America by Cbrand02 - FINISHED - Mini Mamoli - Scale 1:140

[Cbrand02]

Hi all,

 

Recently I've become fascinated by floating things with tall poles and giant sheets of woven materials. I'd never cared much about ships but have always been interested in aircraft, and especially small plastic representations of them. I've built a few of them in the past and enjoy modelmaking, as it has taught me patience and the enjoyment of working with my hands to create a displayable piece.
 

When I was young my father purchased a large plastic model ship, which ended up with us ditching the project after hand painting the deck and being unsatisfied with the results. While I hadn't much of an interest in ships, I had always admired the models of them. The seemingly endless amount of tied off strings and craftsmanship that went into creating wooden models seemed far out of my skill range and I figured I would leave it to the "experts". Specifically the rigging is what turned me away, thinking I barely had enough patience to do basic necessary tasks such as cleaning parts or waiting for paint to dry, so there was no way I would have the dedication to connect every tiny line that a sailing ship demanded. Recently however, I've caught some bug that has left me enamored with sailing ships, their history, and just how cool and interesting they look. I decided to test the waters of ship modelmaking by purchasing the Academy 1/350 Cutty Sark. I promised myself if I completed the model, I would purchase an entry level wooden model. After about a month's work I arrived at the below result:

The rigging was painful and resulted in quite a bit of frustration, since I seemed to repeatedly have issues with the line sticking to the tweezers and not the boat, line not being as taut as I'd like, etc., but after a few days work I called it complete. While not perfect, part of my modelmaking journey has been learning to cope with imperfections and accept that the model is not destroyed just because there are paint chips and excess amounts of glue. Every screw-up on one model is an opportunity for a better next model.

 

Enter the model that just arrived at my doorstep:

 

I intend to hold this build log as an accountability partner and I welcome any and all suggestions/tips. I will be starting with the stand, as I have minimal woodworking skills/tools and lack a vice. I look forward to posting here!

 

Chase

Edited July 12, 2023 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

The stand has been completed and now moving on to the boat

Edited August 21, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

I have completed planking the deck. I wasn’t certain what order to go in, so I started with the king plank method. I chose a side and, for each line of planks, installed them in a line from the stern to the bow. I alternated rows with the 10cm planks and 8cm planks. At first I tried using contact glue, but it proved to be extremely difficult to work with and seemed to absorb into the wood, or would stick too fast. I ended up slathering on some gorilla wood glue and working in that way. Definitely some room for improvement here, but I’m satisfied with how it turned out for my first at least.

[Cbrand02]

Hi all, deck fittings have been added. I’ve seen other posts where custom windows were made and the metal fitting were painted. Not really sure what colors I’d paint the metal and the instructions are beyond awful, so I went with what was included. I am wondering, does anyone have any tips for attaching the deck extension (wales?) around this sharp bend in the stern? I would think the wood would break. I could just do two intersecting pieces and sand them down I suppose, but not sure if there’s and better ways out there.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Stevinne]

I built this kit a while ago. I believe I boiled the wood to soften it and then clamped it around something with a shape similar to the stern. I believe it was a gradual process, with me increasing the bend over several tries, letting the wood dry and then doing the process over again until I got it sort of the correct shape.

[Cbrand02]

Hi all, I’ve attached the eyelets to the deck (could someone give a better name for those?), rigged the bowsprit, and set the masts as per the instructions, but there are a few frustrations with this kit.

 

1. There are conflicting instructions between the box photo and some line drawings. 2 drawings had different depictions of the bowsprit rigging, as well as eyelets fixed to the deck

 

2. The shape of the solid hull does not match that of the drawings. This makes fitting things difficult, and I have given up on attempting the rudder

 

3. The scale of the drawings is off. Everything is about 5cm larger in the drawings opposed to the actual thing, which also causes some drawings to be cut off. This makes fitting extremely difficult for a noob like myself and has me worried about the sails. I figure those will just take some trial and error with recreating and fitting them with paper copies 

 

4. It seems the instructions may be for the POB version. The kit included nails and the instructions have a section about planking the hull. I’m not sure if the intention here was for planking the solid hull, but no planks were provided. This is my conclusion after all the discrepancies with the shape/size of things, that the incorrect instructions were provided. Either that or it’s just a bad print or the instructions are just bad as is

 

In all, I’ve decided to stay away Mamoli for future builds (at least while I’m still new). I plan to go on to the Midwest Lobster Smack, since I’ve heard great things about Midwest kits and there are a plethora of build logs for that one, unlike the one I’m building now.

