Recently I finished a Airfix 1:144 scale WASA which was published in the Classic Series during the early 1980s. It was one of my favorites in the series. It was also one that I wanted promoted to another level of detail...With painstaking research (and patience) I was able to convert a plastic kit into a mixed-media project -replacing many of its features in wood. Only the hull and mast tops I kept, but worked up to receive the intricate rigging that later followed.
Prior to this build, a first challenge originated with the Airfix 1:168 scale ROYAL SOVEREIGN (Sovereign of the Seas). That challenge was to convertand present additional features to the already existing molds that highlighted its attractive hull. All plastic parts were discarded and replaced with bass, pine and birch wood. Only the hull was kept (and altered) to match the supporting drawings and paintings of that period.
After exerting fourteen-hour days into a four month schedule, I was able to produce this striking model. I found in this experiment that the modification of ROYAL SOVEREIGN became an experience for future kit transformations. I also learned that no product can guarantee 'perfection'...and, I am yet to find the perfect kit and/or model to find such. Reality dictates that this will never be. However, what I found enjoyable about kit modification is that you keep the same element, just improvise the features/details. It also gives us the opportunity to evaluate the process by stepping away and assessing our skill level.
These supporting images is a testimony to how far we can take a project as we develop our abilities into a viable skill. Thanks for viewing.
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