New Member in Connecticut

[whadozer]

Greetings! I'm a freelancing classical musician living in Connecticut. I finished my second Masters at Yale in 2018 and am a singer specializing in early music and historical performance practice (although I sing a variety of different classical genres). I have a lot of artistic interests, including calligraphy, illumination, drawing, and painting.

 

My journey into model shipbuilding began with the Minicraft Titanic 1:400 in October 2018. I recently completed the Revell Cutty Sark 1:96 (thanks to covid-19), and am currently working on my first wood model, the Amati Lady Nelson. I originally did this in the spirit of challenging myself to be a more patient, precise, and focused artist. I honestly have a hard time looking at those first two models because of how much I have learned since, but I'm sure many of you feel that way about your first models. I feel very vulnerable and self-conscious sharing photos of these crude builds to a community of literal experts, but I've attached just a few wide shots so you can't be too scrutinizing ☺️. I will be putting up a build log for the Lady Nelson soon. I feel really good about how she's coming along, and have decided to really explore working with wood in future models, which I have no experience with (beyond a crude Pinewood derby car I build when I was 10). I absolutely love working with it on the Lady Nelson, though. It's resilient, sculptable, and full of character and life. I don't think I'll ever go back to a plastic model again.

 

As a young freelancing performer, I am rather limited on the space and funds I need to develop this hobby. I have a decent selection of hand tools but no power tools. Not even a drill. I work in a small carpeted office that also is a room I practice in. But I'm embracing having to do things by hand and having to be more creative with my processes.

 

This community has already provided me with so much knowledge and experience and I hope I can continue learning with constructive criticism and more active participation in the forums.  I am already (ambitiously) dreaming of which kit I will build next.

 

Thanks for reading!

Will

 

[ccoyle]

Welcome!

 

Your models look perfectly presentable, and bear in mind that our community of "literal experts" includes large chunks of beginners and otherwise middling modelers who nevertheless simply enjoy the hobby. You will, for example, never find one of my models being labeled as "built by an expert," but I take satisfaction in them.

 

Enjoy the journey!

[JeffT]

Welcome to MSW 

 

Your models look very good!

[Beef Wellington]

Welcome Will, your models look great.  Definitely consider starting a build log, that way you will certainly get plenty of support and advice along the way, definitely the best way to get the most out of this community.

[Ryland Craze]

Welcome to Model Ship World.  You have built some nice models and I look forward to seeing you start a build log on your Lady Nelson. The Connecticut Marine Model Society is a club that meets in West Haven, CT that has modelers of all skill levels and also some musicians.  I am sure their meetings are on hold due to Covid-19, but hopefully will start back up in the fall.  Here is a link to their website: http://www.ctshipmodels.org/index.html

[Bill Morrison]

Welcome, Will!  Your models look great!

 

Where in CT do you live? I live just north of New London, in the town of Oakdale.

 

Bill

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[whadozer]

Thanks for the encouragement and welcome, all! Bill, I'm in New Haven.

[harlequin]

i'm not an expert but like someone else has said we take great enjoyment doing what we do.....I am rigging Bellona and if an expert cast a critical eye over there would be many faults.....but I don't care.....I enjoy what I do....welcome from the UK

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Will.  From here, those models look great.  

[Jim Lad]

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

 

John

 

[Bill Morrison]

21 hours ago, whadozer said:

Thanks for the encouragement and welcome, all! Bill, I'm in New Haven.

Welcome to the Forum! Perhaps we can meet sometime.

 

Bill

[Nirvana]

From the PNW a warm welcome!

If you are a musician and have built this models with your own critical eyes, I know your models will pass.

Glad to see you on board and looking forward to your build log of Lady Nelson.