I went down to the San Pedro Maritime Museum today with a friend of mine. There is a large display of ship models, everything from Columbus's fleet to racing clippers, and a very large selection of modern merchant ships and warships, even a spectacular model dredge from 1910.
Looking at the collection of sailing vessels was very interesting. Some were phenomenal, highly skilled scratchbuilt representations, some with open hulls revealing the ribs, and all of these were well crafted, finely built and tight. "Tight" really seems to be the word, since these had a clean, precise fit of construction that stood out instantly. Others were less so, according to the skill levels of their builders. The museum accepted decades of donations for just about anything.
A few things really stood out. The first was ratlines - some had the lines tightly fitted which gave a scale look. Others had very large knots and a corrugated look. For a newby like me, it seems best to either do the thread a needle through the shroud, or just practice on making really tight knots.
The next was the effect of old lead castings - a few of these models were fuzzing up where the castings deteriorated over the years, or raining small shavings into piles onto the decks below. Its an inherent effect of their composition no skill could account for. One model in particular almost looked like it would be best to take it all down, toss the self-destructing parts, the damaged wood, and start up from the hull again with new fittings.
The third was to evaluate a potential model kit carefully before getting it. Some of these ship models were recognizable as specific kits and were an object lesson to stay away from them, since the kit itself often contributed to the problems their builders had. One in particular showed itself to be badly designed as a kit, with oversize wood componants. The only plastic model on display was a really nicely done Soleil Royale, but the shallow lower hull mentioned elsewhere here showed itself. Fortunately the model above the waterline is so impressive that it tends to knock people out before they can evaluate its stability. It was also interesting to see the distinct look of plastic in a room full of wood. I'm enjoying my plastic phase but look forward to starting in wood before long.
My favorite model, hands down, was one of Skuldelev 3. It was reconstructed with the low, wide sail seen in stone carvings and fitted up as a farmer's great boat with figures, produce and even livestock. It was a presentation model from Scandanavian Airways, on a base that featured engraved acrylic maps of Roskilde, complete with the outlines of the five ships as they were found. Its lines were absolutely beautiful. I stood at the end of the case and looked at it bow on, and it revealed lineage of the longboat rather than knorr.
Another great boat in the museum is an actual small Thai sailing vessel built in 1967 according to traditional methods, and used as a pleasure craft by its owners before they donated it. Its all natural wood, and apart from the lettering looks like a very small cog. It had no blocks, but a simple hole in the mast for the line to haul the yard up into position, and the yard appeared to have a sling to keep in in place. I'm building the Zvedza "medieval lifeboat" on the side and the rigging arrangement was very helpful since its a similar sized craft.
The museum shop was filled with the usual resin lighthouses, etc., but also Heller kits of the Nina and Pinta, and the cargoliner kits. I suppose one is historic and the other reflects more or less the gigantic container ships that passed outside the museum while we were there. Well, thats all.