How-To Tips

Planking Decks

Introduction Most kits have more than one visible deck. The forward most deck in certain kits sits higher, above what is considered to be...

Making a Capstan

Most model ships will have either a capstan or a windlass which was used to raise the anchors. Today I will discuss how to make a capstan...

Carving a Figurehead

There may be times when you would like to carve a figurehead for your model because the kit you are building doesn't include one or...

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Making Carvings

There might be times when you feel that the metal cast carvings in your kit are just not quite what you would like to see on your model....

Making a Parquet Floor

Many ships of the 18th century had what looked like a parquet floor in the great cabin. It wasn't actually a parquet floor made of wood...

Making Cannon Carriages Part 2

In my previous article, I showed how to make the basic shape for the sides of a cannon carriage from scratch. I will continue this...

Making Cannon Carriages, Part 1

There will be times when you want to do some scratch building on your model to make it more accurate or historically correct. One feature...

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Copper Plating Techniques

Many of the model ships that we build today require the addition of copper plates to the lower hull in accordance with the original ship....

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Making Silkspan Sails

Over the years we’ve all seen sails on model ships in one form or another. Most kits that supply sails in the kit use cloth such as...

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