Lessons Learned So Far

[FrankJ]

A earlier post I said my first attempt on building my first model in 60yrs, I said it was titanic 1/700 when in fact I should have said 1/1200. That said it has taught me a couple of lessons before tackling the. 1/700 titanic. 

 

1st lesson learned, not to torture myself by buying a 1/1200, fiddly. 

 

2nd lesson learned, thin the paint down more. 

 

3rd lesson learned, paint some or all of the small parts while still on the sprues. 

 

4th lesson learned, perhaps leave glueing masts onto deck until almost finished and not when instructions tell you. A accident broke the one at the stern. 

 

5th lesson learned, plan ahead a bit more. 

 

Although I got the 1/1200 titanic completed I suppose it looks OK from a distance but close up I can see where I went wrong on a lot of bits.

I've learned quite a bit from reading this forum and YouTube stuff so I'm now looking forward to starting the 1/700 kit (with a bit more care😁) 

Edited June 19, 2020 by FrankJ
Word missed

[Ravens]

In the spirit of lesson four I tend to leave the fitting of propellers and rudder parts until the end of the build, as I found that they're in a somewhat exposed position and I would inevitably break them while handling the model. 

 

This is probably less of a problem for modellers who secure their ship hull to a base in the early stages of assembly, but I use the supplied stands so a little flexibility with the instructions pays off.

 

Ross.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Both, I build model ships (rather simply) and usually now attach a temporary base of a block of wood or MDF to the underside of the hull early in the build. This gives me something to hold onto while working on it and in the case of rounded underwater hull shape some stability to the model under construction. I attach the temporary base by screws coming up underneath the hull. I've usually attached rudders and shafts before this but left the screws until almost last. (That said, the center screw/single rudder of Titanic might make that a bit awkward). My ships have almost always had two or four screws.

     As for masts, I also usually leave them until the end if I can, to prevent them being broken off.

Frank, your lessons learned seem to me to be very valid. Further to points four and five, with a bit more experience I think you'll know when to follow the instructions and when it might be best to deviate from them somewhat.

     Hopefully we'll see more model ships from you as you develop your learning curve. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

[Chewbacca]

Instructions might be better re-titled "loose guidance" 😀

[TonyOD]

On 7/5/2020 at 9:52 AM, Chewbacca said:

Instructions might be better re-titled "loose guidance" 😀

I prefer "vague suggestions"... 😁