San Feilpe project

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

Hello, I am new to this hobby. I have a back problem that require surgery. It will surely require around 8 weeks of recovery. I am worried about my mental state during this time , so I'm looking for a challenge to keep me going. I am a restoration enthusiast and a part timer carpenter. Around 20 years ago , I build a model ship similar to "santa maria". My plan is to built a good model ship (ideally San Filipe 1:75)to be auctioned as a donation to a charity. Can you please advice me on which brands should I look to make a valued model worth to be auctioned ? I noticed that on ebay most are made in china. Also, do you think that 7 weeks working full time on it is realistic to be completed. Thanks

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi David,

Welcome to the forum. I hope your surgery goes OK. It's certainly good to have a project to occupy your recovery period.

I'm not an expert at sailing ship models but there appear to be two versions of San Felipe.

The 1:75 scale one is by Mantua Models and pretty expensive at around £750. it is also recommended for expert builders so you might find it a bit of a handful. Modellers might take a year or two on something this complex. It's not just the woodwork – there are a lot of knots!

The other is the one from Occre at 1:60 scale which looks rather simpler and costs a third of the price. This might be the better option.

**LINK**

As to how long it would take – well, that's anybody's guess as everyone builds at a different rate depending on the time available, their enthusiasm and their level of expertise. In that sense the Occre model would be the more practical match for your proposed timetable.

As far as disposal is concerned, model boats do not usually attract high prices, especially kits. You could be lucky to get the original kit price but it just depends on whether there is likely buyer. Also you would need to think about collection if selling on EBay as attempting to send a finished model of this type by post or courier is inviting trouble! Local auction houses might take the model but they will also take a high commission and whether there is a buyer on the day is a lottery I'm afraid.

Others may also have some comments.

Colin

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

Wow, Thanks for the great advice . Really appreciate. It's true , I think the occre is safer for someone like me.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Well if you decide to go ahead then we would really like to see your progress. And if you run into problems then there are people on here who will be delighted to help.

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi David,

I'd just like to second Colin's comments, even the hardened model maker would think twice about a sailing ship build of this type, these commercially produced kits are very complete with the fittings hence the high price.

They also end up pretty large & delicate, and as Colin say difficult to to transport !!

I would equate this to taking your first driving lesson in a F1 Ferrari, this is not a comment on your ability by the way.

Good luck with what ever you decide to build .

Regards Ray

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

I'm glad I joined this forum. I do not know the date of the surgery . They are on urgency order. But I will keep you informed. Many Thanks

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

David firstly welcome to the forum.

I underwent extensive heart surgery twice in March this year and the initial convalescence period of doing very little was a couple of months. Despite me being into model railways and steam powered model RC boats I knew I would not be able to move around and go in the workshop so I wanted a project that I knew would be stimulating and challenging but would be convenient enough to be able to do on the dining room table with the minimum of tools and without needing to move. I decided to build a Tamiya RC car, which is basically only an assembly process but it does include two differential gearboxes and independent suspension so quite a bit of intricate assembly.

While I am not suggesting anything similar I would recommend that you build something that is very much along the lines of an assembly process that requires the minimum number of tools and the minimum amount of movement. I suspect that you may even be limited to the amount of time you will be able to sit upright so it could be that you are very limited to start with.

I would definitely look for a kit that is much more of a simple assembly process to get you through this period, which may well be well outside your normal areas of familiarity and expertise. To start with I could not even walk to the workshop so can you imagine the conversations trying to explain to my wife the difference between normal grease, Rocol Anti Seize compound and graphite grease, all of which were on the same shelf in the garage!

I left the body to the end so I could do it when I was able to get into the workshop again.  Apart from a few times around the drive I will probably hardly ever use it but it served it's purpose perfectly.

 

 

Edited By Richard Simpson on 04/12/2021 22:56:39

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

Very nice. Well done. What you said is from experience and very true. Thanks for all the advices and help . I need to decide, so when times comes (hopefully not), I will have a project in mind. Many Thanks.

On another note , my father in-law had a motorcycle accident when he was 25years old ( now is 65 years). He is in a wheelchair but he kept going. Here is a link of a short feature a local programm did about him (subtitles in English). Hope its not against the forum rules.

There are some British cars that you might like.

Edited By David Micallef on 05/12/2021 10:36:13

[David MicallefParticipant @davidmicallef44413]

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=655534805894445&id=102046884576576&m_entstream_source=timeline

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