mtdoramike

She is looking beautiful.

They do look a bit more in alignment now.

Very well done!

WOW, you are right, that is quite a jump up from #9. Have you tried to temp lay a couple of planks and see how it was going to run? Mamoli Constitution uses these same metal gun ports. Trying to align them using the tabs was such a pain in the ____ I just decided to break off the tabs and then align and glue the gun ports myself and it turned out beautifly. But with all those gun ports, I can't see that being an option for you. But it looks like a good 1/8th inch jump up.

I agree with Rob, that is the way I usually do it. It does require the thought of at least a few steps ahead, but modeling requires this anyway:)

I've used both, oil base and water base paints. I will usually lay down a layer of Polyurathane to seal the wood, which fills in most small cracks. Then I put on a layer of paint. The Poly helps get a smoother finish. This should not be a difficult decision for you. If you are satisfied and like the natural finish of the model, then leave it as is. I think most model builders leave their first models natural anyway. Let me add here that most new model builders think that building the model is the major part, which it is, but fit and finish is just as important as building the model itself. The more detail, the finer the finish, the better the model painted or natural. Please don't fall into the trap that "well, if I were going to paint the model, I would have built it in plastic". Both are totally different mediums and both have their place amoung modeling. But either way, the better the finish on either wood or plastic, the better the model will turn out. I have painted over some really beautiful walnut just to capture the historic look of a particular ship.

Everyone builds for their audience in some degree. Who wants to build a model only to have people NOT notice as they walk into a room. It is very pleasing to have someone comment positively on your hard work and dedication. I also agree, it's your model and you will be the ultimate person to make that choice. I too am currently building a victory and will paint her since the model will be donated to our local library. I will try and stay true to her historical accuracy as possible, but I will also use a little artistic license as well. I have built more unpainted ship models than I have painted one's. But it has been my experience that painted ship models sell for almost double the price as natural wood look models do. I also must add here that I have seen more than a few really crappy painted ship models. But I have never seen a bad natural wood model:)

To me, there are certain ship models that should be painted their historic colors, two of which are the Constitution and the other being the Victory. Yes, they would look beautiful in natural wood finish, but to me they would just seem unfinished or harder to recognize unpainted. I built a Constructo HMS Bounty several years ago, it was my first ship model that I built. The wood was so beautiful that I decided (and also my wife mentioned how beautiful it look natural) to leave it natural wood look just like the picture on the box. Well, everyone who see's the Bounty model today ask why didn't I paint it like the replica Bounty or the Mutiny on the Bounty movie version. Most of them have to ask, which ship it is. Had I painted it, most people would have recognized it. But it's up to the builder how he see's the finished product. Also just because a model is to be painted doesn't mean you cut corners, the better the foundation, the better the paint job whether it be a house, car or model. Do I regret not painting the Bounty, yes, to this day, if I built it all over again, I would paint it. But that is just my opinion and regrets, not saying you will feel the same down the road.

That is the one thing above the rest that I love about Constructo models, the choices of wood they use is above most other kits and if you want a natural finished model, Constructo is the way to go.

Paul, are you going to paint your Vic the historical colors or leave it natural to show the beauty of the wood? To me, the Vic is like the Constitution, they just have to be painted the traditional colors.

Oh and b y the way, you are doing a wonderful job of her.

If I can add something here, the wire doesn't look parallel to the other side of the hammocks. Please don't build a model the way it looks on the box or the look that the manufacture shows. Build the model or at least fit and finish the model THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE! Now, if you like that look, then by all means go with it. But to me, the Constitution is a model of a relevent ship that is still around today and the black and white finish is really expected on her. This is a model that will take you year(s) to finish, so why not try and make it as accurate to the real thing as you can. It would be a shame to spend all that time building her, only to regret not finishing her in her traditional colors. My first model was of the Constructo HMS Bounty, I finished it just like on the box, in natural wood look, which looks nice, but every time someone see's the Bounty they ask, why didn't you finish her like the replica Bounty, which recently sank or like the movie Bounty. So now, I do regret not thinking out of the box and finish her with the replica Bounty paint scheme rather than what the box had shown.

I think it's a really nice planking job. But to me, the end justifies the means as long as the hull gets planked and it's pleasing to the eye.

Absolutely gorgeous work. I'm really liking the planking job. First rate work.

WOW, that display case for the Vic is nice, I like the seamless look very much. The base is nice as well, I like the Black look of the base. I'm going to have to build one for the Latina Victory I'm building as well, but at close to 50 inches in length, it will be a task indeed. I don't think I will be able to get away with the seamless look with a case that huge.

I just received the piece of HMS Victory wood from England that came off the Victory during one of her recent refits. I will use some of the wood to make various pieces of the model and then will include what ever is left of the wood in the display case which will be included in the donation to the library along with the model.

OOps, I had to edit the original post, I put down the cost of the kit at $657.00, but the actual price was $567.00.

WoW, that was a real good price.

