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  1. So, my build log of the Pegasus kit from Victory. I’m not going to describe the kit contents as there are quite a few build logs here on MSW that do exactly that, the latest being that by Mugje. The first task was to read the instructions carefully, at least as far as the first planking, examine the plans and read the already existing build logs. The second task was to repeat the first to ensure that I had a more than reasonable grasp of what was to be involved in starting this build. Unfortunately, the result of all this reading was information overload, but anyway, on with the build. As well as the information in the build logs, I will occasionally refer to the "The Fully Framed Model" by David Antscherl and Greg Herbert. After numbering, the false keel and the bulkheads were removed from their sheets and trial fitted. All slots had to be eased slightly as the fit was just a little bit too tight. It was noticed that bulkhead 13, the last one, was not properly centered when slotted fully home onto its tab - it was slightly shifted to starboard. The slot in the bulkhead was widened with a few passes with a file to correct this. The false keel has to be thinned near the sternpost to allow for the thickness of the two layers of planking to closely match the width of the sternpost. To do this, the bearding line first needed to be drawn on the false keel as the thinning starts here. The kit plans do not show this, and in looking at the logs there is some variation in builders’ interpretation of where this line should be. I drew my line so that it clipped the fore edges of bulkheads 9-12 and finished under the filler block (part 16). A 2mm wide strip of wood was spot glued to the rear of the false keel to aid in sanding the false keel to the needed thickness. The bearding line was continued along the keel as a marker for a rabbet here, and then along for the stem rabbet. Although Chris Watton in one of his posts says that a keel rabbet was unnecessary, I decided to cut one for the experience. A knife cut was made along the line using a steel rule to keep it straight. A chisel was then used to pare the MDF to give the rabbet. A 2mm wide wood strip was spot glued along the bottom of the false keel to guide the depth of the cut and then removed. A similar method was used to cut the rabbet at the stem. The MDF cut easily. The walnut stem and the two keel parts were glued to the false keel. The stern post was not fitted at this time to allow easy sanding of the first planking at the stern. The rabbet at the stem completed. I’d decided to mount the Pegasus on pedestals, so mounting holes, for 3mm bolts, had to be drilled through the base, the pedestals, the (real) keel and far enough into the false keel to give secure mounting. Captive nuts were epoxied into slots cut near the end of the holes in the false keel and small pieces of ply were epoxied over these for additional strength and to help in preventing the nut from turning. The only 3mm bolts I could find locally were too short for my need, so two bolts were joined to form one by expoxying them into a brass sleeve which was then crimped. I thought epoxy rather than solder was more than sufficient. The bolts were run in and out repeatedly to ensure that there was no binding or glue blocking the holes. The ends of the bolts were rounded to enable them to easily “find” the nuts. Trial mounting onto the pedestals. The bulkheads, the false lower deck and the main, fore and aft decks were trial fitted and then removed. The slots in the main deck needed slight easing to enable it to be fitted without undue force. The lower deck, bulkheads and pre-shaped infill blocks were then glued in place on the false keel. Infill blocks were glued in between bulkheads at bow and stern. I used scrap wood that I had rather than buying a sheet of balsa, so the appearance is not as neat as others. After several hours sanding, the hull was apparently faired. Upon checking with a strip of wood though, I found the same problem with BH7 as Mugje did. (To confuse things, Mugje in subsequent posts referred to the bulkhead as BH6, though the photos are clearly that of BH7).That is, the strip does not fair smoothly past BH7, but there is a gap between it and the bulkhead. The gap was more prominent at the top of the bulkhead and decreases towards the keel, and is the same on both sides of the hull. It would seem that either BH7 is slightly undersized, or the adjacent bulkheads are slightly oversized. More gentle sanding was done on bulkheads 5,6,8 and 9 but even so, the fairing still was not smooth. So, a shim strip was glued to BH7 and finally, after BH7 was sanded, a fair run from BH5 through to BH9 was achieved. Although totally unnecessary, the lower deck was partly planked below the main hatch. Antscherl describes the kingplank of the lower deck as being 3 inches thick and, as the remainder of the deck planking is 2 inches thick, it stands proud by 1 inch. So a kingplank 1mm thick was laid, and with the other planks being 0.6mm thick, it stands proud by about 1 inch equivalent. Not that anybody's ever going to see this. The stern counter pieces were glued into their slots. The quarterdeck was positioned to ensure that the outer pieces were angled inwards correctly. A minor amount of sanding was required to fair these. The main deck was glued in place and is ready for planking. Cheers.
  2. Greetings Everyone, The Lady arrived a few days ago. I've been picking up ship building tools, doing lots of research and got the work bench turned into a ship yard. You may notice the tools on the peg board don't look like model ship building tools... I have built 6 classical and 4 acoustic guitars. The bench was also an RC helicopter and airplane hanger for a few years, and now it's being converted to a shipyard. I retire in 19 days and will get at it. 🙂
  3. Hello! Just ordered my first build, the Lady Nelson by Amati. I spent quite a bit of time researching a good first build, and heavily debated going with the 3-ship kit from Model Shipways. I certainly see the value of scaffolding your skills with different levels of practice, but at the end of the day none of the builds excited me. I'm also a competent woodworker and figured I could handle a bit more on the first go. The history behind the Lady Nelson was the final tipping point for me, as I love the stories behind a ship just as much as I love looking at them. I've seen many build logs have already been completed, and I plan to start taking notes on these throughout the next few days as I wait for my order to arrive. As far as tools, I was wondering if there were any other woodworkers out there who then went into model building. My wood shop is adequately equipped, both power and hand tools, but are there model specific tools that I'd likely not have? Thanks for reading and thanks in advanced for your support! This forum was a big factor in taking the plunge!