 

I’ve declined to paint it, but I will finish this one out. Does anyone have any tips for making the sails? The instructions seem to indicate lining them with rope, making loops at the ends, and cutting them out. I will have access to a sewing machine later this week, but I am itching to complete this model so I can move onto one I enjoy more. I’ve loved the process, but admittedly deciphering the instructions has not been a pleasant experience for my first go around. If anyone has any materials on interpreting Mini Mamoli instructions that would be great.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

On 9/1/2022 at 2:02 PM, Stevinne said:

I built this kit a while ago. I believe I boiled the wood to soften it and then clamped it around something with a shape similar to the stern. I believe it was a gradual process, with me increasing the bend over several tries, letting the wood dry and then doing the process over again until I got it sort of the correct shape.

Also thank you very much, this worked great!

[Cbrand02]

Also if anyone has any suggestions for the current state of the model, please tell me. I feel like it just looks... off. Mostly probably due to the lack of paint, but the chipped deck and uneven planking definitely doesn't add to it. There's also the strange circle near the stern that I don't know what to do with, as the instructions basically tell me nothing. There is also a higher gauge piece of rope supplied, but I can find nothing in the instructions talking about it.

[ccoyle]

The "strange circle" is the helmsman's cockpit. If you search online for images of America, you'll get some idea of what it should look like.

[Stevinne]

Your ship is looking good. I'd recommend painting it, because I think it adds something to the model. I wound up planking the helmsman's cockpit and adding a little tiller. I also coppered the bottom because the point of building the model was to try my hand at coppering using copper tape.

[Cbrand02]

13 hours ago, Stevinne said:

Your ship is looking good. I'd recommend painting it, because I think it adds something to the model. I wound up planking the helmsman's cockpit and adding a little tiller. I also coppered the bottom because the point of building the model was to try my hand at coppering using copper tape.

That looks awesome! You've inspired me a bit, I pulled off all the deck fittings and bowsprit and airbrushed a base white, going to try and achieve the paintjob of the photo on the box. I can't really fix the uneven planking, but I can stain the little "buildings" and paint the capstan and anchor winch. What kind of materials did you consult to know how to rig/build it? It seems like there are tons of different versions of this ship; the box art has a version, the line drawings have a version, there are different photos online that seem to depict different variations of the ship, etc.. I guess I just choose one and go with it? Or flex my creative muscles?

[Stevinne]

8 hours ago, Cbrand02 said:

That looks awesome! You've inspired me a bit, I pulled off all the deck fittings and bowsprit and airbrushed a base white, going to try and achieve the paintjob of the photo on the box. I can't really fix the uneven planking, but I can stain the little "buildings" and paint the capstan and anchor winch. What kind of materials did you consult to know how to rig/build it? It seems like there are tons of different versions of this ship; the box art has a version, the line drawings have a version, there are different photos online that seem to depict different variations of the ship, etc.. I guess I just choose one and go with it? Or flex my creative muscles?

I've built other models, so for the rigging I pretty much used the schemes I'd learned doing similar rigs. Since America was basically a souped-up version of a New York pilot boat, I'd suggest looking up photos of Model Shipways "Phantom" New York Pilot boat model. She's good looking and a close approximation to this model. Yours looks good and you are well on your way to something that will look really nice on a bookshelf or mantle. If you plan on building other ship models, I'd recommend getting a copy of Frank Mastini's "Ship Modeling Simplified." It is a really great book and provides some real guidance for the various steps involved in tackling more-complicated ship models. When I give ship models as gifts I also always include a copy of that book.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Stevinne

[Cbrand02]

17 hours ago, Stevinne said:

I've built other models, so for the rigging I pretty much used the schemes I'd learned doing similar rigs. Since America was basically a souped-up version of a New York pilot boat, I'd suggest looking up photos of Model Shipways "Phantom" New York Pilot boat model. She's good looking and a close approximation to this model. Yours looks good and you are well on your way to something that will look really nice on a bookshelf or mantle. If you plan on building other ship models, I'd recommend getting a copy of Frank Mastini's "Ship Modeling Simplified." It is a really great book and provides some real guidance for the various steps involved in tackling more-complicated ship models. When I give ship models as gifts I also always include a copy of that book.

