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  1. Hi all, After some time into the build i decided to create a build log of my progress on the sergal cutty sark 1:78. This is the first wooden ship model i am building, so everything is new to me and this forum was and is a blessing to me to learn all the tips and tricks of building ship models. The sergal kit comes with very little instructions, only about 4 pages of text without pictures, and a lot of real size plans. Not ideal for a beginner like me so im getting the "know how" else where. I also bought the Campbell drawings of the real ship, which help me to add detail. I started this kit in 2015, but after planking one side of the ship it stayed untouched on my shelf for about 6 years. Suddely i felt an urge to continue the build, and i did not stop since. Its going very slowly due to working a full time job. SO hope you enjoy this build log, and im looking forward learning from all of you fellow ship builders.
  2. Hi all!! Finally my kit arrived yesterday evening. I had to wait for her for 8 weeks. I wanted to take a picture of all what is in the box but my hobbyroom is simply not big enough to show it all. Sergal renewed the building inscription, now also in Dutch. I putted my new topic on the wrong place and also dubble, so I had to delete it all, so: @Jörgen and @Sjors, you both have to renew your follow and @Eddie, thx for the tip. I hope I did it right now Some pictures...
  3. Hi Mates. I have wanted to build this kit for a long time, I will also attempt to super detail this project beyond the “out of the box” kit – as excellent as it is. I have “bashed" my two last builds – enjoy the challenges of added detailing -- I have the McKay book that is filled with many line drawings and images; it will be an excellent guide. Along with incorporating great ideas seen in other build logs of this ship here at MSW. I recently acquired a 1980s “new in box” kit from a member who had one available. He contacted me after I had made a request for one here at MSW. That specific vintage kit was of interest to me because the 650+ included decorative bits were all cast in solid bronze (that number includes cannons). The current kit is supplied with 650+ white metal bits that have been electroplated, and apparently, from what I’ve been told, may result in some lost of casting details?? (TBD) – many other advantages are certainly in the current kit’s box as well, and not part of the 1980s box contents. Given that this ship’s beauty, for-all-intent-and-purposes, was because of its 600+ ornamentations I got intrigued with the idea of solid bronze castings; luckily found one (Big thanks Jay L) That said, instructions were really non-existent, included lumber still looked very good, other included kit’s amenities were, well from three decades ago. Bronze sculptures were, for me, the prize….as well as the 1:1 plan sheets (nice) only in Italian. Jay's kit did not have a single super tiny missing bronze ornament – all were mixed up in 15 or so zip lock baggies – took hours to go through them all –haha. all other parts were 100% there as well. Moving forward two weeks – a large heavy UPS box arrived at my door hmm? – Turns out that I was gifted, for Father’s Day, with the current Sergal #787. So best of both kits will be blended into this single project. My family did not know that I had already purchased a much earlier edition. The current kit certainly has its many advantages, but the earlier kit shines in many ways as well, many of which will become part of this project. I will balance this log with some, as needed, comparisons between the old and new kit versions – No criticisms of either just occasional comparisons. That said, this log will focus on the build as it goes forward. I am lucky to have the best of both available for this project. PS: I have listed this log as a 1637 ship – I know that she was around for many decades after, and that her stern ornamentation (provided in both kits) is more reflective of a much later example. But for builders 1637 is the “agreed to” year. First log entry with some notes. – will also (thankfully for you) keep the writing to a minimum going forward. Thanks for looking in, and if you are interested Welcome to the shipyard. Regards,
  4. I have had this kit for two years - time to start. Got the John McKay book from UK this week. To bad - the casting quality... Reading the log from Michael
