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Hi, This is my first wooden ship build. I started quite a few years ago, but I'll start the log from the beginning. I'm learning as I go, so I'll let you know my mistakes as well as problems with the kit. Thanks Marc

Link to content is in signature Introduction This log is intend to be personal track record of first "serious" attempt to scratch building of my very old Cutty Sark kit, started long ago and forgotten somewhere in house, mixed with some personal observations and notes Edits notes and remarks will be inserted later, to show points what are dangerous place (for dummy as me) to bump in undesired situation caused by in-patience, an-experience and God¨s will I am not a master, rather novice with too much ambition, but think in MSW there is enough room for all of us to share and learn, to keep a good time together My long lasting journey in wonderful world of ship modeling started long long ago in, I think, usual way. As almost every kid I tried myself in some cheep plastic plane models, fast and furious, short life each ( they can not fly...) Then after a while in paper car models ( my own creation), made about 30 pieces, no one leave ( they can not drive). Then, in a high school I made some no-name (or forgoten name) plastic kit ships, also no one leave ( they can not stay above heater ...). Last one, "Stella" ( Heller) died and rest in peace during cleaning dust few years ago This little Heller model on some way entered me door to "yellow brick road": Heller original colors in kit, by my opinion, were on such a type that model rather looks as toy, so I experimented with colors to catch color of wood, added extra details on deck and extra ropes ... joy in playing, and obviously first sign with arrow to entrance for something that on MSW is called "dark side" And then, once upon a time ... very long ago during the study of law, I make my first step for modelling ships in wood. I got done Columbus Santa Maria (If I remember well, also TEHNODIDAKTA Pula, but I am not so sure about manufacturer from this time distance) , made it, with a lot of improvisation, and with extra added ropes which to me it belongs ... but it looked nice for me. In that time I do not know nothing about real ship modelling, made it without necessary thinking, with half of brain, and in unnecessary hurry. Santa Maria got her way with my first wife more about 30 years ago. Somewhere on that days, my twin brother made little and simple Heller`s Cutty Sark, and maybe that moment I fall in love with sail ships and their beauty Then I finished law study, went in Army for one year, Navy in Pula, Croatia, former Yugoslavia ... and that was this ... 35 years ago only "Tehnodidakta" from Pula had made wooden models in kit. ( It was impossible for us mortals to order and pay kit from other country, even to know something more about ships, models, modeling techniques, tools and so). I was delighted with that discovery, and I bought wooden kit with plans and materials for "Cutty Sark". If I remember well, only few models were there ( Santa Maria, domestic ship "Jadran", some ships from old Dubrovnik, Bounty - not sure, and some domestic smaller historical models). And as every youth, wanting to be different and to choose the greatest of offered kits, a beautiful and extremely complex model with many sails and ropes, I bought it, knowing not in what I am just entering. To say again, I did not know absolutely nothing about Cutty Sark, and having no idea what serious modelling really is To write about Cutty Sark is unnecessarily, there is so much written and published, sure on much better way I can do. Also, She is still alive in her Museum I started working on model in 1984. and it kept me up until 1985-6, when I met friend with a really nice model of Cutty done, and I realized - or should I do it right, or it does not work anyway. And she went in deepest dark in my attic to collect dust and to cry silently in her dark corner Then came usual things: got a steady job, got a wife, divorced, abandoned study for doctorate, and another wife, and two little children, start and finish building my house, become a attorney, etc etc etc... and, after "only" three very fast decades, finally the time has come to proceed, if I do not want to watch TV or read a book, or work, and there is no other homework to do. Children ( 22 and 24) are not children any more, and they need me only for money ( joke), they are adults now with their own life ( students finishing their study) ... and, suddenly, I find that appears a few hours in day exclusively concerned only for me. Amazing discovery In meantime, trying to interest my son, we (I) made some simply plastic, I think Revell Pirate ship toy Jolly Roger. Failed attempt, made in less than a week, but I enjoy making it The real trigger of my come back in wooden ship modeling was a appearance in Serbia of DeAgostini`s specialized periodical journal ( in 100 appearances) with successive parts of galleon, and I like it very much, but do not like many simplification of details which are important for me. Drawing boards on the deck with a graphite pen ? No, thanks. Waiting two weeks for single part ? No thanks. And then I remembered that I already have a plans of Cutty, the one of the nicest sail ship ever. Of course, the one with the most complicated rigging ... For difference, now, after 30 years I finally have a working corner and a mini-workshop in heat-room near the garage (and not to forget, continuous war with my daughters Persian cat and long cat hair eveeeeeerywhere). All rest wooden parts were 30 years old, and they have dried up and became largely and almost unusable. In fact, there are left only plans, some old strips and veneer, and some plastic / metal parts that I should see if I'll ever use them. So, I made up my mind, dig on mess of old things in attic of house, FIND Her, and a few months ago I started