Model Forum / General / Models / June 2005

This would probably be the better place to ask as it is devoted to
wooden ships.   SeawaysShipmodelingList@yahoogroups.com
John

    Which one were you considering? I seem to recall on in
  plastic, and at least one in wood. The wooden one would be
  more, umm, authentic. :-)

    The biggest problem I have with the plastic kits is the
  spars are so easily distorted by the rigging.

                            Bruce

Wooden boat modellers do lurk here ! Great hobby as long as you have the
time and LOTS of patience. You'll also end up boring the pants off your
friends about the history as well.

Choose your first kit carefully -  try a smaller easier one to keep your
interest and enthusiam, then move on to something more challenging like the
Constitution later. I've read that your second kit will be twice as good as
your first which is often true! Get the best quality kit you can afford. If
you are going to spend that much time and energy on one model then a few
extra £$? aint going to make much difference, but a poor quality kit can be
a real downer !

Good luck

J

This group is okay, several sailing ship modelers here.  However, a
better bet is the shipmodeler's mailing list.  Go to seaways.com and
find the signup info, or go to   SeawaysShipmodelingList@yahoogroups.com

However, before you even do that, how much do you really want to build a
wooden sailing ship model?  This is the most difficult genre in
modeling, and you must plan on spending a couple of years doing one,
even if you are an experienced modelers.  Most kits bought end up
unfinished.  The shipmodeling list will be a good support group if you
want to stick with it.

A three master such as the Consitution is NOT a beginner's model.  I'd
recommend you either build the Revell plastic one first, or if you
really want to build a wooden one, start with a single masted sloop model.

There are two really daunting tasks on these models- rigging and hull
planking.  To have to tackle both on your first kit is asking for
trouble.  That is why I suggest the plastic Revell kit, so you only need
to face rigging.  Or, with a simple sloop you face hull planking, but
just simple rigging.  Either hull planking or a full ship rigging is a
multi-hundred hour task by itself.

Waited long enough to respond to your original post.  As with any kit,
it all depends on the skills you have when you start the kit.  My
recommendation is to start with an entry level model, then graduate to
the more complex ones.  All wooden boat model makers have entry level
kits.  Artesania Latina has the Swift, a very nice kit.  Even though
it is an entry level, you'll find some difficulty building it.  Try
the web sites that some of the other posters gave you, they are
helpful.  Get a few reference books also.  I could name a few that
come to mind, but they are still packed from my move from Virginia to
Texas about a year and a half ago.

As to European models being more difficult to build or instructions
not too understandable, I compare them to AMT/Ertl and Revell-Monogram
to Tamiya and Hasegawa plastic kits.  On the one hand Tamiya and
Hesegawa (imports) makes excellent kits, on the other hand, I stopped
building AMT/Ertl and Revell-Monogram because of the many flaws in
their kits.

My two cents, if you have any questions, please write to my email
address.

Ray
Austin, Texas
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