Way over my head

[Kikatinalong]

Hello to all from the land down under ( Australia )

 

ive always wanted to build model ships, never had the room or the time. Now I have both and I managed to buy a Mamaoli 1/54 scale Caracca Atlantica from 1978 off eBay for $ 100 Australian.

ive worked with my hands all my life and can be obsessive about doing things right and am determined this build will not end up floating in our local sewer system. So I will be building at a snails pace with plenty of research in between and joining a local modelling club. This site will and already has provided me with endless information. As I've already hinted I'm in way over my head and daunted by what I've purchased so wish me luck and any advice or laughter wouldn't hurt to calm my expectations.

 

happy modelling to everyone and enjoy ur day.

[Landrotten Highlander]

welcome, and congratulations with your desire to building your (first) wooden kit.

Someone once said: 'If your dreams don't scare you, you don't dream big enough.'  Moving out of your comfort zone is never easy, but once you realise that by doning so you are enriching your life, it becomes enjoyable while remaining somewhat scary.

Feel free to ask questions, and make sure you take plenty of pictures along the way - they will be great help when asking questions as well as being a momento for when you discuss your (finished) model with your friends/family.

[pontiachedmark]

Gidday Kikatinalong.

Welcome from a cold and wet Bairnsdale Victoria.

Feeling daunted or unsure of where to start are not uncommon feelings when building a kit.

A couple of pieces of friendly advice,

Search in the build logs for your kit or ship, your exact kit may not be in the logs but the same ship may be.

Read and reread the instructions to gain an understanding of the various kit pieces and the assembly process.

Dry fit as much as possible as it is easier to rectify any kit deficiencies dry than when glued in place.

Ask as many questions as you need to.

I could go on and on and on but I think I have said enough to get you started.

I wish you all the best in your endeavours,

Mark.

 

 

[mtdoramike]

While I applaud your ambition, I question your choice of model that you chose. The model you have chosen is not a beginner kit by any stretch, secondly I NEVER recommend buying a model kit off of ebay except for the experienced modeler, which would have the ability to overcome some of the pitfalls of buying old outdated kits that usually have issues like missing parts, brittle wood and lack of instructional material, which most of us have experienced dealing on ebay a time or three. I'm not saying you can't build this model, with the help of all the good folks on this forum, you could build anything with the right attitude, which you seem to have. But you have started off with the deck stacked against you. I'm not trying to be a buzz kill here, but your decision just gave you more of a mountain to climb than you could have had if starting with a more suitable beginner kit.       

Edited July 15, 2019 by mtdoramike

[knightyo]

Welcome to the hobby!  Since this is your first go, it might be a good idea to trace the bulkheads onto a very inexpensive, soft wood, and then practice planking the model with inexpensive soft wood planks.  Maybe even over and over until you have the "feel" for how to do it.   It's pretty easy to create test hulls to practice upon.

 

Alan

[JeffT]

Hello and Welcome to MSW 

[mtdoramike]

Do yourself a huge favor and look for a pair of model ship Planking Pliers https://www.ebay.com/itm/model-shipways-tool-plank-planker-bender-new-ship-boat-planking-/311296583632 these are imperative for a new modeler. You will be able to bend a plank into some really heavy curves, if you practice with the pliers, you can even twist a plank while bending it. Or you can use the soak bend and break method. This alone would cause a person to give up on model ship building, but with the use of the plank bending pliers at least for your first and second model to get you over the hump, then you can always try the soak and bend method later. When building the real ships even today, they use a more green wood, which after steaming will be able to almost tie into knots. Can you see trying to plank with a kiln dried plank of oak, even after soaking and steaming it as brittle as oak is?       

[Dr PR]

Welcome, and congratulations on your first build.

 

I started building wooden boats and ships from scratch when I was a kid and quickly learned to be disappointed in the results.

 

Get used to the idea that your first build will not be perfect, no matter how hard you try. It will be a learning experience, and that will help make your second build much better! If something doesn't come out "right" in your opinion (and your opinion is really the only one that matters) think about it and decide what you think is not right and why. That way you won't make the same mistake again.

 

I am working on my sixth large scale wooden ship build (the third from a kit) and there are things about it I am not totally satisfied with. I'm still learning, and having fun!

 

The only bit of "advice" I would offer is to study each part of the ship and learn what its function was. What did it actually do on the real ship and how did it work? This often gives insight into how the part fits into the whole, and that can go a long way to fill in the gaps in the instructions.

 

And, of course, ask questions of the modelers here and on other ship building forums. If you are having a problem you can be sure someone else had been there before and may be able to solve your problem.

 

Happy modeling!

[Jim Lad]

Hello, and a warm welcome to the forum.

 

John

[Stevinne]

Hello and welcome to the group. Don't be too intimidated, people have been building wooden ships for hundreds of years. They did it, so can you. Someone here has a signature that says something along the lines of "The wood is patient," and I've always taken that to mean that no matter how bad things are going, with a wooden ship model there is the chance of salvaging it.

