Hi everyone,
I’ve been building ship models for a while, but mostly experimenting and learning by trial and error.
At first I practiced on some cheap kits I bought from Temu just to get a feel for hull planking and basic construction. After some time I realized that learning on very small models is actually harder than it looks — everything is tiny and mistakes become harder to fix.
So I decided to try building a scratch model inspired by the schooner Shine. As expected, the first pancake was a bit lumpy, but the result turned out reasonably decent and gave me confidence to move further.
After that I wanted a more structured learning experience and built the Occre Beagle kit. It was very interesting — and also stressful at times — lots of rebuilding and corrections. I modified the sails because I didn’t really like the original ones.
The hardest part of the kit was definitely the rigging: leading ropes to belaying pins and tightening loops in extremely tight spaces, especially where pins are so close together that it feels almost impossible to work there. This was my first and so far only large kit build.
Later I built another scratch model inspired by Bluenose. I experimented with many rigging techniques, tried a new approach to sails, and made deadeye chains differently. Again, the most difficult part was understanding rigging logic — where blocks should go and how lines are actually secured.
Recently I finished another scratch build inspired by Golden Hind. I tried new working methods again and did more brass work for the deadeye holders.
Sails are still my weak point — I still can’t make them look convincing — but hopefully I’ll improve over time.
Glad to join the forum and learn from everyone here
.
This are my Occre Beagle snapshots.
And the grand finale
The Bluenose type schooner
And the latest
Gold Hinge inspired
I’ve been building ship models for a while, but mostly experimenting and learning by trial and error.
At first I practiced on some cheap kits I bought from Temu just to get a feel for hull planking and basic construction. After some time I realized that learning on very small models is actually harder than it looks — everything is tiny and mistakes become harder to fix.
So I decided to try building a scratch model inspired by the schooner Shine. As expected, the first pancake was a bit lumpy, but the result turned out reasonably decent and gave me confidence to move further.
After that I wanted a more structured learning experience and built the Occre Beagle kit. It was very interesting — and also stressful at times — lots of rebuilding and corrections. I modified the sails because I didn’t really like the original ones.
The hardest part of the kit was definitely the rigging: leading ropes to belaying pins and tightening loops in extremely tight spaces, especially where pins are so close together that it feels almost impossible to work there. This was my first and so far only large kit build.
Later I built another scratch model inspired by Bluenose. I experimented with many rigging techniques, tried a new approach to sails, and made deadeye chains differently. Again, the most difficult part was understanding rigging logic — where blocks should go and how lines are actually secured.
Recently I finished another scratch build inspired by Golden Hind. I tried new working methods again and did more brass work for the deadeye holders.
Sails are still my weak point — I still can’t make them look convincing — but hopefully I’ll improve over time.
Glad to join the forum and learn from everyone here
.
This are my Occre Beagle snapshots.
And the grand finale
The Bluenose type schooner
And the latest
Gold Hinge inspired
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Usually it takes time for me to find my tools in my mess