I have a fare amount of experience having built 3 Bluenoses, 2 Bounties, I Pegasus and a Constitution. All have been 1:64 scale. I purchased a Charles W. Morgan MS2140 kit from Model Shipways a little over 1 year ago. I am still working on it but I am very frustrated with the overall quality. The plans and the material provided do not always match up. The threads for rigging often don't match what is suggested in the plans. There are several more sizes noted on the plans but thread is not provided to match. Thereal kicker is the rudder hinges (pintles and gudgeons) are not provided and the suggestion is to "create pintles and gudgeons from paper or Brass sheet". This is the first kit that these were not provided. As I had the required items to make them I did so. Next time I will order them online if they are not provided as making them is very time consuming. I have to say they attempted to make the deck structures authentic which was good but there are so many you have to be very exact in their size as room on deck becomes a problem if the sizes very even slightly. I am at the rigging stage so I will "muster on" and finish. As you have gathered by now this is not a model I would recommend.
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did you try the MS Constitution kit? I am working on it and I agree with some of the things you say. But, it is said that it is an advanced level kit. There is a lot of building. I think that if you make a request to Model Expo for some missing stuff they will help you out. THat's what I did.
Thanks for the response Jack. The Constitution I did was the MS kit. It took me awhile to build but it turned out great. Not the easiest build. Can't say I can remember any real problems except the copper plating strips were not enough. I had to order more from China through Walmart. The problem was there might have been enough plating tape but it was not easy to handle and I lost some due to the tape sticking to itself. Ordered through Walmart the copper tape was cheap - about $10 a roll if I remember correctly. And it arrived in 3 days! I never thought about contacting MS about extra thread. I was going to order some from their online catalogue. Their price sale price was $7.99 but the shipping cost was around $30 I believe. Everyone seems to use FedEx or some other carrier rather than US mail for small items! So I decided I will try some local sewing/fabric store to see if they have anything that will do. I have lots of beige thread from other builds so I might try to stain it black but it is polyester, not cotton, so it probably won't dye.
These may be of use to you.
www.agesofsail.com
Rob
Brass Rudder Hinges (5-6mm, AM4370/06) - Ages of Sail
AM4370/06 5 to 6mm Sold Individually
www.agesofsail.com
Rob
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yeah i had a whole bunch of thread that was missing so I made a list and contacted Model Expo and they helped me out.
The shipping costs are insane. I don't order anymore because of that
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I 3D printed my gudgeons and pintles then painted them
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I recently completed their Muscongus Lobster Smack, which they advertised as a skill level 3 for beginners. Must say that kit was also of poor quality, which instructions not matching the build, to poor fitting laser cuts and fittings. Luckily Hillbilly Modelling has a build video series on building this kit which greatly helped me complete the kit. I have couple other MS kits so hopefully they are of better quality.
Hmm, a bit of confusion there... They show a pack of 10, but then say (everywhere) "sold individually". Are they really charging $2.90 for one set?These may be of use to you.
Brass Rudder Hinges (5-6mm, AM4370/06) - Ages of Sail
AM4370/06 5 to 6mm Sold Individually
Rob
confusion multiplies.. :}
Excellent question. I wondered the same thing.
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Only one way to find out!
Uh huh.. go for it! Let us know what your $2.90+ gets you!
Thanks for volunteering!
I have built several Model Shipways kits and have been satisfied with the quality. However, I recently ordered the Hemingway’s Pilar kit by Model Shipways and it’s a disaster. Right from the start the keel doesn’t fit most of the frames and if I try to force it it will fracture. Also the last frame (20th) at the stern is way off: way too high and if I cut it down it would be ruined because of its shape. I called Model-Expo and they sent me a new replacement “wood pack”. Unfortunately it has the same problems. I guess I could scratch build a new hull but what am I paying for?! Totally unacceptable. I will contact them again and hopefully they will resolve the issue.
I was very interested in the Charles W. Morgan Whaling Barque but now that you mention how disappointed you are with the kit I’m not so sure about it.
I was very interested in the Charles W. Morgan Whaling Barque but now that you mention how disappointed you are with the kit I’m not so sure about it.
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And had you contacted ModelExpo they would have shipped you replacements EVEN for your mess-ups at ZERO COST to you! Im sorry but im a huge fan of their kits and the way they treat modelers that hearing someone complain without reading their 100% LIFETIME guarantee for their kits and trying to bash them for your shortcomings, both in paying attention to their policy and your lack of skill for making parts with the materials provided in the kits (the metal is included to make the hinges and good instructions and pictures are provided in their kits. Not familiar with this specific kit i gave you the benefit of doubt and thankfully they have the instruction sheets scanned and provided on their website for every single kit I've seen, and yours was there! If you look at figure 5-12 you will see an INCREDIBLY detailed and easy to read and build drawing of how to build the hinge and tiller with lots of metal left for more then a few mistakes)!
