grsjax

They  are all good.  I found it best to read them in sequence.  Although each novel is a complete story reading them in sequence makes them more understandable.  Look at it not as 20 different books but one book 6000 pages long.

You have to start somewhere and this is a very cheap way to get into it.  Enjoy the process with your kids and let them have the pleasure of seeing it come together.  Next kit can be something more advanced.

You have to start somewhere and this is a very cheap way to get into it.  Enjoy the process with your kids and let them have the pleasure of seeing it come together.  Next kit can be something more advanced.

You have to start somewhere and this is a very cheap way to get into it.  Enjoy the process with your kids and let them have the pleasure of seeing it come together.  Next kit can be something more advanced.

You have to start somewhere and this is a very cheap way to get into it.  Enjoy the process with your kids and let them have the pleasure of seeing it come together.  Next kit can be something more advanced.

Not sure how old your children are, or if you are trying to gain their interest by building models with them, or if  you are interested in getting to build model ships....but you would probably be better off looking at Model Shipways site and ordering a beginner kit from them.
 
As for the model you have, its worth as much as someone would be willing to pay...which is probably about $20 on Flea Bay.  Or you could just have fun with your kids gluing and painting, but keep low expectations.  
 
Best of luck and happy modeling!
 

The answer to your question is somewhat subjective. If the kit is old, which it looks like it is (my guess is anywhere between 1945 - 1965), it might have some value to a collector, even though it is more of a novelty than an actual scale model kit. I don't collect kits, so I can't determine how much that value might be.
 
Now, as to whether you should build it, that too is somewhat subjective. The kit appears to be highly simplified, in which case it would not be nearly as difficult to build as an actual scale model kit. On the other hand, is the kit a good design? That I can't answer -- only building it will tell. Building a poor kit design can be very frustrating, but if you got the kit for free and aren't afraid to possibly booger it during the build process, then what is there to lose?
 
Sorry I can't offer more help than that.
Cheers!
 

San Juan is finished. Kit was really fun to build even if whole ship was easy and non requiring any gymnastics during assembly. 
 
For blackening of anchors I used AK Interactive 159 Metal burnishing liquid which gives nice a little rusty look. Liquid is very easy to use but beware as it's rather "heavy" chemistry.







 
 
 

Well, four days and the planking is finished 
I have still got to seal it prior to painting 
The keel, stem and stern pieces are fitted 
a touch of sanding and sealant and it's ready for some paint!
Thanks for looking in.
Cheers 

An Introduction to Seahorse Kits
 

(photos Courtesy of Seahorse and the author)
Regular visitors to MSW may recall having seen some delightful, scratch-built card models made by a member who goes by the username “0Seahorse.” The real name of the man behind the username is Tomasz “Tomek” Weremko, a resident of the small town of Ulanów in southeastern Poland. Happily for us card modeling types (and those who are intrigued by the medium), Tomek not only designs and builds card models – he publishes them, too. At first his designs, mostly coasting craft but which also included the brig HMS Badger, were published by WAK, a well-known Polish publishing house, but like some designers, Tomek got the itch to publish his own work. His first effort, the Dutch exploration ship Duyfken, came out in 2019, and that first effort has now been followed by four additional offerings. Tomek’s earlier designs are still available both at his own website and at WAK.
 
Ever eager to get enterprising card model designers some time in the MSW spotlight, I asked Tomek if he would be interested in having his latest kits reviewed. He agreed to the idea and said he would be sending “sets of models with accessories.” Expecting these to consist of one kit or perhaps two at the most, I was very surprised when the package arrived from Poland containing four Seahorse kits along with their laser-cut accessories. As I have found to be pleasantly normative for packages coming from Poland, everything survived the three week journey in fine shape.
 