Before you start, I'd recommend getting your hands on Frank Mastini's "Ship Modeling Simplified," which is a great book for the beginner modeler and really lays out in easy-to-understand terms and illustrations a step-by-step guide for building a wooden ship model. It's a great resource, particularly for someone who is starting to build a wooden ship kit where the instructions might not be translated too well into English. I've given a couple of ship models as gifts to family members and always included this book. Each time the ship has been built.

You've also come to the right place. This site is filled with folks who are pretty much experts in the field and are more than willing to offer advice. Do start a build log, so folks can follow along and see how you are progressing. That way, they will have a better idea of what problems you might encounter.

I'm interested in seeing how your ship turns out. I love vessels from this period, and we don't have many logs for this particular kit, so good luck, enjoy the journey and remember, everyone started out like you.

 

[Louie da fly]

Hi Kikatinalong,

 

I've had a look at the Mamoli kit and it's a rather nice looking ship. While I agree you're taking on a pretty ambitious project, there's no reason you can't make something to be proud of, even though you may find a few things you aren't totally satisfied with on this, your first build. 

 

One thing that might help you, as well as the advice above, particularly from pontiachedmark and knightyo, is to look at the planking tutorials on this forum in the section " Building, Framing, Planking and plating a ships hull and deck" - Planking is a particularly fiddly activity and it's good to have an understanding of the technique before you start. Some kits advocate an oversimplified method of planking which doesn't correspond to the reality, but looking at pictures of your kit, that doesn't seem to be the case. 

 

And as you're building a carrack, I'd highly recommend Woodrat's excellent build as a reference. What's not included in that is hardly worth knowing.   

 

 

And as several others have suggested, ask LOTS of questions. The people on this forum are invariably helpful and someone will probably have already found an answer to the problem you're faced with.

 

Best wishes with your build, and start a build log to share your triumphs and problems with the rest of us.

 

PS: Where do you live? As you can see, I'm in Ballarat. You might find other members who aren't all that far from you.

 

Steven

 

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Kikatinalong.   

 

I'd like to offer two bits of advice to what you have already received.    The first is have some fun with this.  The second is start a build log.  It's the best way to get help and advice.   If you decide this model is overwhelming you, back up and find a less complex model and then apply what you learned to the one wanted to build.  

[woodrat]

I am happy to help if I can. Don't be too discouraged if it all seems daunting. My first ship model "USF Essex " was way above my head but I took the time, researched the build and bought or made the tools. It took me 10 years but was worth it. Be prepared to modify the kit if it is inadequate or inaccurate. I have all the info you would need to make your model carrack as historically accurate as is possible. Don't be in a hurry. I look forward to your build.

Cheers

Dick

[Kikatinalong]

Hi all once again

First and foremost I'd like to thank you all very much for your warm welcome and excellent advice over the past 24 hours. I fully intend to read the books suggested and the practice hull planking idea shows the level of advice I will receive and take on board from this site.

My model from eBay arrived and I'm glad to say that apart from the planking strips everything else is in sealed containers and bags, possibly a few planks were borrowed for another build but I'll soon find out the answer to that. I'll post some pics at te bottom.

Another positive today was to visit my local hobby shop ( Float a boat ) in Ringwood Victoria, the owner was so helpful even to the point of asking me to bring in the kit so he could check it out for me, the friendliness in this hobby is already something I'm enjoying.

I will definitely start a build log once I get underway which will no doubt lead to endless support and advice.

once again thank u all.

[Kikatinalong]

Hi all once again

First and foremost I'd like to thank you all very much for your warm welcome and excellent advice over the past 24 hours. I fully intend to read the books suggested and the practice hull planking idea shows the level of advice I will receive and take on board from this site.

My model from eBay arrived and I'm glad to say that apart from the planking strips everything else is in sealed containers and bags, possibly a few planks were borrowed for another build but I'll soon find out the answer to that. I'll post some pics at te bottom.

Another positive today was to visit my local hobby shop ( Float a boat ) in Ringwood Victoria, the owner was so helpful even to the point of asking me to bring in the kit so he could check it out for me, the friendliness in this hobby is already something I'm enjoying.

I will definitely start a build log once I get underway which will no doubt lead to endless support and advice.

once again thank u all.

[Louie da fly]

By the way, if you're looking for resources, I've found Hearns Hobbies, under the arches at Flinders St Station, to be very helpful. Just got back from a visit to Melbourne with a tin of Humbrol paint and a piece of very small diameter brass tubing. (To be honest that's not why I went to Melbourne, but we were walking along the river nearby, so . . .)

 

On the other hand, I take it your "local" in Ringwood is "Float a Boat" about which I've heard very good things.

 

Steven 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Louie da fly

[Rick01]

Can't go past "Float-a-boat" for help and supplies. I use them quite frequently but, depending on how urgent my need is, I also use https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/index.html stock there is brilliant, prices great (ex-20% GST) UK postal rates cheap and delivery is fast. Yesterday I ordered 2 x 20mm carronade barrels plus a packet of 10mm wooden cleats from them at a total cost including postage of  $10.00. This is what the barrels alone would have cost over here before I paid petrol or postage and I'm only 25 km from Float-a-boat.

 

Rick