  5. Hello, This kit is my last project of the year. This is one of the under $100 kits I purchased on Ebay a few years ago. According to the plans, the kit was designed in 1973, and parts weren't cut by laser. It led me to sawing hell, and made me buy a scroll saw ASAP. I really respect senior wooden ship modelers who didn't use any machines in the 1970s. The experience was so horrible that I won't buy any classic kits again... Not all the problems are solved yet. every part is incorrect due to inaccurate CNC cutting. The center line and mast holes of the decks aren't exceptions. Some sections are difficult to assemble, and most parts, including the frames, don't have specific guidelines, such as distance from the lower keel. They would be enough reason for a member who was a new builder to give up the recent laser cut version of this kit. I didn't stop becaused I knew how to deal with it. I fixed every frame using part plans. I set some guidelines, which weren't in the plan or instructions of the kit. By the way, I guess the proper height of the lower deck may be 85.7mm (or 3.375 inches). I purchased the Amati Bounty 1/60 plan a year ago for scratch build. The Amati's plan is much better than Mantua's in every respects, and gives all the hints for planking that weren't in this kit. In addition, Amati's plan is more similar to the AOTS reference book. If you are newcomer who wants to build a Bounty, I highly recommend Amati kits. There have been some more improvements since the last project. I expanded my workshop to measure and check every aspect of the ship. When I measured planks on the old workbench, I had to carry the ship and measure it by hand. I added a broad table. Now I can measure every height and position of each plank. Finally, I attached walnut blocks to every frame. The frames are not glued until I set them in the proper position, and the walnut blocks forced the frames to the last position I set when I checked and assembled the frames hundreds times. This is it. All the frames are almost perfectly fitted and symmetical. Each frame has an error of less than 0.50mm. This is my best result ever. The keel was bent before I started, but it was stretched as I set each frame properly. At least the paper plans didn't lie. The error of the keel is also less than 0.50mm, which can be easily removed by sanding. With satisfying results, I glued the frames. I'm ready for hull fairing. 😎
  6. Yes, another Cutty Sark build log. 😉 I have been lurking on this wonderful site for some 2 months and I cannot but start a build log myself about the beloved Cutty Sark. Let me first introduce myself. I am living in Belgium, so English is not my mother tongue, forgive me therefore my mistakes in English. As a youngster I started building plastic planes, the Cutty Sark and Saturnus V rocket, but also gliders (Kleine UHU from Graupner, Piviere from Aeromodelli and a glider based on my dad’s plans) and a motorplane (Taxi from Graupner) in balsa wood. A sailing boat (Collie) and a motorcruiser (Nautic – both from Graupner) completed the collection. At a later stage I built a tugboat (Oceanic from Revell) and started on a pusher boat Thyssen II from Graupner. While at sea, I built the Harvey 1847 (from Artesania Latina) and Bluenose II (from Billing Boats) with little tools. Children, chores and other hobbies kept me away from modelling. Now as a retiree, I have more time but also more hobbies, but modelism is becoming more and more important in my daily life. So I started by renovating my Collie, as well as my Kleine UHU and completed the Thyssen II. Going out and flying/sailing with my models will be for after the pandemic and in the meantime I dusted off my Cutty Sark from Sergal. Renovating Harvey and Bluenose II will help me in improving my skills. I bought several books about the CS as well as general books on POB modelling. I also discovered Modelshipworld and now I cannot wait any longer to get started – or continue as only the bulkheads have been placed on the keel. As I aim for a very detailed ship and will be consulting Longridge book, comparing with the Campbell plans, I allow myself a 10 years building time frame. Leo
  7. I managed to get more accomplished with unpacking at the new house today and so I decided that I needed a reward. Therefore, I have started my build of Le Soleil Royal. This will probably be a slow build as I am still working on La Couronne and she still gets priority but, as I plan on making a lot of changes to the kit, things will work out well. So to get started, here are the pictures of the contents of the kit. The parts all appear to be usable. The wood is of good quality and the laser cut parts are very clean. The metal fittings look usable as well though as with most, they could be improved. The instruction book is about what is expected in a kit. Plenty of information to build the ship but further research and knowing how to gather additional information from the drawings will be needed. Something nice that was included is a very large, clear and full color picture of the completed model. This helps to make some of the details a little easier to see. Here are the pictures!
