The Cutty Sark - a build log

I joined Model’s Buzz a while ago.  before that, I had visited this site a couple of times before with problems concerning  my current build, the Cutty Sark.  the first time was during my search for sails.  I had bought this kit from e-bay, a kit so old, that the sails had degraded and become unusable.      The decals were also in bad shape.  I sent a missing parts request to Revell, in hopes of acquiring replacement parts for this kit.  it has a total of 35 sails, molded on three sheets of very thin plastic.  I was dismayed when I got the package from Revell….only two of the sheets and the decals.  this was a setback that forced me to search the internet, if I was to have any success of finding them.  it took a few months, but one day I was contacted by a fellow named Jean, who lives in Belgium.  He was looking for the instruction sheets for the same kit and proposed a trade to me….his sails for a copy of the instructions.  I gladly did that and the trade was made.  I had not started the build of the ship, not without having sails to put on it.  I had built this ship before….even though I didn’t do a lot of painting on it, the sails gave it a very majestic look and added to it’s beauty.
     when I heard that the sails were in the mail, I started the build.  as I painted and assembled the hull, I thought and planned how she was to look….this was to be my “Picasso”….my ultimate build.  through years of acquired knowledge, I was going to throw everything i know at it.  I looked up subject matter on the ship and learned much about her history.




     I started the build in December of 2009.  I had purchased the kit back in 2007.  this gap of time was spent on research and locating the sails and decal sheet.  My build table was very small….it was my desk!  the kitchen table was used to sort out parts and a place to put parts that were drying.
     January was very busy for me and great progress was made.  February, however was a turbulent time….we were moving!  we had enough with the dealings with our landlord and we had found another place that was larger and more affordable.  the first thing was to get all my musical equipment and other models over to the new apartment unscathed.  the Cutty was to be moved by me personally.  I left instructions that it was to be packed in our car, I had wrapped the hull in a large towel and packed all the other parts in the box it came in.  I was too busy to notice that my wishes were not being followed.  when we got to the new place to unload, I was shocked that my oldest son had packed the Cutty in the trunk of his car!
     I was relieved to find that he had packed it in such a way, that it was safe and sound.  I got it out of the cold as fast as I could and set it in a place where it would be out of harms way.  once we got settled in, I set up my area again and the build continued.


     the build continued, piece by piece.  as parts were fitted and painted, they were assembled onto the deck.  the next few steps really made the ship show signs of progress.  the galley was fitted and installed, the foremast was completed and the pin rails were installed.  the galley had a skylight on it’s roof.  for some reason, Revell never made provision for this as far as window material was concerned.  I found a rectangular piece of clear cello, as thick as a piece of paper, enough to do all the portholes and the galley skylight.  this was the first major change I made to the Cutty plans.  the second change was to be how the anchor chain and the windlass assembly was to look.  in the plans, it looked fake, with the chain going under the roller. the windlass/anchor assembly was to utilize three pieces of chain.  I figured I could do it using two pieces of chain.  this change can be seen in a past blog that I had done on the subject. even when I wrote that blog, it had not dawned on me to do a blog on this ship’s creation.  I hope that I can be forgiven.  one other aspect of the ship that I did, was to give it a waterline, something I did maybe once on another kit a while back.  I almost botched it up then and I was in a quandary as to whether I should risk it now.  my wife helped me to decide.




     this last picture is a big step forward in time.  it was taken in may, after a lot of the deck assemblies, like the various pumps and reels, the windlass and forecastle deck, front structure life boat and the stern rails have been installed.  you may also notice that there are decals on the bow and stern.  they have their own story………