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Hi guys, I was advised to create a build log and so here goes... I am kinda happy with the deck - although I kind of wish you could make out the individual planks more: I snapped the bit off the front which I will need to fix but that should be simple enough - i just hope the glue I use is strong enough to allow the planks to be attached to it without it snapping again. I have completed the first layer of planking and have sanded down - although I want to give it another good sanding before I move on. Then I will start building up the Bulwarks. I thought I would get away with only a very little filler but it seems more white than red. Non the less I am pleased and relieved to have done as well as I have....

Not my first wooden boat build, but first in many many years.... Managed to secure the deck down with no clamping other than the pins provided.

Hi everyone, Firstly, great to meet you all, I'm really pleased to be joining this wonderful community. I've recently decided now is the right time to have another go at building my first wooden ship model after a couple of false starts a few years ago. I'll be attempting to build the Albatros from Constructo and keeping this build log as a way of motivating myself and sharing my journey with you all. I've already made a start and absolutely loving the experience so far. I would add a disclaimer here that I am very much a beginner in this hobby, please forgive any mistakes in my terminology. I am very willing to be corrected or questioned if I get a name wrong. Some initial thoughts from me upon opening the kit. 1. I didn't realise it was a single plank construction! I've gone and purchased a handful of thin veneer type strips of Mahogany and Italian Walnut to use as a second layer of planking to give myself a bit of breathing space should the first layer go awry. However, my plan is to not need these and see how clean I can get the first layer to build it as originally intended. 2. Despite being ultra careful and using a scalpel type blade to remove the false keel and frames, some of the peices have split a little right at the tips 😞 I'm not worrying about it too much for now as I think I will be able to fill any gaps prior to planking if needed but already acknowledging this is something to keep my eye on. So far, I have glued the frames to the false keel (with the help of a set square and clamps), started faring and am currently in the process of creating filler blocks for the bow and stern using some basswood craft blocks. The wood is tougher than I'd expected, pondering whether balsa would have been an easier option for carving but once in, I'm convinced the basswood offers more rigidity and less risk of being damaged/deformed prior to planking. Final point of note, I know that I probably need at least one jig to hold the hull while I'm building it. My intention is to create the first one to hold the hull upside down for planking, then once the keel is on, I will build a new one to hold the ship the right way up for the remainder of the build. Until then, I'm making do with my vice and some plywood scraps to seat the keel frame. here's a few photo's of my work so far. (I'll once I figure out how to stop them uploading upside down 🙃)

Hello, my name is Samuel and this is my build log. This is my very first build, and I am super excited about it. Like I said in my introduction post, I was gifted a wooden kit of the HMS Bounty 1:110 (Constructo) a few years back and never got around to building it because I was scared of messing it all up. Now as I am a little older I started it as an "end of summer project" and I think I am about 3 weeks in and the ship looks good so far. There is still a lot of work to do, and I know I will not be able to complete it before I head back to school in the fall. I plan to post photos of the ship after every addition that I add, and will probably ask a few questions about how to do a particular step(s) and look forward to the day that I can show my friends the work that I put in on this ship. Attached you will see some photos of the ship once i decided to start documenting my work, and you should be able to see a very slight progression as time passed. I will also be posting a photo of the box and ideal finished product. Let me know if you would like any more photos and I will do my best to post them and answer and questions that you all may have for me. Here is the link to my "new member post"

My build log file for the Enterprise built in Maryland in 1799. I purchased the ship, Enterprise 1799 about 8 years ago. Came shrink wrapped, just like new so I thought. I unwrapped the box and did an inventory. Besides ** missing the instruction manual (WTH) there are various other pieces missing. The missing pieces I assume I can build ( wood pieces) and the ornaments I can order. In search of an instruction booklet I came upon this site. Thank goodness! I was surprised the member name "Rowboat" was available. A funny name and is fits my skill level. There is a complete build log from and individual on this site and that log will be invaluable in my building this ship. The person is ...... mikiek. Thank you mikiek for the "Enterprise 1799 by mikiek - Constructo - 1:51" build log. Hopefully they are still members and can chime in on by build log. I found a few other logs on my ship build on this site that will also be helpful. Maybe I will get lucky and someone has and old instruction booklet they are willing to let go, but if not I just follow the build log. **12/2019 : I was gifted a used manual from a fellow ship model builder about 2 months into my build 😀 This build would be a fun challenge for me if I had all the materials and instructions, without them it will be "funner" . More to come....

