Hello Jim, hello colleagues, I find this a very interesting topic. There are so many great pros and cons discussed here. What keeps coming up for me in this discussion is the issue of costs. Money is and always will be a sticking point. Kit or POF, which is cheaper and what tools do I need. As some of you know, I now build scratch models and after 3 years I still see myself as a beginner. But what are my machines? Scroll saw, MF70 router and now a slightly larger one, a disc sander, a small table saw, a spindle sander and, for about 7 months, a small lathe. If I calculate the total costs at around €3000, that's a lot of money all at once, but if I calculate it back over the 3 years, I'm at around €85 a month. As I said, everything was bought over time. The question is, of course, do I really need it because 400 years ago none of these tools existed, but there were exactly these POF models that can be admired in museums today. Not really, but we live in the modern world and we want to make things easier and time is just as important, so modern tools are needed. As for the cost of the kits and their quality, it depends on what I want, POB or POF. Do I value quality, how big is the model and what am I into? Is it small sailing boats between €100 - €200 or large ships of the line that easily cost over €1000. Or we can opt for a POF kit, which costs €1500 or more from the relevant Chinese manufacturers. It is usually made from cherry wood, which is so dry that it is sometimes no fun to work with. Here I would like to specifically talk about frame construction. The advantage is that everything is ready-made and I don't have to saw anything out, make complex copies, cut them out and glue them on. However, it doesn't save me the work of removing the unsightly charring caused by the laser process. Once the frame is finished, it still needs to be worked on just like a homemade one, and I need the same tools as for a DIY build. That means whether I buy a kit or build it myself, I need a certain amount of tools.
On the subject of wood, yes, opinions differ here. In principle, I can use any wood, it's a matter of personal taste. In the second post I read the term "holy trinity", which sums it up very well. Pear, boxwood and ebony are probably the most popular woods for scratch building, why is that? Clear answer, the grain suits the scale which is usually 1:48 very well. Pear and boxwood are also very nice to work with. If I decide on beech or oak, for example, and were to build in 1:72 scale, the grain and structure of the wood would not suit and I find it unsightly, even if I am an excellent model maker, it would be distracting to look at. Unless I decide to paint everything. Another point is the cost of wood. An example is La Renommee from CAF, basic version 1:48, cherry, briefly outlined. Chapters 1-4 and 6 currently available. 4.5 and section 5 not currently available. Costs over $1000. Since I own the monograph (€135 + additional plans for 1:36, €105 = 240€),the estimated wood material for the pear frame construction in 1:36 scale is just under 100 €. The remaining wood then comes to about €150-€200. Again, for comparison, the kit costs well over €1,000, while the self-made material with brass sheets, glue, etc., costs under €500.
Assuming I decide to build it myself, with the estimated cost of wood and the monograph at around €700, that's cheaper than the kit, which would cost me over €1,000, and I'd still have some money left over for one or two tools. I think everyone has to decide for themselves what they'd rather spend their hard-earned money on. In the long run, I see building it myself as more economical.
Enough about the costs, another point is time. I think it depends on two important factors. Your own age is one of the most important. Am I over 70 or just 35? Do I have time because I have a family or am I alone? Working life or retirement? It's a hobby and hobbies should be fun, so for me I work when I feel like it, without any pressure. At the moment I would like to work on my models but unfortunately the conversion and renovation of the house is dragging on and I don't have time to work in my shipyard. Better times will come, so much for that topic.
As for the mistakes, what can I say?
, some of the kits and their instructions are very good and with some of them you can be glad that there are a few pictures to go with them. You can read a lot about it in the forum here. Even with the monographs of the individual authors, there are always anomalies and errors. When it comes to construction, whether from a kit or self-build, we will always make some mistakes. In that case I have the option of either reordering the parts from the kit manufacturer, which brings us back to the topic of time, or making them myself. But I need various tools. If I build something myself, I throw it away and start from the beginning. When building the Le Coureur, I ended up building everything myself because I didn't like some things as they were in the kit or they didn't fit 100% because there were errors in the instructions. I have to be honest and say that I was often annoyed about this because if I have to do it myself because it doesn't fit, then I might as well build it from scratch.
My personal conclusion on the whole topic is: everyone should know what they want, what they are capable of and what they think they are capable of. What financial means they have and what space they have. Do they just want to build one or two models or do they plan to build 20 or more? Do they want to do it purely as a hobby or even take part in exhibitions or championships. Everyone has to decide for themselves and this brings me to the last point: the forum is important for everyone, whether young or old, amateur or professional, hobbyist or technology freak. Everyone can learn something from each other. In this case I always think of our late member Martin from England, who started the Victory with the simplest of means. Not a penny of money and yet created a real little masterpiece. These are the people who are just as important to this forum as all the professionals.
With that in mind, happy modeling to all, best regards, Tobi.
) There are many "classic" books on ship modeling that serious modelers collect and rely upon as valued reference works. Building such a library, even if it's only a half dozen of the best basic books on technique, should begin before one begins unpacking a kit without being able to identify all the parts by sight. Studying such books will also give those without prior knowledge a good start at acquiring a working vocabulary of nautical terminology, which is nearly essential whether one is building a kit or building from scratch.
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