Overall an excellent learning experience was had building this model. I definitely made a few mistakes, and there are some flaws in the kit, but in the end it turned out OK and I learned from it, which was the point of the build.
Even though the hull is built on a form, it still managed to warp on me, so the hull has a slight twist to it. As my hands do shake/tremor quite a bit, more so in certain positions, some of the assembly was tricky for me and I flubbed a few things (part of the luff got a little bit miss-cut, and tying off some of the rigging was rather tricky as examples), but I managed.
The plans included in the booklet weren't true to size, they're slightly smaller. Either that or the laser cut parts were larger than the intended scale (I didn't check this as it is much easier to adapt the plan to the actual). So if one is relying on the plans to be "life size" (or scaled size), best to scan them and enlarge as necessary. As one example, I ended up recreating the sail plan in Illustrator as it wasn't the correct size.
The supplied .3mm line could have been a bit longer - as this is still a "beginner" kit, having extra is a great thing as I almost ran out since I didn't realize how much I was actually going to need. Same with the 1/32" brass rod - I didn't have enough left over to make the mainsheet loops under the boom so had to use the left over copper instead (not really that big a deal). I have no idea what the included nails were for - way too big to be the "bolts" used for the various hardware (though that was their likely purpose). I ended up using the 1/32" brass rod for most of the bolts. I ended up painting dots for the bolts in the oarlock plates as I had no more brass rod left for the bolts.
I didn't have a way to peen over the brass to make heads on the ends, so that's just an as-is thing. Viewers will get the idea (not that this is going in any museum of course).
Enjoyable build and great learning experience!