No, that wasn't a typo. The scale is 1:51 - says so right on the box. How they figured that I'll never know. Welcome to my build! Hope you'll stay along for the ride. The name Enterprise has had several incarnations as a boat, some better documented than others. This one had a fairly productive history as well as a refit or two. So how accurate is this kit? Don't know and I'm not going to worry about it. When I am browsing kits on websites, I have always found Enterprise to be an attractive build just as it is shown. So that's where I'm headed. I see several other boat kits that are similar in appearance - Independence, Lexington, just to name a few. I imagine I'll be researching as the project progresses, but just for knowledge's sake. I have no plans to alter the design, save for maybe ropes, blocks from Syren. I started this project quite some time back - I believe over a year ago and towards the end of my Niagara build. Enterprise has a rounder bow than does Niagara and that did me in. This is a double plank hull and the first sticks - sapelli I think - were IMO way too thick. Extremely hard to bend - and they did need bending, both laterally and edgewise. I got frustrated and Enterprise ended up back on a shelf. I tried several times to get up some interest to start again but it didn't happen. Fortunately I did take a few photos back then so I can start this log close to the beginning. So after a couple of recent projects completed I pulled her down again. This time (with a few more tricks up my sleeve) I was able to get planks shaped to fit the frame. So I have decided to continue on. The beginning of this log will be memories of what happened quite some time back so I can't provide too many details. Nothing really earth shattering anyways. So I will go update my signature and get on with the show. Thanks for reading!

First ever model ship so here goes

Finally! After 2 years, I have enough time to start a new kit! I still consider myself new to this hobby so I will be looking up a lot of info while building! I know this kit will take me a long while to make, but I will do my best to post on a regular basis! I will be reading the instructions and other guides and tips before I start. I noticed that the keel isn't completely straight. I wonder if there is a way to help straighten it. Lastly, I noticed that there are a lot of posts here about a building board and a keel clamp. How important are these? Hmm time for some research! - Jeff

I had a build log of Pilar before the content was lost and wanted to repost the photos. Pilar was Ernest Hemingway’s faithful yacht, notorious for chasing big Marlin, Tuna and German u-boats. Many people call it The Pilar or El Pilar, but it is just Pilar. I posted a history of Pilar on the Nautical History Forum for those who are interested. The plans come with color photos The kit includes Lime, Ayous, Mansonia, Mukali & Sapele First step is to fix the bulkheads to the keel.

