ccoyle

Most paper modelers are converts from some other medium, I find. I was wooed to the Dark Side by David Okamura's models shown at meetings of the Ship Modeler's Association down in SoCal. There are some world-class wood scratch-builders in that club, but there is something just so darn intriguing about seeing those paper wonders in the mix. I still have HMS Fly waiting for my attention, but paper projects seem to be taking up all my modeling time these days. I think you'll be proven not far wrong about some more card kits hitting the ways based on your NRG exhibit - a good thing, in my view! Cheers!

Using off-the-shelf fittings is, of course, a cost saving measure for the manufacturer. I know this has been a particular point of contention between Chris Watton an Amati; Chris usually pushes for as much vessel-specific fidelity as he can for his designs, but Amati hold the purse strings, so there are limits. Perhaps it was stated earlier, but kit builders are actually living in a Golden Era of kit manufacturing - there's a new crop of designers (Chris, Chuck, et al) with a passion for historically accurate, true-to-scale products, and Internet resources (like this forum) make it relatively easy to weed out bad designs for those interested in avoiding them. Cheers!

If it was me, I'd go ahead and fix it, since it is a relatively small amount of wood to replace and, fortunately, easily accessible. Annoying, yes, since you probably want to get on with things, but it boils down to whether or not you will always have some measure of regret about not fixing it if you choose to leave it as-is. Regards,

This has the look and feel of a copy-cat. There are a couple of Russian outfits that are producing interesting original subjects -- this looks like it might be a rip-off of one of them?

There are lots of Friendship sloops still on the water, which means there's plenty of photos on-line to give you ideas of how you might spruce up the basic kit. Have fun with your project!

First one of anything is always a booger.

The parts need to be cut out. Die cutting is almost non-existent in the card modeling world, although laser cutting of formers and detail parts is common.

I'm with Jud. If necessary, you can also slice through the offending tab.

Congratulations! Your model looks very nice; indeed, though it is a first model, it compares very favorably with the work of many who have been around the block a few times. Cheers!

I love how your model has at least twice as many bulkheads as a typical kit - will make planking soooo much easier.

Chuck, I have seen shops in far worse condition!

2003 (roughly) seems to be the year that Halinski made the quantum leap to the level of detail that we now take for granted. All that detail comes at a price, though, with Halinski kits being anywhere from half again to twice as much as a similar kit from a different publisher. For some (like me - up to a point), that price difference is worth it, since Halinski kits are usually not only gorgeously printed, but go together rather easily relative to the number of parts and degree of complexity - a real (and regular) feat achieved by the talented designers at the Halinski firm.

My local paint store will do the scan-and-match thing, but if I remember correctly, they require the purchase of least a pint can of the resulting paint, which of course would last a card modeler several lifetimes.

I used balsa stringers on my build of Modelik's 1/100 scale HMCS Agassiz, and it was a slog, Slog, just as you are experiencing. I hope it proves worth the effort when you get to the hull plating. I tried a couple of brands of art pens at a 'local' (only 50 miles away) craft store, one was Le Plume and can't remember the other brand. Lots of colors to choose from, but both bled, so I have had to stick with acrylics. One source of acrylics that card types might overlook are craft paints, like Ceramcoat. These are cheap, come in a bewildering array of colors, and work fine for paper, even though they use coarser pigments than found in modeling acrylics. Oh, and I can get them at the much more local True Value hardware store (only 20 miles away). I will keep my eyes open for the Pitt markers, because the pens can't be beat for ease of use, that's for sure.

Oh, indeed it can be! There are many potential pitfalls with paper, but I think one of the worst is working with a poorly designed kit, e.g. one in which the parts fit is poor, or the diagrams are incomplete (or wrong), or the graphics on adjacent parts don't match up, etc. Fortunately, HMV kits have one of the best reputations in this regard, and, as in any modeling medium, a lot of the outcome depends on the skill of the builder. David really took on a big challenge with this kit, and if you recall his earlier struggles with much less complex kits, you can really appreciate how far his skills have come (that old saw about practice makes perfect)! Like those 6" gun mounts - those are much trickier to do nicely than they appear, and David did a respectable job on them. Cheers!

Leo, It depends on how the original is measured. The term 'length' is tricky in the nautical world. It could mean length overall (LOA) or length on deck (LOD) or length between perpendiculars. Chris will be able to tell you for certain how the scale was determined. Cheers!

I missed the start of this thread, but I have it on my radar now. With your skills, Clare, I have little doubt you will do well with this kit. Cheers!

Yes, sandbaggers were interesting small craft. Did you take your drawings to a laser-cutting service? If so, perhaps you will tell us who did the work and how were the results?

David, The part you are confused about is the inner superstructure wall. You actually have the part upside down in the photo - the small panel on the far right goes to the left of the 6 in gun mount. The second panel must be curved to fit in front of the gun mount. Here are inboard and outboard pics of the area in question - hope these are of use to you.

Well, that is mixed news, to be sure. Glad to hear you survived the storm, though - coping with natural disasters can be a pain in the *** (we had to evac for a wildfire last year). Good luck on your next project!

Well, I have a partial set. I think you may have trouble finding this, though, since it appears HMV are going wholesale on over to laser-cut detail sets. Frankly, the laser-cut sets are far easier to deal with. The brass parts have to be prepped (degreasing plus acid etch), primed, painted, cut out (carefully!), formed, assembled, and then touched up -- it adds up to a lot of work and a lot of hassle. I also have the PE sets for Undine, Emden, and Victoria Louise, but I will probably replace those with the laser-cut sets, if I ever get around to building any of them (I already have the laser-cut set for Emden, and it is very nice!). Your best bet to find a PE set, if you're absolutely set on getting one, is probably to dangle an ad at Paper Modelers.

If you truly wish to step back a bit, take a look at some of the kits from Midwest Products. Their beginner's kits are designed with absolute beginners in mind, and the instructions are some of the best in the business. Each kit includes a complete list of necessary tools. They build into very nice models straight out of the box, but can also be super-detailed if one wishes. Doesn't hurt that Midwest is having a 25% off promo right now, along with free U.S. shipping, making some of their kits under US$20.00. The Chesapeake Bay Flattie is a particularly good first model. Cheers!

Heinz, It may be difficult to write, but your English is quite passable! Cheers!

It is virtually impossible to generalize about the overall quality of one kit manufacturer versus another, due in large part to the fact the kit lines are continuously evolving. For example, Caldercraft are usually highly recommended, and, generally speaking, their kits are good. But there is a huge difference in the amount and detail of the instructions included in Caldercraft kits between early designs, like Sherbourne or Convulsion, and later offerings such as Pickle or Badger. Similar situation at Victory Models, where Chris Watton has gradually been able to get Amati to include more kit-specific fittings and details with each successive design. As another example, not all of Bluejacket's offerings are in-house designs; some are older kit designs purchased from now-defunct operations (e.g. Laughing Whale). BJ has made efforts to update some of those kits, but there are still plenty of them out there carrying the BJ label that are essentially Laughing Whale kits. Other manufacturers (Corel comes to mind) have some kits that are regularly raved about, and other kits that are abominations (ask me about their Flying Fish kit sometime). So, you really can't single out any manufacturer and generalize by saying their kits are good or bad. It's usually a case of some of their kits are good, some not so good, and perhaps some are terrible. Kit quality is almost an issue that has to be taken on a kit-by-kit basis. Cheers!

Splendid work, Sal!