Airfix Golden Hind 1/96 - First REAL ship build

swlusk

swlusk

Joined
Mar 4, 2023
Messages
13
Points
48

Location
Southwest Virginia
Greetings all,
So far, things are going well with my first ever larger scale build. The Hull glued together relatively nicely, with a few deck warps that required some attention. I'm taking my time on the detail painting, but so far it's a blast. Mostly sticking with the recommended color scheme with some slight modifications. I went a little more artistic with the "Golden Hind " Stern portrait. Probably unnecessary, but I thought it would be fun. I've never "weathered" any model to date, it's a new concept for me but thus far, it's been fun. Any suggestions on weathering or washing are always welcome. Also torn on whether or not to paint the waterline, I know it's probably historically accurate, but I really like the look of natural wood. Does anyone leave that detail of any of their builds?
Anyway, looking forward to sifting through the build forums and posting my progress.

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Really nice! I have this ship on my table right now, waiting for repairs, (My great-niece's birthday gift from me, shipwrecked in a move last year) & I love your paint work! They look almost identical, especially the stern work! What type paint did you use? Any special technique? I built mine just before I discovered wood stain for certain parts is MUCH BETTER! Rick1011
 
rick robbins said:
Really nice! I have this ship on my table right now, waiting for repairs, (My great-niece's birthday gift from me, shipwrecked in a move last year) & I love your paint work! They look almost identical, especially the stern work! What type paint did you use? Any special technique? I built mine just before I discovered wood stain for certain parts is MUCH BETTER! Rick1011
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Thanks! As far as paint, I have been using a combination of cheap Craftsmart acrylic and Vallejo acrylics thinned with a few drops of acrylic paint retarder. I actually used a pen and nibs. It takes a bit of work to get the paint to flow, but it gives me great control over those tight corners and lines. The stern work was a challenge for sure. As for the stern plate wood effects, I brushed on acrylic, went back over it with a dry brush just as it began to dry to give it a bit of grain, then AK wash for wood. Kinda borrowed several ideas from others techniques and ran with it
 
Haha! You did almost the same thing I did! I, too, used pens for the fine work, but was afraid of fading. So far, so good! I've used pens from various companies, & have found it pays to buy the best you can get! Models like the Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, & Sea Witch were done 4-5 yrs. ago, & show no signs of fading. I also used some cheap acrylic paints I bought from Michael's, & haven't had a problem yet. Wasn't the stern panel with the hind fun to do? haha Rick1011
 
rick robbins said:
Haha! You did almost the same thing I did! I, too, used pens for the fine work, but was afraid of fading. So far, so good! I've used pens from various companies, & have found it pays to buy the best you can get! Models like the Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, & Sea Witch were done 4-5 yrs. ago, & show no signs of fading. I also used some cheap acrylic paints I bought from Michael's, & haven't had a problem yet. Wasn't the stern panel with the hind fun to do? haha Rick1011
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Thought about the fading. Wondering if a coat of Krylon matte would help prevent fading. I found that Krylon matte is enamel based so works good over acrylic. They also make a Workable Fixative that is also matte finish, but it's water based for going over enamels.
 
Please consider using a different brand of matte finish! I've tried Krylon, & on plastic, have not had very good results with the stuff Testors makes a great one, but it's on the pricey side. Rustoleum, (Testors parent company) makes the stuff I use, & it's great on plastic! I've also tried Minwax, with great reaults! Rick1011
 
Nice to see a new plastic project. I'll follow your build log with great intrest.
Do you plan on enhancing it with wooden mast, pulleys, dead eyes etc?
 
WojtasS said:
Nice to see a new plastic project. I'll follow your build log with great intrest.
Do you plan on enhancing it with wooden mast, pulleys, dead eyes etc?
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I've been looking at different ideas for replacing certain parts. Definitely planning on some upgrades. I did opt to stick with the original deck, but will be using washes to give it depth. I love to carve small wood projects. One of my other crafty pursuits is Fly Tying. Here are a couple of project bugs that I carved from Basswood from head to tail. Looking forward to employing this in ship building.

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rick robbins said:
Haha! You did almost the same thing I did! I, too, used pens for the fine work, but was afraid of fading. So far, so good! I've used pens from various companies, & have found it pays to buy the best you can get! Models like the Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, & Sea Witch were done 4-5 yrs. ago, & show no signs of fading. I also used some cheap acrylic paints I bought from Michael's, & haven't had a problem yet. Wasn't the stern panel with the hind fun to do? haha Rick1011
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Yes indeed, the stern panel was a steep learning curve, but fun. :)
 
swlusk said:
I've been looking at different ideas for replacing certain parts. Definitely planning on some upgrades. I did opt to stick with the original deck, but will be using washes to give it depth. I love to carve small wood projects. One of my other crafty pursuits is Fly Tying. Here are a couple of project bugs that I carved from Basswood from head to tail. Looking forward to employing this in ship building.

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Nice bugs...especially the Mayfly!
 
rick robbins said:
Please consider using a different brand of matte finish! I've tried Krylon, & on plastic, have not had very good results with the stuff Testors makes a great one, but it's on the pricey side. Rustoleum, (Testors parent company) makes the stuff I use, & it's great on plastic! I've also tried Minwax, with great reaults! Rick1011
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I haven't used any of the Krylon products. Saw a few reviews online that said it was OK. I will have to do some tests to see how it sprays. I just inherited a couple of cans of Rustoleum from a friend. Good time for some side by side tests. I was rather surprised one day walking through our local Lowes when I saw that they had Testors acrylic craft paints for a decent price. Will have to try them as well, although I've been a Vallejo fan for years. :)
 
Philski said:
Summertime fun....besides building ships, flytying is a great hobby. Love catching a fish on a fly I have tied...View attachment 368333View attachment 368334View attachment 368335
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Absolutely! No thrill quite like it. Having said that, that thrill increases exponentially when you catch that wild trout, on one of your own flies, on a fly rod that you built as well! :) Between model building, all of the fly fishing and fly tying and brewing beer at home, my wife cusses me whenever I talk about hobbies... and don't even get me started on cigars. :)
 
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swlusk said:
Absolutely! No thrill quite like it. Having said that, that thrill increases exponentially when you catch that wild trout, on one of your own flies, on a fly rod that you built as well! :) Between model building, all of the fly fishing and fly tying and brewing beer at home, my wife cusses me whenever I talk about hobbies... and don't even get me started on cigars. :)
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I've built them too. Wanted to build a bamboo fly rod but never got that far.. 5 weightIMG_1413.JPGIMG_1412.JPG
 
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