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Found 12 results

  1. HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne - 1763 1:64 Vanguard Models Part Number - VM - 16 Available from Vanguard Models for £149.00 (around €175.00) History From the publisher’s website: HM cutter was a 6-gun cutter of the Royal Navy. She served in the English Channel for her entire career, operating against smugglers. She was sold in 1784. Sherbourne was built at Woolwich Dockyard under the supervision of Master Shipwright Joseph Harris, to a design by Sir Thomas Slade, and was launched on 3 December 1763, having cost £1,581.8.9d to build and fit. Sherbourne was commissioned under Lieutenant John Cartwright, later to become a prominent parliamentary reformer, and was assigned to support the work of the Board of Customs by operating against smugglers in the English Channel. Cartwright commanded Sherborne from 7 December 1763 to 14 May 1766. His area of responsibility was the South Coast of England, including Dorsetshire and Devon. His brother George, when at loose ends, went with him in Sherborne on a cruise out of Plymouth to chase smugglers. Lieutenant Christopher Raper succeeded Cartwright in 1766 as Sherbourne’s commander for the next three years. Between 1769 and 1777 the cutter was commanded successively by Lieutenants Stephen Rains, Thomas Rayment and Thomas Gaborian, all the while remaining based in the Channel. Her final commanders were Lieutenant Arthur Twyman, from September 1777 until May 1778, and then Lieutenant Arthur Hayne until September 1779. She was then laid up. In 1783 Sherbourne participated in William Tracey’s unsuccessful attempt to raise HMS Royal George, which had sunk in Spithead in 1782. Although the dockyard rated Sherbourne as unfit for service, Tracey conducted some repairs and she was of some use. She was finally sold at Portsmouth on 1 July 1784. Tons burthen – 85 Length – 54 ft 6 in (16.6 m) Beam – 19 ft (5.8 m) Complement – 30 Armament – 6 x 3-pounder guns + 8 swivel guns The Kit Designed by Chris Watton this kit is aimed for the novice builder. This skill level is defined as follows (text from publishers website): "NOVICE: We have pitched this level at the absolute beginner, whilst still providing a good basis for more experienced modellers to make their own individual mark on the project. Kit design and techniques are all aimed to make this project as easy for you as possible, guiding you in every way to create a successful and beautiful model that you can be rightly proud of." The kit includes (text from publishers website): Laser cut and engraved parts in MDF and pear wood. Laser etched and cut lime wood deck with treenail detail 2 sheets of photo etched brass High resolution 3D-printed parts. Double planked hull in limewood for first planking and pear wood for second planking. Walnut dowel for masting. Multiple sizes of both black and natural rigging thread along with all necessary blocks and deadeyes Comprehensive, full colour instruction manual, along with NINETEEN plan sheets which include all masting and rigging drawings. The rigging drawings are designed to allow the novice to successfully complete a rigged ship. Features laser-engraved treenails on both inner and outer bulwarks. Dimensions of the finished build: Length Overall – 512mm Hull length – 284mm Height Overall – 484mm Width Overall – 202mm The Box The kit comes in a sturdy nice looking box covered with an A3 printed product label which is affixed to the lid of the box. Inside the box everything is very well protected by either plastic bags or wrapped in bubble foil. None of the parts arrived damaged, warped or bended. Instructions / Plans After opening the box you will see the instruction manual and the plans: The instruction manual is of high quality paper, fully coloured and has a spiral binding which is very practical if space on your workbench is limited. In addition you always can download the instructions from the website and have it ready on your iPad or other digital device. In the manual you have step by step instructions from the very beginning up to the rigging as well as a lot of useful informations regarding e.g. recommendations for tools, colors and glues you can use to get the best out of your kit. The instructions are supplemented by 19! A3 plans. Some examples of informations you can get from them: Overview of the laser cut parts: Detailed drawings of the model, parts and assembly: Parts needed for the shown assembly phase, clearly marked