  4. Hello, today marks two years that I have been learning how to build models. I join MSW two years ago and I think I have not missed to many days scene then lol. I have been having the time of my life, meeting people, getting to know some as well. I was going to start my Pegasus, but wanted to finish my Columbus ships. As LA Nina will be my next build So I open the box last night and wanted to post, but dew to technical issues 🙃 lol I went to work. The keel and the bulk head came together nicely. So I move on up to the upper deck, and planked that as well So Iam about to start planking. But FIRST I will give Chucks video one more go lol. Glad to be part of this wonderful organization. Both the NRG and MSW have become important to me, my recent panic attack 🙃 🙂 because I couldn't log on kinda made that a little more clear. So to everyone who has put up a like or a laugh thankyou so much. It will be hard for me to control myself not to rush this because I will be doing the Pegasus right after the Nina. I do have a Viking Long Boat to do as well but I thought I save that for when I get boared with the Pegasus lol. Now on we go, video, planking lol Bob M.
  5. So the journey begins. I'd been planning on getting into building model ships and what better excuse than the quarantine to start? After some online research, I picked the Amati Lady Nelson. Then I needed tools. I basically had nothing since I had downsized into a small cottage from a 4-bedroom house and had to sell/giveaway most every tool I had accumulated over 30 years. Boy, it wasn't cheap to restock and I included a starter airbrushing kit from Master Airbrush and a spray booth. Was not willing to brush paint all what needed to be painted. Also, it was a scramble to get tools; most of the modeling sites had a lot of out-of-stock for items. Guess a lot of folks are doing the same as me. Then it was looking for help. This site was fairly easy to find and has a lot of good stuff, especially the Build Logs. I also looked for build video logs. Those on Modelers Central were way too expensive. But I did find that Amati released free video build logs of the their Lady Nelson by Models Shipyard. There are 20 of them on Facebook, starting here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Amati Modellismo lady nelson&epa=SEARCH_BOX . The builder takes some different paths from the Amati instructions, such as beveling the bulkheads AFTER adding them to the false keel. After comparing his approach to what I found in the build logs and other tutorials here, I decided to follow his process, supplemented with tips from the MSW logs. The most comprehensive MSW log I found for this ship was by vossiewulf. Wow, he is one master builder! Anybody know why he didn't finish it? Too bad; I would have loved to see the final product. Anyway, as to my build. Below is where I am. One issue I ran into was while beveling the bulkheads: the false deck popped up at the edges, not by much, but it did flatten the deck somewhat. When I first glued the deck, it had a bigger curve to it, port to starboard. I didn't see a problem with that. After it popped up, I decided to leave it. It still had the curve, just not as pronounced. I looked at the the MS logs and he had the same gaps at the edges that I had, so I don't seem too worried. Here's the bow: And the stern: The MS builder used a marker to highlight the filler blocks and the deadwood before beveling to show what had to be taken off. I also had to take some of the deck off here since it overhung the last bulkhead. I guessed that was needed based from what I saw from the MS logs. The only issue I had at this point was supporting the gluing of the outside stern counter frames into their slots. With the bulkhead beveling, I had removed most of what those frames would stick to. So I glued 2 x pieces of the 1mm plywood sheet underneath the deck between the last two bulkheads. See below. Those frames are not going to move. So I'm off to attach the 3 x keel pieces and then move onto the first planking. Some observations: The MS builder avoided using balsa bulkhead filler blocks between the bow and stern bulwarks. When I saw that technique in the MSW logs, I did think that was a bit overkill for this small ship. I figured two sets of hull planking would eliminate having to deal with the thick filler blocks. Surprised vossiewulf went there. Also, he and others had the tools to easily make those blocks; I don't. Comments anybody? The MS builder's plan for tapering the planks involves calculating how much to take off on either end based on mathematical formulae which I found easy to comprehend. When I looked at planking guidelines here, it appeared to involve drawing lines on the bulwark edges or lines, bow to stern, on a fully filler-block loaded hulls and then taking measurements. That seemed a little tedious so I'm planning on following the MS builder's plan. Also, he planes off what needs to go . Some of the MSW log techniques appear to draw a line on the planks and then utilize a craft knife to remove the excess. I'm going with planing the edge off a plank held in a vise. Final painting scheme is still fluid. My current thinking is (comments welcome): Hull: White paint from the bottom to the waterline. (Maybe tinged with a little green or maybe grey.) Walnut paint from the waterline to the main whale (maybe walnut stain) Black paint main wale Walnut paint from top of main wale to the top of the hull, including the upper wale (Again, maybe walnut stain) Black paint for capping rail. (Any reason I shouldn't paint the rails before attaching them? Obliviously need to deal with the pin holes, but not a big deal compared to painting the rails in place.) Deck: Carriage red for the bulwark side planks. Same for hatches and the frames walnut (flipped from what I see on the MSW logs, but the Italian version of MSW showed that and I thought it had a better look.) Red for the gun carriage, flat black for the guns. As for the rigging of these, I see vossiewulf tried but then abandoned to rig with them with 2 x side tackles and 2 x train tackles and went with just 1 x centered train tackle because there was no room on the deck for all that rigging. I will follow his lead on that. Natural for the deck, no paint. The MS builder used, as a deck scraper, a piece of thick glass and that gave it a nice look. I'm trying to find a piece of glass; may break a window! Off I go; wish me luck...John
  6. Hey! No need to write a history of this model. This is my first wooden ship build ever. I bought this kit from a local shop in my city. I had no idea where I was getting into! First look inside: Work of first evening: It was a really tedious process to sand all the edges: I had to get some power tools in order to sand trickier parts: I have made clamps from document clams (similar to Amatis https://store.amatimodel.com/en/tools-and-equipment-parts-per-model/product-clamp-set-b7377.html) Getting first planks in place was difficult since I was doing that first time. I had to read and watch lots of videos to understand all the techniques. Props for this forum and written guides! I was really surprised that I my planking speed was 2 planks / hour. I was using hot water and soldering iron to get planks into the shape. Dremel tool was a huge help shaping this line: Starting to look like a ship: I saw no point covering back of the ship with these planks, but instructions showed that I have to do it: It took a while until I have prepared hull for second planking, but it is smooth as butter now: Started second planking:
  7. So, for some reason, back in March, a video of someone building a model ship showed up in my YouTube feed. I watched it and was enamored. I love intricate detailed stuff and this seemed right up my alley. I began researching how to build wooden ship models and came across this site. Down the rabbit hole I went, searching for the best model to start with. The Viking Drakkar showed up several times for a good first time build. I ordered it and I built it. Thank you to all the people who have build blogs about this model. It really helped me out. I chronicled the build; so, here goes my take on this ship model.
