A fabulous case for a fabulous model, well done.

Graeme

that looks amazing, well done

Absolutely stunning piece of work.



Congrats on your "Red" medal for a finished build, I loved every minute I spent looking through this diary over time.

WTG

Regards
delboy271155
(Derek)

If indeed I have set the bar very high then first I would like to thank you for the compliment and secondly I'd like to say that I'm glad I did!

I had a mentor at the Annapolis Naval Academy (Rogers Ship Museum) who runs the model ship restoration workshop. He set the bar extremely high for me especially with some of the best ship models in the world as my guide! I don't think I cleared the bar by any means, but I do think I at least smacked into it a couple of times. But without him setting that high bar for me, I never would have achieved what I did. So I hope my setting the bar high will encourage you all to do better than your best.... and mine!

The best way I can pay my mentor back is to say that if any of you need some advice or hints, whether it's additional photos or some help or encouragement, please send me a private message so I can take what I've learned and help you do better and help you to avoid the mistakes I made myself.

This has been a huge learning experience for me. Way beyond the model itself. It was a history lesson, and a BIG lesson in patience, and a real drive for perfection. Of course you'll never be perfect, but it sure won't hurt to make that your goal.

I will also be posting my build log soon. It's very lengthy, (massive actually) but it will give you a lot of insight as to what I went through during the build and how I pushed through it. A lot of it wasn't fun at all, but things that are worth it are sometimes very tough to achieve.

I will leave with one big hint though. You've heard the expression "How do you eat an Elephant?" answer "One bite at a time". What I did was first I came up with my overall goal and plan. Then Each and every piece of that ship that I built, every yard, mast, cannon, figurine, hatch, you name it was treated as a separate model all on its own. I didn't move on until that model was the best I could possibly make it. Anything I can help with please let me know.

Your finished build and display is spectacular

I for one will be grabing your pics from drop box great idea Suprise is on my wish list for the future

Jase

I think this has to be the best build i have ever seen and to go that extra mile and create such a beautiful display case for it makes it even more special.

Well first I'm going to take a really looooong break and then I'm going to build a Trumpeter Ford Gt40 model kit. The kit has been obsolete for years and thy are very expensive if you can find one, but I snagged one for $200 so I am both lucky and happy. The trick on that one is all in the paint work. Of course I'm going to go overboard with everything, but why not.

Anyways if I can ever help you out with anything on your build, please don't hesitate to ask!

Not much happening on here lately, so I thought I'd share these "Words of Wisdom". Had it kicking around collecting dust and knowledge in a box isn't worth much. Hopefully this will be helpful so someone...….

Philosophy for being a great Model Crafter
by: John R. Callahan

The person I am talking to in this discussion is the person that really wants to accomplish the absolute best job that they can do in crafting a high-quality scale model. This article is not about technique, it is about the philosophies of APPROACH, DISCIPLINE, ATTITUDE, and PATIENCE. I will discuss each of these aspects of model building and the reasoning for mastering each. I will then follow up with simple rules to be followed to make your model turn out exactly the way you want it to.

APPROACH – They say, “Everything is in the approach” and they are right! What IS your expectation of the build? You must decide at the beginning what your approach and expectation is going to be. To build the absolute best model YOU can build, you will need to make a real COMMITMENT to the highest level of detail and quality possible and stick with it…...no matter what! We are going to assume you are aiming for the greatest level of detail and quality possible and are willing to make this commitment. You will need a dedicated approach. If you are not totally enthusiastic and dedicated to the project, then don’t bother. You will only do your best if you honestly want to.

DISCIPLINE – Discipline is probably the most important aspect to a good build. You must always, and I mean always follow the rules that you have pre-determined when you’ve made the decision to build a particular model. You will see more about discipline in the rules. If you are determined to build the best, do not settle for less…..ever.

ATTITUDE – The term “attitude is everything” is probably one of the biggest truths in everything you do in life. Building a quality model more than anything requires a good attitude and attitude re-adjustment from time to time. Things will often go in a way you did not intend, and sometimes there will be outright disasters. How you react and handle the inevitable problems will be determined by your attitude. If you break something or make a mistake, are you going to throw things across the room, smash your model, give up? Or are you going to grab ahold of yourself, step back and calmly correct things? Please keep this in mind, when you build a model, you are building a “prototype” a “one off”. Nothing is ever going to go perfectly, so get over it, fix it, and move on. Do not wallow in frustration.

