For those of you who don’t really have time for a full-on ship model project, or maybe just want something small and self-contained that’s ship model related, here’s a little-known product that we’ve had for some time here at Ages of Sail. This is The Quartermaster from Flagship Models.
This 1:32 scale mini-diorama is a resin kit with real wood planking for the deck. This is a pretty easy build that requires painting, including the Quartermaster figure himself.
The diorama is based on the Quarterdeck of a real ship, the British heavy frigate HMS Diana. The Diana was a 38-gun frigate of the Artois class, launched in 1794.
Of course, if you prefer to build a whole ship model, we have two different HMS Diana kits available, a 1/85-scale kit from OcCre and a 1/64-scale kit from Caldercraft.
Türkmodel, or Turk Model as we have them listed, is a major manufacturer of wooden ship model kits based in Turkey. For the past several years, the company has engaged in the production of wooden model ship and boat kits using computer aided design technology to their create model kits. They have been producing kits under their own label, as well as kits for regional companies like Nordic Class Boats, Modell-Tec, and others.
Turk Model’s line up of ship and boat model kits includes fishing boats, passenger ferries, various workboats, recreational sail boats and speed boats, and then some. One example is the Swedish passenger ship Bohuslän, produced for Nordic Class Boats. This kit is a big 1/45-scale model that now includes an LED lighting set. The model is designed so that it can be converted to R/C operation, though it makes a beautiful display model.
At Ages of Sail, we’ve just expanded our inventory by introducing 10 new Turk Model kits. To read more about the model kit or to order one, simply click on the linked images below.
This latest shipment we received from Artesania Latina is particularly significant. As you might have read in our recent post, the new Vasa kit they came out with is in stock at our shop and it looks incredible. They’re clearly vying for best Vasa (or Wasa) kit in the industry. But, that’s not all that’s new from them. Take a look at this beautifully designed Santa Maria kit.
Artesania Latina’s kit is newly redesigned to make your ship model building experience better than ever. This 1/65-scale wooden kit measures roughly 19.5″ long and 19.4″ tall. It is a carefully engineered kit featuring laser-cut wooden framing, and includes cast metal, turned brass, photo-etched brass, and wooden fittings. Pre-sewn sails are included, as are the colorfully printed flags, and templates for painting the sails.
To add some extra realism to your model and to help bring it to life, they’ve created an optional set of 10 figures especially designed for this kit. This set includes figures of Christopher Columbus, Juan de la Cosa, Martín Alonso Pinzón, Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, Rodrigo de Triana, plus five sailor figures. And, of course, these figures should work well on any 1/65-scale galleon or caravel, which includes the full range of Artesania Latina’s models of Columbus’s ships, as well as that of Amati’s, which is also in 1/65 scale.
One of the best things about these new Artesania Latina kits is how much work they’ve put into the kit instructions. These instructions are now in digital format, so you’ll need a computer to read the included DVD, or you can simply download them from Artesania Latina’s website and view the helpful tutorial videos (also included on the DVD) on their Youtube channel.
You may not be able to see it fully on our post image here, but the full-sized image clearly shows the run of one of the rigging lines, actually showing you where the line begins, how it runs through two blocks, and where it ties off. This is an area where many less experienced ship modelers have difficulties with interpreting printed plans. Such plans often show a line, but it can be hard to follow where the line runs and where it is belayed.
Artesania Latina solves the issue by provide a 164-page visual guide with hundreds of photos, showing you every step of construction and rigging.
If this kit is an example of the direction Artesania Latina is taking their products, ship modeling appears to have a very bright future.
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post about the new Vasa kit from Artesania Latina, here’s a link to a nicely done unboxing video that the manufacturer put up on Youtube.
We just received a big shipment of products from the “new and improved” Artesania Latina, so we’re finally recovering after the holidays depleted our stocks of this long-time popular brand. In addition, we’ve receive some new kits you might want to check out, as well as the return of an old favorite, the San Juan Nepomuceno. But, the biggest news by far is the release of their brand new kit of the 17th century Swedish warship Vasa.
This spectacular kit is made for the Expert Level modeler and is produced in 1/65-scale, making it one of the largest Vasa kits available at 42″ long and 34″ high. The kit makes heavy use of die-cast and photo-etched decorations, and there are a LOT of them!
It was about 3-1/2 years ago that Ages of Sail first introduced this new line of Spanish wooden model kits to North America. Among the first batch of kits was an often overlooked wood model kit of a section of the 18th-century Spanish warship Rayo. The Rayo was an 80-gun ship-of-the-line built in 1746. The ship was rebuilt in Cartagena in 1803, transforming her into a three-decked ship of 100 guns.
Soon after, the Rayo joined the coalition of French and Spanish ships sailing out of Cadiz on 18 October, 1805. Three days later the combine French and Spanish fleet encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson off Cape Trafalgar on the southwest coast of Spain.
Ship modeler Clare Hess has posted his final entry on building the Danish fishing boat Dana. The Dana is an entry level kit that is one of our least expensive kits. It features an ABS plastic hull and sub-deck, with wooden planks for the deck and wooden parts for the deck house roofs and companion ways, masts and spars. Included fittings are brass and plastic.
The next sails to go on the model are the staysail and jib, the two triangular sails at the bow. To each, a length of line is attached at the top and bottom ends. At the top end, or head, is the halliard, while the line at the bottom corner, or tack, is the outhaul.
With these lines run through their respective blocks and temporarily secured using painter’s tape, the sail can then be secured to the stays, the fixed lines that support the mast from the bowsprit. I used a needle to help thread the line through the leading edge of the sail, then I tied a knot around the stay, securing the knot with a dab of Aleene’s Tacky Glue. When dried, the excess line can be trimmed away. Just be careful not to accidentally cut the stay itself.
After a long absence, the Billing Boats Dana build is back again! Ship modeler Clare Hess has been working on this simple build off-and-on for a while, and is back to it, showing readers a simplified rigging of the first of the sails.
The end of the year is drawing very near and it’s time to finish up the Dana build. All of the deck work is done at this point, and it’s time to mount the sails. I’m beginning by finishing the booms and gaffs. The booms are the spars that secures the foot of the sail. The gaff is the spar that secures the top or head of the sail.
The booms have to have a single block attached to each, so that the line that controls the angle of the sail to the wind, the sheet, can run through it and through a sheet block attached at the deck. Meanwhile, the gaffs need a length of line with both ends attached to it. One end is attached near the end of the gaff, and the other end is attached about 1/3 of the way down the length of the gaff. Both…
As if the holiday rush isn’t keeping us busy enough right now, we just got in a big shipment from Amati today of 8 pallets. Then, only a few hours later, we got another big shipment from Mantua!
Today’s Amati shipment.
Today’s Mantua shipment, only a few hours later.
It’s going to time for our staff to sort through and get everything input into our inventory system. So, if you’re waiting for an out-of-stock product from Amati or Mantua to show up on our website, you’ll have to be patient a little while longer, as our priority is to fulfill customer orders during the holiday rush.
But, don’t worry, our elves are working very hard to get everything done!
Our facility is currently shipping out orders Monday-Friday, below is the timetable for shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery. We advise ordering as early as possible as weather and the pandemic can cause delivery delays.
Ages of Sail 