So Here's My First Kit Thoughts

K

K_Collins

Joined
Oct 10, 2023
Messages
7
Points
8

Greetings group... New to the forum and new to the hobby.

So I am fascinated with the idea of Scratch Building model ships. Never built one in my life. I have no clue even where to begin. AND I'm not even sure I would like the hobby... However I have built plastic plane models over the years as well as metal earth models and the sort.

So here is my theory.

I have found a really and I mean really cheap Chinese Kit on Amazon for $17 bucks. I believe it's scale is 1/100. Needless to say it has several "skill" elements required to build it. Hull Rib Construction, Planking, Mast and Rigging skills. As I'm unsure that I want to build from kits at this time my thought is I can purchase several of these cheaper kits to practice and learn the craft. Making all my mistakes and errors on those. Then after my confidence level is higher and I'm sure I want to do this as a hobby I would purchase a set of plans to build from. Speaking of which I would love any direction to good quality scratch build plans either free or available for purchase. Not to mention any recommendations on books or videos on scratch building.

I have a Filament 3D Printer, a 1000mm by 1500mm CNC, a Diode Laser and a full blown woodworking shop. Not to mention several hand tools like a Dremel, hand saw, micro drill bits and so on. So when I'm ready to pull the trigger on my first serious build I'll have the tools to do so. I just need the skills.

So what has been everyone's experience? Better to start with a kit and learn the ropes or does my plan have merit? I'm sure it's all relative but have you found scratch building harder than kits? Easier than kits or about the same?
 
Hello, welcome to our forum and have fun. Unfortunately I'm out of wooden hulls. I tried it once, but failed miserably. That's why I stick with kits with finished hulls. I can't give you any tips in this regard, but I'm sure that there will be enough model builders to help you in this forum.
 
The $17 kit is terrible. There are next to no instructions with it, so most of what you do will be guessing. There is no rigging plan to show you where lines are supposed to go. There are parts that go in the model that aren't even shown on the drawings. As long as you are ready for this sort of lack of information, as you said it's only $17. Go ahead and try it.

I prefer to get an understanding of where a persons skills and knowledge are and either direct them to the 3 kit shipwright series from Model Expo (the first one is only $30 on sale for $23 I believe, or you can get the set of 3 for a little over $100) or I point them toward the Occre Polaris or maybe the Albatross if they have more experience with models, working with wood or knowledge. This better sets them up for success I believe.

I hope that helps some.

Jeff
 
I agree with Corsair. I also have the Chinese Harvey kit. The laser cut would is edge burnt, parts are not well fitting, and the instructions are the most basic picto-grams. It's a fun kit for those who have some experience and can work around several difficulties, but it can provide frustration for a beginner. The result is a nice, simple toy, but not a historically accurate model. There are so many other choices to go with for your first run, albeit a lot more expensive, but they will at least provide you with a decent model when you're done. If you want a simple galleon, Artesania Latina's San Francisco II is a good choice and it has good step by step instructions on a CD. Corsair named a few later period vessels that are also good choices. It depends on what style of ship you like.

One of the better results of the Chinese made Harvey kit. The rigging is so simplistic that you can't determine what the lines are supposed to do. There are no blocks used.
1697023813314.png

Artesania Latina's kit for the schooner Harvey. Note the rigging is workable, and the detail is much greater. The model is larger, too. This is very important because large models are so much easier to work on.
1697023996355.png
 
Last edited:
Corsair said:
The $17 kit is terrible. There are next to no instructions with it, so most of what you do will be guessing. There is no rigging plan to show you where lines are supposed to go. There are parts that go in the model that aren't even shown on the drawings. As long as you are ready for this sort of lack of information, as you said it's only $17. Go ahead and try it.

I prefer to get an understanding of where a persons skills and knowledge are and either direct them to the 3 kit shipwright series from Model Expo (the first one is only $30 on sale for $23 I believe, or you can get the set of 3 for a little over $100) or I point them toward the Occre Polaris or maybe the Albatross if they have more experience with models, working with wood or knowledge. This better sets them up for success I believe.

