-Dallen

Pete,
 
Absorbing every detail of your build log. Being a like scale really helps. Nice clean build.
 
Dupree

Pete,
 
Absorbing every detail of your build log. Being a like scale really helps. Nice clean build.
 
Dupree

Thank you for the encouraging replies. Actually I did so much research on this project with a 1:48 mindset that I'm having a little trouble thinking in "1:32". The mill work has started, although I just received my Mini Mill from LMS and it is really drawing my attention right now. Some problems are nice to have........

Thank you Ryland. Worked fine.
 
Dupree

Pete,
 
Absorbing every detail of your build log. Being a like scale really helps. Nice clean build.
 
Dupree

Thank you for the encouraging replies. Actually I did so much research on this project with a 1:48 mindset that I'm having a little trouble thinking in "1:32". The mill work has started, although I just received my Mini Mill from LMS and it is really drawing my attention right now. Some problems are nice to have........

Thank you Ryland. Worked fine.
 
Dupree

Check out this link: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12133-i-would-like-to-change-a-posting-title/
 

Thank you for access to HMS Triton plans. I will be digesting them and begin the mill works. I have decided to upscale to 1:32 and will make appropriate corrections to my build log.
 
Dupree

Thank you for access to HMS Triton plans. I will be digesting them and begin the mill works. I have decided to upscale to 1:32 and will make appropriate corrections to my build log.
 
Dupree

Welcome the Triton shipyard and a lot of fun with the build

I decided that I would make this my initial build. This build will introduce me to most aspects of model building. I will be using Walnut as my primary lumber as a large walnut tree was blown over on my property last summer and it seems to resaw nicely. I also have a nice supply of Maple and Swiss Pear.  I am considering upscaling to 1:32 and is likely. I have been like a sponge absorbing everything I can on this forum and have built quite a resource library. Looking forward to the hands on now. I handle critiques well, so all are welcome.
 
Dupree

Thank you for access to HMS Triton plans. I will be digesting them and begin the mill works. I have decided to upscale to 1:32 and will make appropriate corrections to my build log.
 
Dupree

I decided that I would make this my initial build. This build will introduce me to most aspects of model building. I will be using Walnut as my primary lumber as a large walnut tree was blown over on my property last summer and it seems to resaw nicely. I also have a nice supply of Maple and Swiss Pear.  I am considering upscaling to 1:32 and is likely. I have been like a sponge absorbing everything I can on this forum and have built quite a resource library. Looking forward to the hands on now. I handle critiques well, so all are welcome.
 
Dupree

I decided that I would make this my initial build. This build will introduce me to most aspects of model building. I will be using Walnut as my primary lumber as a large walnut tree was blown over on my property last summer and it seems to resaw nicely. I also have a nice supply of Maple and Swiss Pear.  I am considering upscaling to 1:32 and is likely. I have been like a sponge absorbing everything I can on this forum and have built quite a resource library. Looking forward to the hands on now. I handle critiques well, so all are welcome.
 
Dupree

I decided that I would make this my initial build. This build will introduce me to most aspects of model building. I will be using Walnut as my primary lumber as a large walnut tree was blown over on my property last summer and it seems to resaw nicely. I also have a nice supply of Maple and Swiss Pear.  I am considering upscaling to 1:32 and is likely. I have been like a sponge absorbing everything I can on this forum and have built quite a resource library. Looking forward to the hands on now. I handle critiques well, so all are welcome.
 
Dupree

I decided that I would make this my initial build. This build will introduce me to most aspects of model building. I will be using Walnut as my primary lumber as a large walnut tree was blown over on my property last summer and it seems to resaw nicely. I also have a nice supply of Maple and Swiss Pear.  I am considering upscaling to 1:32 and is likely. I have been like a sponge absorbing everything I can on this forum and have built quite a resource library. Looking forward to the hands on now. I handle critiques well, so all are welcome.
 
