Mamoli Fire

I don’t know if word has gotten around yet, but a few weeks ago Mamoli had a major fire which destroyed their office and factory – burned them to the ground, I’m told. I don’t know what will happen to the company or their kits, but US distributor Ages of Sail has removed the kits from their website. They still have the kits, but they’re stopping sales in general of the Mamoli line. That includes the age old favorites like their Royal Louis, Yacht Mary, and Flying Cloud as well as their popular Mini-Mamoli line. If there is something you’re intent on getting, you can contact them and ask. They’ll decide on a case-by-case basis depending on stock, etc. Of course, there are retailers that may still have some kits, so you can always check with them, but some of them may not be aware of the situation (found that out today). Those looking for an easier kit, like from the Mini-Mamoli product line, might want to consider the Amati J-Boats with the pre-carved hulls, the Midwest kits, which are often overlooked, and the basic Artesania Latina kits like the Swift, the Mistral or Jolie Brise. These aren’t “mini” kits, but they are good entry level kits.

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Eureka Open to the Public

Hyde Street Pier Model Shipwrights

A few weeks ago, we got the word that the ferryboat Eureka is now open to the public again. For members of the Hyde Street Pier Model Shipwrights, this means we have easy access to our Model Shop once again. It’s been many months that we haven’t had use of the shop, but now all is back to normal once again.

As a result, the next meeting of the shipwrights will be aboard the Eureka on Saturday, September 20th at 9:30 am.

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2014 Model Boats on Parade Event

The San Francisco Model Yacht Club will be hosting its annual Model Boats on Parade event on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The event takes place at Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park and is open to the public for viewing. This is a big event for RC boat people with people come up from Southern California and down from Canada to attend. There is no fee for spectators, but participant registration is $20.

The event takes place from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.  The registration form can be found on the SFMYC Website or directly here: Registration Form

 

Shipyard’s 1:96-scale HMS Alert 1777, Paper Model Kit – Part II

Of course, you know that having this kit for a month now, I had to get something done on it – I couldn’t just leave well enough alone and report about the kit and move on. It was just too tempting, so I started tinkering with the model with no solid intentions to finish it. I just wanted to see how it goes together. That may change soon, as I’ve been having a lot of fun with it and learning a lot about card models.

But, before I talk about building this model, let me point out again the specifics. This is the 1/96-scale kit from Shipyard’s Paper Model series, and it is different from their more expensive, more complete, and larger 1/72-scale kit from their Laser Cardboard Kit series.

Accessories

There are two sets of accessories that can be purchased separately for this kit that Shipyard sells (well, aside from blocks and deadeyes), and these are a Sails set and a Masts and Yards set. I went ahead and ordered both of these directly from Shipyard.

The Sails set includes four laser cut sails, very nicely pre-printed. The cloth is a nice off-white color and the printing is relatively light in color so that it does not overwhelm the eye. The lines of seams give a good scale appearance and a coil of line is included for the bolt ropes.

The only downside of the sails is that they are printed on only one side, so the back sides may appear a bit stark unless there is some amount of backlighting so that the printed lines show through a little. I’m not sure how well it would work out, but I suppose you could always use these lines as a guide for sewing. Something I’m not averse to trying out. 

While I was at it, I bought the Mast and Yard set too. This set includes not only all the spars in wood, but also includes laser cut parts for the cross trees and caps. These are plain paper and must be painted.

So, I went ahead and started tinkering with the model, actually almost immediately after my last  posting about the kit, but I think I’ll write about that in a different series of posts and leave this as more of a follow-up to my initial kit review.

The Other Alert Kit

Let me finish this with a plug for Shipyard’s 1:72-scale HMS Alert, 1777, Laser Cardboard Kit. While the kit I have shown here is pretty nice, it is small and inexpensive, the larger kit is REALLY NICE! Unlike my kit, which has a lot of color printed parts that you have to cut out yourself, the 1:72-scale kit has more plain paper parts that are laser cut for you. But, it includes the paint and brushes, razor blade, sails, brass cannon barrels, wood dowels for the mast and yards, metal eyebolts, blocks and deadeyes, etc.  All in all, it is a VERY complete kit, and at the larger scale looks much easier to build.

Shipped, the smaller kit, plus sails, would come to about $50. If you add a couple paints and a set of blocks and deadeyes for the kit, it would be around $75. The larger complete kit is around twice that, but it’s nicer in many ways. If you can swing it, I’d suggest the larger one. Especially after I found this persons build yesterday: [Shipyard] H.M.S. Alert 1777 1/72

An absolutely incredible build leaving me wondering how much can be attributed to the larger kit and making me wonder if I’m wasting my time on the smaller kit. I’ll probably press forward with the 1:96-scale kit I have now and see how it goes.

By the way, you don’t have to order from Poland to get the kit. Ages of Sail has just gotten a shipment in from Shipyard – About 5 boxes full of kits. There’s a lot of stuff that came in including a bunch of lighthouse kits. It’s going to take a while to get all of the new products listed, but if your interested, keep an eye out on their website.