New “1st Step” Kits from Amati Now Available

January 1, 2017January 1, 2017 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Last year, Amati created a new line of easy to build wooden ship model kits called 1st Step. Ages of Sail recently received a new shipment from Amati, which includes the two newest kits in the line, bringing it to a total of 4.

The newest kits are the very popular subjects Santa Maria and HMS Bounty.

HMS Bounty

Santa Maria

These are solid hull kits that come with the hull nicely pre-shaped in two halves, which sandwich the keel piece that includes the stem and the sternpost, so everything is perfectly in place. No planking skills are necessary.

There’s a nice little review on plasticmodelsworld that shows how easily the hull goes together and works to create a model that they claim is easier to build than a plastic kit, but gives you the satisfaction of having an attractive wooden model. This is a great for beginners, kids, or just someone who wants a fun little project that can be finished up in a matter of days.

Check out the full line at Ages of Sail.

Hurry to Order in Time for Christmas!

December 13, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

You can get a lot of last-minute holiday gift ideas by browsing Ages of Sail, but you’ll have to act fast if you want to receive your order in time for Christmas.

These are the cut-offs for placing your order via our website to assure it is delivered by Christmas. Other shipping options may be available, please call us if you have questions, 1-510-889-6000.

USPS:

Priority Mail, Dec. 20th

Express Mail, Dec. 22nd

FedEx (No Saturday Delivery):

Home Delivery, Dec. 16 – Dec. 21, depending on your location, call for details.

Express Saver, Dec. 19

First Overnight, Dec. 21

Saturday Deliveries, Dec. 24

No FedEx delivery on Saturday, Dec. 24. USPS will be delivering as usual.

Amati Swedish Gunboat Build – Part 2

December 4, 2016February 16, 2017 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

A model of Amati’s Swedish Gunboat kit, AM1550, under construction. This small kit is relatively inexpensive, but challenging. These gunboats were armed with a single, rear-firing cannon, and used in squadrons for coastal defense in the late 18th century. Similar boats were used by other European nations as well. Check out the Amati kit, in stock now, at Ages of Sail.

Ship Modeler

While this is a group build that I’ve been working on together with 4 other people in a local group of ship modelers, a couple people have fallen behind and we haven’t had a group build meeting in many months now. So, I decided I should be making some progress. I know a couple others have made headway on their projects, and I figured I should get caught up a little.

I began by working on the gratings and also planking the main deck piece, which glues onto the top of the hull. The kit includes walnut for the planking. Some builders had been discussing the idea of planking the deck piece topside and bottom side, since it’s just a piece of thin plywood. I decided just to plank the topside. The only visible issue of plywood is the edge, but that is to be covered with a small walnut…

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Cyber Week Sale

November 30, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

If you didn’t have a chance to get in our Cyber Monday Sale, you’re in luck. We’ve decided to extend the offer and turn it into a Cyber Week Sale. Use coupon code CYBER2016 and take 10% off any order of $200 or more, now through Sunday, December 4th.

That’s nearly $25 Occre’s Rogers 199 Locomotive kit, $99.90 off of Dusek’s Nuestra Seniora ship model kit, or nearly $50 off of the already discounted price of Amati’s Revenge ship model kit.

See what savings deal you can come up with at Ages of Sail.

Cyber Monday Sale!

November 26, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Been thinking about buying that kit you’ve been wanting, or those tools and supplies? Now’s a great time to buy and save. Place any order of $200 or more and save 10% on your order on this one-day Cyber Monday sale, November 28, 2016.

Mantua’s Armed Launch, Lancia Armata

Simply add products to your Ages of Sail shopping cart so that the merchandise total is at least $200. Once that’s done, go to your shopping cart and enter the coupon code CYBER2016 and the 10% merchandise discount will show up in your cart total.

Amati’s Master Cut Tool

The discount applies to fittings, tools, accessories, books, kits… all merchandise. The bigger the order, the more you save – Don’t miss out!

Amati’s 1:60-scale Mayflower Kit

Check out our full line at Ages of Sail .

Free Amati Parts Replacement

November 10, 2016 / agesofsail / 4 Comments

Ages of Sail has been the official North American distributor for Amati Model for many years now. We carry the full range of ship model kits, specialty model kits, miniature figures and busts, ship model fittings, wood supplies, ship model plans, tools, and accessories.

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But, did you know that as the North American distributor for Amati Model, we are able to provide our customers with free replacement parts should you break or lose a part from your Amati model kit, including their line of Victory Model kits.

This applies to any Amati model kit you purchased from us or one of the retailers we supply. When you contact us, be sure to indicate the specific model kit, a description of the missing or broken part (a photo or scan from the plans or instructions is helpful), and the purchase date and retailer name.

