Newbie with a model

[Oddball]

 

Hi everybody newbie here and I’ve got a long first post ,so hope you can stay with it and can offer me some advice.

I’m in the UK wrong side of 50 but I suppose with that comes a certain level of patience that youngsters can be missing.I’m very interested in the history of pirates and after expressing an interest in maybe building a ‘Pirate’ Ship model I now find myself staring at a wooden kit bought for me for my birthday.Obviously my wife thought that a kit was just a straight forward put it together job! and not the more complexed task to hand which I’ve since found out through lurking on various forums especially this one.The model is the Mantua Black Falcon 1:100 and to me it looks like it’s for somebody with some model building experience and reading the forums I should be starting with something simper first.However I’m pretty handy where woodworking is concerned having made jewellery boxes with handmade brass hasp and staples and even a chest complete with domed lid made from individual strips of wood which had to be cut at a certain angle on both sides.

So the burning question is should I attempt this model even if it takes lots of questions and youtube overload to get it to an acceptable standard or should I just forget about attempting it.

Thanks for reading this long winded first post and sorry if I have used the wrong terminology but hope you understand what I mean.

PS

I was never intending to get into building Model ships other than the 'Pirate ' ship I know now this isn't the route to take but obviously now that I have the kit I have to decide which way Is best to proceed.Maybe sell the kit upset the wife and have cold meals for a month...lol or make an attempt and go very very slowly with lots of questions on this site and get on the members nerves.

Thanks

[ccoyle]

Hi, Oddball, and welcome to our forum.

 

I don't know much about this kit other than some pictures one can find on the internet. It is not one that we see being built all that often -- in fact, I don't think that we even have any build logs of it here at MSW. I do have some concerns about the kit. The first is that I have no idea what Mantua used as the source material. The entire ship just doesn't look 'right' in either hull form or rig, especially compared to the general forms found during the golden age of piracy. Also, it is a very old kit design, and I doubt that Mantua has done much, if anything, to upgrade the kit to current industry standards. As a beginner, you face a real chance of being frustrated by the kit's smallish parts (being 1/100 scale) and probably sparse and poorly translated instructions (Italian kits are notorious for the latter). Whether you will be happy with the model's representation of actual pirate ships is a matter of personal taste.

 

Your dilemma results from the fact that there are many much better options for first builds on the market, but that you already have this kit in hand. I can't make the decision to go ahead or not for you, but you will be better prepared to build your model if you go into the project armed with foreknowledge of the challenges ahead posed by the kit itself rather than your lack of experience. Whatever you decide, we stand by ready to dole out advice should you need it.

 

Cheers!

[Gregory]

3 hours ago, Oddball said:

Maybe sell the kit upset the wife and have cold meals for a month...l

Suggest to the wife that you want to hone your skills a bit before running the risk of damaging the wonderful kit she bought you..

 

There may be many suggestions, but my favorite for a first kit is the 1:48 Longboat from ModelExpo. It comes with a nice set of tools.

It has  really great instructions that will help with most wood kits going forward.

Sign up for emails at ModelExpo and watch for nice discounts.

[ccoyle]

54 minutes ago, Gregory said:

Suggest to the wife that you want to hone your skills a bit before running the risk of damaging the wonderful kit she bought you.

Smooth ... very smooth! 😉

[TOM G]

What ever you are going to build,  start with knowledge of hull planking. Read the pdf simple hull planking for beginers.  http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-framing-and-planking-articles.php   

[Jim Lad]

Hello Oddball, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

John

[Edwardkenway]

Welcome to MSW,  being a comparative newbie myself also wrong side of 50, I don't have the masses of knowledge of the hobby that some on here have but would say go for a larger scale. 

Whatever you do have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions you will get plenty of help and advice from the members. 

Cheers 

[Bossman]

Oddball, welcome to the forum. You are looking at months, if not years to finish the model. Just look at the dates on some of the build logs. Are you willing to but in the time? You are the only one that can answer that question. Is it a historically correct model? In a word, no. Could you produce a nice little model that your friends will ooh and ahh over with some patience and skill? Yes. Let’s face it, most folks wouldn’t know a brig from a cutter. 
 

Another kit to start with would be wise if you can swing the money. “Honey, I really want to  a good job on this and these experts say I need to start with something else.” That would be my line. If not, give it a go.  I’m sure you will get lots of help here if you have a question. And you will have lots of question!

 

Good luck and hope to see you get started,

Mark
 

 

 

[Duanelaker]

Welcome!  Best of luck with your decisions and your wife!  

[barkeater]

If your like me and need there to be canons on board might I suggest something like HMS Sherbourne cutter by Caldercraft. It's 1/64 scale and the are plenty of build logs on it. In addition to the excuses above, you can tell your wife that you wanted to start with a small ship before you did a larger. We modelers are good at excuses. You will be building for months if not more so you want to build something you like.

[mtaylor]

On 1/8/2020 at 4:51 PM, barkeater said:

We modelers are good at excuses.

Well, we have to be able to explain where all the tools and piles of wood came from.  

[Oddball]

Wow what a great bunch of replies to my first post ,thanks to everyone for your swift replies and information,I certainly like the excuse/reason of honing my skills before tackling the wife's present.Should have known you lot were sneaky because you have to amass a few tools whilst  justifying them to the missus...lol.I have time to invest and not in any rush and although never intended to get into modelling I can feel myself being drawn into it already.Although money is tight for me I think I will take up the suggestion of Barkeater and go for Caldercraft HMS Sherbourne as a starter model.

Thanks once again for taking the time to answer my questions I can guarantee there will be more to follow and a special shout out to JIM LAD , hope your safe from the fires over there in OZ...from a POM.

 

 

 

Chris

Edited January 9, 2020 by Oddball
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[Oddball]

Right then ,missus has said I can go ahead and order another model so as I said I'm going for HMS Sherbourne.Quick question will I need a Keel clamp or is the another way of holding the model.

Also intending to get' Ship modeling simplified' book.

[ccoyle]

1 minute ago, Oddball said:

Quick question will I need a Keel clamp or is the another way of holding the model.

Depends on how sure-handed you are. I have built all of my hulls without a keel clamp and have only burned and/or nicked myself a few times.

 

Sherbourne is a great kit -- instructions are a little sparse, but plenty of build logs here. Especially have a look at Dirk's (Dubz). It's a gem.

[Oddball]

Thanks CC👍

[ccoyle]

Of course, I should add that Dirk has done an exceptional amount of super-detailing on his model, which you might also choose to do, but the kit makes a great model straight out of the box, too.

[Oddball]

I'll be reading all the build logs for this ship thanks for the pointers CC.

[Oddball]

Just managed to buy a book about planking,seconhand but in good condition for £24 otherwise it was £75 !!