Learning Ship Modeling One Wrong Step at a Time: Hello, I am new here.

[TheWanderingGatherer]

Hi, my name is Alexa and I am new. I am in my mid 30s, currently live in Norway, and I am very interested in the Heroic Age of Antarctic (and Arctic) exploration. I know nothing about sailing, boats, or woodworking. In fact, this is why I am interested in models, when I read about Nansen, Amundsen, Scott, and Shackleton, I want to understand more.

I started thinking about models a year ago when I saw that I could buy a kit of my favorite ship, Fram. I came to the forums a bit, saw how long it takes, how many people give up, and felt discouraged. Then Fram was heavily discounted and I got it for myself for Christmas. How could I say no? It's the OcCre one, including paint and lights.

I saw that everyone recommended starting with a quicker, easier model, and since I did not want to ruin Fram (my beloved), I ordered the cheapest (and cutest) model I could find on Amazon. I now think it's a knockoff, but it did the job. You can see it bellow. 

Here is what I learned. Hope you will find this amusing.

1. Terrible instructions. They actually made me feel better, because it felt acceptable to make mistakes, since it was impossible to get it right with no experience. I did research on the internet a bit, but after a few weeks I got into a bad loop of not being able to start because I did not know enough, I had no tools, no space. Hence why I pushed through and decided to just go for it and accept the mistakes. Done is better than perfect (for the Amazon model. Fram will, of course, be the very definition of perfection, right?).
2. I was too eager to paint. I wanted to paint everything, all the time, even before gluing. Sometimes I did. Watercolor was not ideal. Why did I watercolor the planks too? Maybe I should mention my main hobby is painting.
3. I did not measure the angles for the hull, had no tools, and hoped my eye is good enough. Let’s say the final shape is very unique and twisted. This created a lot of problems that I had to fix, and I am glad I noticed and understood them (after the fact).
4. For some reason, I started with superglue. I did not have clamps yet and was trying to work fast. I learned to slow down. I ruined a lot of small details too and had to remake them from scratch.
5. Planking was an experience. I could not, for the love of any god, make it nice, clean, and without holes. Maybe not enough water? Planks not flexible enough? I filled everything with crack filler, sanded it a million times, and added paint (acrylic this time). At least it has no holes now. I am sure worse ships can still float.
6. Planking again. How do people hold the planks? I did not have little nails, and the small pins I used splintered the planks badly. Maybe it was too small. I need far more research here. I tried rubber bands; they also got glued to the model and were hard to remove. Later, I used superglue in places to keep it down when I could find no other solution. The model is probably 10% superglue, if I am honest. My fingers are 40% superglue.
7. I added many details myself. Rope holding the elements, metal paint. I painted the interior of the cabin even though I know nobody will see it. It was my favorite part. I could do this forever.
8. No sails. The instructions were so bad that I could not even understand how to start. I might still try, after more research.

I did not record how long it took, but probably a good few days (weeks?) of continuous work. It was a fun experiment in problem solving and learning new skills. I now understand the tutorials better, and I hope I am slightly better equipped for the real deal. I also have more tools, and best of all, I am still interested in starting Fram. I don't know if I will ever finish, but listening to an audiobook and working on the model was quite fun. Even if I lose interest by summer, I think half a model is better than just browsing the net.

So hello everyone! I would love to hear silly (or not so silly) mistakes you did and how you fixed them! I struggle with instructions a bit, since I would love a bit more detail about the "why," so all my research is taking a long time and keeping me from starting.

[Baker]

Your first model looks very good. 

Good luck with the next one.

[Ronald-V]

Welcome to MSW! I really like your topic title  

 

Ship modeling is indeed a hobby you have to experience to get better at (with many things, of course), and it sounds like you've already learned a lot with your first model! You've already made it beautifully. I hope you enjoy reading and building here.

[vvvjames]

Welcome Alexa and well done on your first model! As for the planking question, I used pins that came with the kit on my Occre build and didn't have too much splinting, but pre-bending your planks might be enough to not have to use pins at all. Would highly recommend the planking tutorials by Chuck here on the forum. 

Also, side note, you should watch the show "Terror" (or read the book) it seems right up your alley. I'll keep an eye out for your build log of the Frame:)

[Keith Black]

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

[TheWanderingGatherer]

38 minutes ago, Ronald-V said:

Welcome to MSW! I really like your topic title  

 

Ship modeling is indeed a hobby you have to experience to get better at (with many things, of course), and it sounds like you've already learned a lot with your first model! You've already made it beautifully. I hope you enjoy reading and building here.

Thank you for the welcome! Looking forward to get more glue on my fingers.

 

32 minutes ago, vvvjames said:

Welcome Alexa and well done on your first model! As for the planking question, I used pins that came with the kit on my Occre build and didn't have too much splinting, but pre-bending your planks might be enough to not have to use pins at all. Would highly recommend the planking tutorials by Chuck here on the forum. 

