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Dusek Ship Kits MM02 Santa Maria NEW In 2016 Daniel Dusek bought all rights for producing of all Mamoli and MiniMamoli kits. Since then the kits are released in batches. History What were the ships of the great discovery of the New World like? Tradition always speaks of three caravels, a sort of swift ship with a light hull, several masts and an assortment of sails. Scholars advise that, in reality, Columbus’s fleet consisted of 2 caravels, Nina and Pinta, and of a “Nao”, Santa Maria, a boat with 3 masts, 2 square sails and a lateen one, provided with a foredeck, which makes it belong more to the class of carracks. The strong construction, together with nautical knowledge of the time and with the perception of the great sailor allowed such a great enterprise. The year 1492 is an historical date known all over the world. Technical data Scale 1:106 Length 310 mm Height 255 mm The kit 5 sheets of plans and instruction (english, french, dutch, german) Prefabricated wooden hull 4 sheets of lasercut wood (1 sheet in pear!) round timber for masts and yards Fine-meshed sail cloth All parts of the kit are stored safely and tidily in the box so as to minimise any movement of items within. Let's look deeper at this kit. The Prefabricated wooden hull makes it easy even for beginners to create the fuselage shape in a great small model. All small parts are well stowed away. Also the castings make a very good impression. Let's start with the cleanly lasered wooden boards. First of all, there is the deck of the Santa Maria with all planks pre- lasered in a beautiful pear. And this in a beginner kit. Wonderful! Other boards are laser-cut in beech. But there is nothing wrong with this either. Very very less laser char. All is clean and crisp. And see the dowels for masts and spars. And last but not least, for all those who would like to make sails, a very nice fine-meshed fabric is included. The multilingual manual should make it easy for beginners to build a wonderful little model with a lot of fun. Conclusion With high quality components (where to find pear wood in a "beginner's kit"...) a revised manual and a really attractive price Daniel Dusek leads the Mamoli Mini Kit series into a successful future. This little kit of a classic historic ship is really great. For the beginner, but certainly also for the advanced, who are simply looking for a small, loving intermediate project, this small model promises a lot of fun. Dusek Ship Kits currently lists this model for €70,50, and I think that represents really good value for money for this beginner kit. My sincere thanks go to Daniel Dusek for sending this kit for review here on Model Ship World. To buy, go to your favorite Dusek dealer or directly to http://www.dusekshipkits.com

***Santa Maria 1492 - Artesania Latina*** Hello shipmates, Before we are getting started with my new buildlog, a short introduction of myself and the ship is in order. I'm a member of this forum for many years, and I live in The Netherlands a small country in Europe. Once we were dominating the world seas by having more ships in the water as a nation then all ships from all countries combined. So ships and shipbuilding runs through the veins so to say. Unfortuately after the big crash of MSW all my photo's and my buildlogs were gone. For a few years I put my hobby asside and concentrated on my family and on my work. At this moment I've found some spare hours to work on my hobby, and I would like to share my new buildlog with you guys and gals. please have a bit patience on my written English, because it's not my native language and so I'll probably make some grammatical mistakes and I appologies upfront... To the project... History The Santa Maria originally named La Gallega, was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. She was built in Pontevedra, Galicia, in Spain's north-west region. Santa Maria was probably a medium-sized nau (Carrack), about 58ft long on deck, and according to Juan Escalante de Mendoza in 1575, SM was "very little larger than 100 toneladas" (about 100 tons, or tuns). She was the flagship for the expedition aside La Nina and La Pinta, two smaller of the caravel-type ships. Shipwreck With three masts, Santa María was the slowest of Columbus' vessels but performed well in the Atlantic Ocean crossing. Then on the return trip, on 24 December (1492), not having slept for two days, Columbus decided at 11:00 p.m. to lie down to sleep. The night being calm, the steersman also decided to sleep, leaving only a cabin boy to steer the ship, a practice which the admiral had always strictly forbidden. With