Roryn

Just finished loading these photo's onto the laptop. Progress has been quite rapid following my decision to restart. As some of you may notice there are a few changes from the original AL plans. The nameplate and decorative panel were hideous metal plates that I just could not bare to use so I made up the windows and surrounds. The instruction book and accompanying photos show almost all the parts in wood but AL decided to use metal castings which are the wrong shape and very difficult to fit. I decided to make new ones in wood salvaged from the kit. The bowsprit was the 1st attempt at rigging and although not perfect I am satisfied with the result. I have noted in other logs that the AL plans for the rigging are not correct, but I don't know if I can be bothered to research the correct way to do it. The deck gratings, capstan, gun mounts and gun ports have all been remade. I kept the metal windlass and just painted it and the cabin doors need a darker stain. Next task is the masts and accompanying fittings.

Thanks E & T. I did quite bit more of the planking before I retired it and looking at these photo's I can see the cause of some of my problems. In the 3rd from last I can see that either the 2nd or 3rd bulkhead is the wrong shape which caused a lot of problems when trying to get the planks to lay correctly. Being a single planked hull didn't help

First let me say thank you to those responsible for the resurrection of this site. I am sure all of us are grateful for one reason or another. For myself I needed it to see where things should go on this ship that the instructions do not even mention and to learn the way to do things. I first posted the start of this build on the old site in late 2010. After becoming very frustrated with the way it was going together, a few months later I packed it away in a cupboard and forgot about it. Early 2013 I started again and made the decision to make the best of what I had done and hope it looked OK. I had gone too far to make the major changes necessary to fix the mistakes with the kit and those of my own doing. If I ever build another I will make sure to plan ahead to ensure that each part that is fitted will not affect the way subsequent parts will fit. All looked good until I started the planking and found the hull shape at the bow seemed wrong and the deck height didn't match the plans and many other little things that really annoyed me. This is what triggered the decision to mothball the kit until I was ready to restart. I have posted a few pics of the original build and I am sure you will see the shape just doesn't look right in places. I have made quite a bit of progress this past couple of months so I decided to restart the log. Stay tuned for the next instalment

My first ALkit was the Bremen, purchased as a way to relax after work. As a first attempt at a wooden model I was quite satisfied with the end result. This prompted me to try a harder model. I chose HMS Supply as it offered a challenge without the size and complexity of Victory etc. Also the price was at the limit of my budget $230.00. I started in mid 2010 full of enthusiasm, but after a few months I was so jacked off with the way the parts fitted together and the useless instructions I almost gave up. The parts in the box did not match the pictures or the parts list, wood parts were made of metal, were the wrong shape and the quality was terrible. Fortunately I stumbled upon the old MWS site and followed Dan Vadas build of the same model. Anyone who has seen Dan's work will acknowledge his skill as a modeller. I quickly realised that I did not have the skills or the equipment to match his build quality so I decided to carry on and do the best I could. At this timeI realised that I had made so many mistakes in shaping and planking the hull, mainly due to the lack of instructions and the fact that the pictures in the book supplied did not match the parts when fitted, that I did give up and packed it all away in a cupboard. Earlier this year I decided to resurrect Supply and made a decision to finish it. After a few weeks of cutting, sanding and shaping I had finally finished planking the hull. This was the turning point that convinced me to get back on MWS and check out Dan's build log. It was gone Fortunately Dan had posted his completed gallery so I was able to use this as a guide to how to complete the ship. I intend to start a new log on MWS shortly with regular updates. Anyone starting a new build for the first time I would offer the following advice. Read the instructions, look at the pictures and work out how it all fits together, not just a couple of parts but as a whole assembly. I would also fill the spaces at the bow and the stern completely to make shaping and planking easier. Also don't throw out the offcuts as they come in very useful for making new parts when you stuff up. Are AL kits any worse than the others? Judging from the comments on MWS I think the answer has to be yes, and it could be so easily fixed by better quality control and better instructions.