I don't mean to sound so short but I hate when someone complains about a company or organization without ever reaching out to them for help resolving any issues! Your poor review can take food out of the mouths of children and especially when you made the mistake and ruined a large amount of the tape, they would have sent you a new roll, NO QUESTIONS ASKED, for ZERO cost to you! It is in the instruction sheet AND all over the website! Im and old plastic modeler who has moved to wood ships and I have bought more then a dozen of their kits and I can say that they might not be the easiest, they require some modeling skill and workmanship from the builder, but they are one of the easiest to work with and have a seamless process of requesting damaged or missing parts, even when you are the one damaging the parts. That is for the LIMETIME of the kit! Please, consider editing your review to explain you did not try and talk with the company before blaming them. Also, I much rather make my own hinges, blocks, etc as then I am building the ship and having more fun! Maybe that isn't for you but read the instructions on their website before buying to see if it is something you want to tackle. Model Shipways makes some of the best kits out there! The new Hemingway Pilar is INCREDIBLE!!! You might enjoy that kit more as most of the parts are pre-made, cast, etc. I mean no harm but I think correction is needed for those considering Model Shipways kits. I've had not one single negative interaction with them! Their kits are incredible, and yes, some parts can be challenging to a novice and even some beginning intermediates. If you have a few kits under your belt you should be good to go but each person is different i guess. Always give the company a chance to help you before attacking their quality. Attaching the rudder by making your own parts shouldn't be so difficult especially if you have a few tools, including a hand drill. I wish you the best and look forward to seeing you post a picture of your finished kit!
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You have to sand the parts as you want a fit with no play. You should sand off all burned wood anyway prior to assembling. There is a tradeoff as those of us who know to sand off the char need enough wood so as to not lose a tight fit and those who just wish to force things. Take your time. That kit is beyond amazing and when finished will make a very beautiful representation of Hemingway's baby! I just got the kit myself and began preparing the build but have too many ships on my desk to start this one too. Im really looking forward to it after dry fitting and reading through the build a half dozen times already. Is this your first kit from them? Which kits have you built previous? Did you try and contact ModelExpo? Can you post a picture of what issue you are describing, please? I haven't started building it and if there is a fit issue I could fix it before assembling, possibly. Thank you in advance!
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In general, maybe not here, this is a misunderstanding of laser cut and wood parts, especially compared to injection molded plastic.
As a necessity the parts come out of the billet oversized, not the exact size, the piece is rough and must be shaped for final fit. Thus slots must be enlarged, corners must be made perpendicular. It follows bulkheads right off the billet may or may not fit the keel without enlarging their slots. Kit boxes often say “Laser Cut Parts”, teeing up the idea of perfect fit. The laser cutting is just a time saver (in the past lines were stamped on the billet), not the end all, working the part is just about always necessary.
All the wood parts are rough cut, planks and dowels must be tapered, slots in cannon parts need to be worked, metal must be cut and shapped. The hull, masts, and rig must all align. The kit manufacturer labels kits, if the label is intermediate, advanced, or expert, the expectation is the builder knows how to do all of this without being told how.
So fit issues are not a quality issue, or a “disaster”. It’s the nature of building wood model kits. The time and effort learning how to do all of this is a gateway to scratch building.
Good luck!
As a necessity the parts come out of the billet oversized, not the exact size, the piece is rough and must be shaped for final fit. Thus slots must be enlarged, corners must be made perpendicular. It follows bulkheads right off the billet may or may not fit the keel without enlarging their slots. Kit boxes often say “Laser Cut Parts”, teeing up the idea of perfect fit. The laser cutting is just a time saver (in the past lines were stamped on the billet), not the end all, working the part is just about always necessary.
All the wood parts are rough cut, planks and dowels must be tapered, slots in cannon parts need to be worked, metal must be cut and shapped. The hull, masts, and rig must all align. The kit manufacturer labels kits, if the label is intermediate, advanced, or expert, the expectation is the builder knows how to do all of this without being told how.
So fit issues are not a quality issue, or a “disaster”. It’s the nature of building wood model kits. The time and effort learning how to do all of this is a gateway to scratch building.
Good luck!
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