the boy at the helm, the currents carried the ship onto a sandbank, running her aground off the present-day site of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. It sank the next day and was lost forever... The build At first, let's inspect the workplace, which is the kitchen table by the way, and the box...and yes, the box on the left is my toolkit and on the right the ship... Everything looks neat and tidy at first glance. The box is well organized and the wooden parts and timber are of a good quality as can be expected from AL. However, the buildmanual turns out to be very dissapointing. A few photo's on one single page and an instruction list is all that's added to the box. The best parts are the two bigger drawings of the rigging and masts which looks very nice doh. The Bulkheads and false keel / keelplate I start by numbering all the bulkheads and parts on the plate. They are all lasercut and I use some sandpaper to remove the burn from the laser. After inspecting a collect all the parts and dry-fit them together to see how good it fits.....it doesn't! After some corrections, the bulkheads fits nicely on the false keel. However I noticed a small warp in the keelplate. I did some further inspection and Yes, it's warped just between bulkhead 12 and 10. This needs to be fixed otherwise I run into some problems later on....I took the keel plate and soaked it in some water. I let it dry between a couple of books with some pressure on the books so the plate was fixed into a flat position. I let it dry for a day and the next day it was straight. I put everything together again and glued the bulkheads into position. The false deck Next step is to place the false deck on top of the bulkheads. Again, the false keel was pre-fabricated and lasercut. I use the small brass nails and glue to fixate the plate on to the bulkheads. I have limited tools and clamps at my posession at this moment, so I use the nails. They will be coverd up later when the final layer of thin wooden strips are placed on top of the false deck. Overhere I use a nail (red circle) to "help" the deck plate a litte bit and guides it into a better position.... After his I placed some blocks to make the bow a bit stronger and sturdier. Now it's time to sand the end of the bulkhead so they are prepared for planking the first layer of the hull. It will be a dual layered or planked hull. I took my time on this process. If done correctly, the beauty of the lines and shape of hull will shown after the planking process. It is also the part were I struggle the most and we'll have to see later on if I made some mistakes or not... So, to be continued soon.... regards, Peter

Just recieved 2 model ships from my grandfather and would like to try and restore it. Would love any tips on cleaning, finding or making new parts, painting, etc... Any tip on any part of restoration would be much appreciated.

After some thinking I have decided to pick the Santa Maria as my first project. I have some experience in plastic modelling but this is another level. I decided for Amati because I heard good things about this kit manufacturer. This particular kit is specified to be a level 3 difficulty, which means intermediate. Maybe I will struggle a little bit but this is a part of the journey I believe. If I have some issues I will ask for the help of more experienced kit builders so please check my build log. Here it is. The package was more heavy as I expected which is a nice thing. I really prefer the heavier kits. Maybe this is normal for wood but for me coming from plastic models, it is a little bit unusual. I started by studying the plans of the ship and the instruction manual. For now, I understand the process, but there will be some parts where I will need help, especially on the part of the mast and the rigging. I started by carefully cutting out the pieces and numbering them in order to not mess them up later on. After cutting them all out I have inserted them into the keel just to check them out. Obviously I saw some problems with one or two of them as you can see from the picture above. The center bulkhead and the one immediately on his right is not perfectly straight. Another unexpected thing was that one or two of the bulkheads were inserted to the keel with some difficulties and I had a hard time getting the out from the keel. I used a small hammer to get them out... After this I started gluing the bulkheads and attaching them to the keel. I checked their position with a ruler just to be sure that they are straight. After much straightening, I inserted a clip between the two bulkheads and I will let the glue dry for the night.

