HMS ENTERPRISE by Keith 1:48 scale. New Kit from M.D.

Hi All.
A few photos showing the building cradle (or jig) in it's now complete form. It's been fun putting together this little project. The plywood is excellent quality and everything fits together perfectly to make a good strong construction to build the hull ribs in. As I've done in the past, l have given the whole thing a coat of tung oil. Not a specified step in the construction, but as the hull will be in this quite some time and temperatures and humidity change drastically here in southern Spain from winter/spring to dry, very hot summers, there is always the risk of the plywood construction warping or twisting slightly. I am taking no chances. It also looks nice as well I think

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THe saddest part of all, is that the jig for this kit has better engineering then the majority of model kits do. Even the nicer high end ones do. I mean the ones designed "in the 1970s and left untouched ever since"
 
Keef said:
As I've done in the past, l have given the whole thing a coat of tung oil. Not a specified step in the construction, but as the hull will be in this quite some time and temperatures and humidity change drastically here in southern Spain from winter/spring to dry, very hot summers, there is always the risk of the plywood construction warping or twisting slightly.
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That's a very nice jig! Unfortunately, tung oil (or any kind of oil, for that matter) will not prevent and barely even slows down moisture ingress/egress from the wood. Only an actual film finish would do that. Epoxy would be the absolute best, and marine varnish is a close second, but even that lets some moisture through. Nevertheless, the oil does make it look pretty. :)
 
Keef said:
Hi folks.
New kit, new log. The long awaited new kit from Modelship Dockyard, HMS ENTERPRISE in 1:48 scale.
The kit arrived safe and sound and in perfect condition. Thank you Victor and DHL for a great service. Zoly has already done a superb unboxing. I can´t match it so I´ll skip that part, just to say the package was very well packed and all the parts and materials look to be amazing. This is going to be one hell of a build. The finished model is huge with a hull length of 960 mm and will take up a lot of the available space on my work bench. I have started at the beginning, obviously, with the building of the cradle that positions and protects the keel and ribs during the construction process. It looks to be quite a complicated affair, differing in design from other kits I have made so far. It is made from good quality 5 mm plywood, laser cut. The parts fit together very tightly so a little sanding of the cutouts to remove the laser char and achieve a perfect fit is essential. The pictures show parts and make up of the first stage of construction which is in 2 halves that have to be joined together due to the length. Also the parts for the second stage are shown in the last 2 photos.

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Ordered this kit this a.m. Your description helped my make up my mind.
 
Hi Keith, it looks like your first model is complete. I'm on board now for the ship. I've heard some great things about this kit. I'm sure it is in good hands and you will do it justice!
 
tball4217 said:
THe saddest part of all, is that the jig for this kit has better engineering then the majority of model kits do. Even the nicer high end ones do. I mean the ones designed "in the 1970s and left untouched ever since"
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Too right. These Chinese PoF kit designers, Modelship Dockyard, CAF Models, Trident Models to name the 3 I have experience with are miles ahead with innovative designs and ideas. Something the longstanding manufacturers could take notice of
 
Spars said:
Ordered this kit this a.m. Your description helped my make up my mind.
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That's great news. It really is an excellent kit. Have fun with your build. Will you be posting your progress on here?
 
Hoss6262 said:
Hi Keith, it looks like your first model is complete. I'm on board now for the ship. I've heard some great things about this kit. I'm sure it is in good hands and you will do it justice!
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Great to hear from you again Hoss. Come along for the ride
 
RussF said:
That's a very nice jig! Unfortunately, tung oil (or any kind of oil, for that matter) will not prevent and barely even slows down moisture ingress/egress from the wood. Only an actual film finish would do that. Epoxy would be the absolute best, and marine varnish is a close second, but even that lets some moisture through. Nevertheless, the oil does make it look pretty. :)
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It does look nice though doesn't it
 
Keef said:
Too right. These Chinese PoF kit designers, Modelship Dockyard, CAF Models, Trident Models to name the 3 I have experience with are miles ahead with innovative designs and ideas. Something the longstanding manufacturers could take notice of
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When the kit of a 6th rate ship or even a cutter has better quality wood, design, and assembly then the continously made kit of say Soveriegn of the Seas... one has to wonder what support we have actually gotten from the normal kit makers of europe
 
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