Large model sailing ship

[Lons]

I've been doing some favours for my daughter's friend and she very kindly gifted me an old unused kit that belonged to her late husband, I've often considered buying a kit so looking forward to the project but the damn instructions are in Italian and German neither of which I can speak so it's going to be a long, long build. :shock:
I've emailed Corel in Italy and will trawl the net for English instructions otherwise it's a scan and translate operation, if I can remember how to do it.

Very nice gift though my wife's first question was "where the hell are you going to put it?" ....Well it will be more than 800 mm in length :eusa-dance:

Damn the pics are upside down :?

 

[StevieB]

An English warship with instructions in Italian and German I am going to guess it is plank on frame and most of the parts such as ribs and decks are laser cut? If so you should be able to do most of this from the pictures. The hull planks will probably need to be soaked before applying and they will still spring away from the hull while the glue is drying. I would recommend pins (of the sewing variety) to hold them in place. The rigging may be a pain without instructions, it depends how good the pictures are.

Many years ago while studying for my PhD I made a Billing's wooden ship from a kit like this, great fun but I had zero skills back then, built it on the dining room table of my rented flat and it probably looked a right state, but I cannot for the life of me remember what I did with it - it was definitely finished as I remember doing the rigging and sails :eusa-think:

Best of luck with the model - hope your turns out better than mine did!

EDIT: I was curious enough to do a bit of internet searching and came across this - it seems this is not a direct replica of a single ship, but several, and that customisation is encouraged. Be warned however, some of these builds seem to take decades! Lots of photos which may be useful for you.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/515-hm ... 8-to-1771/

 

[Lons]

Thanks Steve that is very interesting indeed, I certainly suspect this kit goes back to the 70s/80s so maybe never had an English version.
I built model aircraft from plans decades ago so not too concerned and am comfortable that I came make up shortfalls in parts if any as the plans are full size, there are a couple of videos on youtube as well so I won't rush into it, seems not too difficult to translate scanned docs as well.

 

[AndyP]

I've turned the images around for you. There is plenty of info on the posting images thread here:-
http://www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk/viewtopi ... =30&t=2850

You can edit your posts by saving the image back to your device, rotating it, then uploading it again. Which is what I have just done for you.

If you insert the images rather than leave them as attachments they will not appear with that awful white border around them.

Back to the ship. Good luck with that. When you have finished it you will want to build a glass case to put it in and keep the dust off. When next visiting I will try and remember to take a picture of the one my father made a few years back .

 

[Mike G]

My goodness, Bob, do you know what you've taken on? It could take you longer to build that model than it has for me to build/ rebuild my house. I really hope you can do a WIP on this. It would be fascinating to see how modelmaking on this scale compares with the real thing, having watched 2 epic boat builds for the last 3 or 4 years. Best of luck with it.

 

[Woodbloke]

You want to try scratch building a miniature version of that and sticking it a whiskey bottle. It's hard...very hard especially on the eyes.

The bigger issue with this large model is displaying it. One assumes of course that SWIMBO is up for the dusting? :lol: A nice glass showcase would absolve her of that task - Rob

 

[droogs]

Wow, not seen that kit for many years. Worth around £300 now. The Unicorn along with the Eagle and the Endeavour sat on the top shelf my local model shop all through my childhood and I lusted after them something rotten.I asked for one of them every year even as a joint birthday and xmas prezzie. but never got them though as they cost a fortune even then. I did get the yacht Scotland though and loved making that.

You have a cracking kit there and to do well will probably take up your evenings for the next couple of years. have a lot of fun and please do give us a WIP.

I believe the Piganni ship in bits magazine used a Corel model for the series. I hope you build yours quicker than the 5 years it took to get all the bits from them

 

[Lons]

Thanks Andy, much appreciated.

Mike, I hadn't realised how long it might take until I read the thread that Steve linked to, I won't have that many decades left available to me. :shock: Those guys are seriously dedicated to accurate detail and kit modifications however while my intention is to make it from the kit as best I can and if the details aren't exact that's Corel's fault.

Not a cat in hell's chance that my missus would dust it and the only place for it would be in my study. I offered it back once completed to the lady who gifted it to me but she refused saying all she wanted was a photo. Now I know why. :eusa-think:
Miniature in a bottle is way beyond my skill set Rob

 

[Lons]

You have a cracking kit there and to do well will probably take up your evenings for the next couple of years. have a lot of fun and please do give us a WIP.

I'm in shock, when I brought it home I was thinking maybe a few months over the winter :shock: I think my desk is going to be occupied for a long time.

I lusted after kits as well when I was a kid Alan, I can't remember which ones were available but couldn't afford any of them, the model aircraft were all made directly on to plans using standard balsa and spruce so relatively cheap, I can still smell the balsa glue when I think of them. :lol:

 

[Lons]

I emailed Corel in Italy late last night and have just received a brief reply with English instructions attached, all they said was that "it's a really old kit". 10 out of 10 for service. :eusa-clap:

 

[Woodbloke]

Miniature in a bottle is way beyond my skill set Rob

I had a brief phase of doing these around twenty years ago when I was bereft of a workshop:

This is a pair of brigantines in a race, one flying the Red Duster and the other the Stars n' Stripes. Guess who's winning?



One SIB is difficult; two in the same bottle was 'tricky'. When you get into this thing as I did, you find out rapidly that a sailing 'ship' must have at least three masts and be square rigged on all of them and a sailing vessel only has one 'rope.' There's a carved and painted figure head on each vessel together with boats hung from davits - Rob

 

[Alf]

I emailed Corel in Italy late last night and have just received a brief reply with English instructions attached, all they said was that "it's a really old kit". 10 out of 10 for service. :eusa-clap:

That's very impressive. If the model's half as good as the service, you should have a very enjoyable build ahead of you.

Must admit I had a nagging tug of memory seeing this kit in the Harrods toy department back in my extreme youth, and being much taken with it. But if it's really old then I couldn't possibly have. :eusa-shifty:

 

[novocaine]

oh god, what have you done. do you know how much that was worth BNIB, you've just destroyed your kid's inheritance*.

*fuck em.

Just kidding.

 

[Woodbloke]

It's also an exceptionally good day to post a thread about a British warship, albeit a model; 216 years ago today, at around this time, Admiral Lord Nelson was in the thick of the Battle of Trafalgar and may even have been mortally wounded on board HMS Victory - Rob

 

[novocaine]

It's also an exceptionally good day to post a thread about a British warship, albeit a model; 216 years ago today, at around this time, Admiral Lord Nelson was in the thick of the Battle of Trafalgar and may even have been mortally wounded on board HMS Victory - Rob

"Kiss me Hardy"

yes yes, I know, not true, made up, false. but it's fun and much more interesting than "at least I have done my duty".

 

[AndyP]

Bob,
Here is Le Hussard. My father built it and the cabinet about 15 years ago. He choose not to add the sails.
The cabinet was simply off the shelf mouldings cut to size and glued to the glass.

HTH

 

[Lons]

Thanks Andy, that's impressive. The case must be heavy with glass I think if I got that far I'd use Perspex though and the case in itself could be a nice little project I might need after the complexities of a ship.