1:100 Santa Maria – First Step Amati Catalogue # 600/03 Available from Euromodels for £69.99 Santa María was built in Pontevedra, Galicia, in Spain's north-west region. She was probably a medium-sized nau (carrack), about 58 ft (17.7 m) long on deck, and according to Juan Escalante de Mendoza in 1575, Santa Maria was "very little larger than 100 toneladas" (about 100 tons, or tuns) burthen, or burden, and was used as the flagship for Columbus’ expedition. Santa María had a single deck and three small masts. She was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. Courtesy of Wikipedia The kit Everyone has to start somewhere in this hobby, and few manage to build a fully rigged Man ‘O War or clipper without at least some experience of how to work timber etc. Of course, being any sort of modeller who can think on their feet is always an advantage, but there a whole demographic who would like something just to kick-start their passion, whether they are of our generation, or a whole new generation of younger modeller who may progress to the lofty heights you see here on Model Ship World. For that latter group, Amati have their First Step range, and today we take a look at the first of three of these kits that they’ve sent to us for review. Santa Maria is packaged into a small and attractive box with an artwork of a finished model on the lid, and some vessel history on the side. As you can see from the box, this particular model has a length of 28cm, a height of 24cm, and a width of 6cm. So, it’s still a reasonable size. Lifting the lid reveals a set of plans, instruction manual, sail cloth and printed paper sheet for flags, two pre-carved wooden hull halves, a bundle of strip wood, a packet with two MDF laser-cut sheets, a wooden display base, and a whole box of fittings. Unlike your traditional model ship/boat, where you either plank over a series of bulkheads or frames, the Santa Maria comes with two pre-carved hull halves. Looking at the other kits in this range, these halves appear to be of the same shape, but it’s what you add that really makes these models look very different from each other. Note the two holes. These are used to align the halves, and also peg through a centre plate which forms the keel. Instructions will show you how to paint and stain your model when complete. Here you see the main 4mm MDF sheet that contains the main keel/profile with the alignment holes and mast sockets, plus a deck section. Parts are all laser-cut and are clean and precise. Of course, you will need to ensure that any sanding that’s to be done with these parts means you will wear a face mask. Wood dust isn’t great for the respiratory system, but MDF can be particularly bad. Important that youngsters are aware of this. The second and last sheet is also MDF, but 10mm thick. There are ten parts here, for raising up the fore and aft decks, creating the correct shape of this ship and totally transforming the shape of the basic wooden hull halves. When your model is complete, you’ll want to display it properly, and this kit includes a neat wooden base. Nicely turned pedestals are also included that will glue to this and into which the keel will slot. A small bundle of timber is included for masts, spars, wales, bulwarks etc. Timber quality is excellent, as we have come to expect from Amati. These plastic fittings boxes are very common to Amati releases, and even these First Step kits get one, stuffed with goodies to adorn and detail your model. All parts are bagged and compartmentalised, and the clear lid holds tight, keeping everything in place whilst in the kit box. Unlike other kits, this one has a brown plastic-moulded grating which you will need to cut to the required size. Note the mast top/crow’s nest is manufactured from a piece of turned walnut and is silky smooth to the finish. Some white metal parts are included too, such as doors, windows, and the ship’s launch. Casting is very nice, and with a lick of primer/paint, should look very good once installed. Remember, this is a very small model when complete, and therefore these parts are also small. We also have a packet of nails for general construction. Of course, you will also need an anchor or two. A packet of two is included with this release, complete with wooden stocks and brass ring fittings. The anchors themselves are blackened and ready for use. A couple of small packets contain the decorative shields for the upper, rear exterior bulwarks. These are designed to be painted. Also, we have some small copper and brass fittings, such as rings and eyelets. There are a few small staircases on Santa Maria, and these are cut from these pre-formed lengths of timber. Note also some parts for the windlass and rigging blocks. There are only a couple of the latter, as the model is designed to be simple to build (and rig). Here are the aforementioned turned walnut pedestals onto which you will mount your completed model. These are high quality and require no extra finishing apart from some varnish, perhaps. Only two spools of rigging cord are included, one being in black for the standing rig, and