I asked some questions, earlier, about this 40+ year old Constructo kit. I've got emotional ties to this as it was a present from my wife and, I think, has been on my list of things I want to finish for the longest time. After deciding this was the time to restart work, I realized that the model has some issues/ The plans and packaging described it as a scaled model but there was no actual scale provided, nor any reference name that would give me a clue as to scale, or size of the full sized ship. The following is a picture of the model, as I left it years ago. This doesn’t show all the parts, but I do have them. The instructions consist of one page, one side (English) and one side in Spanish. The plans are reasonable, but I have already gotten more out of reading some reference books, and specifically the build logs and helpful hint logs on this site. Some of the members of this site suggested I look at the Bluenose, and/or use Chapelle’s “American Fishing Schooners” (AFS) to get a better idea of what it might be. These were great suggestions, and my understanding has really gotten better. I will apologize in advance for any terminology mistakes I make. I find much of it confusing, but I’m working on learning it. Since my model doesn’t appear to be based on any actual ship, I decided I had freedom to see what actual schooner the model comes closest to, and what changes I might need to make to make it more realistic. I’ve learned a great deal going over AFS, and have some ideas about my boat model, and what I’m thinking of doing to make it more accurate. I would appreciate any feedback about the kit bashing I’m thinking of doing, and if it is appropriate or not. 1. The Constructo Schooner doesn’t match the hull proportions of the Bluenose or America (which also had a tiller). It has a wider beam to its overall length (25%). 2. The actual hull shape seems to match some of the 1890 – 1910 vintage fishing schooners. The factors I compared were. (a) hull profile; (b) ratio of molded beam to molded length; (c) mast locations; and; (d) location/angle of rudder. 3. The boats that seemed to match better (from AFS) are Emily Cooney (AFS plate 99); Vigilant (AFS plate 82); and the Benjamin Latham (AFS plate 92). I added the Latham partly because there is so much info in the ongoing builds. The dimensional comparisons look like this: Constructo Schooner U-604 AFS Schooners DESCRIPTION MODEL SIZE (inches) From 1:64 to real From 1:72 to real Vigilant; AFS, pp 195-6 Emily Cooney; AFS pp 231 Benjamin Latham; AFS 229 Molded Length 16.5 86.6 99.0 96.2 89.4 95.7 Molded Beam 4.1 21.7 24.8 22.0 21.5 21.0 Depth, molded 2.6 13.8 15.8 11.6 10.9 10.8 The hull comparisons look like this: Mast Locations Quarterdeck break locations All the boats that came closest to matching the Constructo model had several significant differences which I think I need to modify on the model. The Constructo model does not provide an actual scale. But comparing the model to actual boats and looking at proportions of items such as bulwark height, etc., it appears a scale ratio of either 1:64, or 1:72 would work well. I’m leaning to using 1:64, partly because it would scale the bulwarks to an actual height of 2’-6”, which seems to match actual boats better. Although the Constructo model has a monkey rail, it doesn’t have a quarter deck. All the actual boats had a quarter deck, so I think I need to add one. This will require extending the monkey rail and the quarterdeck about 3’ – 5’ past the main mast (1/2” to 1” in 1:64 scale). Using a quarterdeck height of 9” – 12” this would be 1/8” to 3/16” in 1:64 scale. The Constructo model has a tiller. I couldn’t find any similar real boats that didn’t have a wheel/wheelhouse, so I will convert this also. One area that I think needs work is the keel/false keel. My model doesn’t have one, and it seems like I should add one. I’m still going through AFS for more information, but I think I would need to add a 6” – 12” false keel on the bottom of the hull. I would have it about the same at the bow, similar to the Vigilant or Cooney. I am leaning to tapering it at the stern, and slightly reducing the rake on the rudder (like the Cooney). This would give me something to attach the rudder píntle and gudgeons to. Also, if I added the keel and then shrunk the model to match with the three real ships, I think the profiles and proportions would be more appropriate. I would like to carve the outside of the bulwarks to make it look more like the bulwark profiles in AFS. Currently the model curves up in a smooth curve on the outside of the hull to where the bulwark top rail will be. In the Sultana build article by Chuck Passaro (Nautical Research Guild) he cut of the solid wood bulkhead and replanked the bulkheads. I’ve got to do some more thinking on this approach since I know I don’t want to carve away the sides of the hull to plank up to the bulkheads (I know my patience and carving skills would not be up to that). Several less critical items I’m still researching include size and spacing of the stanchions. What I currently understand is they should be on about 2’ centers, and about 4” – 6” timbers. This would amount to about 39 stanchions per side (model size of about 3/8” spacing, for 1/16” to. 3/32” timbers. I’m leaning to cheating on this and going to the equivalent to 2-1/2’ or 3’ spacing. I could probably get the closer spacing in, but I think it would be beyond my painting abilities. Scuppers sound like they most often are on one or both sides of the stanchions, but only 1” to 2” high. I’m guessing 2” to 4” long based on some pictures. I’m not sure if adding these would be feasible, or within my capabilities. I have access, through my local library, to laser cutter, 3D printers, a Carvey (CNC wood carver), cameo cutters, etc. and I hope to be able to do some of the work using these devices. I’m sure these items are just the tip of the iceberg, and I will be finding more as I start the actual model. I would appreciate any feedback, corrections or suggestions you might have. Thanks JeffK Constructo Schooner Blog – Second Installment; 05-20-21 Hi everyone. It’s been over a year since I last made an entry into this log. I have worked on my model during the pandemic, as much as I could manage with everything else that was going on. I have been following along in the forum and searching for solutions to some of my learning curve issues. I want to thank all of the other people that have been working and posting in the forum. This has been a wonderful source of information! As part of the design process, I read Chappelle’s “The American Fishing Schooners”, and looked at many of the Schooner models on this forum as well as Internet searches for real schooners reviewing how the decks were arranged, details and spacing of the deck furniture. the results of some of this are shown on the deck laser cutouts. The “Schooner Ernestina” web site was especially helpful since they showed some good, detailed, construction pictures of their rebuild. I had decided that most of what was above the waterline on the original Constructo kit would need to go. It just didn’t fit with what I could figure out would have been historically more accurate for the time frame and scale that the actual model hull shape seemed to fit (1890 – 1910 time frame; and 1:64 scale). I also wanted to design much of the new deck furniture in 3D (working with Fusion360) and do the fabrication using some of the equipment in my local library (Laser cutter, Carvey CNC, etc.). I had mixed results with taking the 3D designs from Fusion360 and translating them into the file formats needed for the laser/Carvey machines. I found out (from this forum) that the free version of Fusion360 no longer supported the file types I needed. Also, I found that Fusion360 was frustrating for me to work with. This resulted from the capabilities of my PC, the download rates I was receiving from my Internet service provider, and the fact that Fusion360 is accessed via the Internet leading to a fair number of crashes and freezes. Fusion360 did get me to a good 3D layout, with