Good morning MarkI suppose no build is entirely complete without a round-up of some sort, so I have provided a brief summary of some of my first-time-modeller impressions below.
Tools
I am glad to say that I made good use of most of the tools I had bought to kickstart my ship-building hobby. I drew up a shopping list based on books (notably Mastini's Ship Modelling Simplified) and the advice offered on various ship-modelling forums. The tools I used for the Bluenose II are pictured below. I did not use any power tools other than a heated plank-bender so cannot comment on those.
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The Artesania Latina Kit
I would quickly learn from other ship modellers that model ship kits are by no means complete. They could have missing or insufficient parts, or instructions that are incomplete, misleading, or just plain incorrect. This was my first build so I had little to compare with, but with my inexperience I was never going to venture too far from the supplied instructions, which, by and large, still managed to get me over the finishing line.
Artesania Latina supplies two manuals with the kit in digital format. The first covers the hull, deck and deck furnishings, the second the masts and rigging. Both manuals are laden with colourful pictures and handy if you can print them out on A3 size paper. The hull and decking instructions are quite detailed, and fairly accurate, in stark contrast to the mast and rigging instructions which are almost entirely picture-based with very little written instruction.
The parts and materials were of reasonable quality, although again as a newbie I had no means of comparison. All the parts of my kit were intact and held up to reasonable duress during the building process. There were a few items which fell short of the mark though, some of which are apparently a common issue with AL's Bluenose II kit:
It appears that AL's Bluenose II kit departs somewhat from the original design of the Bluenose II proper, some of which were highlighted during the course of my build log. However I did not have the confidence to customise anything and I stuck to the supplied instructions quite religiously. The end result might not be entirely authentic or historically correct, but for a first-timer it gave me a finished model that I was very happy with
- Stanchions. I was well short of wood for the number of stanchions required and had to order more.
- Sails. At least three of the sails were too large and I was obliged to crash-course my sewing skills and make adjustments.
- Rigging line. Not the greatest quality and never enough to complete all the rigging on the ship. I had to order additional reels.
- While not absolutely necessary, I also ordered additional belaying pins, brass rings, chainplates, blocks, dead-eyes and brass pins.
The Build Log
I would encourage new ship modellers to join a forum such as SOS and maintain a build log during the development of their model. It does subject you to a bit of pressure to get things right, particularly if you provide close-up photos that can be scrutinised, but the criticism if any is usually friendly and extremely helpful, particularly from modellers who have been in the game for a while. It also provides the pace of your build with a kind of structure, a place to digitally record your progress, and a chance to get to know an host of friendly, like-minded people from all over the globe.
In Conclusion
My decision to build the Bluenose II was one of my better decisions to date. It has drawn me into the previously unknown (to me at least) world of ship modelling and nautical life in general. It can take a long time to complete a model, or even just a part of a model, and I suspect most modellers are in their prime of life with just a bit more time on their hands. It can teach you a multitude of lessons in care and patience, all good virtues, and the rewards you reap in the end more than make up for the long and frustrating hours spent bent over your ship, or on the floor looking for that tiny part that you've dropped again for the 12th time.
I can see that in the future I am likely to spend more time researching the model I am building, and possibly making adjustments where possible or necessary. For my first model however, the Bluenose II, I found Mastini's Ship Modelling Simplified book avery helpful resource to start off my ship-modelling career. It is well written, and, as the title suggests, guides the aspirant modeller into the world of model ship building with a series of simple and well-ordered instructions.
Good luck
Thanks Grant, and thanks also for your encouragement during the build, much appreciated. Hard to believe it came to an end. I've had a quick look at my HMS Fly and I am already wondering whether I've bitten off more than I can chew. Time will tell. Then again, I'm talking to someone who thinks the Victory is a good first-timer model! And yes, the Fly did sink with all hands off Newfoundland somewhere in January 1802. Not a great omen, is it?
