ccoyle

Ah, but we haven't seen the upper works on Varyag yet! 😉

Will this be a build log?

Actually, that second one posted by DPK looks pretty much exactly like the model.

Okay ... mind blown. 😲

Bummer! At least in this instance, the finished model will be truly deserving of its name!

A bit more progress -- more than actually shows in the photo, really. Gun mount assembled (dry fit only for now), gun pit interior planking done, rudder completed, and iron strap on stem and stern posts done. I had to run out and get some new glue for that last job, as the CA wasn't doing the trick. I bought some "Rapidfuse" from DAP. It's supposedly twice as strong as CA and sets in 30 seconds. No complaints so far.

Great choice for first model!

It's a good point for any new modeler to remember that kit instructions are only one person's suggested sequence for assembling the model, and there's no written law against deviating from the sequence if one thinks he has a better way. In fact, many experienced builders make little use of instructions and are chiefly concerned that the kit come with good and detailed plans. Cheers!

Anna, Something for you to think about on future models -- in your fifth photo down, the planks make a hard bend where they meet a bulkhead near the bow. The planks should follow the curve of the hull, which you can see in the shape of the false deck. This requires that the bulkhead formers be beveled, which means that they are filed or sanded in a manner that allows the planks to make the desired curve without kinking. You can see how this is done in some of the other build logs. Cheers!

Jeff, it sounds like you have a good plan of action in place already. Just keep thinking ahead about whether any sub-assemblies will be first of all accessible as you add additional bits, and secondly will they be easily knocked off as you continue working. And with a model the size of Victory, you will have a lot of such thinking and planning to do!

Sorry for your loss. The best way to deal with your husband's equipment is to donate it to a local modeling club. They can auction the items to raise funds for the group. If you would like to preserve some anonymity, you can contact any of the staff here by private message, let us know your whereabouts, and we can put you in touch with a club in your area. Condolences, Chris

I'm pretty certain that I would go insane if I attempted this kind of work, which partly explains why I have never attempted anything like it!

I believe you are correct on items #2 and #3. The first item, though, are simply eyebolts. These can be used for a number of purposes but are generally used as anchoring points for blocks or for securing rigging. If you run out of them, don't worry, as additional ones can easily and inexpensively be made from blackened annealed wire.

Congratulations! A lovely model -- the glaze-like finish on the lower hull is amazing. Cheers!

The Nautical General Discussion area (down towards the bottom of the topics list) would be a good spot.

And it shows! Your CNC work is definitely an improvement on the kit materials.

Welcome! I can't speak to the availability of the plans that you are looking for, but early torpedo boats are a fairly common subject in card modeling. In particular, Orel, a Ukrainian publisher, have put out quite a number. You can browse their catalog here.

Fabulous job!

Congratulations on your finished model!

Welcome, Bill. OcCre make a kit of Dos Amigos. https://www.occre.com/model-ship/dos-amigos.html?___store=en&___from_store=en

Okay, what I am about to tell you, you may not want to hear, but trust me that I'm telling you this so that you will have long-term success in this hobby. You are off to a bad start. You already have a couple of strikes against you because you are starting out on both a really difficult model to build and building it in a scale that is a real booger for beginners. To get an idea of what you are up against, please click on this link and read our cautionary tale for beginners. Next -- put this model aside, for now at least. It is an excellent example of a "hobby killer." What you need is a suitable beginner's kit that will give you a reasonable chance of success. For some ideas on beginner's kits, have a look at this topic. Essentially, you should start off with less of everything: less planking, less rigging, less guns, etc. Everything except scale -- you want more of that, i.e. larger scale. I suggest something on the order of 1/64 scale or larger. Third: read. An excellent book for beginners (I cut my modeling teeth on it) is Frank Mastini's Ship Modeling Simplified. You can probably get a copy through your local library. Finally, browse through the kit build logs and look for two things. First, look for build log titles that include verbiage like "first build." These are modelers who are in the same figurative boat as you. Second, from those logs, have a look at the ones that say "FINISHED" in the title. Those are logs for models that beginners have successfully completed. Most of them will be for fairly simple kits, but the important thing is that they finished. Again, I'm saying this because I have been in this hobby for 20 years and have witnessed many beginning modelers embark on their modeling adventure with a kit that is over their head. They usually get as far as planking the hull and then give up. You don't have to be one of them, but starting out with a simpler kit and a better idea of how to get started will go a long way towards making that happen. Kind regards,

@mtaylor: Mark, so far I think this is a great kit. I do think that the MK folks could benefit from having a native English-speaker go over their translated instructions to iron out the occasionally confusing bits, but the plans and diagrams help alleviate that problem. I'm currently working on creating some impressionistic bolt heads, and the wire supplied for the job is the wrong gauge to fit the holes in the metal work, but I've really had very few problems to this point. @Katsumoto: I'm using paint -- cheap acrylic paint, in fact, but I like the results. Cheers!

Small update. Decided to add a bit of color (technically, black = absence of color -- oh, well). Gave the hull a final sanding and going over with fine steel wool. Added the rear deck.

Great to see an update! I had been wondering where you'd gone off to.

I had this same problem with some of the plywood supplied in the upgrade kit for my Victory Models (subsidiary of Amati) HMS Fly, and Amati is not known for poor materials. I can see where improperly glued-up plywood would be difficult for the quality control people to spot, but there's little excuse for bad strip wood. Warping, on the other hand, can occur anywhere post-production if the kit is not stored properly -- not pinning that on you, just saying it could have happened anywhere along the line of distribution.