Hello from Wisconsin

Alan56

Alan56

Joined
Sep 11, 2023
Messages
229
Points
143

Location
Fond du Lac,WI.
I'm a 66 year old retiree looking to build my first ship. Although I never built a model ship I am an active model railroader with experience in scratch building wooden trestle bridges, wooden building kits & plastic kits. Although wooden ship kits are far more complex then a wooden trestle I thought I would mention this to give an idea of my experience in building wooden structures. It took about 90 hours to build the trestle in the background.
I've been researching model ship building for the last few weeks, pouring over building logs on SOS & other sites plus watching videos. At first I thought I could dive right in & build an "expert" type ship like the HMS Diana from Occre but soon found out that this kit is way over my head. I would like to start out on a "beginner" ship with plank on frame construction. Currently I have two ships in mind. #1: Pirate ship Adventure by Amati (1/60) & #2: American schooner Virginia by Artesania Latina (1/41). Any thoughts on these two for a beginner?
I'm looking forward to the journey in this exciting & challenging hobby & also interacting with the fine folks at SOS.
Sincerely.........Al.

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First of all a warm welcome here on board of our forum
Both are relatively nice model kits for the beginner - be only aware, that maybe the used material (wood, fittings etc.) of these kits are maybe not the best - caused by the relatively low price. But for learning the and getting experience of basic construction methods they are good. They are based on older kits
You will find some building logs, but often started and not finished, in our forum.
Maybe also an alternative are some kits from Occre, which are developed in the last years. f.e. the Terror or Essex, only some dollars more

Kit review - HMS TERROR" - scale 1:75 from Occre

HMS Terror History mentioned by Occre: In 1845, under the command of Sir John A. Franklin, the ships Terror and Erebus set off on an expedition to navigate the famous Northwest Passage. They were the first ships to be fitted out with auxiliary steam engines and were also reinforced with iron...
shipsofscale.com

Kit review - ESSEX - Whaler (Moby Dick) in scale 1:60 from Occre

ESSEX - Whaler known by the book and film about Moby Dick History mentioned by Occre: In November 1820, the sinking of the whaling ship Essex, along with the survival of part of her crew, thrilled and moved the US public. The year before she had set sail from Nantucket on a new whaling...
shipsofscale.com
 
Uwe, thank you so much for your fast response & very detailed review of these two models. Both look to be exceptional ships for the price & I especially like the detailed instructions. Lots of info. to research before making a decision but I have to say for a beginner they look daunting. I can tell you with my work on building trestles I believe I have the patience to take on one of these kits but again I'll need to do more research. Premier Ship Models have both kits in stock at a price I can afford. Their also listed as intermediate kits which is one category lower then their expert category level.
Thanks again........Al.
 
Alan56 said:
I'm a 66 year old retiree looking to build my first ship. Although I never built a model ship I am an active model railroader with experience in scratch building wooden trestle bridges, wooden building kits & plastic kits. Although wooden ship kits are far more complex then a wooden trestle I thought I would mention this to give an idea of my experience in building wooden structures. It took about 90 hours to build the trestle in the background.
I've been researching model ship building for the last few weeks, pouring over building logs on SOS & other sites plus watching videos. At first I thought I could dive right in & build an "expert" type ship like the HMS Diana from Occre but soon found out that this kit is way over my head. I would like to start out on a "beginner" ship with plank on frame construction. Currently I have two ships in mind. #1: Pirate ship Adventure by Amati (1/60) & #2: American schooner Virginia by Artesania Latina (1/41). Any thoughts on these two for a beginner?
I'm looking forward to the journey in this exciting & challenging hobby & also interacting with the fine folks at SOS.
Sincerely.........Al.

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Model railroads and model ship building go hand in hand. Key skills are similar, as is patience and having a supportive partner.

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Awesome outdoor railroad & tug Bill. There are many skills that I learned from model railroading. Building wood structures & bridges will no doubt help in constructing ships. Having a supportive partner/mentor will be key once I start a build.
 
Thought you might like to see my depot building. It's a 1:48 scale scratch built job, based on the one at Crested Butte. It is fully detailed inside with lights, battery powered, and stoves which "glow" red. Upstairs there is a fitted bathroom, two bedrooms and lounge room. Downstairs a kitchen, waiting room and dispatcher's office. My wife and I are sitting on the platform waiting for the train to Donkey Corners. The freight house is full of goods, plus a hobbo being given his marching orders. We will be visiting the real thing later this month to check out my efforts.

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Oops. Hope you don't mind. Two more photos. The first is our engine terminal, in The Cat Shed. The coaling tower, again scratch built, is based on the one at Gunnison. The second is self-evident. Rotary OM is a cut down Railking job, with etched brass sides.

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Nice job on your buildings Bill. My n scale empire is also based on the D&RGW railroad. I've been through the Gunnison area & stayed overnight in Montrose before heading down the million dollar HWY. on my Harley back in 2012. Absolutely beautiful area:).
 
I had a wonderful N Gauge railway, double track, fully scenic, colour light signals. Then my ex called time in 2006. The Cumbres and Cat Shed RR is all thanks to the wonderful girl I met in 2015. We will be starting in Albuquerque, riding the two scenic railroads, visiting Mesa Verde, walking around Ouray, spending time with friends in Crested Butte and ending up in Golden. Taxi comes at 5am on Monday, home in October. Don't tell the cats. Oh, and I also had an HO scale 12mm gauge South African Railways.

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Welcome to another dual hobbyist, I also do model railroading as many her also do, along with my ship building.

One thing you might look at is Model Expo/Model Shipways has a set of three beginner kits, which help teach basic skills of boat building and low cost.

Check out our help section and use search tool to check for build logs on the kits your interested in, you may see how simple or complex they are.
 
Kurt Konrath said:
Welcome to another dual hobbyist, I also do model railroading as many her also do, along with my ship building.

One thing you might look at is Model Expo/Model Shipways has a set of three beginner kits, which help teach basic skills of boat building and low cost.

Check out our help section and use search tool to check for build logs on the kits your interested in, you may see how simple or complex they are.
Click to expand...
Thanks Kurt for the info. I will research Model Shipways. I have been researching 5 models from Occre: The Terror, Erebus, Essex, Beagle & Endurance. I'm eliminating the Terror & Erebus due to the metal on the bow. The Essex no longer appeals to me for aesthetic reasons. The Endurance may be too much for me at this point although it really appeals to my taste. That leaves the Beagle but I'm still not sure. One other note is I would prefer wood life boats ( Endurance, Beagle) over metal (Terror, Erebus). These are my "beginner" observations for now & I'm sure they will change before I decide to buy. In no hurry............Al.
 
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