My first post of my HMS Surprise

I have followed the instructions step by step and have had no problems so far, everything went together well.

I am at stage 124 now turning the ship upside down and starting to glue all the joints.

Looking good, and welcome to the forum.

Good to see another Surprise join the growing fleet! 👍

Great progress - is it me are you guys putting in extra long shift to get this far so quickly, or does indeed the Surprise go together really straight forwardly?

2 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Great progress - is it me are you guys putting in extra long shift to get this far so quickly, or does indeed the Surprise go together really straight forwardly?

The hull's innovative superstructure has been brilliantly designed by Chris - goes together like a dream and without a hitch.

1 hour ago, modelshipdood said:

The hull's innovative superstructure has been brilliantly designed by Chris - goes together like a dream and without a hitch.

3 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Good to see another Surprise join the growing fleet! 👍

Great progress - is it me are you guys putting in extra long shift to get this far so quickly, or does indeed the Surprise go together really straight forwardly?

1 hour ago, modelshipdood said:

The hull's innovative superstructure has been brilliantly designed by Chris - goes together like a dream and without a hitch.

3 hours ago, AJohnson said:

Good to see another Surprise join the growing fleet! 👍

Great progress - is it me are you guys putting in extra long shift to get this far so quickly, or does indeed the Surprise go together really straight forwardly?

Hi all, Its my first Vanguard Model and Chris has done a great job designing this model so it is easily assembled, one of the reasons I bought it. hope the next part is as well thought out for beginners.

Welcome aboard, amazing speed to be at this stage. This cannot be your very first ship build?

12 hours ago, Daaveyboy said:

Hi all, Its my first Vanguard Model and Chris has done a great job designing this model so it is easily assembled, one of the reasons I bought it. hope the next part is as well thought out for beginners.

Please keep in mind, this is NOT a kit for beginners, and I would never recommend such an expensive kit with so many parts for beginners - it is just relatively easier to build than 'legacy' kits.

While the kit is absolutely not for beginners, there are portions of the build that just about anyone with model kit experience can build with ease even if they are a beginner with wooden model ships. Because of how well designed the kit is by Chris and with the very detailed instructions, the hull portion of the kit is very easy for just about anyone to build. But beginners are going to have a much harder time with the fairing and planking of the hull.

So it will be interesting to see how things go when the modeler gets beyond the basic hull construction.

"Officially" I agree with Chris here. People with limited experience- like myself- really shouldn't be jumping into these beautiful, complicated, expensive kits.

Unofficially, though, I have to say that working through Indefatigable as a second build (after Occre's Beagle) is absolutely the most fun hobby project I've ever done.

Officially, I have to say that NOBODY should be as irresponsible as me in tackling one of these awe-inspiring models.

Unofficially, I'd say that @Daaveyboy is doing the same experiment as me in my build log, in trying to answer the question "Are these beautifully designed advanced-level Vanguard kits with their detailed instructions actually easier than entry-level models from legacy manufacturers?"

Visitors to my build log will be unsurprised to know that I have some opinions on this topic.

A point made by @Blue Ensign was that maybe the main factor needed to complete one of these models is persistence- rather than skills and experience.

My feeling is that a combination of persistence, reading other build logs, and asking questions here on DDM will see us through.

I have to state it isn't for beginners because I know everyone is different. I know that I loved these ships from an early age, so I researched all I could for my second ever wooden ship build, Mantua's Le Superb, a 74. I loved making this, and did a pretty good job, and followed this with Sergal's Sovereign of the Seas (This one actually won gold medal for best kit based model at the Model Engineers Exhibition in 1995), and I had only made a couple of wooden kits before this. However, I was totally hooked, and enjoyed the research and righting the wrongs of the kit as much as the actual build - we are all different. But I do have to err on the side of caution, and not everyone is like me or Mowzer, and I have to take this into account.

48 minutes ago, Mowzer said:

A point made by @Blue Ensign was that maybe the main factor needed to complete one of these models is persistence- rather than skills and experience.

I think I said a high level of perseverance is a great asset in our hobby, which it is, but skill is most certainly required to make a satisfactory job of a model, particularly one costing over £1k.

Many people give up on even basic kits.

People have natural abilities which at least in the construction part are transferrable. When it comes to rigging and fittings of ships of the period, a different knowledge base is required.

I would agree with Chris's approach, it makes sense to at least begin with a smaller project to test the waters, and possibly save huge disappointment, as it dawns how much has been spent, and how unhappy you are with your efforts.

Even having been at it for years I still get edgy, particularly when I purchase ,very expensive quality timbers in addition to the kit cost.

Vanguard have so many great smaller project kits the inexperienced should try first, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

In the end you pays your money and takes your choice.

Sermon over😉

Maurice.

14 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

I think I said a high level of perseverance is a great asset in our hobby,

You're quite right, I stand corrected.

I’m on my first build, Vanguards HM Sherbourne my next will probably be Vanguards Duchess of Kingston and then the Surprise. I’m still learning after 60 years of modelling so never say never.

I'm excited to see a relative beginner take on the Surprise! Following along, since I might build the Surprise in the future. 😊

My first build was the HMS Beagle from Occre, which is also not a typical model for a beginner. But the motivation you get from building the ship you really want is a great asset and for me it turned out great. Don't hesitate to ask questions here. Always ready to help!

Any updates?