  8. All, My model showed up two days early, and I felt like Ralphie's dad when the leg lamp showed up. Needless to say it was exciting, so, thanks to the support and motivation of others who have produced some beautiful HM Cutters on this site, here's the start to my first build log and what I imagine will be a great learning curve. May not have time to get deep today, and that's okay! Still waiting on some supplies. ⚓️ Anchors Aweigh, Chris
  9. 1:8 Ferrari Timossi Racer ‘Arno XI’ (Special Edition) Amati Model Catalogue # 1610 Available from Amati for €319.67, excluding tax The Arno XI is a hydroplane inspired by Achille Castoldi in the early 1950s and built by the Cantiere Timossi boatyard, located in Azzano (a frazione of Mezzegra) on the Lake Como. Castoldi wanted to establish a world water speed record so he persuaded then Ferrari racing drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi to influence Enzo Ferrari to supply him with a 4.5-litre, V12 Ferrari engine; the same engine that gave Ferrari his first Grand Prix victory with the Ferrari 375 F1 at Silverstone Circuit in 1951. The engine was installed in a Timossi three-point racing hydroplane hull. Castoldi managed to further increase horsepower by attaching two superchargers. The result was a 502 bhp speedboat, which he used to hit a 150.19 mph top speed in October 1953 on Lake Iseo. This world speed record for an 800 kg boat still stands today. Arno XI was later sold and raced in numerous competitions, finally retiring in 1960. It has since been restored and as of December 2019, is expected to go for up for sale by RM Auctions for up to €1.5m. Information and photo taken from Wikipedia The kit The Arno XI is far from a new release, with the original kit first seen around the 1990s. That specific release is still available and has a traditional built-up hull that the modeller must plank with the supplied strip wood. I have seen one of these built up in a model shop in Manchester, UK, a good number of years ago, and it was outstanding! When Amati asked if I would like to take a look at the newer version of this kit, in Special Edition format, I really couldn’t refuse. What makes this kit different to the original is that the entire hull is pre-built in glass fibre. If that’s not enough, then it’s also pre-planked in mahogany and polished too! With the cockpit superstructure already being a fibreglass composite component, then this model is as close as you can get to the hard stuff being done for you. It’s also suitable for Radio Control (RC), and measures in at an impressive 79cm. Now, this box is large and reasonably heavy too. A glossy sleeve envelopes the box, with a large image of a completed and mounted model, resplendent in the famous Ferrari red. The box sides show images of the box contents, and most impressively, that pre-built hull. But, what does it actually look like? OK….here goes. Removing that sleeve is amazingly difficult as the fit is so tight. It took both myself and my wife to extract it without causing it damage. With that carefully removed, the tabbed box lid was opened to reveal the contents. Of course, I knew what I was going to see, but actually seeing it was something else! The pre-built hull is absolutely stunning. Amati has carefully packed this so that the other elements such as boxed components and manual, cause no damage to the beautiful finish of the main model. The cockpit/engine superstructure, is also sat in situ, giving a real impression of how this model will look once complete. With all of the packing components removed, the hull is now lifted from the box. There’s quite some weight in this, but probably not much different to how the traditional construction hull would weigh. In fact, this could be a tad lighter, dependent on the thickness of the glass fibre moulding. A quick check around the exterior showed that there were no real causes for concern regarding the finished quality of this and the safe shipping of it to get to me in the UK. Hull planking is extremely high quality, with nice, tight grained mahogany creating that famous finish. The whole surface is also very smooth. In fact, the only thing that you might do to finish that aspect is to give it a final coat of high-gloss varnish instead of the satin/low-gloss finish the model comes with. There will be some smaller details to add to the timber finish such as metal edging and brass nails. We’ll look at those soon. For the moment, I now remove the superstructure and look within the hull. The is secured by two nuts which fit to bolts that are secured into the bottom of the hull. One quick note here is that the hull interior or quite dusty from the manufacturing process, and I suggest the use of a mini keyboard hoover and a damp cloth to totally clean out the interior before you continue with any sort of paint or varnish work. That extremely nice mahogany planking extends to the undersides, despite the fact that some of this will of course be sheathed by large pieces of photo etch metal. The superstructure is also comprised of glass fibre sections which have been carefully assembled and have a very smooth external finish. The external details include nicely even engraving for panel lines. The bare cockpit will be fully fitted out in some superbly sumptuous fittings, as we’ll shortly see. Here, you can clearly see the fibreglass box which forms the bottom of the cockpit. The superstructure itself is also quite weighty. Some very minor clean-up will be required before work commences. Here, you can see the interior of the basic cockpit, with the holes/washers that fasten the superstructure to the lower hull. The box units that are built into the walls, will support the upholstered chair. You will need to make the seat removable, should you every wish to be able to remove the superstructure for the RC model version. For static, it isn’t necessary. Also of note here is that this release doesn’t detail how you would fit this model out for RC, but for an enthusiast, I can’t see it being too much of a problem as the interior of the superstructure and hull are quite easy to work within, being very accessible. An instrument panel is also fitted into the cockpit as a base for the detailed unit which will sit atop this. You’ll see that the vents just in front of the cockpit will also need to be cleaned up before you start to paint the superstructure. Now, if you know someone who works in an automotive garag and can persuade them to give a perfect Ferrari red finish to this unit, then that would be even better than using hobby paints, as a good two-part epoxy paint finish would really set this model off. Lying underneath the tail of the hydroplane hull is a touch cellophane sleeve that contains three sheets of material (MDF and mahogany veneer). This first sheet contains