robert952

Great looking model. Congrats on completion.

Thanks for sharing this. Interesting. I had lost track (well, quit following) the rebuilt after the fire. Glad the Cutty Sark is looking good.

I love seeing the use of LEGO blocks (or similar). Their precision seems a big advantage. I wonder if I can talk my grandson out of a few of his LEGOs.

Joining in on this build. I look forward to seeing picks (even uneventful ones)

The decision to weathering a model becomes one of the many facets each modeler looks at when deciding on a build and how to approach it. Example, as you appear to have done, I've read posts on the subject of weathering copper. My personal taste when looking at a model with bright copper hull plating it's too shiny. I haven't done a model with coppering, but I feel I would tone down the copper with some form of weathering. Similar with rigging and sails and part of the look of sails. I think some of that 'weathering' comes from a matter of making sails that look to scale and possibly effect how much details the modeler wants in the sails. Pristine sails don't stay pristine for long. So a little weathering would still be an accurate "as built" representation. Weathering does provide one thing a lot of modelers want to do: differentiate thier build by others of the same ship. Again, a aspect of the hobby that varies from one modeler to the next. Additionally, as you point out, weathering models (wood or plastic) requires a set of skills that have to be developed and honed. Some builders want to learn new skills and may look at weathering. Bottom line: What does the modeler want to accomplish? What challenges is the modeler willing to tackle? What interests in a given ship or subject does the modeler have? I think the answer to these questions determines how much (or little) weathering is done. As for your current build, take the weathering to whatever level you want. There is not a right or wrong answer. And, I can't say I have ever found adefined 'tradition' that directs how to build. The decision on your current build is up to you. I this all gives you answers some of your questions.

Not surprised by the quick sales. A quick look at the articles and authors would make this look like a 'must have' addition to the library.

The things one can learn on this forum. I had to go exploring to further my knowledge. This kit which includes something like above looks like a modeler's tool kit. The cutters with the curved blade looks like possible sprue cutter.

Tagging along for the ride.

I agree: research is a must before you cut a single piece of wood or use a single drop of glue. Even if you only read through the instructions a couple of times. I will add a software that I am beginning to use more often: OneNote. If you have Word/Excel/PowerPoint you likely have access as it's part of the Office 365 suite. I use this to organize my notes (Sails, build log links, magazine articles). OneNote has a good OCR (Optical Character Recognition) that will copy text from an image that you can paste into whatever software (including OneNote). Here's a screen shot of my Maine Peapod file (Sails Tab). Just c;ick and drag images, weblinks, etc from websites. Great way to organize notes and research.

Great looking model. Nice job.

For a first attempt, pretty good. You seem to have the general curves around the bulkheads. I assume that's what you meant; bulwarks usually covers a structure above the weather deck. So you succeeded in bending the planks to fit. The instructions or material may not be up to par on this model. (You mention 'inexpensive kit.') Some kits do a better job of explaining some of the processes and giving instructions in varying degrees of detail. You might want to consider beveling the edges of the planks so that they fit closer to each other. As you lay planks along the sides, bevelling along the edges will allow you to fit and clamp them closer. That said, you could use wood filler to fill in the gaps. Then continue with sanding and shaping the hull on this build. And don't get discouraged. We all started out with the first time in the hobby. You said you are happy with the results. That's an importan part of enjoying the hobby. Often we are our own worst critics. However, if you are happy with the results, that's great. You will find a lot of help here on MSW. (Though for some reason I went to the planking tutorials and got an 'oops' message and it seems that there may be a problem with downloading the pdfs as I saw another post topic on the matter. I was going to post the link to those. Hope this provides some of the type of feedback you were wanting. Keep up the learning process and continue with this build.

Great looking model. I enjoyed reading the build log. I even picked up on the way you handled the brass work on the pintles. Enjoy the hobby and your next build.

A few of us have to make the same mistake a few times as we fine tune our skills. With the wide range of skill sets here, you will find something that works for you. When you find something that works, go for it. Another motto I like: "It aint a hobby if you have to hurry."

Congrats on the model and welcome to MSW!

I have enjoyed following your other builds. I look forward to watching you progress (and watching your progress) on this build.