Hello from Mexico City

[AntonioT]

Thank you for accepting me. I’m 57 from Mexico City and I’m an old novice: I started a Mamoli’s Puritan when my daughter born 16 years ago and I left unfinished in my hobby room because a worker damaged it. (I built plastic armored cars).
Two months ago I had a health problem that changed my mind about “I will finish that boat later”… so I returned and I’m facing some troubles to fix some things in the model, but I hope with the guidance I foundhere, I will finish it with aceptable quality.

 

thanks for accepting me… Antonio 

[CPDDET]

Welcome!

[Jim Lad]

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

"Acceptable quality" is what you think is acceptable for your model!

 

John

[Keith Black]

Antonio, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

[AntonioT]

1 hour ago, Jim Lad said:

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

"Acceptable quality" is what you think is acceptable for your model!

 

John

Thank you Jim!!! 

[AntonioT]

7 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

Antonio, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

Thank you Keith

[AntonioT]

3 hours ago, CPDDET said:

Welcome!

Thank you!!

[Knocklouder]

[Baker]

Nice model

And 

[allanyed]

Welcome to MSW Antonio.  You officially have over 43,000 new friends and helpers.

Allan

[AntonioT]

9 hours ago, Baker said:

Nice model

And 

Thank you

[AntonioT]

6 hours ago, allanyed said:

Welcome to MSW Antonio.  You officially have over 43,000 new friends and helpers.

Allan

Thank you Allan!!! 

[AntonioT]

9 hours ago, Baker said:

Nice model

And 

Thank you

[JacquesCousteau]

Bienvenidos, looking forward to seeing more of your build!

 

Also I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions for getting modeling wood in CDMX, so far I've found 1/16th inch thick basswood at Lumen but otherwise just balsa wood and I have no idea where to look.

[Jaager]

Antonio,

 

If you find yourself becoming a bit overwhelmed and frustrated, a broader perspective may help cement your interest in exploring all this.

 

This is strictly my biased and outside observation, but I have a poor opinion of the old Mamoli kits.  You are swimming with an anchor hanging from your neck,  given the quality that you are working against. 

(the Mamoli name is under new management and is a subunit of a larger concern now I believe.) 

 

If wood and sail is to be your area of focus:

It may give you a more realistic expectation if you ignore anything from plastic kit modeling except the painting skills.  Those specific skills might put you ahead, since may of us view painting as a chore and afterthought.  Often, any painting is done with wood.

 

A firm grounding in our specific modeling skills can get you past frustration and perceived barriers. Consider starting from scratch.

The Model Expo - Model Shipways  -Shipwright series looks to be a low cost and rewarding path into all this.

 

When I consider the possibility of a new scratch build, I check the build logs to see if anyone else has selected the ship.  What I see is a casualty rate that makes what my Virginian forebears experienced with Pickett's Charge look like a walk in the park.   I do not know about kits, but my guess is that it is also a heavy casualty rate.😉

[AntonioT]

3 hours ago, JacquesCousteau said:

Bienvenidos, looking forward to seeing more of your build!

 

Also I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions for getting modeling wood in CDMX, so far I've found 1/16th inch thick basswood at Lumen but otherwise just balsa wood and I have no idea where to look.

Hello Jacques!!

thank you:

I think here you can find it:

Hobby Centro

Avenida Revolución 1908
Loreto
01000 Álvaro Obregón, CDMX
Mexico

ph: 5555507832

 

Regards 

 

[mtaylor]

[AntonioT]

3 hours ago, Jaager said:

Antonio,

 

If you find yourself becoming a bit overwhelmed and frustrated, a broader perspective may help cement your interest in exploring all this.

 

This is strictly my biased and outside observation, but I have a poor opinion of the old Mamoli kits.  You are swimming with an anchor hanging from your neck,  given the quality that you are working against. 

(the Mamoli name is under new management and is a subunit of a larger concern now I believe.) 

 

If wood and sail is to be your area of focus:

It may give you a more realistic expectation if you ignore anything from plastic kit modeling except the painting skills.  Those specific skills might put you ahead, since may of us view painting as a chore and afterthought.  Often, any painting is done with wood.

 

A firm grounding in our specific modeling skills can get you past frustration and perceived barriers. Consider starting from scratch.

The Model Expo - Model Shipways  -Shipwright series looks to be a low cost and rewarding path into all this.

 

When I consider the possibility of a new scratch build, I check the build logs to see if anyone else has selected the ship.  What I see is a casualty rate that makes what my Virginian forebears experienced with Pickett's Charge look like a walk in the park.   I do not know about kits, but my guess is that it is also a heavy casualty rate.😉

Hi Jagger, 

thank you. Interesting.

