Ages of Sail is more than just wooden model sailing ships. Because many of our customers like to build modern ships too, and those are mostly plastic kits, we’ve expanded our inventory, and just added over 100 high-end plastic model kits from Fujimi, Tamiya, ICM, and Trumpeter.
Trumpeter 1:350 scale USS New York LPD-21
Tamiya Japanese Submarine I400
Fujimi 1/350 scale Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu
Here’s a little building tip aimed at the beginning ship modeler. It’s all about getting your rigging blocks mounted the right way. Seems like it should be obvious, but maybe not for everyone.
This is really more for beginning ship modelers. Experienced ship modelers, and probably most beginners too already understand the way a standard rigging block works. It’s basically just a wooden block with a pulley, or sheave, inside a slot. There are different sizes and types, and there are single, double, and triple blocks, and just about ever wooden ship model needs at least some number of blocks.
Standard Amati single-sheave walnut blocks
There is one mistake I occasionally see regarding blocks. But, the thing is, after a modeler completes so much work on the hull, deck details, masts, and all, I really don’t want to point out the error. But, it’s such an obvious error that it detracts from the entire build. So, I figured I’d mention it here.
This model built from Shipyard’s Hanse Kogge von Bremen, 1380 kit is getting very close to completion. This is one of three Shipyard cog model builds that we’ve found on the Internet. The others are build’s of one of Shipyard’s wooden kits, which are as detailed and as thoroughly designed as this card model kit.
I published a post about building this Shipyard card model kit a couple weeks ago, and I’m working pretty steadily to get it done. I’m not done yet, but I’m getting close, and I thought I should post an update this weekend.
After my last post, I finished making the mast and yard and finished detailing the sail. I have to say that I really enjoyed working on the sail. It was kind of a lengthy process lacing the bonnet to the main sail, but it was also something I could just do without having to think about too much.
We recently found this great, simple video with tips for getting the best results when taking photos of your models using a black background. This video was put together by the very talented photographer and ship modeler Olha Batchvarov.
With these new tips on photographing your models, we hope you’ll try them out, then send us photos of your completed models, so we can share them here! Ω
We recently noticed that there’s been a long running build log of the construction of the Fifie from Amati’s Victory Models line. Amati’s kit is a big 1/32-scale model kit of the classic Scottish fishing boat.
Amati Victory Models Scottish Fifie Fishing Boat
The series of Youtube videos consists of 13 parts, plus an intro and a kit unboxing. The final video was posted just last month. This particular build included an RC conversion of the kit, which is clearly possible given the large size of the hull (27.6″), but it wasn’t specifically designed for it, so some modifications are required, which the builder incorporated.
Well, this is sad news. We were looking forward to having a presence at this year’s NRG Conference, and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum has such a beautiful collection of ship models that it’s an inspiration to us all.
This is the second conference in a row that’s been cancelled. They say that third time is a charm, but the Fall of 2022 is just so far away.
Well, hopefully, we’ll come up with some good news to share in upcoming posts!
Sad news for fans of the Nautical Research Guild’s annual conferences. The NRG secretary just announced that there will again be no annual NRG conference this year due to continued Covid concerns.
The conference was to take place in the Fall at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum, the same place as originally planned for the 2020 conference, which was also cancelled. The next conference will now be in 2022, and the intent is to hold it at the same venue location.
It’s unfortunate that the conference had to be again cancelled, but as the NRG secretary explained, many NRG members are at high risk for Covid exposure, so the board of directors made the difficult call to cancel the event.
It looks as though the annual meeting that usually takes place at the conference will be held virtually via Zoom or some similar videoconferencing service. Further details on this meeting…
We wanted to share some progress photos of a build of the Hanse Kogge von Bremen laser-cut card model kit. This kit comes from the Polish manufacturer called Shipyard. It is a 1/72-scale model kit of the Bremen cog, a well preserved ship from 1380 that was uncovered in Bremen, Germany in 1962.
The kit itself is one of Shipyard’s laser-cut models, which means that all the card stock parts are all pre-cut and just need to be cut from the provided sheets. Take a look at this progressing of photos of the model’s construction. Hopefully, we’ll be able to show you some photos of the model once it’s completed.
Shipyard now produces laser-cut cog kits in both card and wood. Both feature parts that are laser-cut, and the kits are in the same 1/72 scale. At present, the cog models are the only ones that are available in wood. The card kits require painting using techniques outlined in the kit instructions to simulate wood. The wood kits can be left natural or enhanced with stains or clear finishing products.
For other types of ships, most subjects, except for the cogs, are available in paper kit format. These kits provided all parts printed out in color on heavy paper, and require you to cut out the parts, and in most cases the parts need to built up with layers of paper or cardboard up to a require thickness. These require more work than laser-cut kits, but are less expensive, and with pre-printed paper, the parts usually need only some coloring of the paper edges.
Whether paper, laser-cut card models, or laser-cut wood models, these kits are ideal for those without a lot of tools or space. They can be built on a small desk with little mess.
Just yesterday, we posted an article, taking a closer look at the Master Korabel kit of the ship St. Gabriel. Well, we found this wonderful build on the NRG’s Model Ship World forum, and got permission from the builder to share some photos here with you. For background on the ship and the explorer Vitus Bering, please see our earlier posting here.
