ccoyle

I know at least one member of this forum who really likes Billing Boats kits, and he does a great job building them -- the builder is the key. And if you do a search for "Billing Boats Dana," you'll see that we have several completed examples in the gallery. It can be built into a very nice model. The main thing is to have fun and feel a connection to whatever you happen to be building. Now, very soon some other members will chime in with suggestions for beginner-friendly kits, and you may certainly take those under advisement. But, once you make your decision about how to proceed, commit yourself to simply enjoying the journey. Cheers!

But still fresh in the hearts of fans of Die Mannschaft.

Wow! What a beautiful place to call home! Hope you enjoy your time here. Cheers!

Most models are actually 'mixed media' to some degree. Your bollards will like fine to the average viewer. I once knew a great modeler who described his models as 'artistic impressions' -- they looked a little rough if you looked too closely, but at normal viewing distances they were lovely.

Well, that is a major bummer.

I agree with Allan. Those kits are on the 'stylized' end of the kit accuracy spectrum -- the rigging in particular is highly simplified. Also, as a beginner, you will find it much easier to take on the myriad number of small elements on a ship model if you steer toward larger scales, e.g. in the 1/48 to 1/64 scale range.

I'm acquainted with Super-Hobby but have never ordered from them. They carry card models and usually have a good number of photos of the actual kits, something that most retailers don't usually do. I hope you have a positive experience with them.

Outstanding workmanship, especially at this scale. I like the muffin tin liners for sorting parts -- I might have to borrow that idea.

Get well soon, Bob!

For a few seconds I thought your kit had a seriously warped keel, but then I realized that was the deck and that the keel was laying flat, so no problems!

Cutters are good projects for tackling the more advanced masting and rigging found on square-rigged vessels. They typically have only a single mast. so they are not overwhelming for beginners. There are lots of cutter kits to choose from, too. The armed Virginia sloop suggested earlier is not technically a cutter, but it has a similar rig, so it is a good choice as well. Your lobster smack project will have a simple fore-and-aft rig -- if you want to take that type of rig up a notch before taking on a square rig, then try a two- or three-masted schooner. Again, lots of such subjects in kit form to choose from.

That's what I said, too, once upon a time. Now look at me. 😬

Started work on the forward fuselage. Here are the skin sections with their joiner strips attached. Each of these must first be pre-formed as close as possible to the desired finished shape. The largest piece (top) was then closed, gently conformed to the shape of the previous fuselage section, and then allowed to remain dry-fitted for 24 hours to permanently 'fix' its shape. Then the next section was closed, shaped, and glued to the first section. After the glue had set, an internal bulkhead was placed inside the resulting cylinder and glued in place. Here's the work so far -- the two fuselage sections are not yet glued together. In the previous photo,you can see the next two rings joined together in the background. The two forward-fuselage assemblies won't be joined together just yet -- both the engine and air intake need to be built first. But, I couldn't resist getting a feel for what the finished nose will eventually look like. Yep, it's going to look cool! In the photo, you can also see where I have added the optional recessed exhaust port. On photos of real Hellcats, there is usually a massive, dirty streak that arcs back from the exhaust port along the fuselage and over the wing root, as you can see in the photo below (from Wikimedia Commons): The kit printing doesn't have any weathering, but I am half-tempted to try adding this rather conspicuous detail. Cheers!

Interesting subject, Dan. I did not know about the incident. A challenging project, to be sure.

Yup. I have done both with and without. Don't hesitate to add them if that's the look you like. The one recommendation I would make is to steer clear of pre-sewn sails as these rarely, if ever, look 'right'.

Good to see that I'm not the only modeler who must zealously guard his stash of tools and supplies from unauthorized uses.

Man, your 'model' is as big as my canoe I finished last year!

Try searching Scalemates. They have quite a few Lindberg kits listed.

I used to have a hand-me-down example of this kit. I was surprised at how large the finished model would be. The nice thing about Baltimore Clippers is that they are striking but not overly complex subjects. The AL kit can also be spruced up quite a bit if you have any inclination toward super-detailing, and, as you have discovered, there is ample resource material on the type out there. Plus, since "Harvey" is a representative model and not any actual historical vessel (as far as I know), you have latitude to modify the design and name it whatever you wish. Enjoy!

Looks like you're off to a great start. The hull looks very solid and straight. Is that per chance a PZL P.11 I spied on a shelf in the background?

A very convincing model, Richard. I'm going to have to remember the trick you came up with for straightening the bulwarks, too. Cheers!

Let me be the first to congratulate you on a fine model!

Outstanding finished product -- congratulations!

I missed the completion of this model somehow, but I'm glad that I didn't miss it entirely. It is a fantastic model!

Made quite a bit of progress today -- fuselage and horizontal stabilizers skinned. Here's another shot of everything test-fitted.