Gr8teful Rick

FINALLY, ready to start my first build! As some of you know, my Polaris kit (and the Beagle kit, too!) were supplied with warped keels that I tried to straighten w/o success by using some MSW suggestions. I ended up ordering replacement keels from Occre; they were delivered yesterday, and, though much better than the originals, are not perfectly straight. The suggestion to cut my own keel was beyond my skill (and tool) set. I realize this is an inexpensive beginner's kit, so the quality is what you pay for, I guess. Meanwhile, with some friends' help, I made Doc Blake's keel clamp just to be building something ship-related, though I now realize it won't be much help after all the ribs are fixed. This is what the new false keel looks like; the wrong-way bend between ribs A7 and A8 doesn't seem like it will affect the structure as long as I take care to glue the ribs properly. I'm using Havelock's technique for clamping the ribs to the keel using small metal corner braces to keep the ribs square.

Neither of the two techniques that I've tried has worked. I found some suggestions here at MSW and have tried a couple of them a couple of different ways. Both techniques "worked" for a few hours, but the warp always came back. So then I took the OTHER advice from builders and contacted OcCre for a replacement keel. It's on its way and I just have to wait for it. It better be straight! Meanwhile, I'm building Doc Blake's keel clamp just so I'm building SOMETHING! https://modelshipworld.com/topic/20229-home-made-keel-clamp/?do=findComment&comment=646093

Hello BranPie, I'm starting Polaris also, and will start a build log in the next day or two. Need to straighten the keel first. Seems like a common problem with this kit. I will be following your build.

Thanks, guys. I'm brand new to the hobby (still waiting for my first kit to be delivered from OcCre) and I was poking around the Shop Notes forum to see what you all might be suggesting as far as the basic tools for ship modeling are concerned. I've developed a short shopping list from the research I've done so far. I took Bob's suggestion and bought the drill set from Model Expo as well as a few other basic items. I plan to take the MSW advice to not buy too many tools too soon, but to buy them more as I need them. Thanks again!

Hello LH, Are you still building? Maybe building but no time for posting? I'm brand new to MSW (joined today) and waiting for my first kit to arrive any day. I've selected Polaris as my fits build, and will start a log when I start building.

Hello Lars, I am new to this hobby also. Joined MSW today, and the Polaris will be my first build too. The kit should be arriving any day. I'm already acquiring a "stash" and the Beagle is panned as Build #2. I will check out your build logs.

Thanks, Chris. I've bookmarked their website. They look like they're real pro's! Kind of intimidating for a newbie. But Fullerton is not far from me at all, and I will try to check out a meeting after the pandemic is over. They're probably a great group of people just like MSW.

Thanks for the build log, and the up-front summary. I'm also new to this craft, and selected Polaris as my first build. I will be looking through your log carefully as I make my way. I hope mine turns out as nice as yours!

Hello "Bob", Just joined MSW. I'm brand new to ship modeling too, and the Polaris will also be my first build (after much research like you). I agree that the YouTube vid's were a factor in my selection, just wish they included audio. I'll start my own build log as soon as I receive the kit. Meanwhile, start posting so I can learn from your mistakes. 😁 I'm very interested to see how far you've progressed since April. I'm wondering how I too will manage between building and posting. Right now, with no kit yet to build, I have plenty of time to read the forums and learn how to post!

I'm Rick K from SoCal. I've enjoyed certain craft hobbies over the years, including in my recent retirement. This world of model ships is beautiful, looks like a lot of fun, and the tradecraft is right up my interest alley. So far, I've done a fair bit of research, including especially this website, and I've selected OcCre's Polaris as my first kit. I've even found another member here who has just started to build his Polaris and I plan to talk with him as we work our builds. I plan to ask plenty of questions, and expect to make those mistakes you all talk about! I've also accumulated a "stash" (to be disclosed later) in my enthusiasm for starting this hobby. I'm taking the advice not to buy too many tools too soon, but to buy them as I need them, and I'm lucky to live in an area where hobby shops and home depots are plentiful. I will need to get the hang of how to post messages and communicate on the various forums, but I've already seen how welcoming and helpful you are to the newcomer and I'm very glad to be here. The kits are on their way (my Christmas gift) and I can hardly wait to start building and posting! But it's been 40+ years since I last built a model kit (cars, WW2 warships, plastic and metal). I still have a collection of 16 Pyro 1/32 classic cars kits waiting to be started, as well as a half-finished Gabriel 1/18 metal/plastic Duesenberg dual cowl phaeton and an as-yet-unstarted Monogram 1/24 Duesy boattail speedster. None show any real wear and tear or warping even after years of improper storage, although the phaeton will need some stripping and re-painting. Well, maybe I'll get to them after trying my hand at the ships. I've already looked through the car posts in the non-ship builds forum. You all are an eclectic bunch!