Where do I buy a wooden Kit from?

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 4:02 AM

Hi all

I am a modeller for over 65 years mainly plastic kits, wooden radio controlled Boats, aeroplanes, and I am on my latest kit Trumpeter 1/200 scale Bismarck with the full Advanced Pontos add on Kit.

I am now planning my next project 6-9 Months down the line HMS Victory Wooden Kit.

Where can I get a good wooden model kit of the HMS Victory? I live in the UK. Billings Boats looks OK

What do I have to look out for scale quality etc?

RogerD · Sunday at 4:33 AM

Good morning @Daaveyboy and welcome to the SoS forums. The Caldercraft kit of the Victory is considered one of the best available. Since you are in the UK you might find it beneficial to look at offerings from Cornwall Model Boats (link below).

I have the Caldercraft kit sitting on a shelf as yet to be started, the quality is excellent. However, there are a number of HMS Victory build threads on this forum that may assist in your decision. I have no doubt you will shortly get very helpful suggestions from SoS forum members.

Cornwall Model Boats Ltd

Suppliers of quality model boat and model ship kits, fitting hardware, radio controlled and static display model boats. Period ship specialist. A large range of model boat and ship kits, boat fittings, boat plans, building materials, books and modelling tools. Mantua Panart, Sergal, Amati...

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk

Caldercraft HMS Victory 1781 1:72 Scale

Caldercraft HMS Victory Forever associated with Nelson's last battle, H.M.S. Victory is one of the most famous ships of all time, and is now preserved as a major part of the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. Forty years old by the time of Trafalgar (1805), she had been the flagship of half a...

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 4:45 AM

RogerD said:
Good morning @Daaveyboy and welcome to the SoS forums. The Caldercraft kit of the Victory is considered one of the best available. Since you are in the UK you might find it beneficial to look at offerings from Cornwall Model Boats (link below).

I have the Caldercraft kit sitting on a shelf as yet to be started, the quality is excellent. However, there are a number of HMS Victory build threads on this forum that may assist in your decision. I have no doubt you will shortly get very helpful suggestions from SoS forum members.

Cornwall Model Boats Ltd

Suppliers of quality model boat and model ship kits, fitting hardware, radio controlled and static display model boats. Period ship specialist. A large range of model boat and ship kits, boat fittings, boat plans, building materials, books and modelling tools. Mantua Panart, Sergal, Amati...

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk

Caldercraft HMS Victory 1781 1:72 Scale

Caldercraft HMS Victory Forever associated with Nelson's last battle, H.M.S. Victory is one of the most famous ships of all time, and is now preserved as a major part of the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. Forty years old by the time of Trafalgar (1805), she had been the flagship of half a...

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk

Many thanks for your speedy reply Looking at the Caldercraft Kit, It looks like a great kit and LARGE, I will be looking into it over the next 6 - 12 Months.
Thanks again.

AllanKP69 · Sunday at 4:47 AM

Hi David,
It sounds like you have little or no experience with a complex wooden sailing ship kit. If that is the case, would you consider something that is simpler and will teach some of the skills needed to build a more complex wooden model? If you want to jump in with a Victory kit there are a lot of them that you can study in the build logs here at SoS. Study these to see if any of them suit your needs, be it plank on frame, plank on bulkhead, quality materials, clear instructions, price, accuracy and so forth. Not all kits are created equally

Good luck
Allan

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 4:59 AM

AllanKP69 said:
Hi David,
It sounds like you have no little or no experience with a complex wooden sailing ship kit. If that is the case, would you consider something that is simpler and will teach some of the skills needed to build a more complex wooden model? If you want to jump in with a Victory kit there are a lot of them that you can study in the build logs here at SoS. Study these to see if any of them suit your needs, be it plank on frame, plank on bulkhead, quality materials, clear instructions, price, accuracy and so forth. Not all kits are created equally
Good luck
Allan

Many thanks for your advice, I will be following it.

Bob Cleek · Sunday at 5:10 AM

Double-ditto to what RogerD and Allan just wrote. If you think anything from Billings "looks good," keep looking! Yes, I suppose there will be those who are justifiably proud of their Billings models, but in my experience, Billings is about fifty years behind the times with respect to what today's serious kit builders are entitled to expect for what they pay for a kit. There are lots of HMS Victory kits on the market. If the "chatter" in the online forums is any indication, only a very few are without significant problems. Thousands of Victory kits have been sold over the years, I'm sure. Only a small percentage were ever finished. I would not advise a first-time ship kit builder to tackle Victory under any circumstances and neither does Caldercraft, which speaks volumes for their integrity and quality. The amount of skill, experience, independent research, and after-market supplemental materials required to build any Victory kit cannot be overestimated. Far be it from me to tell anybody else which ship model kit to build. If you don't mind spending the better part of the rest of your life sanding laser-burned char off the edges of wooden parts, by all means, go for it.

