After reading the instruction manual, I realised I was on my own with this build. This kit is more of a scratch build than a scratch build. That sounds odd doesn’t it, but if you read the instruction manual, you will soon realise what I mean. Unlike previous models, there are no full size colour plans by which to measure, compare and orient pieces.
This particular kit is more suited to the wood worker. Plastic kit experience is of no benefit that I can see. I must admit that this kit is more suited to those with masochistic tendencies. It is not a matter of part A attaching to part B, it is more about figuring out what part A actually is and then constructing part B from any spare piece of timber lying around. Once you have this together, put it aside because it may come in handy one day if you ever decide to go snow skiing in Afghanistan in summer.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, the colour photos of the model under construction in the book/manual, are actually three different models, possibly more. Each one has variations and what AL has done is to photograph parts of each individual build and present it as the same unit. The plans also do not include some very important measurements required for positioning things like gunports, which are the most obvious omission in the beginning, and the ‘instructions’ contained in the manual just go downhill from there.
WARNING: The dark coloured timber, Mansonia, may cause skin and/or eye irritation in some people and the dust can cause heart disrhythmias in susceptible individuals. So be careful and use appropriate skin and breathing protection when cutting and sanding any timber.
Now to the build.
First off, I gathered all the ribs/bulkheads and keel/spine pieces and eventually figured out what went where. This was more a case of trial and error as the A4 printed parts sheets added to the kit for indentification of the lasered plywood parts, were next to useless. The parts list in the manual is of an earlier version of the lasered parts which had incorrect identification numbers stamped on the timber pieces.
The lower deck pieces, once I figured out which parts they were, went in easily, but I spent several hours wondering how that happened. I was sure I had the wrong parts, but in the end I went with it and all was fine…for now.
I made up a jig, which I forgot to photograph during the process, to hold the bulkhead and deck pieces in position while I applied liberal amounts of glue to every join I could find. I then reinforced every join with hobby pegs which were left over from some long forgotten projects. At this stage I left the stern and bow pieces loose. Having read well ahead, it was obvious that there was going to be a lot of awkward work to be done if left in situ. As it turned out, I was able to perform some heavy work on these parts and then fit them once I had finished.
Warning. If you buy one of these kits, have a look at how the instructions describe the assembly of the gun carriages. The instructions are incorrect. The carriages should be assembled with the narrow part at the front. (Cannons on ships were referred to as guns, so I will refer to them as such)
The second deck went in easily. I have no idea why deck planking is fitted to this deck area, but it does serve as a practice run for the upper decks.
Be warned. When it comes time to plank the hull, you will need to do some serious packing to get the planks to run true along the length of the vessel and you will need to measure very carefully, the starting point for your planking. The ‘instructions’ are somewhat vague in describing the starting point and you may find that by the time you get to the gunwhales, you could be out by a plank on either side. Not a good look.
The gun ports were cut as the planking was fitted rather than cutting out later which I think would be a real pain with having to make up even more jigs for the job. I have deviated from the ‘instructions’ on most of the build so far and am using the technique applied to ‘real’ ship building. Holding a Ship’s master’s ticket and and a marine engineer’s certificate gives me no advantages when model ship building, but a basic knowledge of woodworking techniques would give one a very slight advantage.
I will post my build log soon, if anyone is interested, which may demonstrate the packing I have done and how I overcame the first few problems. I hope this information is of some help to anyone who has bought this particular kit and I should add that I would buy the same kit again if the opportunity arose. If you accept the lack of information as a challenge and have an interest in scratch building, this is the perfect kit for you and like most wood kits, it is horribly overpriced, but then no one is forcing anyone to purchase this brand.
Errol.
