Ages of Sail at the IPMS Show in San Jose April 11

March 27, 2015 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Ages of Sail will be attending it’s first IPMS event, coming up on April 11th in San Jose. While it’s not a ship modeling event, and the modelers attending will likely not be working in wood, this competition and show of the local chapter of the International Plastic Modelers Society should be a fun and interesting event.

Entries are not restricted by material or subject, so wood ship modelers can enter their models. In addition to Ages of Sail, the South Bay Model Shipwrights club that meets monthly at the Los Altos Library will have a table and will be showing off the joys of ship modeling to visitors.

The event is hosted by the Silicon Valley Scale Modelers, the local IPMS chapter, and details of the event and entry information can be found on their website.

We’ll be there, so please come and visit our table!

Amati’s Nave Egizia (Egytian Boat) by Ship Modeler Dan Drum

March 27, 2015November 11, 2025 / agesofsail / 1 Comment

Just added some photos to our slowly growing gallery of customer builds. The latest photos of an Amati kit that I’ve seen on the shelves, but had never seen built, Amati’s Nave Egizia (Egyptian Boat). Dan Drum of New Auburn, Wisconsin does a fantastic job, even adding some Egyptian soldier figures he modified for the occasion. Note the lashed together planking of these ancient ships.

This is a beautifully done example of a unique subject, and shows what can be done with a relatively inexpensive kit.

Amati’s Nave Egizia built by Dan Drum of Auburn, WI

Amati’s Nave Egizia built by Dan Drum of Auburn, WI

Oseberg Kits from Billing Boats are In Stock!

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

After trying to get these kits back in stock for months, we’ve finally gotten a nice shipment of 23 Oseberg kit in from Billing Boats. These have been really difficult to get, but we got ’em just this week. Get yours now, while they last!

You can order yours through either Ages of Sail or our Billing Boats USA site or by calling us directly at (510) 889-6000.

Build Log of the s/s Mariefred from Nordic Class Boats

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 / agesofsail / 2 Comments

s/s MarieFred from Nordic Class Boats

We recently discovered a build log by one of our customers, Bob Burnside, who is building the Swedish coastal steamer Mariefred kit. This is one of the kits we introduced last year. This is one of 6 kits in the Nordic Class Boats line from Sweden. All of their kits are based on currently operating vessels. The Mariefred kit, at a scale of 1:35, comes out to just over 3 feet in length and is suitable for R/C operation.

Bob was kind enough to give us permission to post a link to his build log, which you can visit on MSW here: Bob’s Mariefred build log

The kit is a product of Nordic Atlast AB, but they are actually manufactured by Turk Model. The Turk Model website has a nice gallery of photos that you can see on their site here: Mariefred Gallery

And of course, you can buy yours now at Ages of Sail!

Ship Model Kits for Kids

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Ship modeler Clare Hess shares some thoughts on two kid oriented kits produced by Billing Boats. While they aren’t listed on our website yet, we do have them in stock. Give us a call if you’re interested, (510) 889-6000, or stop by our shop in San Lorenzo. We have lots of these two kits available, especially the Mini Osebergs. These would be great for class or other group projects. Also, a great way for a kid and parent to spend some time together.

Ship Modeler

One topic I see pop up from time to time in online ship model forums and in ship model club meetings is how to get kids involved in ship modeling. There is a lot of lamenting about how kids today aren’t interested at all and how that paints a bleak future for ship modeling.

I personally am not too worried about getting kids building ship models because, as a kid, I was never interested in ship models. I liked tanks, modern ships, aircraft and rockets. My own dad tried to get me into his area of interest, wooden airplanes. I tried building one on one or two occasions, but it never stuck with me, as much as he tried. Plastic kits were in my blood.

My interest in wooden ship models didn’t take hold until I was in my 30s and was as much a surprise to me as anyone…

View original post 770 more words

Billing Boats Paints now at Ages of Sail

January 26, 2015 / agesofsail / 1 Comment

If you’re looking for paints for your next model project, we’ve added Billing Boats paints to our website.

These are oil based paints in 1/2 ounce (14.7ml) jars in authentic Billing Boat marine colors. Great for all hobby and craft projects. Shake well. Hand-brush with natural bristle brushes for best results. When brushing, thin sparingly with BB #40 Thinner/Cleaner or acetone. For airbrushing, thin up to 20% with BB #40 Thinner/Cleaner or acetone and shake well. Clean tool immediately after use. For painting on soft wood, use BB #39 Primer/Base Coat for more even gloss.

