Afonso

Ok so just a bit of an update... I did buy the Apostol Felipe, and it's been quite fun... I haven't had much time, but now with the quarantine looming i had some time to finally get started... It's been an annoying start since i have to sand down everything for quite a long time since all the holes are too small... It's starting to get a bit annoying, but i'm getting there... I do have a couple of questions before i start my own log... I haven't seen a pure "beginners" section, so i'll just ask here, as it's probably quite trivial. So i started with planking (lining the deck?, i'm not sure which since English isn't my first language). Everything seemed logical, except that when i look for specific parts and look at the pictures, all the "planks" for each part are of a different number. Also when i look in the "parts" paper, it shows me like there should be a bunch of different things; - Bowsprit deck planking 1 x 3 x 30 - Waist deck planking 1 x 3 x 220 - Forcastle deck and bulkhead lining 1x 3 x 90 Which is making me really confused. The pictures look the same, and i don't think i have any different "planks" to use. I have no idea what the x 220 would be... what is that? I will attach a couple of pictures so you guys can see what i mean. I'll also post the pictures of what i have. I assume the thin ones are for the planking, and the thicker ones are for the outer parts of the ship. But i can in no way find 5+ different among them that would qualify as waist deck planking thats x 220 compared to forecastle that's x90. Or is that simply the size that they should have on the actual ship and i'm overthinking it? I just don't want to make a mistake so early on again If this is the wrong section to post these questions please let me know, and forward me to the right one. Thanks and have a great day!

Hey guys, just to give a quick update... I have ordered the Apostol Felipe, it looks exactly like what i imagine a Galleon should look like. Will open a build log once it arrivers. Thanks for all the feedback!

Ok, i've decided to get the Apostol Felipe... I also saw that there are plenty of tutorials on Occre and further information on the pictures provided, so i feel much better equipped this time round. I might even open a thead to show my progress. Cheers!

I actually like the Apostol Felipe more... Do you think this model is much harder than the San Martin? And while i am a complete beginner, surprisingly my wife is quite good with woodwork, so i'll be able to get some help along the way

I can see your point... Still, my wife probably kills me if i buy a 500€ kit instead of something actually useful XD. At least before she knows it's a real hobby. Are the below 3 kits that much worse in quality? So i'm basically down to 3 ships that fit all my parameters. The San Martin from Occre for 150€, the Apostol Felipe from Occre for 260€, and the Dusek San Martin for 370€... From what i've read the Occre reviews are pretty good, and also the Apostol Felipe comes from an era of Spain which i really like. If anyone has any feedback for these 3 i would really appreciate it (again), like if there are some huge pitfalls with any of these kits that someone new wouldn't notice etc... Again, i know it's annoying to keep thanking you guys for the feedback, but thanks a lot

Yeah, that one looks amazing. I'm not willing to put a huge amount of money yet into my first kit, but i am willing to go up to around 200€, perhaps more if it would be amazing. So the suggestions for the 400€+ kits are off limits for now So far the best i've seen for the price are the San Martin and Apostol Felipe from Occre. So i'm probably going to yolo it and choose one of the 2... I'm still open to some other suggestions, but i think it kinda has to be a Galleon. The Carracks that i've seen look kinda not as fearsome as i hoped, and i can't find anywhere the great Portuguese Carracks available, like the ones da Gama or Albuquerque used.

Hey, some great points @ChadB, i haven't really thought about the scale. The Dusek one does look better, but damn, it's 3 times the price. @Torbogdan I have looked at the Columbuses ships.... But man, i want cannons, i want the presence of a warship I know it's "lame", but it's the reason why i got interested in this in the first place, when i saw the models in the museums of the warships. You have given me a lot to think about... I will probably make a decision soon, in the mean time if you guys have any more suggestions fire away...