Buy your Amati kit with confidence, at Ages of Sail!

Big Shipment Just In!

November 2, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Ages of Sail just got in 6 pallets of products and we need to make room!

Just arrived is one pallet of kits from Disar Model of Spain, one pallet from Constructo of Spain, two pallets of ModelCraft Tools and two pallets of kits from Caldercraft.

We’ve been running low on Caldercraft and a lot of items were marked as “out of stock”. Well, it’s all in stock now! RC kits, Nelson’s Navy and Heritage Series kits.

Check them out at Ages of Sail.

Here’s a sample of some of the kits we got, in time for the holidays…

Caldercraft HMS Snake

Caldercraft Mary Rose

The big 1/72-scale Caldercraft HMS Victory

Caldercraft’s HM Brig Supply

Caldercraft’s RC Model Marie Felling

Disar Mode’s Almejera Adriana

Disar’s Navio Rayo combat station

Constructo’s US Coast Guard Training Bark, USCGC Eagle

Constructo’s schooner Altair

Expanded Line of Kits from Constructo of Spain

September 3, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Do you keep looking at the available kits and just having a hard time finding your next build (or maybe one of the many after that)? Constructo kits had become increasingly difficult for us to stock, so we decided to import them directly. Ages of Sail has just listed a number of kits from the popular ship model kit company.

Constructo’s lineup include classic plank-on-bulkhead wooden kits like the Cutty Sark, HMS Victory, and Bluenose II. But, Constructo also has a large number of kits with a wide range of skill requirements, assuring you’ll find something that’s a perfect fit for you.

For those just starting or looking for a fun and quick build, there are the kits from Constructo’s 8-hour Series. These kits feature pre-built and pre-painted polystyrene hulls. Just add the deck and details, add masts, rigging and sails. Check out the Virginia, Dominica and Swift from this series.

Looking for something a bit more meaty? How about the U.S. Coast Guard training ship Eagle? Or the Gorch Fock? These kits also include pre-painted and pre-built plastic hulls, but details and rigging are a lot more involved.

USCGS Eagle features pre-painted plastic hull, with the challenging rig of the 3-masted barque.

Or, if you prefer working in wood, but want something not too overwhelming, you might consider the Altair or the Carmen. These beautiful small ships feature plank-on-bulkhead construction, but have the simpler fore-and-aft rig of the classic two-masted schooner.

The Altair features wooden hull construction with a simple schooner rig.

Whatever your skill level and interest, we think you’ll find something you like in the lineup from Constructo of Spain. Check them out now at Ages of Sail.

Ages of Sail at the NRG Conference

September 3, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

This October will mark the 4th time Ages of Sail has participated in the annual gathering of the Nautical Research Guild. This year, the conference takes place in San Diego. While it’s still a bit of a jaunt down to sunny Southern California, it kind of bring things back home for us – our first NRG conference was in San Francisco back in… 2011, maybe? Since then, we’ve been at the conference in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2014 and Mystic, Connecticut, in 2015, and now San Diego, California, in 2016.

The Ages of Sail table at the NRG Conference in St. Louis in 2014

The Model Showcase and Vendor Room at the NRG conference in Mystic in 2015.

This year, the event takes place October 6, 7, and 8, at the Doubletree Hotel, San Diego Downtown. We’re planning to bring a full staff this time around, expanding our coverage, and our ability to help out our ship modeling customers quickly. And, in addition to our Ages of Sail table, we’re also setting up a Model Craft Tools table. So, if you’re going to be in the area, consider attending the conference. And, if you’re attending the conference, be sure to stop by our table and say ‘hi’ and meet the staff!

For more information about the Nautical Research Guild and the NRG Conference, visit http://www.thenrg.org.

HMS Mercury in 1/96 Scale – The Next Paper Model Project

August 8, 2016October 19, 2016 / agesofsail / Leave a comment

Ship modeler Clare Hess begins his next paper model project, Shipyard’s HMS Mercury.

Ship Modeler

Having completed Shipyard’s HMS Alert kit, it just didn’t feel right to not have a paper model to work on. There’s something about the simplicity of paper that is just too darned cool!

Of course, I have plenty of wooden ship model projects, but it’s nice to have a paper model going in the background. As with other background projects I’ve had in the past, there is no rush to get it done. There’s also nothing that says I have to ever get it done. But, having completed the Alert, I can see taking on another kit and carrying it to completion.

Now, I have Shipyard’s Super Modellar Plans (that’s Shipyard’s spelling, by the way, not mine) for the Santa Leocadia, a Spanish 38-gun frigate in 1/72 scale. The “Super” part of that title means that the plans include the laser-cut frames and some other items to give you…

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