Jaager

Ron,
 
You might give a look at this recent discussion - it veered into bench top ( DRL3000 ) fairly quickly.
The solutions involving Dremel machines you should discount if any of them are not already dismissed out of hand.
I have Foredom flex with the 1/3 HP motor - lower speed high torque motor and bought the drill press accessory - it is surprisingly sturdy - so if you have a Foredom, it is worth a look although I have not tried it yet -  my DRL3000 has worked well enough  and my framing method requires 100's if not 1000's of holes that must be exact and 100% perpendicular.
 
https://modelshipworld.com/topic/32788-does-anybody-have-experience-with-vanda-lay-industries-tools-for-the-dremel/
 

Ron,
 
You might give a look at this recent discussion - it veered into bench top ( DRL3000 ) fairly quickly.
The solutions involving Dremel machines you should discount if any of them are not already dismissed out of hand.
I have Foredom flex with the 1/3 HP motor - lower speed high torque motor and bought the drill press accessory - it is surprisingly sturdy - so if you have a Foredom, it is worth a look although I have not tried it yet -  my DRL3000 has worked well enough  and my framing method requires 100's if not 1000's of holes that must be exact and 100% perpendicular.
 
https://modelshipworld.com/topic/32788-does-anybody-have-experience-with-vanda-lay-industries-tools-for-the-dremel/
 

My observation is.... get the kit you would love to build even Victory.  Then after getting it, open and box. After realizing it's the deep end of the pool, put it in the closet and during the learning, take it down occasionally for motivation. The ModelExpo series seems like a good place to start or some of the others that have been mentioned like Vanguard Models.
 
You're next step.... take the advice given about starting simple.  The first kit I bought was Billings Vasa.  Took one or too looks and put it up on the shelf and then started on a simple kit and went from there. After some simple models, I felt comfortable trying the Vasa.  This was back before internet forums such as this so basically, I was on my own.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

Kevin,
No matter how much jest is involved,  unless you have access to a mansion sized building, either realization is a bit overwhelming.
The Cutty Sark would be easier, but larger.  At 1:48 a masted model is for all intents 6 feet long and about that tall.  The Saint-Philippe is about 6 inches shorter.  I have lofted Philippe at 1:120 and played with the framing.  The hull is about the size of a brig: USS Porpoise at 1:60.  Having second thoughts about doing a miniature, I looked at redoing the timbers at 1:60 using Navy Board style framing.  I hit breaks real fast when it demonstrated that the mid ship floor timber is too large to be had from a 2 inch wide piece of stock.  And the mid ship floor is the straightest, least carnivorous floor.   A POF at 1:36 ----  a Baby Huey that needs lots and lots of lumber to frame.  Framing at 1:48 would put a serious hurt on a 50 bf lumber stock.
If you were just married when you started these two, you would possibly be paying for your kid's college when you finished.
 
The Saint-Philippe is a late 17th century first rate with magnificent excess in its decoration.  It could easily stand as a magnificent magnum opus for any modeler.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

This being my first exposure to the term "impact glue",  I did a quick search and it cross referenced contact cement.
Contact cement has no use in or on a wooden ship model.   I would use their factor of suggesting the use of contact cement to be an absolute indicator that the author is someone to avoid and totally ignore.
 
We have an on going disagreement between two camps on the use of CA - a sort of near instant quick grab.   A very rough distinction is  scratch/historian focus = CA-never   and kit centric = CA is the new sliced bread.   
A close approximation for something that is a sort of contact cement =    heat activated PVA.
Yellow PVA -  apply a wet coverage on both meeting surfaces-  100% wet but no blobs -  let both surfaces dry/polymerize  - when dry - joint and use an iron to reactivate to PVA for an instant grab.   The wood layer being ironed must be thin enough  for the heat to reach the PVA and the iron must be below the char the wood temp.
 
Old school - three bonding agents are enough:
PVA - yellow  - wood to wood  -  the smaller the gap, the stronger the bond - starving a joint with too much pressure is not possible
epoxy  -  metal to wood -  tooth on the metal in the join is a good practice.
PVA white bookbinder's pH7  neutral   for rigging that is natural fiber - linen and cotton - 
Someone else will have to supply the bonding agent for line made from man-made synthetic fibers -  a forbidden material for me.

I  checked my copy and there was no plan for Thermopylae.   The period covered falls a decade short of Thermopylae.
 
A different book does
TEA CLIPPERS ,THE                                                
MACGREGOR,DAVID R    CONWAY MARITIME PRESS  LONDON 1983
 
3 sheets  lines,   deck,   spars
There are also photos of the ship - probably of it at an older point in its existence.
The plans are small  - too small.
 
If there are plans in a book by David MacGregor  then the full size 1/4"  are probably in his collection.
I did a key word search and the plans are now owned by an entity that does not seem inclined to provide copies.
 
I think David MacGregor sold plans for a while.  I am not sure if this ship was included but probably so since a pirate site lists a copy that seems to be the three sheets from the book on a single page. 
For these monster size ships, the 1/4" scale plans range about 5' to 6'  long. 
 

I  checked my copy and there was no plan for Thermopylae.   The period covered falls a decade short of Thermopylae.
 
A different book does
TEA CLIPPERS ,THE                                                
MACGREGOR,DAVID R    CONWAY MARITIME PRESS  LONDON 1983
 
3 sheets  lines,   deck,   spars
There are also photos of the ship - probably of it at an older point in its existence.
The plans are small  - too small.
 
