The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.
NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE MARCH/APRIL 2026
Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month
of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
The AIDAcara was the first cruise ship in the history of the German company AIDA Cruises. Originally launched in 1996 simply as AIDA, it marked the beginning of the cruise line's distinctive design, featuring red lips and painted eyes on the bow. In 2001, it was renamed AIDAcara after the arrival of its sister ships, the AIDAvita and AIDAura, to the fleet.
In 2021, after 25 years of service with the company, the ship was sold. Since then, it has operated under the name Astoria Grande, serving routes primarily to the Eastern European market and departing from ports in the region, such as Sochi on the Black Sea.
Hi! I'm continuing with this little cruiser. I've left out the decals that go on the hull and a stripe that runs the length of the ship, below the bridge. I've read about other people's bad experiences with decals. I used a spray paint that must have been in bad condition because the paint cracked all over. I had to sand it all down and use a different spray paint. It looks shiny in the photo, but it needs a coat of matte varnish. We'll see how it turns out. In the meantime, I've been painting the different decks with a brush.
I had to sand the port side thoroughly and apply up to four coats of white paint to cover the blue that bled through due to poor masking.
I made two mistakes: using the wrong blue spray paint for plastic and not masking properly. Despite applying four more coats, it has barely lost any detail. I think it's not too bad, and I'll continue working on this little cruiser. You learn from everything
I had to sand the port side thoroughly and apply up to four coats of white paint to cover the blue that bled through due to poor masking.
I made two mistakes: using the wrong blue spray paint for plastic and not masking properly. Despite applying four more coats, it has barely lost any detail. I think it's not too bad, and I'll continue working on this little cruiser. You learn from everything
I've reapplied filler because I started sanding while it was still fresh. I'm making progress while it dries properly. I'm painting the windows. Where they aren't painted, there's going to be a blue stripe. The kit has decals for that, but I'm debating whether to paint it. We'll see what I do.