a good idea of the final deck furniture sizing. This is a shot of what the Fusion 360 stern design looked like. Based on reviewing this layout, I changed the cabin size (made it smaller) and shifted some of the other furniture a bit. I ended up doing all the final layouts in 2D, using InkScape, the free software that my library uses to do the Laser Cutter files. One of the first things I needed to do, was to remove the original bulkheads from the original model hull. To carve them down to a better thickness, especially in 40+ year old dry wood, was not practical. So, I cut off the original bulkheads, and then carved out the side of the boat to accept new dimensioned wood bulkheads. One regret, I made them from basswood, and I wished I had used Baltic birch plywood. I also left the stern section. I wasn’t sure I was willing to tackle adding on a new stern, especially since this would have meant more research into what I should put back! I also wanted to add a false keel to the model. I did a template for the hull and cut the keel from basswood. This is what the model looked like after the new bulwarks with the Fusion360 deck layout, without the false keel. One of the interesting discoveries I made relative to the original hull, that it was not symmetric, and the predrilled mast holes were not centered. I decided not to try and make the hull shape symmetric. This this was not very visible on the model, and realistically my skill levels might make the final results worse! I did recenter the mast holes. These were visibly out of alignment with the hull. The following picture gives a view of the recentering approach, as well a view of the new bulwarks. The next step was to work with my local library to do the laser cutting. Doing this during the pandemic was inconvenient. I could not walk in and manage the laser cutting. I could use the stock of library wood, but if I needed to use mine (especially the thinner stock I wanted to use for the decking and deck furniture) it had to be quarantined before the library staff could work with it. Initially the quarantine period was 2 weeks. The Library staff were great to work with, but it just added a lot of time to the process. The next pictures show the fore and quarter deck as the came off the laser cutter. These were on the thicker stock library wood. I also decided to precut the locations for the bulwark stanchions. I felt that this would give me better control of their spacing. I printed the deck planking in several thicknesses, from 1/32” (fore deck and quarter deck) to 1/16” and 3/32” for the quarter deck. I was looking for the equivalent of a 9” to 12” real height difference between the fore and quarter deck which I achieved by layering several of the laser printed quarter decks, picking the better-looking laser cut, for the top layer. Using several layers also let me more easily bend the decking to conform to the deck camber. Part of this process that I enjoyed was the staining and painting of the decks. The following is an intermediate picture, before I had decided how to treat the waterways (not sure of the terminology). I also laser cut the rails. The following shows the first pass at the laser cut rails, in the thicker library plywood. The quarter deck rails intentionally did not meet the maindeck rails. I figured I would need to hand carve the curved part where they join. I’ve also laid in the laser cut decks and the raised “king planks” around the masts. This version of the rail designs did not include the pin rails. They were added to the final laser cut` design. At this point I’ve got the false keel installed and the hull about midway in the priming sanding stages. In someone’s build log in the forum, I remember reading that the most useful modeler tool was sandpaper. I know I’m using it more than I originally imagined. The next steps involved gluing in the bulwark stanchions. These were fitted in the laser cut spots on the decking, with the decking dry fitted on the boat. This shot shows the first pass at the railing balanced on the bulwarks. Also, the bowsprit is dry fitted. One problem that surfaced when I installed the final rails (somewhat narrower then the first pass) was that I had not tapered the stanchions. So, I needed to shave the upper parts of most of the stanchions. This was after I had painted everything of course! The following shows the quarter deck being glued down. Note the carefully crafted gluing jig. The following shows the decks installed, stained, and painted.,. The next step was going to be to paint the hull. As I have read in other building logs, I now realize that, at least for me, painting the hull, and then touching up the paint, is probably a continuing process that will finish, maybe, when I finish the boat. As I started the multiple coats of paint, I also started to work on some of the details. One of these was fabricating the hawse pipes. The first picture shows the inboard part of the hawse pipes being dry fitted. The second picture show the jig I used, as well as the final pieces. These were blackened later. I’m doing all the painting by hand. I can paint ok with a spray can, but I don’t have, and didn’t want to learn how to use a spray gun. So far, I’m happy with the results. I did do a lot of masking in the process. The accent stripe was achieved by using the narrowest pinstriping tape I could find, after painting the hull in that area in yellow. I then painted the overall topworks as shown. I was a bit concerned with how well the line would hold, and if I would get any significant paint bleed. The pinstripe tape came of easily and cleanly. The next several steps were to design & laser cut the final rails, cabin, and cabin parts, and fit them together. When I designed the cabin, I included finger joints for the corners to facilitate fit up and strength. These worked well. The following shows the cabin structure, and the remaining parts for the skylight and hatchway. The skylight also has finger joints. The following shows how these pieces look assembled. It also shows the status of the rails. These are mostly done but need to be painted. This also shows the stanchions I needed to bevel which also need to be painted, again. I included the pin rails as part of the laser design, including predrilling the holes for the belaying pins. If you look closely on the starboard side of the cabin. I have a porthole that I’m working on. It is a filed down (in my drill) from a 1/8” aluminum pop rivet. I blackened it using the brass black solution. It works well re scale, and it is turning out fine. I would prefer to work with a brass pop rivet, which I would probably leave brass, but I could not find a source for them. Plenty of steel, aluminum, and some copper which I thought about using. It would probably blacken better. But I don’t think enough to change from the aluminum which I already have. The darker circles on the monkey rail are where I pinned the rail through the monkey board, into the bulwarks. These will be cleaned up as part of the painting process. I also decided that I should work on the final stand. I do not have a drill press and have been thinking about how to drill through the false keel to mount the model. I eventually decided to design the base, have the base cut by the library’s CNC Carvey, including the centering holes through the base. I could then turn the boat over, and drill through the base into the false keel and hull. At least that is what I hope I can do. The following shows the contour gauge that I used for this (and other layout issues). I inherited it from my father. it must be 70 years old. Still works. I then went to cut cardboard templets to eventually convert into sketches that I could scan and import into InkScape and eventually into Easel, the software used to generate Carvey files. That mostly brings me up to date. I need to finish the base, drill the appropriate holes for mounting the boat, then touch up the hull and deck (I am a clumsy builder, and the boat shows this). Then I need to paint the cabin and laser cut, assemble, paint the rest of the deck furniture.

