Description
- Model Shipways Longboat Wood Model Kit – Introduction to wood Ship modeling Sale
- The longboat kit offered here at less than wholesale is our way of asking you to join us and get a taste of serious wood model building. Although plastic kits are very enjoyable … wood and metal models are the stuff of legacy.
- The longboat was the largest boat aboard an 18th century ship.
- We have replicated every plank and beam as well as the metal parts and the rig. There is nothing amateurish or “beginner” about this kit.
- Two sheets of plans & a 20-page illustrated instruction manual address every detail of construction.PDF Link Below.
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John Schulz –
Didn’t come with the tools, paints like it used to, like I expected. Smaller than expected. No more or less difficult than the ‘higher level’ ships. Without the tools, paints it is not worth it. good instructions tho
Daniel Koss –
Really enjoyed constructing this model. Plans are easy to follow but the drawings are not to exact dimensions. The rigging rope that comes with the kit seems to be too big for use with the deadeyes and there isn’t enough basswood strips included in the kit to finish the hull and other parts of the model. Small details to remember but worth the build.
HarryInVA –
This is an excellent model, with some caveats. This is really not for absolute beginners. The planking is challenging to get right, and the parts are very small. Midwest Products used to make the best starter model boats, but they appear to be out of that business. There is still one of their small models listed on Amazon. You might find some on ebay – the Skipjack is a beautiful model. When you are ready to take on the longboat, get yourself a free membership at modelshipworld dot com. There you can find all kinds of advice and detailed building logs from other modelers including the designer of this model, Chuck Passaro. It will make the build much easier. The biggest advantage of the longboat model is its very low cost. I bought two, since this is my first planked model, I expect the first one to be a “learner” and the second to be as good as I can make it.
R. Bowman –
The good: There is a generous quantity of material supplied with a few exceptions. One is the belaying pins. You get exactly four in something that looks like a plastic bag. It’s really just folded plastic and if you drop a pin you’ll never see it again. The laser cutting is top notch so there is no difficulty getting the parts out of the sheet. The included manual is fairly comprehensive although some areas could get a little better coverage.
The bad: If this wasn’t billed as an introduction to model ship building this would not be part oft he review. The major problem is the scale; everything is very small. There are several parts you have to fabricate like the bands for the mast. They are made from 1/32″ x 1/64″ bras stock. Wrapping them around the mast to form them and soldering the legs together. Now you get to drill hole in them. To put this in perspective, the smallest drill bit you are likely to find locally is a #60 drill, which is .040 in diameter. 1/32″ is .0312 so that’s not going to fly. There are sets of metric drill bits from .3 to 1 mm. 1/32 is about .8 mm so you’ll need to go smaller than that. Then you need to find a way to chuck it and drill through brass. Sub-millimeter drills aren’t the greatest thing, so good luck.
Also you’ll probably want some sort of illuminated magnifiers. It would help if you’re a jeweler by training. I bought this for a winter project. It’s summer and I’ve reached the point where I’m starting to rig it. I can’t say enough for the supplied tan thread. It takes a knot as well as polypropylene, that is to say not well at all. It’s also very springy. More fun. I’m stubborn so I’ll box the stuff up and take another shot next winter. I’ve built real boats faster and with a lot less frustration.
Summary: This is a very nice kit if you are an experienced modeler and have a full assortment of specialized tools. As far as an introduction to ship modeling all it has done is convince me that I’ll never build another ship model. This was supposed to be a warm up for a Viking longship. I should have started with that instead.
Daniel Koss –
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Easy to understand instructions and includes all the materials you need.
Achinthaka Udayanaga –
Good quality material.
Brian G –
As this was my first wooden ship model, and I purchased it specifically due to its size, price and difficulty level, I’d like to add my comments to the list.
Yes, This model is challenging, it is NOT simple. I’ve made more then one mistake in the build process. Thats exactly what a beginners model is supposed to be. If it was dead simple you wouldnt learn anything from building it. The planking was difficult… next ship will be better. Building the Mast and spars was also challenging… but I learned a lot from the mistakes I made. I’m in the process of finishing the painting, and figuring out the rigging.. I’ll certainly make a couple mistakes there also. But the model is looking pretty good, even if I had totally screwed it up, I’d still only be out $60.00 and still gained experience. THAT’s what makes this a great beginners model.
Don’t let the whiners talk you out of it. Give it a try.
Next is the Rattlesnake.
Will –
Nice model. Beginners should take a lot of time with instructions if this is their first wooden ship.