Thanks Peter, get to building that Danmark, you will not be disappointed. It was a really fun project to build. To me, the Hull was one of the easiest hulls I have ever planked. The plans and drawing included in the kit are some of the best I have used.

Absolutely gorgeous. I LOVE Constructo models and even though I have built two Constitutions in the past, I would love to build a Constructo Connie.

WOW, the planking on this Vic, looks sooooo smooth it looks like plastic. What a beautiful job indeed.

That is exactly the point Joe and all of these build into very nice models and something you can be proud of. I don't believe in blaming my short comings on something else if things don't turn out like I wanted and AL kits are anything but bad kits, years ago they were one of the go to kits especially for beginners. There will be issues with quality with any kit manufacture especially with the cheaper kits. The main issue I would be looking at if I were you is the condition of the wood in those stored kits. Wood becomes brittle with age and tends to warp in humid houses, even plywood. I have bought and built older kits that I bought from estate sales where the kit was 40 years old and found several warped bulkheads and false keels. I either straightened them out and if that didn't work, I bought the wood and used the old ones as templates and made new ones with nothing more than persistence and a keyhole saw. Sometimes in any kind of modeling, you have to adapt and overcome situations and obstacles, which is what makes it fun.

Thanks Mark, I know what you mean, I was quite surprised at no second layer of hull planking and no printed plans. I'm used to 24X36 sheets of plans.

I recently ordered the Artesiana Latina HMS Victory 1:84 scale from Plastic-Model-kits.com for the price of $567.00 with free shipping. They basicallt only sold Latina kits. They are a sub of Oakridge Hobbies, who actually shipped my kit. It took 10 days from the date of order to receive this massive kit. The invoice claimed 21 pounds shipping weight and I believe every bit of it. Upon receiving the kit, I opened the box and did an inspection of the contents. I was quite pleased with the woods chosen for the model and the fit and finish materials supplied. But they included an adendum to the instructions due to a sheet of the laser cut bulkheads were mislabeled and giving the correct sequence in the adendum. Observations so far: LIKES: The building materials are outstanding, the instruction book is quite thick and very detailed with color pictures to follow as well as written instructions. Definitely the price point for a kit of this magnitude. The false keel and bulkheads are cut from some thick plywood, so no worries about breaking anything. As usual with Latina, they include some very nice containers with actual lids to keep all the parts in one bin. They are a lot nicer than those egg carton still containers that are shrink wrapped but the small pieces still find their way into other bins. Dislikes: A major dislike for me is NO PRINTED PLANS, What???, no, you heard right, I can't believe AL cheaped out on a kit this expensive and sent a CD with plans on it rather than printed plans. This is a problem for me, because I build by plans, not by instructions or a CD. So now, I have to locate someplace to get the plans printed off of the CD and bare that added expense and living in my neck of the woods, it's not that easy. We don't have a Kinko's/Fedex or anything like that. The best I can do is Office Depot, so I'll have to check them out. Now, can the model be built with the CD plans? YES, it can and has been and there's a build log on it. But, I'm old school I guess. I could be wrong, but I didn't see a second layer of hull planking, which was Always supplied with AL kits in the past just in case you messed up on the first layer. One of the bulkheads was quite warped, so I had to wet it down and then took a hot air paint remover gun and with enough heat and a bit of cursing, it flattened out fairly well enough for government work anyway. The fit of the bulkheads to the false keel is quite sloppy and some with gaps up to 1/16". This makes plumbing up and squaring the bulkheads quite difficult. Also, you MUST lay the first false layer of decking BEFORE gluing the bulkheads to the keel or you will have a devil of a time getting the deck to fit properly. They floppy bulkheads do help in this instance though. So it may have been planned. They also included a cheap cradle style display board for this grade of s ship model, something besides plywood will be in order to compliment her beauty. With all this being said, so far I like the kit and I have always like Artesiana Latina kits for fit and finish and it's nice to see they are still kicking. Will this kit make into a fine model? the answer is yes, with a little hard work and determination. I know there are doubters about Latina kits, but as long as you remember, kits are not Museum quality models, they make into fine ship models but they aren't unique. If someone is looking for museum quality then they should scratch build, which would be unique. I'm not a scratch builder, I'm a kit basher. I have a lot of respect for scratch builders willing to devote the time, patience and money into a single project. I know a few near me and applaud their efforts, but I was more into building and selling my models at the time. So build time was a premium. But this particular project will be my last model. This model (the HMS Victory) will be donated upon it's completion. So no hurries mates as long as my health holds out and my eye site holds on. I will continue to add to this review as I go along. I was also able to obtain a small piece of wood from the actual Victory ship, which I will incorporate into the Victory model such as anchor collars or something like that.

It pissed me off the other day when I went to buy 8 packs of super type glue and first was told I could only buy 4 per purchase and then they carded me and asked that I produce photo ID, are you kidding me, I'm an old man for goodness sake. I think I'll start ordering it from online, that is if they still ship it.