the running rig being in natural colour, as a general rule. You will need to make your own sails, but this is fully explained, and is very simple. Plenty of material is provided for this. For the flags and pennants, a sheet of colour-printed paper is included. You can also go to town with fabric paint and add the familiar Maltese cross to the main sails. Again, this is shown so you can copy from the illustration. One large plan sheet will show you everything you need to know for your build, and everything is simple to follow. Several 1:1 scale images are shown for you to measure against, including the masting diagrams. Amati’s instructions tend to be well illustrated and easy to follow, from my personal experience, with many of the very new kits having the best I’ve ever seen in any of the modelling genres. This kit also has a nicely illustrated manual that takes the construction through in a series of easy to follow steps complete with English text. I can’t see anything here that would thwart even a young modeller, with the various drawings. A handy parts list is also supplied at the end of the manual, which is handy for you to check your supplied parts against. Conclusion These kits fulfil several roles on the market. For me, the first is to introduce a young modeller to our hobby and initiate them with a number of the skills required to advance a little and create more complex results. Another is to allow a modeller who may never have used timber before, to build a very nice replica of a ship and to help them also pursue a line of attack into a more challenging project. Lastly, these could well appeal to a seasoned modeller who fancies a little fun between larger projects and may want to build something they could gift when complete. So many possibilities. The kit itself is actually a high-quality product that is well thought out and executed. There are also some classic vessels in this range too, with something that should appeal to most ship builders, or soon-to-be ship builders. Price-wise, these kits are also relatively inexpensive and will provide a good number of happy hours at the modelling bench. Wherever you are in the hobby, or whether you’re starting out, give one of these a try! I have already given this model kit to a young man who will send me some photos of his progress. I will post them here as he builds this model. My sincere thanks to Amati for the sample reviewed here. To purchase, click the link at the top of this article.

So here I start another Build Log... This being my 3rd wooden model ship started, and only one being completed (the first perhaps a little bit over my head), I purchased this model kit on Ebay for a very good price about 20 months ago and actually only began this kit in the late fall last year. At first I was not going to do a build log as I always find my time limited with regards to posting progress and updates but given the lack of build logs for this particular Mamoli kit (another one, the first on this forum, just recently started this last month), I thought I would start one. I have always found the age of Exploration of the most interest, and especially with regards to Christopher Columbus... and that being said here is the token picture of the opened box.

1/80 Santa Maria Ship Model Okumoto Catalogue # SM-SMO-K80 Available from Ship Model Okumoto for ¥ 39,960 La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (Spanish for: The Holy Mary of the Immaculate Conception), or La Santa María, originally La Gallega, was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. Santa María was built in Pontevedra, Galicia, in Spain's north-west region. Santa María was probably a medium-sized nau (carrack), about 58 ft (17.7 m) long on deck, and according to Juan Escalante de Mendoza in 1575, Santa Maria was "very little larger than 100 toneladas" (about 100 tons, or tuns) burthen, or burden, and was used as the flagship for the expedition. Santa María had a single deck and three small masts. The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller caravel-type ships Santa Clara; one particular ship sailed for 46 years and was remembered as La Niña ("The Girl"), and La Pinta ("The Painted"). All these ships were second-hand (if not third- or more) and were not intended for exploration. Niña, Pinta, and the Santa María were modest-sized merchant vessels comparable in size to a modern cruising yacht. The exact measurements of length and width of the three ships have not survived, but good estimates of their burden capacity can be judged from contemporary anecdotes written down by one or more of Columbus's crew members, and contemporary Spanish and Portuguese shipwrecks from the late 15th and early 16th centuries which are comparable in size to that of Santa María. These include the ballast piles and keel lengths of the Molasses Reef Wreck and Highborn Cay Wreck in the Bahamas. Both were caravel vessels 19 m (62 ft) in length overall, 12.6 m (41 ft) keel length and 5 to 5.7 m (16 to 19 ft) in width and rated between 100 and 150 tons burden. Santa María, being Columbus' largest ship, was only