a couple of cores and frames for some cockpit detail work, but also has a number of parts for what will form a cradle for holding the completed model. These will need to be secured to a long wooden plinth, set 300mm apart, but this plinth is not included in this release, so you’ll have to check out your favourite hobby outlet. Laser cutting is very good, within fine cuts and minimal scorch. This next sheet contains parts that will be fitted within the hull, around the box area for the cockpit. The idea here is to provide mid-hull rigidity and stop the modeller from over-tightening the superstructure mounting nuts and compressing the fibreglass/timber hull too much. The last sheet of timber is this mahogany veneer. These parts are for the lower cockpit side walls, cockpit floor and also the rear of the pilot’s pedals. Laser cutting is excellent and provides to cause for scorch concern on these decorative parts. Tucked away in the main packaging jigsaw is this box of components. Whilst not actual leather, the seat, headrest and upper cockpit sidewalls are comprised of cores that are hand-stitched with faux-leather and actually look superb! After all, this is a Ferrari! There are standards to maintain… A good number of metal trim parts are supplied, with their chrome finish. The twisted part you see here is actually for the spine of the superstructure, also running down the back end of the tail. You are advised to check these against the unpainted unit and adjust if necessary. You really do need these to be fit-perfect when it comes to the painted model. A length of brass rod is also supplied. Another bag of parts contains a number of chrome plated metal elements. Here you see the steering wheel and parts for mounting the long propeller shaft on the underside of the hull. All parts are superbly made and have perfect plating. No extra work is needed with these. And here is the propeller shaft with integral prop. These will look stunning against the mahogany of the lower hull. In another bag we have a whole series of parts which will be dispersed around the model. Here, you can see blisters for the upper engine cowls, mounting stirrups for the long exhaust units, pump/syphon unit, and also a small number of cockpit parts. There are a lot of screws supplied with this kit, for various tasks, such as fitting the chrome trims etc. Not only do you get the screws, but there are numerous drill bits supplied to do the job too, ensuring you don’t drill anything with too large a diameter. This nifty little unit is the rudder and mounting unit. Constructed from various components, this ready-assembled unit does actually move with a nice, smooth motion. It looks like it’s been made in a Swiss watch factory! All chrome trims have been pre-shaped. All you need to do is to check them against the hull and superstructure, and tweak if necessary. They are also pre-drilled to accept the fastening screws. These are the exhaust units, and they are both long and heavy, made from brass and chrome-plated, these units screw to the superstructure engine cowls and also rest on the stirrups that are mounted to the top of the hull. The ends are also hollow for realism. More trim and décor here! Yes, there’s another box of parts with a relatively small part’s count. A photo-etch instrument panel is included, complete with the authentic, vintage finish that’s been pre-etch. Onto this will fit the metal bezels, and acetate/printed instruments will fit from behind. The mahogany hull will need to be drilled and fitted out with brass pins. These are scattered everywhere along the various planks on all sides of the timber unit. Whilst this is immensely tedious, the finish that it will provide will look amazingly authentic. If you want an RC model, I suggest you can the pins short, so they don’t protrude too far within the hull. When inserted, you really need to give the hull a delicate, overall sanding to ensure nothing stands proud of the surface. You can also see the cowl latch tensioning springs here and some fastenings for the model mounting brackets. This packet contains printed instruments, a roll of rigging cord for which its inclusion still eludes me (!!) and also a few more brass parts that I still need to identify. In another packet we have some dowel for constructing the foot pedal tube, and other material which would be used for syphon tubes etc. I think this part represents the rear of the fuel tank, possibly. It protrudes into the cockpit and is located behind the pilot’s seat. This is a vac-form part that needs trimming and painting in aluminium before installation. A sheet of decals is included for the superstructure exterior, with the race number, pilot name and also the iconic Ferrari logo and badges. Again, not too sure about some stuff here, but I’m sure the acetate is included for the instruments. This LARGE photo-etch sheet is finished in nickel-silver and contains parts for the sides/undersides of the hydroplane wings, as well as for the cockpit floor. Another, smaller PE sheet contains finishing plates, latches, foot pedal plates, instrument bezels etc. The instruction book for this kit is superb, being printed in colour photograph format, and with clear annotation. The only problem for uncultured types like me is that it’s in Italian. Things are pretty self-explanatory, but should you need a translation, then it isn’t too difficult with stuff like Google Translate etc. There are twenty pages in this manual, and I’ve photographed numerous here for you to get a feeling about the manual and the kit itself. Two large plan sheets are included, one with several views of the actual vessel, and one with images of parts sheets etc. Conclusion This is quite an extraordinary kit, not just in subject choice, but also in the quality of the prefabricated parts. This is very much designed for someone who wants to either sail under RC or display in their cabinet/office, without too much of the fuss of spending countless hours in building, planking, sealing and polishing. The whole package is quite sumptuous, including the numerous fittings, photo-etch and of course that hand-stitched upholstery on the pilot’s seat. I do also think that the price of this kit, for what is offered, is very good value indeed, and yet still presents the modeller with a reasonable amount of work to do to create that famous Italian hydroplane. Amati’s instruction manual, albeit in Italian, is still straightforward to follow with its clear photographs and annotation. If this subject has ever tickled your fancy, get some Christmas money spent on one and create a truly iconic vintage vessel. My sincere thanks to Amati for the kit reviewed here on Model Ship World. To purchase, click the link at the top of this article, or contact your local Amati importer/distributor.
