Which Bluenose kit? (moved by moderator)

[owend]

Apologies if this isn't the right forum, but I'd like to appeal to builders of Bluenose/Bluenose II kits:

 

I'm thinking of this as my next, winter (!), project, and I'm confused by the number of kits, from 1/135 to 1/64 scale. I can see kits from Amati, Artesania Latina, Billings, Constructo and Model Shipways, and perhaps others if I look deeper.

 

Can anyone advise on the comparative merits? I want something with reasonable quality components, ideally precut sails as I'm not too good with cloth, and I'm intending to leave the above-waterline hull in wood so reasonable-quality planking.

 

Any advise welcome, and Moderators, please move this post if you think fit!

 

Owen

[Mahuna]

There are two Bluenose ships - the original and the Bluenose II.  The Model Shipways (Model Expo) kit is for the original ship, and was designed by Ben Lankford.  The instructions and plans are excellent.  The planking material supplied is basswood strips, but if you're planning to leave the wood unpainted you'll probably want to replace these strips with other wood.  One real benefit of using the Model Shipways kits is that they'll replace (at no cost) any parts that are missing or if you make a mistake and need to redo some work.  The metal components need to be made from brass strips supplied in the kit, which will require some soldering skills which are easy to learn.

 

Hope this helps.  Good luck with whatever kit you decide on, and I hope you'll be posting a build log for it.

[drmac]

I built the Bluenose ll from Artsania and enjoyed the build.  For the most part the quality is good.  It does not have precut sails and to this point I haven;t built any kits that have.

Best of luck!!

Jack

[thibaultron]

I would personally avoid Constructo at all costs. Amati I don't know about. Artesania Latina has a reputation of not packing all the parts, or packing some from other kits, and horrible instructions. I had a Billings kit and was distressed with all the plastic parts it had. Model Shipways has a good reputation.

[owend]

Thanks, all, that's really helpful.

 

Frank: I want a natural timber finish, at least above the waterline, so the Model Shipways one sounds difficult if I have to replace the planking.

 

drmac and thibaultron: I'll write off Constructo and Billings, and keep AL under consideration at 50%!

 

Rick: thanks for the endorsement of Amati. I'll look deeper: have you built it? Or do you know what the second planking timber is - it's double-planked according to its kit details?

 

Owen

[jhearl]

If you decide on the AL kit, be aware that it is not at all accurate. The hull shape is wrong and many of the deck fittings are wrong. It's an OK beginner's kit because you can learn how to build a model but you won't wind up with a model of Bluenose II in case that matters to you.

 

Cheers -

John

[owend]

Thanks, all, especially Rick. I've just ordered the Amati kit; I'm not such a young lad as your customer, but I'm not a beginner, so I hope that compensates!

 

I'll try to run a buildlog, not planning to start for a few weeks yet though.

 

Owen

[Nirvana]

I have the MS Bluenose awaiting as next project.

During the time I have gattered a library of various books and practicums related to her.

I have extra wood for her as well from Jeff (HobbyMill), blocks and rigging line from Chuck - Syren Ship Model Company.

 

One book I can recommend, which can be to help is Frank Mastini's book Ship Modeling Simplified.

A book very much based around the Bluenose.

 

Good luck which ever you choose.

[hamilton]

Hi there - I built the Amati 1:100 scale bluenose a while back, but enhanced it with reference to the plans for the MS 1:64 scale ship (scaled down for my build). One thing the Amati kit is shy on is precise rigging and mast/spar fixtures. The Amati kit is not entirely clear on the rig, so the MS plans came in handy - and the Amati kit was cheap enough that I could rationalize the extra purchase. If you don't want to purchase the plans (or otherwise don't care about the rigging), then you can consult one of the many fine bluenose build logs on this forum.

 

Here are a couple of photos

hamilton

 

 

 

[hamilton]

Just as a follow up - I've been looking into the 1:48 scale bluenose offered through the Model Ship Builder forum. They offer the plans and a practicum for a scratch build (plank-on-frame). Does anyone here have any experience with this version? I have no experience with scratch building, and this would not be my choice for a first build, but I had thought about keeping it as a future option after cutting my teeth a bit with the MS PoF Emma C Berry and (down the road) the Lumberyard Hannah.....

hamilton

[owend]

Thanks for the photos, hamilton, I've been browsing buildlogs of various brands and scales on MSW, but not many Amatis out there. Did you do a buildlog for your Bluenose - I haven't found it? Yours looks really good - great folds on the sails. Are the sails from the kit?