about this size, and Niña and Pinta were smaller, at only 50 to 75 tons burden and perhaps 15 to 18 metres (49 to 59 ft) on deck. Extract courtesy of Wikipedia The kit This is the last of the first three ships that I have received for review here on MSW, until I receive the new release, Hannah, in the next week or so. Out of the initial three, this is the simplest of them all, and the least expensive, producing a nice rendition of a POF version of this legendary little ship. As with all Okumoto releases, this one again is packaged into a lockable, clear plastic box through which you can see the contents. Okumoto’s stats for this kit are as follows: overall length: 378 mm height: 139 mm Width: 103 mm Wood: Agathis Build time: approx 120 hours, laser-cut parts: 173 This kit has notably fewer planks within, with there being a dozen sheets of laser-cut Agathis wood, compared to double that of the Endeavour kit that we recently reviewed here on MSW (see end of article for links). Fewer sheets of timber of course yield fewer parts, with there being less than a third of the Endeavour, and a total of just 173. The model, whilst of the same scale as Endeavour, has a total length of 378mm, so in itself, is still a very reasonable size for display in a cabinet or on a mantlepiece etc. Looking at the various sheets, it is obvious that any scorching that inevitably results from laser-cutting, is at an absolute minimum as there is very little local heat transfer shown on the wood, and this is clearly seen in the photographs. Indeed, releasing a small number of parts from the Endeavour kit showed that the edges of the parts only seem to be a slightly darker brown, and this will be very easy to sand back to the nice bright timber colour underneath. Agathis wood can be cleanly cut with a knife when it comes to making any parts adjustments during construction, and the fine grain means that you shouldn’t experience anything untoward such as splitting or feathery edges when finishing the model. All parts are retained within their planks by the use of tape which holds things in position on the rear of the sheet. Removing the tape leaves no sticky residues either, and the parts will be ready for construction almost instantly. As no parts numbers etc. are etched to the sheets, for obvious reasons, you will need to reference the sheet against a paper parts plan. The sheet is easily recognised as each is etched with the sheet thickness and number. As per the real vessel, each frame is constructed from a number of timber parts, and these are built up over the frame plans which you should first smear with wax or cover with grease-proof paper so nothing unwanted sticks to your completed assemblies. You will note that not only are the regular frame parts etc. included, but also the strip wood, finely cut by laser. Be careful with these parts as they could well be fragile. To complete the timber contents, a small bundle of dowel is included for mast stubs etc. A colour-printed sheet showing the completed Santa Maria sits on top of the kit’s paper contents and provides the box-artillustration for this release, seen through the clear plastic container. Underneath this an A3-size plan lurks, with starboard and top-down views of the ship, clearly showing the main timber placements. Annotation is in English. Three pages are now included for the instruction/assembly sequence sheets. At the moment, these are supplied in Japanese only, but Okumoto tell me they will eventually provide these in English language text too, opening up their market possibilities. For the time though, you can use a phone app to translate in real time, such as Google Translate, that shows you the English equivalent when you hold the camera over the Japanese text. Four sheets of paper now include a parts plan for all of the sheet timber, providing easily referenced information when you come to locate specific elements for your build. The majority of the paperwork in this release provides plan layouts for the many frames in this ship. These are built directly over these sheets, and the frames are clearly numbered and identified. A handful of last sheets provides drawing data for specific elements of construction, with all annotation supplied in English. Conclusion I feel that this kit could be an ideal first introduction to a POF model, as it’s definitely less complex than La Couronne or Endeavour, and with a lesser parts count. General assembly looks easier too, but still maintains the overall busy look of a more complicated model. You’ll note that Santa Maria only has single frames and not the double of the previous releases, of course cutting down in the required number of timber parts. Production is excellent with cleanly-cut laser parts with hardly any charring, and a clear set of plans. The only drawback, at the moment, are the Japanese instructions, but that is easily overcome if you purchase now, and then there will be the English sheets which Okumoto will add in the future. In all, a very pleasing looking model and one at a size that will nicely fit in a small display cabinet. Give it a go!

