Jump to content

My Introduction


Recommended Posts

I am new here, and i guess this is a rite of passage. I am seventeen years old, from California, USA. I have been making model ships since the eighth grade, but still have a world to learn. My introductory model will be the 1/96 scale USS United States, by Revell. Wish me luck!

 

 

20220317_185651.thumb.jpg.4098937a9f6681ede6ea13f3884f8bcf.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some random thoughts on your project:

in 1799 three super frigates were built using the same plans as the starting point:  United States, President, Constitution.

The United States started life with a round house.  The first captain of each ship had some say about how their new command would be built.  It was a wild hare of an idea and the resulting poor sailing quality caused the addition to be removed.

A round house is a tall deck at the stern - in the 17th century it was were the poop deck would be but a round house is a lot longer.

 

The United States lasted until the US Navy's base here in Norfolk was captured by Confederate forces.

The ship would have likely undergone topside cosmetic changes about every 20 years as the then current fad changed.  I would not be surprised if United States did not gain an elliptical stern at some point.

Since it is a sister, the AOTS monograph for Constitution may help with masting and rigging and deck details if the era of your model is the same as the monograph's.

 

Plastic masts and yards at 1:96 might prove to be a bit bendy or fragile.  You might give a thought to replacing them with wood.  And also a thought to upgrading the kit supplied line,

 

@rwiederrich has some 1:96 clippers with exquisite masting and rigging - to give you something to shoot for.

USS  was not part of the official name for US Navy vessels until TR decreed it early in the 20th century.

Edited by Jaager

NRG member 50 years

 

Current:  

NMS

HMS Ajax 1767 - 74-gun 3rd rate - 1:192 POF exploration - works but too intense -no margin for error

HMS Centurion 1732 - 60-gun 4th rate - POF Navall Timber framing

HMS Beagle 1831 refiit  10-gun brig with a small mizzen - POF Navall (ish) Timber framing

The U.S. Ex. Ex. 1838-1842
Flying Fish 1838  pilot schooner - POF framed - ready for stern timbers
Porpose II  1836  brigantine/brig - POF framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers
Vincennes  1825  Sloop-of-War  - POF timbers assembled, need shaping
Peacock  1828  Sloop-of -War  - POF timbers ready for assembly
Sea Gull  1838  pilot schooner - POF timbers ready for assembly
Relief  1835 packet hull USN ship - POF timbers ready for assembly

Other

Portsmouth  1843  Sloop-of-War  - POF timbers ready for assembly
Le Commerce de Marseilles  1788   118 cannons - POF framed

La Renommee 1744 Frigate - POF framed - ready for hawse and stern timbers

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the MSW forum Ferrus.  I'm a new member of MSW as well.  this is a great place to share ideas and advice.  When I was a kid over 50 years ago I built several of the Revel 1/96 ship kits; Constitution, Cutty Sark and Thermopylae.  These models were my introduction to rigging my own ratlines and also taught me the nautical names of many of the lines; halyards, braces, clew lines shrouds, etc. etc.  

 

You made a good choice in model subject.  Good luck with your build and enjoy the journey.  Hope to see some in progress shots of the United States build in the future.  I should be posting my first build log on the forum later this year.  John

Wawona 59

John

 

Next Project:   

 

Wish list for "Seattle Connection" builds:  1/96 Lumber Schooner Wawona, 1/96 Down Easter St. Paul, 1/32 Hydroplane Slo-Mo-Shun IV, 1/96 M.V. Kalakala, 1/96 Virginia V, 1/96 Arthur Foss tug, 1/64 Duwamish cedar dugout canoe, 1/232 USS Olympia

 

Completed Builds: Midwest - Chesapeake Bay Flattie (highly modified gift); Revell - 1/96 Constitution, 1/96 Thermopylae, 1/96 Cutty Sark, 1/570 Titanic; Dragon - 1/700 USS Arizona; Model Shipways - NY Pilot Boat Phantom, Aurora - Whaling Ship Wanderer, Maquette - Boeing 307 Stratoliner, Model Trailways - 1/12 Doctor's Buggy (gift), Guns of History - Napoleon Canon and Limber

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to MSW Iron Hands.   Hope your touch is lighter in actual practice when working on your model😀

You may very well be the youngest member here and it is great to see.  I hope you can deal with over 40,000 new teachers and maybe half as many different opinions at times.   Truth is we are all still learning, even though many of us have run the guantlet many times already.

Allan

PLEASE take 30 SECONDS and sign up for the epic Nelson/Trafalgar project if you would like to see it made into a TV series.   Click on http://trafalgar.tv   There is no cost other than the 30 seconds of your time.  THANK YOU

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome aboard!

 

Many of us, myself included, started in this hobby by building plastic models in our teen years. Good luck with your project!

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Salmson 2, Speeljacht

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Ferrus Manus said:

Wish me luck!

See my signature!  😁

 

Welcome aboard!