Dupree

Hi Wefalck yes these things do have a tendency to expand, being retired and not really treating this as a needed project for survival but an opportunity to give back to my community and to share some of the methods and work that might benefit the model community at the same time, is the main reason for taking on this project. That it includes some remuneration to cover some time and costs is welcome.
 
If I were doing this as a commercial project as I used to do I would be working in an entirely different mode, and the project would most likely be out of range financially for the client.
 
That said I realize that there are those who are doing this sort of work for their livelihood, and I have no intention of moving into this line of work on any scale this is a one off as far as I am concerned. I am confident that this project would not have happened at commercial rates and this model would have been written off. Eventually it will return to public display, which in my view is a good thing.
 
Michael

I'll just make one post to cover it all. Superb quality and craftsmanship. An inspiration to all us novices and veterans alike. Certainly sets a goal for me. WELL DONE!

I'll just make one post to cover it all. Superb quality and craftsmanship. An inspiration to all us novices and veterans alike. Certainly sets a goal for me. WELL DONE!

dallen0121, Liberto, thank you very much.

Another photos
 

 

I'll just make one post to cover it all. Superb quality and craftsmanship. An inspiration to all us novices and veterans alike. Certainly sets a goal for me. WELL DONE!

In this next installment of How to Spot a Cheesy Model, I want to show you the difference between a mass-produced model and an actual scale model built by a master modeler. Once you know what to look for, the cheap stuff is not hard to identify (and by 'cheap' I mean poorly made, not inexpensive). We're going to examine the stern of each model, so that we can see close up what separates class from crass.
 
Both of the models I'll show you are of the famous American warship, the USS Constitution. First, let's look at the quality model. This particular model is built from scratch in 1/48th scale. It's currently listed for sale at a reputable maritime art gallery. The price of the model is not listed. It's kind of like shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills -- if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it.

The word I always think of when seeing a model like this is fine, as in fine wine or fine car. In this case, we're talking about fine craftsmanship. Note the detailed carvings, the meticulously neat painting, the clean run of planking, and the intricate web of rigging. True modelers endeavor to create models that are replicas of the original in every detail, with every part correctly proportioned. A great model looks like a real ship, only much smaller. Try picturing a 1/48th scale Russell Crowe (as Captain Jack Aubrey in Master & Commander) standing by the rail with a quartering wind filling the sails and the Connie with a bone in her teeth as she easily makes twelve knots.
 
Now let's look at the expensive kindling. This model is available on-line for $535. The owner of the site says this model is built by 'master craftsmen' using 'original plans'. It is purportedly 'highly detailed' and built from 'high-grade wood' using 'plank on frame' construction.

In reality, this model is none of those things. It is probably built in either the Philippines or Viet Nam by laborers who have never seen any plans of the actual Constitution; otherwise, they would have recognized how little their work resembles the real ship. The 'high-grade wood' includes western red cedar and mahogany, which are great for full-sized projects but not good modeling woods. When they say 'plank on frame' it is quite likely they mean 'plank on bulkhead', which might sound nit-picky to the uninitiated, but it's actually two substantially different construction methods with significant differences in both cost to produce and value of the finished product. And as for 'highly detailed'? Puh-leez! Just look at the incorrect hull shape, cheap metal castings, prison bar-like window frames, coarse-grained wood, and stick-on (stick on!) name badge. And are those supposed to be ship's boats hanging from the sides? Really?? Remember what I said about fine craftsmanship? This model is the opposite of that in every respect. It is crude, clunky, and misproportioned. Instead of Russell Crowe, there's a Lego sailor at the rail (and I have seen better-looking models made out of actual Legos). If these were cars, the first model would be a Ferrari. The second one is a Trabant.
 
So, if you have a Mystery Model, take a good, hard look at it. Does it look like a finely crafted miniature ship? Or does it look crude and clunky? If it looks crude and clunky, it probably came from an unscrupulous dealer. Maybe the original buyer didn't do their homework before whipping out the plastic, or maybe they knew going in that they weren't really getting a unique piece of art. Either way, on the resale market it's value is likely to be decidedly less than what you hoped it might be!
 
Next: It's a real model, but so what?