Viking Drakkar by Buckstrong - FINISHED - Amati - 1:50 - First Ever Model

[Buckstrong]

So, for some reason, back in March, a video of someone building a model ship showed up in my YouTube feed.  I watched it and was enamored.  I love intricate detailed stuff and this seemed right up my alley.

I began researching how to build wooden ship models and came across this site.  Down the rabbit hole I went, searching for the best model to start with.  The Viking Drakkar showed up several times for a good first time build.  I ordered it and I built it.

Thank you to all the people who have build blogs about this model.  It really helped me out.  I chronicled the build; so, here goes my take on this ship model.

[Buckstrong]

Being new to this, I wasn't sure to expect apon opening the box.  It all looked good and everything was there.

[Buckstrong]

Here, I have laid everything out, labeled the pieces, traced on the line where the planking abuts.

[Buckstrong]

Let the gluing begin. 

I saw lots of videos of people using Legos to make sure everything was square.  Well, I'm fresh out of Legos, but I did have these rectangular stamps.  They worked like a charm.

[Buckstrong]

Next, planking.  Here is where things got interesting.  The directions would have you soak the planks in half water and half glue.  Someone had written that they tried this but that everything got really sticky and that it really didn't work.  I opted for soaking the plank in water and then clamping it to the hull to dry.  This seemed to work, but what do I know, this is my first build.

Here you can see the twist.

[Buckstrong]

And... That step is done.  However, this is when I realized that things weren't all that great.  When I flipped it over, I could see how I did not place the planks evenly.

I have several theories as to how I got off track.  I'm not sure that it's just one but more likely a combination of a couple.  First, I know that I was hyper focused on making sure the ends of the planks matched up with the lines drawn in at the ends of the keel.  This led to the center shifting.  I think what I should have done was measure the center of the plank, positioned that and then moved out from the center.  I clamped my pieces in place; however, I believe I should have used the nails that came with the kit to hold the planks in place. 

The instructions never mentioned using the nails and I thought they were just decorative.  It wasn't until the planking was done that I saw a video of planking being held in place with nails as the glue dried.

[Buckstrong]

The decking was pretty straightforward as was applying the shield rail.  However, a note of caution to others attempting this model, use one of the shields to check you spacing for the shield rail supports.  I did not and some shields fit perfectly and others did not.  

[Buckstrong]

Next came the oars...lots...and lots of oars.  I'm really okay with not doing oars for a few months.

[Buckstrong]

The sail was interesting and took more time than I thought it would.  Most of this came from painting and gluing fabric strips on and then hand sewing the rope around the sail.

[Buckstrong]

The mast and the rigging were next on my list.  Now, I have issues with the included instructions, they aren't that great.  However, when it comes to the rigging, they are basically none existent.  I fumbled my way through this step mostly looking at pictures of other people's work.

In making knots, I found that the supplied rigging materials were very slick and did not hold.  I remedied this by using Fray Check on the knots.  This stuff is magic on fiber and holds forever.

[Buckstrong]

Here is where things get a bit muddy with the picture taking.  At this point it was the middle of June school was coming to an end (I'm a math teacher) and I was getting ready to go to Spain for a few weeks.  So, I don't have anything between the beginning of the rigging and the finished product.  

Here is my completed Drakkar.  I opted not to put the dragon head on.  To me it just didn't look right.  I also left out the bow and axe.  I'm not wild about my shields but they will do.  

I don't know what to do about a base.  I can't seem to find anything on line.  Is it customary to make your own?  Anyway, it's doing well hanging out on some packing foam.

[Buckstrong]

To sum this all up, I don't think I would recommend this to a first timer.  The instructions were very poor and the materials prone to breaking.  Also, my kit was covered in ash from the laser cutting and this got everywhere.  I'm a very determined person when it comes to things like this but I can see a person setting this aside because it has lost its fun factor due to the lack of instructions and poor materials.

In all, I'm glad I did it and I'm fairly happy with the end product.

[GrandpaPhil]

Nicely done!

[Ryland Craze]

Congratulations on finishing your first wooden ship model. You did a nice job on this kit.

[Loracs]

Very nice, indeed.  I like the color you choose for the hull and shield.  Look Classy. 

One comment, although a very minuet one, when planking deck, you could use an interval of 3, 4 or 5 to create a cool and realistic pattern. 

However, it may not be relevant for this type of deck (with the vertical strips covering the joins.  Just saying, if you're planning a larger model.

Edited July 19, 2023 by Loracs