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Midwest kits

1

11320 Titanic

Joined
Jul 20, 2020
Messages
416
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Location
New England
For a first time wooden ship builder, are the Midwest kits a good start?
Right now, working on Cardstock Alert and Revell 1:96 Constitution?
Tried a Peapod Canoe 50 years ago and could not get the planking right.
 
Welcome aboard from Connecticut! I have discovered that boat building has a steep learning curve. May I suggest you peruse this area of the forms.



Beginners Corner - How to Get Started
shipsofscale.com




There is also a treasure trove of videos on you tube to explore.

I usually recommend that you usually start on something much less complex. Here in the USA model expo has a shipwright series of 3 more and more complex models that are fun and give you a good foundation for your major project.


Model Shipways Shipwright Series

There are also excellent build logs of almost any ship you can think of that will help.

We are all here to help each other. I doubt I would have gotten this far without the input of the rest of the crew!

Rob
 
Rob444 said:
Welcome aboard from Connecticut! I have discovered that boat building has a steep learning curve. May I suggest you peruse this area of the forms.



Beginners Corner - How to Get Started
shipsofscale.com




There is also a treasure trove of videos on you tube to explore.

I usually recommend that you usually start on something much less complex. Here in the USA model expo has a shipwright series of 3 more and more complex models that are fun and give you a good foundation for your major project.


Model Shipways Shipwright Series

There are also excellent build logs of almost any ship you can think of that will help.

We are all here to help each other. I doubt I would have gotten this far without the input of the rest of the crew!

Rob
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Thanks! I have been looking at Model Expo"s Shipwright series, considering ordering the three set series with Christmas monies. I have done plastic (Revell"s 1:96 USS Constitution twice and the card stock HMS Alert). But the wooden ships, plastic and card stock are good, but really can't compete when finished with the wood.
 
11320 Titanic said:
Thanks! I have been looking at Model Expo"s Shipwright series, considering ordering the three set series with Christmas monies. I have done plastic (Revell"s 1:96 USS Constitution twice and the card stock HMS Alert). But the wooden ships, plastic and card stock are good, but really can't compete when finished with the wood.
Click to expand...
Model Expo had an offer if you complete the Dory and send a picture of it they would give you full store credit towards your next ship. I dont know if that is still in effect, but if it is it is a great deal. Also there are many build logs of all those boats.

Happy New Year!

Rob
 
Namabiiru said:
IMHO, most definitely.
Click to expand...

Rob444 said:
Model Expo had an offer if you complete the Dory and send a picture of it they would give you full store credit towards your next ship. I dont know if that is still in effect, but if it is it is a great deal. Also there are many build logs of all those boats.

Happy New Year!

Rob
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Checked that out, so far the offer still stands! Thanks, and Happy New Year!
 
Are wooden models more robust than plastic or card stock models? Wifey cleaned my pc room again and knocked the rudder off the USS Constitution, repairable, but some folks just seem not to understand, "Do not touch"!
 
11320 Titanic said:
Are wooden models more robust than plastic or card stock models? Wifey cleaned my pc room again and knocked the rudder off the USS Constitution, repairable, but some folks just seem not to understand, "Do not touch"!
Click to expand...
I would say they are on par with plastic or card stock, perhaps a bit more protective, the rigging is another matter.
 
Rob444 said:
Model Expo had an offer if you complete the Dory and send a picture of it they would give you full store credit towards your next ship. I dont know if that is still in effect, but if it is it is a great deal. Also there are many build logs of all those boats.

Happy New Year!

Rob
Click to expand...
That offer is indeed still in effect- as a matter of fact, I just collected on it- and ordered another kit from them and a few tools!
Wes
 
11320 Titanic said:
For a first time wooden ship builder, are the Midwest kits a good start?
Right now, working on Cardstock Alert and Revell 1:96 Constitution?
Tried a Peapod Canoe 50 years ago and could not get the planking right.
Click to expand...
I am a big Midwest fan. Well engineered kits at reasonable price, clear instructions. Also I like building models of small ships and boats.

Don
 
Olha is arguably one of the most accomplished and multi-talented practitioners of the craft (as I'm sure most everyone on this site is already aware). What she is doing to share her talent and love of the hobby is wonderful.
 
donStauffer said:
I am a big Midwest fan. Well engineered kits at reasonable price, clear instructions. Also I like building models of small ships and boats.