so you can identify them easy and fast: Some detailed instructions on how to assemble parts with all the measurements given: And finally the rigging instructions in such a high level of detail that rigging this model will be pure fun and excitement ... From leading the threads through the blocks ... and where to belay them ... and last but not least ... how to do the belaying ... The Parts As mentioned above, all parts are well packed and secured. From top to bottom we first have the display stand made of clear acetate protected with a thin foil; The stand has two engraved nice looking name plates ... Next there are three bundles of wood: Lime wood for the first planking, pear wood for the second planking and walnut dowels for the masts, yards and other parts like the hand pumps: The wood strips and dowels are of high quality, no scratches, bendings or fuzzy edges as the macro shots show: All the rest of the parts is precut/prefabricated. Laser Cut Sheets - Pear Wood Upper sheet: parts for the anchors, stern frames, keel and prow Lower Sheet: parts for keel and prow, rudder, stern counter and transom parts, companionway as well as some fittings ... Upper sheet: Rails, transom parts and counter, main wales and gunwales, Lower sheet: Rudder parts, channels, pin rails, timberheads, catheads, gun carriages, gratings and more fittings Upper sheet: Bulwark patterns and port lids Lower sheets: Left: Mast caps, posts for the swivel guns, pawl posts and bitts / Right: Spirketting planks, bulwark ladders and tiller arm The cuts and engravings are really impressive: Treenail details: Photo Edged Parts There are two small sheets with photo edged parts. Upper sheet: Mainly parts for the Chain plates, handpumps, eyebolts, hooks, belaying pins, stanchions, swivel guns, gun carriage center booms, anchor rings and lower boom cradle Lower sheet: horse shoe plates, fish plates, rudder straps and depth markings As well as all of the prefabricated parts the level of detail and quality of manufacturing is very very good: MDF Parts There are two MDF Laser Cut sheets mainly holding the parts for the skeleton. 2mm sheet: Building cradle, deck beams, false keel and keel/bow parts, support patterns, locking pins and the lower deck 3mm sheet: Bulkheads Plywood Parts There are three parts out of plywood. These are the left and right side bulwarks as well as the sub deck. The bulwarks have markings on it to help align them as well as to ease the process of fitting the bulwark patterns: This image shows the sub deck and the engraved lime wood deck which will be glued on top of it: Again the level of detail and the manufacturing quality is astonishing: Fittings and Materials These are provided in a little box so nothing is rolling around in the big box. All items are clearly marked and waiting for assembly in their plastic bags ... There are 3 sizes of natural coloured thread (0.1mm/0.25mm/0.5mm) and 4 sizes of black coloured threads (0.25mm/0.5mm/0.75mm/1.0mm). The threads are of good quality as well as all parts in this kit: The kit comes with wooden blocks and deadeyes in different sizes: Thimble blocks (2.5mm), Deadeyes (3.5mm), single blocks (3, 4 and 5mm) and double blocks (4mm) The 3 D printed parts are the 3 pounders, swivel guns, anchors, the chimney and the main winch drum: Finally we have the anchor hawse rope, parrel beads, brass pins and a small piece of black cardboard for the anchor stock: Conclusion It is hard to believe that you can get this kind of quality for so little money. The manufacturing quality is of the highest standard across all components of the kit. Following the instructions step by step and making use of the plans should enable everybody to achieve the goal of finishing the build of an extremely well looking ship model with a high level of detail regarding its size. As there are a lot of prefabricated parts the potential for frustration should be very low and that's what I am looking for as a beginner. Just looking at the parts and the really good instruction manual as well as the plans is so much fun that you can draw all your motivation from it alone to start and finish the model. In addition the build time will not be hundreds of hours so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel as soon as you start your build. If you are a beginner this kit will for sure get you addicted to ship modelling. For experienced modellers it must be pure fun as well and if this will be your first Vanguard Models ship kit I think it will not be your last one.
