Lachlan's model of QE2

[matt smith]

hello all..

matt here in Brisbane   ..

i do cargo ships tried to do a cruise ship alot of work there..but i do have a ga set for the qe2 but no hull lines so it makes it hard.. unless we all know were to get a body or lines plan from..on the other hand i have some for qm2 not sure weather that would make a good 2 meter model or not! i see your in oz to lachlan..

have a good xmas.. will post a photo of my models i build.. this is the  southampton class container ship that was built for nedlloyd now Maersk own these ships! and 2 pdf plan that i have of qe2 not great!

cheers matt

[Lachlan]

Hi all and Happy Christmas!

There are a few photos. The sailing ship is the four-masted barque "Moshulu" which was the ship in which Eric Newby sailed and brought to life in his book "The Last Grain Race". If you like stories about the sea, this is a must-read. I finished the model in about 2005 and it's been in a Board Room, but they are moving offices so I've got it back. There was another book I found called "Windjammers Significant" which describes Moshulu in infinite detail. She was one of the last, if not the last sailing ships built and the book set out to record where sailing ship technology was up to before they stopped being built. BTW, this ship still exists and is a floating restaurant on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, not far from where SS "United States" is laid up.

The other pic is of course our QE2 and I am responding to a suggestion of putting something alongside it to give a sense of scale. There is no shortage of empty wine bottles at our place so I used one of those. You can see she's about to have her re-paint after surgery around the waterline near the stem and the paintlines will be straightened up then. I've been doing some detail work on the foredeck and you can just see the anchor handling gear roughed-in.

I like the look of Matt Smith's container ship: it looks like there's about to be a lot of dust when he sands the hull. There is a body drawing of QE2 around. If you want it Matt, I'll see if I can find it.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Goodness, Lachlan, both look splendid!

I think I am ready to book a voyage on your QE2    !

[Pete Hamill]

Lachlan, those models are awesome. The time and effort spent on the rigging alone of the sailing ship is incredible, but that's the attention to detail that makes it such a fantastic model.

As for the QE2 . . . . I fear you have created a monster! Even though she is work in progress, I can see the detail and workmanship already there and with a lot more detail still to add, she will be spectacular when complete.

I'm trying to gauge her size with the wine bottle against the model of the Mauretania on board QE2. Must be about the same - massive!

Keep up the great work and I look forward to seeing her on launch day!

[Twynkle]

Oh My Word - Lachlan you really are a Wizard!
How Did you get QE2's hull proportions so exactly Perfect?
And - The Barque is absolutely Fantastic too. Did you sail in her?
Having just spent a day in a two masted brig Mercedes (sadly hardly a puff of wind), yours is a ship which looks so grand in comparison!
A thousand thanks for all the toil, and the photos - they are both magnificent.

Is this the very same ship, Moshulu - Built on the Clyde?!
Hoping you won't mind my taking the liberty and posting a link - Maybe she should have her own place under other ships here?!
http://www.thesquarerigger.com/moshulu.html

Happy Christmas - S'posing it's up into the high 70s now - Enjoy a restful break!
All the very best
Rosie

[Lachlan]

Rosie,
yes it is the same ship. I hadn't seen that site before. The rig that is on her now is only part of the full rig she had when she was in operation, more for decorative than practical purposes really I suppose. The rig on the model does not include a lot of the running rigging because that would have taken forever and I'm just not that patient. A separate page for this would be a good idea. And did I sail in her? She finished commercial work in 1938 or 1939: I think you think I'm older than I am..... One other thing for the technically minded: the yards would never have been left as they're shown on the model with the sails removed. Most of them would have been lowered but I thought it looked better so that's how it's done.

Pete Hamill: you should talk to my wife - I think she would agree that it will be a bit of a monster. And the question of where it will go when it's finished is not resolved! I think the model of Mauretania on board QE2 was on a bigger scale again. My recollection is that that model would be more like 1/48 scale whereas mine is 1/96. A 1/48 scale QE2 would be about 6.1 metres (about 20 feet). Mine (or "ours" really since we seem to be sharing the building experience) is half that size - 3.05 metres or about 10 feet. Not such a monster after all! The model of Mauritania on board QE2 would be about half as long again as ours of QE2.

Happy Christmas to you all again.

[matt smith]

hello there again..

models looking good.yes i do have a alot of work to do..sanding its hard i use a sander i got from bunnings....still dusty a job for outside..

attached is 2 photos of the real container ship Maersk kimi class ex nedlloyd Southampton which i am sure the members will know well..

thank you..

cheers matt.

[matt smith]

2 of her as Maersk..

cheers matt

[Lachlan]

Happy New Year to everyone and I'm happy to report some progress. The model might be reaching a point where it is turning the corner from being started to starting to be finished.
Detail on the boat desk is being added and most of the davits have been test-fitted to make sure they are in line and that they don't interfere with any other fixtures and fittings. All these details will be done before the davits and boats are fitted. This includes railings which will be a bit of a fiddle. I haven't got any really accurate drawings or pictures to go by so the arrangement of windows along the boat deck is an educated guess.
The re-paint has been done but not touched up nor has the white line been added.
I have to admit to getting a bit bored when I work on particular aspects for extended periods so there are lots of things that are work in progress. I'd rather finish one whole section at a time - but I don't. The foredecks are a case in point: there's more detail to go there.
The side-screens on the funnel deck have been added and they contribute a bit more character to the model.
One thing I can't yet see how I'm going to do is the portholes on One and Two Decks. They are kind of elongated - not just round, so I'm still thinking about that. Still, that's part of the fun - solving problems which are not very consequential.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

That is wonderful detail, Lachlan! I admire your patience... you have found a good solution by working on several details at once.

After all this, you will probably know the exterior of QE2 better than any of us, since you will have observed it down to such fine detail! For instance, I noticed the ins and outs of the Boat Deck decking in the fourth of the photos -- I know exactly what this is for, but never noticed it on the ship herself...

[Lynda Bradford]

Lachlan, I am in awe of the skills that you have to create such a magnificent model.  The attention to detail is impressive.  You must have gained such a lot of knowledge when researching for building the model.

 

[June Ingram]

Hi Lachlan - Thank you very much for your update and photos of your QE2 model.  It is absolutely superb, and you have not only captured the correct dimensions, etc, you have captured her essence !  As an example, to look at your model's bridge is to look directly at QE2's bridge in the flesh !  June   

[Malcolm]

ins and outs of the Boat Deck decking in the fourth of the photos -- I know exactly what this is for, but never noticed it on the ship herself...

Lachlan - You have my admiration too for all the work you're putting in

Isabelle - you may not have noticed them but I'll bet you noticed (and probably even leant on) the railings that were there as well

[Twynkle]

On My Word!

This is SO Special - the Beginning's ended - at last!
If this were on my patch and watch, Lachlan - I'd be standing in amazement - speaking to QE2, and unable to stop grinning!
Have you been clocking up the hours - and hours...?
Good Luck with the port-holes.
Thank You so much, the photos like your ship are magnificent
Rosie

[pete cain]

OH Lachlan, I feel like I missed such an opportunity to see her, Magnificent does not even start to cover it, I only hope us lot 'over here'
 can keep your spirits up , when you cannot be bothered . ....