How to start

[simon jParticipant @simonj47917]

[simon jParticipant @simonj47917]

Hi everyone, well for ages now ive been interested in building a few model ships from plans but to be honest I don't know how to even start. Could anyone recommend any good books or vids on the subject which would get me started please?

Thanks

[CookieOldParticipant @cookieold]

Hi Simon, You are better joining a local club , there will be plenty of people there to help.

Best Regards Dave

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Simon,

If you are looking for some general reading then try Tom Gorman's book:

http://www.amazon.com/Working-Scale-Model-Merchant-Ships/dp/1557509093

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Editor on 07/05/2016 20:34:40

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Hi Simon. To be fair most of the books etc are fairly old now a days but a good one is Small model boats by Glynn Guest. There are some great plans of Glynns around too. You could also try **LINK**. A great collection of boats from the past, with build logs, as well as a more modern 50+ range of bigger boats.

Any question post here.

Andy

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

Hi Simon, look on the home page of this site. Click on features, then build features. You will see many articles about building models, some advanced, some simple. I recommend you read one about Springers first, these are a popular tug type and there is probably no easier way to start. If you then look at other models you will get the gist of how most models are put together.

Ask questions on here, the terminology casn strange at first.

Charles

[mark69Participant @mark69]

Hi Simon I could suggest you choose which model you would like to build and find any info you can as how others have build there's its not as daunting as it appears realy what are you into, military , civilian , yachts to be honest you can build something quite basic and add as much detail as you want maybe have a look in the "shop" above ……mark

[Martin Field 1Participant @martinfield1]

Simon,

you don't say which kind of boats or ships you want to sail. There are books on just about every kind you can imagine, except classic speedboats as far as I know and that's the one I'll write one day<G>

Seriously, decide what you like to see and get a suitable book. Please, if you like scale craft, don't waste your time with a silly Springer tug or footy yacht. They'll teach you little and are hideously ugly.

If you like warships, there'll be books. If you like merchant vessels there's a book. Sailing barges, scale sail generally, R/C yachts, there's books. Buy some magazines…Model Boats or Maritime Modelling International will cover articles on umpteen types to whet your whistle and you can look for build articles on here or suitable books.

To be perfectly honest I can't watch You-tube How-Tos as the voices drive me nuts, but some can tolerate that nasal condescending tone.

If you wait for a club to help you'll be controlling the model from your wheelchair (or coffin)!! It's always best to work it out yourself with the help of books and the odd well worded enquiry on forums.

Use the best tools and materials you can possibly afford.

I recommend a simple kit to get your eye in. Vintage Model Boat Company (also known as IP Engineering) do the old and much loved Aerokits range, but laser cut and slightly updated to make them easier to knock up. Their prices are very good indeed. A quick way to a working model whilst teaching you the basics of framing up a model.

Cheers,

Martin

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by Martin Field 1 on 07/05/2016 22:29:41:

………….

I recommend a simple kit to get your eye in. Vintage Model Boat Company (also known as IP Engineering) do the old and much loved Aerokits range, but laser cut and slightly updated to make them easier to knock up. Their prices are very good indeed. A quick way to a working model whilst teaching you the basics of framing up a model.

Cheers,

Martin

Or if you feel like starting with something even simpler, this is the way we started in the 1960s – and the plans are free…

**LINK**

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Mark69 has it to rights. You have to build a model you would LIKE to build. Any model can be simplified sufficiently to make it easy, trust me.

​Thousands of model boaters would take exception to the statement "silly and hideously ugly" as there are loads of Springers and footies out there and in any event beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Both types have the benefits of economy in both money and materials and are compact for both storage and transportation, something which can often be overlooked.

Ashley

[Charles OatesParticipant @charlesoates31738]

Thanks Ashley, it's amazing how quickly our preferences can get into a simple question, and I'm as guilty as anyone. The point about springers was to introduce build methods, i.e.cutting and glueing. Simon wants to learn how a model goes together. For the record, I have lots of fun with my springer, and my scale ships.

Charles

[simon jParticipant @simonj47917]

Thanks everyone for the great replies and advice. Like a lot of people I've made plastic kits most of my life and when 'build the bismarck' partwork came out I collected that and fell in love with building with wood so that's the way id like to go.

As for the type of ships id like to do well warships but having grown up in Lowestoft on the east coast I've always had an interest in the fishing industry so a steam drifter and also a beam trawler which were everywhere in my youth before becoming converted to rig standby vessels.

I asked about books and vids etc cause its part of my character I suppose to learn as much as I can about a subject, what tools I need, how to actually do it etc, before I start so hopefully have a basic idea of what's involved.

Simon

[mark69Participant @mark69]

Hi Simon your inspirations right there ,those oil rig support ships and fishing boats would make a good project ,I remember walking trough the dry docks on the way to Oulton Broad during my boat building apprenticeship years ago huge orange things ,or maybe the lifeboat if Lowestoft has one anymore ?? ….mark

[simon jParticipant @simonj47917]

Yeah I remember being at school and my English teacher had written a book on the herring fleet which used to be in the area so that got me interested and my first job was a short spell at one of the trawler companies. I can still see it now in my mind, the whole docks filled with orange hulled beam trawlers when they changed them from fishing. They all got scrapped in the end and a story I heard at the time was you could buy one for £1000 if you wanted one [scrap value I suppose].

[mark69Participant @mark69]

Such a shame to see them go what's going on now with the docks ? I was there fresh out of school then so I can't remember in detail to much only that we walked through the yard one onto the train track to Oulton bit of a laugh as I remember ,we rebuild some Cornish Crabbers and I've not left boat building since …….mark

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