model shipways

Post 1 - Unboxing I know, I know. She was launched in 1857 and the Coast Guard wasn't founded until 1915 when Woodrow Wilson combined the US Revenue Cutter Service with the US Life Saving Service, so she is really the USRC Harriet Lane, but that's what Model Shipways named the kit. She...

My build log for my 2nd build, the Model Shipways Norwegian Sailing Pram. Started right after the Dory. Going along really well I think. Unlike the Dory, I think this one is straighter. Had some clamping challenges - probably bought way too many different clamps! Realize I put the upper stern...

I've been meaning to repost my old build logs that were lost in the MSW crash, but haven't gotten around to adding many of them yet. This was my first build. The log may be shortened a bit compared to the original. As will be seen, I kitbashed this model a bit and had fun with the build. I found...

First time model ship builder. Used to build plastic models for years but never wood. Started with Model Shipways Dory. Had a great time and learned a lot. Some pics from along the way and some final pictures. Pretty happy how it turned out. Moving on to the Pram next.

Hi Folks, this is my first "big" build and log. Starting off oddly as I'm well into the journey but a ton of work still lies ahead with many challenges to conquer. For my own good (and perhaps other rookies like me) I'll soon post a summary of lessons learned and positives that have quickly...

This is a rebuild of build log from Model Ship World. The log, pictures only, will take you through painting of the hull. At this time she is on the shelf, hesitating to take on masting and rigging, perhaps will follow through to mast stubs. Looking at the pics, funny how I don’t remember...

I, too, am one of those folks that had an ongoing build log on Model Ship World before its demise. The USS Constitution is my 6th ship since my retirement in 2020, so… I guess that works out to an average of about one a year, so far? This Constitution will take longer than that. When I began my...

Chapter One Assembling the bulkhead former, keel and stem I purchased the USF Confederacy kit nearly four years ago. Now that I've gotten a few projects off my desk, I decided it was time to get started. If you've read through any Confederacy build logs, you'll find my comments on the kit...

On May 2, 2026 the members of the Model Ship World were informed that the site was hacked and was wiped clean of all data. They stated:

Hi all, I've been a member here for a couple of years, but have simply used MSW to post my build logs. Like many others, all that info is now likely lost. My dory and pram logs were quite detailed, and I plan to repost the pictures, but I likely won't bother adding much text. I never planned...

I'm one of the current refugees from ModelShipWorld.com. I'm about three years into the build, and while my build log from the now hosed site is likewise hosed, I have been keeping my own personal build log on my desktop PC. I'm trying to decide if I post my build log here going forward. And...

I am in the middle of building the lobster smack, my 3rd model. I was posting a build log on Model Ship World, now tragically gone. But you can't let the bastards win, so I continue here. I am at the point where I have started the process for priming and painting the hull. I started out by...

I have 3 kits on the shelf to build. Hayling Hoy 1760 1:48 Pearwood version. Waiting for missing parts from manufacturer Hayling Hoy Model Shipways Fair American 14 Gun Privater 1:48 Fair American Pavel's San Bartolome 1:48 San Bartolome Just completed Pavel's Santa Maria. Great kit. Santa...

Before I delve into building the Black Swan, I thought I would do a small kit to unwind a bit. Model Expo has the Chesapeake Double Kayak on sale for $35 (one of their seemingly forever sales) so I thought I would get it. A large box arrived quickly and in another was the kit. Inside it...

This is my first posting describing my building of Model Shipways MS 2270 USRC Harriet Lane. Model Shipways calls this kit the USCG (United States Coast Guard) while I call it the USRC (United States Revenue Cutter) as the Coast Guard was not formed until 1915, 31 years after the sailing days of...

Trying log again. I bought some dowels for masts and spars, laid them on the spar holder, held them steady with tape and ran a pencil atop the dowels. This gave me a nice straight line for attachments. Rolling the dowel over, centering the drawn line on the V of the spar holder and drawing a...

Hello. I've begun building the Lobster Smack (Model Shipways) after completing the Lowell Dory and the Norwegian Sailing Pram. I learned a lot in those builds and am trying to apply that knowledge to the current build. I'm starting this Log a bit late and have already built the spine, the...

Introduction Good day to you all! Today I broke the seals on this box of delights. It’s been in a cupboard for a couple of years but recently was moved onto a vacant bookshelf, just to fill the space left by a cull of my library (40% dumped. Yay!). Of course, once it was in plain sight, it...

I'm back at my bench after some down time recovering from shoulder surgery. This is the second of three in the Shipwright series. The first challenge was finding images of the parts sheets with labels, since mine came with none. Some of them were obvious but right off the bat I wasn't sure which...

Initially I did not intend to do a build log for my latest project, Model Expo’s Revolutionary War Brig Fair American, for several reasons. The first is that my skills are not developed to a point as to attract much interest. The second is that this is a pretty ubiquitous kit that has been...