  8. Ahoy, lovers of 16th to early 17th c. ships ! My review of the massive vintage Sergal kit designed in 1975 can be found elsewhere in the forum, and I won't re-hash much if anything covered there (in the review section) ... in fact, the kit review nearly 'morphed' into a build log (never my intent) - so I was bound to eventually do a build after finishing the Vasa log - or so I thought. So in taking a break form the Swedish ship, I started accumulating pictures of a re-design of the Great Henry's framing ... and as the photos mounted I realized that a 'backlog' was accumulating, and would make for a lot of work sorting and getting any future log started. Well, we're used to many logs taking years to complete, and I'll most likely hop back and forth between the two and add occasional additions to both logs as stuff gets done. The full name of this ship is Henry Grace a Deiu (HGaD), and there is a great build of her at 1:200 already completed in the forum. It was a larger and more heavily armed version of the Mary Rose (MR), built in response to the Scottish leviathan Great Michael. There are several reference books on these ships, so I won't go into that here. Having a substantial section of the Mary Rose recovered and on display in England provides a wealth of information not just on the hull lines and construction methods, but this information can be used for the Great Henry (or Great Harry - GH either way) - as well as to correct what are perceived today as inaccuracies with the vintage Sergal kit. 'Hard to figure the thinking in marketing a limited release of a premium, large-scale kit back then, - and they might have done better with with a more manageable version, as the development and tooling could have been amortized over a higher production volume (ergo lowering the price point). The Anthony Roll was known back then, so the somewhat fanciful configuration of the fore and stern castles is amusing. The kit, as issued, is high quality and the framing parts fit well with a minimum of fussing. But we'll see what i have to do to get a more modest sized model conforming much better to what is now known from the MR. Below is a portion of the kit framing to give you an idea of the size.
  9. Possibly a bit late to start a log, but what the heck! Being an old steel boat sailor myself I never thought I could fall in love with any other type of craft. I was wrong! When I saw Charles's build log of this vessel I literally fell in love with this type of craft. Since then I have tried to learn as much about them as I possibly can. Kurt and Cathead have provided a wealth of information, and for that I am truly grateful. Previous to starting this model my main understanding of this type of vessel came from multiple viewings of the Jodie Foster ( best actress ever) film, Maverick. Obviously I had a lot to learn! The thing I learnt very quickly was that this particular model was not a very true, or accurate depiction of the type of craft of the day. Spewing, as Jodie would look fine on mine! Anyway, so given it is a bit of a fantasy boat, I intend to try to glam mine up a bit (as would befit Jodie). There are a few gaps between pic updates, but since Santa deemed I had been extra good this past year I was presented with a cool new digital camera! So once I get to master it a bit better I hope the updates will be more frequent. Anyway here is where I am at the moment.
  10. Hi I added this kit to my profile but have just found the photos. This was my first wooden ship build and indicates my naivety. I wasn't on a forum then but took on a vicious hull shape for planking with a blunt bow and blunt stern. I had no idea what I was doing and that shows - planks spiking up to thin points. The kit interested me as it was, more or less, equivalent to the two fluyt's that Abel Tasman sailed to New Zealand in 1642 - Heemskerck and Zeehaen which fascinated me. I suspect the original ships were more extreme in shape. I holiday in Abel Tasman National Park every summer - do not miss this place if you come to New Zealand! The fluyts are intriguing too. Their strange shape came into part because taxation in the Netherlands back then was based on deck area. So, they had bulbous hulls, for freight, and very small upper decks. Tax avoidance in the 17th century! Tasman came into Golden Bay and was confronted by Maori warriors in waka (canoes) and several of his crew were killed. Tasman named it 'Murderers Bay' (now called 'Golden Bay') and they never touched the shore. By then they were in trouble anyway with rotten rigging, dwindling supplies and in fear of the locals. Tasman beat a track back to Batavia but, on his return to the Netherlands, his mission was deemed to be a complete failure. That's tough given what he and his crew had been through. Interestingly they have recently detected the launching platforms for the waka in Golden Bay and these are the now considered to be the oldest surviving structures in New Zealand. And, of course, Tasman gave his European name to 'Neuw Zeeland'. We see it here both ways - New Zealand and Aotearoa. If you are interested in this subject, I can definitely recommend 'The Merchant of Zeehaen - Isaac Gilesmans and the voyages of Abel Tasman' by Grahame Anderson. I also recommend a novel, 'Tasman's Lay' by Peter Hawes, which really plants in you in the utter hell hole of 17th century ship board life - towing the last of their meat behind the stern to rid it of worms and weevils as they head north out of Murderers Bay... I don't know if this kit is still available but it was quite good. But, in hindsight, all the parts are over scaled and it is far from being a beginners kit - the bow and stern are just evil. It did provide the challenge of triple planking the two whale boats! My efforts back then seem very clumsy and ill-informed. However the hull, as far as I finished it, and the wee whale boats have found a proud shelf in our living room for better or worse. I have no intention of taking it any further but it stands as a model...of some sort anyway. Photos from way back when - 2005. That's all for this mini log. Cheers, A
  11. this build log was started as a continuation of my San Francisco II as I hadn't thought of creating a new subject. I will see if I can move the first part of the post from there over the next few days. I also haven't been able to figure out how to add to my post so in the past I simply replied to it and added the info. I shall be adding more later. Here are a few photos of the progress so far.
