If this belongs in a different section my apologies, maybe a mod can move it to appropriate location. I thought this might be of interest to those that are new to 5hd hobby.
Been a boatnerd my whole, living near the Detroit River - St. Lawrence Seaway, and also a major port on the seaway. However.......my quest to find models of these kinds of ships is like finding a hay coloured needle in hay stack. Or a looking for a non-existent needle is more like it. I've learned that basic model kits like you'd find for famous warships or Titanic, just aren't, and never were made for your everyday merchant ships that carry grain and iron ore. Likely, it's such a niche area of interest, manufacturers figure there isn't a market, well there is! I suppose it could be licensing/rights/etc.
So.....now me, current mid 40s boatnerd, decided to do it myself, after talking to many people online and at local hobby shops - every person says "scratch built", so I found this site as an extra added resource - and it's fantastic despite having not a lot of the same ship model that I want to do. However, that doesn't mean you don't have access to a wealth of information from other modellers builds. I have been able to take ideas/advice from members on here that have helped me tremendously.
The key part is doing research - especially for a new modeller. That doesn't mean start too easy, but look at pictures, read up on the ship(s), look at what materials you might want to use and of course have access to. Also for tools - don't go and spend a ton of $ (if you don't really have it) for a bunch of tools that you might not end up using if you don't carry on with this hobby. This is a very rewarding hobby, and can get quite expensive too. Also, don't rush your build, especially your first one. Make the best of your time, don't be scared to make mistakes or be anxious of not having a museum quality model with your first attempt (or 2 or more).
One word of caution I wish I could go back and give myself.....be careful when acquiring plans/prints - only get/process what you need! I got an amazing resource of shipyard plans for my one build - didn't take the time to go through the prints and brought them to a local shop to have 2 copies printed. Well let me say this....... I nearly fell on the floor when I went to pick them up and saw the invoice. There were so many rolls of plans I had to have the worker help me take them to my car!!!!! My wife, who totally supports my hobby(ies) understood and didn't make me sleep in the garage for a month. My excitement got the best of me. Then to have the lady at the print shop say she thought I was building a huge ship locally and I worked for a shipyard or engineering firm.......well guess what lady - I know your staff thought my plans were super cool - but there are no shipyards within 400km of me to undertake such a project!
Really though - the most important thing is - don't give up on it, and have fun with it - enjoy your hard work and creativity.
Been a boatnerd my whole, living near the Detroit River - St. Lawrence Seaway, and also a major port on the seaway. However.......my quest to find models of these kinds of ships is like finding a hay coloured needle in hay stack. Or a looking for a non-existent needle is more like it. I've learned that basic model kits like you'd find for famous warships or Titanic, just aren't, and never were made for your everyday merchant ships that carry grain and iron ore. Likely, it's such a niche area of interest, manufacturers figure there isn't a market, well there is! I suppose it could be licensing/rights/etc.
So.....now me, current mid 40s boatnerd, decided to do it myself, after talking to many people online and at local hobby shops - every person says "scratch built", so I found this site as an extra added resource - and it's fantastic despite having not a lot of the same ship model that I want to do. However, that doesn't mean you don't have access to a wealth of information from other modellers builds. I have been able to take ideas/advice from members on here that have helped me tremendously.
The key part is doing research - especially for a new modeller. That doesn't mean start too easy, but look at pictures, read up on the ship(s), look at what materials you might want to use and of course have access to. Also for tools - don't go and spend a ton of $ (if you don't really have it) for a bunch of tools that you might not end up using if you don't carry on with this hobby. This is a very rewarding hobby, and can get quite expensive too. Also, don't rush your build, especially your first one. Make the best of your time, don't be scared to make mistakes or be anxious of not having a museum quality model with your first attempt (or 2 or more).
One word of caution I wish I could go back and give myself.....be careful when acquiring plans/prints - only get/process what you need! I got an amazing resource of shipyard plans for my one build - didn't take the time to go through the prints and brought them to a local shop to have 2 copies printed. Well let me say this....... I nearly fell on the floor when I went to pick them up and saw the invoice. There were so many rolls of plans I had to have the worker help me take them to my car!!!!! My wife, who totally supports my hobby(ies) understood and didn't make me sleep in the garage for a month. My excitement got the best of me. Then to have the lady at the print shop say she thought I was building a huge ship locally and I worked for a shipyard or engineering firm.......well guess what lady - I know your staff thought my plans were super cool - but there are no shipyards within 400km of me to undertake such a project!
Really though - the most important thing is - don't give up on it, and have fun with it - enjoy your hard work and creativity.