  2. I would like to introduce you guys to the latest tool that will soon be offered by Model Machines. Jim Byrnes has done it again. You might ask how he could possibly make the disc sander he offers better. I asked the same thing. But as expected, he managed to do just that. The first thing you will notice is the size difference between the new disc sander and the old one. This new Variable Speed Disc Sander is the perfect size, at least for me. It has a 4" disc. You can see the side by side comparison below. I have put it through its paces over the last few months. You might expect a less powerful machine. It is not. This smaller disc sander packs some power. It is also quiet as a mouse. It runs super smooth as expected and you barely hear a whisper from the sander. Another great function of this sander is the ability to change speeds. The variable speed control is super smooth as well. I prefer slower speeds on softer material like Yellow Cedar. But maybe thats just me. You can tailor the speed for your own comfort zone. In addition the other neat feature is the direction is reversible. I am right handed so I usually keep it going counter clock wise. But on some occasions it was a real pleasure to be able to reverse direction. The shape of some parts just makes this a great option to have. BUT remember....DO NOT REVERSE DIRECTIONS UNLESS THE DISC IS FULLY STOPPED. I havent done that by accident yet but I imagine it wouldnt be pretty. The table top is 6 3/4" long and 4 1/4" deep. Its a really nice size. I used this on some test frames for my upcoming speedwell kit. The parts sat comfortably on the table, even the small parts. As you would expect, the table tilts with a variety of "lockable" preset angles. Just push in the pin and tighten it up on both sides of the table. Its sturdy aluminum construction like all of the Byrnes machines is also present here. This machine has some tight and precision tolerances and is of course well made. Superior to anything else you might have used in the past. You can also see the precision miter slide that is typical of Jim's machines. There is no play with this slide. It is very accurate and slides comfortably. I thought the smaller size would make it more difficult or awkward to use. But to my surprise it did not. In fact after using the new 4" disc sander the larger older sander seemed a bit awkward by comparison. The new smaller size makes sense and I didnt find myself wandering to the old one at all. This new sander will now be my go to sander and it is lightweight by comparison. It fits nicely on your work bench and doesnt take up much room. It slides nicely into the corner and even fits on a nearby shelf when I need to store it for longer periods. That is a huge plus. Jim will be launching these very soon. It will make a great tool if you are in the market for a disc sander or want another one to compliment the older larger disc sander. From what I understand this machine will indeed replace the old disc sander once Jim's inventory of the old larger sanders is depleted. I am unsure what the price point will be on this but I can tell you it will be more than worth the money. Its not something I would be able to do without now that I have one in my shop.
  3. ships name : Prins Willim (a Dutch VOC ship 17th century) company : Corel scale 1:100 Kit number 20125 length 735mm height 580mm width 305mm Price : somewhere between 450 and 550 euros in this part of the world. I was able to buy my kit with a discount and paid 372 euros (so,couldn't resist buying) (This is my first kit review. After reading all the rules I don't think I've done much wrong ) general info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prins_Willem I think Prins Willim (with i ) is an old dutch spelling for Prins Willem. Manufacturers info (I don't think Corel has its own website) http://www.corel-srl.it/VASCELLISTORICI.html the box first impression : looks good A map with instructions and plans info about the ship detailed parts list The plans The parts The photo etched parts parts box 1 details parts box 1 parts box 2 detail parts box 2 The wooden parts plywood frames Plywood parts for the hull plywood parts for masts, channels. and solid wooden parts this plywood in detail Keel in thick plywood and deck in thin plywood the plywood of the keel in detail the "box" with planks planks for the first layer Second layer and others nice quality The other planks are of good quality but the organization is a bit "sloppy" only 3 planks are warped The wood for masts and yards For free : a cataloge to choose the next model
  4. This is the latest kit from Model Shipways, and the fourth in their Model Shipwrights series, designed by David Antscherl. They have previously released kits of Harriet Lane in 1/128 and 1/144 scale, but this new kit is in 1/96 and promises to be 28 inches long. I purchased this kit from Model Expo on Sunday during their Halloween sale, enticed by its ease of construction, and personally interested in ships of the Civil War Era. Kit comes with a 66 page, full color instruction manual, which also explains some of the ship’s history. Launched in 1859 as a Coast Guard Cutter, and named for President Buchanan’s niece, she served in the Civil War, first delivering supplies to a beleaguered Fort Sumter in 1861, then in the Gulf Squadron. She passed into Confederate hands during the Battle of Galveston in 1863, and served as a blockade runner thereafter. Interred in Cuba at the end of the war, she spent the rest of her career in civilian service. Kit comes with five full size plans, the three shown here and two more showing all the lasercut pieces. The rigging plan, as well as the sail plan above it. The deck plan, showing exact size. Rigging, chain, blocks, deadeyes, eyebolts, and tiny, tiny brass belaying pins. Very cleanly cast Britannia fittings, including cannon, stairs, anchors, windlass, and davits. The first set of laser-cut sheets, including keel and bulkheads. Almost every piece in this kit is precut. The second set of laser-cut, much thinner, including material for decking, deck furniture, and precut planks. A sheet of brass photo-etch, three sheets of fine detailed deck furniture parts cut from heavy paper, a tiny American flag of the Civil War Era, and a small bag of lumber, the only lumber supplied in the kit. I am personally very pleased with this kit, and excited to start it. Should be an excellent kit for the intermediate ship builder, and easy enough for beginners. Glad to see this in a larger scale, though 1/96 is still very small. I hope this review will inform your purchase, and please let me know if you want any closer pictures.
