USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'm watching VERY closely.  I'm almost done with the furniture and fixtures on deck and the channels and chainplates are next on the agenda.

[mtbediz]

9 hours ago, Rick310 said:

Very nice!!

Rick

Thank you Rick.

[rturcic72]

Wow, I'm impressed with the craftsmanship...definitely first rate! And this is what separates the scratch builders from kit builders. We had to take the deadeyes and wrap wire around the deadeye and then solder that to the brass strips they placed in the kit.  This makes me wonder when someone sees the perfect scratch builder Conny versus kit builders, mostly using hand tools and imperfect, which one would appeal more to someone if they were in a museum and view both versions? I personally would lean towards the scratch build because it's still based on plans that are in scale just like kit builders. Making it as clean as yours brings in a lot of appeal.  The flip side to this I think is that there a folks out there that like the imperfect hand build because the real Conny is not symmetrically perfect and you can tell everything is still handmade on the ship to preserve its look.  I've had friends tell me how the ship looks awesome, but I always say none of it is perfect and point out the flaws in what I've done.  There are several areas I had to reconstruct or modify to make it work and make sure it looks like it's supposed to based on the plans.  I had to improvise a little recently because of the hooks and rigging for the carronades, but essentially accomplishes the task at hand.

[mtbediz]

7 hours ago, rturcic72 said:

Wow, I'm impressed with the craftsmanship...definitely first rate! And this is what separates the scratch builders from kit builders. We had to take the deadeyes and wrap wire around the deadeye and then solder that to the brass strips they placed in the kit.  This makes me wonder when someone sees the perfect scratch builder Conny versus kit builders, mostly using hand tools and imperfect, which one would appeal more to someone if they were in a museum and view both versions? I personally would lean towards the scratch build because it's still based on plans that are in scale just like kit builders. Making it as clean as yours brings in a lot of appeal.  The flip side to this I think is that there a folks out there that like the imperfect hand build because the real Conny is not symmetrically perfect and you can tell everything is still handmade on the ship to preserve its look.  I've had friends tell me how the ship looks awesome, but I always say none of it is perfect and point out the flaws in what I've done.  There are several areas I had to reconstruct or modify to make it work and make sure it looks like it's supposed to based on the plans.  I had to improvise a little recently because of the hooks and rigging for the carronades, but essentially accomplishes the task at hand.

When I first got into ship modeling, my initial two builds were kit based. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy them much, and at one point, I even considered giving up the hobby altogether. But while browsing through the build logs on this forum, I stumbled upon some incredible scratch built models. That discovery changed everything for me.
Inspired, I decided to try my hand at a relatively simple scratch build. I started by gathering the basic tools needed for scratch building and set out to see what I could create. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Working from scratch gave me a sense of freedom I hadn’t felt with kits I wasn’t confined by pre made parts or instructions.
As time went on, I gradually expanded my toolkit and began tackling more detailed projects. Of course, scratch building demands both time and patience, and having a dedicated workshop space is essential. But for me, the creative freedom and satisfaction it brings make it all worthwhile.