Macika

An absolutely stunning kit and model! 😲

Welcome, Giovanni!

Looks like a challenge to my beginner eyes. Best of luck with the restoration and keep us posted.

I agree with Steve here, why take a risk when you can have a simple solution. I bought a 3M A2P3 (this one here) mainly for airbrushing but then ended up using it even when gluing on my plastic kits. I can wear it for 2-3 hours straight without any major discomfort and - the main criteria for choosing this particular model - I can wear my glasses without fogging them up. I don't do that much modelling lately so one set lasts for about two years. I tend to replace it when the white filter mesh on the outside it getting dirty. Even if the paints say "water based" which might make them sound less dangerous you still don't want those particles in your lungs when airbrushing. My motto here is "if you can smell it, it might end up in your lungs". For me, the small discomfort of wearing a mask is worth making sure I eliminate one possible hazard (there is enough left in other areas of life). But we had very similar discussions in the past 3 years

Thank you all for your feedback! I guess I should stop overthinking and start building As soon as the current plastic projects on my desk are finished, I'll probably be getting a wooden kit and start it.

Thank you for your insights, gentleman! @ccoyle I was particularly looking at the 1:80 Endeavour: https://store.amatimodel.com/en/box-mounting-americas-cup-by-amati/product-endeavour-kit-180-scale-with-polystyrene-hull-b170050.html @ubjs Oh that's pretty clear having gone through the same process with plastic kits a decade or so ago Still, I feel like taking it bite by bite would help so, having to "only" worry about the mainly flat surface of the deck might be a first steps. @Roger Pellett I agree to that! However, as mentioned above, I was eyeing the Amati 1:80 Endeavour (sorry, should have mentioned that in the initial post) and this having a steel hull in original I thought having a smooth plastic hull might even be more realistic while easing the build as a welcome bonus.

Hey, I'm still going through the plethora of options I have as an absolute beginner, trying to decide which kit to select as my first one and I noticed some of Amati's models are also available with polystyrene pre-build hulls. Now, since I personally find the hull planking the most intimidating part of this whole journey, I was wondering if there are more options to this? Anything in the 40-80cm range? It appears that the larger the scale, the more common this becomes but the higher the price, as well. My guess is that these kits are geared towards RC conversions. Thank you! Cristian

Thank you all for the warm welcome! @Jsk That's a reasonably priced book to have even if it'd turn out this is not "my" hobby. Thanks for the suggestion! @JacquesCousteau Indeed, these kits are mentioned in several discussions but despite the fact that it actually contains three kits, the 100 EUR+ price point is a bit steep for a first try. Nonetheless, a valid suggestion! Thank you! @druxey The more I think about this, the more I agree with you that starting with a kit might be the better option. Thanks! @mtaylor You make a valid point about quality of rip off kits. Something I haven't thought about, thinking "it's just a sheet of wood". Thanks for the insight and the book suggestion! @ccoyle Nice little build! After some more consideration and while I haven't put down the scratch building idea completely yet, the first model would most probably be a kit. Thank you for the encouragement, tough! @Knocklouder, @Keith Black, @Jim Lad Thank you! Some of you might be familiar with scalemates.com, an excellent database for plastic kits but which is somewhat lacking "our" genre. Is there an alternative where I can look up manufacturers, kits, reviews and maybe even prices? Thank you!

Hello there, Let me start by saying how glad I am about finding this site! There is an amazing amount of reference and learning material to go through here and the general feel of the entries is above averagely friendly, as well. Thank you for setting this up! I'm a plastic kit modeller (mainly AFVs) with several years of building experience under my belt but as I read this has no value in the wooden ship building world To add on top of that, I also struggle with the nomenclature (stern, bow, etc.) so it'll be a challenging mission. I absolutely love wood as a building material but I lack the tools and mainly space for larger projects like furniture building so I figured boat models are a good compromise. I went through the mandatory posts here about selecting my first kit and I was wondering if there is maybe an alternative way to what was described (yeah, right, smart boy!). For me, the most intimidating part of a build would be the planking and overall hull building so I was considering the following options: buy one of the beginner kits => probably the priciest option buy one of the knock-off far east models from Ebay/Amazon => copyright infringement and all doesn't really fit me start with a plan and scratch something really simple like a rowing boat => limited planking but enough to get me started? Do you think scratch building really simple models is something worth considering at this stage? If so where to get suitable plans and most importantly how to determine what materials to use (wood type, thickness, etc.). I was thinking about getting a few sheets of 4mm planks and an assorted set of 0.5mm veneers to begin with. On a medium to long term sight I'd like to build something like Amati's J Class kits. Which brings me to my next question: What other kits are available for similar builds? I have lots of questions to ask but I'd try to get the answers by study first. Thank you for having me on board! 🫡 Cristian