  5. Reading through various threads on MSW, I see where people refer to the book The Lore of Ships. I thought it might be appropriate to provide information about the book. I use the book a bit and spend a lot of time just looking at the pages in hopes of learning something. (Sometimes I do learn or understand better.) The book does provide a lot of information that’s general in nature but gets specific within the images on the pages. I know that sounds contradictory. However, the book covers a wide range of subjects (therefore, a general reference) using illustrations with a lot of details. This review covers the 1972 edition published by Crescent Books (New York). The original publication date was 1963 by Tre Tryckare (Stockholm Sweden), a publishing company. Minor issue, but there is no author/person I can find by that name. The book is a collaboration of many people using multiple sources. (As a side bar: The book was edited by Sam Svensson and republished in 1998 by Barnes and Noble. Svensson wrote the book’s Introduction section and the commentary to the Spars and Rigging section.) All editions are hard cover. The 1972 edition is 11 X 12 inches (and I imagine the others the same size) with 279 pages. The book contains over 1500 illustrations and (by my estimate) over 2500 index entries. You can find copies on the used book sites such as Thrift Books and Good Reads as well as Amazon. Prices vary based on store and condition of the book. The price range I found runs from $8 to $40 US. The 11 sections of the book cover: Introduction; Hull; Spars and Riggings; The Sail; Propulsion; Fishing; Yachting; Gunnery; Navigation; Ship-Handling and Index. Each section starts with an introduction on the subject. Then, as listed on the contents page, more detailed illustrations follow within each section. Each section has drawings and illustrations, no photos. The crisp, clean, drawings have well identified callouts and labels. Their presentation gives an authoritative look and feel to the individual illustrations. While you will find some details in the identifying text, the book does not have a tremendous amount of written information. Additionally, while the list of sources contains a lot of named material, the book does not tie specific information to the details in the drawings. For example: National Geographic shows as a reference, but no specific edition or articles are cited. I’d suggest additional cross reference material be used depending on your research purpose. If the item you research has some connection to ships and things nautical, you will likely find it here. Wooden sailing ships to steel hulled ships; sails to steam engines; compass roses to sextants; cannon balls to rockets; they are all here. Even objects like signal flags, clothing, navigation and food objects show up in the book. This book does not provide details on any specific ship or boat. In a few instances, the name or type of a ship and maybe an era are identified. However, this book allows you look at minute details of general use and interest. You can glean a lot of information from studying the illustrations. I use this book as my ‘go to’ to look for an object. After finding the object or item, you can easily see similar, related items. For example, you look up ‘Tackles and blocks.’ On the same page (p. 123) you can see the relative increase in power from a single whip to a three by four tackle. So, again, general information on various blocks but, in this case, no specifics on when or where a block might be used. That vast number of illustrations has its drawbacks. I find that as I look for some specific item, I get drawn down a rabbit’s warren. I can easily spend time just turning pages and looking at other objects and illustrations. However, the excursion provides an enjoyable journey and may show you some things you did not know. I think this book serves as a good general resource and starting point for researching details on what an object looks like. It is a matter of a picture being worth 1000 words. You will probably find that looking for a term or object in the Index faster than trying to find something looking through the Contents. Here’s some samples of the drawings and illustrations; Contents. Just a portion to show details. As you can see, the contents lists the subjects, but not in the more traditional method of a table of contents. Hence, the index may help you find an item faster. Typical sail and rigging drawing. You can see the detail listing of the callouts. View of boilers. Shows that the book goes beyond just ships with sails. As before, detailed callout list for the page. Blocks and tackles. Since I mentioned this page specifically (p123) it seems worth showing. The ‘curvy’ view at the top is due to my not wanting to lay the page too flat for photography. The layout is a straight, horizontal line of drawings. I hope you found this review useful. Please feel free to comment and share your views.
