Lol, yes there were models before we invented plastic! Never finished a wooden ship but I did build a couple of balsa and tissue planes back as a kid. Never got one to fly very well though.

Got a gag gift once. It was a solid piece of wood labeled as a "true craftsman kit"  The idea was you were supposed to carve a passenger car out of it!    Old dopy me...... I actually tried to!

Tankerbuilder, I know just how you feel! My first big-time model project was a wooden ALL wooden, 2-masted privateer.  I started it when I was in high school (1955, I think) and finished it when I got out of college!  I kept it for many years but finally had to throw it out about 6 years ago when it was hopelssly broken beyond repair with age.  I don't remember the name of the company that made it, but it was basically a crudely roughed out balsa hull, a large spool of thread for the rigging, a bunch of balsa sticks, and a large piece of paper with a detailed drawing of the ship.  It also contained cast iron lead cannons, deadeyes, a lifeboat, and about a million tiny brass jackstay eyebolts.  Should have included a note that said, "Lotsa luck, kid!)

I was inspired to build this by our next door neighbor, a man about my father's age,who had build some beautiful ship models as well as Strombecker solid wood airplanes.  He encouraged me all along and I kept plugging away at it, bit by bit, learning new skills all along the way, and it finally turned out into quite a nice model.

Yup, they don't make 'em like that any more!

Hi

That's kind of like wood carving my HUMMINGBIRDS (lifesized ) . There is a small block of wood and believe it or not there is a bird in there ,  just waiting to get out and be seen .Models in wood are somewhat like that .

I built a DORNIER DOX way back when in school .All solid wood and one sheet of plans .I got it finished BEFORE school was out for the year . It got me an "A " for shop class for the year ! WOW .Oh I still have most of it .It inspired me tro get the old " PYRO " ? version so I am in process on that . Modeling has come a long way though .

I also belonged to the " FISHER BODY CRAFTSMANS GUILD " I built my car  and all I got was third and a two year scholarship to a school of my choice . I went to STANFORD . "BIG DEAL" .I am just playing with models now and taking a lot of trips back in time . I love all the smells of plastic , glue and paint .Kind of like being " driven " It's good though !     Tanker-builder

HI

The ones I liked best were the old " COMET " kits . Mine flew sometimes and were excellent at ground loops ! For the most part they sat on a shelf in my room . They were fun and I did a stick and tissue plane that did actually fly ! It didn's hold up to a disease called " Littlebrotheritis " HE. HE. HE .

I built some of Comet's and Gullow's planes. I always tried to find something soft like tall grass for them to land in but they still seemed to end up wrecked after a few flights.

DUH !!!

My hats off to you wooden ship guys,I never tried one,but they are way beyond my ability.They are really impressive

I enjoyed the Comet kits too.  I remember a big Piper Super Cub - it had about a 30" wingspan.  Cost at that time:  50 cents!  It hung from the ceiling for decades until it turned brown and brittle and was a fire hazard.

My brother in law builds those wooden ship models--cures the wood, bends it, nails those little nails, sews his own sails--it's insane what he has to do to make one--MUCH more than simply gluing plastic together! But they are indeed incredible looking--but man, they're B-I-G!!! Hard to find room to store them!

i am the yeoman for a wood ship club in denver, www.rockymountainshipwrights.org. we have a number of members who scratchbuild. i have played with wood kits but i don't have the attention span; i get interested in too many different areas and flit around which accounts for the shelf queens. they are getting a better appreciation for plastic as 6 or so of us do plastic. wood ship modelers have a different philosophy on finished appearance which is not understood by most plastic model builders. on the big scale plastic ships the rigging is the same once the build part is done.

I built a plank on frame Baltimore clipper once.... ONCE!