I hope that helps some.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip Corsair. I'll look into those. I could handle spending $100 or so to do some learning. And if the quality of learning would be better on these models then it's a definite win... I love the looks of the Occre Polaris and the Albatross. Those had caught my eye back when I first started looking into maybe kinda sorta getting into this hobby. But wanted to do some learning first so I could give them a solid effort. I'm an avid woodworker so I have the background. I just need the skills. You have me thinking Corsair... Thanks.
 
In my opinion, that Chinese model is probably garbage. You get what you pay for. Why not start with something like the Bluenose? It seems to be a very common model and so there are a lot of people that have done it which means a lot of support.
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
I agree with Corsair. I also have the Chinese Harvey kit. The laser cut would is edge burnt, parts are not well fitting, and the instructions are the most basic picto-grams. It's a fun kit for those who have some experience and can work around several difficulties, but it can provide frustration for a beginner. The result is a nice, simple toy, but not a historically accurate model. There are so many other choices to go with for your first run, albeit a lot more expensive, but they will at least provide you with a decent model when you're done. If you want a simple galleon, Artesania Latina's San Francisco II is a good choice and it has good step by step instructions on a CD. Corsair named a few later period vessels that are also good choices. It depends on what style of ship you like.

One of the better results of the Chinese made Harvey kit. The rigging is so simplistic that you can't determine what the lines are supposed to do. There are no blocks used.
View attachment 399455

Artesania Latina's kit for the schooner Harvey. Note the rigging is workable, and the detail is much greater. The model is larger, too. This is very important because large models are so much easier to work on.
View attachment 399456
Click to expand...

Ramsey Kurt? Dakota, MN here.. Small world.

I think what I'm trying to do here is buy materials to practice Planking. To practice assembly. To practice rigging. So that when I do buy a kit or venture out into scratch building I'll have the abilities. And these little kits have the materials at the ready... And cheaply. Not sure I care if I even get a model out of it but rather insight on how it's done. But Corsair does make a lot of sense in regards to learning better on a better quality kit.

Lots to think about.
 
Jack Sparrow said:
In my opinion, that Chinese model is probably garbage. You get what you pay for. Why not start with something like the Bluenose? It seems to be a very common model and so there are a lot of people that have done it which means a lot of support.
Click to expand...
That makes a lot of sense Jack. But like I said in my reply to Darivs. I'm buying building materials on the cheap to practice the technique. Not build the model. If that makes sense.
 
K_Collins said:
That makes a lot of sense Jack. But like I said in my reply to Darivs. I'm buying building materials on the cheap to practice the technique. Not build the model. If that makes sense
Click to expand...
Yes it does. I will say, though, that I just jumped right into it, and let the experience and mistakes educate me, but even after I have built several models, I am still learning.
 
K_Collins said:
Thanks for the tip Corsair. I'll look into those. I could handle spending $100 or so to do some learning. And if the quality of learning would be better on these models then it's a definite win... I love the looks of the Occre Polaris and the Albatross. Those had caught my eye back when I first started looking into maybe kinda sorta getting into this hobby. But wanted to do some learning first so I could give them a solid effort. I'm an avid woodworker so I have the background. I just need the skills. You have me thinking Corsair... Thanks.
Click to expand...
always glad to at least try to help. :D
 
K_Collins said:
Ramsey Kurt? Dakota, MN here.. Small world.

I think what I'm trying to do here is buy materials to practice Planking. To practice assembly. To practice rigging. So that when I do buy a kit or venture out into scratch building I'll have the abilities. And these little kits have the materials at the ready... And cheaply. Not sure I care if I even get a model out of it but rather insight on how it's done. But Corsair does make a lot of sense in regards to learning better on a better quality kit.

Lots to think about.
Click to expand...
Small world indeed! I drive past your place every Thursday and Sunday on my way to/from work in LaCrosse, WI.