  6. I bought this kit after seeing completed builds on this and other sites. It is a model designed by Daniel Dayn Vishnevsky-Karlskhagen and I was intrigued to see how a longboat with its small frames could be built from card. It uses the same principle as the wood kits for longboats: frames supported by an internal plate which is removed after the external planking has been applied to the frames. The kit is low cost (I spent about €25 which included postage from Russia to the UK) and has excellent instructions. The only problem is that the instructions and guide are all in Russian (albeit with very good and useful illustrations), so I had to work hard using a variety of sources to translate it all into English. See my post on Russian translation and the resources used at and previously in my Chaloupe Armée build. For those who buy the kit I will be very willing to send them the translations of the instructions with the parts list. I have done the translations as a table with the original Russian in the left column and English in the right-hand column. I also have made a table or dictionary of Russian nautical terms used in the guide which goes with the parts list. I think you can only buy the kit from the author, whose email address is bureau.k68@gmail.com. You can see his full build of the original on the Russian forum at http://only-paper.ru/forum/85-12867-1, and you can see his discussion about it (in English) on the papermodelers forum at http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/ships-watercraft/27125-french-longboat-xviii-cen-most-large-pinnace-tree-masts-sails.html?highlight=planking . Because my interest was mainly in the method of construction, but also because I was prevented from continuing with my build of the Chaloupe by recuperation from surgery, I only built this model as far as completion of the basic boat without any masts or additions such as anchors and cleats. My main purpose in providing this Review/Log is to bring the attention of a really interesting kit to others on this forum who are proficient in card modelling or who just wish to probe it (as I did). I would rate it as fairly tricky but very rewarding. What’s in the kit? In addition to the guide and parts list, the parts themselves are printed on standard A4 photocopy paper. There are several sheets of 0.3mm card which can be multiplied to provide various thicknesses. The list of parts also details how thick each part should be. An interesting aspect of this kit is that the card comes in three colours: white, yellow ochre and red ochre. This is to allow you to make the model with a minimum of painting. A really nice feature of the kit is that plans are also provided for you to make all the masts, yards and fittings as well as accoutrements such as barrels, buckets, cleats, hooks, belaying pins and oars. A full rigging and sail plan is included, with directions for the varying rope thicknesses. Finally, the author has a practicum with colour photos which he will send you (in Russian). The base The first thing to make was the base. This is really sturdy, and, as with all the pieces, requires accurate cutting out so that the frames, when inserted, fit exactly. You’ll note in the photo the Swann Morton scalpel with a no 26 blade I use which I keep sharp by stropping after every few cuts. You can get the idea of the frame assembly with the following diagram: It is clear that you have to be very careful with where you place the glue if you want to remove the shell from the assembly later. But you can see that it does replicate very neatly the framing structure of the boat with floors and futtocks. You can see the assembly sequence in the photos below. The guide points to the fact that all but three of the 40 frames have the same height, so it is important to have a method of making sure that the height is correct. I built a small jig to build most of the frames, but later on just used a slide rule to check the heights. Despite all this my measurements were frequently incorrect and I had to adjust several frames by filing or gluing on various thicknesses of 0.1mm paper. Because the frames were made from grey/brown card, the instruction was to paint them with red ochre. This I did, but regretted because (a) I painted it on too thickly and (b) later on it interfered with the gluing. You can also see how the paint covered the holding frame – which I then had to separate from the floor with a scalpel in order to ensure I could remove the frames from the mould. Actually, after finishing the entire 40 frames, I was so dissatisfied that I made the model again, base and all, to this stage again, but being more careful with glue and paint. I don’t have photos of the second frame and mould, so you’ll have to make do with the photos of the first attempt! Stem, keel and stern timbers were then cut from 3mm card, glued and the assembly held in place with rubber bands. Planking I then laid the planks. I could have used the coloured card supplied in the kit, but I elected to use my own card which I then painted with yellow ochre. The spiled planks were beautifully accurate as printed, so I did not have to make any further adjustments when cutting from the plans. As you see, the big problem for me was laying the planks so that they would be completely flat. Mine turned out in a rather wavy fashion! Once the planking is complete, the shell with its frames can be cut from the mould. First there’s the rough cut using curved scissors to cut around the edges at the level of the rubbing strake and then to cut the areas attached to the base floor. The frame supports can now be cut away. Because I had used my own card, I had to paint the interior with red ochre. Finishing the hull The keelson, stemson and sternson are then put in place. The counter and timbers for the cuddy can now be added. With the cuddy finished, the main floorboards can be inserted. The thwart stringers are placed. The thwarts were made from 3mm card, and the supports made from 2mm cocktail sticks. The mainmast step was made from wood, using the plan in the guide. Now