I bought this kit a long time ago on a sale at ToysRus. At that time I built mainly gliders and Radio Control sail boats. I think it was so cheap that I couldn't resist it
I had only a vague and platonic interest in model ships, so the box remained unopend for a long long time.
I must say that I don't like kits very much. My experience with wooden plane kits is mainly bad. Or the wood is bad, or the parts are badly cut, or they don't fit the plans, it was very rare indeed to use all the parts of a kit. It happened more that once that I almost used the plans and scratch built all the rest.
I know it is my problem because I have always been perfectionist and I am not sure if it is a good thing to be.
At some point I turned my attention to this kit and tried to begin it. My experience was even worst than it is today and I knew absolutely nothing about plank on frame. I studied a little, read some material and then begun joining some pieces.
The kit is no longer available what is not a bad thing since it is not that wonder of a kit (as I said before I don’t like kits very much... my problem). But this one is really not that good. The plywood if thin and very flexible to begin with and I had my share of problems trying to keep the frame rigid.
I tried to use balsa (I still have a lot of balsa) to reinforce the false keel , tried to use plywood triangles to keep the frames at 90 degrees with the keel, etc.
Then I put the whole thing aside and just forgot it. For a long time.
Then one day I turned my attention to ships since I had my share of R/C gliders and I began building another kit I had, namely a Viking ship. But that story is for another build log. Anyway I got a big interest in model ships and I discovered the half-built skeleton of the Prince.
I must say that it is nowhere mentioned that this is a 2 plankings kit. Only one is mentioned, no reference is made to the 2nd planking and only much later did I discover that there are some 0.5mm planks that are mentioned nowhere and must be for the second planking.
Pathfinder65 had exactly the same problem with his Constructo Enterprise, so I think it is a Constructo practise.
In the ignorance of that 2nd planking I saw myself in the perspective of dealing with a one planking only ship, so I had to build it as perfectly as I could with my little experience in the matter.
To make it short, I filled the model with blue foam in the attempt a) of getting the structure firm and b) having a good support for the (only planking).
Now I know that there is a possible second planking, but the wood for the two layers is exactly the same so I am trying to get the first one as good as I can and avoid the second. We shall see.
I have no pretension of turning this "thing" into a passable scale model. I have no reference of this ship, it is very hard (at least for me) to discover references th the real boat and I know that there are plans somewhere in the USA but the kit is not worth the trouble.
I look at it as a way of gaining experience and making "hand" for other possible flights.
So, apart from trying to make some parts better that provided in the box, I don't intend to worry very much about its accuracy
Regards
JL
I had only a vague and platonic interest in model ships, so the box remained unopend for a long long time.
I must say that I don't like kits very much. My experience with wooden plane kits is mainly bad. Or the wood is bad, or the parts are badly cut, or they don't fit the plans, it was very rare indeed to use all the parts of a kit. It happened more that once that I almost used the plans and scratch built all the rest.
I know it is my problem because I have always been perfectionist and I am not sure if it is a good thing to be.
At some point I turned my attention to this kit and tried to begin it. My experience was even worst than it is today and I knew absolutely nothing about plank on frame. I studied a little, read some material and then begun joining some pieces.
The kit is no longer available what is not a bad thing since it is not that wonder of a kit (as I said before I don’t like kits very much... my problem). But this one is really not that good. The plywood if thin and very flexible to begin with and I had my share of problems trying to keep the frame rigid.
I tried to use balsa (I still have a lot of balsa) to reinforce the false keel , tried to use plywood triangles to keep the frames at 90 degrees with the keel, etc.
Then I put the whole thing aside and just forgot it. For a long time.
Then one day I turned my attention to ships since I had my share of R/C gliders and I began building another kit I had, namely a Viking ship. But that story is for another build log. Anyway I got a big interest in model ships and I discovered the half-built skeleton of the Prince.
I must say that it is nowhere mentioned that this is a 2 plankings kit. Only one is mentioned, no reference is made to the 2nd planking and only much later did I discover that there are some 0.5mm planks that are mentioned nowhere and must be for the second planking.
Pathfinder65 had exactly the same problem with his Constructo Enterprise, so I think it is a Constructo practise.
In the ignorance of that 2nd planking I saw myself in the perspective of dealing with a one planking only ship, so I had to build it as perfectly as I could with my little experience in the matter.
To make it short, I filled the model with blue foam in the attempt a) of getting the structure firm and b) having a good support for the (only planking).
Now I know that there is a possible second planking, but the wood for the two layers is exactly the same so I am trying to get the first one as good as I can and avoid the second. We shall see.
I have no pretension of turning this "thing" into a passable scale model. I have no reference of this ship, it is very hard (at least for me) to discover references th the real boat and I know that there are plans somewhere in the USA but the kit is not worth the trouble.
I look at it as a way of gaining experience and making "hand" for other possible flights.
So, apart from trying to make some parts better that provided in the box, I don't intend to worry very much about its accuracy
Regards
JL