I thought that the natural way of gain experience is starting with kits and later go with scratch building.

years ago I purchased in a uk store two Corel kits and I asked the owner a book to learn and he sold me these 2 books but until today (based in your kind comment) why it is important to learn scratch build first.

 

thank you so much.

[Jaager]

2 hours ago, AntonioT said:

I thought that the natural way of gain experience is starting with kits and later go with scratch building.

 

Actually, that is my view of the progression too.  I think you have misread me.

I see kits as the gateway.  When I started, it was everyone for himself - find your own way.  Early 1970's.  There were hobby shops with owners who could help some with suggestions about subject choices.

I sought no help, so  I started with the Scientific kit for Sea Witch.  A clipper is a very poor choice for a first kit.  But the Scientific kits were not kits of serious models.  They were decorator models.  Simplistic in their components, and mostly impressionism when completed.  I did not realize that at the time.   Follow on was Eagle/Arrowsic  topsail schooner - a rewarding build - augmenting it lead me into scratch. 

 

The Shipwright Series of kits is a very gentle introduction that does not cost all that much.  It does not take long to get a finished product that provides positive feedback. 

Unless you have a professional background in fine woodworking or a youth or family involved in it,  starting with scratch is a long shot proposition. 

 

A factor here,  and one that I did not predict, is that a significant proportion of the members,  probably a high percentage - see kits as an end in themselves.  Their imaginations stop there.  I can see why this is so, given the very high attrition rate with scratch and the strong current fad of including internal structures that are hidden with a fully planked and decked model.  There is also a shared collegial aspect with the kit-centric community.  Scratch builders tend to be cantankerous, independent, and more than a bit eccentric.   There is probably a Masters if not a Doctorate in Psychology buried in defining the personality differences in these two groups.   

Edited July 31, 2023 by Jaager

[AntonioT]

2 hours ago, Jaager said:

 

Actually, that is my view of the progression too.  I think you have misread me.

I see kits as the gateway.  When I started, it was everyone for himself - find your own way.  Early 1970's.  There were hobby shops with owners who could help some with suggestions about subject choices.

I sought no help, so  I started with the Scientific kit for Sea Witch.  A clipper is a very poor choice for a first kit.  But the Scientific kits were not kits of serious models.  They were decorator models.  Simplistic in their components, and mostly impressionism when completed.  I did not realize that at the time.   Follow on was Eagle/Arrowsic  topsail schooner - a rewarding build - augmenting it lead me into scratch. 

 

The Shipwright Series of kits is a very gentle introduction that does not cost all that much.  It does not take long to get a finished product that provides positive feedback. 

Unless you have a professional background in fine woodworking or a youth or family involved in it,  starting with scratch is a long shot proposition. 

 

A factor here,  and one that I did not predict, is that a significant proportion of the members,  probably a high percentage - see kits as an end in themselves.  Their imaginations stop there.  I can see why this is so, given the very high attrition rate with scratch and the strong current fad of including internal structures that are hidden with a fully planked and decked model.  There is also a shared collegial aspect with the kit-centric community.  Scratch builders tend to be cantankerous, independent, and more than a bit eccentric.   There is probably a Masters if not a Doctorate in Psychology buried in defining the personality differences in these two groups.   

I understand, I just reread the initial message.
indeed, the mamoli model has many problems.
I will take into account the
brands that you suggest, thx
I have armed military vehicles and a Sergal clipper (thermophyla).
I have Corel's Mystique waiting for my decision to start it.
I really appreciate your messages and guidance.
These types of models require a lot of calm and determination so as not to let yourself be defeated by them...

Edited July 31, 2023 by AntonioT

[ERS Rich]

Hello Antonio and welcome to the World of Model Ships.  
 

Kits and Scratch building?  

 

Scratch build an entire ship.  

 

Add scratch built components to a kit.  

 

Every wood kit, even the simplest, requires skills used in scratch building.

 

Wood model shipbuilding, scratch or kit, is using a plan, and measuring, marking the wood, and removing the waste with a tool.  A saw, a rasp, a knife, a chisel, a file.

 

Kits save time by providing pre shaped parts, that even so, typically must be worked to final shape, and the wood stock: dowels that must be shaped into masts and spars, strip wood that must be cut into planks that must be spilled and tapered.  
 

What you do in your “shipyard” is up to you.  Like a real shipyard, your yard is an assembly point, which components come from kits (vendors in real life) or are scratch built by you (fabricated by the yard in real life) is up to you.

 

A motto here is better modeling through research.  The plan and the research bound creative imagination.  
 

Real creativity or imagination, is needed to devise ways to accomplish the work, to use tools and paint to transform a log, or a pile of wood components and stock, into a convincing rendering of the ship.

 

It’s all about skill and execution, in the end kit or scratch build doesn’t matter.