SIMPLE RULES:

1. THINK THINGS OUT BEFORE YOU BUY – Why are you building this model? There can be many legitimate reasons. Just make sure at the end of the day that your reasons to build this model are good ones and that you are willing to spend as much time and money as necessary to complete the model properly no matter what it takes. Can you afford the kit or parts and all of the supplies necessary to complete the build as well as a protective case to display it in? You will need that protective case to protect that investment that can run into some serious money.

2. PLAN – Make sure you have adequate time in your busy life before you begin, and if the build takes much longer than you anticipated, are you willing to stick with it? When will you have time? You might be up late at night. More nights than you care to imagine. If you are motivated to build your model, this will happen more often than you might think.

3. RESEARCH – Well if you got past rules 1 and 2, let’s keep going. Research is the most important thing you can do be become a great model craftsman. You can’t build a great model of anything if you don’t fully understand the subject. To build a great model car, you need to understand cars. To build a great Period Ship, you should know how a period ship works and all of the history around it. If I were building a visible Heart, I’d be reading every medical book on hearts I could find. Do you see where I’m going? The educational aspect of model building can be one of its greatest rewards. It nice to learn something and have a practical example sitting right next to you!

4. DON’T BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT – So don’t bring a dull pocket knife to a sharp Exacto knife job. You need to invest in all of the proper tools to do the job. If you are not willing to do this, your results will be questionable at best. Fortunately, you can get away with a lot less tools that you might thing you need to do a good job, and I’ll bet there’s a few you should have that you probably don’t even know you need. Most of the tools you need will be fairly inexpensive and can be used for purposes other than modelmaking.

5. SUPPLIES – Realize you could spend 2 to 5 times on the price of your kit to get the proper supplies to finish the kit properly. If you are not willing to do this, then don’t build the kit. Between Paints, primers, sandpaper, different glues, Exacto Knives and blades, masking tapes, micro drills, big drills, scissors, snippers, Decals, Threads, wires, small accessories, it all adds up really quickly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

6. TIME AND SPACE – Please don’t build your model on your Dining Room Table. You might wind up sleeping alone. Your family needs you to respect their space if you want them to respect yours, and you will want a safe, quiet place to build your model where the cat won’t steal the parts! Also, remember your model might take years to build or even (yes) over 1000-2000 hours to build. You have to remember you have a family to balance your available time with. You really should discuss the idea of building a model with your family before you make the commitment, so you are being thoughtfully courteous of everyone around you.

7. STAY ON TASK – Plan your every move and mentally rehearse those moves over and over so that when you take that step on the build, you will feel comfortable and prepared, and most importantly relaxed when you take that step. NOTE: Do not jump around step to step out of order when building out of being anxious or excited. Finish the task at hand before you move on.

8. BE PATIENT- I know it’s tough, but glues and paints only dry so fast. All you’ll do by not waiting long enough is re-doing the job or possibly ruining the job and having a costly or impossible repair in front of you.

9. IF IT DOESN’T LOOK RIGHT, IT ISN’T- Stop and fix it now and don’t move on until it looks as perfect as you can get it. No exceptions, no excuses!!! Treat every part of the model like it is a model…...which is the truth. If you have a good overarching idea of what you are doing but a compartmentalize and isolate each step or operation, you will achieve better results.

10. PACE YOURSELF – This is not a race or a competition. Only go as fast as you feel comfortable going, and if you get frustrated, step away from it for a few hours, days, or even weeks if necessary. If you are not positively motivated to do the work, you will do a poor job. Give yourself a mental vacation every once in a while.

There’s obviously a lot more to model making but a good Model Building Philosophy is a great place to start. Good Luck!

Have to agree with Alan.

Some good thought processes there.

Thanks

Regards
delboy271155
(Derek)

you are inspiring still, all these years later, thank you for your time and efforts