 

The kit's on order, should be here tomorrow or Tuesday, then I'll see how good the second planking timber is. It's been a slight gamble, as I intend to leave it unpainted, at least above the waterline.

 

Owen

[hamilton]

Thanks Owen! She was a lot of fun to build, even at this small scale. It took a bit of work to make the adjustments to bring the model more into line with the ship (which I think MS represents more accurately at 1:64). For example, Amati only includes one (thread) bobstay. I added a second and made them from fine chain. The belaying plan on Amati's kit is vague to say the least. The MS plans are very clear in this regard.

 

Anyway, I don't have a build log for the BN, unfortunately. If you keep one, though I'll be sure to follow along and please feel free to send a PM if you have any specific questions or I can try to address issues for you as they occur to me.....

 

I can't recall if sail material was included in the kit - but I can tell you that if it was, I replaced it. Though it's not scale accurate, I prefer to use a slightly heavier and tea-coloured muslin than the thin, white stuff provided in most kits (though it can be dyed). I find the thinner stuff just very difficult to work easily in the sewing machine, many of the mysteries of which still elude me....The kit plans do provide sail patters, so it's easy enough to transfer them to the cloth and sew the seams, etc. There are some tutorials on sail making on the NRG resources page

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-rigging-and-sails.php

 

Good luck with the kit and as I say I'll follow along if you start a log here

hamilton

[owend]

Thanks for the tips hamilton - it'll be a while before I'm there, so there's plenty of time for reading-up!

 

I made a Marie-Jeanne from the Billings kit, my first kit, which included sails; I was quite pleased overall, but it was instructive to find how often the plans didn't fit reality, so I know what you're saying about possible errors on plans.

 

The different-coloured sails was a deliberate move, there's a photo of a similar boat on the Net (Google Earth, from memory):

 

 

 

Owen

[hamilton]

Hi Owen - your M-J looks really nice - can't imagine you'll have issues with the sails on BN.

 

I haven't made a ship with sails in a while (Toulonnaise a couple of years ago, I think, was the last one). On that build I recall that instead of just following the sail plans, I used the plans to make patterns on tracing paper and then tested these patterns against the completed spars - this was really just for the square sails, the forward mainsail, the mainsail and main gaff topsail. I found that the sail pattern provided with the kit resulted in sails that were slightly too big, so I made slightly smaller copies of my patterns and then made the sails from those. (I made copies, if I remember, at 95%, 90% and 85%, but I can't recall which I ended up going with). I would definitely pursue this approach again if making another model with sails.

hamilton

[owend]

It's arrived, and I've had a quick look. Instructions quite comprehensive but need some translating; timber looks very good quality and well packed, and the second planking is a bit dark but I think it'll be good for leaving natural; other fittings seem to be well detailed. I haven't undone anything yet, I'm not starting for a couple of weeks and then I'll start a buildlog.

 

I can see what you meant Rick: everything looks small, it's going to be new-glasses time! 

[hamilton]

Have fun with it Owen! If you keep a log I'll follow along

hamilton

[SimonV]

Hi Owend.

I build Amati 1:100 scale Bluenose and It was my first POB model.
It was very enjoyable build, not to difficult, with a lot of space for modifications.
Sail cloth is included in kit, but like Hamilton, I replace it with better material.

Build could be seen in my build log (incl. Making sails). If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

[owend]

I'd seen your log, Simon, and very impressive, I hope I can get that good a result. I'll be double-planking and leaving the hull in natural wood, possible painted below the waterline, but otherwise you've given me some useful tips!

 

I assume your 1:1 racing used something smaller than Bluenose, Rick?

 

Owen

[owend]

Both sound good, although your sailing season is nearly finished I'd imagine, with winter nearly on us in the Northern hemisphere? It'll be an interesting winter project, designing a scale model of the Star - what scale? And static or sailing?

 

Owen