Worldway

I'm curious if you're planning on tensioning the rigging lines or leaving them as is. They look a little loose.

Continuing with the build. I figured I should finish little bits that haven't been done yet. I ran into a problem with the rudder, it didn't fit. So I cut it back to make it work i then added some of the rigging. Should be fixing deck furniture very soon. I'm still finishing the engine cover and the hatchway. Slowly moving forward but I am pleased with the results so far. It's been a huge learning curve but I learn every day. I'm seriously loving this hobby no matter how frustrating it gets.

Doug, If my count is correct you have three builds on the go. How do you keep track?

Wow. excellent work. Looking really nice.

Today I finished the wheel house. I added the window ledges and grab bars. I also finished the sliding doors. I still have to finish the engine cover and hatchway. Once done then I will permanently attach the deck furniture then work on the mast and rigging.

Latina products seems to have a good reputation. My current build is by A/L and everything seems fine. I do believe they packaged my kit incorrectly because I ran out of one size of wood but had a lot left over from another size. One thing I didn't do when I got the kit was an inventory. It's highly recommended. The only downside with their kits is the limited lack of instructions and what you do get is poorly translated.

Thanks Pierre, I have really been enjoying this although some of my posts may have suggested otherwise. I'm pleased with my progress so far even if it isn't museum quality.

I have had a re-think of my approach and figure that if I'm going to get any better at model ship building then I have to accept each challenge as they arrive. Therefore I have edged the sliding doors. Also I will install the window ledges and grab bars on the wheel house. I'm not going to spend any more money on this model so I'm not going to buy glass knobs so I can install the second brake handle.

The kit looks like the way to go for starters. I bought the paint set with the Bluenose as well although I see a lot of builders here buy whatever paint their local hardware store sells and they are happy with it. I was just more concerned about getting the proper colours. You'll find that you will end up with a small set of your go to tools. I don't have any rigging tools but may need to get some soon. I see a lot of builders fashion their own rigging tools. One of the handiest tools I have is a pair of tweezers with the ends curved to 90 degrees. I bought the Ship Modeller's Vice from Micro Mark. It was twice the cost of yours but it looks a lot sturdier than the one your considering. They are handy for not only planking but holding your model while you do other work on it. I haven't used the plank bending pliers. You should read some posts here about plank bending. I don't think there are many that use the pliers (I could be wrong). I learned the hard way that if you want to bend a plank you can a) soak it in hot water for a period of time them bend it on a form, steam it for a period of time then bend it on a form or c) (what I do) is soak it in water for a period of time. I then use a butane powered curling iron to heat then bend the plank. The clamp of the curling iron helps to form the wood and the diameter of it is perfect for bending. It's mostly trial and error though to get the correct radius. Others here also use bending irons. I think you'll be off to a great start. Hopefully by the time you get your Bluenose I'll be in a position to start mine and we can follow along together.

Well howdy neighbour. I think I know of 4 of us now from southern Ontario and one or two more from other parts of Ontario.

Sale, what sale????

I feel it's appropriate that I mention Model Shipways. When I received my Bluenose kit, one of the dowels for the mast was warped (quite noticeably). I sent them an email and within two weeks I received two replacements, no questions asked. Top notch customer service. I doubt if any Chinese knock off company would do the same. I plan to purchase more Model Shipways models in the future.

I would suggest contacting AL directly. They may be able to help you. I'm not sure if you have any other options.

Welcome George. You've found the right place.

Well I'm starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Things are starting to take shape. A couple of issues I have dealt with. 1. The glass knob for the winch brake system broke on me so I just installed the one hand brake. 2. I decided not to install the window ledges or grabs bar on the ends of the wheel house. 3. I didn't have any wood for the engine cover. So, because I have tons of basswood left over, I decided to cover it with that and will use veneer to cover it over. 4. I have decide not to edge the sliding doors with brass wire. I've tried and I find it far too finicky to stress over it. I will edge it with veneer and leave it at that. I truly think they screwed up when they packaged the model and I was too new to the hobby and too excited to get started to do a full inventory. I know I used some wrong woods during the build but I don't think I screwed up so bad that I'm running out of one type of wood and have an excess of another.

