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Aslan Balaur of Washington

AslanB

AslanB

Joined
Dec 13, 2024
Messages
22
Points
13

Greetings.
I stumbled upon this forum while looking for information about a wood ship model I just ordered. Amazing to see that such a low end kit (Scale 1/100 1840 Halcon Baltimore Ship Wooden Model Kit, with Brass Upgrade Accessories)
I am sort of new to the hobby. I had the Rattlesnake 1/96 kit given to me when I was a teen, (back during the Stone Age) and while I enjoyed working on it, life intervened and the kit disappeared along with my optimism.
I got the Halcon to have a kit to build, that I feel I can finish, to learn, and to have something nice to display. I hope, someday, to get the Rattlesnake again, and maybe 1 or 2 other kits, or try something from just the plans.
 
AslanB said:
Greetings.
I stumbled upon this forum while looking for information about a wood ship model I just ordered. Amazing to see that such a low end kit (Scale 1/100 1840 Halcon Baltimore Ship Wooden Model Kit, with Brass Upgrade Accessories)
I am sort of new to the hobby. I had the Rattlesnake 1/96 kit given to me when I was a teen, (back during the Stone Age) and while I enjoyed working on it, life intervened and the kit disappeared along with my optimism.
I got the Halcon to have a kit to build, that I feel I can finish, to learn, and to have something nice to display. I hope, someday, to get the Rattlesnake again, and maybe 1 or 2 other kits, or try something from just the plans.
Click to expand...
Building that cheap Halcon kit is more difficult than better kits because it totally lacks instructions. If you are trying to learn the basic skills of hull planking and rigging, the kit will not teach your how, but reference books and tutorials from other sources will, and the kit will merely be the model you practice on. There are a lot of kits out there aimed at beginners, with step-by-step instructions to help you learn as you go. The Halcon has cheap materials, no plans for rigging, and assumed you know how to plank a hull. You get what you pay for. In the hands of an experienced modeler, the Halcon can be assembled and modified with added parts to make a simple and attractive model, but it will still look like a toy. Look in the beginners section of this forum and see which kits are suited for your current skill level, then go from there.

Example of modified and properly rigged Halcon, with $60 worth of parts added to it.
1734235176624.png
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Building that cheap Halcon kit is more difficult than better kits because it totally lacks instructions. If you are trying to learn the basic skills of hull planking and rigging, the kit will not teach your how, but reference books and tutorials from other sources will, and the kit will merely be the model you practice on. There are a lot of kits out there aimed at beginners, with step-by-step instructions to help you learn as you go. The Halcon has cheap materials, no plans for rigging, and assumed you know how to plank a hull. You get what you pay for. In the hands of an experienced modeler, the Halcon can be assembled and modified with added parts to make a simple and attractive model, but it will still look like a toy. Look in the beginners section of this forum and see which kits are suited for your current skill level, then go from there.

Example of modified and properly rigged Halcon, with $60 worth of parts added to it.
View attachment 489923
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am not expecting stellar results from, a US$40 kit from China I found on Amazon. I had planned to do research on the planking because I already know that can be a she-dog... Rigging, I expected them to at least have a profile drawing that could show it. (I have not yet received the kit) But if even that is lacking, I will research what I can. Like I said, this is mainly a learning kit. Like the stuff you might make in first year shop in Jr High school.
Thanks for the heads up, and I'll check the forums for those entry level kits. I've been a cabinet maker and wood furniture maker in the past and making wood things has always been my passion, so I hope my knowledge base is up to task.
 
AslanB said:
Yeah, I am not expecting stellar results from, a US$40 kit from China I found on Amazon. I had planned to do research on the planking because I already know that can be a she-dog... Rigging, I expected them to at least have a profile drawing that could show it. (I have not yet received the kit) But if even that is lacking, I will research what I can. Like I said, this is mainly a learning kit. Like the stuff you might make in first year shop in Jr High school.
Thanks for the heads up, and I'll check the forums for those entry level kits. I've been a cabinet maker and wood furniture maker in the past and making wood things has always been my passion, so I hope my knowledge base is up to task.
Click to expand...
If you can work wood with hand tools, you can make wooden ship models and have the basic tools skills to start learning modeling techniques. You paid $40 for the Halcon? Yikes. It averages for $12-$20 on eBay. I really think you should start out with a quality kit that has decent instructions, and get a book on rigging applicable for the type of ship. Look around the forum at what others are building, choose a style of ship and time period you like, and go from there. Do you have any time period and ship style preferences yet? That's where you start, then look for a basic ship from those preferences that you can teach yourself on. Don't expect perfection from the first model, just build it the best you can and the next one will be MUCH better.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
If you can work wood with hand tools, you can make wooden ship models and have the basic tools skills to start learning modeling techniques. You paid $40 for the Halcon? Yikes. It averages for $12-$20 on eBay. I really think you should start out with a quality kit that has decent instructions, and get a book on rigging applicable for the type of ship. Look around the forum at what others are building, choose a style of ship and time period you like, and go from there. Do you have any time period and ship style preferences yet? That's where you start, then look for a basic ship from those preferences that you can teach yourself on. Don't expect perfection from the first model, just build it the best you can and the next one will be MUCH better.
Click to expand...
The $40 kit is with the brass cannon and sails included upgrade. Yeah, I saw the cheaper Halcons, with no sails and plywood cannons. I was willing to pay more for the brass.
And yes, I am well aware there are FAR better kits available, for 5 times what I spent. I am on a very low disability budget, and the wife is already ticked I spent this much. But, I love working with wood, sailing vessels, and historical research. Wooden ship modeling and trying to keep within budget will be difficult, but I must try. Maybe finding good plans for a early to mid 18th century ship that I can slowly get materials for.
 
Welcome to SoS, Aslan. I encourage you to start a build log for your Halcon. It will be a good place for you to seek input from more experienced modelers and also serve as a resource for future modelers just starting out.
 
Namabiiru said:
Welcome to SoS, Aslan. I encourage you to start a build log for your Halcon. It will be a good place for you to seek input from more experienced modelers and also serve as a resource for future modelers just starting out.
Click to expand...
I might give that a try. Never been a big one on recording things. I was that kid in school who never took notes, never studied, but still got A's on tests. But if it helps get answers from those with more experience, might be worth it.
 
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