Ahoi!
It has been a long while since I posted an own WIP on this forum, but I am a very constant reader and always are intrigued by Your efforts.
My own passion is modelling in 1/6000 scale which in comparison to all of Your scales is a bit fiddly, but at least it saves place and time: all my modelling equipment + A L L ships don't need more than roughly 2m².
My tools are quite simple: graphic cutter (with pointed blades), razor blades, a collection of small wodden blocks and bits (tooth pics!) with fine wet sanding paper glued on, some pins and needles and a small drill. Then there is a calliper, a steel rule and a calculator, and it's done.
First I was inspired by wargaming models, then I started over for myself and have built ca. 130+ models over the past few years, with an output of roughly 30 ships a year which I then cast in resin. I clearly focus on the era 1870 – 1905 and try to chose my subjects according to historical scenes: as I love building displays, I have to fill them with the necessary amount of shipment. One of those projects (and some real small-scale megalomania) is the inauguration of the Kiel Canal as of 1895 (1m x 0,5m), and I have already done half of the ships - a wonderful selection of straneg and quirky designs! One of them is the german artillery training ship SMS „Mars“ of 1877 - the "rubber-battleship". This will be the master for later reproduction in resin which I will hopefully be doing within the next two months.
The build starts with a chunk of glued together styrene. It has the rough measures of the later hull up to the main deck. I used some small wedges of the same material to give it the required curved deck which are then glued on and sanded to shape.
In the background: SMS Brandenburg, SMS Siegfried, SMS Wespe.
Now the block is cut down to L x B x H and (again) sanded. There is little orientation at this stage, so I wrote B where the bow is supposed to be. Back and Poop are glued on.
In the background: SMS Oldenburg and SMS Preußen
Now it is time for the bulwarks. They are glued only roughly in shape, the finetuning is later done by sanding (outside) and some carving (inside). After all, this is a quite box-shaped vessel, the only adjustment was needed astern.
In the background: SMS Sachsen and SMS Greif
And now for something completely different: sanding. Bow and stern are roughly cut and then sanded to shape. Then I glued on the stern walk (he, that's just a strip of styrene!) and those two oriel-like overhangs which I later learned were the ships lantrines. And yes: this is a REALLY box-shaped vessel...
In the background: SMY Hohenzollern
More soon - all the best to You!
C.