And, while you are shopping, be aware that many of the kits manufactured in China and some from Russia are simply counterfeits of kits designed and marketed in Europe and North America, albeit with inferior materials and zero customer support when you are up against missing parts, etc.

Considering your stated interests and knowing a bit about live steam model engineering myself, I will hazard to say that I expect a railroad steam engine machined from any of the castings sets on the market today will take less work and less time to complete than a respectable HMS Victory.

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 5:19 AM

Bob Cleek said:
Double-ditto to what RogerD and Allan just wrote. If you think anything from Billings "looks good," keep looking! Yes, I suppose there will be those who are justifiably proud of their Billings models, but in my experience, Billings is about fifty years behind the times with respect to what today's serious kit builders are entitled to expect for what they pay for a kit. There are lots of HMS Victory kits on the market. If the "chatter" in the online forums is any indication, only a very few are without significant problems. Thousands of Victory kits have been sold over the years, I'm sure. Only a small percentage were ever finished. I would not advise a first-time ship kit builder to tackle Victory under any circumstances and neither does Caldercraft, which speaks volumes for their integrity and quality. The amount of skill, experience, independent research, and after-market supplemental materials required to build any Victory kit cannot be overestimated. Far be it from me to tell anybody else which ship model kit to build. If you don't mind spending the better part of the rest of your life sanding laser-burned char off the edges of wooden parts, by all means, go for it.

And, while you are shopping, be aware that many of the kits manufactured in China and some from Russia are simply counterfeits of kits designed and marketed in Europe and North America, albeit with inferior materials and zero customer support when you are up against missing parts, etc.

Considering your stated interests and knowing a bit about live steam model engineering myself, I will hazard to say that I expect a railroad steam engine machined from any of the castings sets on the market today will take less work and less time to complete than a respectable HMS Victory.

Many thanks, interesting comment.

Pepite 1/60 · Sunday at 5:54 AM

For a first wooden model, Mantua has a decent 1/200 scale Victory that wouldn't too much break your heart or bank account if ever you'd mess her up.

Senorbob · Sunday at 6:09 AM

Daaveyboy said:
Hi all

I am a modeller for over 65 years mainly plastic kits, wooden radio controlled Boats, aeroplanes, and I am on my latest kit Trumpeter 1/200 scale Bismarck with the full Advanced Pontos add on Kit.

I am now planning my next project 6-9 Months down the line HMS Victory Wooden Kit.

Where can I get a good wooden model kit of the HMS Victory? I live in the UK. Billings Boats looks OK

What do I have to look out for scale quality etc?

if you look closely at the billings website you can click on the instructions (I think) then decide if they are sufficient to build the model. that is a pretty ambitious project

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 12:11 PM

Senorbob said:
if you look closely at the billings website you can click on the instructions (I think) then decide if they are sufficient to build the model. that is a pretty ambitious project

Many Thanks.

Roger Pellett · Sunday at 12:52 PM

Think about scale. The standard museum scale is 1:48. The metric equivalent being 1:50. Unless you are fortunate enough to live in one of those classic English manor houses a 1:50 scale model of Victory will require you to vacate a room to display it.

On the other hand 1:200 is considered to be a miniature scale. Miniaturists have developed special techniques to craft detail for their models (tiny seeds for blocks). In order to be built by most modelers kit that builds a 1:200 scale Victory would either be highly simplified, or would include over scale parts.

I do not build sailing warship models, but reading forum posts 1:64 scale appears to be the compromise for building a detailed sailing warship model that can be displayed in a reasonable space.

Daaveyboy · Sunday at 1:02 PM

Roger Pellett said:
Think about scale. The standard museum scale is 1:48. The metric equivalent being 1:50. Unless you are fortunate enough to live in one of those classic English manor houses a 1:50 scale model of Victory will require you to vacate a room to display it.

On the other hand 1:200 is considered to be a miniature scale. Miniaturists have developed special techniques to craft detail for their models (tiny seeds for blocks). In order to be built by most modelers kit that builds a 1:200 scale Victory would either be highly simplified, or would include over scale parts.

I do not build sailing warship models, but reading forum posts 1:64 scale appears to be the compromise for building a detailed sailing warship model that can be displayed in a reasonable space.

Many Thanks.

