• LUCZORAMA SHIPWRECK SCAVENGER HUNT GIVEAWAY. 4 Weeks of Fun • 1 Legendary Prize ((OcCre’s Fram Ship)) • Global Crew Welcome!
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Let's get more people into wooden ship building!

My first and last kit build was a Model Shipways “Yellow Box” model of Harriett Lane. Since then my models have been scratch built. If I am ever forced to downsize to the point where I lose my workshop, your new Phantom might be a good choice. Marketing ship model kits in high quality publications like Smithsonian Magazine is a great idea. The add is tasteful and avoids the pirate ship hype that trivializes our hobby. Well done!
 
Roger Pellett said:
My first and last kit build was a Model Shipways “Yellow Box” model of Harriett Lane. Since then my models have been scratch built. If I am ever forced to downsize to the point where I lose my workshop, your new Phantom might be a good choice. Marketing ship model kits in high quality publications like Smithsonian Magazine is a great idea. The add is tasteful and avoids the pirate ship hype that trivializes our hobby. Well done!
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Thank you for the patronage and for the compliments, sir! Hope you get to build one of our kits again (without any downsizing, please!)
 
Just got this message form a customer. There's still hope out there!

"When I first saw the Dory promotion and the pictures associated with it I noticed the older group of people, like myself.
Aiden is 8 years old and enjoyed watching me build Model Shipway’s USS Constitution. I thought the Dory promotion would be an excellent way to get Aiden involved in his first ship.
The ship was a surprise present which he was extremely excited about.
The instructions were simple and Aiden was able to read them ( and with a little help) understand them.
At eight years old, his attention span was a bit lacking. The best part of the instructions (which I kept repeating over and over) was that ship building takes patience, it’s not a race. As Aiden and I built the Dory, I decided to do a scratch build myself while Aiden did the kit.
During the project we found Aiden didn’t care much for sanding (wooden ships need sanding!) He told me that when he’s 12 he’ll like to sand .
Aiden and I thank Model Expo for this opportunity. I’m sure he’ll do more in the future. "

James Shultz.jpeg
 
Model Shipways said:
Just got this message form a customer. There's still hope out there!

"When I first saw the Dory promotion and the pictures associated with it I noticed the older group of people, like myself.
Aiden is 8 years old and enjoyed watching me build Model Shipway’s USS Constitution. I thought the Dory promotion would be an excellent way to get Aiden involved in his first ship.
The ship was a surprise present which he was extremely excited about.
The instructions were simple and Aiden was able to read them ( and with a little help) understand them.
At eight years old, his attention span was a bit lacking. The best part of the instructions (which I kept repeating over and over) was that ship building takes patience, it’s not a race. As Aiden and I built the Dory, I decided to do a scratch build myself while Aiden did the kit.
During the project we found Aiden didn’t care much for sanding (wooden ships need sanding!) He told me that when he’s 12 he’ll like to sand .
Aiden and I thank Model Expo for this opportunity. I’m sure he’ll do more in the future. "

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These are great news to read - young boys and girls which have fun with our hobby - and when looking at the model he made -> with very good result
 
Model Shipways said:
If you build plastic kits, now it's the opportunity to give it a try. And if you already are a wood modeler, help us spread the word.
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I have posted a link to your website, (together with a recommendation, a suggestion and considerable urging) on the forum where I used to build plastic aircraft until I saw the light.
 
As an addendum, our Naples shipbuilding group offer a free kit with tools to anyone who attends four consecutive meetings..We have very dedicated members who have worked to expand our membership,Ricardo from ME has attended our meetings and we have a deal with ME in that regard,,wonderful guy. We meet at Moorings Park in Naples (thanks Gizmo) two Saturdays a month.. Also, members have access to the Yellow Submarine ,a building with tools for members to work if their situation is such. We are in the process of mentoring residents in Moorings Park to attend/join our group. We have a new member who is actually not a senior, such as myself! Three doctors..that's handy! We get regular geezer health updates..and if you're having the big one , you're in a good place. If you are in our area,please stop by.
On a personal level, my granddaughter, now ten, and I designed and built a solid hulled basswood two masted sailboat.. We use 1/4 inch graph paper to strike the centerline and have symmetry.. I cut the hull on a bandsaw and a lot of sanding.. We added a weighted keel and she floats proud in the family pool.
She knows how to use a square , metric and in fractions of an inch..down to 1/4ths.. Now I'm bragging.. Have pics..just need to learn how to post them!
 
