Bluenose II

This Bluenose II Ship model was made from the Artesania-Latina kit. This one was completed within four months. The model builder says that he did his best to make it look good. It was placed under Plexiglas cover to protect it from dust.

Some Useful Tools

At the January meeting one of our members gave a presentation on a variety of tools that he has found useful in his ship modelling and in other applications as well. This is a very small and inexpensive adjustable square. It's small size means that it can be carried easily in a pocket. This tool has proved to be extremely useful.
This is a small saw made by Veritas. It comes with a magnetic guide that includes a clamp, which can open to an inch. The clamp holds a length of wood. The saw blade held by the magnet insures a square cut every time. Veritas is Lee Valley Tools', in house brand name.
These are a set of punches, a nail set and a chisel. There is a strong spring in the centre. The way the tool is used is to place it where it is to do the work, pull the spring and release it. Doing that propels the business end of the tool as if the end had been hit with a hammer. The difference is that these tools do the job with greater accuracy.
This is a very small plane. Once the plane and the blade were lapped this tool proved to be very useful for model work as well as larger jobs. It has been used to build model ships and full size boats as well.
This is a small hack saw with a very thin blade. The tension on the blade can be easily set and the user says it cuts through the hardest woods like butter. The owner of the tool believes he purchased it at Princess Auto.
These are very small scale chisels. They are easy to sharpen and are very useful for cutting small channels, squaring off drilled holes, etc.
This is another saw made by Vertas. It has a very flexible blade and the saw teeth are all set on one side only. If you click on the picture to get a larger view you will see it has "this side up" etched on one side near the handle. This tool is ideal for cutting dowels or other protruding items flush with the surface without the need for further sanding or planing. The owner of this tool recommends that when using this saw that a protective glove be worn to prevent the very sharp teeth from cutting fingers.
This is a small inexpensive metal ruler with a movable square. It can be carried in a breast pocket and has proved to be very useful with a variety of applications.
This offset screw driver is made by Mastercraft, Canadian Tire's in house brand of tools. The person who gave the presentation said that this is the only offset screw driver he has ever found that is any good and that this one is very good. It comes with an extension and a set of attachments for just about every purpose. In the user's opinion it is very good value for money.

San Juan Nepomuceno

This model of San Juan Nepomuceno was built from an Artesania Latina kit. San Juan Nepmuceno was a seventy-four gun Spanish ship of the line launched in 1765. She served in the Spanish armada for forty years until captured in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
The ship was 2700 tons with eight officers, eleven midshipmen, nineteen leading seamen and 492 able seamen. The model is 1:90 scale and took the builder three years to complete. A Plexiglas case protects it.

Otoko-tachi no Yamato

At our January meeting one of our members showed the final battle sequence from the Japanese produced movie, Otoko-tachi no Yamato. The film is very impressive, though there is no dubbed English version yet.

A trailer for this film can be seen here.