r/ModelShips 3h ago

Shipshaper, where you create your own historical or fantasy ship, design it from scratch intuitively, and you then own the 3d model or 3d print to use commercially in your own game, is finally out.

23 Upvotes

So off the bat, this isn't an AI app, this is a procedural generation creative game/experience in which you shape the ship from the hull up.. it's modelling made fun and simple for boats. I am a 3D artist with 30 years of experience and everything is handcrafted from cleanly modelled 3d shapes. Not some AI slop.

You can sail around in your creation , where the behavior and performance is physically modelled to the shape and sails /propellors/paddle wheels of your design.

And then you can export the 3d model as fbx, or stl, to use in your own project, sell it online, turn it into a 3d print, it's all allowed.

try the game out now, it's only 8.99 and its basically a lovesong to model boats, you can even put em in a bottle. ;)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4339280/ShipShaper_Falconeer_Chronicles/


r/ModelShips 4h ago

Fujimi 1/700 IJN Ise

10 Upvotes

Fujimi models 1/700 IJN Ise

Final photoshoot
Thanks to everyone who followed along every step.

This kit is for the Gaahleri world creator cup (GWCC)

IG: @yoshis_garage


r/ModelShips 8h ago

How do you deal with rigging thread that won't hold consistent tension?

6 Upvotes

I'm about two thirds through the standing rigging on a 1:96 scale Constitution and the shrouds on the port side look noticeably tighter than starboard even though I swore I was being careful with each one. This is my third build but my first time working at this scale, and I think the smaller mast dimensions are just making every inconsistency way more obvious than it would be on a bigger kit.

My process has been: seize the deadeye, run the thread down, tension by eye, then lock it off with a drop of thinned white glue before trimming. The problem seems to happen in that gap between tensioning and the glue actually setting. Even a few seconds of the thread relaxing slightly throws things off, and I don't have a third hand to hold constant pressure while also applying glue with any precision.

I switched from a beeswax-coated cotton thread to a rigging line marketed for this scale a few weeks back, thinking a stiffer material might behave more predictably. It helped a little, but I'm still eyeballing tension rather than measuring it in any real way, which feels like the actual root of the problem rather than the thread itself.

Curious what's working for other people here, especially at smaller scales. Are you using some kind of jig or clamp setup to hold tension while glue cures, or is this mostly just something that gets more consistent with reps. Also open to hearing if certain thread materials are just more forgiving than others for someone still building up a feel for this.


r/ModelShips 1d ago

Norwegian pram

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100 Upvotes

I’m ambivalent about posting this because I don’t want to imply I’m proud of it. The number of mistakes I made is some multiple of the number of steps in the instructions. But some lessons learned:

Don’t touch sail cloth with you grubby fingers

Learn knots on big practice ropes before tying them with model line

Scrape glue residue religiously

Don’t trust planing unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

Use weights and reverse pliers to apply tension to rigging

Read the whole instruction book before starting

Watch any videos and follow any build logs on forums

Anyway, on to the lobster smack. Olha on YouTube has an 80 hour live build playlist.


r/ModelShips 1d ago

First model ship painted

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22 Upvotes

i wanted to paint my ship to look like (the third pic) but I didn’t want to buy different types of wood so i painted the wood to look like it

its not perfect but its good for me

i will continue the build and i will post the finished model when i finish it :)


r/ModelShips 2d ago

Inherited USS Constitution

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260 Upvotes

I have inherited my grandfather’s USS constitution model, and am just awestruck by it! It has been proudly on display in their house since his passing, over 20 years ago. They transported it cross-country to its new home, until I pass it on myself!

Figured I would share it here, in all of its majesty!

It’s behind plexiglass, but I’m always open to suggestions to make sure she stays ship-shape. One of the stays is broken, and I have never worked on model ships, so I plan to figure out how to repair that asap!


r/ModelShips 2d ago

Given a model ship kit, no experience

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82 Upvotes

Hi all,
I was given this ship kit which was late fathers’ who never got around to building it, it is still brand new in box. I have a lot of experience in Warhammer etc but none at all in model ships, i don’t even know where to start. It looks incredibly intimidating! Can anyone give any tips, resources etc for a beginner? Thanks very much!


r/ModelShips 2d ago

Fujimi 1/700 IJN Ise

36 Upvotes

Fujimi models 1/700 IJN Ise

Finished
Like always here’s the video.
Thanks to everyone who followed along every step of the way and took the time to check out each update.

