boat size

[Paul BeeneyParticipant @paulbeeney58354]

Hi all can i have some general advice please i am struggling with the boat i am building due to sight problems its a small boat and parts are small to see and handle if i buy a large model next time will parts be larger to handle so easy to see but will it be more complex has it will be only my second build

Thanks Paul

[Paul BeeneyParticipant @paulbeeney58354]

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Paul,

If you were to build at a larger scale say 1/12th which is 1" = 1' the parts would be much larger and relatively less fiddly/complex, really depends on the type of vessel you want to build next ? give us a clue we maybe able to suggest something.

Regards Ray

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i gave up building 1;48 th and 1;32 scale model tugs and trawlers some years ago because of arthritis in my fingers and back, and moved over to model lifefoats at 1;12th scale…………this was in 1995, and apart from 3 models at smaller scale between them and now i have never looked back..

i still put as much effort into building smaller scale models……….but it just took me much longer to build.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 31/10/2021 17:08:19

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I am afraid that the larger the scale, the more numerous will be the detail items.

What you need to build are stand-off scale vessels, which can look very effective but not be festooned with tiny detail items ?????

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

At whatever scale you are working with you can still take the detail to the level that suits you. Larger scales may have some bigger bits but they will include details that smaller scales may leave out.

Your best approach is to decide on what size of model suits you from the perspective of lifting it and space in the car etc, then decide on what level of detail to incorporate.

Also worth considering is that certain types of vessel tend to have less detail than others. A warship will always have lots of detail opportunities no matter what the scale but something along the lines of a cabin cruiser will tend to have less.

[Malcolm FraryParticipant @malcolmfrary95515]

With eyesight not what it was and fingers seemingly getting bigger as time goes on, my natural tendency has been to operational models. Changing weather has helped with the decision. Not much detail, choice of size of fittings, and sailboats get better with a bit more breeze.

As others have noted, detail is independent of scale – larger scales mean that more smaller details get added. If looking to do a model that stands out in a crowd, or in a show, there is the same proportion of fiddly little bits on a big project. But because it is bigger, lots more of them. It's a fractal thingy – the closer you look, the more there is to see. Or make and fit. Cabin cruisers can get by very well on finish and presence on the water, but wanting every possible detail can result in a lot of detail work.

An evil offspring of mine bought me a couple of those metal puzzle type model kits a few Christmases ago. I was very glad that I had a loupe to clip on to my specs frame. And tweezers and very pointy pliers and a good bench light.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

All true advice.

Larger scale models demand more detail to be added. Warships are a good example.

The 6 foot destroyer I have (which I didn’t build!) has railings all the way round for a start, and on a model that size and scale (about 1/40..ish) you could not leave them out.

However, the 1/96 scale HMS Manchester which although is not far off the length at 57 inches is a much smaller scale and in order to finish it (as the hull/superstructure had been hanging about the shed for 25 years) I purchased just sufficient fittings to complete it, no railings and it looks ok.

Conversely my 1/200 HMS Nelson has very little actual detail on it even at 4 foot in length. The detail would be so tiny as to be invisible once on the water..not only that, a battleship deck would be strewn with ephemera…spars, rope…stuff, and I tried to add a few bits but at that size they did not look convincing. In addition, although you can get etched brass detail, it is very easy to damage, and on a “working” model, that is to be avoided!

Ashley

Below. An example of absolutely minimal actual detail, masked by distance.

Ashley

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

Paul

It might be worth bearing in mind that the larger the model the heavier it's likely to be.

I have a couple of models of 1200 mms length which can be difficult to get in and out of the water, especially on your own.

Tim

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

Which is precisely why I suggested that approach in my post above.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello All,

Re-arrange this well known saying :-

?? Horse Dead a Flogging

Regards Ray

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

Thanks Ray.

Tim

[Paul BeeneyParticipant @paulbeeney58354]

Thanks a lot guys what I am considering is The Endurance by Occre is 750mm long so when putting rigging through tackle etc holes in blocks may be bigger and easier to thread plus there is a video on YouTube on how to build il step by step which for someone like me is a massive help has this will be only my second build and trying to understand how you do these things is a battle on its own any more advice is really important and much appreciated

Thanks Paul

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

It's a beautiful ship, but have you considered that it's 1/70 scale, so all the blocks and other fiddly bits will be very small. It might be worth re reading what my esteemed colleagues on here have said about scale.

Charles.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Anything with masts will be well fiddly, and on a kit, you can’t really leave anything out.

Unfortunately with little experience you are a bit stuck. If a sailing type ship is what you really want to build, then it will be fiddly,

I have a Mantua 1/200 victory kit at home that the chaps bought me as a leaving prezzy. I will never build it. However, it is possible that, because it is a big ship and a small scale, the rigging will have to be simplified and so there will actually be LESS of it to fiddle with ?

Ashley

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