mtdoramike

I was reading through some of these posts and WOW, I can't believe some of the remarks. First off, model ship kits are just that a kit. There is nothing museum quality about them and nothing unique from model to model either. I know this going in and knew it from the first kit I ever built. But a ship model kit gets the builder to eventually realize that it's not just about building the kit, it's also about the adventure and experience of it. Most kit's take any where from five hundred to thousands of hours to build, but after your first kit build, you realize that to extend this warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment, you have to do a bit of research. Yep I know, that dreaded (S) word that we all hated in school (studying). Then after a few models under your belt, you can really start to get motivated and begin kit bashing or take the other major leap and go to scratch building, which could produce a museum quality model depending on the time, effort and yes, research.
 
But me, there is nothing like breaking open the crisp plastic wrapping of a new ship model kit that the UPS man dropped off at my door. I can spend hours upon hours just going through the kit, looking at all the things inside the box. So no, I agree that some if not most aren't great, accurate or even a decent representation of the original. But I don't care, so please don't spoil it for me      

I finally got the gun ports stripped of all the old lining and then painted and reinstalled the RED lining around the gun ports. I think it highlights the gun ports and makes them stand out better. I had to buy additional wood for this because the kit can with just the right amount to line them once and that was about it. Now, the real Victory gun ports aren't painted red around them and the yellow goes all the way up to the edge of the gun ports. But I like the results of the red better.   

I finally received the Hammock Stays and the large Main sail for the Victory today. My faith has been restored in Artesania Latina. So I hope I have everything needed to complete her, if not, I will cross that bridge when I get there. So all in all it took about 5-6 weeks to get the parts from them.
 
 
Mike  

This is going to be one beautiful model once competed. You have me itching to build the Constructo's version of the Connie. I have built two other versions and both turned out quite nice, but they were both painted.

This is going to be one beautiful model once competed. You have me itching to build the Constructo's version of the Connie. I have built two other versions and both turned out quite nice, but they were both painted.

Absolutely beautiful, I love the lanterns.

Thanks Michael, Sjors and Kevin.
 
As for your comment Sjors.
 
I think it is great to start this hobby with a kit as all the needed fittings and materials are included in the kit. 
It is just a matter of copying the stuff (and a bit of modifying) if I don’t like the supplied versions or when it is completely out of scale..
And I know there’s always a “backup” (the kit’s version) if the “modification” doesn’t work out or is too difficult to copy. 
 
Continuing:

I worked this weekend on the other lanterns.
After having found out how to make the first one where the remaining 2 rather quick to make.

 

 
In parallel I installed the "emergency steering" chains.
 

 
...

..Thank you Jack..
 
So here's the promised wrap up..
Next thing was to add some nice attributes so it really starts to looks like a lantern, (and to hide some of the imperfections of the wood).
 
.. I started with “twisting” 3 strings of Ø 0.4 mm brass wire with a drill, pictures will show later where i used it.
 

 
I used a “rounding over” and an “edge cutter” and milled the profiles into 2 laths and by using the table saw I cut them into 4 individually shaped laths (but I ended up in only using 3 shapes..)
 


 
Then i really challenged the table saw by cutting them into 8 egual angled pieces (2x22,5 degrees cuts).
 


 
And could glue these into "perfectly" shaped octagons..
 

 
Glued the different octagons on top and bottom..
 

 
And camouflaged the “rough” sides of the lantern with pieces of twisted (blackened) brass wire.
..the final finish was to glue an (cannon) ball on top and to add a Ø1,5mm stick  and to cut the holder for it …
 

 
Taa-daa..
 



 
So next project will be to create the 2 "smaller" lanterns.. 
.. the ST has not "1", but "3" lanterns   

Nice work on the cannon.
 
Mike

I finally received the Hammock Stays and the large Main sail for the Victory today. My faith has been restored in Artesania Latina. So I hope I have everything needed to complete her, if not, I will cross that bridge when I get there. So all in all it took about 5-6 weeks to get the parts from them.
 
 
Mike  

I finally received the Hammock Stays and the large Main sail for the Victory today. My faith has been restored in Artesania Latina. So I hope I have everything needed to complete her, if not, I will cross that bridge when I get there. So all in all it took about 5-6 weeks to get the parts from them.
 
 
Mike  

Finally got a couple of days working on my build though spent a bit of time working out a new timber order and a flexy for my Dremil type drill , might try carving the stern decoration and see how i get on . can always buy them if it dosn,t work out .Finished planking the stern and gave it a coat of varnish to see how it looks and discovered at least one plank will have to be replaced due to color 

 
Got around to trying out my blacking product ,not a great success on the brass cannons but more acceptable on some copper eyelets 


 
All that dipping in vinegar ,washing in de-ionised water and rinsing in baking soda seems a lot of work just to achieve a metal finish especially as the results are so unpredictable,so i stuck on a couple of coats of Tamiya gun metal paint with a brush to see how it would look and think it,s better 

 
finished of one cannon to see how it looks before mass production begins ,Not bad but i ordered some Caseys gun black to-day and will try it before i do any more 

 

 
Spent to-night looking at the bow and i will probably have to replace a lot of the ply parts especially those that will be more noticable . Is ply really that cheap that they had to use for everything  ?? Will sign of now cause i said i wouldn,t complain any more !!!!
 