  10. Started new build of the Amati Fifie. Several nice build logs on the forum w;hich I have reviewed and from which I will shamelessly filch ideas. I continue my trend of always have the next project chosen by the old Monty Python line: " And now for something completely different." I'm out of display room here in Rochester, Minnesota, to this one will travel to our place in Marblehead, Massachusetts which seems a more appropriate home anyway.
  11. Having just finished the Duchess of Kingston and waiting for my HMS Indefatigable to ship, i figured I have 6 weeks or s so I decided to start HMS Swan that I bought for Christmas as it was on sale. Could not help myself and got to work. I can see Chris Watton all over this design and how he incorporated things into Vanguard but definitely improved by providing better instructions and excellent pictures on his Vanguard models
  12. Started this kit yesterday (8/17/2021). The building manual is very detailed, easily understood English, and has great illustrations. I read through both volumes item by item twice before starting. The Hull is pretty standard for plank-on-frame construction. However, it's the most intricate PoF I've ever done. I've been following the instructions, but also looking ahead at upcoming steps to anticipate how they may be impacted by a current step. For instance, in one of the photos I put a pencil to point at a bulkhead to "keel" glue joint. I like to leave a glue fillet at frame/keel joins but it was clear that if I left one at the indicated spot I'd have to cut it away to get a proper fitting of a keel extention done at a step that comes up a couple of pages later in the instructions. I was able to scrape away the fillet at those spots before the glue took a set, and I was careful to keep glue out of similar areas as I went forward. Another benefit of looking forward was that I could "dry fit" reinforcement stringers to the bulkheads while the glue on the bulkhead/keel join was still flexible. This ensured that all the pieces of fairly complex interlocking fit together perfectly as the glue dried. Others may think of this as pretty basic, but this is my first time at doing a PoF hull with so many interlocking pieces. I'm using Elmer's non-waterproof woodworking glue (a PVA adhesive) and I like the way it takes a "semi-set" in about 5 min, but remains flexible enough that the reinforcing pieces can be dry fit before the glue sets up so much that slight bending of the joint might break the seal. I'm allowing the major steps to cure a few hours before proceeding to the next steps, plus allowing an overnight cure for major assemblies. The photos show where I got on Day 1, plus this morning to add the bow and stern keel extentions with one bulkhead dry fitted to ensure that the fore keel extention stayed vertical as the glue cured. These have had a three hour cure and I'll start adding bulkheads fore and aft now, while dry fitting the reinforcing stringers. They will get glued at the end of today for an overnight cure. The plans seem to imply that one glues the two pieces of aft keel extention together after the first piece is glued to the center keel. That looked to me like a prescription for frustration, so I pre-glued them and their reinforcement pieces flat on the building board, as you can see in one of the photos. This doesn't seem to have caused any problems. I don't know why this is in 2 pieces. The only reason I can figure out is that Amati couldn't find room for it in their laser-cutting layout without adding another piece of plywood to the inventory. I would have preferred that they add the extra sheet of plywood to do this in one piece and to make the main keel in one piece. My tape measure says it would have just barely fit in the box. One of the things I intend to do with this build log is list the tools/supplies I needed for each step. This might help others planning their build. So far, I've needed: Wood glue, a celotex board to pin the keel pieces to ensure everything in the center section stays flat, wax paper to prevent glue sticking to the board, a 12" bar sander with 80 grit sandpaper and a nail file emory board to remove attachment nubs from the laser cut pieces, and a #11 hobby knife.
  13. As a birthday present I received the Amati kit for the Golden Yacht (in a bottle) which was a total surprise. The box states this will be a Museum quality wooden model. I will be very surprised if I can build any wooden model to be suitable for display in a museum. Once I have completed sanding the Indy hull I will take a short break to have a look at start building this kit, which will become a side project. Having opened the box the parts all look very small. Having been spoilt for high quality pictures and instructions with the various Vanguard Model kits I have built the Amati instructions seem a little bit threadbare in comparison.