hello. so.. im new to modeling and im looking for as many tips and help i can. i just discovered this website today. but this ship is my very first build. i have probably already made some flaws. i have looked a little around of other builds of the halifax and i have read its a little challenging ship. but im in a little need for some help. i dont know if i have messed up. the other builds i have seen looks much more smooth and "perfect". just keep in mind i have not sanded much because im afraid i have messed up, so any advise or guide would be appreciated

I recently finished my first build so next I've decided to start on the fishing yacht, Pilar. Why Pilar? For anyone that isn't familiar with this boat, Earnest Hemingway commissioned Pilar in 1934 and he had many adventures with it throughout his life. I studied literature in college (now completely unrelated to my current profession), which is why I think I became fascinated with his boat. I'm starting to see a pattern of the types of builds that interest me; Winslow Homer painted Grand Bank Dory's (my first build) and Earnest Hemingway's beloved fishing yacht draw a connection between art, literature, and the sea. On the technical side though, the reason I picked Pilar is because I'd like more experience with planking and metalwork both of which this build has a multitude of. In fact, it looks like every single mm of the Pilar is planked in some way so I expect to come out the other end having more than enough experience (and either loving it or hating it). Onto the build! Here is the Pilar on the cover of the Constructo box. It arrived packaged within another box for shipping so it was in great shape. No visible external damage: This model was quite a bit more expensive than my first one (nearly double) so I wasn't sure what to expect. I assumed the price was a reflection of all of the different wood for planking but I think that price also reflects a very organized kit with wonderful full color instructions: I quickly managed to assemble the false keel and was really happy with how straight everything was at this point. It was solid, true, and I could dry fit easily before gluing everything in place: I was also happy that this boat isn't massive. I have very limited working space right now and I was relieved to see that it's only about an inch longer than my first build. I have just enough working space! 😬 Moving onto the center deck, I'm finding that the provided board for various pieces (including the center deck that I need for the next step) are warped and I'm not really sure what to do about it: Should I stop, soak the panels, and try to flatten the entire thing out? Or would it be easier to do that for individual pieces as they're needed? I think the former but I would like to hear what others have done in this situation too. Thanks for following along! This should be a fun one.

