At this point, in another forum, a interesting conversation about this kit was started . . here below I reproduce the entire set of messages I got and my answer.
This is an(other) excellent build, and I particularly like the challenge of building an open hull, which I understand is your favorite (and which I have never dared to attempt.
Now I also understand that both Marisstella and Dusek are really top notch manufacturers, together with Victory Amati and the Chuck creations for Model Shipways. Not only are (apparently) the explanations better or equal to their competitors, but the provided materials look excellent as well (your hull looks beautiful). They surely deserve to be even better spread. Maybe their choice of subjects, although beautiful, is not want is commercially easy to sell to a wider public.
My answer . .
I had the opportunity to work with Dusek kits and now with Maristella kits and, in general, I am well satisfied with their quality and accuracy. I've some concerns, for both, about assembling instructions but in general I do not follow them too much; I generally have my own approach that often differs from them.
Regarding this kit, much better instructions are now available, really much better than the version included in the kit. Maristella boss sent me a copy by email. Probably they are now standard in the kits.
Anyway, I've some concerns with the material provided for the floor timbers and futtocks: many walnut and limewood strips 3x3mm. Considering we are speaking about a kit, I expected laser cut elements. As I explained in my previous messages, this fact forced me to adopt a radical and different approach: use dry beechwood strips instead of walnut/lime, more easy to bend, and build many templates to properly shape the timbers before installation. My thought on this matter is that a couple of days of work with a CAD software was enough to produce these pieces directly in the kit, saving days of work by the modeller.
And this achievement should be the goal of a kit, other I select a scratch build. Don't you think ? From another point of view this may be an additional challenge for the modeller, but in general I prefer to stay comfortable than uncomfortable.
My comment started a reaction from the kit manufacturer . .
Dear Mr. Jack ... now You have got me ! I have to say a few words about this method ... The first of all, our models, build from the kits, have one very important mark : this is that , when the model is finished, You would never say that it was a build from a kit ... This is very important in the ship modelling world ... This model has open hull , uncoloured from inside, so any laser cut frame would be recognizable ...
The other thing is that the hull has a small deformation when removed from the mold, so this deformation is different at different models (of the same sort), so the laser cut elements are not fitting well enough ... One thing more : the natural wood is fragile and it is easy to break, not suitable for laser cut frames.... The price of the kit would be considerably higher with laser cut frames ...
There is a nice , precise drawing for installing the frames in the kit, a bundle of the walnut strips as the bundle of the lime wood strips, so the modeler can make a choice what is he (or she) going to use...
In the end You have a model not recognizable as the kit build ...
This , all, we had in mind when designing this kit box...
Dear Mr. Jack, Thank You very much for building one of these models ... Your build is very good one and Your approach is very detailed one...
Don't take me in a wrong way please, but I must note : the complete work could be considerably faster by use of some other sorts of the glue and by use of some ''tongs'' for fast strip bending ...
Our kit Pasara and Gajeta has the laser cut frames made of plywood, but interior is to be coloured, those frames are the part of the mold and they are not to be removed of the hull. They stay at the model, as a part of it ...
So far , I must say, brilliant work Mr. Jack ... It is very nice to see Your art here ....
My answer to kit manufacturer. .
I'm very happy you decided to participate to this discussion. Be sure I got your post in the right way. It was my hope you let us know the reasons of your choices and now it is clear without any doubt. I don't want to raise any criticism about your decision, the market will establish who is right or not.
I think you agree to categorize the ship modeller into three main groups:
1) the scratch builders
2) orthodox kit users
3) modellers that start from kits but want to improve them.
The first group doesn't buy kit, the second usually expects to find all it need included and to have all the problems that may arise solved, the third has probably other different needs, but is ready and able to integrate the kit insufficient features.
