- Joined
- Jul 17, 2024
- Messages
- 6
- Points
- 23
Hello,
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Wil, I am 72 years old and have been under the spell of the Victory for a few years now. Over 35 years ago, I started ship modelling with the ultimate goal of building the Smit Rotterdam at the time. I started with the Nordkap and after completing it, I took the plunge and started building the Smit Rotterdam. The hull of this ship then sat in the cupboard for 30 years because my family and work demanded all my attention. I have since retired for several years and when corona broke out in 2020 and all the chores around the house were pretty much completed, I picked up the thread. To get back into it, I chose the Elbjorn and after completing this in autumn 2021, the Smit Rotterdam was pulled back onto the slipway. This ship was commissioned this spring of 2022. All packages, by the way, were from Billings. Below is a picture of the fleet, which is now in port with me.
When I started working on the Smit Rotterdam 30 years ago, I felt that was about my limit in terms of modelling capabilities. This would remain so for 30 years until I took the hull out of the cupboard again and finished it. Meanwhile, times had changed considerably. To give an example, back then the plates were pre-printed and you still had to cut everything yourself, now almost everything is laser cut. A big difference for an amateur.
During the dismantling of the Smit Rotterdam, I noticed that by now I had enough rest and time to start thinking about a new challenge. This was also when I came into contact with the forum www.modelbouw.nl. What I saw then was mouth-watering. I want this too!
After completing the Smit Rotterdam, with much more free time on the horizon, I knew I wanted to raise my bar a lot higher. During a holiday in Spain, I found out about the existence of the forum. Through the construction reports, some others soon came to mind. We got talking through some personal messages and then the choice was quickly made.
Although the history of historical warships never really caught my attention, building the Victory became the challenge I sought. Soon I noticed that this ship was a sought-after topic on the forum, but also that there were different brands and corresponding differences in quality. However, the choice was not difficult. It became the Victory by Caldercraft, scale 1:72.
When my package arrived from England and I opened it I immediately got confirmation that my choice was the right one. The wood is of the best quality, the 18 drawings are huge and the building instructions are very comprehensive. M.a.w. build away.
The months before, I had read through several build reports on the forum. It gave a good impression of what would be in store for me. But above all, the helpfulness of the various builders who followed this forum appealed to me. I was eager to make use of their expertise and critical notes.
At that time, what were my personal goals?
By now we are over 2.5 years on and I have already spent some 1,200 hours on my Victory. Except for fitting a few fragile parts, the hull is completely finished and I started making the masts this week.
Why my story on SOS too?
During my building process, I was also introduced to the forum www.shipsofscale , which would immediately make my view of modelling global. Even more knowledge, even more quality, this is where I want to belong too.
Therefore, I will first share with you in a nutshell my experiences of the past few years, and then report further on them in sync with my work. I am not going to describe in detail how all the components in the package should be put together, that will be familiar to everyone. What I do want to share are my personal experiences and choices, which I made and implemented during this project.
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Wil, I am 72 years old and have been under the spell of the Victory for a few years now. Over 35 years ago, I started ship modelling with the ultimate goal of building the Smit Rotterdam at the time. I started with the Nordkap and after completing it, I took the plunge and started building the Smit Rotterdam. The hull of this ship then sat in the cupboard for 30 years because my family and work demanded all my attention. I have since retired for several years and when corona broke out in 2020 and all the chores around the house were pretty much completed, I picked up the thread. To get back into it, I chose the Elbjorn and after completing this in autumn 2021, the Smit Rotterdam was pulled back onto the slipway. This ship was commissioned this spring of 2022. All packages, by the way, were from Billings. Below is a picture of the fleet, which is now in port with me.
When I started working on the Smit Rotterdam 30 years ago, I felt that was about my limit in terms of modelling capabilities. This would remain so for 30 years until I took the hull out of the cupboard again and finished it. Meanwhile, times had changed considerably. To give an example, back then the plates were pre-printed and you still had to cut everything yourself, now almost everything is laser cut. A big difference for an amateur.
During the dismantling of the Smit Rotterdam, I noticed that by now I had enough rest and time to start thinking about a new challenge. This was also when I came into contact with the forum www.modelbouw.nl. What I saw then was mouth-watering. I want this too!
After completing the Smit Rotterdam, with much more free time on the horizon, I knew I wanted to raise my bar a lot higher. During a holiday in Spain, I found out about the existence of the forum. Through the construction reports, some others soon came to mind. We got talking through some personal messages and then the choice was quickly made.
Although the history of historical warships never really caught my attention, building the Victory became the challenge I sought. Soon I noticed that this ship was a sought-after topic on the forum, but also that there were different brands and corresponding differences in quality. However, the choice was not difficult. It became the Victory by Caldercraft, scale 1:72.
When my package arrived from England and I opened it I immediately got confirmation that my choice was the right one. The wood is of the best quality, the 18 drawings are huge and the building instructions are very comprehensive. M.a.w. build away.
The months before, I had read through several build reports on the forum. It gave a good impression of what would be in store for me. But above all, the helpfulness of the various builders who followed this forum appealed to me. I was eager to make use of their expertise and critical notes.
At that time, what were my personal goals?
- Working with the best material and build description. Well this worked out quite well with Caldercraft's kit;
- Building as true-to-nature and historically correct as possible, although that's a stretch, I've since found out;
- Below the waterline one side copper and the other wood (varnished, so the planking is clearly visible);
- In due course, do a lot of work on the ropework, although I am still a bit hesitant about buying other rope and blocks because of the price;
- Last but not least: working as meticulously as possible
By now we are over 2.5 years on and I have already spent some 1,200 hours on my Victory. Except for fitting a few fragile parts, the hull is completely finished and I started making the masts this week.
Why my story on SOS too?
During my building process, I was also introduced to the forum www.shipsofscale , which would immediately make my view of modelling global. Even more knowledge, even more quality, this is where I want to belong too.
Therefore, I will first share with you in a nutshell my experiences of the past few years, and then report further on them in sync with my work. I am not going to describe in detail how all the components in the package should be put together, that will be familiar to everyone. What I do want to share are my personal experiences and choices, which I made and implemented during this project.
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![IMG_20250104_160544[1].jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/477/477153-85986e02e282d2831bd261ba3c9a2c99.jpg?hash=3AeBbz5Wso "IMG_20250104_160544[1].jpg")