Hello First build pob build here. Iv done a couple solid hull mamoli kits fairly easily but ready to move on Now that iv opened the box I'm a bit overwhelmed but I'm committed lol Any help and advice would be much appreciated I will do my best to keep a detailed log the bulkheads are very loose tho. Are they supposed to be that way? my ceiling fan is moving them lol

To celebrate this years Americas Cup i decided to build a model of the original ship. This was a kit i had for many years. When i open the kit i was shocked to find that powder post beatle had attacked the wooden parts. At first i decided to just remake the damaged parts but as the work progressed i decided to make a second scratch built model using the kit to make the scratch built parts. As with my other projects i plan to make a video of this build.

Edit 03/25/2020 I have been very humbled to hear of several new builders of this kit mention this build log as a reference. thank you, I hope it helps you out. That being said, at some point I threw the instructions away and began using Lees Masting and Rigging as well as Antscheral Fully Framed as inspiration and guidance. There are most likely many details that are incorrect for the ship. I used the building experience more to learn techniques to build a model I was satisfied with visually rather than an historically correct museum build. So, carry on and enjoy!! Well..... where to start?? Unfortunate about the hard drive crash. I guess Murphy lives around every corner. And to think I was going to save my build log before the change...... It could be worse, MSW could be gone forever or my actual build could be gone forever. I am working ridiculous hours at work, sometime in the next week I will get a couple of pictures up and start posting again. One thing I see that I love already.... SPELL CHECK!!!! Woo Hooo! Ok back with a real post soon. Sam