Santa Maria by igorsr-Tehnodiktata

Hello everyone. Please pardon my delayed return. Like many, the idea of re-creating ship build logs is a daunting task. However, I obviously miss the shared knowledge and camaraderie. I'll do my best to both re-create my Santa Maria log as well as catch everyone up to speed on the Ship's progress. Please forgive some of the rudimentary comments, I have copied and pasted some of the progress posts from a Blog I also keep that is geared more toward those how are unfamiliar with ship builds. Most people know that the ship "Santa Maria" or La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción was the flagship of Christopher Columbus' journey to the Americas. However, people may not realize that there is very little historical evidence regarding exactly what the "Santa Maria" looked like, or how it was built. There was little to no documentation regarding ship building in 1492, and this ship was scuttled and its lumber used for shelter not long after its initial voyage. Interest in reconstructing the Santa María started in the 1890s for the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. In an effort to reproduce history, the "Santa Maria" has suffered three major Spanish versions, the first timed with the 400th centennial anniversary of Columbus landing in the New World, the second, for the Expo Iboamerica of 1929 and the last, the New York World Fair, 1964 In 1892 the naval historian, Fernandez Duro, modelled the ship as a Nao - A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese (its creators), and later by the Spanish, to explore and map the world. It was usually square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast. Unfortunately, Fernandez Duro made a fundamental error as result of an erroneous reading of Columbus's log. It was also criticized as being too ornamented for the period. The second attempt to recreate the ship was by Julio Guillen Tato, known as the Guillen version. This reproduction for the Expo was controversially designed as a Caravel - a small, highly maneuverable ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. Caravels were much used by the Portuguese for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries. Tato's reproduction sailed badly and ended up a wreck. Director of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, Spain, Martinez-Hidalgo returned the "Santa Maria" into her rightful class, as a Nao. He further refined his ideas for the 500th centennial celebration in 1992. The model I am building is from a kit by Atesania Latina, and will be based on this 1992 version which is considered by most ship historians to be the most accurate.

In the, "I can't believe I'm doing this" category... Ok...on so many levels I have really put my foot in it this time. For a few years now I had it in mind to build models for my sons when they graduate from university. For my oldest, Christopher, I want to give him the Santa Maria. For my youngest, I intend to build the Matthew. (His name is William...no, just kidding. His name is Matthew.) I also thought I would scratch build them at a standard scale or, at the very least, I would make nice ships in bottles. I've got a book on the Matthew and found some online plans. I bought some plans for the S. Maria on eBay - fairly old, Italian plans (funny - I just saw someone post a picture of the boat from this plan for someone who wanted to bash his AL Santa Maria!) However, about a year ago I spotted a good deal and picked up this kit. I'm not very knowledgeable about the ships in this period and I'm not terribly interested in them, so I was going to just follow the instructions on this model when the time comes. Well, I came to a big realization this week: My son is just a few months away from graduating! [gulp] Trouble! Where had all the time gone?! I pulled the box out from my pile (I haven't bothered to list my "on the shelf" models - it would take too long!), took a good look at it and said, "I think I can do this...but I will DEFINITELY NOT BASH THIS KIT!" [sigh] So, I decided to start this kit. I put away my Harvey (haven't started the log on this one, yet...I began building it before I found MSW), stopped the work I was doing on my HMS Titan and opened up the Maria. I've been looking at the model and the instructions...checked out a couple of logs here...Ok...I can do this...but I will DEFINITELY NOT BASH THIS KIT!" [sigh] What am I doing!? Well, my son is celebrating his 22 birthday today so I thought, "Today's the perfect day to start the Santa Maria" This is the first laser-cut kit I have encountered and I am impressed with how easy it was to cut away the parts from the sheets. Nice tight fits for the bulkheads. I only had to work on two slots to get the bulkheads to fit flush with the top of the false keel. It took me a very short time to glue up the bulkheads. All except one were square when I pushed them into their slots on the keel. Ok...good start. Except...I was studying the photos and the plans in this kit some more and I just didn't like the look of the ship. The forecastle looks odd to me...there doesn't seem to be enough