If there are plans in a book by David MacGregor  then the full size 1/4"  are probably in his collection.
I did a key word search and the plans are now owned by an entity that does not seem inclined to provide copies.
 
I think David MacGregor sold plans for a while.  I am not sure if this ship was included but probably so since a pirate site lists a copy that seems to be the three sheets from the book on a single page. 
For these monster size ships, the 1/4" scale plans range about 5' to 6'  long. 
 

The basic tool is what I have been using and it has done the job.  I got mine from Otto Frei.  I would suggest looking at brand name jeweler's supply sites because although all of the units may come from the same shop in China, the QA on the machines going to brand sites is probably better, with economy sites getting the just so units.
I added an XY table.  For a while, I kicked myself for paying MM for a table that cost about as much as the drill.  There are low cost ones at AliExpress, but there is the same QA issue and a low cost unit probably has loose tolerances.  I had to drill a hole in the base to mount the table.
I mostly use the XY table to hold a piece of 3/4" AA Birch ply as the work surface.
You also will want a momentary foot switch.
HSS bits.
I am fairly confident that my unit will serve as a wood mill - as long as the passes are light and the tools are SHARP.
For metal - especially steel, you will want an actual mill -  this becomes a factor if you make your own tools.
It has been as good a drill press as I have needed.
 
For wood or brass, you will want to use a sharp awl tip to make a starter hole so that the drill bit does not dance.  You want to pull the drill tip to the surface at the pilot hole before you engage the foot switch.  Sock foot for feel - switch fixed to a piece of scrap flooring.

The basic tool is what I have been using and it has done the job.  I got mine from Otto Frei.  I would suggest looking at brand name jeweler's supply sites because although all of the units may come from the same shop in China, the QA on the machines going to brand sites is probably better, with economy sites getting the just so units.
I added an XY table.  For a while, I kicked myself for paying MM for a table that cost about as much as the drill.  There are low cost ones at AliExpress, but there is the same QA issue and a low cost unit probably has loose tolerances.  I had to drill a hole in the base to mount the table.
I mostly use the XY table to hold a piece of 3/4" AA Birch ply as the work surface.
You also will want a momentary foot switch.
HSS bits.
I am fairly confident that my unit will serve as a wood mill - as long as the passes are light and the tools are SHARP.
For metal - especially steel, you will want an actual mill -  this becomes a factor if you make your own tools.
It has been as good a drill press as I have needed.
 
For wood or brass, you will want to use a sharp awl tip to make a starter hole so that the drill bit does not dance.  You want to pull the drill tip to the surface at the pilot hole before you engage the foot switch.  Sock foot for feel - switch fixed to a piece of scrap flooring.

The basic tool is what I have been using and it has done the job.  I got mine from Otto Frei.  I would suggest looking at brand name jeweler's supply sites because although all of the units may come from the same shop in China, the QA on the machines going to brand sites is probably better, with economy sites getting the just so units.
I added an XY table.  For a while, I kicked myself for paying MM for a table that cost about as much as the drill.  There are low cost ones at AliExpress, but there is the same QA issue and a low cost unit probably has loose tolerances.  I had to drill a hole in the base to mount the table.
I mostly use the XY table to hold a piece of 3/4" AA Birch ply as the work surface.
You also will want a momentary foot switch.
HSS bits.
I am fairly confident that my unit will serve as a wood mill - as long as the passes are light and the tools are SHARP.
For metal - especially steel, you will want an actual mill -  this becomes a factor if you make your own tools.
It has been as good a drill press as I have needed.
 
For wood or brass, you will want to use a sharp awl tip to make a starter hole so that the drill bit does not dance.  You want to pull the drill tip to the surface at the pilot hole before you engage the foot switch.  Sock foot for feel - switch fixed to a piece of scrap flooring.

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.
 
But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public. 

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.
 
But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public. 

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.
 
But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public. 

Andrew,
Welcome aboard.   The part of antecedents that I identify with are from Braynefield in Caroline Co. 
 
From the subjects that are enticing you, I think that you will find this to be huge planet that is different from what you were expecting.  At least you do not have to overcome the effects of deceptive and manipulative advertising for inappropriate and complex sailing warship.  If you can hold tools, big fingers are no problem.  An Optivisor can solve a focus problem.  I will have to get back to you if it is cataracts.  I am on the beach until mine get fixed. 
 
Opinion: 
Columbus - no actual plans - everything is a best guess - much may be pure fantasy -  I would suggest serious research before entering.
WWII -  steel is better represented by plastic as modeling material.   It requires serious skills in finish painting to simulate steel from a wood surface.  
 
Starting with an open boat is never a bad choice.   The large sailing ships all carried open boats that will want modeling.  Knowing what they are about is a big leg up.  You are not that far from The Bay and it is all about boats and fishing vessels.
 

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.
 
But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public. 

It would not surprise me if there was only one or two manufacturers of the basic chemical components - especially PVA - and all of the brand name suppliers just mix,  package and label.
 
But in the case of Gorilla  -  I am having unkind thoughts about the telephone sanitizer sort of mind that makes "Gorilla" so prominent in the nomenclature that the actual chemical nature can be confused among most every sort of chemical bonding agent available to the public.