Bruce I have Model Shipways Bluenose sitting on the shelf and as soon as I'm done my first build this will be the next. I've also purchased Lauck Street Shipyard's practicum as an added measure. Having said that, the instruction manual that comes with the Bluenose is fairly in depth. You can download the manual on Model Expo's website and review it yourself. The model also includes 6 full size drawings. However, there are still a lot of "fill in the blanks" with the manual. That's where this forum comes in. If you get the model (or any model for that matter) and start a build log here you will have a wealth of knowledge at your beck and call. Good luck and I hope to follow your first build.

When does a piece of wood, whether it's part of a slab, a veneer or a plank, get thrown out. I'm collecting a small pile of offcuts and I'm wondering if I should be keeping these. Also the remnants of the sheets of the laser cut out parts (what's left over after you remove all the parts). I have had use for a lot of the scrap including the leftover laser sheets. But I think that I'm keeping stuff that is simply junk. Does anyone have a rule of thumb?

Sometimes I think that my imperfections just make the boat look weathered more. I finished the top rails and polyurethaned it. It's starting to take shape. I was very discouraged after my several attempts with the top rail, and once again I did a lot of rework, but I'm happy with the results. This model almost met the side of a wall but alas it still sits in the dry dock. I think all the really difficult parts are done (however, there is still a little rigging to do). I'm anxious to finish this one so I can start in on the Bluenose.

I tried adding some veneer to the top rails but wasn't pleased with the results so pulled it off. I decided to use what I have and with the use of some wood fill I have managed to make them look somewhat presentable (although others may disagree) I have also added some polyurethane to a lot of the deck furniture. I'm still moving forward. Looking forward to the day that all the deck furniture is installed and I can work on the rigging. Unfortunately I haven't been able to spend as much time as I wanted on it but it's not a rushed project.

Why was the cold war neither cold nor a war?

Welcome aboard Boxer13. We are all on a first name basis here. You have come to the right place for your boat building experience. Like Doug, I too am on my first build and have learned a ton from it. One thing I did was to buy an inexpensive boat that is beginner friendly so I can learn from it. I have found it very valuable in learning different ways of doing things and new techniques. I don't know if the boat will ever make it to the display case but I can honestly say that when I do my next build, the Bluenose, I will have some experience behind me. I hope when you select a boat you will start a build log. Look forward to seeing it.

I would have to think that if you want a quality model, some member here would be willing to part with a few, however i doubt if they would for $300. You have to appreciate that a lot of models take a few hundred hours to finish. The places you are looking are massed produced. There is no way any builder would be able to build the Constitution for $300. I don't think you could even buy the kit for that. I'm glad that you have an interest but, trust me, you will get what you pay for. You're better off buying a kit and having a go at building it. You will get a lot more pride that way.

Are you buying? I'll take a lager.

Not really related, but I wanted to be a draftsman out of high school and went to college for 3 years to learn mechanical drafting. After graduation I got a job with a manufacturing company. They just got Autocad, probably version 1. It also came with a Flight Simulator program. At that time, I had never used a computer based drafting program but was very familiar with computers (home computers were just starting to become popular). So I taught the chief draftsman how to use Autocad then stayed late every night so I could try out the flight simulator (I also did a lot of flying with my best friend who is now an airline captain). Turns out I spent more time on the flight simulator than I did on Autocad. I haven't drafted in years as my profession changed early in my career. FYI, Flight Simulator was invented by Bruce Artwick who eventually licensed it to Microsoft. I've owned every version since its inception.

Ages of Sail in the US sells it for $599.00 which comes to $785.00 Cdn Dollars. Add in another $72 shipping. Total will be $857.00. That would be a little cheaper. My initial post was based on a Canadian distributor who has the ship advertised for $949.95 plus $55.15 shipping plus $130.66 tax which would come to $1135.76. I would definitely buy from Ages of Sail. I tend to get most of my supplies out of the US anyway.