Also, side note, you should watch the show "Terror" (or read the book) it seems right up your alley. I'll keep an eye out for your build log of the Frame:)

I never considered to open my Fram and use the kit. Did not see if it comes with pins or not! Now that you mention it, it might even have a better instruction book for the other elements...

Yes "Terror" is on my to watch list. I think it is only on Prime, so I have to hunt around a bit. Saw quite a few documentaries and it's a fitting story for a horror series.

[ubjs]

Welcome I'm also keen on Fram but I've already collected too many kits. 
I have Bowdoin in my pile, an Arctic schooner built in 1921, Bluejacket is the manufacturer of that model.
If you haven't tried it yet, I think you should get an electric plank bender. 
It solved my biggest problems with bending the planks.
Then I want to recommend this builder's videos, she has a lot of interesting tips.

 

[ccoyle]

Welcome aboard, Alexa!

 

A couple of observations, based on your comments:

• Avoid kits on platforms like Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc., until you have become better acquainted with what's available out there. Especially avoid kits coming from China; this is not a blanket condemnation of all Chinese kits (some are quite good), but unfortunately for right now China is a hotbed of kits that are either of very poor quality (as you have experienced), are stolen intellectual property (quite commonplace -- see the list of banned manufacturers here) or both. Of course, you already have your next project in hand, so you can just file this recommendation away for future reference.
• You seem to have a very good command of English, so if you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend the book Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini (this item you can safely purchase from Amazon, and it is available in both print and digital formats). The book is a bit dated, but it is still a very good introduction to the world of wooden model ship kits. It will suggest solutions to many of the issues you listed.
• ALL of us have made mistakes on our models, even the masters of the craft! It's just part of the learning curve, so don't let any fear of mistakes paralyze you into inaction. It's a hobby, so enjoy it!

Cheers!

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[TheWanderingGatherer]

1 hour ago, ubjs said:

Welcome I'm also keen on Fram but I've already collected too many kits. 
I have Bowdoin in my pile, an Arctic schooner built in 1921, Bluejacket is the manufacturer of that model.
If you haven't tried it yet, I think you should get an electric plank bender. 
It solved my biggest problems with bending the planks.
Then I want to recommend this builder's videos, she has a lot of interesting tips.

 

Thank you! An electric plank bender is on my list. Sparse offerings here, might have to order from Amazon again and pay any import tax. Do you have a recommended model? 

[druxey]

Your first model looks pretty good despite all the mistakes you mentioned! Welcome aboard. 

 

We all learn from many mistakes. Fortunately there is plenty of good advice and also tutorials on this site that will help you. Have fun.

[TheWanderingGatherer]

24 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

Welcome aboard, Alexa!

 

A couple of observations, based on your comments:

• Avoid kits on platforms like Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc., until you have become better acquainted with what's available out there. Especially avoid kits coming from China; this is not a blanket condemnation of all Chinese kits (some are quite good), but unfortunately for right now China is a hotbed of kits that are either of very poor quality (as you have experienced), are stolen intellectual property (quite commonplace -- see the list of banned manufacturers here) or both. Of course, you already have your next project in hand, so you can just file this recommendation away for future reference.
• You seem to have a very good command of English, so if you can get your hands on a copy, I highly recommend the book Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini (this item you can safely purchase from Amazon, and it is available in both print and digital formats). The book is a bit dated, but it is still a very good introduction to the world of wooden model ship kits. It will suggest solutions to many of the issues you listed.
• ALL of us have made mistakes on our models, even the masters of the craft! It's just part of the learning curve, so don't let any fear of mistakes paralyze you into inaction. It's a hobby, so enjoy it!

Cheers!

Yes, lesson learned. The amazon one is 100% a Chinese fake, nonsense photos, extra elements that are never mentioned and some elements that I think are missing. The real model seems quite nice, but harder to find. This lovely fishing ship is very, very copied.

Ship Modeling Simplified sounds perfect, thank you very much for the recommendation. I had it saved from a few weeks ago but did not know if it was worth it. I was also looking at Planking Techniques for Model Ship Builders and The Art of Rigging. 

[ccoyle]

5 minutes ago, TheWanderingGatherer said:

I was also looking at Planking Techniques for Model Ship Builders and The Art of Rigging. 

Planking Techniques is more a compilation of descriptions of different planking methods and not a how-to guide. The other book I'm not familiar with.

[Bomber_County]

Welcome to MSW, I’m also new, there is lots to learn. 

[ubjs]

An electric plank bender is a simple design so I don't know if the Chinese can fail even with one.
Amati and Occre sell the tool.
I don't know how complicated it is to trade from Norway with EU countries.
In Sweden there is 
https://www.modellhobby.se/sv/batbyggare/87484-amati-electric-plank-bender-amati7205.html
In Germany 
https://www.krickshop.de/Tools-Materials/Tools/Electric-Tools.htm?shop=krick_e&a=catalog&p=388