from the beginning, only with saved old blueprint sheets ( old misfit try of Cutty went in trash) with the big important difference that exists today „His Majesty the Internet“ and a millions of pictures of finished models and details of the models, which is of invaluable help. Not to forget , today in Serbia there are affordable many required tools like Dremel/Einhel tools, and so. A great help is the fact that "my" ship still exists reconstructed in Greenwich, and there are available many photos of her details for research Edit on september 23.2013: At the begin of this month I find Campbell plans, and from that time my work goes mainly by them, and my dedication and way of looking to my work rapidly change from day to day Beginning And so ... my first brave steps toward swamp, with more braveness than a brain presence I did not mention "swamp" accidentally. As time goes by, I decided to do some steps in building in my own way (?), not in way which is ordinary, and in sheets. (for example - making my own dead-eyes ( later - blocks ?) and, later - ropes, my way of planking, etc etc). What a confident fool ... but ... that is just me - whole life I discover hot water again and again ... Later I discovered that sheets have mistakes and insufficient instructions, my hands and experience are mainly not precise as I want, patience ... what is that ? But they are much better than 30 years ago, and my imagination and improvisation still exist, and I learn every day Really significant stage of my build is finding MSW, and here are first steps ... First decision was that I do not want to pay somebody for laser cut. What then rest for me to do ? Using paper with photo copy of plans to transfer plan to plywood. A "bit" of cutting and a "bit" of glue, and my way (?) to hold angle of 900 and to assume required stiffness skeleton for further work . Later, when time to mount deck come, I found that ship's ribs are not well drawn in plan, or I did not cut and mount them properly. Not provide proper and sufficient longitudinal and transverse slope of the deck. Yes, it will be quite a job to fit it There was a lot of my unexperience in this , very very very significant stage of building. In POB building (I discovered later) the crucial thing is right dimensions, position and angle of ribs. EVERYTHING later depends. Consequences can be, and in my build are - catastrophic. Months of lost time trying to correct mess, and all time re-examining myself - was it better to go from start. If that happen - to hell with everything, and start over without more thinking. If you do not do this - be sure that at moment you think that succed in correcting one part, another part will protrude out and jump right on your hand. And when fix this, third part will hit directly to your face. And when fix this, you discover that first corrected part is not good. Some kind of perpetuum mobil and never lasting process. You will spend months instead week or two to make keel and ribs again, this time with thinking and measuring. And as you are impatience full running to start planking on this messed bulkhead construction, as I was, be sure that you will have great enjoyment in unnecessary work And there is stern from one piece (it was corrected later in proper angles) - not just one correction, smart learns from others' mistakes, and fool ... In that stage, I have not idea how complex are curvatures of whole ship, and how much time I have to spend on it ... to lose them ... and to find them ... and to lose them again ... And, oh, what a self-confident ... Later I concluded that keel is little distorted, mainly by "my way" of assuming "right" angles, but there is no way to correct this .... Deck mounted with many previous corrections of ribs to assume slope. This was big big big MISTAKE. Right order is : first planking hull, and after that - deck mounting. See posts #240 and connected future posts. If you want to follow lines on upper side of ribs that lead to longitudinal and latitudinal curvature of deck, do not this. Deck can not be from one single piece of veneer 1mm width, as I did. You can not twist it in proper way. There is no way to do it. I tried, and result is - months of trying to correct mess and find lose lines. You can not correct it at all never again. So, better is to plank with strip by strip. For consequences, see later post http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2501-cutty-sark-by-nenad-m-tehnodidakta-19711983-campbell-plans/page-42#entry156687 Holder for dead-eyes and wedges in one peace, not in four parts as in plan. It is much easier ( ha, ha ha !!!) way to follow the line from planes. Also mistake from same reason.I lose proper lines of hull, and this hang over my head all the time ... And holders must be redone completly Whole deck planting with veneer, also not in original plan. In original kit was wooden plate 2mm with 1mm deep and 1 mm wide grooves carved full-length of plate. I mounted that on old Cutty. What a joke ! First two pictures represent deck from kit, then part of a sheet, and at last picture is my try Edit Martch 31. 2014 : Fore and Aft deck - third time re-planked, main deck - second time re-planked Fool made dead-eyes rather than use plastic from kit ( For details - post #16). 66x designated only above deck. There will be so much more latter. Enormous work, and enormous lost time. Yes, I have to make them again in better way And twisted rope handmade instead wire. More elegant an more real, as I thought - obviously on that time I had no right idea what all this will be to the end Plastic dead-eye from kit at left, and self-made in center and right on picture Preventive cover with light sadoline, and view from the future bow - Once again mistake, I had to remove all traces of sadoline And then, when I join to MSW, was a time just start planking, planking, planking ... and to discover that ALL first moves on this chees table are just - wrong

