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Background
My name is Sergey, but in the ship modeling community, I’m known by the nickname
serikoff.
Currently, I have an unfinished project,
HMS Victory, which I started in 2009 (although the project was on hold for ten years). My plan is to bring the model to the stage of a partially outfitted hull, complete the copper plating, and then put it on hold in a custom glass display case. The truth is, I simply don’t have the space for a fully rigged and masted model of its size (1.5 x 1 x 0.5 m), so I may take a long time to finish it.
A Chance Encounter
One day, I stumbled upon a YouTube video showcasing the build of the Hayling Hoy 1760 model. Through the video’s title, I found a website, drydockmodelsandparts.com, which led me to my future project: the HMS Alert 1777 kit. On the site, I also discovered links to the shipsofscale.com/sosforums, which had over 25 build logs dedicated to this cutter. I instantly fell in love with this ship.
Desire and Decision
I spent a long time studying the kit and weighing my desire to purchase it. I read all the build logs on the forum, and since the reviews were universally positive, only three things held me back: 1. My unfinished previous ship. 2. The fear of leaving this project incomplete due to limited time. 3. The kit’s price, which ranged from $620 to $690.
Then, one day, I came across the kit on OLX (a local equivalent of Amazon) listed for just $350. That sealed the deal.
The Purchase
The seller was another modeler who already had five ongoing projects and one still in its box. To avoid temptation, he sold the kit to me. He had originally purchased it three years ago on AliExpress. Below, I’ll provide a detailed review of the kit.
Plans
I have very ambitious plans for this ship. Let me briefly outline them:
I plan to create
two hulls for a single installation, both housed in one display case.
The
first hull will follow the kit, built as a skeleton with all interior details, stopping at the point where the sides and decks are fully outfitted. I will then scan this skeleton hull and use a CNC machine to carve a solid replica.
The
second hull, carved from a single piece, will be planked and detailed with decking and sides. All the kit’s components (gratings, cannons, etc.) will be installed on this solid hull.
But that’s not all. I also want to scale up the ship’s anatomy plans to match the kit’s dimensions and print them 1:1. Using these plans, I’ll fabricate the masts, yards, and rigging for the second hull. I’m undecided on whether to include sails.
The result will be a continuous building process with two extremes: 1. An admiralty-style skeleton hull. 2. A fully finished model with no cutouts to view the interior.
Some might find this approach strange, as it’s common to plank one side of the ship and leave the other open for viewing. However, I’m drawn to the two extremes: either a complete ship or just the skeleton.
I’m unsure if my plans will change along the way, but I’m committed to this vision and hope it comes to fruition. Wish me luck as I embark on this long but exciting journey.
P.S. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way, but if it does, I apologize in advance.
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P.P.S. As an alternative, I might even include sails—but no promises!
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(
Photo of a museum model as a reference for execution).