  14. As you know, I just completed the Royal William. The Prince was a ship that was remodeled into the Royal William in the very early 1700's. Amati had a nice kit about 40 years ago of the Prince, but discontinued it long ago. I searched for a source for many years and finally found a fellow through this forum, who had the kit but never started it. I bought it from him a few years ago. Since the Royal William was a remodel of the Prince, to do a "Before and After Display" will be cool. The kit cost $600 back almost 40 years ago, so it is definitely a high end kit. As with the Royal William, I intend to greatly enhance the detail and rig her with full sails. There are a few modern kits available of the Prince, but none of them compare to this old kit, and the scale is big enough to go along side the Euromodel Royal William. The kit came in a nice wood case instead of a cardboard box. Back then there was no such thing a laser cut parts, so looking at the kit, everything must be hand cut by saw and file. There are 34 bulkheads which is about double of modern kits and each and every one will have to be hand cut. I will definitely get my money's worth out of the my band and scroll saws. 😛 Virtually nothing is pre-cut. The amount of decorations appears to be quite extensive as well. I am really going to enjoy this project. The first photo is from a 1980 catalog showing this kit listed. Vince P.
  15. Hi all, friends. It's been a long time since last time I laid anchor on this dock. I hope not to have lost my modeller's hand neither my english speaking. A few months ago I started a new model, the ancient spanish cargo "Mataro's cog" inspired to the Catalan ex-voto now exposed in the Rotterdam's naval museum. I'm used to scratch-buildings but wanting to spare time, I decided to buy the Amati proposal - that seemed a really well done kit. During my work, my scratch builder spirit popped out and I started to change many things - with the only limit imposed by the basic structure - trying to aim my model to the ancient paintings that show similar ships, as possible .... also adding to the model something that in my opinion couldn't be missing in a cargo vessel (e.g: a windlass or a capstan). As said, my work has already started, but I would like to show some phases of work that have already been completed, before to pass in "on time" mode. As I see, this is not the first log about this model so I'll not bore you, repeating what has been already said about the ship. Anyway, I'm available for any clarification and further information. I have been basing my work mostly on Heinrich Winter's drawings, as shown in his book (Delius Klasing edition) and photos of the museum's model. For shapes and coluours I based my work - as said - on ancient paintings. I think, first planking is not interesting, (if not, I'll post something about it) so I start with the first changing I did: the shape of the stern and the hight of the rear bulwark. The internal deck's course was uncorrected, and that fail has beeen reproduced by the kit designers on the external. Following the kit drawings and intructions I'd have had many problems at the moment to place the second planking on the bulwark. I hope you'll find all this interesting. Cheers Alessandro
  16. 1:32 Fifie – The Scottish Motor Fishing Vessel Amati Catalogue # 1300/09 Available from Amati for €220.00 The Fifie is a design of sailing boat developed on the east coast of Scotland. It was a traditional fishing boat used by Scottish fishermen from the 1850s until well into the 20th century. These boats were mainly used to fish for herring using drift nets, and along with other designs of boat were known as herring drifters. While the boats varied in design, they can be categorised by their vertical stem and stern, their long straight keel and wide beam. These attributes made the Fifies very stable in the water and allowed them to carry a very large set of sails. The long keel, however, made them difficult to manoeuvre in small harbours. Sailing Fifies had two masts with the standard rig consisting of a main dipping lug sail and a mizzen standing lug sail. The masts were positioned far forward and aft on the boat to give the maximum clear working space amidships. A large Fifie could reach just over 20 metres in length. Because of their large sail area, they were very fast sailing boats. Fifies built after 1860 were all decked and from the 1870s onwards the bigger boats were built with carvel planking, i.e. the planks were laid edge to edge instead of the overlapping clinker style of previous boats. The introduction of steam powered capstans in the 1890s, to help raising the lugs sails, allowed the size of these vessels to increase from 30 foot to over 70 foot in length. From about 1905 onwards sailing Fifies were gradually fitted with engines and converted to motorised vessels. There are few surviving examples of this type of fishing boat still in existence. The Scottish Fisheries Museum based in Anstruther, Fife, has restored and still sails a classic example of this type of vessel named the Reaper. The Swan Trust in Lerwick, Shetland have restored and maintain another Fifie, The Swan, as a sail training vessel. She now takes over 1000 trainees each year and has taken trainees to participate in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races to ports in France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland as well as around the UK. Extract from Wikipedia The kit Fifie is packed into a large, heavy box that certainly hints that there’s a good quantity of material included to build this historic fishing vessel in all its glorious 1:32 scale. I do admit to particularly liking this scale, having built plastic models for many years and indeed for magazine publication. It’s definitely something I can relate to when eyeing up the various dimensions and features. Amati’s presentation is flawless and certainly stands out, with its large, glossy lid that captures an attractive view of the Fifie. It has to be noted here that the hull is usually fully painted, with green being common above the waterline, but this model was finished to show off the beauty of the walnut timber supplied in the kit. And why not! For those that don’t know, this kit, under the Victory Models label, was designed by Chris Watton. Many of you should be familiar with that name and his design pedigree. At 1:32, this kit is no shrinking violet in terms of size. Fifie is 700mm long, 470mm wide and with a height of 230mm (sans masts). Lifting the lid does indeed show a box crammed with materials. Inside, we have several bundles of timber, plus a packet of timber dowel/strip/metal rod/tube, a thick packet containing numerous laser-cut sheets, another packet with plans and photo etch, and underneath the main timber, we have sail cloth and fittings packs. Thick foam is included to stop the main materials from banging around in the box. Strip wood Fifie has a double-planked hull, with the first layer being constructed from 1.5mm x 7mm lime strips. These, like many of the other bundles, are 600mm long, and very cleanly cut with no fuzzy edges Sixty-five of these are supplied. The same quality goes for the second planking layer, which is supplied as 90 strips of 1mm x 6mm walnut which is some of the best I’ve seen in a kit. There is little colour variation in these, and they look pleasantly uniform. I’ve always found Amati’s timber quality to be exceptional and this is no different. As well as elastic to hold the bundles some labels are also included to help identity the