the thwart knees. The davit timbers and their roller are now constructed and assembled. The front davit with its roller were made in an identical way. The main remaining piece of the hull was the roller beam at the front. Swivel Guns Having done the main hull (without the swivel gun mounts, cleats, mast straps, belaying pins etc.) I thought that even though I wouldn’t arm the boat I would still see how cannon were made with paper alone. The instructions in this regard are excellent. I started with a simple roll of paper, marked with the positions for the subsequent layers of paper. Final result So, at its current stage, the model looks like this: In comparison with my ongoing 1:36 build of the Chaloupe Armée: I won’t be going any further with this build as from now on I will concentrate on finishing my build of the Chaloupe Armée. It is just possible that at some future date I will continue, but don’t hold your breath! The purpose of this review/log was mainly to bring the potential of this very nice model to the forum, and especially those who wish to explore card modelling – which, as you can see, offers up its own delights, techniques, thought processes and problems. Tony
  7. HMS SPHINX Build Comments & Observations Note: This post is not specifically a “What’s In The Box” Kit Review. The photos and comments have been prepared by ship modeler, Ron Neilson, in lieu of a full Build Log. A Quick Summary by one modeler: Although I am only about halfway through my build of the latest Vanguard Models kit, HMS Sphinx, and while I have made some of my own modifications (as any builder does), the process thus far has been excellent, thanks to the high-quality of this kit. Many precisely cut pieces of mostly MDF and decent quality Swiss Pear have been provided. As I was building up the basic and extensive hull forms, I constantly referenced my calipers to double-check the fitting of parts. At first, I couldn’t believe the precision of these elements. In many cases, I measured +/- .005 – which is quite extraordinary. The construction in some areas is “Lego-like,” that is, “plug ‘n’ play.” This aspect of the fundamental hull “skeleton” also helps maintain precision tolerances across the entire length and breadth of the 1/64 ( 3/16” = 1 foot) model. The kit’s provided building jigs - which you assemble separately - are also very useful. As witness to the unique design innovations embodied in the kit, what is shown in these photos was completed in less than forty-five days. I’d estimate that in the recent past, a model of similar complexity and scale would have taken me nearly twice the time. Vanguard has created a stunningly high-quality kit that can be crafted by any journeyman ship modeler with a moderate level of perseverance. Precise, laser cut pear wood is employed throughout the build. The delicate “rails” along the hull are provided as pre-cut patterns which is a very interesting approach to creating these necessary elements. All gunports (22 including the bridle ports) align nicely with the layered approach to building up the bulwarks to faithful thickness. A single piece gundeck is delicately and precision-etched to indicate the tapered planking, trunnels included. The deck furniture pieces are all in pear and because they are lasered from similar stock, all match, beautifully. Although slightly tricky to align properly, the design of the amidships chain pump handle mechanism is brilliant. The same applies to the über-detailed hand pumps. Both are P.E mini-masterpieces that will be fun to build. There is nice detail on the ironwork components. The deck coamings, hatches, bitts and various support stanchions lend themselves to nice extra detailing. The quarter galleries are always a challenge to fabricate, but the design in this kit is the best I’ve encountered thus far in years of building this era of sailing ships. The detail of the tiered P/E roof tiling is especially nice. The severe stern tuck was worth the effort, the built-up rudder and cleverly-designed ironwork for the gudgeons and pintles is evident on close inspection. The headworks are exquisitely designed and detailed with a combination of precision laser-etched pear pieces. I was impressed once more at the close tolerances of all these items that fit together like a glove. The single-piece upper stern cabin resin cast decoration is very clever and a definite showpiece of the model. The extensive, decorative elements of this model are what will draw many modelers to make the investment in both time and treasure to build it. The sweep of the ship’s lines is very appealing; I can imagine that in real life, this was a gorgeous ship to behold, indeed. The clever design engineering, the fastidious manufacturing, excellent materials and comprehensive guidance provided in this high-calorie kit (the build manual and extensive, full-size plans) is exemplary; cleverness and ingenuity abounds throughout. Did I mention the large, full-color, clearly photographed, 144-page Build Manual accompanied by twenty-three (count ’em!) extensive, full-size, actual scale (1:64) large plans? It boggles the mind initially when one opens the heavy (insert weight in pounds- 15lbs?) and sturdy box of goodies. The manual and plans alone must weigh 3 pounds. What kit manufacturer does this? Vanguard Models does. And there will be countless builders who want, need and can afford the exemplary challenges this kit provides. Regarding money, this kit’s ultimate value is that it can potentially deliver a museum-quality model and thus, in my world, it’s a bargain at twice the price. The HMS Sphinx kit stands as the current pinnacle of Vanguard Models’ superb and innovative work over the last many years by the U.K.’s dedicated and well-regarded ship model kit designer, Chris Watton. ———- The photos aren't in a chronological sequence, only random shots I've taken during my build to the date of this post. There will be more commentary and photos to come as I make more progress with my fun build. And why spend many solitary hours at this challenging hobby if it isn’t fun?