Because the Seahorse stable of designs are the products of a single designer, they have similar attributes. As for the earlier review I did of Paper Shipwright, I will treat the Seahorse kits as a collective. The kits we will look at are :
 
·         Nr. 1 DUYFKEN 1606 (1:100)
 

·      
   Nr. 2 SAO GABRIEL 1497 (1:100)
 

·      
   Nr. 3 LEUDO VINACCIERE (1:72)
 

·       
  Nr. 4 ARMED VIRGINIA SLOOP 1776 (1:100)
 

 
The first thing you’ll notice is that there are no steel warships in Tomek’s stable of designs. Tomek says he enjoys older ships, both military and civilian. You’ll also notice there’s no example of Wasa, Sovereign of the Sea, etc. Says Tomek, “I rather focus on smaller ships, so that they are within the reach not only of top modelers, but also to encourage those who do not have a cardboard sailing ship in their collection yet.” Once you get a peek at Tomek’s work, I think you’ll agree that the temptation to try out a card model sailing ship can be great indeed.
 
You might also notice that most of Tomek’s designs are in 1:100 scale. This might cause you to panic a bit, but have no fear. 1:100 scale is considered small for wooden models, but it is actually on the large end for card models, which are most often rendered in 1:200, 1:250, or 1:400. Still, because these are sailing ship models, the finished items will in fact end up being small models. None exceeds 41 cm in length.
 
Another thing worth pointing out is the cost of these kits. This is a strong selling point for card models in general, which I have pointed out elsewhere. The basic Duyfken kit, for example, is only € 6.67, which is pretty darn cheap.
 

 
Compare that to the same subject offered in a wood kit from another manufacturer at € 209, and you quickly see what I mean. Of course, card model kits usually cry out for after market accessories, which I’ll describe later, but even with those goodies added in the Seahorse Duyfken still only comes in at € 31.51—a real bargain for modelers on tight budgets. And if one has a really tight budget and a lot of time available, the aftermarket accessories are of course only optional, and the kits can be built without them.
 
So, what do you get when you crack open a Seahorse kit? Let’s flip through some pages and have a look. As is typical for card models, each kit comes as a bound, A4 size booklet (American builders will need to keep this in mind if they want to scan any parts pages before building). Covers feature fore and aft views of the prototype models.
 
 
 
As much as I appreciate artwork on kit covers, I like to see what the model actually looks like when it is built (assuming of course that I’m half as talented as the prototype builder).
 
Flipping to the first page, one finds the instructions in both Polish and English. Again, card model instructions are usually not very detailed, mainly because there are only so many ways one can say “stick part 1 to part 2,” etc., etc. But where instructions are needed, it is certainly helpful when they are legible. English-speaking modelers will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the English instructions. Tomek has a much superior grasp of English than the average English-speaker has of Polish, and this shows. You will not need someone to translate the English instructions into real English, as sometimes seems warranted with the instructions in Italian kits.
 
There are plenty of diagrams—the key element in card model instructions—to cover every phase of construction. Some of the construction stages even include photo illustrations.
 

 
 
One very nice touch in the rigging diagrams is that the various lines are printed in different colors, which makes it easier to visually untangle multiple lines where they cross each other in a two-dimensional representation.
 

Turning to the parts pages, we see that everything is printed on good quality stock, either regular bond or card as appropriate. Colors are sharp and registration is excellent. Decks and other unpainted parts are shaded to imitate natural variations in wood tone and texture. Each kit includes extra color swatches so that any gaps can be filled in with matching card.
 

 

 
 
Hull construction begins with internal formers, covered with three layers of skins. The first layer produces the basic shape and provides an underlayment for the additional layers (Fig. 3 in the image below). The second layer finishes the hull shape in sturdy laminated card (Fig, 5). The seams of the first and second layers are at roughly right angles to each other to strengthen the hull structure. The third layer (Fig. 10) is a veneer consisting of the outer planks.
 
