So I bought this kit in 1992 and completed the model in 1993. I did a really poor job of rigging the ship with full sails. Overall it looked decent to the layman from 3 feet away but was really lacking in the detail department. It didn’t even have deadeyes where the ratlines attached and the ratlines, life boats and sails came from a plastic kit.
After several years on the top of the entertainment center, my wife decided to re-decorate. The Constitution went to the garage where I stripped the sails and rigging and left it sit on a shelf.
Fast forward 26 years or so from the initial build and here’s what I have to work with.
Hull - She’s pretty dusty, but for the most part I think the hull is sound. I was happy with that part of the build years ago, and still am as far as the copper plating on the hull, which is actually wood. I don’t want to go as far as reconstructing the hull with copper. I have a new kit of this I picked up off ebay a few years ago for $125, so I could build a new one but don’t want too. What I would like to do with the hull is any relatively easy modifications that would improve the look and or realism without getting real carried away. Meaning painting the bulwarks, and canon carriges, blackening anchor chains , putting windows in the transom is the kind of improvements I’d like to make. I’d also like to add the white woodwork on the bow that a lot of the other kits have, though I may build that from plastic. I don’t even know where to start on how to get the shapes for that.
Masting – The yard arms IMO are junk, but I think the masts are salvageable. This isn’t going to be even close to a master crafted model so I’m planning on most likely doing furled sails made from tissue paper like I did on my HMS Victory cross section because it’s a look I like even if it isn’t realistic.
Though to be honest I don’t know if it’s realistic or not.
The end goal is to have a nice looking display piece. I didn’t put it in the thread title but this was actually the first wood ship I finished building so It does have some sentimental value to me, I expect it will end up in my office at work once it’s back to presentable.
Definitely interested opinions and ideas of things that people think would be worth doing, that aren’t to the point that it would make more sense to start over.
After several years on the top of the entertainment center, my wife decided to re-decorate. The Constitution went to the garage where I stripped the sails and rigging and left it sit on a shelf.
Fast forward 26 years or so from the initial build and here’s what I have to work with.
Hull - She’s pretty dusty, but for the most part I think the hull is sound. I was happy with that part of the build years ago, and still am as far as the copper plating on the hull, which is actually wood. I don’t want to go as far as reconstructing the hull with copper. I have a new kit of this I picked up off ebay a few years ago for $125, so I could build a new one but don’t want too. What I would like to do with the hull is any relatively easy modifications that would improve the look and or realism without getting real carried away. Meaning painting the bulwarks, and canon carriges, blackening anchor chains , putting windows in the transom is the kind of improvements I’d like to make. I’d also like to add the white woodwork on the bow that a lot of the other kits have, though I may build that from plastic. I don’t even know where to start on how to get the shapes for that.
Masting – The yard arms IMO are junk, but I think the masts are salvageable. This isn’t going to be even close to a master crafted model so I’m planning on most likely doing furled sails made from tissue paper like I did on my HMS Victory cross section because it’s a look I like even if it isn’t realistic.
Though to be honest I don’t know if it’s realistic or not.
The end goal is to have a nice looking display piece. I didn’t put it in the thread title but this was actually the first wood ship I finished building so It does have some sentimental value to me, I expect it will end up in my office at work once it’s back to presentable.
Definitely interested opinions and ideas of things that people think would be worth doing, that aren’t to the point that it would make more sense to start over.