juansystem05 said:
Model shipways, Do you plan on bringing back the level 4 midwest kits? I have an incomplete endeavour kit, very incomplete actually.
I don't recall exactly why but I bought and build every single midwest kit available, except from the seguin
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Hi Juan
Yes, Model Expo soon will release the Midwest Seguin. I work for ME and at the moment I’m building this model for their new coming catalog.
 
El Capi said:
I do not agree with you. I would like you to build a 74 gunner in 6 months- at least tell me what type of boat .ship, as some newcomers much get it wrong- I have 60 Years of building on my back with more than 30 models built- for it took 3-4 years for 74 gunner.
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I totally agree with you El Capi, Im building Caldercrafts HMS Victory, the approx build time on the box is 3000hrs put that into prospective if you were to work 2-3 hours a day every day it would take 3-4 years to build, that's if you follow the instructions and don't add a customisations to it.
 
Dave Stevens (Lumberyard) said:
here is a wild idea rather than sell a kit sell a project, here is how it would work

have a subject with a set of working plans that is including all the laser part drawings

a model builder can custom make their oun kit.

if all you want are the drawings you can cut out your own bulkhead set OR buy a laser cut set of bulkheads.

many model builders have a saw and tools so they can cut their own planking OR order a planking set from a selection of woods. Maybe someone wants to double plank the hull or plank the hull in Cherry or Basswood or Maple.

maybe the plans inculde a material list so a builder can select either a timbering set to make their own fittings or order a set of fittings.

maybe all you want is to build a hull and no rigging OR buy the rigging set.
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Love the idea Dave, my main complaint with model kits from mainstream suppliers is they simplify the kit, the instructions for planking are poor at best and wrong at worst and teach bad techniques, the materials included are the cheapest in order to maximise profits.
 
Model Shipways said:
It's one of the oldest and most rewarding hobbies in the world. Used to be huge. But then came plastic kits, then video games, internet, smart phones... and our world got smaller.

Some people think "I'll never be able to build something like that". Well, we don't believe in it. And we put our money where our mouth is.

Here is the deal: You buy the Dory - with or without tools - build it and send us a picture of you with your masterpiece. We will GIVE YOU BACK everything you spent in store credit.
Chances are you will build wooden ships for the rest of your life.

If you build plastic kits, now it's the opportunity to give it a try. And if you already are a wood modeler, help us spread the word.

Let's make wooden ship building great again ;)!

Buy The Dory Here



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I have ordered mine today - great deal!
 
GKIP said:
Love the idea Dave, my main complaint with model kits from mainstream suppliers is they simplify the kit, the instructions for planking are poor at best and wrong at worst and teach bad techniques, the materials included are the cheapest in order to maximise profits.
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This is exactly what drove me to scratch building, working with detailed drawings choosing my own construction materials, and working as a commercial model maker for a local ship yard over thirty years ago. Today, I only build for myself, but still will not pay the huge prices for a good quality kit, and refuse to pay anything for poor quality kits and materials.
 
Hi "woodies". I've built 4 and working on number 5, all wood. I keep reading of GRP hulls but don't think I can pull that trigger. We'll see! Happy modeling.
 
I dont know the last time i made a post on here. Im actually surprised my internet browse stored my log in data, because i didnt even recognize the email attached to it....