 

 
Of course, any sailing ship model done in card stock has a lot of cutting to do as well as a multitude of small, repetitive structures, such as blocks and gun carriages. An ideal and inexpensive way to deal with these issues is to purchase aftermarket laser-cut sets. The Seahorse sets include structural pieces such as hull formers, the second set of hull skinning, and other pieces that otherwise require lamination onto thicker stock before cutting out. The laser-cutting is superb, and parts are laser-engraved with their parts numbers, either directly on the parts or, in the case of small parts, adjacent to them. Hull formers also have laser-engraved lines to indicate the proper locations of joints between mated parts, e.g. between longitudinal profile and bulkheads.

Additional laser-cut sets produce blocks, hearts, deadeyes, gun carriages, and other small items. The blocks are made from layers, which when glued together eliminate any need to drill holes into the finished items. Having used similar laser-cut blocks for my build of Wütender Hund, I can attest that these are not as difficult to assemble as they might appear at first glance. They can, of course, be replaced with wooden blocks, but the card blocks are a perfectly viable option.
 
 

Also available are printed sets of sails. These are single-side printed on fine linen and show panel lines and seams. Each sail set also includes a set of flags. For modelers who want to save a bit of money, each printed kit includes full-size sail patterns.
 

 
In addition to sails, sets of dowels for spars are also available. These are made of either linden or beech, are cut slightly longer that the spars to be turned from them, and must be tapered to the desired dimensions. Tomek did not send any of the dowel sets for review, since as he pointed out they are “just dowels” (you have to love candor!), can easily be locally sourced, and would have added unnecessarily to the shipping costs. Nevertheless, they are available if one wishes to purchase them.
 

 
There are a few non-kit-specific items that builders will need to source for themselves, such as rigging cordage and chain. Tomek does sell some of the former at the Seahorse website. At this time, there are also no aftermarket cannon available as kit-specific sets. One can find cannon in 1/100 scale if one searches around a bit, though finding the correct patterns for the older kit subjects, i.e. galleons, might be a challenge.
 
All in all, I find the Seahorse kits to be delightful additions to the card modeling side of our hobby. The quality of the materials and design at their price points make these outstanding values. It is also apparent from reading through the instructions and diagrams that Tomek has indeed put much thought and effort into making these kits manageable projects for intermediate-level modelers. Each kit will produce a finished model that is comparable in appearance and detail to any wooden kit and moreover will not take up a huge amount of space to display. Not one to rest on his laurels, Tomek has already released a new kit for 2021, the galleon Meermann 1627, a participant in the defeat of a Swedish flotilla at the Battle of Oliwa. As mentioned earlier, Tomek confesses a love for older ships, particularly Dutch vessels, so it is likely that we will see additional offerings of these attractive subjects in the not-too-distant future.
 

Meermann, now available in 1/100 scale from Seahorse
 
Thanks again to Tomek for sending out these examples for review. If you would like to purchase a Seahorse kit, you may do so at the Seahorse website. Be sure to tell Tomek that you heard about Seahorse at Model Ship World!
MSRPs:
Duyfken: € 6.67
Sao Gabriel: € 10.58
Leudo Vinaccieri: € 7.82
Armed Virginia Sloop: € 7.13
Meermann: € 10.12
 
CDC
 
 
 

Technically, I have three models "in progress" in addition to the one I'm currently working on. In reality, there's only a slim chance that I'll actually finish any of them. Once motivation is lost, it's very difficult to get it back -- at least for me.

Historic Ship Models by Wolfram Zu Monfeld.
 
That’s my go to.  It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good.

Some of their larger kits can be bought in stages.  I think the Bellona is only available as a complete kit at this time.  The owner of CAF is on this forum so you could contact him and ask.  Here is a build log for the CAF Bellona https://modelshipworld.com/topic/29729-hms-bellona-by-yves-vidal-caf-model-148/
 

The CAF model of Bellona is about as good as it gets for a kit.  Expensive at $1500+ including shipping but CAF models are worth what they cost.  Also very big at nearly 5ft long for the finished model.  Going to need a dedicated space and set aside a few years for this one.