Hello,so over the years I have built many a plastic model from planes to cars to rc nitro to rc planes 28mm war miniatures I decided it was time to attempt my first wooden ship the constructo prince 1670. Any help and tips as I progress I will greatly appreciated. I found this forum searching for previous builds of this model and found spider pigs build log which is helping quite a bit( more for reassurance that I'm following destructions correctly) regards Ash. Here's progress so far

Greetings all! My dad got me this kit around 10 years ago I decided a month ago to bring it home finally and start working on it. So far I have enjoyed the build. Putting about a minimum of an hour a day and most days far more than that into construction. Made a few mistakes but I think I can hide most of them later. I may do some paint decoration but have not decided on that yet. Been mostly happy with the wood although some of the hull planking had issues even after soaking for hours before I tried to bend it. Not sure how the darker wood is going to go as I have seen some people comment that it is harder. I'll be starting that tonight. I made some changes to the deck planking scheme. The instructions called for single pieces and then using a pencil to draw the lengths. I ended up cutting the board to a length of 80mm as a maximum and doing it that way. I do wish the instructions and plans had a bit more detail. Planking the hull has been interesting due to that. Last photo is a 1/600 scale Prince that I painted as a Dutch prize.

Christmas came early this yaear I just got my new model Halifax. After I ordered this I looked around and found an Italian forum and they said that this was not a ship for everyone, pretty hard to build and I found some pictures of the keel with frames that was was very comlicated. Each frame were to build of 9 pieces and a special jig came with the kit. But the was not good so he had to make a new, And so on. So I was a bit worried but when I opened it today it looks good. No strange frames, the step-by-step instructions seems to be good and they even have pictures for every step. I'm really looking forward to start to build it and I will do that parallel with the Thermopylae. I will probably ask thousands of of questions and I hop someone is kind enough to help me on the way Booklet with step-by-step instruction and photos The bags with parts have the part numbers in it so it's easy to find everything Wish me good luck

Hello folks. I'm starting today mu new model ship Le Pourquoi Pas? from Constructo. It is another unrealized child's dream. I had this model in good scale in plastic when I was a kid. And instead of doing it I just ruined it So now it is sort of revenge Will see what it will become.....

Hello guys! I recently started with my first build and I already have some pictures to show. I am planning to paint the ship with the accurate color based on a image ive found (inside hullplanking is red, end black and white stripe for outside). Also I want to make custom gunports and make guns for the stern. Here are my first pics. I hope you guys will enjoy it. First the frames and blocks, I made sure the frames where parallel to the keel so I used clamps to bend them. In between the dry time I printed some 6 pounder cannons ive made in Fusion 360 (3d modeling cad software). Mind that this guns are 25mm. I then glued the deck layer on it. After that was done and the glue was dry, I sanded the model thorough. I decided to do separate planks on the deck and use strips of 100mm and strips of 50mm to simulate real planking, I used the plans for this. I think it got a really good look! What do you guys use to make the deck more dark and used? I heard tung oil?

Been a looong time since I’ve posted here, but I thought I’d drop in and give an update on my build. I recently dusted her off, found a spot on the work bench and am continuing the build. It’s slow going, just a piece or two a night between diner and bed, but I’m starting to see the slow progress. Excuse the mess, we’ve recently moved and I haven’t arranged everything yet:

Hi everyone. Thought you might like to see my next build. This one is to tide me over until I start another big build. Louise is a small Victorian steam launch, the kit from Constructo who I have never had anything to do with before. The kit arrived in a nicely packed box with various bits and pieces in numbered bags that are referred to in the parts list. The build instructions are in a booklet in about a zillion languages including English accompanied by a booklet of photographs at various stages of the build. There is also a 1/1 plan sheet showing side elevations and various parts of the build including the boiler construction and that of the cabin. The only laser cut parts are for the deck and the hull frames. The rest of the kit is various sizes of five different types of wood which seem to be of good quality.