material. Other strip wood is included (beech and walnut) for such things as deck planking, caulking (yes, caulk plank!), lining the various deck hatches, sheathing the deckhouse structures, rubbing strakes etc. These bundles are both taped and bound with elastic, with the deck planking having an identifying label also. Cutting is clean and precise. Dowel and tube/rod Various lengths of dowel is included for masting, false keel strengthening pins etc. and thicker strip wood for the timberheads. All is supplied in a nice uniform walnut colour….no nasty walnut dyes/stains in this kit! These latter lengths are also packaged into a thick clear sleeve, unlike the others. Note also various lengths of brass and copper wire, as timberheads well as some copper tube. Some mounting parts are included for RC conversion, but you will need to purchase other items to complete the model for radio. MDF sheet items Again, Amati has made extensive use of 4mm MDF for the hull false keel and bulkheads, and all are laser-cut, as are all individual wooden items in this kit. Cutting looks very precise with very little in the way of scorching, apart from very localised discolouration. I know many don’t like MDF as a material for our models, but MDF sands easily and is also warp-free, lending itself to a nice, true hull. You won’t see any of this when you start to lay planks. There are FOUR sheets of this material, and you’ll notice that there aren’t any parts numbers engraved on here. You will need to refer to the first two sheets of plans which contain the parts references. A single sheet of 2mm MDF contains parts such as the four-piece deck, cleats, and the bulkheads and keel for Fifie’s single launch vessel. There is also a single 6mm sheet of MDF (sheet 2698-B) which contains the four parts needed for the cradle. I’ve seen numerous sites which now sell this model claim that no stand is included with this model. Well, this sort of proves that statement incorrect. This is the same cradle shown on the box lid images. Of course, you’ll need a suitable MDF primer for this, and some nice coats of gloss lacquer to get the best from this. Ply sheet parts SIX sheets of thin ply are included for just about every other timber construction elements of Fifie, including the deckhouse, deck superstructures, keel sheathing, and bulwark capping strip. Again, all parts are laser-cut and will require minimal effort to remove any edge char. Fittings Two boxes of fittings are included in the very bottom of the Fifie kit box. Some of the weight bearing down has caused a small crack in the two vac-form fittings boxes, as you can see, but all parts within are absolutely fine. The first box contains the cast metal propeller, deck buckets, ship’s wheel, rigging blocks, life preserver rings and a whole load of beautifully smooth wooden balls for making the many buoys which sit on Fifie’s deck. These are perfectly circular, yet the ones on the box image are slightly shaped. Instructions show these as the balls, and you could perhaps opt to use a little putty to add some shape to these. The second fitting box contains seven spools of rigging cord in both black and natural colours, nails, various cast fittings such as bollards, plus rudder pintles, anchors etc. Copper eyelets, chain and ferrules etc. make up the set. Sail cloth Should you wish to add sails, then enough material is supplied for you, in bleached white cloth. Photo-etch Very few kits come without photo-etch parts these days, and this is no exception, with TWO sheets of 0.7mm brass with a very high number of included parts. A quick scan around the sheets will easily identify parts for the mast bases, steam winch, engine skylight, capstan, deck hand pump, wheel assembly, herring shovel, tabernacle, mast rings, etc. Acetate and card I have to say I’m not entirely sure what the card/cartridge paper is for except for maybe general use, but the thin acetate is obviously for the cabin windows. Instructions and plans Without a doubt, Amati produce some of the very best instruction manuals to come with any model kit. For reference, check out my Orient Express Sleeping Car review and that of Revenge. Fifie is no different with a luxurious and fully-pictorial, 64-page publication. Whilst this isn’t perfect-bound as with the previous reviews, it is in full colour and produced to a standard that’s still far higher than many contemporary manufacturers, with each stage being shown under construction so you get a perfect idea about what is required at that point in construction. Text is also in English, or at least in the sample I have been sent. The rear of the manual contains a complete components list. Backing up this publication is a set of seven plan sheets. The first two of these are for identifying the various timber and PE parts. The others show general profile and detail imagery, as well as masting and rig drawings. Remember that the hull itself is built entirely from the photographic sequences so everything you see on these drawings is for external details. Conclusion I have to say that you get a lot of kit for your money with Fifie, and when I first asked Amati what they envisaged the RRP to be, I was quite surprised at this. Everything about Fifie is quality, from the packaging and presentation, to the beautiful, photographic manual, fittings, sheet and strip timber, all the way to the superbly drawn plans. I’m very surprised that the gestation period has taken so long for them to bring this excellent kit to market. It’s also a Chris Watton thoroughbred. If you’ve seen his previous designs, then you’ll be familiar with the format of Fifie, which was quite the different vessel for Chris to tackle, when everyone seemed to think he would only design fighting vessels, armed to the teeth with cannon. I must admit that Fifie did take me quite by surprise too. The very shape of this iconic and historic vessel is so homely and welcoming and for me, invokes images of those times when fishing communities were happy and thriving. Whether you’re a fan of Chris’s work or not, Fifie is most certainly a kit that you should consider dropping into your virtual shopping cart next time you visit your favourite online model ship/boat retailer, and of course, if RC is your thing, then this kit will also suit your genre! VERY highly recommended! My sincere thanks to Amati for sending out the sample kit you see reviewed here. To purchase directly click the link at the top of the article to take you to Amati’s online shop or check out your country’s local distributor. Plans are also available from Amati, for €21.00
  17. KIT: HMS PEGASUS (1776) Manufacturer: Amati (Italy) Scale: 1:64 (800 мм/31,5") ⚓️Official store: https://store.amatimodel.com/en/box-mounting-victory-by-amati/product-hms-pegasus-b130005.html
  18. I have been researching this build for some time while working on other projects and I have been checking on this forum to obtain valuable information. I just finished my Emma C Berry and have started the Fifie. I have opened the box, check the materials, and studied the plans and instruction so I will not bother with pictures of these items. My first task was to mark the MDF forms with their respective numbers before I removed them. This is done. Then I assembled and cold fitted the cradle to hold the model after which, I glued it, primed and painted a dark brown. These will be my first pictures
  19. Day three of my build. I'm trying to decide how to hold down the false deck while the glue sets. I have nails ordered but no delivery date as of yet. I will appreciate any tips.
