ccoyle

If you read ahead in the instructions, can you deduce what the holes are for? Also, does the kit include 1:1 plans, and do those show the hole locations?

Wow! The finished model is a real eye-catcher!

Check the kit documentation thoroughly first. When white/Britannia metal first hit the scene, its benefits versus lead were loudly touted by manufacturers. If the kit's metal parts are Britannia, it'll probably be stated somewhere.

Mark is on target with his suggestion for photo format. The average viewer will have little interest in downloading an image to view it.

I decided to add the wing fences next, even though they are not the next item in the instructions. I do think they add to the plane's "cool" factor. Fences (left wing) vs. no fences (right wing). All fences on.

I noticed that there were a lot of doubled parts coming up, so I decided to take care of this task all in one shot. Exciting, right? BTW, there are two different schools of thought about how to do doubled parts. This kit includes both the fronts and backs as outlined parts, like so: The obvious problem with this method is that it is difficult to get the two outlined parts to match up exactly when the piece is folded (though there is a way to partially deal with this). Other designers will do the back side of the part (usually the interior side) as part of a colored field (imagine the gray interior part [above left] printed on a gray field, with no part outline). The benefit of that method is that there are no white areas if the back side of the part isn't perfectly aligned. That's it for now.

A good choice! I built the orginal Caldercraft version of Sherbourne 25 years ago (same designer). There is a series of books called the Anatomy of the Ship -- in the series there is a title on HM Cutter Alert by Peter Goodwin. Although a different class than Sherbourne's, I nevertheless found the book very helpful. If you are interested, you can still find copies online.

Horizontal stabs on. This is the photogenic side. 😑 Hint: Pay attention to not man-handling the vertical stabilizer too much during the earlier stages of construction. There is a serious dearth of internal structure inside the stabilizers -- just a single spar. Again, easy to build, but not particularly sturdy.

After commenting in my previous post about the lack of spacers in the wing frames, I decided to add some on this side, made from scrap pulp board. I then skinned the wing -- same process as the other side. Everything was then ready to mate the wings and fuselage. The MiG-15 and its derivatives had an anhedral wing mount. I was hoping that this was factored into the design of the wing ribs, i.e., the negative angle is produced by the internal framing structure even though the connecting rod is a straight piece. It looks like the framing was in fact designed that way. The wing/fuselage joints produced some significant gaps. Suspecting that the wing fillets would not entirely hide these, I added some coloring to the white spaces before adding the fillets. Fillets prepped. My suspicions were confirmed. As you can plainly see if you look closely, the fillets do not come close to bridging the earlier white gap. It's a pretty disappointing fit, actually, though from a stand-off distance it doesn't look bad. The horizontal stabilizers are next!

I think by now you definitely have the skill set to up the detail a notch on this kit. As you know, these kits have made numerous compromises to make them easier for beginner/intermediate builders. If you want to spruce things up, look for photos of Alma online -- she is an actual San Francisco Bay scow schooner and still sailing. It's even possible that the original Midwest design is derived from Alma, since her lines were taken off during a HAER survey, and you can see those here. From Wikimedia Commons Really looking forward to watching this one!

Different designers is probably the most significant difference. You have done this kit real justice, and the visual appeal of your little fleet is growing!

Very well done!

Coming along very handsomely!

Production has slowed a bit due to some distraction in the form of binge-watching another Apple TV series. But last night I felt motivated to get the right wing framed. At least now we can get a sense of the size of the finished model. I almost, almost made the horrific mistake of assembling the frames as a second left wing instead of a right wing (I have made that mistake before, doh!), but I caught the error in time to fix it without too much difficulty. Part #59, seen here dry-fitted, is a 3.8mm-diameter rod that pins the two wings to the fuselage; you can see part of it in the photo. I presume that most people, like me, don't happen to have any 3.8mm rods or dowels laying around, so mine is made from a bamboo skewer wrapped in card. Whatever works, baby! The wing framing is worth noting in comparison to far more robust designs, such as those seen in my Halinski builds. This kit is intended for intermediate builders, so perhaps the low parts count simplifies the construction in that regard, but I do think that some additional parts would have made this a better structure. In particular, some spacers in between the spars and ribs would have been welcome. Also, if you compare the above picture to the earlier left wing picture: you can see that the wheel well does not have the same dimensions as the gap it fits into, and some spacers would have been useful there as well.

She looks fantastic!

Welcome aboard! Have you had a moment to read this topic? Of the three models you listed, Albatros has the easiest hull form and rig to model, but all of them would be a stiff challenge to a beginner. Most folks around here would recommend something a little less demanding for a first-time wooden ship model. As mentioned, the fishing boats from Vanguard Models are popular choices, as are the Midwest Products line now available from Model Shipways. MS also offers an 18th century longboat kit that has been very popular, as has OcCre's Polaris. BlueJacket Shipcrafters also offers several kits aimed at beginners. Lots of choices out there these days!

Interesting. Seefalke is available as a 1/250 card kit from HMV.

Do you have any pictures of the models to be repaired? That might influence someone's decision about whether to take on the task, as well as determine whether the job is truly a minor repair or actually a restoration. Gotta ask, too -- are you prepared to pay for the work?

Good luck! And this is the first time an ITC kit has been featured in the forum.

There's no real trick to this. The key is to get the straps curled to exactly the diameter they should be on the bar. Once you get that, stiffening them with CA might help -- don't worry about the slight color change, as no one is likely to notice. I apply a tiny dot of glue to each end of a strap and then set it on the bar. There is very little time to reposition it once that is done. With the canopy glue, if a re-do is needed, the semi-cured glue can be removed from the part.

That's a fantastic piece of work, Dave!

Yes, I have encountered that problem myself. It's been 25 years since I built my Sherbourne, but I believe I did the standing rigging first. Working around the sails would be rather aggravating, I think.

Probably not. The plans and instructions probably have copyright dates, but those won't tell you when the kit was produced.

Yes, it does. In the hobby, these are known as Model Shipways' "yellow box" kits and date back to when the company was located in Bogata, New Jersey. I don't remember off the top of my head when the move to Florida happened, but it was at least thirty years ago. Some of the yellow box kits are even much older than that. Many of the yellow box solid-hull kits were converted to plank-on-bulkhead kits, but some were kept in production as solid-hull kits, and some of the converted kits have since been reissued as solid-hull kits again. Confusing, right? A couple of things worth noting about this kit: Depending on its exact age, the kit may have lead fittings. These will decay over time ("lead disease") and should therefore be replaced. Later kits included cast parts made of Britannia metal, a type of white metal alloy, and will probably state that somewhere as a selling point. Most Model Shipways kits, especially the older ones, offer little or nothing in terms of pre-cut parts, e.g., laser cutting or CNC. Things like deck houses, companionways, and pinnacles must be built from strip or sheet wood using dimensions taken directly from the plans. If your intention is to eventually build a plank-on-frame Endurance, such as the kit from OcCre, then building a solid-hull kit will not prepare you for building a plank-on-frame hull. The two methods are substantially different. If none of those things is a deterrent, that old yellow box kit can certainly be built into a nice model. Cheers!

No clue. At their age, they have little value as actual projects -- kit design has advanced far beyond what these kits can offer. They may have some collector value. One suggestion is to browse listings at eBay for similar items and see what they have been going for.