“Indecision may or may not be my problem.”
― Jimmy Buffett

Current builds:    Rattlesnake (Scratch From MS Plans 

On Hold:  HMS Resolution ( AKA Ferrett )

In the Gallery: Yacht Mary,  Gretel, French Cannon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:sign:

And good luck with the USS United States

Regards, Patrick

 

Finished :  Soleil Royal Heller 1/100   Wasa Billing Boats   Bounty Revell 1/110 plastic (semi scratch)   Pelican / Golden Hind  1/45 scratch

Current build :  Mary Rose 1/50 scratch

Gallery Revell Bounty  Pelican/Golden hind 1/45 scratch

To do Prins Willem Corel, Le Tonnant Corel, Yacht d'Oro Corel, Thermopylae Sergal 

 

Shore leave,  non ship models build logs :  

ADGZ M35 funkwagen 1/72    Einhets Pkw. Kfz.2 and 4 1/72   Autoblinda AB40 1/72   122mm A-19 & 152mm ML-20 & 12.8cm Pak.44 {K8 1/2} 1/72   10.5cm Howitzer 16 on Mark. VI(e)  Centurion Mk.1 conversion   M29 Weasel 1/72     SAM6 1/72    T26 Finland  T26 TN 1/72  Autoprotetto S37 1/72     Opel Blitz buses 1/72  Boxer and MAN trucks 1/72   Hetzer38(t) Starr 1/72    

 

Si vis pacem, para bellum

 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to MSW, Ferrus.  

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 3/18/2022 at 2:40 AM, allanyed said:

Welcome to MSW Iron Hands.   Hope your touch is lighter in actual practice when working on your model😀

You may very well be the youngest member here and it is great to see.  I hope you can deal with over 40,000 new teachers and maybe half as many different opinions at times.   Truth is we are all still learning, even though many of us have run the guantlet many times already.

Allan

Hahahahaha! Warhammer is something i would very much enjoy if i could afford a 3d printer. I used to buy and paint the models until they became too expensive for sustainability. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for your kind words! The only bit of "luck" here, it would seem, is the insane find of this gem on Ebay. You can't get the kit anywhere else, at least from here in the States, i found. I look most forward to asking nagging questions and advancing my knowledge in model shipwrightery. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Iron Hands, and welcome to MSW from the Far Side of the World. I started ship modelling when I was maybe 10, starting off with the tiny Airfix models and graduating to Revell and the big Airfix Victory at about 17, before I moved over to wood.

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy your build, and I'm equally sure there'll be times you want to throw the rotten thing at the wall- don't worry about it. We all do. You'll make mistakes along the way - don't worry about that, either. The more experienced of us just make more interesting and complicated mistakes.

 

And yes, ask LOTS of questions. The membership here is almost embarrassingly willing to help. And if you don't understand an answer - ask another question!

 

God luck with your build, and have fun with it - that's the whole purpose of doing this stuff.

 

Steven

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course you're so good at scratchbuilding wood. You switched from plastic to wood at my age. I won't be seventeen for long, mate. Even at my age, you were proving yourself to be the best. 

A list of places that may want your ships: https://www.historyhit.com/guides/maritime-museums-to-visit-around-the-world/

Edited by Ferrus Manus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/17/2022 at 9:36 PM, Jaager said:

Plastic masts and yards at 1:96 might prove to be a bit bendy or fragile.  You might give a thought to replacing them with wood. 

I was very impressed by the masts and yards in this kit- They bent and refused to break! overall, the plastic quality is top notch, something heller could use to learn. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Ferrus Manus said:

Of course you're so good at scratchbuilding wood. You switched from plastic to wood at my age. I won't be seventeen for long, mate. Even at my age, you were proving yourself to be the best. 

[Blush].

 

Still learning, mate. But at least I'm now making more interesting mistakes nowadays.

 

On the other hand, I'm totally awestruck by some of the other guys on this forum , who are really good at this stuff . . . (you know who you are).

 

Steven

Edited by Louie da fly
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, yes. But he's by no means the only one. We have some really stellar modellers on this forum. I won't mention their names for fear of embarrassing them, but they're the kind of ship modellers I want to be when I grow up . . . :dancetl6:

 

Steven

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi there!  I was looking for your log.   I quite agree.........it's good to see young blood flowing in this old hobby :)   I was around 35 when I built the United States,  and even younger when I built the Constitution for my mother.24549636_U.S.S.UnitedStates2.jpg.ad9a8196684e78d04e0d3a8bbdec04d9.jpg

she's a grand vessel..........and not a bad kit either ;)   welcome to the forum!

I yam wot I yam!

finished builds:
Billings Nordkap 476 / Billings Cux 87 / Billings Mary Ann / Billings AmericA - reissue
Billings Regina - bashed into the Susan A / Andrea Gail 1:20 - semi scratch w/ Billing instructions
M&M Fun Ship - semi scratch build / Gundalow - scratch build / Jeanne D'Arc - Heller
Phylly C & Denny-Zen - the Lobsie twins - bashed & semi scratch dual build

Billing T78 Norden

 

in dry dock:
Billing's Gothenborg 1:100 / Billing's Boulogne Etaples 1:20
Billing's Half Moon 1:40 - some scratch required
Revell U.S.S. United States 1:96 - plastic/ wood modified / Academy Titanic 1:400
Trawler Syborn - semi scratch / Holiday Harbor dual build - semi scratch

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw your Constitution log. Very impressive! It looks like you hadn't installed the trysail mast yet. :D As of yet, i am working on the mizzen shrouds. All i have left to do in terms of hull work is a couple pinrails, cleats, ladders, and the ship's wheel. After that, it's time for sails!! I hope your "friday" is going well!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...