  12. Hi, I’m a new member to this forum and this is my first attempt at wooden ship building. I have some experience with plastic model before (airplane, tank, car) but never dare to attempt a ship build before. The rigging (even for modern ship) scares me away. Yet I’ve always been a ship fan especially those sailing ships. Years ago I visited the San Diego maritime museum where they displayed lots of ship models and wished I could work on one. Well, after searching on the internet, I came across a lot of scratch builds or kits that required wood working skill, which is way out of my league. So I gave up on making one myself - If I came across this forum then, a different outcome would have taken place About a month ago, I came upon a wooden ship built log by chance and it sparked my interest again. With some modeling experience on my belt, I thought I could give it another try. Not knowing where to buy wooden ship kit, I searched on ebay and craiglist and came across a half built HMS Victory, a perfect chance to get my feet wet. The hull and deck have been built though there are evidences that it was damaged from a fall (dented hull, etc). It was offered for what I thought a great deal so I drove 2hrs to pick it up, and here I am. in an effort to find info on the ship, I came to this forum, stared my new member into and my first half build log. I got warm welcome from several members, and they helped me identify the manufacturer of my model. Here are the pictures of the ship when it came to my home. My plan is to clean up the damages, verify the available parts and decide how to proceed without a manual. Some of you will say that this is no project for a beginner and I’m well aware of that. My goal is to being persistent and start learning to get this done. It might take awhile due to life obligations , but the ship is in a place where I can work on it whenever I got time, so that’s a good start IMO.
  13. Ok, This is my Build Log. First a bit of history as the images to be posted begins with my 4th build of this ship. I have loved building Model ships ever since I was a kid (a very, VERY long time ago). My first was a half hull Cutty Sark that was placed on a plaque and then wall mounted, I was in 7th and 8th grades for this one.. My next attempt was when I was in High School, a 'Revell' Plastic Cutty Sark Model that went very well, but didn't hold up well over the years and is now gone forever. No picture that I can find of that one. My 3rd attempt is the 1:78 Cutty Sark wood planked ship by 'ARKIT'. I started it back in 1988 while in the U.S. Navy, but when they shipped my model home when I discharged, it was destroyed. So attempt 4 (and current) is a 1:78 Wood 'Sergal' model of the Cutty Sark. I have Been working on mine for a while, I laid down the keel On this latest attempt in 1993, assembling and planking the Hull. I got the hull sanded and painted. But when it came to mark the copper plating line, I took a loooong break from it as I was afraid I didn't have the skills then. (that was 29 years ago). This is where I stopped for this long 29 year hiatus: In between these years I have been honing my wood working skills better. Here are some examples: Now it's 2022 and I have a renewed desire to get back at it. I designed a jig to cut the line to mark the top of the copper plating line. I then Taped off the upper part of the hull right down to the line I scribed. I then painted the lower part a copper color. You see, I have seen other models that have been plated but the plates are next to impossible to get them perfectly in place without tiny gaps. These gaps I saw had shown with the black paint showing through where the plating was not as close as it could have been. Hence, I painted the under side copper so any gaps would be invisible. I'm now at that point where I need to glue on the hundreds of plates to the hull. Which brings me up to date with the newest pictures: If any are wondering why I painted the hull copper first, I have a good reason. I have been looking around at other folks that built this ship and notice that the copper plates were not applied perfectly and the black under coating of the hull was showing through. So I wanted to make sure that didn't happen here, So I painted it the same color as the hull plates, so If they don't go on perfectly, the seams are still hidden.
