Hi all,
My name is Keith, and I've decided to get into model ship building. My grandfather was a modeler, and I grew up fascinated with his models (particularly a beautiful little xebex); I've also long been a fan of the Aubrey/Maturin novels. I'm a graduate student in the midst of a dissertation, so a hobby that lets me work with my hands and get off the computer/away from my research for a bit is a needed distraction.
To ease myself into model building, I started with a couple of plastic models. I completed the Revell PT-109 in a weekend and am currently working on Revell of Germany's North Sea fishing trawler. These have been useful to convince me that it is a pastime I enjoy and have time for (on occasion, at least). I am, however, chomping at the bit to work with wood.
I see that many people use the Model Shipways Phantom as an entry point, and for a couple of weeks I was planning to do the same. But after reading through a few build logs, it looks like the Phantom always requires lots of sanding and often requires a dremel. I'd rather avoid both of these for now. I live in an apartment that doesn't have space for a dedicated workshop area, so I don't have a good set up for producing lots of wood dust. Likewise, I'm trying to keep my initial investment somewhat reasonable, so I'd rather not purchase a dremel yet.
So, I've been considering the Model Shipways 18th Century Longboat (http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MS1457), which is a plank-on-frame. It seems like it would be a good intro to planking (which is what I aspire to) and rigging, and it's pretty cheap. Before committing, though, I wanted to see what you all think. Would the longboat be a terrible beginning model? Am I going about this wrong? Or is it a reasonable intro build?
Thanks for any thoughts. I look forward to being a part of the MSW community.