Again guys, thanks for all the feedback. Ok so what i've deducted so far. Starting something from scratch is out of the question for me for now. It's just too much of a challenge and too time consuming. I will definitely choose a kit for starters. If i ever reach a high enough level, then i might consider doing something from scratch. So you guys have given me a lot to think of. I am wondering if our definition of ahistorical models is different. For example, if i choose the occre's San Martin. What i really like about the kit is that it's relatively inexpensive, so even if i do give up again i won't feel like crap. It's the same price as some complete beginner models, but i am wondering, what is the "wrong" with the model? Like what would an expert say when he looks at a ship like this? Also, what is the difference between the 2? At first site, apart from colors, i can only see difference in the way that the occre model seems a bit more bulky, but i am wondering what the differences really are. I can see the difference in the cannons, the back of the ship, a bit on how the stairs are etc... But i dunno about others Again, thanks a billion for all your help and thoughts

Wow, hi everyone. That's some overwhelming amount of responses, had no idea this forum would be so active. Thank you very much for all the feedback and welcome! @Torbogdan I did build a revell plastic plane 20 years ago as a kid. Does that count? As i said, i really can't think of myself making a kit i wouldn't love from the start. I failed at the Golden Hind because i made some really silly mistakes, like not actually watching the pictures, and i didn't even watch a tutorial whatsoever which i plan to do with my next kit. There's bound to be some out there right? @Jaager My location on terra is Slovenia. I find it terrible what you just said, of the lack of documentation. Vasa sounds great, and i'm also a big fan of Swedish history, but building at ship that sank right away feels kinda weird hah. As i said i'm a complete beginner, so i have no idea what half the words you used mean. Are you actually suggesting i build a ship completly by myself? how would that even work? I don't have a workshop at home (yet). I do have the Osprey book on the Galleons, i should probably check it too see if there's any model inside that is actually available. I am surprised by the lack of data. I've been in naval museums in Lisbon, Madrid and Havana, and saw plenty of ships which i assumed were accurate. I therefore also assumed that the kits you can buy would be accurate too. As i said, i'm going to be honest, and i really can't see myself working on a ship that wasn't like the top of the line ship for it's era. I would just lack the motivation to work on it. So if perhaps anyone has a suggestion about a galleon/carrack that might be feasible, that would be nice But if not, i will also appreciate you guys telling me the harsh truth, and make me find another hobby for now. P.S. Why is there such huge difference between the San Martin from Occre and Dusek? Do they have completely different sources or are they just winging it? Thank you guys a lot again, and thanks for future posts as well!

Hi guys, so really quickly about myself. I'm a history buff, and always loved the ships and how they looked. 31y old, with some free time, but not too much. When i realized the ship modelling exists, i've purchased Occre's Golden Hind, and i was amazed by how awesome it looked. Unfortunately as a complete beginner, i've made quite a few mistakes at the start of the assembly, also didn't use the best glue and made something at the start that i really didn't like. So i kinda gave up at the model, and i'm kinda having issues with returning to it currently, as i feel it would take me a long time just to fix it. Now to my questions/problems. I'm a huge fan of Portuguese and Spanish history, especially 16th and 17th centuries. I've read countless books and studies, and even worked as researcher for some mods for popular games (EU4, Total War), and i can only see myself doing a ship that fits that period. Something that i would proudly have on a mantle in my living room. So that brings me to my problems. I'm a complete beginner, but i can't imagine myself spending my free time working on a "beginner" model of a ship, like a small boat, to really learn the techniques, and then gradually improve. If i do get into this world, i would like to create a kickass galleon or something from the start. I would be willing to take it slow, but I am wondering if it's feasable in a any shape or form to do this? If so, does anyone have any suggestions on which one to buy to start? I was looking for example at the Occre's San Martin, but i have read that the ship isn't historically correct. And this is another huge thing for me; i don't want to create a "fantasy" ship, i really want a historical one, that looks like it's supposed to look. I did write to Occre about it, and they told me that they take their designs from the a book which i don't know how much can be trusted, the Arquitectura de las Naos y Galeones de las Flotas de Indias. So if anyone has any suggestions for me let me know please. Any suggestions for any good, historically correct Galleons for example would be amazing, and ofc any feedback if it's possible to start fresh with such a model, or should i just forget about until i can get the motivation to build the small boats first to learn about what to do. Thank you very much, Afonso