  8. A quick review of this kit. Photos of the materials are available at https://modelshipworld.com/topic/28130-hms-sphinx-1775-prototype-by-james-h-vanguard-models-164-finished/?tab=comments#comment-805880 as I didn't take any photos of unboxing. As for specifics, feel free to see the link above. It's been quite a while since I've done a kit, my last one was a bash of Constellation some years ago. However, I needed a break and also to relearn some things and this kit fits the bill. The woods are wonderful, the lasering is crisp and clean, and instructions are beyond any expectations I might have had. I'm slowly making progress on the Sphinx as I'm not the fastest builder. Currently on the hull 2nd layer planking which is not my forte. However, I will have to say that I'm loving this build. The instructions are dead on and need to be followed without rushing. The kit pieces are accurately cut and where the instructions say "sand the char", the parts still fit very well. Care is needed especially with the thinner woods. I've not seen any pitfalls if the instructions are followed and care is taken in the building. I certainly would not recommend this as a first time build. It is a blast to put it together and I would recommend this model to someone with some experience in kits beyond the beginner level. I'm finding this kit to be well worth the price and will give it a 5-Wow rating.
  9. BlueJacket Shipcrafters seems to be under-represented in build logs on MSW, despite their reputation as a quality American model company that’s been in business a very long time. I recently completed their Lobster Boat kit and thought I’d write up a quick review, as there aren’t any build logs for this kit on MSW (I didn’t do a log myself as I wanted a break from documenting model work and intended this to be a relatively quick, relaxing build). Overall, I enjoyed building this kit, though there were a few things future builders might consider. Above is my finished model, built and named for my mother, who has long loved Maine, especially the Schoodic Peninsula. The number boards commemorate this year's birthday, when she'll receive this model. It's finished in the same green and white color as my current house. Positives: Good-quality materials. All the wood was solid and easy to work with, and the castings were clean and straightforward. Clear and accurate plans. These matched the kit’s parts and were helpful as a reference. I could have used them to scratchbuild this without the instructions or materials. Not too complicated. The kit might be tough for a complete beginner as it assumes a bit of knowledge, but almost anyone could figure these bits out and it’s pretty straightforward overall. It doesn’t have a lot of detail, which I think is good as it keeps the cost down and lets you choose whether you want to invest the time and money into creating a more detailed custom version. Concerns: The written instruction booklet is less than ideal. The black-and-white photos are very grainy and make it difficult to see any useful detail. For example, I was essentially unable to determine the planking pattern used because the photo was so blurry. Also, the text is presented in a long, linear block that could really use better organization and editing. Photos and drawings are often placed nowhere near their relevant text, resulting in lots of flipping back and forth trying to make sense of a given step. There is some "curse of knowledge" in places, where the instructions refer to a given part without defining what that is in real life or providing a clear diagram or label for the model. Bow design. The kit’s default is to use a large carved block at the bow, rather than planking all the way to the stem. With no experience, I had a very hard time carving and shaping this properly and finally gave up and reverted to planking the whole hull, something I have more experience in. That may just be my own problem, but it’s something a beginner should consider. Also, the added material needed to plank the whole hull (rather than just up to the bow block) meant that I exhausted the kit material and had to use a few pieces of my own scrap to complete the work. Beware of this potential if you decide to fully plank the hull rather than carving the bow. A few oddities in the proper fit and size of pieces. For example, several of the hull frames really didn’t line up with the others, requiring me to add a 1/8” strip along the frame to match the flow of the planking or to carve/sand away material. Some of the cabin pieces also needed significant sanding or additions to form up properly. None of this was particularly difficult, but did mean that builders should be careful to check everything before gluing. For example, see the following two photos: In the photo above, note that the run of lower planking really bows upward at the third frame from the stern. I somehow missed this when checking my fairing and planking run. It isn't really noticeable on the finished model because both the paint and position hide it from clear view, but this clearly needed extra material added to the frame. In the photo above, you can see the thickness of extra material I needed to add to both sides of the second frame from the bow to match the natural flow of the planks. It's more obvious on the right side due to the shadow effect, but it's the same for both. The fourth frame from the bow has similar material attached to widen it, while other frames needed to be sanded down by a similar margin. Getting a smooth run of planking was more work than I expected, though not particularly difficult. Here are two more photos of the completed model from various perspectives: Overall, I certainly recommend this model as a fun build. True beginners should be cautious and would benefit from carefully thinking through every step, test-fitting everything, and doing some research on the side to understand certain aspects of kit-building that are taken for granted by the instructions. Although I mildly criticize the instructions and a few parts above, they were still far better than those of the Corel Ranger that I built before this. Overall, the concerns were minor and easily dealt with by common sense and careful work, and the result is a quite attractive model (in my humble opinion). It has a lot of potential for adding extra detail if you really want a realistic appearance; for my mother, I was happy with a representative model that captures the feel of these iconic American work boats without much fuss. This was my first BlueJacket kit and I would definitely purchase another.
