Mamoli

[VonHoldinghausen]

Hi mates!

 

I am looking for info/thoughts on Mamoli kits, especially the Surprise 1:75.

Just wondering as I really like the ship, and found a good price.

Conclusion: Is it any good? Included materials (woods) ok? Good plans?

 

Cheers!

[hamilton]

I've only build 1 mamoli kit so far - the Gretel - though I have another (Yacht America) on the shelf. I recall having to make a lot of adjustments to the bulkheads on the gretel to get a fair run of planks on the hull - their CNC parts were made of decent ply, but as I say they were not entirely accurate. I replaced almost all of the cast metal parts with scratch-built wooden ones, but this is a matter of taste, really. The wood supplied with the Gretel (and from what I can see the America, too) is very high quality - and I imagine that this is consistent with a higher end kit like the Surprise.

 

I see from your signature that you've got the MS Syren on the shelf - this is a very fine kit (I've got it too), though not much variety in the wood. Mamoli supplies more exotic woods, but suffers in the instructions/plans department. The Syren plans are far and away better than anything I've seen from Mamoli (as is generally the case with Model Shipways), and obviously Chuck's practicum is a much better user-guide than what is supplied with most kits from any manufacturer. The Gretel and America are both rather simple rigs, so the plans were adequate as far as that goes, and most of the rest you can kind of feel out. There are a lot of isomorphic drawings with measurements included rather than scale plans.

 

Others could say more I'm sure. Good luck

hamilton

[cdogg]

I have the Black Prince kit on the shelf, everything was good in the box.  The instructions are in large print format.  From what I have read on here the Mamoli kits get adjusted sometimes by the builder.  I contacted their customer service once and they were very helpful too.

[Ulises Victoria]

I am building Mamoli's 1/90 Royal Louis.

Mixed feelings.

Instructions are for advanced builders. Don't expect step by step instructions. But of course, this is not a kit for a beginner either.

Lots of metallic parts. Wood materials look excellent, except for some walnut strips that look like they were ripped instead of cut.

Bulkhead laser cut parts were cut very precisely, as there were just a few adjustments that had to be done, which I consider normal for a kit of this complexity.

Laser cut false decks were another area where more heavy adjustments had to be done.

 

Since I am just beginning this build, there isn't much more I can say about it at this time.

[Desert_Sailor]

I built the Surprise a few years ago. Straight forward build if you have some experience.. The hardest part was aligning the guns  and gun ports on lower gun deck..

 

You MUST put the ports in before planking  and then align the guns/cradles  BEFORE planking everything and installing the weather deck.  The cradles will NOT fit through the metal ports  after the fact  ( see photos) .. Once you clear the gun issue,

  patience is the watchword.

 

 

[robnbill]

I am building the Mamoli USS Constitution. I just completed the spars and will be starting the rigging. I have bashed the kit a bit. The cannons were not fully rigged so I ordered blocks and line from Chuck to do that. I also had to solder rings onto each of the cannon barrels for the breech lines. I also decided not to use the ship's boats supplied in the kit but chose to build my own plank on frame instead. The wood has been good although my kit is over 20 years old. One of the things I found I had to do, probably because of the age of the wood, is to coat the wood with CA if I were trying to make cannon ball racks, or belaying pin racks. The walnut is very brittle. Otherwise the wood would just split. Even going very slowly from a small size bit to larger.

 

Since I chose to paint the ship, the types of wood did not matter as much. However, I do like the color the Tanganyika stained to for the decking.

 

I should have discarded the metal parts to the stern galleries. They ended up cracking when shaping them to fit the stern. The radius in the gallery inserts were not the same even between the two, much less with the model's lines. SO I ended up using more epoxy than I should have to make them work. I have had to spend quite a bit of time trying to see if something needed me to build it or if it was supplied in the kit. I have not always been able to ascertain from the instructions what is supplied and what is left for me to build. An example of this is the capstan. What I found in the kit was just a spindle. So I pulled out my AOS and built the interior parts to go with it. Much later I found the small pieces for the capstan that were supplied, but mixed in with other parts. Since the instructions were not clear, I did not know to keep digging through the parts.

 

Overall, I found that I end up using this board, or other sources to decide how to build something since as it has been previously mentioned, the instructions are almost nil and sometimes are misleading. Since you already have a lot of experience building models, you should not have any problem with a Mamoli kit. Just go in with your eyes open and knowing you will end up bashing the kit or building it using the instructions as a suggested method, but be ready to fill in the details from your experience.

[VonHoldinghausen]

Thanks a lot!

As I get it the kit would be.. not top notch maybe, but overall rather nice.

Would for sure not be built right away Something for the future to look at from time to time.

- After all, one must have a little stash Just a few kits Maybe three.. Or 15

 

Cheers!

[mtdoramike]

Get to building that model, don't worry about it, you got's plenty of help around here so nap to it:) I have built a couple of mamoli  kits and like them. The plans are great, instructions are quite good depending on which level ship model kit you get, if it's for beginners or intermediate level the instruction will reflect this just as if you were building an advanced level kit. Use this as your guide which kit better suits your ability. But there are people all the time building advanced level kits with little to no experience.

 

Mamoli's wood is quite good depending on the price of the kits, I have found with kit manufactures, the cheaper the cost of the kit the cheaper the materials. I too built the Mamoli Constitution and ditched the metal galley stufdf and built my own from wood. 