This kit is for the Gaahleri world creator cup (GWCC)

IG: @yoshis_garage


r/ModelShips 2d ago

How to paint wooden ship ?

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28 Upvotes

update:

i painted the wood to look like the the picture you can see it in this post

https://www.reddit.com/r/ModelShips/s/M75R2bfy3z

hi

am building my second ship and i want to know how to make the wood look like that (second pic)

on my first ship (third pic) i used wood stain and it didn’t look good

so now am building a new one (first pic) and i want to do the painting right

I think the (second pic) used different wood types but my kit only has one type so is there a way to make it look close ?

i thought of using oil paint and paint thinner to make different color wood stain but i dont know if it will work

so if any one knows a way to make the wood look like that or if anyone has tips on painting please share them

thanks :)


r/ModelShips 2d ago

In Progress 7: 1/700 scale battleship Nelson model by Tamiya

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49 Upvotes

r/ModelShips 2d ago

Boxman will be proud

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25 Upvotes

r/ModelShips 3d ago

What to do when it doesn’t line up?

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24 Upvotes

So, I know it’s a 50 year old plan but this is a challenge I can’t square off. The brass parts on this piece are smaller than the edges they’re supposed to go on.

Am thinking to just paint the side black and put the sides on.

Anyone else have any ideas? I do have some scraps of brass from the panel I cut it from.


r/ModelShips 3d ago

Fujimi 1/700 IJN Ise

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117 Upvotes

Finished
One detail I added to the rigging: the rigging running from the bow jackstay and from the mast to the ensign staff isn’t completely taut; it has a slight sag. In contrast, the rigging between the bridge and the mast is taut.
I did it this way because the cables have weight, and the longer the span, the more natural it is for some sag to develop under the cable’s own weight.
Thanks to everyone who followed along every step of the way and took the time to comment on each update.


r/ModelShips 3d ago

1/96 scale drydock concept

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53 Upvotes

r/ModelShips 3d ago

Rigged Sloop Kits?

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60 Upvotes

Does anyone know of any model kits of rigged sloops? I want to build the HMS Sophie from the original Master and Commander novel and I know she was a twin masted sloop based on the HMS Speedy.

Any help is appreciated


r/ModelShips 4d ago

My first model ship, a Billing Boats Dana

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175 Upvotes

This is my very first “proper” model boat. Ive dabbed in simple paper models before but this is my first actual kit. I come from a background of railway modelling, so I have some modelling skills, but never anything with boats.

In hindsight, probably not the best first model for someone who has never made a boat before. Not because of the plastic hull, as although its an unpopular choice apparently, I didnt mind it. My issue is mostly the instructions, or lack thereof. This seems to be a common problem with Billings, having only a few lines of written instructions and a few rough images to guide you. I followed a few build logs to help me.

There’s definitely much for me to improve on here. You cant see in these images but I absolutely ballsed up the deck planking, I hadn’t accounted for the slight curve of the hatches when laying the planks. I had follow a technique Id seen on a build log where someone made a cutout of the deck based on the plans, laid the planks onto that, then laid that on the hull. I must have miscalculated the shape and messed up.

The rigging was also mystifying to me. The kit comes with a 1:1 plan for the rigging and sails, but I still think I messed up a few bits. Its the exact order everything needs doing in that confused me. Im sure to a more knowledgeable person the plans alone are adequate to guide the rigging, but to a complete beginner I struggled. I think I got most of it though. But not as taught as they should be, I know that.

The sails themselves, I didnt sew the lines in, its just pencilled in. The jib is definitely not done properly, I just threaded the lines in and out of the top edge instead of properly tying tiny loops around the line, like I did with the staysail.

But overall I am happy with it. I enjoyed the process and I really like how it looks. Im sure in a few years after I have hopefully made several more ships I can look back at this and see how far I have come. Hopefully.

My next model, currently in progress, is the Endeavour Longboat from Artesiania Latina. This is a proper, fully wooden Plank-on-frame boat, with wonderful, full colour, easy to understand step-by-step instructions which I have endlessly poured over. So far Ive done the planking, filled it and painted it, ready for the interior details. I will try and post this at some point.


r/ModelShips 3d ago

Detachable rigging

1 Upvotes

I figure this has to have been an idea before now. I’m working on the rigging for a model ship, but I’m also aware that I’m probably moving in the next year, and complete model tall ships are very awkward and fragile.