Signet · 2025-07-19T10:04:58-0500

Bob Cleek said:
And, while you are shopping, be aware that many of the kits manufactured in China and some from Russia are simply counterfeits of kits designed and marketed in Europe and North America, albeit with inferior materials and zero customer support when you are up against missing parts, etc.

And be aware that many other Chinese kits are the very best of their kind, with materials and construction of a quality that European kits can only hope to obtain, along with excellent support. Many/most of the kits from drydockmodelsandparts.com, for example, are from China, and are among the best you can buy.

Pepite 1/60 · 2025-07-19T10:24:05-0500

In one word, wherever you find what you are looking for. Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, ZHL, or at any model shop, ... And keep in mind: buying a "wrong" kit is usually not a life-threatening, dramatic experience. So just go for it.

Stuart Little · 2025-07-19T11:33:55-0500

Daaveyboy said:
Hi all

I am a modeller for over 65 years mainly plastic kits, wooden radio controlled Boats, aeroplanes, and I am on my latest kit Trumpeter 1/200 scale Bismarck with the full Advanced Pontos add on Kit.

I am now planning my next project 6-9 Months down the line HMS Victory Wooden Kit.

Where can I get a good wooden model kit of the HMS Victory? I live in the UK. Billings Boats looks OK

What do I have to look out for scale quality etc?

I would steer clear of Billings Victory, it doesn't have wales for a start. The ultimate one has to be Caldercraft - long term project I'm finding it to be. I keep finding parts that I need to re-make with better wood. Cornwall Model Boats is highly recommended - join their club for a 'tenner' & get a half-decent discount. Current price of Coldercraft Vic is £1009 (out of stock at present)
Stuart

Bob Ellis · 2025-07-19T11:35:48-0500

Daaveyboy said:
Many Thanks.

The problem with Billings is the materials. The ply for the skeleton is truly apalling, the externals timber the cheapest. 40 years ago the choice was limited, other companies hit the market but Billings made no effort to upgarade to compete. How they've managed to survive must be first time kit buyers? My advice is 'not even with a barge pole'! The Caldercraft is generally considered a class apart. But NOT for a first build! If you MUST build a full rigged ship check out Vanguard, Amati Victory line, Modellers Shipyard. Many Chinese kits are very good quality. Other companies available at Cornwall include Corel, Mantua, Mamoli, OcCre, Dusek etc...all best avoided.
Caldercraft's Victory is also highly accurate. It's always an idea to check this. Their HMS Pickle is another vessel entirely! Ballahoo does not correspond with the NMM plans. The plans can be downloaded from the NMM website for free.
Expect to buy extras, cannons, good quality blocks, planking etc. These can make all the difference.
Probably most 'modellers tools' are useless money wasters, plank benders, nail pushers. There are many ways of bending planks...and pins and nails cause damage and are unnecessary. Mine are in the bin along with all the daft tools I bought!!!
Before you start learn the entire building process, Facebook can help but the advice can be limited by the experience or bad habits of the writer, SOS is a better option.
Fitting and squaring the skeleton, faring the bulkheads, tapering and fitting planks. Research these first.

Stuart Little · 2025-07-19T12:02:50-0500

Bob Ellis said:
The problem with Billings is the materials. The ply for the skeleton is truly apalling, the externals timber the cheapest. 40 years ago the choice was limited, other companies hit the market but Billings made no effort to upgarade to compete. How they've managed to survive must be first time kit buyers? My advice is 'not even with a barge pole'! The Caldercraft is generally considered a class apart. But NOT for a first build! If you MUST build a full rigged ship check out Vanguard, Amati Victory line, Modellers Shipyard. Many Chinese kits are very good quality. Other companies available at Cornwall include Corel, Mantua, Mamoli, OcCre, Dusek etc...all best avoided.
Caldercraft's Victory is also highly accurate. It's always an idea to check this. Their HMS Pickle is another vessel entirely! Ballahoo does not correspond with the NMM plans. The plans can be downloaded from the NMM website for free.
Expect to buy extras, cannons, good quality blocks, planking etc. These can make all the difference.
Probably most 'modellers tools' are useless money wasters, plank benders, nail pushers. There are many ways of bending planks...and pins and nails cause damage and are unnecessary. Mine are in the bin along with all the daft tools I bought!!!
Before you start learn the entire building process, Facebook can help but the advice can be limited by the experience or bad habits of the writer, SOS is a better option.
Fitting and squaring the skeleton, faring the bulkheads, tapering and fitting planks. Research these first.

We're as one with regard to Billings Victory, having watched John Aliprantis's YouTube video. My only hands-on experience of a Billings kit is Bounty, which is not based on herself but on her previous life as a collier. I completed the hull then called it a day, she be in 'ordinary' now!