The first flight into space was the greatest technical and technological breakthrough of mankind. The device that went into near-planetary space proved that the boundaries of a person’s habitat can expand at his own will, and since the middle of the last century, millions of earthlings have literally become “sick” of spacecraft, ships and rockets.
Development of space modeling
An incredible rise in interest in aviation and space modeling occurred in the Soviet Union - the country of the first satellite and cosmonaut. The exploration of distant planets seemed like a thing of tomorrow, and thousands of boys, using scrap materials, enthusiastically built their own, far from the original, but made with soul, small copies of “Vostok”, “Voskhod” and “Soyuz”. In those years, modelers could not imagine that their children and grandchildren would have colorful boxes with assembly kits at their disposal. spaceships, which both exist in reality and were invented by writers or filmmakers.
Indeed, in the decades since the first rocket launch, the situation has changed. Today, to make a model of Vostok or the first lunar rover, a modeler does not have to collect bits and pieces of plastic, turn out parts of their wood or metal, and information about prototypes is much more accessible than before. But the current builders of miniature spaceships must work hard to ensure that their creation comes into being and becomes truly realistic.
Models of rockets and spaceships in A-model
The website of the A-model online store presents prefabricated models of spaceships, in different scales and released various manufacturers. Manufacturing miniature copy such a serious structure as a rocket, reusable shuttle or orbital station requires considerable patience and skill from the modeller. You can’t do it without tools, glue and paints, and without special equipment for airbrushing, decals and photo-etching elements.
All these and other accessories that help transform, albeit large-scale, but still plastic model spaceship in its authentic copy, is in the catalog of the A-model online store.
In addition to the opportunity to inexpensively buy a model of the Atlantis spaceship or a suborbital complex developed in the USA, fans of science fiction films and computer sagas have the chance to replenish their collections with spacecraft from distant eras and galaxies.
Fans of the legendary Star Wars saga are incredibly lucky. REVELL has created a line of 1:144 scale buildable models that are enough to outfit a small rebel army. Another famous manufacturer scale models, Hasegawa invites the modeler to become the owner of a luxurious interstellar pirate ship. Fantastic aircraft will captivate both adults and very young space fans. And we will try to ensure that the modeler always has the necessary materials and additional parts at hand.
For those who like to look not only at the stars, but also at the clear sky and wide horizon, A-model has prepared an extensive section of airplane models and other aircraft. In our store you can buy a model for assembling a single-engine jet plane Heinkel He 162, released by , as well as other 1:72 scale models from this manufacturer. No less interesting is the collection of prefabricated Amodel models offered by the online store in a similar scale and thematic group.
In modeling, plywood is the most popular material. This is due to high quality indicators, as well as ease of operation. Plywood sheets are very easy to cut and quite easy to process. Using suitable scheme(drawing), you can make ships from plywood with your own hands.
Plywood is universal material, which is easy to cut and process in various ways, therefore, it is recommended to begin your acquaintance with modeling with plywood patterns.
Designing a ship yourself is quite interesting activity. But in order to start performing complex models, you need to practice on easier ones.
Materials and tools
To create patterns from stucco on board a ship, you need to prepare your own composition from which you can form reliefs. For the solution, you need to prepare the following tools and materials:
- wood dust;
- PVA glue (on average, one ship model can take about half a liter of glue);
- plasticine for creating small irregularities and patterns;
Materials and tools that are used during ship modeling:
Birch plywood will ensure a minimum number of chips when sawing.
- plywood of the required thickness;
- superglue;
- sandpaper for surface treatment;
- nylon thread;
- jigsaw for cutting out parts;
- construction knife;
- wood for the mast. It is better to use pine, as it is much easier to process;
- dye;
- small brushes;
- Chinese chopsticks;
- fabric for sails;
- thread;
- pencil ruler.
The wood for modeling should be soft, not fibrous. The most popular options are cedar, linden, and walnut. All wooden blanks must be perfectly smooth, without knots or damage. It can be used as additional element to create decorative parts. Wood can also be used to create the main elements of the model, such as the deck and hull.