Well, what do you know... thanks to Reverend above I realized it was  exactly 4 years since I started this little thing.
Just had to finish it today!
Here are some final shots of how the rigging turned out. More in the Gallery soon.
 
A big thank you to all that have supported and liked my trials and tribulations along the way!
 
First the stay sail. In reality it is a hank-on sail. But I could not be bothered to try to mimic that so I just sewed it on. A small knot on either side of the cloth, a dab of CA and snip the ends off. It is hoisted with a tackle though.
 

 

 
The jib is set flying. The conclusion from the book is that since the jib boom is so delicate and un-stayed the jib was only flown in light to moderate winds. Hence no need for a tackle to hoist it. 
Both sails are belayed on pins under the main thwart. 
To keep the coils coiled I cheated and tied them with a little lashing.
 

 

 
This is the third boat I finish in 12 years. A boat every 4th year, hm, with plans for future builds that might be a tad to stressed 😄 
 
Now I need to tidy up the yard, take some nice pictures and then get on with next project.
 
Again, thanks to all that joined for the ride!

Some of their larger kits can be bought in stages.  I think the Bellona is only available as a complete kit at this time.  The owner of CAF is on this forum so you could contact him and ask.  Here is a build log for the CAF Bellona https://modelshipworld.com/topic/29729-hms-bellona-by-yves-vidal-caf-model-148/
 

I know I am going to shock a few members, but I started sanding the bottom of the hull with an electric sander and 60 grit paper: 
 

 
Honestly, unless you want to exhaust yourself and loose your arms, that is the only way to do it. We are dealing with very good 5 plies plywood, almost marine quality and it is quite hard to sand. This is not the basswood found in Model Shipways kit (nothing wrong with their kits, by the way).
 
After one hour on each side, I am getting a smoother hull: 
 

 
Below you can see one side almost done and the other side still untouched.
 

 
I will finish the stern by hand and more delicately. WOW, I did produce an enormous amount of dust and this is the kid of work that needs to be done outside.
 
With the hull mostly sanded and smooth, I can now address the stern which is the most exciting part on such vessels.
 
Yves

The CAF model of Bellona is about as good as it gets for a kit.  Expensive at $1500+ including shipping but CAF models are worth what they cost.  Also very big at nearly 5ft long for the finished model.  Going to need a dedicated space and set aside a few years for this one.

The CAF model of Bellona is about as good as it gets for a kit.  Expensive at $1500+ including shipping but CAF models are worth what they cost.  Also very big at nearly 5ft long for the finished model.  Going to need a dedicated space and set aside a few years for this one.

The CAF model of Bellona is about as good as it gets for a kit.  Expensive at $1500+ including shipping but CAF models are worth what they cost.  Also very big at nearly 5ft long for the finished model.  Going to need a dedicated space and set aside a few years for this one.

Dave,
The angle of the chamfer on every plank is dynamic but the tool has a fixed angle each time it is set so the angle will be wrong except for one small part of the plank edge if it used along the entire length of the plank.    The same issue applies to the angle of the rabbet.  A stiff back razor or any other hand held scraper blade can have the angle adjusted as you move along the plank when done by hand.   Sanding will probably work, but for me, scraping is easier to control.   The ROUGH sketch below explains it better (I hope).
Allan

I wonder if Model Expo would be interested in selling the books. They stock other references and also happen to make the most accurate steamboat model kit out there (Chaperon). It’d be a great cross-promotion to have the books listed with that kit on their website and in their catalog.

Yes… Thanks guys, I emailed them this morning. Seems Capt Bates left his books to the museum and they are making copies in spiral bindings for sale. 
 
The book        $25.00
Tax (Indiana 7%)    $  1.75
Shipping (USPS)    $  8.55
Total due HSM    $35.30
 
I am calling this afternoon to order it. 
 
Thanks for your help…

There is one on Amazon for $85.

Thanks for the link. I may have seen the site before, but it is good to be reminded of it then ...