Honestly it is the first time I hear a kit manufacturer speaking about a model from a kit that will not, when finished, appear originated from a kit . . . it's a nice idea but remember that modellers community knows the kits available on the market very well. In addition the kit manufacturers trends seem to go in the opposite direction: take as example the Chuck production or Amati last products; they produce packages as complete as possible. Others produce also admiralty models as kits. Anyway these points do not reduce the value of your work, simply make the kit modeller job harder but also surely challenging. And challenge is usually my objective.
In addition we have to consider the reason a modeller decides for a kit or scratch build. For example, my personal situation forces me to live sometimes in Milan and sometimes in Pisa. The two sites are +/- 350km far. My main workshop is in Milan, where I have everything to setup scratch build models, I take often four/five years to complete, while in Pisa I do not have a similar facility and, for this reason, I prefer to select a kit, with an expectation to finish the model in maximum one year. The reason is quite simple: all what I need should be included in the box while what isn't included should be easyly found locally, and another important expectation is to avoid working on elements that may be ready.
So, to conclude, do not think I want to criticise your kit, from the other side I'd like to think I'm trying to integrate my work into your in order to let other modellers find simpler building this model. A last example: in order to determine the hull shapes in different stations other the 10 bulkheads, I worked with a CAD software to produce another plan that helped me to properly bend the floor timbers.
A proper kind of this plan, if added to the current kit plans, could improve very much the calculations needed to build the internal framing of this boat.
Please feel free to expand or continue this discussion, if you like. I appreciate it.
Again, the kit manufacturer answer . .
I am glad to discuss these things with You ... the first thing we had on our mind when designing a kit is to get a model in the end that looks as the original vessel. This is not an easy thing. At this example, particulary at those frames, You could imagine frames made of plywood. They would not look as the original.... Cutting those frames at the solid wood panel is ok... but they would be very fragile and some of them would be broken while sanded or glued at the place... So, the only solution was to use strips, that are the same dimensions (or very close) to the original ... Using some kind of tongs for strip bending is right thing because You could bend a frame at the place, according to the loop You have at the model. This is a very fast process ... Some of the frames at the bow and stern need to be done in a different way : some pieces of the strip should be glued to each other and then sanded to the shape ...
... There are 12 aditional frame sections ... You can find them at the sheet no 2 of the draft ... While making this kit design, I considered they would be quite enough. The other frames could be made very easily using those 12 sections because they are very like each other...
... Making this kind of the kits some very interesting thing happened : we get some of the scratch builders to build models out from those kits. I found this very interesting... Some of them are very advanced builders. They do care of each nail or wedge at the model, so all I am doing at this time period is making the advanced instructions (the specific ways of planking, nails, wedges etc...) . Now we care of those things thanks to them... Italian language is included into this, so , very soon, our complete program will be improved and available in Italian too ...
Dear Mr. Jack, Your approach is very advanced one. Personaly, I enjoy following Your build. This notes, You put on the project, will be reviewed. I can see this placed into the advanced instruction set ... Thank You so much. I can't wait to see more .
I think this discussion may be useful to understand how the ship modeller brain works . . Isn't it ?
I am a little concerned about the rigidity of a hull like this. Planks and wood sticks will I think, always try and recuperate some of their original form after they have been bent. So I wonder if your hull ribs will not push the hull sides a little further apart than they should. I am sure that you have considered this possibility. How will you fix it?
. . As I wrote, after I've bent the ribs with the method I described, the wood strips are really stable.
This happens because after having soaked them in hot water, bent them using the template, I let them stabilize for a while, let's say at least half a day.
After this treatment the shape obtained doesn't change at all: I made some test before starting this current task and I can confirm it. Maybe it depends by the wood used. I used dry beechwood and it works fine. I cannot assure the same result with walnut or other timber and this is one of the reason I used beechwood, the other is that walnut is less easy to bend and probably less stable.
Anyway, as you can see from the images, I'm using three cross wood bars whose objective is to keep in the right position the hull until this task will be finally completed. Next there will be a kind of partial internal hull planking that will enforce definitely the whole.
I hope I've clarified this matter.
Regards, Jack.