Hello everyone

S

shipbuilder

Joined
Jun 30, 2012
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Hello everyone.
Just joined today. I was aware of the site some time ago and had already sent in some model images that are currently shown on the site, but only noticed that a forum had appeared when I looked in today!
I am a miniaturist and my preferred subject is merchant ships built between about 1840 and 1965, but I am equally happy modeling both sail and steam, and usually alternate between them.
Some of you may remember me from MSW as I recognise a few names from there myself.
Bob
 
This is a miniature of the American whaler ESSEX that I built some time ago. Rather earlier than my preferred era, but I had just read "In The Heart Of The Sea" about the loss of this ship after being attacked by an enraged sperm whale. There was a plan in the book, so I built it!
Bob
essexlarge.jpg
 
Thanks Anja,
My wife paints the seas!
Here is one of my steamships, the British India liner KENYA. I am not really sure where to post things like this here, as there isn't a section for more modern ships.
Bob
kenyaresized.jpg
 
Thanks Anja,
The KENYA is 32'=1" and a comfortable scale to build to (for me). I don't really like building to larger scales. My present build, the cargo liner AMARNA (1949) is 20'=1" and is really a bit too big for my liking with a hull of 18 inches overall. I was hoping to complete it tomorrow, but my aerosol can of light brown paint seized up (although stil 3/4 full!) on the last 30 seconds of spraying the masts and derricks. Can't get another until Monday. I am building it specially for someone, hence the larger scale. But it is to be my last private commission and from now on, I will only be building small models at my normal scales, for my own enjoyment.
Bob
 
Well,
hello Bob ! Nice to have you join us. As always, your miniature builds are just fascinating !

Donnie
 
Welcome Bob:
Very nice miniture work. I like building in larger scale because of the additional detil you can include. Could not even imagine trying to rig a 17th century 100 gun ship that is only 18" long. I marvel at the detail a miniturist can get and your look great.
 
Hi Gary,
Thanks.
I couldn't rig a 100 gun ship-of-the line with a hull 18 inches long because it would be too big for me and I haven't the patience for all those knots. But I could do it easy enough if it was between about 6 or 12 inches long. I rig with fine wire and my models have no knots in them anywhere. The wire is stretched slightly with two small pairs of pliers. This makes it straight. It is then cut to the required length with a scalpel, picked up in the centre with tweezers, each end dipped in glue and placed in position. The ratlines are made from fine tinned copper wire soldered across the shrouds and then painted and fitted to the model.

I could not build a hull of 100-gun ship-of-the-line at any scale because I could not manage all the fancy decorations and guns etc.

Here is my four-masted iron full-rigged ship County of Roxburgh, built to a scale of 25'=1", but it is not the most complicated sailing ship that I have built. I have built the German five-masted steel-hulled full-rigged ship Preussen at the same scale.

All completely hand-built from copies of the original plans.

Bob
62large.jpg
 
Nice model. About how long do you spend making your models. One thing about small ships, they are easier and cheaper to put into a case. The last one I put in a case, just the 3/8" plastic sides and top cost almost $200.00.
 
The County of Roxburgh took 96 hours to build, spread over 51 days! That included making the display case and carrying case. The display case was not all that expensive. The acrylic was about £3 a square foot and the wood edging maybe £2 or so, but if you buy a ready-made display case, they cost a fortune!
County of Roxburgh was just made from bits & pieces, so the actual model did not cost much at all. The biggest expense was the adhesives and the acrylic!
Bob
 
Sjors
It is not all that difficult really. I went from 8'=1" to 32'=1" literally overninght in the arly 1970s. At the time, I was at sea and building large models was very inconvenient. I found the book Shipbuilding in Miniature, by Donald McNarry and found miniatures much easier from the start. All a matter of special tchniques.
Bob
 
Welcome

Wonderful work, probably should have plenty of nerve and a good eye for this kind of work. Very nice, neat, precise.

Barba
 
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