  14. Hello, I stumbled across this forum looking for advice for my first model ship and boy did I spent time coming across interesting topic after topic...So I thought I'd give something back and start a build log. I started this model a while ago but wanted to make some progress first before starting the log. Just in case I wouldn't go through with it... I'm from Berlin/Germany so excuse my english. I'll do my best. However I expect to struggle especially with the naval vocabulary. I actually got the exact same kit when I was a child. I was about twelve years old I think and in over my head. I don't even know anymore who spent that much money to give me that present and then left me alone to deal with it. I managed to plank have the hull, then went out of wooden walnut strips, because most of them broke while I tried to glue them to the ribs. It looked awful. So I left it to the dust. It gnawed at me over the years that I couldn’t finish it back then. So last year, 22 years later, I bought another kit and started looking over the kit’s contents and the build plan. What a mess – hence the search for advice and my arrival at this forum. It is my first model. I like working with wood however. I have built two skin-on-frame kayaks, several sheds and play huts as well as pieces of furniture. However, nothing as delicate as a 1:124 model. I can handle criticism and suggestions for improvement. I really want it to look good, so please don’t sugarcoat it when you stumble across some mistakes I make just because I’m a beginner. Long story short: here’s my build log:
  15. I've mentioned this kit a few times........gotten last Christmas from my admiral. I wanted to bide my time and complete a few of the projects I have going, before starting it. the admiral would ask me about it every once in a while......I'd tell her my reason....and for a while, it was good. I think my logic has worn thin. the time left in the closet was good though.....I was able to find that there is a second version of this kit, which contains some photo etch. looking around for it, following tips from other folks, I was able to locate it. the photo etch mimics a wood sheet contained in the kit. I found it at Cornwall model boats....I ordered two of the photo etch and one of the wood sheet. sadly, I only got one of each......I got the last of the photo etch. I will reorder it at a later date.......I won't try and scare you with what I have planned for this kit....icky mae 1:124 is a small scale for this ship.....to me it is anyway.......it will be quite compact, and not as much detail, as would be seen in a larger kit. of course I don't believe that....quite a few folks here have proven that theory is only limited to those who don't want to. there is one build of this model listed here on the site, but it took a hit with the last crash, losing all of it's pictures......unless the gent comes and fixes it, I'm on my own. the fittings for this model are very small.......lots of tiny parts. as I saw with the other build, there are some thing I will be changing.......railings, for instance will be a focal point. wood strips.......got'em.......looks like a lot of smaller sizes here'e where the kit starts to get dicey.......their laser cutting methods lead lots to be desired. normally, you have the small etch points, which have to be cut, in order to pop the part out. with this one, the laser cuts are not complete, with large tabs that need to be cut {or finished}. the bulkhead sheet is even worse........the laser cutting doesn't go all the way through. I didn't take a photo of the back side......{you'll see later}. it's a really nice kit.....too bad there is a lack of quality. the thinner sheets though are better......they still have the unfinished cuts, but the cuts are much better. the smaller sheet is what the photo etch is copied from. lastly......the order I got from Cornwall Boats this photo etch seems to be thicker than what I have seen with other builds {not my own}......this will be the first time I attempt etch of any kind. we'll see how this plays out.....I like the looks of it. I was hoping that there would be more parts for the windlass and winches, but some of the parts were done on another sheet and not included here. again......we'll have to see how this plays out
  16. Hello, This is a restoration effort on the Sergal 1/78 scale HMS Victory originally constructed in the mid-1980's. My Uncle originally constructed the ship and it has been in the family ever since. As age caught up with my Uncle and dimentia started to take hold, he decided to do an "after the battle scene" and with a propane torch reduced the ship to what you see in some of the photos. When I found the kit, my Aunt was getting ready to throw it in the trash. Seeing that the hull was in pretty good shape, I knew I could not let the ship get thrown away. After obtaining the original plans, extra parts and books I have begun the restoration. I have been a modeler for many years, but this is my first opportunity to work with wood ship kits. Having read through some of the build logs on here before the crash, I know there is a lot of experience and knowledge here. Feel free to let me know if you have any advice or direction. Thanks for following my restoration/build log! Mark
