USS Constitution by Overworked724 - Revell - 1/196 - PLASTIC - abandoned

[EJ_L]

Your ship is looking good. I had to chuckle when you described the canon flying off and becoming lost in the carpeting. In my basement where I have my model table set up I have an old piece of shag carpeting that I use a rug over the cold concrete floor. I cannot count the number of lost pieces that have done that very thing when I cut them off spurs or just pop out of my tweezers and disappear. About once a year I will shake out the carpet and I collect dozens of tiny blocks, eye bolts, cleats and many other small parts from my model train stuff. Over the years this has led to my spare parts drawers being an interesting collection of formally lost parts that have been reclaimed long after the project they were for has been completed. 

 

I have to say also that I commend your bravery for taking on such a small scale. The smallest I have done is a 1:160 scale Bounty and it didn't have nearly the detail yours does. My current build is 1:100 and I have done the Constitution at 1:96. Most of the ships I have worked on have been around this area. You are doing a great job with the scale of ship you are building. I look forward to seeing it progress.

[Overworked724]

OK folks....I have officially retired this build.  For a number of reasons - life being the main obstacle. 

 

We have recently moved from our tiny condo to a much larger town home, and I now have an official 'designated' shipyard for my relaxing (ahem) hobby.  As part of the packing, moving, unpacking, re-organizing, etc...the baby Connie suffered a unfortunate accident.  During the transit to our new home, I ran over it with my car...!

 

I know what you are thinking...how could I possibly have done that?  Well, I simply wanted to ensure that when I broke it that it would stay broke.  =-)  In truth, I learned a lot about the hobby, and some of the pluses and minuses from building in plastic.  I still love ships, and have decided to make the transition to wood kits for the very simple reason which is that was where I planned to go all along. 

 

So...my next build log will be on a nice little starter kit, The Lady Nelson. 

 

See you in the next thread!  I will be posting that adventure in (hopefully) steady pace as we have now officially landed in more solid living circumstances!  (Yay!)

 

Best

Pat

[MEPering]

Sorry to hear of your loss, Pat.  Back in the '70s I was building the 1/96 version, but never got it quite totally completed, due to an accident as well.  So I feel your pain. 

 

I think you will be happier working with wood anyway... Loosing a piece of wood just means you need to remake it.  Loosing a casting is the same, but much more complicated if you can't order a replacement from the supplier.  Also, if you use the right adhesives in wood, some things are reversible.  Plastic is not usually so forgiving. 

 

I will be looking forward to seeing your build log of the Lady Nelson.  I have heard it is a great starter kit.  And having the room is more important than you might think.  I have one bench that I have to use for all of my work.  I build 18th century firearm reproductions for a living, and when I want to work on my ship, all of that has to be set aside and it gets to be a real headache.  Having a dedicated space is not just a convenience... It is more like a must if you want to work efficiently.  My bench is only 3' x 7', so there is only space for a single project at a time.  When I was a kid, I used the kitchen table for modelling, so I spent as much time cleaning up as modelling... lol.  I will look for that new log of yours. 

 

Matt