- Joined
- Sep 23, 2021
- Messages
- 137
- Points
- 113
Hello to all the members of the SOS forum. Apart from a few plastic kits when I was a teenager ( a long time ago), the world of scale model wooden ships is new ground for me. So far, I have done a couple kits to start learning the ropes of this new hobby.
My first build was Billing Boats 1:75, BB 706, The Sir Winston Churchill. I built it as a present for my wife who sailed on the ship as a teenager some 50 years ago, when it was part of the Tall Ships Youth Trust fleet (a UK charity offering the opportunity for young people to engage in a tall ship sea adventure and learn valuable life skills). She has supported their work ever since through donations to the trust (www.tallships.org). It was a good learning exercise and I was quite pleased with the end result considering it was my first attempt at a wooden ship model. I have attached a few shots.
For my next build, I purchased a 1985 vintage Billing Boats kit (pre-laser cutting days), 1:50 BB 578, The Lilla Dan. Because of the pandemic, this became a lock-down build and I was able to devote a bit more time to the model, researching the ship’s history, correcting some errors in the model and making wooden parts to replace the plastic ones that came with the kit. Some photos of the ship attached.
My current build is a version of the classic Canadian Schooner, Bluenose. I decided this was an appropriate build as this is the 100th Anniversary year of the original Bluenose. Unfortunately, my choice of kit has proved to be a very bad one! I was hoping to buy the Model Shipways version (which most people review highly), but there was no stock in the UK at the time, so I bought the 1:75 Artesania-Latina Bluenose II kit, 22453 - a big mistake! I made a start back in February but, as I progressed the build, I was really disappointed with the model. The quality of the fittings and instructions are very poor, there are many issues with the laser cut parts and overall, I think that the model is not a good representation of Bluenose II. After battling with the framing and first planking, I decided that the best thing to do was stop, throw the instructions into the bin and set about completely re-working the kit. Fortunately, there is plenty of information to be had on the internet that has helped me to progress the build (although at a very slow pace). Hopefully, at the end, I will have something that I will be happy to put on display (at least I will have gained some more experience in model ship building as a result). I will be posting the build-to-date (warts and all) as my first log as a new member and hopefully pick up a few hints and tips from the more experienced members.
Looking forward to reviewing some of the builds up on the forum - some very impressive modelling skills on show!
My first build was Billing Boats 1:75, BB 706, The Sir Winston Churchill. I built it as a present for my wife who sailed on the ship as a teenager some 50 years ago, when it was part of the Tall Ships Youth Trust fleet (a UK charity offering the opportunity for young people to engage in a tall ship sea adventure and learn valuable life skills). She has supported their work ever since through donations to the trust (www.tallships.org). It was a good learning exercise and I was quite pleased with the end result considering it was my first attempt at a wooden ship model. I have attached a few shots.
For my next build, I purchased a 1985 vintage Billing Boats kit (pre-laser cutting days), 1:50 BB 578, The Lilla Dan. Because of the pandemic, this became a lock-down build and I was able to devote a bit more time to the model, researching the ship’s history, correcting some errors in the model and making wooden parts to replace the plastic ones that came with the kit. Some photos of the ship attached.
My current build is a version of the classic Canadian Schooner, Bluenose. I decided this was an appropriate build as this is the 100th Anniversary year of the original Bluenose. Unfortunately, my choice of kit has proved to be a very bad one! I was hoping to buy the Model Shipways version (which most people review highly), but there was no stock in the UK at the time, so I bought the 1:75 Artesania-Latina Bluenose II kit, 22453 - a big mistake! I made a start back in February but, as I progressed the build, I was really disappointed with the model. The quality of the fittings and instructions are very poor, there are many issues with the laser cut parts and overall, I think that the model is not a good representation of Bluenose II. After battling with the framing and first planking, I decided that the best thing to do was stop, throw the instructions into the bin and set about completely re-working the kit. Fortunately, there is plenty of information to be had on the internet that has helped me to progress the build (although at a very slow pace). Hopefully, at the end, I will have something that I will be happy to put on display (at least I will have gained some more experience in model ship building as a result). I will be posting the build-to-date (warts and all) as my first log as a new member and hopefully pick up a few hints and tips from the more experienced members.
Looking forward to reviewing some of the builds up on the forum - some very impressive modelling skills on show!