  17. Guess this time I'll start at the beginning. I'll spare the group the open box pictures. I did inventory everything in there. It's all there. The wood strips, plywood etc. look like pretty good quality. The laser cut parts are nice and clean - although I've learned here not to trust them. I'll be looking at the member logs of the same kit (Art. 789) for trouble spots. Like a lot of other kits, the blocks are terrible. The rope set and deadeyes are not too bad, but I'll replace them all with Syren model Co.'s materials. Right out of the box the keel is warped - actually just bowed. I'll probably do inter-bulkhead spacer blocks, so I figure I can straighten it at that step. As expected the cast parts will need a lot of cleanup, and the stanchions are flat etched brass, so I'll have to replace them: This thing is big!! I have no idea what I'll do with it when it's done, but I figure I have years to worry about that. Wish me luck! - Tim
  18. Welcome to my new build log of the HMS Victory. This journey has a special meaning for me. All my life I wanted to build a ship. Not just any ship, but a highly detailed model, but as with most things life gets in the way. I built many models as a kid and teenager, but nothing like this. I grew up, went to school, got a degree in electronics, then became an engineer, worked at many trades, became a master machinist, a tool and die maker, traveled the US, Canada, and Mexico as an engineer for a CNC machine tool manufacturer. My lifelong hobby was wood working. I retired at age 48 due to medical issues. Now, at 68, I am working on goals on my bucket list. I desire to build this ship while I still can. I don't know what time is left .... one year .... 5 ... 20, it's unsure, but I have life threatening issues along with other issues. Enough about me, now let's build a ship. I recieved the Mantua Sergal 782 kit of the HMS Victory this morning. This was not the kit I wanted. I wanted the Billings Boats kit, but due to the difficult times now with this virus they are closed temporarily and my order could not be filled. The distributor was very helpful in getting this kit to me as a substitute. My reason for wanting the Billings was it provided the basics at a good price and I could replace the lesser quality parts with aftermarket and make the ship better detailed. I will be doing the same thing with this kit. I did have to pay an extra $72 for this kit. The Billings was $397. I have been studying McKay's book , The 100 Gun Ship, and finding sources for upgrades while waiting 2 months for the kit to arrive. I figure another $300 in aftermarket pieces will accomplish my goal, still being less than the Caldercraft kit.. and hopefully better. Mark Frazier
  19. Finally saved up enough to order my fourth kit! After three reasonably successful builds of beginner kits by Artesania Latina, I'm stepping up to an advanced beginner kit from Sergal (a brand made by Mantua Models). The kit seems to be sold under both its Italian and English titles, respectively, Sciabecco francese and French Xebec. While xebecs were used by other countries' navies earlier, the French didn't adopt them until relatively late in the reign of Louis XV, in the 1750s and 1760s. The French navy continued to use them through the Napoleonic wars, though they were mostly phased out at that point. (Apparently some worked coast guard duty into the 1840s.) Here's the traditional unboxing photo. Four bundles of 500mm planks and dowels, three sheets of laser-cut parts, a sheet of pennants, lots of hardware, the assembly instructions booklet, and some rather generously sized schematics. Although the assembly instructions are pretty limited, they also include a section on planking the hull that is very detailed and well illustrated. I don't have much perspective, but the wood doesn't seem to be of the same quality as the Artesania Latina kits that I did. That might be just the perception of an amateur talking, or maybe it's just that the wood was less well sanded at the factory. The 5mm plywood is definitely sturdy though! The biggest concern for me so far is that the keel, false deck, and decks have curves to them. Right now, I have the keel and false deck resting under damp paper towels and some heavy weights. Hopefully they'll be straighter tomorrow. Today I began dry fitting the keel and bulwarks. I've learned a lot from my prior kits and so am doing better this time. The bulwarks fit well to the keel, straight out of the box. I sanded the laser char off one of them, but then it fit so loosely that it rocked back and forth in its slot on the keel. Now I'm only sanding off the char as needed to improve how the false deck and decks fit. Although the bulwarks fit well, the slots weren't deep enough. The photo shows bulwarks #5–10. You'll note that #9 and 10 (the two furthest away) are sticking up above the keel by about 2 or 3mm, which is about how high they all sat. When I took the photo, I noticed that #6 and 7 were still up a bit too high, too, so I gave them a bit more love. At this point, the bulwarks that support the false deck (#3–10) are fitted. The false deck slides into its space well, except that its slight curve prevents it from resting flat. Next step is to dry fit the main deck (which needs some filing in order to fit onto the bulwarks) and then to work on the foredeck and the bulwarks (#1–3) that support it.