 

 

Thank you! I purchased that when I first began but have been using it for reference because the majority seemed to not apply to this scale. I'm reading through it now and it is very helpful. The "Phantom" has been a huge help, and I've also found the instructions for the newer Model Shipways "America" which has been massively helpful.

[Cbrand02]

For the rigging, this has been the most helpful thing I've found. Pretty well has taught me how to rigging works, alongside Ship Modeling Simplified.

 

https://modelexpo-online.com/assets/images/MS2029_AMERICA_INSTRUCTIONS_NEW_PHOTOS.pdf

[Cbrand02]

I’ve painted and stained some deck fittings, began planking the helmsman’s cockpit, removed the bowsprit, and painted a base white for the waterline and a copper-ish color for below the waterline. Unfortunately I’ve glued in the masts and they are less apt to be removed than the bowsprit, so I’m forced to work around them. I was able to fill and sand a sizable gap between the wales (deck extension?) and hull which I think looks much better.

 

I am trying to take my time to achieve a satisfactory result rather than rush through the process to the rigging. Thus far I am much more satisfied with the state of the ship after doing more research. I've also decided to leave out the sails, but create them anyways for practice using a sewing machine. I have ordered tiny sets of blocks with 1, 2, and 3 sheaves to try and rig it in such a way that the sails are removed (gaffs lowered, jib boom supported, etc..).

 

Does anyone have any tips for attaching the gunwales? Just the normal heat and soak method to get them to bend to shape?

Edited September 16, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

Quite a bit of progress has been made to the America. Does anyone have any tips for filling in the hole in the stern?

 

[Stevinne]

She's looking great. For the gunwales, I'd recommend the soak/heat method. For the hole in the stern, I'd find a piece of wood of a similar size to the existing bulwark, cut it to fill the gap and once glued into place, dab either end of the break with diluted wood glue and lightly sand the area. If all works out well, it should help blend the patch into place and be virtually unnoticeable once you add paint.

[Cbrand02]

Gunwales have been added. Massive thank you to @Stevinne for the help, allowed numerous repairs in the stern and filling the large chunk taken out. Also inspired me to turn the ship from something I was dissatisfied with to something I can be kinda proud of.

 

Thus far the gunwales have been the most tedious and annoying bit of the build, and I’m happy to have them behind me. I purchased a plank bending jig which I struggled to use when needing to bend the strips in the direction required for the gunwales. For the rear portion some pretty sharp curves were required, so I just wetted the strip in a water and alcohol solution and used my finger nail to make small notches in them, allowing them to bend sharply. I had considered not even going through this process, but I am far more satisfied with the result.

 

I am also learning the power of sanding. The bulwarks were still slightly off after installed, but I was able to sand them in a shape I was pleased with. Almost every screw up has been correctable just by sanding the wood to shape. It’s also been interesting seeing the ship turn from multiple little hunks of wood into a uniform shape. It has been an incredibly satisfying experience.
 

However I do find myself at times wanting to cut corners to get to the rigging (Such as just realizing I forgot 2 small strips that go on either side of the hull for the deadeyes to attach to and really not wanting to apply them after just thinking the hull was finally completed), but I must push and see it through. I don’t want to leave dissatisfied because I didn’t complete a part of the ship due to laziness.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

I've noted a few things as I've worked.. 

 

1. The shape of the keel is pretty far off. It is tempting to sand it into shape, but I am afraid of destroying it somehow. I will probably just go at it with the sandpaper and hope for the best.

 

2. I am somewhat satisfied with the finish, but it could be better. For example, even after tons of sanding and filling the transition from the bulwarks is still not perfectly smooth. There are tiny lines where things meet that are very difficult to see through the paint, but still there. Is there a solution for this? A layer of planking? A layer of some type of putty?