Plywood is the most popular material in modeling. In areas such as modeling, birch or balsa plywood is most often used. This is due to the fact that these types of wood practically do not chip during sawing. To make a boat from plywood, you need to use sheets with a thickness of 0.8-2 mm.
A simple diagram of a plywood ship model.
Veneer is a sheet material, very thin, made from wood. valuable species. In most cases, veneer is used as facing material. It is used to paste over products that are made from inexpensive material.
Fasteners will not only perform the main task of holding parts together, but also perform decorative role. To create a model of a boat, you need to prepare thin chains (several sizes can be used), laces, threads, copper or brass nails. In order to transfer a drawing from sheet to plywood, it is best to use tracing paper and a pencil. This will make the drawing more detailed. To fasten the plywood parts together, you must use glue. Fine detailing can be made using metal casting, using polymer clay or make your own solution from wood dust and PVA glue. After complete drying, this mass is very durable and can be painted in the desired color.
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Preparatory work
If you are modeling a plywood ship for the first time, it is recommended to purchase kits in which all the parts have already been cut out and processed. But its cost can sometimes be quite high. Therefore, with great desire and effort, experience can be gained in the process of assembling your ship. Modeling, like other types of work, necessarily begins with the preparatory stage. The first thing you need to start with is what kind of ship you will model. To begin with, it is worth looking at various drawings and finished works, this will make choosing a model much easier.
Having studied the drawing in full, it is worth checking the presence of all necessary materials and tools to get the job done. Modeling ships is a piece of jewelry. It requires a lot of time and perseverance.
At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to make paper or cardboard templates of all parts. After that, they are all transferred to plywood. On this preparatory stage work can be considered completed.
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Manufacturing of parts
In order to make all the parts and cut them out of a plywood sheet, you must use the appropriate tool. For work, you can use a manual jigsaw, but, if possible, it is better to use an electric model version. Using the second option will significantly reduce the time for manufacturing all elements. This is especially true for the smallest details.
The sawn blanks are processed with a file, removing chips and burrs.
In order to cut out a part, a hole is made in the plywood into which a jigsaw file is placed. It is necessary to cut out all the details very carefully, while respecting all contour boundaries, since inaccurately cut parts can later spoil appearance the entire ship. Each sawn workpiece must be processed with a file from the ends. During this cleaning process, it is necessary to remove a small part of the chamfer where chips and burrs have formed. When cutting, this moment cannot be avoided.
You need to assemble the ship when all the parts are cut out and the ends are processed. This will allow you to do assembly work without being distracted by cutting out missing parts.
The online store site offers to buy models of spaceships with affordable delivery throughout Moscow and the regions. By becoming the owner of one of the sets we offer for sale, you will be able to assemble cruisers, helicopters and other vehicles in scales of 1:72, 1:78, 1:144, 1:600, etc.
What prefabricated models are presented in the “Space” section?
Cruisers. They are represented by the Galaxy model, the prototype of which is 1.4 km long. Its surface is well detailed. “Galaxy” comes complete with stand, decals and sublight engines.
Ships. In this category special attention deserves an Imperial Star Destroyer. It is considered the most efficient ship in the science fiction series. In addition, the Destroyer model from the iconic Star Wars is one of the largest models made under official Disney license.
Rockets. Kits for building such aircraft will be a wonderful gift for those who have a craving for unknown spaces and looking into the night sky evokes genuine awe. On our website you will find a prefabricated model of the most powerful and heaviest American Saturn 5, as well as Titan Rockets with launch pads.
Shuttles. These are reusable transport spacecraft. They are launched using their own engines and solid rocket boosters. If you are interested in such scale models of spaceships, we recommend that you pay attention to the Endeavor shuttle with a transporter - according to many reviews, this is not only an affordable, but also an interesting set to assemble. Since its level of complexity is low, even children can build it.
For model making enthusiasts, sheets of pressed and glued wood veneer have always been one of the most sought after materials. They are easy to cut, perfectly processed, drawings of ships made of plywood are easy to find on the Internet, and therefore it is with plywood patterns that many craftsmen begin their acquaintance with modeling various ships.
Making models with your own hands is a very difficult task, requiring a significant amount of knowledge and a certain skill. In this article we will only talk about the most basic techniques, and you will hone further skills yourself. 