 

All the best.

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by ERS Rich
Added cantankerinity

[Jaager]

5 hours ago, AntonioT said:

he sold me these 2 books

Underhill probably had the most influence on me.  It is not just about scratch building.  Beyond the hull fabrication, - the framing,  what it has can be used to improve the various components that come with kits, too.  When you build the various parts of a ship from raw materials, instead of using the kit supplied parts, you are well on your way to becoming a scratch builder.  The final step makes you independent - except for obtaining suitable plans.  There are a finite number of them, but more than enough for several lifetimes.  That our subject is finite instead of open ended makes it approachable.  

[AntonioT]

2 hours ago, ERS Rich said:

Hello Antonio and welcome to the World of Model Ships.  
 

Kits and Scratch building?  

 

Scratch build an entire ship.  

 

Add scratch built components to a kit.  

 

Every wood kit, even the simplest, requires skills used in scratch building.

 

Wood model shipbuilding, scratch or kit, is using a plan, and measuring, marking the wood, and removing the waste with a tool.  A saw, a rasp, a knife, a chisel, a file.

 

Kits save time by providing pre shaped parts, that even so, typically must be worked to final shape, and the wood stock: dowels that must be shaped into masts and spars, strip wood that must be cut into planks that must be spilled and tapered.  
 

What you do in your “shipyard” is up to you.  Like a real shipyard, your yard is an assembly point, which components come from kits (vendors in real life) or are scratch built by you (fabricated by the yard in real life) is up to you.

 

A motto here is better modeling through research.  The plan and the research bound creative imagination.  
 

Real creativity or imagination, is needed to devise ways to accomplish the work, to use tools and paint to transform a log, or a pile of wood components and stock, into a convincing rendering of the ship.

 

It’s all about skill and execution, in the end kit or scratch build doesn’t matter.

 

All the best.

 

Thank you Rich. I will start with kits taking more care in research than follow instruction booklet.

 

thx

[ERS Rich]

7 hours ago, AntonioT said:

Thank you Rich. I will start with kits taking more care in research than follow instruction booklet.

Will you continue with the Puritan?  The hull looks ok.  Completion of any ship is a huge step.  
 

Checkout Tom Lauria’s channel on YouTube.  He recently posted videos of how he restored a ship, Emma C Berry, built from a kit that may be similar to yours.  Tom is an awesome mentor, his videos show how to do the work in simple practical ways.  
 

Find and study with the masters, they are here, the people doing the work, not just talking about it.  Lookup Mr. Kevin Kennedy. @Kevin Kenny

 

Next steps?  Learn how to sharpen a chisel and your tools.  Grab the book, https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Modeling-Simplified-Techniques-Construction/dp/0071558675.  Tips and techniques useful when building any ship.  
 

Look at Model Shipways, Armed Virginia Sloop and the practicum by Bob Hunt. https://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/product-page/armed-virginia-sloop
 

This practicum is remarkable, Bob shows how to rig every line.  And the kit is a larger scale and easy on older eyes.

 

Best

Edited July 31, 2023 by ERS Rich

[AntonioT]

8 hours ago, ERS Rich said:

Will you continue with the Puritan?  The hull looks ok.  Completion of any ship is a huge step.  
 

Checkout Tom Lauria’s channel on YouTube.  He recently posted videos of how he restored a ship, Emma C Berry, built from a kit that may be similar to yours.  Tom is an awesome mentor, his videos show how to do the work in simple practical ways.  
 

Find and study with the masters, they are here, the people doing the work, not just talking about it.  Lookup Mr. Kevin Kennedy. @Kevin Kenny

 

Next steps?  Learn how to sharpen a chisel and your tools.  Grab the book, https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Modeling-Simplified-Techniques-Construction/dp/0071558675.  Tips and techniques useful when building any ship.  
 

Look at Model Shipways, Armed Virginia Sloop and the practicum by Bob Hunt. https://www.lauckstreetshipyard.com/product-page/armed-virginia-sloop
 

This practicum is remarkable, Bob shows how to rig every line.  And the kit is a larger scale and easy on older eyes.

 

Best

thanks so much.

I order The book this morning.

I will try to finish puritan. I found a problem on the deck because there are one or two very uneven beams and I also have to remove the white paint from the interior since it has a lot of plaster... it will a very laborious job.
(I bought that boat in a small store on 1st street in Manhattan in a lonely area at 6 pm and we were almost robbed. A taxi driver off duty  saved us when he realized the situation) 

I will try to Finish it… we risked for it!! Haha

thank you for your kindness help

Antonio

[AntonioT]

Hi Rich,

I didn’t connected but I followed your advice and look my slow advance:

 

 

[AntonioT]

I removed old paint and sanded again, rebuilt some parts , etc.

 

thanks