Hi,
I am 82 yo bloke from Melbourne. Have done some plastic kit modelling of WW2 planes and tanks, but no wood.
My wife doesn't like war planes and tanks - they kill people - and suggested that I build a ship.
But the choice in plastic is uninspiring, so I am thinking of wood. After spending a day searching and reading logs and posts, I have narrowed it to the Santa Maria or Pinta kits.
And to two brands - Artesania and Amati.
Amati: There does not seem to be a retailer in Australia who sell Amati. Amati themselves apparently don't ship to AU, and Premier Ship Models, although having some AU presence, ship from the UK at an incredible A$100 shipping fee.
Can you please suggest a cheaper way to get the Amati kit?
Artesania Latina: Plenty of places where to buy the kits from, and also all their bits and pieces. One bricks-and-mortar shop not far from where I live. But there is some complication there -
The AL Santa Maria is available in two versions - original 22411 and 22411N - improved. I have read some pretty strong critique of the N version. Very thin plywood, flimsy, difficult to get the parts together true and square.
But on the other hand, it has some improvements maybe worth having. Could they be purchased as extras?
Also, although the price - without shipping - of the Amati kit is only a bit higher, some people say that the Amati SM is a much better quality kit than the AL kit.
So these are my problems at the moment - what to buy. I am too old to start at the bottom of the ladder and get all the answers by my own experience. Also, I have to be careful with my money. The Santa Maria could be my first and last wooden kit.
Any help, advice, suggestion will be welcome.
Joe
I am 82 yo bloke from Melbourne. Have done some plastic kit modelling of WW2 planes and tanks, but no wood.
My wife doesn't like war planes and tanks - they kill people - and suggested that I build a ship.
But the choice in plastic is uninspiring, so I am thinking of wood. After spending a day searching and reading logs and posts, I have narrowed it to the Santa Maria or Pinta kits.
And to two brands - Artesania and Amati.
Amati: There does not seem to be a retailer in Australia who sell Amati. Amati themselves apparently don't ship to AU, and Premier Ship Models, although having some AU presence, ship from the UK at an incredible A$100 shipping fee.
Can you please suggest a cheaper way to get the Amati kit?
Artesania Latina: Plenty of places where to buy the kits from, and also all their bits and pieces. One bricks-and-mortar shop not far from where I live. But there is some complication there -
The AL Santa Maria is available in two versions - original 22411 and 22411N - improved. I have read some pretty strong critique of the N version. Very thin plywood, flimsy, difficult to get the parts together true and square.
But on the other hand, it has some improvements maybe worth having. Could they be purchased as extras?
Also, although the price - without shipping - of the Amati kit is only a bit higher, some people say that the Amati SM is a much better quality kit than the AL kit.
So these are my problems at the moment - what to buy. I am too old to start at the bottom of the ladder and get all the answers by my own experience. Also, I have to be careful with my money. The Santa Maria could be my first and last wooden kit.
Any help, advice, suggestion will be welcome.
Joe
