About catopower

Ship modeling since 1993.

A Day of Display at the SF Asian Art Museum

Posted on November 6, 2021 by catopower

In October, HSPMS member Clare Hess showed off his Japanese boat models at a one day event at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Wasen Mokei 和船模型

Sunday, October 17th, was my first display at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum and it went pretty well. It was a bit stressful getting everything together in time, but once I had all the models displayed and was talking to people about them, it was pretty relaxing. The event was just a one day showing, and there were many other things taking place as part of the event.

I had 10 of my completed models on display, and I decided to bring several models that I had in early stages of construction, so I could show how I build them. Information cards provided visitors with the basic information about the model and what it represented. There was a lot of information I had to leave out in order to fit the text onto those large index cards.

Behind the models, I displayed what artwork I could find that showed the…

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There’s a New Titanic in Town

Posted on November 6, 2021 by catopower

The newest wooden ship model kit release from the Spanish manufacturer OcCre isn’t a sailing ship, but the infamous RMS Titanic. Looks like both our local Ages of Sail shop as well as Model Expo are getting ready to carry this kit, as they’re both listing the kits on their sites now.

Ship Modeler

Last month, I learned that there was a new Titanic kit from OcCre. It’s now officially released and soon to appear in your favorite ship model shop. Now, I have to admit my first thought was, do we really need another wooden Titanic kit? We have Mantua, Amati, Billing Boats, Woody Joe… and now OcCre. But, after looking more closely at the published details of this kit, I’m thinking this kit actually looks pretty good, and it’s at a lower price point than others.

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Paul Reck’s Gunboat Philadelphia Model at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Posted on October 27, 2021 by catopower

Special congratulations are in order to our very own Commodore Paul Reck with the induction of his model of the Revolutionary War era gunboat Philadelphia into the collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum!

Check out the story of how the model ended up traveling across the county in a seat on a United Airlines flight.

Boat on a Plane: A new acquisition travels home

Paul’s model is a 1/24-scale scratch build, based on a set of plans obtained from the Smithsonian, where the original gunboat is preserved and on display. Ω

Artesania Latina’s New 1/65-Scale Vasa Kit

Posted on February 19, 2021 by catopower

Looks like Artesania Latina is back producing new kits. This latest release looks especially promising, and note the serious attempt to up the standards of wooden ship model kit instructions. If you’re curious, it seems that you can download these directly from their website at http://artesanialatina.net.

Ages of Sail

We just received a big shipment of products from the “new and improved” Artesania Latina, so we’re finally recovering after the holidays depleted our stocks of this long-time popular brand. In addition, we’ve receive some new kits you might want to check out, as well as the return of an old favorite, the San Juan Nepomuceno. But, the biggest news by far is the release of their brand new kit of the 17th century Swedish warship Vasa.

This spectacular kit is made for the Expert Level modeler and is produced in 1/65-scale, making it one of the largest Vasa kits available at 42″ long and 34″ high. The kit makes heavy use of die-cast and photo-etched decorations, and there are a LOT of them!

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Taking Another Look: Navio Rayo Gun Section Kit

Posted on January 12, 2021 by catopower

This is a pretty nice looking kit. Ideal for beginning ship modelers, and anyone who wants something large scale to detail. The model takes up little space, has planking without the complicated curved surfaces to deal with, nicely detailed cannons and carriages, nice details like the gunnery tools, and no serious rigging to have to deal with except for gun tackles. I suspect it should also be a pretty quick build too. Would love to see someone in the club build it – would look nice in our display case, wouldn’t it?

Ages of Sail

It was about 3-1/2 years ago that Ages of Sail first introduced this new line of Spanish wooden model kits to North America. Among the first batch of kits was an often overlooked wood model kit of a section of the 18th-century Spanish warship Rayo. The Rayo was an 80-gun ship-of-the-line built in 1746. The ship was rebuilt in Cartagena in 1803, transforming her into a three-decked ship of 100 guns.

If you’re interested in getting the kit, you’ll find it on our website here: https://www.agesofsail.com/ecommerce/navio-rayo-s.xviii-puesto-de-combate,-wooden-kit-by-disar,-20148.html

Soon after, the Rayo joined the coalition of French and Spanish ships sailing out of Cadiz on 18 October, 1805. Three days later the combine French and Spanish fleet encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson off Cape Trafalgar on the southwest coast of Spain.

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Building the Kanrin Maru – Japan’s First Screw Steamer – Part 3

Posted on January 4, 2021 by catopower

Ship Modeler and HSPMS member, Clare Hess, discusses one of the interesting features of the Kanrin Maru. This ship was Japan’s first screw-steamer. It was built by the Dutch for the Japanese Shogun and delivered in 1857. In 1860, the Kanrin Maru, arrived in San Francisco as part of the mission of the first Japanese embassy to the United States.

Clare’s build is based on a modified 1/75-scale Woody Joe kit.

Ship Modeler

Notice anything special about that photo of the fully planked hull in my last post? If you look closely, you may notice that the center section of some of the bulkheads are missing. If you’ve followed any of my wooden ship model building, you’d probably be aware that I can’t leave kits well enough alone. One of the things I’ve always liked to do is to add a hint of an interior. Nothing blatant, just a hint to create something of an image in the observer’s imagination.

Arrows showing where bulkhead sections were removed

I’ve discovered that I don’t like building full interiors and I don’t like lighting a model’s interior. That’s too blatant and too showy for me. I want the observer to look at the model and discover an open door and to catch a glimpse of more detail without actually being able to see beyond it.

You’ll…

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An OcCre Part Kit Order

Posted on November 9, 2020 by catopower

Part kits are one way to build a high priced ship model kit, while spreading out the cost over a period of time. You can build at your own pace and order the additional packs as they are needed. In the long run, the build is more expensive, but many of us had a hard time coming up with the full amount for a big wooden ship model kit all at once, so this is an option you might consider.

Take a glimpse at the process and what to expect with your order.

Ship Modeler

It was just about a month ago that I found myself in the middle of ship modeling withdrawals, as I had to take a break due to a family emergency. As I mentioned in recent posts, a Shipyard paper model kit got me through most of it. But, one thing that helped was splurging a little and making another ship modeling purchase. So, it was the purchase of a “Part Kit” from OcCre of Spain that filled that need.

74-gun Spanish ship of the line Montañes by OcCre

Now, I don’t really need another ship model kit. I have a stack of projects, some underway, and many un-started kits in my closet stash – I’m sure every ship modeler who reads this is familiar and has his or her own. But, I’m always looking for good blogging materials – interesting stuff to write about. Anyway, that’s my excuse, or…

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