I recently visited family in the US and took advantage of the trip to get a lot of modeling and woodworking stuff. Shipping things to Mexico can be very expensive and uncertain, so this was a better option, although packing everything into suitcases was a bit tricky.
First up, I got David Antscherl's Hayling Hoy monograph. Although the full, framed model is a bit beyond my current skills and display space, I think a cross-section would be an interesting build and informative about British construction techniques. The monograph looks great. Compared with the Ancre monographs I've seen, it gives a lot of detail on modeling tips and techniques, with a lot of photos.
I also got a Model Shipways Ropewalk. Given the difficulty of getting nice scale rope in Mexico, I'm interested in learning how to make my own. I haven't heard great things about the sturdiness of the Model Shipways Ropewalk, but I think it will at least allow me to figure out the basic techniques, and for the small workboats I usually model, I won't need a ton of rope anyway.
That said, I'm not quite ready to make my own rope just yet--I still have some Ropes of Scale and Syren rope for my current projects. I placed an order with Ropes of Scale to complete the rigging for my Bateau de Lanvéoc. I also got some Model Shipways "Beautiful Blocks" to finish rigging the Muscongus Bay Sloop. At this point, I think I have enough blocks to last me a while, and I will probably try making my own for some future builds.
I also bought several tools. While working on the NRG Capstan, I realized that a tiny chisel would be really helpful, so I bought a 1/16-inch one. I like the Zona Saw I've been using, but it has a tiny cutting depth (just 1/4-inch for its miter box), so I upgraded to a larger saw and miter box, which will be useful for both modeling and dovetails/other woodworking projects. I also got a Ryoba saw, which in theory I can use to rip small stock. Given the difficulty of finding dimensioned small stock here, I'll need to figure out how to prepare my own.
Also a used block plane, useful for general woodworking. I also have some small boards of a local wood, Manzanillo, that I'd like to use for a future modeling project, and this should be helpful in smoothing them a bit (yes it's not technically a smoothing plane, but should work fine for the small boards I have). I also picked up, for non-modeling purposes, an old moulding plane and a very banged up Stanley 48 Tongue-and-Groove plane that I think I can restore into a useable plow plane.
Besides tools, also a lot of wood. Probably too much, actually: I'm not going to buy more until I make a serious dent in my existing supply/run out of a size I really need and can't readily get by thickness planing. I placed an order at Ocooch Hardwoods for some nicer woods for modeling and box-making. Below, Cherry and Maple in 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16-inch thicknesses.
I also ordered a bit of Gonçalo Alves (which I've found to be excellent to work with) and some 1/16-inch Yellowheart. I have a planned cross-section build using yellowish Manzanillo, but I don't have any boards thin enough to use for planking, so I thought I'd experiment with the Yellowheart. However, the board they sent me has a ton of pink streaks! So, it will not really be useable for planking. On the other hand, it's pretty cool looking and I think will make a nice box liner.
Although I also wanted to pick up some basswood in thicknesses of 1/32-in (planking) and 1/8-in (small box bottoms and POB frameworks), I made a mistake in not ordering this ahead of time. Previously, there were at least four places to buy basswood in my family's town--Joanne Fabrics, local hobby shop, Hobby Lobby, and Ace Hardware. The Joanne and local hobby shop both went out of business, Ace had no basswood and no plans to reorder anytime soon, and Hobby Lobby had almost nothing in stock and the workers thought they were going to no longer carry it. I bought the only stuff they had--1/4-in boards--but I'm wondering if there are shortages of basswood or something?
Looking for alternatives, I did find poplar in 1/4-in and 3/16-in thicknesses, which should work for some woodworking projects and POB frameworks, if not for planking. I'm curious to see how it is working with it.
Finally, I found that a local second-hand store sells random hardwood offcuts for a very reasonable price. Most of what they had was walnut, but also a bit of wenge, maple, cherry, and some kind of rosewood or something which I want to make a plow plane with. This material (only a portion of which is below) will mostly be for woodworking, not modeling.
So, I bought way too much, but I think I should be good on purchases for a long while. Looking forward to using all this stuff!