I bought Ship Modeling Simplified because I recently began building plastic model sailing ships (this year) and I've decided to move on to a wooden kit. I was looking for some overall information about the tools to have, general construction, and especially rigging. This book has a LOT of information! It's especially helpful beacuse so many wooden kits are Italian or Spanish, and the instructions are cryptic and poorly translated....Mastini's book helps with a general understanding of the processes involved, AND it includes a good translation of many terms in English... Plenty of advice and suggestions for creating a workstation, helpful tips for making your own tools and jigs, and lots of tips to make things easier! I highly recommend it for people who are beginning to build wooden model kits. I will mention that it doesn't go into great detail on every subject, and if you want very specific instruction, you will probably want to get a couple of other books to add to your collection, but I think this book is very valuable *tool* to have!Read full review
As someone who has recently become interested in building a wooden model ship, I have purchased several books on this subject on e-bay recently. This book has been one of, if not the best buy that I have made. The book packs an abundance of information into about 160 pages. It seems to be great for the novice/beginner, but from what I can tell, it could be helpful to someone who has already tried their hand at this type of ship building before. Mr. Frank Mastini shares not only the basics of what/how/and when of model ship making, but also includes helpful hints and tips, and even some pitfalls to be wary of. It is obvious that he has built many of these over the years of his life. He goes over a huge variety of nautical terms that the beginner may have never heard of before, including naming and showing locations of all sails, standing and running rigging (and what the difference in the two is), and various parts of both commercial and military vessels. He even includes an Italian-English dictionary of nautical terms, as apparently many of the kits are produced in Italy. This could be very helpful if you purchase an (older?) kit that does not have instructions in English! All this information is presented in a very readable format and accompanied by a great many detailed drawings and illustrations. Using this book to get started may not ensure that your first model is a museum piece, but it will allow you to avoid the frustrations that could cause one to put it aside and never finish it. I'm fairly certain that once you begin applying the techniques presented in his book, you will be well on your way to producing a museum quality ship model by your 2nd, 3rd or 4th kit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in beginning a model ship building hobby, and even to those who have some experience in the topic. I think it's worth every penny of the $17.95 cover price, and an even better bargain when you can get it on e-bay for less! sdhRead full review
Great book for new wood ship modeler. Good illustrations, photos, hints and tips. Author describes how to make your own jigs to help the building process out of everyday materials.
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