As for practice, doing a simple ship like San Francisco II would be a good first model even if it turns out to be a messy first attempt because it offers you excellent planking practice using quality wood materials. If you want to do practice without a model, making a scratch built hull using frames cut from plywood and strips of inexpensive basswood could be done.

The SF II kit is around $200.00, and there are other kits out there suitable for beginners as well. I found the SF II on sale on Model Expo for $169.00 a year ago, and ship model vendors often have sales, so take full advantage of them.

1697043748560.png

Buying a used/unassembled kit off eBay can sometimes save you some money too. If there is some wood missing, it usually be replaced easily by buying spare pieces at one of the model ship vendors. Do some research and decide what type/period ship you want to built. Your first one will probably not be the one you desire the most, but after you build one or perhaps two starter models, you can choose the really tough one you really want.

The Lady Nelson ($139.00 on eBay), shown below comes to mind. The Lady Nelson did not exist in history, but it is a historically accurate model of a typical cutter of the time. Painted hulls are more forgiving of mistakes than ones in oiled natural wood which could show mistakes like gaps and planking repairs.

1697041461304.png 1697043455985.png
 
Last edited:
I fully agree with suggestions like this one from Kurt
A 17$ kit will produce more problems and dissatisfaction than happiness - the quality of material has to be limited, otherwise such a price can not be possible.

Kits like the Lady Nelson will produce much more fun and are very good to learn the basic methods.
In addition a ship model with only one mast has a relatively simple rigging, which is often in the beginning complicated
 
and definitely scratch building is more complicated and you need much more tools, so often it is better to start with a kit in order to get some experience. With the time and models you will have much more tools (hand and electric) which you need to make scratch models.
Please do not underestimate the investments in tools which are necessary for scratch building
 
DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
Small world indeed! I drive past your place every Thursday and Sunday on my way to/from work in LaCrosse, WI.

As for practice, doing a simple ship like San Francisco II would be a good first model even if it turns out to be a messy first attempt because it offers you excellent planking practice using quality wood materials. If you want to do practice without a model, making a scratch built hull using frames cut from plywood and strips of inexpensive basswood could be done.

The SF II kit is around $200.00, and there are other kits out there suitable for beginners as well. I found the SF II on sale on Model Expo for $169.00 a year ago, and ship model vendors often have sales, so take full advantage of them.

View attachment 399481

Buying a used/unassembled kit off eBay can sometimes save you some money too. If there is some wood missing, it usually be replaced easily by buying spare pieces at one of the model ship vendors. Do some research and decide what type/period ship you want to built. Your first one will probably not be the one you desire the most, but after you build one or perhaps two starter models, you can choose the really tough one you really want.

The Lady Nelson ($139.00 on eBay), shown below comes to mind. The Lady Nelson did not exist in history, but it is a historically accurate model of a typical cutter of the time. Painted hulls are more forgiving of mistakes than ones in oiled natural wood which could show mistakes like gaps and planking repairs.

View attachment 399478 View attachment 399480
Click to expand...
I quote definitely The Lady Nelson: Although pretty simple, it includes "en petit" the whole catalogue of craftin' issues of any bigger kits (masting, planking...). Even the scale is ideal for a beginner, IMHO.
 
Don't ignore getting some books too. Books can be one of the most important tools. Look into something like "Ship Modeling Simplified" by Mastini or "Historic Ship Models" by Mondfeld and "The Ship Model Builders Assistant" by Davis. These can be great learning tools and can be purchased at a very reasonable price. :)
 
I advocate progressive learning with this hobby. Start simple and progress. Avoids mountains of frustration simply for lack of knowledge or experience. I might suggest taking a look at Bob Hunt’s series of practicums at Lauckstreetshipyard.com. Even if you choose not to get his excellent practicums it does give you a solid concept of progression. He also offers practicums on scratch building. My recommendation is to get one of his beginning practicums along with the kit and learn some of the critical concepts such as relationships between structures and the art of planking a hull. Diving straight into a scratch build is not advised…just my thoughts…
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top