Frigate Berlin 1675 by Morteness - Carta Augusto

[Morteness]

I recently started a new project - the Brandenburg Frigate Berlin. It is a kit I acquired some time ago, bought second hand in a bundle for a price to good to pass up. I paid €200 for these four kits:

 

 

 

[Morteness]

The Berlin by Carta Augusto appears to be a rare version, I’ve not been able to find any build log for this specific manufacturer. However, the Corel kit seems to be very similar.

 The ship itself looks promising. Both the design and the size are attractive. It’s not too big, like the 100 cannon ships-of-the-line like the Wasa or the Sovereign of the Seas. The Berlin has maximum 18 guns and the hull is 58 cm long. Very manageable.

The first impressions of the kit are both positive and negative: The sails are pre-sewn and appear nice. The flags are of a thin fabric and the print is good. Figures are cast metal and crisp. The brass-like coating will be replaced by paint I think. Overall impression of the fittings is comprehensive and of good quality.

On the negative side, there are a lot of plywood parts to be sawed… Only the frames are (not too precisely) precut. 
And the instructions are nonexistent - there are four big sheets of drawings. Good, precise drawings, but not quite adequate. I rely on other references and build logs.

[Morteness]

First dry testing: I made myself a building slip. It’s a copy of the Billing Boats slip, which seemed to do the job in terms of aligning the frames on the false keel. I’ve learned a lesson the hard way, you might say. A little inaccuracy at this stage will result in structural problems later on.