 

Well I got the hull puttied, primed and painted brown, in case a copper plate isn't placed exact and the hull shines through hahahaha. I have a couple of coats of paint on the hull, which will later get sprayed with a clear satin laquer or poly to seal it thoroughly before copper plating. I also found while checking the wood dowels for the masts that the dowel for the main mast is warped like a snake sun bathing. Fortunately these will be painted so no harm there. I will just have to replace them with cheap dowels from my local hardware store. The odds of finding walnut dowels in my area would be useless.   

I have to ask here, What do you mean you "Ruined a Constructo kit"? What did you do to ruin a Constructo kit? You also must realize that although solid hull kits appear to be easier, they are not. With a plank on frame kit, the frames or bulkheads are already shaped for you. But on a solid hull kit, they are only slightly faired and must be finished by the builder. You should have templates in your kit that will assist in fairing the hull, which is the downfall of most who attempt a solid hull going into the build with the thought of it being easier. It's called over sanding and over carving the hull. The best way to avoid this is slow as you go and check, recheck and triple check your work as you go.
 
Good luck,
Mike  

Beautiful work, the natural wood looks great. 

I will probably just add a door made out of veneer onto the base plywood so you still get a slight recessed look. To be honest Botd there will be that much detail on the finished model 99% of people won't even be really aware!
Keith

I took two steps forward and three steps back hahahahahaha. I decided (after taking a hard look at the cannon ports to re-do them. The reason why is fairly simple, I didn't like the way they looked. I lined the gun ports before I painted the sides rather than painted the gun port liners separately like Lawrence did his. I thought it would be easier to sand, but without that red band outlining the gun ports, they looked quite small and insignificant and when the gun ports metal brows were placed above the gun port, they really looked small. So this will be a few days extra work. But who's counting   The top picture shows the other side before I decided to re-do the gun ports. Once I finish, I will post another picture hopefully with the before and after pictures.
 
Also, no package yet from Artesania Latina, hopefully within a few days.
 
Mike  

I have all the gun ports lined and now starting on the stern castle section. I'm trying to follow Lawrence's build as close to as possible refer to: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/2241-hms-victory-by-canoe21-lawrence-al-scale-184/page-4 hence the design on the stern castle flooring. But I'm also trying to stay as true to the kit as possible with limited modifications. I notched into the hull section coming back toward the Stern flooring because I want to leave as much of the sides as possible for added support for the windows or at least until I get them. 

Interesting topic.  Several additional thoughts re my earlier post:
Each builder should select the medium they enjoy, they are all OK As I overplank the solid hull it is the base for hull planking similar to POB construction I have found I can carve a solid hull, either scratch or kit supplied, faster than dealing with a typical kit POB hull I find that I can carve a solid hull more accurately than a typicall POB hull As a result of these factors I chose to fill the bow and stern areas on my current "Fair American" build, this has worked out well and planking will be easer as a result (picture attached) It should be noted that most professional/museum class models are solid hull or plank on frame In summary, I believe that every model builder should feel free to experiment and employ those techniques that fit their experience, access to tools and supplies, etc.
 
Regards,
Pete
Shipbuilder

Yes Mark, I know, but they do not hesitate to take more money year by year
 
No - to be serious again... It is ok to get back the costs of an investment. This is clear and understood. But the molds are really old as the kits are available for many many years. So it would be nice and appropriate (better: fair) to re-invest some money into new molds. The customers would not only be delighted - they also would talk about this eg. in forums like this. So the reputation of the companies ... well ... would increase? But this is within the world of modellers, model-kits and manufacturers like it is in the real world outside our hobby: It all about money and profit.
 
So I close the door to my shipyard, take a partof wood and start to build a ship. And I will use the castings and be happy with my small but peaceful world where not profit is the most omprtant thing but the joy of creating such beautiful things as we do...
 
Opps - sounds like a epigram
 
Cheerio my friend
 
Max

Wonderful work, your attention to detail is amazing.

I recently ordered the Artesania Latina HMS Victory 1:84 scale from Plastic-Model-kits.com for the price of $567.00 with free shipping. They basically 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 Artesania 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.             
Attached Thumbnails  

All windows repositioned now, trims refitted and turnings being fitted prior to final shaping, then I can finally move on from this section, anyone building this kit please check, check and recheck your side windows will be level with the rear before committing to the sticky stuff.
Please don't get as far as I did before realising the problem, its a nightmare to correct and really time consuming. Well hope my mistake saves you from one

I have all the gun ports lined and now starting on the stern castle section. I'm trying to follow Lawrence's build as close to as possible refer to: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/2241-hms-victory-by-canoe21-lawrence-al-scale-184/page-4 hence the design on the stern castle flooring. But I'm also trying to stay as true to the kit as possible with limited modifications. I notched into the hull section coming back toward the Stern flooring because I want to leave as much of the sides as possible for added support for the windows or at least until I get them. 

Beautiful castings, I would have thought that Billings would have supplied plastic for the detailing rather than wood though.