age of some kits

shipahoy

shipahoy

Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Messages
202
Points
113

Location
vancouver island british columbia canada
wondering if anybody knows the shelf life for wooden ship kits. i am currently building the Mantua HMS Shine a 1:48 scale double-masted ( ? ) cutter and the wood for the second hull planking is like parchament paper ( i think the dead sea scrolls have more moisture content ) making the edges very ragged and the surface rough. The date on the plan sheet reads 1989 . This is my first Mantua kit and probably the last, as there are a few things about it that do not make it a first rate kit like the lack of a seperate keel, stem, and stern post that makes rabbeting for planking almost impossible , and the different scales for pre-made fittings like the pump assembly at 1:48 and the cannons at 1"64, also at a scale of 1"48 a sailor would be about 1 1/8 tall and the capstans provided are 5/8 . the sailor would have to be on his knees to operate the capstan. it seems at least half the manufacturers just seem to throw in whatever is handy as far as fittings go without attention to scale, blocks being the worst . sorry for the rant
 
The shelf life depends on how the kit has been stored.Mantua plans are rarely updated, many of their kits bought new will have the original date from when the kit was designed.You can try soaking the planking in water to breath some life into it.The ragged edges make me think the kit is newer than you think.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
My Mamoli HMS Victory 1:90 has same problems. Due to being of about same age as yours all wood is very brittle. In practice I have to apply a layer of PVA glue over every walnut plank before I intend cutting or carving it. Now kit quality. Edges of wood are terribly crude. None of precut and notched wood pieces as bulkheads and decks would fit together. I would do faster making them all on my own instead of constantly reparing parts from the kit. Fittings are very low quality and out of scale. I did not use most of the fittings and some I managed to get reworked. I will never again buy old European manufacturer's kits.

However on good part this kit had made me a seasoned wood scaled ship modeller! :):):)Thumbsup
 
Last edited:
yt, where you been... I have the exact same problems... look at your chain wales... how many of the long [pieces you have about 30mmm lenght.. oh thats right you made your own
 
Going to try a scratch build for the first time. finally got some work space in the garage as i recently retired and got rid of 1 car. already ordered some plans and have more than enough planking and various wood sizes left over from previous builds. this way i can order all the separate fittings at the proper scale and still save a chunk of cash.
 
youi havent even gotten to the rigging yet... How much black string did you get... let me make a guess.... none
 
I have alot of the black rigging line.. had to order from differnt supplier... fact remains the same... shorted
 
well, obviously,, people have more money than I do... that is why I complain so much... If you are going to sell something... make sure everything is there,,, I am so tired of getting robbed..
yah, i know.. if should be expected.. well, that is not going to fly anymore.. when I pay for something. it had all surely better be there... there is way too much competition this day and age for it not to be.
 
ken s said:
well, obviously,, people have more money than I do... that is why I complain so much... If you are going to sell something... make sure everything is there,,, I am so tired of getting robbed..
yah, i know.. if should be expected.. well, that is not going to fly anymore.. when I pay for something. it had all surely better be there... there is way too much competition this day and age for it not to be.
Click to expand...
...and yes, I do have a burr up my butt
 
On the topic of shrouds & rat lines, are they always black? I’ve seen some builds with black shrouds and tan rat lines, looks a bit off to me. I think the black “tarred” lines seem right to me. I read something about standing rigging in black and running rigging in tan.
 
standing rigging is tarred hence the black running rigging is tan to light grey in color. the only difference are the rat lines some say black, some say tan ( tarred-not tarred ) my opinion ( for what its worth ) is the lines should be a dark tan not tarred as the tar would be everywhere on the ship from footprints especially in the hot tropics.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top