  20. I had started some build log in the former edition of this forum, and for a number of reasons I did not rewrite it in the new version. Some of the reasons (excuses): - A lot of work involved - Not familiar with the new procedures to insert pics - Long term inactivity on the project - Moderate interest from other members… I have now restarted the build and will re-post some of the previously sent pictures, if I manage to tackle the pictures insertion. Anyway this is the model as it looks now. Any critical or better, constructive meaning is more than welcome, bearing in mind that not a lot can be changed to what is already done. Question. I want to give the ship a name. For a number of reasons I will explain later, this will be “The Pole Star” or rather in Dutch “De Poolster”. Problem is that Dutch spelling of the 17th century is not something I am familiar with, so the name could also have been written Poolsterre or stern or sterne. Any idea from the Dutch colleagues?
  21. I started to build this ship in 1975. But after a short time i´m boring so i went to build a little easier ship The Golden Star and a middle cut from the HMS Victory now after a long long Time i put my beginning again to the shipyard and hope i can finish it with your help.
  22. I built the model a few years ago in 1985, visited the real thing in 1997 & in 2012. My daughter did the painting.
  23. Greetings MSW I am new to the forum and to model ship building. During the corona-staycation I decided to give model ship builing a go to kill some time. I started off with the Brittania by mini mamoli. This is a pre-build hull kit so it wasn’t really challenging but I had a lot of fun building/assembling it and therefore decided to learn more about the hobby. When searching online for building logs etc, it didn’t take me long before I ended up on msw, where I found all the information (and a lot more) that I needed. After the Brittania was finished, I ordered the whaling sloop by Artesania Latina because I read somewhere on the forum that this is a good kit to build up some experience and so I decided to give it a go. It took me about two weeks to finish this model and in hindsight I can say I enjoyed the build, but it wasn’t that more challenging than the Brittatnia. I did however “plank” a “hull” for the first time. Then I went looking for the next kit. With all my newly acquired experience (lol), I decided it was time to tackle something more elaborate. I searched online in the “2” (novice/intermediate) category and found my next build, the topic of this build log, the Racehorse by Sergal. I chose this kit/ship for it’s looks and also because the kit is not that expensive and so failure wouldn’t be too costly. I started this build about three weeks ago. I was not planning on making a building log, but since the building logs of others on this forum helped me so well, I decided to make one anyway. None of you masterbuilders will ever learn anything from me, but I hope to help other beginners out and maybe pull some over the line in having a go at this hobby. I am making lots of mistakes and for now my work looks sloppy-ish, but most important of all, I am having fun! I know I will get better at it. We all have to start somewhere. After reading a few reviews of this kit I learned that the model wasn’t based on an actual ship, but a chimera from Sergal. But I do not mind that all, on the contrary, it only gives me more “artistic-liberty” to make my own interpretation of a bomb sketch. For this model I will mainly be focussing on the building process and tyring out different things anyway rather than making a historically correct ship. That’s something for later models. Tldr; - novice - 2 previous builds (Mini Mamoli Brittania and Artesania Latina Whaling Sloop) - having lots of fun - build log : Sergal Racehorse…
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