I got into ship modelling 30 years ago when on a spur of the moment I bought my first kit, Model Shipway’s Willie L. Bennett. With the Chesapeake Bay a 30 minute drive from my home in Silver Spring, I had often seen these sleek, graceful boats at work dredging oysters on the Bay. I didn’t know what I was getting into but over the next few years I managed to successfully build the hull, deck structures and managed to solder a few fittings. But then I became daunted by the extensive soldering requirements for complex machinery as well as numerous fittings and consequently the skipjack hull has been sitting on a shelf since then.
I eventually decided to try an “easier” model. My main interest being ships of antiquity, I bought Amati’s Nave Egizia. I was unhappy with the quality of the die-cut plywood planks and some of the others woods in the kit so I acquired quality hardwoods (probably some from Dave) and started bashing the kit. I used red gum for the notched planks, and apple, pear, Alaskan yellow cedar, and purpleheart. To be fair, the kit had some quality woods, including walnut deck planking and “boxwood” stock of various shapes (though I’m pretty sure it’s castelo, which produced beautiful results).
But then age and life changes gave me less time to work on the modelling—retirement, a rewarding second career, a new wife and step-daughter. As I got older (I’m now 78), I started to consider my modelling days over. But then a couple of months ago I looked at the Nave Egizia languishing on my workbench and realized it was probably at least half done. Finish the damn thing I said myself. So I resumed work on it and I’m making good progress. It has been extremely rewarding to be back at the workbench. I have regained my confidence and joy in building ship models and I look forward to getting back to the Willie Bennett. I also have a tentative list of additional ships to build (Greek Bireme, Hansa Cog, Golden Hind). And I look forward to participating in the Ships of Scale forums.
Attached are a few photos of the Willie Bennett and Nave Egizia. I have been taking photos of my progress with the Nave Egizia and intend to start a build log.
I eventually decided to try an “easier” model. My main interest being ships of antiquity, I bought Amati’s Nave Egizia. I was unhappy with the quality of the die-cut plywood planks and some of the others woods in the kit so I acquired quality hardwoods (probably some from Dave) and started bashing the kit. I used red gum for the notched planks, and apple, pear, Alaskan yellow cedar, and purpleheart. To be fair, the kit had some quality woods, including walnut deck planking and “boxwood” stock of various shapes (though I’m pretty sure it’s castelo, which produced beautiful results).
But then age and life changes gave me less time to work on the modelling—retirement, a rewarding second career, a new wife and step-daughter. As I got older (I’m now 78), I started to consider my modelling days over. But then a couple of months ago I looked at the Nave Egizia languishing on my workbench and realized it was probably at least half done. Finish the damn thing I said myself. So I resumed work on it and I’m making good progress. It has been extremely rewarding to be back at the workbench. I have regained my confidence and joy in building ship models and I look forward to getting back to the Willie Bennett. I also have a tentative list of additional ships to build (Greek Bireme, Hansa Cog, Golden Hind). And I look forward to participating in the Ships of Scale forums.
Attached are a few photos of the Willie Bennett and Nave Egizia. I have been taking photos of my progress with the Nave Egizia and intend to start a build log.
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