Available Colors:

BB#01 White
BB#02 Duck Egg Blue
BB#03 Emerald
BB#04 Orange
BB#05 Tan
BB#06 Hull Red
BB#07 Sea Blue
BB#08 Brunswick Green
BB#09 Bright Red
BB#10 Matte Lemon (Flat)
BB#11 Black
BB#12 Pale Grey
BB#13 Trainer Yellow
BB#14 Matte White (Flat)
BB#15 Silver
BB#16 Gold
BB#17 Clear Gloss Coat
BB#18 Mediterranean Blue
BB#19 Matte Aircraft Blue (Flat)
BB#20 Satin Brown
BB#21 Crimson
BB#22 Matte Black (Flat)
BB#23 Copper
BB#30 Dark Ad Gray
BB#32 Lime
BB#33 Matte Mid Green (Flat)
BB#35 Signal Red
BB#36 Mahogany Stain
BB#37 Navy Cool Gray
BB#38 Cobalt Blue
BB#39 Primer/Base Coat
BB#40 Thinner

You can check them out on our website at Ages of Sail: Billing Boats Paints

Ship Modeler Kevin Kenny Posts How-To Videos

January 24, 2015January 24, 2015 / agesofsail / 1 Comment

Kevin Kenny, a shipmodeler in Trinidad and Tobago (mistakenly reported as Florida initially), has been working on Caldercraft’s H.M. Bomb Vessel Granado, and has been posting videos to show how it’s done. The kit is a 1/64-scale wooden ship model of this beautiful ketch rigged ship. Kevin says his goal is to encourage more modelers to get involved in ship modeling or to start getting back into modeling. His videos are very informative and you can see them on Vimeo. Here is a link to all his videos:

http://vimeo.com/user15853815/videos

Here’s an image of the Caldercraft’s Granado kit that Kevin is building.

Caldercraft Granado on Ages of Sail

There is also a very similar kit in the same scale by Amati Model. Amati Granado on Ages of Sail

[Apologies for misspelling Mr. Kenny’s last name on the original post and for mis-reporting his location!]

New Combo Sets Just Added

January 16, 2015January 16, 2015 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Though the holidays are past and we’re into a new year new, we’ve decided to keep our Holiday Combo Sets, and we’re keeping the pricing the same and we’ve even added two more!

We now have Combo Set #5 which features the Q-Ship “Hunter” by Amati. This neat schooner rigged ship is an example of the lengths that the Allies went to in order to stop the menacing German U-Boats. Q-Ships would look and operate like an unsuspecting merchant ship to lure the hungry U-Boats in close. They would then spring into action, unveiling hidden armament in an attempt to sink the U-Boat.

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This kit features a lot of etched brass parts and hidden armament under removable covers. A very unique model. You can buy the kit separately or as part of this combo set.

Order Combo Set #5

Order the Q-Ship “Hunter” Kit

The other set is Combo Set #6, featuring the cutter rigged ship Lady Nelson. This is a really nice kit from Amati that is part of their Victory Models line developed by master modeler Chris Watton. This is a 1/64-scale (3/16″ = 1′) model of a classic, 18th century, armed English cutter-rigged ship.

This 1/64-scale kit is a great for intermediate modelers and a nice challenging kit for beginners. The plank-on-bulkhead kit features high quality woods, laser cut wood parts and metal parts, including photoetched brass parts. Comprehensive plans and instructions and even a display base. The completed model measures about 21″ long and 20″ high. The kit is now available as part of a combo set that includes tools, glues and the classic ship modeling book Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern.

Already have all the basics to get started in ship modeling? The Lady Nelson is available separately too.

Order Combo Set #6

Order the Lady Nelson Kit

New Kit Just Arrived – OcCre’s English Galleon “Revenge”

December 17, 2014December 17, 2014 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

We’ve been waiting for delivery of these new kits from OcCre of Spain. The Revenge comes in 1:85-Scale and measures just over 27″ long and about 22.4″ high. Plank-on-bulkhead kit includes English instructions, with step-by-step images of assembly, planking in sapelle, walnut and lime wood. Fittings come in cast metal, wood, and turned brass. Includes sewn sails set that just needs to be rigged.

Not getting what you want for Christmas? Get “Revenge” – Well, you know what we mean…

Buy Your’s Now at Ages of Sail.

LED Lighting Kits for S/S Bohuslän Are In

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Just got the word today that the LED lighting kits for the s/s Bohuslän just came in.

The s/s Bohuslän is one of the new kits from Nordic Class Boats. It’s a beautiful model of a Swedish coastal steamer built in 1913. The ship, like all the subjects in the Nordic Class Boats line, is still operating today. The model itself is a 1:45 scale model, probably close enough to 1:48 (1″=4′) to populate with O-gauge model railroad figures if you like. The model is just under 38″ long and is particularly unique in the availability of the LED kit.

s/s Bohuslän by Nordic Class boats.

Price and weight of the LED kit is yet to be determined, so it will take a couple days to get these posted on our site. If you need one, check back in a couple days and we should have them up.

In the meantime, the Bohuslän is available here: s/s Bohuslän. A detailed posting here of the kit content will be forthcoming.