ladders to get up and down the decks...some of the rigging looks wonky. I kept thinking of the modeler who was looking for authentic boat plans...so...I pulled out those old plans I had bought. [Grrr!] Big mistake. I like the look of the Santa Maria in the older plans! I don't know which is more accurate - but accuracy is not bothering me. Well, not too much. So,...I...might...bash...this...kit. [sigh] But, I have an idea... I'm going to ask the wonderful people here at MSW to help me decide. I'm going to put some of the changes I'd like to make and you let me know what you think. [Oh...I think this model will now be a house warming gift for my son ] [big breath] Here goes: Biggest decision right now... High, Railed Forecastle - keep it or drop it? Looking forward to your input. Several more decisions to come as needed. Kind regards, Gabe

Good Morning All, Normally, I would link to my Picasa album, but instead I think I will share the highlights and provide a link as well. As I mention over on my blog, this model is the one that finally got me into maritime historical research, way back in 1988. This is a link to my blog entry about the model and build - Building Airfix's "Santa Maria" And this is the link to my Picasa album - Airfix 1/384 "Santa Maria" Cheers, Robert

Ok so I'm having some trouble with the Santa Maria model I've been working on. It's my first build so I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I've been working on it for years on and off and am finally getting close to finished. Anyway one thing is really bugging me. There are a bunch of vertical pieces on the hull which aren't lined up properly... I've marked a red line beside them to show. You can see the first set of pieces is lined up with the red line, but the second set toward the rear are on an angle with respect to the red line. I know I'm being picky, but it's bugging me and I think it looks a little silly. When you look at each set of vertical pieces alone I think they look lined up ok, but looking at the whole boat together I think it looks a bit funny. So, I'm considering re-angling the front set, but I think if I tilt them forwards it may look funny too... so I don't know what to do, lol. I think if you're looking at the boat from an angle it looks fine (second pic), but if you're looking at it directly from the side it looks weird. Any advice or comments? Should I redo it or leave it how it is? Here's another guy's model of the same boat... here it seems like everything is lined up perfectly... not sure how he managed that. http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6179/dsc03595.jpg http://imageshack.us/a/img405/958/dsc03666y.jpg

Some one once asked me during my building of the Bounty if it could get any smaller. Well ....we're about to find out. I had a friend at work that saw the bottles in my office and asked if I could do one for her. She handed me this strange little bottle more a jar really and I thought wow that would be a fun challenge. First a note on the scale. When I'm usually asked about scale I tell people it's on the itty bitty scale. The die hard scale people don't usually appreciate this joke so then I have to tell them the actual. Before I go into that I'll mention that I got my plans from page 55 of "Story of Sail" by Veres Laszlo and Richard Woodman. If you follow me at all you know I mention this book a lot. In truth almost every thing I build comes from Story of Sail. When I have a thousand plans all at ship in bottle size how can I resist. I may post plans with the model by it later but I'm always hesitant to post full out plans since I like the book and don't want to infringe the copy right. Back to scale. The original plans are noted as 1:300 scale. To fit this bottle I took a picture of the plans and reprinted them at a smaller size. I then calculated the ship according to the book to be 89 feet from the back of the hull to the front of the hull not including the bow. The model is 1.5 inches. So 89 times 12 is 1068 inches. Divided by 1.5 inches is 712. So 1:712 scale. If I'm wrong on this please correct me. So far I have carved the hull. I think it's ready to start adding the hull details. I may try scribing the planks but I'm not sure yet. I would like to give the hull a darker color and I'm afraid the scribed planks wouldn't show up. I'm open to suggestions on that one. Another quick not on the selection of the ship for this ...jar. The lady I'm building this for asked me to put a ship in it. As I always I asked what type of ship would you like. The most common response after that is either pirate ship or what do you think. IN this case it was the latter. So I looked at the bottle and say the emblem and thought that looks a lot like the emblem on the Santa Maria. So I through that out there. My client is of direct Spanish decent and thought that would be a perfect. I am as excited for this build as much as I am dreading it. I got really tired of the Bounty by the end which I built specifically small to get ready for this one. I do think though, using what I learned from the Bounty, this will be a much quicker and more delightful build.