Don
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Ordered the three ship collection yesterday. Still working on Revell's USS Constitution. Have done card stock and plastic models, but have always been envious of wooden ship modelers. Have already decided to try Midwest's New York Harbor Pilot boat if the smaller learning crafts work out, to test the waters.
 
The Midwest combo is on back order, understand it may be 10 days or so for order to be processed. In the meantime am frustrating myself with the sta
nchion on the Constitution' s very fragile stanchion parts. It's taken longer to repair them than to assemble them.
Syrene is having supply problems with their rigging threads, their supplier retired and they have a new deal with a new company. I hope their new ropes will be as good as the old ones, hate those ropes the Reverll kits came with.
 
With the credit from the Lowell Dory, I ordered the Midwest Rowing Dinghy, and when I received it, I noted that the top planks- which were advertised as being mahogany- and the box cover even states the parts as being in Basswood, Mahogany & Birch- yet in the instruction book, the parts list calls for Qty 2 Walnut top planks.
What I received was only Qty 1 top plank sheet- so what I am missing was one- however what I received was in basswood.
Additionally, the 3 bottom pieces were in error- the center piece was about 2" short in relation to the sides.
Model Expo was very responsive to my report of these problems, and have shipped corrected parts- though they state the top planks will be in walnut, as they do not have any mahogany available.
So they are having growing pains not only in parts production, but advertising and technical documentation as well.
I'm sure these are growing pains- Midwest has ALWAYS been a quality name- as has Model Expo... and the important thing is- that they were very responsive in following up to resolve the problems- they even followed up with me by phone to assure me of what was being done to resolve the problems.
I'm not sure I like the idea of walnut top planks- I may cut some thin mahogany veneer and make the top planks that way... we'll see!
 
Wish you well on your Lowell Dory. I have always worked in card stock and plastic, so will be hoping to learn a bit when modelling with wood from these kits.
I tries a Midwest canoe 50 years ago, it was a disaster on the planking...and it was $2.00!
 
11320 Titanic said:
Wish you well on your Lowell Dory. I have always worked in card stock and plastic, so will be hoping to learn a bit when modelling with wood from these kits.
I tries a Midwest canoe 50 years ago, it was a disaster on the planking...and it was $2.00!
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Yes! A Midwest canoe was one of my failed attempts.... you're right about the planking! Still sitting on top of a bookcase- with only a few layers of planking attached...
 
“Mahogany” and “Walnut” are often just kit marketing terms.

Real Mahogany grown in Central America is a beautiful cabinet wood and in the past was associated with quality boatbuilding. Other species also called Mahogany can be nasty stuff; stringy and coarse grained. Even real Mahogany has a grain that would not work with some ship modeling scales.

The same comments apply to walnut. American Black walnut and the European walnuts are high quality woods. Neither is associated with either full sized or scale ship model building. The walnuts provided by kit manufacturers are neither of these.

If you really want a bright finished sheer strake, the best choice is Pear. And when you have finished your model, buy real mahogany for a baseboard and glass case.

Roger
 
Roger Pellett said:
“Mahogany” and “Walnut” are often just kit marketing terms.

Real Mahogany grown in Central America is a beautiful cabinet wood and in the past was associated with quality boatbuilding. Other species also called Mahogany can be nasty stuff; stringy and coarse grained. Even real Mahogany has a grain that would not work with some ship modeling scales.

The same comments apply to walnut. American Black walnut and the European walnuts are high quality woods. Neither is associated with either full sized or scale ship model building. The walnuts provided by kit manufacturers are neither of these.

If you really want a bright finished sheer strake, the best choice is Pear. And when you have finished your model, buy real mahogany for a baseboard and glass case.

Roger
Click to expand...
Having been a woodworker for most of my life- over 65 years of woodworking- including experience in furniture making and building musical instruments- I'm well familiar with the differences between Mahogany and Walnut. African Mahogany is also a great guitar tonewood.
However, when someone advertises something as Mahogany, I would expect to see a brown wood with tinges of red- as opposed to Walnut, where it's more of a blackish-tinged brown.
Certainly not Basswood!
And the advertising and labelling should match!
Again, Model Expo is taking good care of me- and I am satisfied with the outcome so far!
Wes
 
My completed Lowell Grand Banks Dory...
Of interest to note this boat is still being produced in Amesbury, MA- and is one of- if not the oldest shipbuilders in the US- having been producing small boats since the late 1700's... they are a museum as well.
Still producing the full-size version of these.
I go down to Amesbury a time or two a year- and intend on going the next time I go down there!20241220_165816.jpg
 
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