks Richard.

Have a good trip

Chris

[Guest]

Hi Bunkerbarge, I'm new to this shipbuilding thing but was impressed by your "Ben Ain" been following your build so far, Have just recieved my Ben Ain so will be following your progress (gonna need all the help I can get), so keep posting please.

Regards Mark

[Guest]

Hi Frenchie,

Firstly a very warm welcome to the Scale Models forum. I'm glad you found the thread interesting and usefull. There are actually two of us building this model at the moment who are members so we should hopefully be able to share ideas amongst ourselves. The other member uses the ID "Greif" as you may have already realised from the replies in this thread.

I am stuck with the challenge of only being able to build my model when I am at home as I currently work three months away and then have two months at home. Consequently it sort of progresses in fits and starts and probably takes a good bit longer than it will for others. It has actually taken me well over two years so far but a great deal of that has been spent on the steam plant.

I will be posting another progress report in the not too distant future with this leaves work added. I am now working on the bridge area but, as always the progress is slow!

If you are on the look out for information let me know as I have collected some usefull resources and, as I live very close, had the opportunity to photograph the Mountfleet model in his showroom when I bought the kit so I have a set of pictures that provide usefull reference.

I look forward to seeing your build start.

All the best

Richard

[Guest]

Hi Richard, this will be my first ship it was a birthday present I had a choice but decided on this one on the strength of your posting so it's all your fault, (tee hee), anyway due to the cost mine will be electric, I have got a copy of "Steam coasters" by C V Waine as recomended by Frank at Mountfleets which may help but I would like as many pics as I can lay my hands on, a pictures worth a thousand words so they say, anyway thanks for the welcome Richard many thanks speak to you soon best wishes Mark.