robert e lee steamboat

[olsbooks]

figured it was time to try something different instead of a semi.  nice kit from lindberg. other than flash, by in large everthing was good quality with minimal warpage.  eyes and hands couldn't handle the string rigging so brass wire was used in place. this was my  first attempt at something like this and look forward to doing another.  lighting is a cheap string of battery powered lamps from dollar general.

peace

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks

[vintagedragcrazy]

Very nice looks great!

vince

[Jim B]

That looks fantastic!  Very well done.

[Dave Van]

Nice work!!! Always had a like for the old River Boats.

The river boat at Disney land is a real steam powered ship.....we went one day....a few years ago....rained all day. Took two trips on the boat 

as the crew was giving us a 'tour' of the boat and how it worked. 99.99% of the folks never really think about it. 

[Jim N]

Looks great!  I like the lighting.  Not too bright seems very period correct.

[cobraman]

Never saw that kit built before. You did a fine job on it.

[Little Timmy]

I have an original Pyro kit of that ..... still under construction. ( I made the mistake of "Correcting" all the out of scale part's. Like the Grand Staircase.)

Mine is Still in it's box ,75% complete.

Nice to see one done, ...

And done BEAUTIFULLY !

Nice work !

[peteski]

Nice job!  I also love the low angle photo from the front - it makes the model look much larger than it really is and it shows lots of details (like the antlers on the ship's bell).

[KDmitry]

Great!!!

[philo426]

Nice !I saw that kit at Ollies for 20 bucks,might have to pick one up after the Harriet Lane side wheeler is done!

[shoopdog]

Awesome build!

[olsbooks]

thank you for the kind comments.  it was a challenge and really enjoyed it.  compared to some linberg kits purchased before, the quality of this one pleasantly surprised me.  

maybe a second one will be attempted in the near future...maybe add some smoke generators and a motor to rotate the paddlewheels. far more attention paid would be paid to the railings and trimwork...thats for sure. now being a little more familiar with it, flip flopping the assembly order around might help with that. 

peace

[PierreR89]

Looks great.
I have that kit to that i am going to build sometime.
What color did you paint the roof on it? is it the same color as you painted the lower deck or something else?
All pics i have seen of this built they have all been different, some were wood color, some were green and some were black.
Do anyone know what color they were on the real boat?

[olsbooks]

I didn't rack my brains out trying to identify paint colors and didn't spend days seeking a "definitive" source. 

All "roofs" are done in satin black.  Had they been textured for wood planks in the kit, I would've done them like the main deck (other than the bridge).  The next attempt at one of these kits (besides more work on the trim) might involve either a thin balsa or decal over plastic on those surfaces.    

 One thing that really helped (in my less than humble opinion) was "trimming" the ROBT. E. LEE lettering on the side with gold.  It doesn't show well in the pix but made it look far more "classy"..ditto the gold trim on the bridge.  I also did the "rings" on the stacks initially but that seemed excessive.

Thanks again for all the kind comments.  

Peace 

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nicely done. Great idea using brass wire for the rigging.

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[mr moto]

That's a great looking build!

However, as something of a wooden boat geek, I am required to add this bit of trivia: The Robt. E. Lee, the Robert E. Lee, and the R.E. Lee are three separate and different vessels. So it's not correct to say that you've built the Robert E. Lee!

[olsbooks]

Mr. Moto, you have put me on the floor laughing.  Then, to top it off,  I notice you are in "home turf" for riverboats.  

Your correction(s) are accepted without any sort of challenge! 

As my lame excuses, the Missouri River didn't handle big stuff real well in Montana.  And heck, I'm so stupid on boats, I had to look up port and starboard to figure out which was which.     

In all seriousness, thanks for the info.  It is neat to know there actually were 3.  You've successfully sparked my curiosity as a result.  It would be neat to see a "real one" or at least read a good technical book on them.

Thank you.

Peace

[olsbooks]

Oops...placed something in the wrong section.

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by olsbooks

[blackbeard]

very nicely done

[unclescott58]

Cool kit. It looks very nice. 

[David G.]

Most impressive sir!

David G.

[olsbooks]

My already fat head is swelling.  Thank you all for the kind words.  Got another one of these kits and might try to make natchez, then do the following diorama.  The truck is underway.  Just got to find figures.

BTW found a wire like plastic in the jewelry section of hobby lobby.  Cheap, glues easy and ideal for the many cables on this thing or most any tight cable or rope.  O.012 thick was smallest.  Name escapes me buy there were many varieties.  Comes on spool bit goes straight once out.  About five bu ks for small spool that has more than enough for  several builds.

Peace.

Edited October 28, 2018 by olsbooks