Greetings, I'm from Hungary, and until now, I built mainly WW2 ships and planes from plastic kits. Now I decided to build a tall ship, and I ended up with two kits, but I can't decide which to buy. One is the 1/96 plastic model of the Cutty Sark from Revell (Nr. 5422), and the other one is from wood, the 1/124 Thermopylae model of Sergal. Which of do you recommend to a beginner in sailing ships, and why? If you know alternatives for a maximum of €80-100, in the category of XIX. century ships, I would appreciate it too. Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! This will be my official build log for Construto's Cutty Sark 1/90. I am already about 5 weeks into the build and finished the hull planking, deck cabins & decorations and is currently working on masts and rigging. I start my build log this late because I do not want to end up not finishing the model at early stage and everyone knows about it. While I was building the ship, I tried to stick to manufacture's plan with no side work of sketch builds. I will also not paint or stain my model as I think the original dark and light wood color scheme is quite nice. First is a little bit history of Cutty Sark form the Manufacture: "The Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869 for the Jock Willis shipping line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion. The opening of the Suez Canal (also in 1869) meant that steam ships now had a much shorter route to China, so Cutty Sark spent only a few years on the tea trade before turning to the trade in wool from Australia, where she held the record time to Britain for ten years. Improvements in steam technology meant that gradually steamships also came to dominate the longer sailing route to Australia and the ship was sold to the Portuguese company Ferreira and Co. in 1895, and renamed Ferreira. She continued as a cargo ship until purchased by retired sea captain Wilfred Dowman in 1922, who used her as a training ship operating from Falmouth, Cornwall. After his death she was transferred to the Thames Nautical Training College, Greenhithe in 1938 where she became an auxiliary cadet training ship alongside HMS Worcester. By 1954 she had ceased to be useful as a cadet ship and was transferred to permanent dry dock at Greenwich, London on public display. Cutty Sark is one of three ships in London on the Core Collection of the National Historic Ships Register (the nautical equivalent of a Grade 1 Listed Building) – alongside HMS Belfast and SS Robin. She is one of only three remaining original composite construction (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century in part or whole, the others being the City of Adelaide, awaiting transportation to Australia for preservation, and the beached skeleton of Ambassador of 1869 near Punta Arenas, Chile." There are some photos of the packaging.

Ahoy Mates Here we go: 1. This is an old Constructo kit-pre -laser cutting, so everything was done with a router, so I had to be real careful cutting the bulkheads. The decks, false keel etc. are in 3ply -used an exacto #11 to cut them. 2. The bulkheads didn't fit the false keel.. had to widen the keel . They extended way below the base of the keel so I had to raise the keel by putting blocks on top to insure the bulkheads were level with the keel , and ended above the base to allow sufficient room to cut the rabbet. (Shown in the pix) . The rabbet was a PIA to cut as the false keel was only 3/16 wide. I could only leave a 1/16 ridge. I thO ink if I had to do this again, I'd add to the BOTTOM of the keel to even things out and get a good level top. Maybe a dado cut before adding the strips would have taken care of the rabbet. I installed the real keel and a cap that Constructo likes to use. Rabbet was cut on the stem , but I haven't installed it yet. Had to add strips where the bulkheads weren't symmetrical. Used balsa for filler blocks fore and aft- to much of a hassle fooling with small bulkheads and then trying to bend planks to fit ( See pix---Had to adjust these to leave an edge to receive the first planking.(used some filler-white was all I had.. it doesn't have to be pretty at this stage , it just has to work ...Oh yeah... raising the false keel with blocks on top made it necessary to raise the fore and after decks as well. Did it with balsa. 3. The deck planking in the kit was way out of scale: on the original ship ( per builders specs from Longridge's books {recommended- but not as detailed as the Mc Kay Anatomy of the Ship series}were 5x3 inches, so in the scale of 1/90 their planks would have been 18 in or so. Had to buy 2mm strips which is the closest I could get from the local shop. The deck planking went on pretty well. caulking was done w w a wide sharpie with the strips held vertically in small clamps. I used a cut down straight exacto blade ( cut to 2mm) run through a black eyebrow pencil to mark the butt ends. Scraped the decks with a razor blade in a holder.. Put on a coat of varnish and steel wooled (OOOO)it when it was dry.Have a new coat of varnish drying now, and after another steel wool rub, I'll mark the treenails with a needle dipped in eyebrow pencil. (I did my last ship my simply marking with a lead pencil...looks OK but I think this is better. Next up: first planking. This is my first build log, so I hope it helps somebody. Fair winds to ya

