Suggestions please.

[Son of a Manxman]

Hi all. I am new to modelling and even newer to Model Ship World, so hi.

I have already made the Billing Boats Roar Ege 1/25 scale (took me over 20 years, but there was a large gap) and now want to look at my next build. I prefer to work with wood and quite enjoyed the planking of my Roar Ege. I made mistakes and probably bit off more than I could chew, so I thought I would consult yourselves. What would you suggest my next build be? 

Edited 10 hours ago by Son of a Manxman
Added photo

[palmerit]

I always recommend Vanguard Models: https://vanguardmodels.co.uk/

 

They have a wide range of kits. With just one build under your belt, I'd still recommend the Novice kits (or the Amateur if you're up for a challenge). I've done the Sherbourne (an armed cutter) and Ranger (a fishing boat) and am currently building the Zulu 'Lady Isabella'. The materials are fantastic. The engineering is so much better than the other models I've built (from Model Shipways and Midwest, now from the same company), and the instructions are wonderful. With the Model Shipways and Midwest models, a lot of the time is spent trying to understand the instruction, get past mistakes in the instructions or materials, figuring out how to make something work that seemingly defies the laws of physics. With Vanguard you can focus on just building the model to the next level of your abilities.

 

There are other model kit manufacturers that others might recommend that I have not built. I'd like to try a Bluejacket model sometime since they're highly recommended. I have an Occre in my stash but I'm gathering from other builds that their instructions are not the best. There are kits like Billings Boats that I don't think really give much of any instructions for many of their models.

 

The Vanguard and Bluejacket owners both contribute to this site a lot - they sometimes jump in to answer questions or give a thumbs up when someone is building one of their kits. Chuck Passaro designed some of the kits for Model Shipways (I have his Syren in my stash) but now has his own company (Syren Ship Model Company) and contributes here a ton. I don't even know if there is a model builder working for Model Shipways / Expo / Midwest and I don't know if they've actually put out a newly-designed kit of their own in years - right now they're reissuing Midwest models that they bought out, and not really changing much about them, retaining instructions written decades ago that don't always match the materials they supply; I've read that they might be doing some updates of some of their own model kits.

Edited 10 hours ago by palmerit

[ccoyle]

13 minutes ago, Son of a Manxman said:

What would you suggest my next build be?

 

The answer to that question depends in large measure on what kinds of ships tickle your fancy. Men-of-war or merchantmen? Lots of rigging or little? Ancient or modern? Knowing what you like will help narrow the field of candidates.

[Gregory]

The Model Shipways Shipwright 3 Kit Combo Series with Tools, Glue and Paint might be a good place to start.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Chris is right - in that warships with lots of guns have gunports, carriages, and tackle to fiddle with (in addition to everything else).  Clippers have tons of rigging, although one can build one in harbor with only standing rigging.  You did well with the Roar Ede (1:25), so you could consider its "big brother" - the Billings 1:25 Oseberg (current edition).

  Artisania Latina has a 1:75 Bluenose II (there are a couple MSW build logs of it) that is a good compromise between modeling in either too small or too large a scale - something to consider for compatibility with your dexterity level ... also the space available for display (don't forget to think about the size of the case if you don't want your model to become a dust collector).

  Occer has a similar scale kit of the Endurance (several build logs on MSW ... ranging from an "out of the box" build to one with many enhancements), which is readily planked and doesn't have too complicated rigging.
  These moderately priced kits can be easily enhanced by using scale rope (aftermarket or self-made) and better blocks and 3-D railings where needed.

[Son of a Manxman]

3 hours ago, palmerit said:

3 hours ago

 

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[Son of a Manxman]

Thank you for all that information, lots of food for thought there.

palmerit: I will have a better look at Vanguard, look good on quick glance. Have fun with Lady Isabella.

Chris: Your right, I only mentioned that I enjoyed the planking. I think I would prefer ancient with as little rigging as possible, or at least ones with better instructions than the Roar Ege for the rigging.

Gregory: That 3 kit combo looks really good for the price. I like the way they step up in skill level.

Johnny: I did quite fancy the Oseberg, or maybe another try at the Roar Ege. It's just that I am recently retired and looking at a few 'hobbies', and cost is an issue. I do like the fact that modelling can be done inside in winter. I don't have the luxury of a heated workshop. Oh! My workshop is the garage - big door and cold.

[Son of a Manxman]

Thanks Phil🙂

[Knocklouder]

This is the place to be, so many choies , every kit is an adventure? You won't go wrong with a Vanguard Model. River boats are fun , small amout of rigging,  the Sea  of Galilee  boat by  Scott Miller will test your planking skills, but it is a fun build, maybe a ship in a bottle. 

  Good luck on your journey,  what ever you pick MSW will help when you ask.  Lol

Bob  M.

[Keith Black]

3 hours ago, Son of a Manxman said:

I think I would prefer ancient with as little rigging as possible, or at least ones with better instructions than the Roar Ege for the rigging.

 Welcome to MSW. Sternwheelers have almost zero rigging.    Glad to have you aboard.   

[Jim Lad]

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

 

John

[RVB]

Welcome! Some words of advice. What ever you finally decide on don’t get overwhelmed with the complexity even an amateurs kit. Treat each small section of the build as a separate model. If you look at the entire build all at once you will get discouraged and it will end up like your first build (20 years and then some). I like Gregory’s suggestion of Model Shipways  3 ship combo by Midwest. I built the Lobster Smack as a filler while working on the Amati Bluenose. It was a fun and enjoyable build. It is classified as a level 3. Seeing your Roar Ege you can definitely handle it (by the way your build was very nice) and most likely enjoy it. It is also a nice looking model when finished and it doesn’t take a lifetime to build. What ever you choose there are modelers here at MSW that are glad to help when needed. Whatever—-ENJOY—
As Always Best Rick (RVB) 

[RVB]

1 hour ago, Keith Black said:

 Welcome to MSW. Sternwheelers have almost zero rigging.    Glad to have you aboard.   

Building Model Shipways Pilot Boat #1and it is just about devoid of rigging also. 

[palmerit]

The Vanguard Zulu 'Lady Isabella' - what I'm building now - has minimal rigging. Probably not much more than the boat you built. On Vanguard's web site you can download the manual to see how it's built. You can also download most manuals on Model Expo (Model Shipways and Midwest). Some other model manufacturers also make their manuals available online. They'll often also come with plans that won't be available online.

 

I also built the Model Shipways Shipwright Series. I actually started building them mid-way into building my Vanguard Sherbourne. I wanted to get some experience with simpler models before getting to the rigging on the Sherbourne. The Dory has no rigging, the Pram just a tiny bit, the Smack probably as much as the Vanguard Zulu 'Lady Isabella'. They're a nice experience. They are quite a bit different from building plank-on-bulk types of models.