Ship Modeling Simplified Part 1.pdf

PART I

Setting Up Shop

SELECTING A KIT

choices. Although all kits provide certain

basic materials, there are significant dif-

ferences in type and quality. Here are

some things to keep in mind when

making a selection.

Take a look at the models on display at

your local hobby shop. Manufacturers

worldwide have produced a huge vari-

ety of kits, and that's a good sign. You'll

have no shortage of new projects to take

on as you gain experience. But where

do you start?

An enthusiastic beginner looking for

his first model is confronted with a fas-

cinating, but very confusing, array of

MAKING YOUR CHOICE

Choose a model that catches your eye,

but heed the limits facing a first-timer.

Your decision will have a lot to do with

the mood you are in and the pleasure

you get from thinking about how the

finished model will look. Realistically,

though, as when choosing a new car, you

should consider several factors before

making the final decision. How much

money do you want to spend? How

much experience do you have? What

kind of display space will be available

for the finished model? What kind of ship

attracts you? Are the kits that interest you

of good quality? How much time can you

spend at the workbench?

Sound too involved? Well, it's not if

you're sensible. Think "simple" for your

first effort. Though you're looking for a

challenge, you're not looking for intense

frustration.

YOUR ABILITY

I have known many novices to buy kits

of the magnitude of the Sovereign of the

Seas, San Felipe, or Amerigo Vespucci —

ships with multiple decks, intricate or-

namentation, and complicated rigging

plans. They bought them, but they never

finished them. What I saw instead was

frustration, failure, and dejection — and,

of course, the abandonment of what

could have been a hap py and success-

ful pastime.

Choose a fairly small, simple, attrac-

tive but complete model, one that has a

bit of everything found in ships. Look for

a model with one deck, one or two masts

and simple rigging. A good example

would be a Baltimore Clipper from

around the time of the War of 1812, or a

fishing schooner such as Bluenose II.

Such a vessel will introduce the first-timer

to the art of building the hull (especially

the plank-on-bulkhead type). You'll

plank decks and build deck fixtures

(gratings, pumps, binnacles, fife rails and

pin rails, winches, capstans, ladders). If

you choose a Baltimore Clipper you'll

learn how to cut gunports and how to

assemble and rig guns in place. You'll

move on to building and rigging simple

spars and masts. Such a model, in other

words, will be sufficiently complex to

teach you many basic skills, but not so

much so that you never receive the sat -

isfaction of successfully completing it.

Some good kits that are simple

enough for beginners include Lynx, Gla-

dis, and Dallas by Pan Art; Bluenose II,

Harvey, and Mare Nostrum by Artesania

Latina; Flying Fish by Corel; America by

Mamoli; and Dandy II by Dikar.

PHOTO 1. A beginner's nightmare. The stern

ornamentation, the sheer of the hull, and the

multiple gun decks of the San Felipe spell

disaster for a first-time builder.

THE COST

It's always a good idea to shop around

before actually purchasing a kit: There's

a wide range of prices out there reflect-

ing quality, size, and production costs.

Prices vary from manufacturer to manu-

facturer for the same ship. For instance,

four or five manufacturers offer kits of

the Constitution at four or five different

prices. Throw in the vast differences

among hobby retailers and you can see

the need for comparison shopping.

My advice for a modeler looking for

his first project: Don't spend more than

$150.

When you get to the hobby shop,

bring with you all these considerations

PHOTO 2. The simple hull line and rigging plan of the schooner Bluenose II

allow a beginner to learn and refine basic planking and rigging skills. The

exposed section shows the first layer of planking.

as well as your checkbook or charge

card. Leave some of your enthusiasm at

home where it will be waiting for you

when you arrive with your purchase. A

cool, knowledgeable shopper who

knows what he wants is the most likely

to get it.

to the types of models I've recommended

and go with whatever scale the manu-

facturer has decided to use.

Still, it's important to understand

what scale is. Scale is expressed as a ratio:

maybe 1/50 or 1:25 or 1/96. What does

that mean?

Say we're talking about a model in

which 1/4 inch represents one foot on

the full-size ship. The scale might be

called a 1/4-inch scale or, more likely, a

1:48 scale (1 foot — that's 12 inches —

divided by 1/4 inch equals 48); they're

both the same. In 1:48 scale the 143-foot

Bluenose II would be 35 1/2 inches long.

But there are other scales — and the

SCALE

Kits come in a number of scales — a way

of comparing the size of the model with

the size of the real ship. Scale will be-

come more important as you refine your

modeling skills. For now it's not some-

thing to worry a great deal about. Stick

matter is complicated further by Euro-

pean kits, which use ratios expressed in

metric dimensions. Let's save ourselves

some headaches and compare three

common scales.

• A 1:96 scale is similar to a 1/8-inch

American scale: one foot on the full-

size ship is represented by 1/8 inch

or about 3 mm. (A three-foot-high

bulwark on the full-size ship would

be 3/8 inch or 9 mm on your model.)

• A 1:75 metric scale is similar though

not equivalent to a 3/16-inch Ameri-

can scale: one foot on the full-size

ship is represented by 3/16 inch or

4.5 mm. (A three-foot high bulwark

on the full-size ship would be 9/16

inch or 13.5 mm on your model.)

• A 1:48 scale is equivalent to a 1/4-inch

American scale: one foot on the full-

size ship is represented by 1/4 inch

or about 6 mm. (A three-foot-high

bulwark on the full-size ship would

be 3/4 inch or 18 mm on your

model.)

PHOTO 3. Universal ruler. The metric and the

inch scales face each other in the center—

no calculations necessary.

you have an American kit, think inches

and feet.

Sometimes you will need to convert

a measurement from inches to metric or

vice versa — and that takes time. I have

a way around that problem, a little gadget

I call my universal ruler. Go to an art

supply store and find two rulers, one in

inches and the other in metric — pref-

erably one with a righthand scale and

one with a lefthand scale.

If you can't find a righthand ruler,

cover the numbers on one ruler with

masking tape and re-write them from

right to left. With the metric and inch

scales facing each other, glue the two

rulers to a wooden base. Instant conver-

sion.

Don't think in abstract terms; apply

the scales to real-life situations and your

experience will be painless.

METRIC vs. INCHES . This brings up

another mildly troublesome problem.

When you're working with a European

kit do you try to convert everything to

inches? If you want to make extra work

for yourself go ahead. If you've pur-

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN

A MODEL

You don't have to be an expert to choose

a good kit. All you have to do is look at

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