For those of you who are interested in the great sailing days of the tea clippers like the Dr Seigert/Otaki, Thermopylae and the Cutty Sark this is an excellent documentary. It is 50 minutes long. https://youtu.be/vQls5w-8ycU

Having accidentally deleted the previous posts, this is a new start. Over 70 years ago, I thought that the Dragon had the most beautiful lines of modern sailboats, and my opinion hasn't changed since. Sure, there were many boats that caught my attention from 8 meters to J boats, but to me, the Dragon had the lines of a classic sailboat before rating rules dictated changes such as plumb bows, reversed transoms, etc. I've sailed and raced a Penguin, Flatty (Geery 18), Coronado 15, Lightning, Soling, 26' sloop (Halliday) and Cal 40 but never a Dragon. Building the model is my vicarious way of gaining that experience. My last model, HMS Victory was a six year adventure, but at 83, another long project doesn't seem to make sense (I'd like to see the end result). There are only a few Dragon models on MSW. Cap'n Bob pleased his wife with a second build, 1:48 scale and Dee-Dee recorded a brief but detailed version of the hull. Borge used the Billing kit to build a cruising version with fine detail and exquisite metal work. I haven't the experience to replicate Borge's metal work, nor are metal lathes, drill presses, etc. considered proper decor in our den/office (condo). I've had a Billing Dragon kit for 20 or more years and it supplied the basics for my build. More on the kit quality later. The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker (Norway) in 1929, gaining world wide appreciation as well as Olympic Games status. Specifications are a fractional sloop rig (Bermuda rig), overall length of 29.17' (8.89m),displacement of 3740 lb. (1696 Kg.), molded finn keel of 2200 lb. (998 Kg.) and an upwind sail area of 286 sq.ft. Other designs with similar sail areas include the Star, Etchells 22 and 5.5 M class. The venerable Star boat carries about the same sail area for it's 22.9' (6.92m) hull and less than half the displacement. Star. The 5.5 M was designed as a developmental class as a slightly smaller and less expensive alternative to the 6 meter, at 31' (9.5m) displacing 3700 - 4400 lb. 5.5 M The Etchells 22 is perhaps the most similar design to the Dragon. Designed in 1966, the Etchells has an overall length of 30'6" (9.3m), displacement of 3324 lb. (about 400 lb. less than a Dragon) along with a finn bulbus keel and a reverse transome. The sail plan is very similar to the Dragon noting the location of the fore stay in the on deck photo. Next, the kit and beginning of the build. Cheers, Gil

Hi everyone. I've been lurking for some time while struggling with the Sergal kit of the Cutty Sark. As a way of introduction, I am an experienced model builder, and I wrote for years for Model Ship Builder Magazine. I've had in storage a 1980's vintage kit of the Cutty Sark that I started to build about 5 years ago. I'm a semi-retired orthopaedic surgeon, and even with my current work schedule I seldom get to spend more than a few hours a week on the project. I have been using Longridge's book as a guide, as the number of errors on the plans make it impossible to build as shown. I have attached three pictures showing my current status. I apologize for the inverted appearance. Several questions: Is a fittings set still available? Many of mine are corroded and broken. I have been scratch building where possible. I called Model Expo, where I got the kit originally, and they were not helpful, as they do not carry it any longer. Any suggestions on building realistic deck houses? I don't like the brass pieces and painting them did not work. I have tried several solutions without success. Finally, does anyone have a comprehensive rigging diagram showing all pinrail and fiferail attachments? The plans as supplied are grossly incorrect, but I've had a hard time drawing up new ones on my own. For instance, Longridge shows for and aft fife rails at the foremast, and they are different. The plans as supplied shows a fore rail only with not nearly enough belaying points. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Lou Halikman

Hi all, Just joined the forum. I have a couple of half finished things to finish off, so apologies if I'm not starting from the beginning. First up is my old Cutty Sark model, started in the eighties that was pretty near finished, but I'm now re-rigging. (Next will be my Corel Wasa, that is much less progressed) The model was nearly done, save for some rigging details on the fore mast. However, in order to take it with me to Australia, I took the whole rigging down, so I'm restarting from this point. (Added picture of model some 5 years ago, before packing and transporting to Australia) Just starting on the mizzen now:

Hi, I read that the Cutty Sark's accommodation ladder was removed and stowed when she was underway. It makes sense if you see how it is attached (hook and eye). What I haven't been able to find is where the ladder was stowed. Anyone know? Thanks Marc

I just purchased a Revell Cutty Sark kit model H-368. Does anyone know what scale this ship is?