 

3. Is it advised to prime the metal pieces? I find the acrylic paint removes easily.

[Stevinne]

4 hours ago, Cbrand02 said:

I've noted a few things as I've worked.. 

 

1. The shape of the keel is pretty far off. It is tempting to sand it into shape, but I am afraid of destroying it somehow. I will probably just go at it with the sandpaper and hope for the best.

 

2. I am somewhat satisfied with the finish, but it could be better. For example, even after tons of sanding and filling the transition from the bulwarks is still not perfectly smooth. There are tiny lines where things meet that are very difficult to see through the paint, but still there. Is there a solution for this? A layer of planking? A layer of some type of putty?

 

3. Is it advised to prime the metal pieces? I find the acrylic paint removes easily.

I don't know if you'll ever be able to get the bulwark lines to disappear. That sort of stuff never bothered me, because I've always approached a wooden ship - where I guess the lines to me show that it's handcrafted - differently than say a plastic model, where I do find seam lines bother me. 

[Cbrand02]

30 minutes ago, Stevinne said:

I don't know if you'll ever be able to get the bulwark lines to disappear. That sort of stuff never bothered me, because I've always approached a wooden ship - where I guess the lines to me show that it's handcrafted - differently than say a plastic model, where I do find seam lines bother me. 

That is a very good point, I'm coming from plastic modeling so this is a big change for me.

[Cbrand02]

I was not satisfied with the shape of the hull, so over the past few days I’ve taken sandpaper to it. It’s a closer shape to the actual ship with a pseudo-keel. In the process I’d broken some of the bulwarks, which had required repairs.

 

I plan to paint below the waterline in a true copper color as well as make the white waterline. I’m 3D printing a waterline marker. The last time I tried to freehand it and wasn’t entirely satisfied with the results.

 

I feel after the re-painting I need to stop redoing parts of the ship and take the lessons learned and move onto the Lobster Smack that just arrived! I keep learning things as I go and the perfectionist in me wants to do those things better.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

Decided to give her a new paint job after forming a rough shape of the keel. Bulwark repairs are complete, wales are attached, and hull is finished in a satin clear coat. At one point the tiller was broken off so have to re create that, as well as fix one more plank that broke at one point and is being difficult to remove. Otherwise, I have Re-created the masts and I’m trying to figure out a way to make the gaff jaws.

 

In all honesty, I dislike airbrushing. The mess it makes and constant jamming and cleaning required makes the process annoying for me. I enjoy this form of model building because brush painting still gives a desired finish, and it seems the process is more heavily involved with fabricating rather than gluing then painting something. I’ve also found myself to be more forgiving of mistakes, and less worried about breaking things since I can just re create the parts.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Cbrand02

[Cbrand02]

Rudder fabricated and attached, mainmast and foremast re-fabricated and stained.

Trying to figure out the best way to attach these tiny deadeyes. Will more than likely use rope and run it through the wales, but some kind of wire fabrication may be nice.

[Stevinne]

If I remember correctly, I wrapped black wire around the deadeye, gave it a couple of twists and then hooked it through the brass pin, which I then bent into an L shape and inserted the end into a hole I drilled in the hull. As Mastini recommends, I used a u-shaped piece of wire to set the spacing between the upper and lower deadeye and a needle-threader to get the line through the teeny-tiny holes. On a side note, a really close-up picture sure reveals a lot of things I really would rather ignore.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Stevinne

[Cbrand02]

On 9/27/2022 at 5:04 PM, Stevinne said:

If I remember correctly, I wrapped black wire around the deadeye, gave it a couple of twists and then hooked it through the brass pin, which I then bent into an L shape and inserted the end into a hole I drilled in the hull. As Mastini recommends, I used a u-shaped piece of wire to set the spacing between the upper and lower deadeye and a needle-threader to get the line through the teeny-tiny holes. On a side note, a really close-up picture sure reveals a lot of things I really would rather ignore.

Thank you! I also see what looks to be jaws on the boom, which gives me an idea. I will do something like this. The deadeyes are so tiny, I’ve lost so many.

[Cbrand02]

I think I’m happy with this result.

[Cbrand02]

I am very happy with how these turned out.

[Cbrand02]

One side done.

[Cbrand02]

Testing what the ship will look like on a base using a spare.