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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.

Finished the starboard wing. The 'Cat-beast keeps getting bigger!

Welcome! I look forward to seeing the start of your project.

Welcome! The main disadvantage of older kits is degraded materials. Really old kits often had fittings that contained lead, which corrodes over time. Improperly stored kits may have dry, brittle wood or perhaps water damage. Other than that, many manufacturers have made efforts over the years to upgrade their kits, often by switching to laser cutting of components over die cutting (if a kit includes printed parts that need to be cut from a sheet, then it is really, really old) or adding pictorial instructions. Kits made in the last 20 or so years have really been made more user-friendly, and companies continue to innovate. Still, a skilled modeler can make do even with an older kit. The key for a beginner is to not bite off more model than you can chew, and it sounds like you are taking a cautious approach, so you're already off to a good start. Cheers!

No, that would require some kind of embossing and would make the kit more expensive.

Small bit o' progress. Commensurate with the overall size of this beast, each wing is itself a large structure. But because it is bent, the wing sheathing is in three parts. Here we can see the inboard sheath already attached. When sealing up the trailing edge, it is easy to get too much glue along the seam; really, only the very edge itself should be glued. To avoid a potential problem, I use a folded joiner strip cut from scrap paper. The strip is attached about a half-millimeter in from the lower trailing edge. When glue is applied to the top side of the strip and the top half of the sheath is folded over onto it, the strip enures that only the aft-most half-millimeter of each surface gets bonded together. It makes a very nice seam. By using the edge of a ruler to press the seam together, I managed to avoid having to use my fingers and risk creating the dreaded 'starving cow' look. Ventral side. I'm pleased with this result so far. Still have the wing tip and then the other wing to do.

Congratulations, Dan! She does indeed look great.

That is some very neat work!

Very handsomely done, Dan!

1/250 Seebäderschiff FUNNY GIRL 1973 - HMV Available from Fentens Papermodels €13.99 Photo courtesy of Fentens Papermodels (All photos by the author except where noted.) Hot off the presses in 2022 from Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag (HMV) we have another fine addition to their lineup of historical German working vessels. This time, the folks at HMV are offering a Seebäderschiff with the curious name of Funny Girl, no doubt named for either the Barbara Streisand film or for Fanny Brice, the film's central character. The German name for this type of vessel translates as "sea bather ship." This sort of excursion vessel is still used to this day for ferrying vacationing tourists from the German mainland to the various seaside resorts located on that country's barrier islands. Funny Girl was the last of three sister ships (the others being the Kloar Kimming and the Fair Lady) placed in service between 1970 and 1973. Funny Girl remains in service to this day, transporting up to 799 passengers per trip to sunny days on the beaches of Helgoland. As is usual for HMV kits, this design from Friedrich Pohl is in 1/250 scale, producing a finished model that is 27.5 cm in length (10.8 in.). The four sheets of parts contain 534--698 parts, depending on which build options are chosen. The size and parts count have earned this model a rating of 'intermediate' on HMV's scale of 'easy' to 'very difficult.' Upon turning the attractive booklet cover, featuring images of the prototype model, we find a nice description of the real-life Funny Girl. Sadly for many of you, this description is of course in German, which should encourage some of you to learn that fine language. Remember, Deutsch macht spass! These days, HMV kits include brief explanatory remarks on the lines and symbols used in the construction diagrams, so that the builder can know such things as where to make folds either up or down, and where optional laser-cut detail parts may be used. These remarks are written in German, English, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Russian. After tearing my hair out while trying to make sense of the diagrams in a GPM kit, I can tell you honestly that I really appreciate the clarity of the logical HMV construction sequence and diagrams. Experienced card modelers should have no trouble at all in following the six pages of detailed, computer-drafted diagrams. Construction of Funny Girl's hull makes use of the standard HMV 'egg crate' method of construction. Some care and attention to detail is required to pull this off well, so I recommend having one or two simpler models under your built before attempting a larger model like this. It would be a shock to me personally if any HMV kit were not up to the company's high standard of print quality. Funny Girl's printing is sharp, the colors are bright, and the registration is spot-on. Two-sided printing is included on parts that require it. As mentioned earlier, a laser-cut detail set is available for this kit. The circled letter 'L' in a diagram indicates that such a part is available for the item shown. The laser cut set contains eleven frets and includes a complete railing set, bulwark stays, deck chairs, anchor chains, life belts, anchors, and many other fiddly bits that are difficult to cut out from the printed parts sheets. The set costs €13.99. (Photo courtesy of Fentens Papermodels) A nice final touch in the kit is the addition of two pages of B&W photos of the actual Funny Girl. As you can tell for yourself from the kit prototype model, this new HMV offering can be built into a very attractive model -- and it won't take up a lot of shelf real estate when completed. (Photo courtesy of Fentens Papermodels) HMV's Funny Girl will make a wonderful addition to any collection of card models, but will especially appeal to those who have a fondness for small but attractive passenger vessels. Both the Funny Girl kit and its laser-cut detail set can be purchased from the Fentens Papermodels site at the link provided at the top of this review. Be sure to tell them you saw it at Model Ship World! Thanks to Benjamin Fentens for providing the copy of Funny Girl for this review.

Both wing structures done now. Here they are sitting together with the fuselage --nothing glued together yet, only to give an idea of the size. My cutting mat is about 11" wide, so yeah, compared to what I usually build, it's big!