Welcome, Lumix1234!
Boy, are you going to learn a lot fast. Start a build log and post text and pictures of the steps of your model build as you go. There is always a reason to post a build log. First, it gives members an opportunity to offer constructive criticism and ask questions. Second, any changes you add to the model are useful for others learning to build similar models. I have seen several build logs on the model I am currently building, and each one has ideas which I borrow and put into my build.
Ask questions, no matter how small, and replies will often be posted a couple hours or minutes after you ask. If you have any questions or need information on planking or some other difficult step, let the forum members know because we are here to help.
Search for Other Build Logs on This Forum by Ship Name and Read Them:
You will soon discover that this forum, and others like Model Ship World, are time vampires. You will spend many hours reading build logs learning model making methods, books to buy for reference and research, required tools and tools and tools that enhance your build and make it better, and excellent examples of model builds that, with every paragraph, teach you something new. And, it is so interesting, you will forget to eat a meal or two. Start exploring the build logs before you decide what ship to build first. You'll get an idea of what to watch out for, find new models that interest you, and get an understanding of the building process.
What Kit to Build First?
That's always been a tough question here. All of us have experience building different kits, and some are scratch builders. So, you will get a wildly diverse set of opinions on which ship kit makes a good starter. What you can do to help is to tell us what sort of skills and experience you have in model building, or other related hobbies or crafts. Some kits rely strongly on blueprints and plan as the instructions, which assumes you are familiar with how to assemble a wooden ship model. Others provide more text and photographs to better assist beginners.
Also, let us know which types of vessel appeal to you from a personal standpoint, after shopping around a bit and seeing what types of kits are out there. Tell us the level of complexity of the ship model, from 6th rate to 1st rate, single masted schooner to three masted man of war. Tell us which time period you are interested in. Most kits are from the 19th century. Older ships have less information available as to how they were built, which gets worse the farther back in time that you go.
You mentioned the Lady Nelson, which is actually a great kit. It doesn't teach you how to plank a hull, however. That is something you typically get from other books and there are plenty of those that can show you how to measure and apply planking to a hull with complex curves. Some kits are historically accurate, and some not. Know that ALL KITS have some features that are incorrect, and with a bit of research and a few questions, you can figure out what those parts are and correct them with a bit of modification or scratch building. For example, the Lady Nelson is a ship that never actually existed, but is a representative example of a British cutter of that time period.
How Will my Time be Spent?
Building a kit is 10% research, 90 percent construction following the instructions. Most beginners start here.
Kit bashing (heavily modifying a kit for historical accuracy) or scratch build a model from raw materials is 80% research and 20% construction, because you have to know most aspects of wooden ship construction on a timber-by-timber basis to change or fabricate parts and features and base them on historical information found in books, internet searches, or on this forum.
What can I Expect as far as Kit Quality?
No matter which kit you build, it is likely that one of us here has built it, since the amount of ship kits out there is rather limited compare to the plastic model kit world. You can depend on all of us here to answer any question you my have. So, now matter how simple the question may seem, please ask.
Most of the build is research, not building. Some people think building a traditional model sailing ship just means following the directions in a kit. Most kits disappoint them in this regard, since they assume you know how to shape wood, paint, and other skills. Other people assume they can just whack out a beginner level kit without any model experience and give up for lack of patience when they find out what a real commitment means. The ones who choose a kit to start, then gather as much knowledge from guy on boards like this, buy several books for reference, learn what tools they need and which ones work best for them, and continuously ask questions AFTER searching the forums for answers and coming up short, and have the focus, desire, patience and persistence to see the ship finished are the ones that make modelers. Very many people fall short of the mark.
Welcome, and happy ship building!
(Donnie should really put me to work writing the FAQ section for this forum
... my fingers hurt from typing all that for the 10th time.
