Gluing the hull sides to the frames was a bit of a challenge, as the bottom has to curve up at the ends, and the hull sides have to curve inward, so that the ends meet. It would have been nice if this kit had been designed with some sort of building jig, rather than relying on tape to hold things into place while the glue dries.
However, I did find that taping, plus the heavy use of small spring clamps did the trick. Be sure you have plenty of these on hand before you start gluing the hull sides onto the frames. This step is so important that I thought I’d post this image again of the gluing process, showing all the tape and clamps I needed to use.
First, there was HMS Terror, one of two ships of the Franklin expedition, that disappeared in the Arctic during a search in 1845 for the Northwest Passage. OcCre introduced that kit back in 2018. OcCre’s newest release is the other ship of that ill-fated expedition, HMS Erebus.
Of the two ships, Erebus was the lead ship, under the command of Sir John Franklin himself, but the two ships were very similar. Both ships were converted bomb vessels, received the same modifications for Arctic service, including the addition of steam propulsion, and both had similar deck layouts. Now, you can build a 1/75-scale reproduction of this most famous ship, or model the Franklin Expedition with OcCre’s 1/75-scale HMS Terror kit.
The kit includes laser-cut wooden parts for the hull framing and many structural details. Wooden strips for a double plank-on-bulkhead construction, wooden dowels for masts and spars, planking material for rather unusual deck planking arrangement, step-by-step illustrated instructions, fittings in wood, cast metal and brass, and a full set of pre-sewn sails.
I added the remainder of the frames to the model, which didn’t take all that long to do. Overall, this early part of construction is pretty easy. However, the next step, the adding of the hull planks, looks to be the hardest part of the whole build.
The next step involves preparing the hull plank pieces, of which there are only two. These pieces need to be shaped to fit the curved frames. The easiest way to do this is with an electric plank bender, as described in the kit instructions.
Construction of the Gondola model has begun. As expected, this is looking like it will be a pretty quick build. But, it’s definitely something that requires attention to detail and careful reading of the instructions. Builders who rush forward, may be prone to some simple, but critical mistakes. This is probably why Amati does not considered this to be a beginner’s kit.
By the way, anyone who is interested in following this build log with their own build, you can buy this kit for $129.00 plus tax and shipping at Ages of Sail here. As you are building, follow along and email any questions or note any problems you have about the build to us at blogger@agesofsail.com. We’ll make sure you get personal attention on this project. Send us photos and we’ll post them as we go as well.
Last time, we mentioned that what makes the Venetian gondolas particularly unique is the asymmetrical hull shape. You can see from the photo of the hull bottom that there is a noticeable curve in the hull.
The kit calls on the builder to begin by cutting out the main hull pieces and to identify (and become familiar with) which is the bow end. That’s the end that’s at the bottom of the above photo. It also suggest using fine sandpaper to clean up the surface of the parts from the char that comes from the laser-cutting process.
Gondola, the Jewel of Venice is the newest Amati wooden model kit, realeased earlier this year. It is a 1:22-scale wooden model kit that measures about 19-1/2″ long when complete.
This is not the first time that Amati has produced a gondola kit. Amati had produced a different kit of a Venetian gondola. That one was a 1:20 scale model, very similar is size to this one. I don’t have much information about the old kit other than the scale and that it was a model of a gondola of 1882, which had a little cabin for the passengers.
This new kit has the appearance of the modern gondola as it appears on the canals of Venice today. So, let’s take a look at what’s included in the box. Continue reading →
The “Indi” is here! Chris Watton of Vanguard Models has outdone himself again and produced this newest biggest kit of their product line, His Matesty’s 44-gun frigate Indefatigable, 1794.
This 1:64-scale wooden model ship it measures over 50″ in overall length, and nearly 35″ tall. This is a monster of a kit with tons of details, including a full, open gun deck – no dummy cannons here – a detailed great cabin, and much, much more. Here’s a sample of photos of this incredible new kit.
Some of you may recognize the ship’s name from the Horatio Hornblower saga, but she was a real ship, designed by Sir Thomas Slade as one of the Ardent-class 64 gun ships of the line, but later razee’d to a 44-gun gun frigate, as she is modeled here.
We just receive our shipment from Gondola kits from Amati and had a chance to take a first look at the kit, and we have to say that this is a beautiful looking kit!
Coming in at just under 20″ long when built, the shape of the boat allowed Amati to create what looks to be a fairly easy to build model that features laser-cut frames, hull bottom and side pieces. The kit includes laser-cut wooden parts, photo-etched metal parts, a cast metal lantern, resin fork, and cloth material for upholstery. Instructions are step-by-step, with text printed in english.
Even better is that the price of this kit is only $129.00 and it’s available today, at Ages of Sail! Check it out here. Ω
Spanish wooden ship model kit company Artesania Latina has long produced a kit of the tugboat Sanson. While the kit disappeared for a while, it is back and it looks better than ever.
Completely redesigned with a new approach to wooden model kit instructions, the new Sanson kit is considered an Intermediate model kit that can be built by beginners, due to a very detailed set of video instructions that make this kit truly unique.
Here, Artesania Latina has done away with printed instructions. They actually did this in previously released kits, which included photo-based instructions available on an included DVD and which could also be downloaded from the Internet. But, with the Sanson, they have included only a large 1:1 photo of the completed model, as all instructions are done in a series of these detailed Youtube videos.
While this type of instructions may take some getting used to for long time builders, it is ideal for for introducing the newer generations of model builders into the world of wooden ship model building.
But, beyond the instructions, this is a wonderful 1:50 scale wooden kit that will make a beautiful, large, display model, or can be built for Radio Control operation. What’s more, you can add some night life to your model with the optional LED Lighting Set for Scale Models, available separately.
Our longtime friend Ron Neilson gave us his permission to share his photos of one of his early builds: Amati’s 1/60-scale Xebec kit. This was only Ron’s second wooden ship model that he built back in 2012. The completed model is about 28″ long, and he clearly put a lot of personal touches into this kit, including the red sails, the color scheme, the deck clutter, and more. He also did a beautiful job with the presentation on its display base with customized nameplate.
If you saw our last post about Amati price drops and free domestic shipping offer, then you probably noticed a new kit photo. This is a new Venetian Gondola kit that is coming very soon from Amati, and we’re very excited about it.
As you may recall, Amati used to produce a Venetian Gondola kit that disappeared from production for several years. This new, revised kit, looks very promising, and we will hopefully have these in stock within a couple weeks.
Unfortunately, we have very little detailed information about this new kit. So, we’ll let these beautiful marketing photos do the talking for now.
Stay tuned for price and availability announcements any time now. Ω
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