Materials for work
If you want to make a small model of a ship, then you will need the following materials:
- Wood - cedar, linden, walnut or other wood, preferably soft and non-fibrous. Wood blanks must be smooth, without knots or damage. Wood can be used both as a material for the main elements of the model (hull, deck) and for fine detailing.
- Plywood is perhaps the most popular material. For ship modeling, either balsa or birch is used, since these are the types of wood that provide the minimum number of chips when sawing. Model ship plywood, as a rule, has a thickness of 0.8 to 2 mm.
Pay attention! Sheets of beech veneer of thin thickness are sometimes used as an alternative to birch: although they are inferior in strength, they bend much easier.
- Veneer – thin plates natural wood expensive breeds . As a rule, it is used for veneering, i.e. pasting surfaces from inexpensive material.
- Fastening elements - thin chains, laces, threads, brass and copper nails.
In addition, we will definitely need wood glue, cardboard and tracing paper for transferring templates, etc. Fine detailing is made from metal casting. As an alternative to metal, you can use colored polymer clay.
Making a souvenir boat
Preparing for work
Any work begins with preparation, and modeling will by no means be an exception.
- First we need to decide what we will build. If you have not previously dealt with shipbuilding art, we recommend downloading drawings of a ship made from plywood on the Internet: as a rule, they contain all necessary information and are understandable even to a beginner.
Pay attention! Kits are available for sale that allow you to assemble a ship from ready-made parts. Beginners will be interested in such kits (although the price of most of them is quite significant), but it is still better to master the technology from the basics.
- After analyzing the drawing, we check whether everything necessary is available. In principle, if something is missing, you can buy more a little later, because building a ship (even a miniature one) is not a quick task!
- After printing the drawing, we make templates for the main parts.
- We transfer the templates to .
Cutting out and assembling parts
You can cut blanks using either a manual or an electric jigsaw.
The latter is more expensive, but with it you will have less trouble cutting out small parts:
- We make a starting hole in the plywood sheet into which we insert a file or jigsaw blade.
- We cut out the part, trying to move exactly along the marked contour.
- We process the sawn workpiece with a file, removing small chamfers along the edges and removing the inevitable chips and burrs.
Advice! Working on one element (deck, sides, keel, etc.), we immediately cut out all the parts necessary for assembly. This way we will spend significantly less time, and the work will move faster.
When everything is ready, we begin assembling our ship.
- First, we put transverse frames on the longitudinal beam - the keel. At the bottom of each frame there is usually a groove for fastening to the plywood keel.
- For connection you can use standard glue, or you can use special adhesive mixtures intended for ship modeling.
- We attach the upper parts of the frames to the deck. U simple models the deck is a single sheet of plywood, and for complex ones it can be multi-level.
- After the glue on the frames has dried, we begin to sheathe the sides with thin strips of plywood. The thickness of the material should be no more than 1.5 mm, since only in this case we will be able to bend the skin without the risk of damaging it.
- For bending, you can heat and humidify. After this, the material will bend without difficulty, and over time it will acquire a stable shape.
Pay attention! The body can be covered with a continuous sheet for painting. But to imitate plank cladding, it is better to use strips up to 10 mm wide (depending on the scale).
- We fix the glued plywood with clamps and clamps and leave it to dry.
Final finishing
By and large, on this carpentry ends and art begins.
When the body is assembled and dried, we need:
- Make from thin plywood and secure deck superstructures.
- Extend the sides so that they protrude above the plane of the deck.
- Cover the surface of the deck with wooden veneer or outline it with an awl, imitating plank cladding.
- Make and install all the small parts like the steering wheel and steering blade.
- Secure the masts with everyone additional devices(the so-called spar), set the sails and stretch this entire structure using rigging threads.
Finally, all plywood parts must be treated with stain and varnished. This will provide our souvenir with at least a couple of decades of preservation.
Conclusion
Almost anyone can make a simple plywood boat with their own hands - just enough patience and minimal skills in working with a jigsaw (read also the article). But if you want to implement a complex drawing with many small details, then you will have to work hard. That's why we recommend starting with the simplest models and gradually increasing your skill!
In the video presented in this article you will find additional information on this topic.
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