[VonHoldinghausen]

I finally found another of my favorites at a very good price

The HMS Pegasus from Victory Models.

She is on her way now

She will be laying around in her wonderful box for a while though.

I'll have a glance at her from time to time I guess. Longing for her

My Syren has to be finished (and even started) first.

I really love the Swan class! Such gorgeous ladies!

Any suggestion on books to read on her and her likes in that class of ships?

 

Cheers!

[mtaylor]

The Swan class?   Seawatch Books.  Look for the "The Fully-Framed Model, HMN Swan Class Sloops" by David Antscherl.   There's 4 books on how to build one from scratch.  Theres's also a number of builds in the kit area for Pegasus and Fly and in the scratch area for Pegasus, Vulture, and Atalanta. 

[VonHoldinghausen]

I have seen those RATHER expensive books from Seawatch. They look wonderful for sure.

I'll have to consider them I guess..

I have thoroughly read the logs in the kits area here on the Swan class builds. Amazing all of them

The best resource ever I guess.

I'll have to check the scratch builds to of course. I always forget to look into the dark side of this place

Kind of a strange religion as it is

 

Cheers, Pontus

[gjdale]

Pontus,

 

While the Antscherl books may SEEM expensive, they represent extraordinary value for money as they are an excellent general reference book as well as a specific guide for the Swan class. They should be on the shelves of every serious modeller (right alongside Ed Tosti's Naiad books, which are also a treasure trove of information and advice).

Edited June 8, 2014 by gjdale

[VonHoldinghausen]

Thanks for the advice Grant.

I really think I might get those books.

I found a few on Ebay at a rather nice price.

How is winter down under? I guess you never see any snow?

I could send some

 

Cheers!

[gjdale]

Hi Pontus,

 

Glad to hear you might go ahead with these books. You won't regret the investment, regardless of whether you pick them up cheaply or pay full retail price for them.

 

Winter here is slowly taking hold. We do see snow here in Canberra from time to time - usually on the foothills in the distance but very occasionally in the back yard. The view of the foothills is my preferred way of experiencing snow - having read of the snow-shovelling exploits of some of our Canadian brethren, I'd like to keep it that way!

Edited June 9, 2014 by gjdale

[wq3296]

Greetings Von...

I have two Mamoli kits under my belt: Rattlesnake and the Caracca Atlantica. Both kits were very good in my opinion - no complaints. The wood is of good quality, drawings and instructions are suitable for even moderately experienced builders, and the metal components are of decent quality. If you are interested in building a ship that is different from the usual warship, the Caracca Atlantica is a good choice. Sails are provided with the kit and some of the wood components are pre painted.

 

wq3296

[jhughsonsr]

I really appreciate the input concerning Mamoli kits. I have my eye on the Surprise, having listened to most of Aurbry's adventures on talking books, and being able to visualize the ship through those stories. I have loved the old sailing ships since I was a kid, watching Errol Flynn and his swash bucklers. I am working my way through the Dapper Tom, and probably have another 6 months of rigging to complete. All of my prior ships have been modern warships such as Tamiya's Fletcher Class destroyer and USS Missouri. ttyl,

Jerry

[Waitoa]

Hi

 

I am building the Mamoli HMS Surprise and have started a build log. From what I understand it is their earlier model La Glorie with a few changes so it is not that close to the historical Surprise or that in the movie. That being said so far it has been fun to build. I think for the price and size it is a good buy and from some of the photos that are on the Web you can get an excellent result.

 

The general quality of the materials look good and the plans are pretty comprehensive. They are hard to follow in some parts so if you do go ahead it pays to read them three to four times before cutting things as I have made one or two mistakes already that I could have avoided. Hope that this is helpful as long as you get enjoyment out of the build that for me is the main thing.

 

James

[VonHoldinghausen]

Thanks for all kind help and info!

I ended up with the Pegasus though.

Found her at a nice price in Italy

   The kit looks absolutely GORGEOUS.

I will keep the Surprise in mind though A VERY nice looking ship imo. A favourite.

 

Cheers!

[marktiedens]

One more thing about Mamoli - be sure and inventory the kit. Every Mamoli kit I have done was short either wood or metal parts.

 

/Mark

[jhughsonsr]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

Jerry

[Ulises Victoria]

One more thing about Mamoli - be sure and inventory the kit. Every Mamoli kit I have done was short either wood or metal parts.

 

/Mark

Mark: Were you the one who said you did not get enough wood strips to finish the first planking of your Royal Louis?

I measured the widest bulkhead in my Royal Louis top to keel, and it is about 240 mm. Divided by 5mm width of the planks I'd need 48 strips of wood per side or 96 strips for both sides. I have 130 strips in my kit, so it's safe to assume I will get enough strips to finish the first planking. Maybe they are changing the amount of material in newer versions of the kit? My kit, however, came short of 2 sets of large wheels for gun carriages. No biggie as these will be hidden under another deck, but still...

[marktiedens]

Ulises - that was me. my kit had walnut & boxwood planking for the second layer of planking but there wasn`t enough of the boxwood to do even one side.As I recall the boxwood was supposed to be used between the whales.I had enough of the lime to do the first layer of planking.