  10. Hello, since I haven't found the Réale de France model kit from Corel in this list yet, I would like to present it here. Regards, Joachim Manufacturer: Corel Model: Réale de France Materials: Various types of wood, such as plywood, ramin, lime, walnut, and various others. as well as castings, gold-plated ornaments, metal strips, etched sheets, various rigging yarns, etc. Scale: 1:60, length 1060mm, width 670mm Price: around 699,00 EUR, sometimes more Provider: many relevant shops Impressions of material and plans: The materials are predominantly shrink-wrapped in plastic films/bags, but not on tension, so that no tension of the materials occurs. Many wooden parts are already prefabricated, but the real work remains with the model builder and he can reveal his quality without restrictions. The materials are very versatile and extensive. Building plans: There are 15 DIN-A1/A2 plans available. All components are shown in their original size and in their position in the model. The construction plans are very detailed and excellently worked out in every way. The accompanying description booklet is available in 4 languages, 18 pages for each language version. In addition to the description of the actual construction, various tips for the construction, the handling of the gold sculptures, suggestions for artificial aging, and much more are given. Evaluation of quality: All in all, the construction kit makes a very high-quality impression. The gold-plated ornaments are well worked out for a model kit. The various types of wood are of good quality, are not frayed and make a good visual impression. For the creation of the dinghy a core is provided, over which the spanners are pulled and planked. However, this dinghy does not correspond exactly to the original. Also missing is the second boat contained in the original plans. The etched brass sheets are very fine, detailed and precisely worked out. All flags are printed on very fine fabric. A fabric appropriate to the model size was also used for the enclosed sails. Apart from the plans, most of the fittings, ornaments, anchors, flags and artillery have also been reproduced historically. Apart from a handful of blocks for example, the usual standard parts were not used. Only the dinghy seems to be a 'standard model'. Valuation with regard to "historical accuracy":To check the "historical correctness" I obtained and compared the plans of the ship from the Naval Museum in Paris. Corel's plans correspond in almost every detail to those of Paris. Only a few details have been slightly modified with regard to model building. Furthermore, I have procured from Wolfram Mondfeld "The galley from the Middle Ages to modern times". This book contains detailed plans of the French réale "La Dracène" from the same period. These plans also largely coincide with those of the Réale de France. In the fuselage shape of the kit there are differences to the Fleur-de-Lis. Its planned record is based on a historical description for a standard galley with a precisely defined procedure. Although it is not possible to say for sure what the Réale de France really looked like in detail, the model makes a good impression. Overall conclusion: It is a construction kit of selected quality. Good materials were predominantly used. Although the construction plans are extremely comprehensive and the description is easy to understand and detailed, the construction kit is by no means recommended for beginners. The variety of materials, the size and the attention to detail require practice and experience in model making in order to produce an appropriate model of the highest quality.
  11. Hi all Wanted to put in a review of Spanish frigate diana This is my second build the first being the starter kit amati adventure beginner kit from modellers central . I found it has great plans with step by step instructions,up to 108 pages and then 3 other huge a3 or larger sail , mast and rigging plans double sided . The other thing i liked is heaps of materials eg timbers. Overall i just think this occre kit is great Thanks all. Ps : this is where I'm at.
  12. Hi, Could you please point out the major differences, maybe some pros and cons of the Santisima Trinidad kits from Occre and DeAgostini? I'm particularly interested in quality of parts and cuts, historical accuracy, planking (single or double), difficulty and your overall score. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this!
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