Guns of History 18th Century Naval Smoothbore Deck Gun 1:24 Wood and Metal Model Kit to Build

I found this little model and thought it would be a good introduction to wood ship modeling. Lots of fun.

Happy with all items received.

Great product

Model Shipways kits are beautiful, but you need to be aware of what you're buying or you might be surprised when you open the box. Anyone who is used to building plastic model kits where all the parts are numbered on neatly organized plastic sprue sheets and there are pages of detailed step by step instructions will experience some culture shock when they are faced with a wood ship model, or in this case part of a ship. The parts for a kit like this come in little plastic bags or boxes, and it is necessary to go through the parts list and figure out which little bits of wood or string or copper or white-metal castings correspond to the descriptions on the parts list. Essentially you are getting a pile of loose parts (many of which need to be cut and shaped by you) and you need to figure out what is what. And then there is the instruction sheet--one page--which offers brief comments on what you need to do accompanied by some drawings showing what pieces go where. But in no way is it a detailed step by step instruction manual, and in many cases the model builder will have to shape a piece of wood or metal so it ends up looking like something in the photo on the cover of the box. That's quite different from building a plastic model where you just clue part A into Slot B. Here will you will be shaping pieces with tools (and you might need a couple of new small-scale tools) and attaching them with glue or nails based on the drawings or photos but without locating pins and holes that ensure things go in exactly the right place. Obviously there is room for error here if you don't take your time and exercise care. Folks who build wood ship models are used to this, but plastic model builders will be entering a strange new world in which, among other things, they will learn to tie a knot called a clove hitch. There are plenty of very useful videos online on model ship building, so if in doubt do some research first as it can really help. If you work carefully and make sure you have everything straight in your mind before you start cutting or applying glue or paint then you will end up with an impressive model, and one which required some craftsmanship rather than just the ability to glue things together. This seems to me like a more rewarding form of model building. A word about availability and pricing--Model Shipways seems to make small batches of their kits which are often sold out almost instantly. This means there are folks who will buy up as many kits as they can at the official price, and then sell those kits online (often on auction sites) at greatly inflated prices. Although it might take awhile, wait until you see the kit at what Model Shipways/Model Expo sells it for on Amazon, you don't need to pay those crazy prices some online resellers charge.

Hi, I am Ann's husband and I build models of all descriptions - wooden ships to plastic trucks. I love this kit so much that I just completed my second one about two weeks ago. It is a precise model and easy to build. If you are giving thought to "graduating" from plastic to wood/metal, this is a great model with which to begin!