Thank you Heinrich, and thanks for the analogy, very apt and very true. And if the journey is better than the destination, why not simply begin another journey? I am looking forward to the HMS Fly build but harbour some deep doubts about my ability. As you rightly pointed out, look at that rigging! It could be a very long journey indeed
Thank you Peter, and also for sharing this journey with me. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I am really looking forward to the challenges that my next build will undoubtedly bring. I've had another look at the HMS Fly rigging and it makes the Bluenose shrouds and ratlines look like a walk in the park! I look forward to keeping pace with your unique Bluenose build too, which I am sure will be an absolute gem when you finally complete it
Thank you Sasha, and I promise to build or assemble a stand in due courseMark, congratulations on completing this beautiful model. You did great. The experience gained during the construction of this model will be useful in the future. I would love to see your new build. And of course I would like to see a stand under the completed model.
Thanks for taking an interest in my build and providing me with tips and suggestions along the way. It is quite a daunting hobby to begin with, but as you said the experience forms the building blocks for future builds. I hope you're right! Good luck with the Victory, I enjoy watching your progress and how you just always seem to know what to do Thank you Jim, much appreciated. And thanks for all the likes, even more appreciated!Congratulations and Bravo, Mark! A very fine model and pride!
Looking forward to your HMS Fly build log.
Thanks for checking in again DomCee, much appreciated. I am glad I managed to reach the end without too much injuries or disappointments, but I can honestly say that it can't hold a candle to what you managed to produce with Artesania's Bluenose II kit. I had a look at all the bits and bobs in my next HMS Fly kit and I do get the feeling that I may be punching above my weight with this one. The instructions are utterly different from what I'd become used to with AL and only time will tell whether this is a good or bad thing. I hope you are keeping a blog with your new build?Hi Nomad,
Congratulations on your build, it looks great!
I hope you find a nice spot to display the model where it can be shown off at its best and not be at risk of damage and getting too dusty. It has been very interesting comparing how you tackled your build to how I did mine of the same kit.
I fully agree with your conclusions, as a hobby it is very satisfying to go through the process of turning some bits of wood into a model that you can be very proud of at the end. I also like learning some new skills and all about the history of the ships (it is also a rather nice way of escaping from all of the woes in the world for a few hours!).
I will certainly look forward to following your build of HMS Fly, that's quite a big step up for a second build (and a lot more rigging!). I'm only doing a small ship at the moment to practice making some details before I start my next big build later in the year (should be fun).
Thanks again Grant! I was also a bit of an inattentive scholar, couldn't keep my thoughts from wandering for more than five minutes. Probably not the best mindset for ship modelling that seems to require endless weeks of acute concentration. And it certainly doesn't work when the admiral is dishing out her orders eitherGood morning Mark
Great close up photos and affirms a beautiful detailed Bluenose. Thanks for the summary- “no speech” is complete without a conclusion as one of my teachers would remind me. (Probably English although I was not an attentive scholar)
Negotiations with the Admiral.....”Yes babe”
It was fun following your Bluenose build (enjoyed it) and she will be missed. Cheers Grant
Thanks Uwe, much appreciated, and I will watch with interest the continued development of your HMS Granado
Thanks Paul! I think I was lucky with the variations of natural wood that came with the kit, a combination of basswood, walnut and sapele, as I had no confidence to stain anything at the time. I only wish I had climbed on board your build a bit earlier on, particularly at your ratline assembly stage, a process which I found to be one of the most challenging of the build. I trust you enjoyed your European excursion and I look forward to watching you conquer the remainder of your Vasa
Thanks Dean, and a particular thanks for the interest you took very early on in the build that helped keep me on the straight and narrow. It seems so long ago now that I was watching your and Rich's builds of the YQ Bluenose, and always thinking that I need to up my game to keep pace with you guys. Looking forward to the continuation of your Norske Love build .... the lion needs to be woken upGreat job Mark! Well done, congrats on the completion!
