Aeneas

I built most of this model months ago and have recently only been adding finishing touches. As this is a well-covered kit, and since at this point I have worked through all the issues about which I would have asked questions while I was building it, I see no need to post photos and descriptions of the entire build. But I did do a few things differently than have others, and I believe I can address some problems I encountered that might prove helpful to others, so as soon as I figure out how to post photos from my Android phone, I will start this post in earnest. (Assuming I set this up in the right way . . . )

Thank you for all your kind remarks. I’ve been taking photos with my phone as I’ve been building, but because of deteriorating eyesight I have only visited this forum on my computer or ipad, so will have to figure out how to post from my phone, which may take a while since neither cell phone use nor social media are among my few strengths. But I’ll do my best. I have been following the work of many of you for months now, and already owe you all a considerable debt, so I’m very much looking forward to sharing with you! Thanks again for the welcome!

Hello everyone! I am a new member from land-locked Utah (presently, at least), but have lived on both coasts. As I mentioned in my profile post, I am a university professor and professional artist, and have extensive experience in construction, carpentry, and woodworking. I have been building models since I was very young, almost always modifying them and often scratch-building them. Life in miniature is a constant source of fascination for me. Probably my most ambitious project was a scale model of the Verazzano-Narrows bridge I scratchbuilt as a 15-year-old out of wood, metal, and heavy thread—from plans I drew myself with the help of library books and long-distance snail-mail correspondence with some very kind and patient engineers. I started a wooden ship model (a Bluenose) years ago, but soon realized that I lacked the knowledge to build it well, and doing anything halfway is not in my nature. “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing to excess” is the dictum that rules my life, much to my family’s frustration at times. So, I returned to building scale airplanes until I could acquire the necessary skills for ship modeling. In the meantime, I learned to sail and have spent years reading books (and lately forums) on ships and model shipbuilding (and am thus familiar with some of your names from your plans, designs, and publications—and am grateful for the learning you have generously shared!). As I am now nearing retirement, I’ve been actively perusing this forum and model-building again for about 6 months (starting with the excellent Model Shipways shipwright kits,) and feel I am ready to start posting (assuming that I can learn to navigate the bewildering technicalities of an online forum). I look forward to “meeting” you all, drawing on your experience, and hopefully contributing one or two things that might prove helpful to others. Thank you in advance for your friendship!