This particular model of Master Korabel’s 1/72-scale kit was built by Mr. Alexander Bulimov, who is an IT engineer, living and working in Dublin, Ireland. He built this model in 2019, and it took him only 4 months to complete. What’s really amazing is that this is only the second wooden ship kit that Alexander has built, the first being a ship’s launch kit from the same manufacturer.
One of the ship model kits that we started carrying last year is from the Russian ship model kit manufacturer Master Korabel. The kit, which doesn’t seem to get much attention, is called the St. Gabriel.
For reasons I don’t understand, this ship is referred to as a “Deck Boat”. Perhaps it is a mistranslation from the original Russian description. In any case, this is actually a significant historical vessel. The Archangel Gabriel, or St. Gabriel, was one of three ships used by the Kamchatka Expedition of 1724 to 1731, and it was the main ship of the expedition’s leader, the Danish explorer and cartographer Vitus Bering, who was in the employ of the Russian Navy.
The expedition’s task was to explore the North Pacific coast of the Asian continent, and to determine whether or not it connected to the North American continent. For this task, the ship Archangel Gabriel, was built in Kamchatka in 1728 . According to a Wikipedia entry, the other ships of the expedition were used to ferry supplies from Okhotsk to Bolsheretsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsuala. For a more detailed description, the Wikipedia entry on Vitus Bering, is an interesting short read.
As for the model kit, Master Korabel’s created a lovely 1/72-scale model of the ship Archangel Gabriel. It’s a small model, owing to the manufacturer’s standardized scale, only 13.8″ long and 11.8″ tall.
Note the photo-eteched brass hooks attached to the blocks. Master Korable makes beautiful blocks made from pear wood. They make blocks that actually look like real blocks.
As with other Master Korabel kits, the St. Gabriel kit features a specially engineered hull framing that is designed to prevent any distortion or twists in the hull shape. The hull is then double-planked and, most impressively, the finish planking is all laser-cut for you. This means that the planks aren’t just strips of wood that you need to shape in order to make them look neat and correct – it’s all been done for you. So, as long as you’re careful, you should end up with a perfectly planked hull.
Master Korabel’s St. Gabriel kit also features a laser-engraved deck that has all the planks and nail’s already marked on it. Together with the laser-cut hull planks, the kit is ideal for beginning ship modelers, or ship modelers who want a nice, accurate looking model, without spending all the time it might take to add all these extra details.
Deck is laser-engraved with all the planking and nail details.The finish planks for the hull, laser cut to perfect shape.
We manage to find a very simple post of progress photos on the Model Ship World forum by a builder with the screen name Valentina. This one doesn’t describe any of the build process, but it includes photos of the kit contents, instructions, and so on. It even includes a few photos showing the construction of the optional ship’s boat (sold separately from the St. Gabriel kit). Click HERE to visit this build log.
We’ve also found a few nice nice Youtube videos. Here’s one that provides an overview of what’s in the kit. The narration is in Russian, but you can see the details of the kit:
There’s also a model builder by the name of Olya Batchvarov, who created a nice video presentation of the construction progress of her award-winning St. Gabriel model here.
Note that this kit includes sail materials and the information for you to make your own sail. However, we also offer a set of pre-sewn sails, if you prefer not to do your own sewing. Also, the ship’s boat shown on the model is optional. It is Master Korabel’s MK0102 75mm ship’s boat kit.
We just received our first shipment of the newest kit from the Spanish wooden ship model kit manufacturer, OcCre. The ship is the 1/70-scale model of Endurance, the Antarctic exploration ship of Sir Ernest Shackleton. A 3-masted barquentine (or barkentine) built in Sandefjord, Norway, the carried Shackleton and his crew of 27 for the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1914.
The Endurance was a sturdy ship, 144 feet long, and built with a reinforced hull. The ship was equipped with a coal-fired steam engine that could propel the ship at over 10 knots. Though she was considered to be perhaps the strongest wooden ship ever built, she could not overcome the power of nature. In January of 1915, strong winds had piled up thick packs of ice around the ship, and became locked in the Antarctic ice. Ultimately, by October, she was crushed by pressure waves in the ice around her, and her crew was forced to abandon her.
After months on the ice, Shackleton and his crew took to the lifeboats and made it to the uninhabited Elephant Island. Shackleton and five of his men then continued to sail 800 miles in an open boat to get help and mount a rescue expedition for the rest of his men. The crew of the Endurance survived the ordeal without a single loss of life.
OcCre’s kit features an MDF (medium density fiberboard) keel piece with laser-cut plywood bulkheads. Major structural parts are also laser-cut for ease of construction. A healthy supply of strip woods are provided for the planking of the hull, which is accomplished in two layers. Two sheets of photo-etched brass and a supply of wooden, cast metal, and brass fittings are provided to detail your model. To finish up the model, several spools of rigging line, pre-sewn sails, and printed flag sheet is provided.
The included instructions are in a step-by-step, pictorial format, and you can download and preview a copy of them here: Endurance Instructions
Want more help with your build? OcCre has you covered, with a 30-part series of instructional videos on Youtube, designed to guide you through the construction of the hull. Here’s a link to the video series: Endurance Build Videos
We received a limited initial supply of this kit, so hurry if you want one. We have more coming in soon, though. So, if you don’t manage to get one right away, you shouldn’t have to wait long.
As an introductory special, we’re listing this kit for only $199.95, which should be good through the end of April. Get your’s here: Endurance on Ages of Sail
In the meantime, here are some more photos of the completed kit…
Standard Amati single-sheave walnut blocks 
Ages of Sail 