ccoyle

I can attest to the methods described by Alistair, as I also use brushing for large paint areas.  Especially what he said about not scrimping on brush quality -- they're one thing I have found that you DO get what you pay for.  Get good ones, treat them nice, and they'll serve you well for years.

Jase,

Have a look at this article in the database.  Hope this will help.

Regards,

Pegasus is essentially an upgraded Fly kit.  Most of the details that come standard in the Pegasus kit must be purchased separately for Fly, thus the difference in price.  Either will build into a very nice model.

Have you tried contacting Bluejacket directly?  Also, Al Ross, who I believe designed the kit, is a member here (alross2), though not very active -- try sending him a p.m.

Hi.  I just noticed the 'CARD' tag on the title of this thread, so I had a look through it.  I see you are discovering all the joys and agonies of paper!  But your experience makes a very valid argument in favor of paper, namely the relative ease and low cost of starting over, if necessary.  There is a learning curve for this medium, and one can already see much improvement between your first few pics and your more recent posts.  Keep at it -- your future efforts will be better still!

Cheers!

Yep, I checked over there a month or so ago, at which time the web site had not been completely updated.  Difficult to be upset, though, since most of these designers do this sort of thing as a side job, so they're under no obligation to adhere to anyone's schedule but their own.

Pardon me if you answered this somewhere already, but didn't Bismarck have eight 37 mm twin mounts?  That would mean you have two spares in the works.  Which is not bad, of course, considering how delicate these fine brass parts can be.

I have seen several completed Woody Joe models and can vouch for the quality of the finished product, but I've never seen an actual unbuilt kit in the box up and close.  I do know that Japanese modelers tend to be very meticulous and would expect models aimed at that market to be pretty good.

Good work with the PE, but I thought you said it is a card model!

That's dedication to craftsmanship, Mark.  Good luck on the Mk II!

I've been an advocate of penciled panel lines and glued boltropes for years.  Properly sewn sails certainly don't look bad on a model, but the actual-size sitching of real sails can't be duplicated in the scales we work at, and besides such lines are practically invisible at scale viewing distances.

Cheers!

Chris Watton designed both kits, so both of them will have similar design concepts.  However, Chris being the innovator he is, he has regularly made improvements to his designs with each new issue, and that will be reflected in the Vanguard kit, since it is by far the newer of the two.  I have the Amati/Victory Models Fly kit in progress and can tell you honestly it is a great kit.  But like any kit, it has compromises and can be improved upon by any modeller wishing to do a little extra research and work.  Same is most likely true for Vanguard.  I have also built a Caldercraft kit, and it was a great kit, too.  So, bottom line is both are good kits, but both can be taken up a notch, especially since you say you have experience scratching parts.  The deciding factor may well be how much model do you want to commit to?  One is a frigate, the other is a ship of the line with all that entails.  Either of them will be a long-term project, so I'd go with whichever one set my heart to beating just that much faster.

Cheers!

The Victory Models line, a subsidiary of Amati and of which the Lady Nelson is a part, is an excellent range of kits.  Cutters make good first models, and there are many build logs of cutters here at MSW to peruse for tips.

Darr,

Nature Coast Hobby Shop also sells this sort of kit/tool combo.  Personally, I would be cautious about buying something like this, as the tools included might or might not be something your dad would find useful, and for the prices listed you can probably buy a kit and some basic tools for less.  If your dad has not modeled anything in a while, I'd recommend one of the kits from Midwest Products to get old skills back up to speed.  These kits are inexpensive (and can usually be found on eBay for significantly less than retail), have good instructions, and always include a thorough list of needed tools, some of which are likely already in your dad's house somewhere.

Kind regards,

Nice photographs, and interesting to have a personal connection to the subject matter.  Your ancestor's ship has very fine lines - I can imagine she was a fast sailer.

Regards,

I think the fact that I keep wondering, "How did she do that?" when I see your work speaks volumes about your abilities.  Very impressive!

Cheers!

 

Off topic my next door neighbours moved to Galt a couple of years ago, they seem to like it.

 

 

 

If you are speaking of Galt, California, then I can't say that I envy them too much, since I have lived in the mountains most of my life and lovingly refer to residents of the Sacramento - San Joaquin valley as 'flatlanders'.    (My parents grew up in Stockton, just a few miles south of there, and I still have many relatives in the area.) 

As for 'American livery', common practice for that time seems to have been a black hull (with possibly white across the gun ports) and green inner bulwarks, maybe coppering below the waterline.  This would all be conjectural, since if I remember my reading correctly, she wasn't actually taken into service.  The kit will also not have any sail material in it, but it would not be difficult to make up a set and rig them for Ballahoo, as she had a very simple rig.

Cheers!

These small Caldercraft kits present wonderful opportunities for super-detailing, if that is something that interests you.  All of these kits, which by the way were designed by Chris Watton who frequents the forum regularly, will build into very nice models straight out of the box.  But, since they were designed with beginners in mind, they are somewhat simplified.  Caldercraft's Sherbourne kit is one such model that has been souped up by some of our members; as one example, check out this build by dubz, who has a knack for this sort of thing.  Another angle to consider, though this might not be all that appealing to an English builder, is that Ballahoo was captured by the Americans during the War of 1812, and although there is little documentation of her after that event, it would be interesting to see a model of her done up in hypothetical American livery.  No matter which build route you decide to go, have fun with this kit and rest secure knowing it is a quality model and well-suited for a novice builder.

Cheers!

John,

Just saw this thread for the first time.  Excellent choice of subject!

The first thing you need to ascertain is which Herreshoff kit are you building?  The Boy's Boat is one of the designs BJ acquired when they purchased the old Laughing Whale company years ago.  Since then, BJ has updated some of the Laughing Whale designs, but (to the best of my knowledge) not all of them.  The old Laughing Whale kit was not true to the original Herreshoff design, in that the kit uses the typical POB construction method (like in your Midwest lobster smack), and this will be plainly visible on the finished model.  I used to have the Laughing Whale version years ago, and the only thing I can dimly remember that might have been caution-worthy is that the number of bulkheads was on the small side, with extensions that could probably be snapped off somewhat easily, but this is true for many small boat kits.  Other than that, the materials were good.  The instructions were sparse - nothing like what you would get in a Midwest kit, for example.  BJ do have a good reputation for customer support, so if you ran into difficulties you could most likely get help from them. 

I love the barkentine rig!  It's one of my favorites.

Zero warning points is good!

Good luck on your project!  I love the lines of the Whitehalls.

Thanks.  I've been checking now-and-then to see if the V108 file has been added to the uodated site.  When it is, then I will correct the link in the tutorial.

Have you tried Chapelle's American Small Sailing Craft?  Probably a few sets of lines in there, I would imagine, and you can probably get the book through your local library.