  20. Martín Alonso Pinzón, (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈtin aˈlonso pinˈθon]; Palos de la Frontera, Huelva; c. 1441 – c. 1493) was a Spanish mariner, shipbuilder, navigator and explorer, oldest of the Pinzón brothers. He sailed with Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the New World in 1492, as captain of the Pinta. The captain of my new log!!
  21. Well, what was I thinking... After finishing Frigate Diana (Build log), I turned my eye on one of my favorite ships since first heading about it in school: the Bireme. Amati's kit was available in the store, and after sitting on the shelf for a good ten months while Di was being built, the day was there to open the box: If I had to make an unboxing video of this kit, the whole thing would be over in about 20 seconds. Surprisingly little in there, especially instructions-wise, with 2 single sided sheets strewn with several drawings. I read in other reviews and logs that Amati instructions are top notch, so either I'm getting it wrong or this is the one exception to the rule... The sail is obviously unfinished, and some ornaments are in the plastic box, including a very rudimentary rendition of a ram. Bit disappointed really, excepted more. But on we went, forging on with confidence. At least I had 2 builds under my belt so I should have an inkling of how to build without a safety net. Cut out the bulkheads and the false keel for dryfitting: None was a snug fit, so had to devise some special clamps to hold the bulkheads true in all axes: Had to do some corrections as well because some bulkheads were not high enough, some filing on others, but in the end it got sorted out. Missing the Occre fits though. I'm using Moreplovac's excellent build log to have at least an idea of what's coming my way. While studying it, thought it might be a good idea to handle the interior of the ship first, so I started working on the seats for the rowing crew. With the help of a little jig, the seats were all cut to the same size and attached to the bulkheads. This was also my first confrontation with the walnut strips in this kit, which seem to be made out of concrete 🙂 Installed, it looks like this: After this, used some walnut dye to darken the space beneath the seats, nd started on the extensive task of hiding the burn marks on the top of the bulkheads and the central columns, as these could not be removed by sanding. now working on the bow and Stern balsa pieces, getting them in shape, as well as starting to fair the bulkheads for planking. Well, at least I don't have too many masts to worry about 🙂 Take care & stay safe!
  22. Eight or nine years ago I was fortunate enough to take a river cruise up the Nile and visit some of Egypt's great historical sites. I also had the opportunity to walk thru some great museums many of which contained models of the ships that plied the river in the ancient days. A year of so after the trip I came across this Amati model of an ancient Egyptian ship. The box claims that it is a replica of a ship, the image of which was chiseled into the stone of a tomb or temple. I immediately purchased the model and the kit sat in my "stash" for severl years. It has finally found its way to my workbench. One of the interesting aspects of ancient shipbuilding, there were no drills to make holes for pegs or nails; so the ship was crafted by shaping the wood with crude iron tools and then using ropes of various sizes to lash the wooden pieces together. While I will be using modern cutting tools and adhesives, one of my main objectives is make a model that at least appears to have been built by the same methods as the ancients. There is another build log of this ship that I have reviewed and may refer to at times as I proceed with my build. Before I even begin the construction I have a decision to make. Much of the materials in the kit used to construct the hull are laser cut ply. It is quite light in color and has the typical burnt edges. I will try to sand most of the dark edges away (hopefully without distorting the part). The problem is should I try to stain the hull or just leave it natural. If I decide to stain; it looks like I will have to do this relatively early in the build. Definitely before I begin the rope lashing steps. Second issue, should I decide to stain, what should I use. I have no experience with staining. Perhaps a search thru the forum will give me some insight. Well that is my introduction. I urge you to leave written comments; especially those that might help me through the build. Well, thanks for reading.
  23. Hi guys, I am a forum member for many years, but only now I decided to show what I'm working on. For my return to modelling after 20 years I chose the Revenge 1:64 by Amati/Victory. So far I plan to build only the hull without rigging. I've liked galleons since childhood and anyway, I've been following Chris Watton's prototype build since the beginning and I couldn't resist. But inspired by the awesome models here, I would like to improve the model a bit to get skills for other models. So keep your fingers crossed please. I'll add photos gradually, because I started in January 2020 Dusan ready for play
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