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Dry Dock Modeler

Dry Dock Modeler Building Better Ship Models

Dry Dock Modeler

Dry Dock Modeler

Dry Dock Modeler Building Better Ship Models

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Ships in Scale - Latest Issue
September/October '26

Hawker Hurricane Mk XII by AndyP - Arma Hobby - 1:72

Glad to have you along!

By AndyP · 16 minutes ago16 min
Hello from Venice/Santa Monica Calif.

Welkom to DDM, Peter. It will be nice to see some of your card ships on DDM

By AnobiumPunctatum · 22 minutes ago22 min
HMS Surprise 1796 by KillicksToastedCheez - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Fiction Version

Thanks for the tips, It will probably be a minute before I get to the headrails, I like to have the cat heads installed before I do the head railings.

By KillicksToastedCheez · 26 minutes ago26 min
Micro Rigging Tool AL

Ollie, As Johann said, making some of your own tools also is pretty easy and quick. I made both of these in under an hour.

Johann, I wish I had thought of a tool like you show in your second and third photos when rigging my Cheerful project the last couple of months. I had a difficult time belaying my running rigging to belaying pins and cleats with tweezers. A tool like that would have helped a lot!

Erik

By Erik W · 27 minutes ago27 min
tools for milling sheets and strips for ship modelling

Yes - I also have learned this the hard way!! Thanks Tom
hamilton

By hamilton · 34 minutes ago34 min
HM Gun Brig Adder by Russ2025 - Vanguard Models - 1:64

Funny enough I’m currently experimenting with exactly that however i need to shape them correctly which poses additional challenges. Also trying toothpicks and then adding some type of colouring after they have been trimmed.

By Russ2025 · 44 minutes ago44 min
HM Cheerful 1806 by Erik W - Syren Ship Model Company - 1:48 scale

I added all the rope hanks and coils to the belaying pins and cleats. This was more difficult than I thought it would be. I wound up searching for photos of real belayed rope and coils on the internet to decide what look I wanted. I settled on the top photo here for the general way I wanted them to look. Then I needed a technique to make them. Glenn has a good tutorial on how he made his here: Glenn's rope tutorial So I followed that. I had a combination of the older Syren rope made of a cotton linen blend, and the newer Syren Ultra rope made from poly. Most of the rope I had was the older type. Once the ship was rigged I had used all the Ultra rope in rigging, so used the older .012" and .018" rope for the coils. This is easier to work with and shape, since a coating of 50/50 mix of PVA/water is all that is needed to get it to retain its shape. Since it dries flexible, the coils can be worked and shaped further once glued in place. For the horizontal cleats on the interior bulwarks, I simulated the crossed cleated rope with very small lengths of spare rope (I had also mentioned in an earlier post above doing this on the vertical cleats on the mast). This was done to give a visually believable belaying point since these areas were tied off with a simple square knot while rigging. All of the coils are between 4 and 6 wraps of rope, depending on where they're located. 4 to 5 wraps if closely adjacent to other rope coils. 5 to 6 wraps if standing alone. I was conscious of making the rope coils contain enough rope to be believable, depending on what belayed running rigging they belonged to.

All in all I'm happy with the way these turned out. I definitely spent waaaaaay too much time shaping them in place, and then reshaping them . . . and then again reshaping them. Not quite ever being satisfied with the results. Haha.

Erik

Getty Images - Credit Arterra

By Erik W · 47 minutes ago47 min
HMS Surprise 1796 by KillicksToastedCheez - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Fiction Version

Not sure I can bring myself to add figures to my models, but if I did yours sure serve as inspiration. Nicest work I’ve seen on Surprise overall. Well done!

By glbarlow · 50 minutes ago50 min
Cl-53 USN San Diego by KevinM - Very Fire - 1/350

Looks great Kevin!
I agree about using the 3D printed guns - Bunker makes nice products. A lot less hassle than trying to assemble guns via PE, and you get a better 3D effect.

By Landlubber Mike · 54 minutes ago54 min
HM Gun Brig Adder by Russ2025 - Vanguard Models - 1:64

The closest matching wood might be from the sheet the strip was cut from, if you keep them? You both very much into the finer details, which I love! 😊

By AJohnson · 1 hour ago1 hr

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