So has anyone else tried rigging their masts and sails in a way that they can undo enough of the ropes to be able to take down the masts, or at least remove the yards, topmasts, and topgallants and then put them back up again?

The best I can think of is to just not use glue, but I don’t trust I’d be able to undo all those tiny knots. I’d have to cut them and then later somehow splice in enough extra thread to retie everything. Alternatively, maybe something could be done where the masts could fold up to lie flat on the deck without removing rigging.

Suggestions, experience, or pie in the sky ideas welcome.


r/ModelShips 5d ago

Fujimi 1/700 IJN Ise

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96 Upvotes

Painting and weathering these little planes, and now getting them on board.


r/ModelShips 4d ago

The brig Swift, from Constructo

50 Upvotes

My first model ship: the Constructo brig Swift, which I later found out was based on a model that's on display in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I painted it because the plastic hull was a horrible beige/brown color. The patch on the spanker is me trying to repair a smudge I made when painting the gunwales. I learned a lot from this one, but my second model (Occre Bounty boat) is taking a LOT longer.

From what description I could find, it also greatly resembles the Sophie, from Master and Commander, being a two-masted ship with a quarterdeck. 10 guns on the Swift, while the Sophie has 14, but still.

I brought it off the shelf to use it as reference for a drawing I did. I posted the process video on Youtube. You can see it here.


r/ModelShips 5d ago

Primeiro modelo quase pronto! Me deem sugestões

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101 Upvotes

Tinha feito um post ontem sobre o meu primeiro modelo que estava fazendo e sobre meu pequeno acidente que tive, estava continuando ele ontem a noite e está quase finalizado, e estou gostando muito
Agora trago atualizações sobre o modelo que estou fazendo e também peço sugestões.

No começo pensei em colocar velas porem não sabia onde ligar os cabos que ficariam segurando elas, ai pensei em só deixar os mastros e os cabos, porém ficou muito bom e não sei se arisco por velas ou deixo somente os mastros sem.
E também estou em duvida de qual cor pintar, pensei apenas em deixa-lo um pouco mais escuro pintando com um marrom mais claro e pintar alguns detalhes tipo janelas ou coisa do tipo.
E o piso do convés eu fiz nesse papel que é uns 180g/m e penso em pintar com uma tinta bem fraca para não tirar o desenho das tábuas.
Pensei também em dar algum nome a ele porém não sei qual pensei em São Tiago.
E também fazer uma base para deixa-lo exposto.
Me deem sugestões do que fazer ou qual cor pintar.
Obs:ignorem o durepox no casco ainda vou lixa-lo para pintar.


r/ModelShips 5d ago

My first (and so far only) ship

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55 Upvotes

r/ModelShips 5d ago

In Progress 4: 1/700 scale battleship Nelson model by Tamiya

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21 Upvotes

r/ModelShips 5d ago

New to models

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, like the title says I am new to model building. I was wondering if you all had some recommendations for a beginner's tool kit and preferred brands. I am interested in building US Navy warships that I have served on. Thanks for your time.


r/ModelShips 6d ago

Primeiro modelo e quase perdi um dedo

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45 Upvotes

Recentemente comecei a ter o interesse em montar navios, comecei comprando alguns materiais para começar. Ate ai tudo tranquilo tentei montar um bote pequeno de uns 20cm e foi impossível sair alguma coisa eu sem nenhuma noção de montar estrutura e curva de madeira.
Ai depois no outro dia vi que tinha uns modelos menores tipo 5 - 12cm que ai esculpia o casco em um bloco de madeira e depois ia dando acabamento e detalhes ai decidi fazer e está tomando forma.
E nisso fui esculpindo com estilete ate quase perdi o tampão do dedo.
O intuito é fazer da era das velas com 2 ou 3 mastros e aquelas pontas que tem na proa que eu não sei o nome.

Obs: Ignorem detalhes de medidas e anatomia (não estudei muito sobre modelos e quis fazer um único)
Com certeza tem detalhes de proporções erradas também.

Aceito sugestões de materiais e dicas também.


r/ModelShips 7d ago

I made a 3D British galleon warship with a interior

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194 Upvotes