The Louise Victorian Steam Launch looks like a fun build for moments between my serious build of L'Hermione. I find the steam engine fascinating, the cabin delightful, and the boat lines very pleasant. When examining the parts, it is amazing that this model can be made from so few parts. It should be fun! The Unpacking Box cover: Instructions in multiple languages, color pictures of steps, and full size drawings: Wood strips and dowels: Small parts: Stamped and laser cut parts, the base of the stand:

In 1988, at the age of 35, I bought the cross-section model kit of the Constitution from Mamoli, (which is still available). During a long illness at that time, I built the bulkhead, easily planked the 70mm length surface and carved the multi-deck furniture. I put it away at that stage, having returned to health and work. Admittedly, I was also intimidated by the rigging and mast/spar construction ahead. Over the years, I made sure to preserve the model, though not very delicately. I must have used good glue as I lost no parts or furniture. Now I'm 61 and returned to this Constitution about 8 months ago. I thoroughly enjoyed finishing up all the fittings and furniture. I then tackled the rigging. Other than some basic work, I left it without finishing the mast, spars, shrouds or sails. I am pleased and proud of it anyway as this was my first build. My second build was just finished - the Gretel by Mamoli. It is an 18th Dutch pleasure yacht, which was the early era of such vessels. The whole construction took me about 8 weeks. I now realize how rushed that time frame was. The planking was difficult but I pushed ahead without reading up on this skill. The finished product was flawed, with gaps and razor thin splines. But the decking, mast, spars, gaffs and wood fittings went very well. And this time I completed the rigging! Mamoli makes challenging models in my opinion, with skimpy supplies and inaccurate plans. I had to make a lot of emergency alterations because of some misleading illustrations and quality issues. I do have to say the wood was top quality (except one warped delaminated plywood deck). Now, on to my third build, which I share here. I'll need support and advice on this project! Pilar made by Constructo. I ordered the Pilar because it will require a lot of planking. I didn't do even a good job on the Gretel, so I now have an eighteen inch long model to be completely planked, top to bottom. Great practice! The romance of the Pilar being Ernest Hemingway's yacht also makes it even more interesting to build. The original boat still resides in a Hemingway museum in Cuba. I received the kit via UPS from Florida to Boston today in great condition. I opened the box and saw that all the plastic bags of parts had shifted out of their compartments. The attached pictures depict the contents that I had to reorganized by part number / step. Mamoli had a hard, transparent lid that sealed each compartment, so that parts were less likely to get lost. The first problem I am encountering was evident when I removed the timber. Other than the thicker lime for the first planking, the wood is a mystery. There is one bundle of a single species, which is encouraging if I can figure out what species it is and where it will go. The other two bundles contain a variety of unmarked wood in different shapes, thicknesses and species. These woods are exotic, not the standard walnut or mahogany. Very confusing and irritating. Signing off for now from this first post. Thanks for reading. I promise to be less wordy in the future as the build progresses. First thing is for me to read the instruction booklet and plans, then read it again, and then it read for the third time. No rushing!

Hello everyone. In this thread, I am going to attempt to document the building of my latest model La Flore by Constructo. I bought this kit last year although I really hadn't had the time to build it until now, during the lockdown I have plenty of time and I work on it about 5 hours a day! I won't be writing many of the parts' names and forgive me if I make any mistake as English is not my first language and I don't even know some of the parts' names in Spanish! I am open to all the advice you can give me so come on!! I hope you like it!!! First some photos of the contents of the box. I had some issues with the "black" thread because as you can clearly see it is GREEN! I emailed Constructo but they didn't help me. They said sometimes this happens when the black colour is "lighter" than normal. I have been searching to buy a new thread and I think I have found some. As this is going to be used towards the end, at the moment it doesn't really bother me. Apart from this, everything is on the box well packed and in good condition. Constructo has good quality. Here I started with the false keel. Here I put some wood strips to hold the cannons on each side of the ship. I really liked this ship because of the gun line on each side. Then I glued the two lower decks. The prow deck and the waist deck. After this, I sanded the pins and started to plank both decks.