Hi, The kit is Mantua/Sergal CS. The kit has metric measurements (not a problem) but for the length it reads like this 0.25 by "60mt". The only time I've seen "mt" used was for metric tons or MT. for mountain. Can anyone help me with this? I had trouble with math in school but that is a different topic. According to a number of resources CS would have flown a "Red Ensign" being a merchantman. The flag supplied is a Union Jack. Any leads for cloth printed small flags would be most welcome. Happy Thanksgiving to all...

Having just completed a re-indexing of my Build Log photo archive (970 plus and growing) I am now going to begin the process of re-posting *most* of those photos onto the new/old Build Log. Some of the photos will likely be out of sequence early on but hopefully it won't be that badly mixed up. And I am going to try and 'remember' as much of what was going on at the time as possible, though strictly speaking so much went on that I don't expect to remember most of the specific details. Having said that -- Let's roll! On October 01, 2009, a co-worker rescued a dismasted model ship that was being thrown out in the garbage. He offered it to me innocently, not knowing that by doing so he was about to send me on a trip across the waters of unknown territory filled with information, frustration, obsession, distraction and hundreds upon hundreds of hours of work. During my voyage I have dredged up past experience and mixed it well with the new skills I have picked up. And eleven months or so into that voyage I finally made the dive from lurker to member of MSW. So these first rounds of photos involve the time Before MSW - when the Transition occurs I will make note of it. But to start - here's the start of it. From my current perspective I still wonder what the heck I was thinking when I brought it home, lol. The original caption for this photo was, "Now here's my plan ..."

I recently read that there are plans to build a sea-going Cutty Sark replica. The small Dutch harbour town of Den Helder is envisaged as a place where she could be built. Very interesting! Lou

Hi, does anyone know of a supplier for sails for the mantua cutty sark. I have a set sold by Mantua, but I'm not very satisfied. So, I'm looking for a high quality product. thanks marc

I recenly bought a Revell kit of the Cutty Sark off ebay on a whim. Model number H368. This is the 24 inch version of the model. I've seen quite a few pictures of smaller models ( mostly wood) and the larger 1/96 (3 ft) model. I like the size of the model. 24 inches is large enough to show detail but not so large as to dominate the whole room. Has anyone built this kit? Looking for pics and pointers. Thanks

Building Cutty sark, I "run" in "problem" with colour of "coopering" Coopering plates you can bye are, for my taste and vision, so much colored to look as they are from cooper As it is known, on CS presented in Greenwich, She is "coopered" with so called Muntz metal, which has different color than cooper Definitely , this is not cooper color So I spent a lot of time to find foil with, as much as it can be, simillar color to muntz, and finaly find something. On picture is test piece Color is almost adequate, but, it is too much shiney, in comparation with muntz plates on CS Any idea how to "kill" or mufle excess of shine to the right level of shine as on pictures? Nenad PS - forget to sayy: I can not find metal foil of adequate color and thicknesss. This what you can see on test piece is self-adhesive paper foil, this is not metal foil

cheers all, myself i'm new to ships (and this site) i've built all kinds of static, as well as electric, gas, nitro etc etc models over the years, but currently decided to try the cutty sark by billing boats, not really going as well as i'd hoped i know with wood every part almost is going to need some sanding, tweaking and adjusting but so far this has been crazy.if i did this one again i think i'd just start from scratch as i've done with model airplanes. the instructions are so vague, and not only are pieces not numbered or labeled theres almost no dimensions provided even if you wanted to make your own parts. anyways theres my rant, what i'm really looking for is somebody who has made this particular model before and wouldn't mind giving a little advise as to how they got past a couple akward stages. thanks a lot to anybody with a lead or little help on this one.

Hi all, I am also back and I am so sorry to hear about the problem with the forum. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, I will not be able to rewrite all the posts of my construction. My husband put together a video which he uploaded on our youtube channel. It consists of three parts. The first and second parts show all the photos from the construction and the third part shows photos of the finished vessel. It was my first construction and I hope my next one (Royal Caroline) will be better. I would like to thank my husband for all his help and guidance. He did all the filling and painting. I would also like to thank all of you fellow modelers who visited and will visit my log. The youtube urls are in order as follows Maria-Frederica Gregory