The biggest problems beginners have, is that alot of stuff is pure junk.. alot of kits are pure junk, not proportioned correctly, just not right. LIke the racehorse bomb vessel i did in college. Yes, it came from model expo. The thing had nice itallian sheet plan.. the written manual was a joke,, and it wasnt even possible to tell how badly shaped the bulkheads were until i started planking.
 
lobo said:
Hate to rain on anyone's optimistic view on reviving wood ship modelling. Todays youth are not building models. They do not fly R/C airplanes, (those that do are flying mostly prebuilt out of the box) and they most certainly are not driving R/C submarines. The "Tri State" R/C shows are dwindling, as well as the clubs! Even the heyday of R/C cars has come and gone!
I ask...how old is the youngest wood ship builder on this forum? I was modelling plastic kits since 4 years old, attempted my first Guillows balsa plane kit at 6!
Back in 1983 bought my first boat wood kit (dory) from a Model Expo add in Smithsonian via mail order. Yes, it hooked me! a few more builds along the years, and today I have 6 wood kits in the box, yet to be started, with a Mamoli Alabama on the workbench, hull planking & deck completed. At 67 now, will I ever get to the remaining boxed kits yet to be built? I think not!
Back in 1984 or so I visited Model Expo to buy my second kit after the dory build. Mr. Frank Mastini was behind a counter across the opposite side of the service counter. He was building a Bluenose as a demo. At the service counter, (I believe it was Marc), I was directed to Mr. Mastini for coaching on my second kit! Even back then, I was not waiting on line in the subsequent Saturdays I spent driving to NJ for Mr. Mastini's build coaching. I pretty much had his lessons all to myself!
Now, to be fair Model Expo was in a corporate park, and they were doing largely mail order, but the premise was easy to access with little effort and very well set up as a point of sale retail shop within the warehouse. Still, all that being said, I was surprised at how few people were taking advantage of Mr. Mastini's coaching!
All here will agree with Xinguangzheng Group...this hobby consumes much time, yielding great rewards for the effort. How does one find the time in youth between work, social life & family? I largely put this hobby on the backburner until I was in my late 40's re-start...and that was slow going!
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This is a great opportunity to try wooden ship modeling risk-free. The offer to refund your purchase as store credit after you build and share a photo is motivating. It’s perfect for beginners and plastic kit builders wanting to try wood. A fun way to keep the hobby alive and encourage more people to join.
 
Unfortunately kids are growing up differently today. Before I could read my mother routinely took me to the library where we could borrow up to 10 books. She read them all to me. I knew about PT boats as a small child. She also had time to read to me as she didn’t need to work. In his spare time, my father was building a model of Flying Cloud from an A.J. Fisher kit. This made me want to go to the basement and try my hand at making models of boats from scrap lumber. Of course the models were unbelievably crude. We had no TV set until I was a teenager.

Today kids are scripted; organized sports and of course packaged entertainment. They have little or no opportunity to explore the world around them or to decide what interests them. Likewise, how many parents consider model kits to be suitable for presents for their children’s birthdays and other occasions?

Kids don’t just wake up some morning and decide to build a ship or airplane model; and besides at an age where their interests are developing how many have that kind of money to spend. Like most things about raising children it takes parenting.

Roger
 
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Roger, you are so correct with your statement.
My son is 32 and he grew up watching me build model ships but computer games was his thing and never was inclined to build a model.
Every time I tried to guide him to a easy build model, he would look at it and say: “Sorry Dad, that’s too complicated “.
Model Ship Building is kind of a lost art and it’s up to us to keep the candle lit.
 
Bluebeard said:
Roger, you are so correct with your statement.
My son is 32 and he grew up watching me build model ships but computer games was his thing and never was inclined to build a model.
Every time I tried to guide him to a easy build model, he would look at it and say: “Sorry Dad, that’s too complicated “.
Model Ship Building is kind of a lost art and it’s up to us to keep the candle lit.
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This is definitely the trend among the latest generation. Their instant gratification world has made them unwilling to earn an accomplishment that is truly challenging if they have an option not to bother earning it. It means that only a few who have the discipline to willingly take on the challenge of developing new skills and talents to achieve the completion of a ship model become modelers. I also play video games, but possess the patience and persistence to do models too.
 
All good points. I do, however , am of the opinion that decline in the interest in modelmaking wasalready in decline among grown-ups and eventually their kids since the early to mid-90's. Even in the 80's when I branched of into modelmaking I (from 18 onwards) was aked why I want to play with toys. And that was during my Uni years. There is thus a good chance that the decline started with those who grew up in the 80's and became the parents of the 90's. Yes and then social media happen. I agree ... the emphasis is on being entertained.
 
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