Pinky schooner GLAD TIDINGS 1937
Unpacking the box and the process of building the model of the pinky schooner GLAD TIDINGS (1937) by the American kit manufacturer Model Shipways. Here I share my personal impressions of the kit and results.
UNPACKING THE BOX
The big blue box I received as a gift for my first Christmas in the USA. My husband gave me another kit of a schooner (as he dreams of his own large schooner) and now *his* Christmas gift will be the completed model! By and large I am really impressed by the quality of the kit. The box is chock-full of materials, blanks. Unlike some other manufacturers, this one does give excellent value for the dollar and does not economize on materials...
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS:
The keel was laid on the stocks in early 2020. The framing of the vessel is assembled from laser-cut plywood bulkheads Most of the blanks are of basswood - a wood that is easy to work, though harder than linden. The principles of assembly of this kit is that the modeller would be following the sequence followed by shipwrights on a real shipyard. The box is full of differently-dimensioned timber from which the modeler would build the parts. With the detailed instructions and large-scale drawings, tis is easy to do. Whoever designed the kit, did colossal preparatory work for the modelers. All that is left for the modeler is to enjoy the contruction process.
Before I began the planking of the model, I reinforced the keel in the area where the threaded rod for the stand would enter it. The planking is single layer and there is a pattern included in the kit for the narrowing of the planks. I used sewing pins for temporary holding of the planks. Subsequently, after glue dries, I remove them, fill up the holes and sand them. Here I changed the manufacturer's suggested sequence of assembly: I completed the planking and only after fairing it, did I add the keel, stem and sternpost.
After fairing the hull, the keel fitted perfectly in place. I had to only lightly sand to mate it with the stem and sternpost. At this stage I drilled the hull to install the mounting rod.
I decided to simplify the construction of the deck houses - this way it was easier to bend the planks.
The waterways is also laser-cut from basswood and so fitted in place as if cast there. Then I spakled the hull with two-part spackle used on automobiles.