Are you just getting started? Have no idea how to get your ship together. Would you like to put your ship together right the first time. I have a DVD for sale for $10 that takes you through every step in warship construction. It is 5+ hours long and covers my construction of the FN Montcalm, a fiberglass Swampworks hull. The time and money saved by getting this DVD will help you get on the water faster and also make your ship more reliable in battle. E-mail me if you would like a copy. Why did I put his together? When I got my first ship kit in 1997 it came with a few pages of instructions. I could not make heads or tails of them. I had never seen a battle or another ship. The only thing I had to build my ship with was the information I found on the internet and the hard to follow instructions. A lot of the same "How to" articles I found are still out there. They did not have enough pictures, were pretty old, and somewhat outdate back then. Now a few of them are so old the technology they use will lead you down the wrong path. Most of us are very visual and can learn better with photos then the written word. I thought of making a how to video as I was doing the 4th refit of my rookie cruiser. It had taken almost 10 years since I first got my kit to the time the ship was completely built the “Right way”. As I was tearing it apart and fixing things, some things for the 4th time, I thought of all the time and money I had wasted getting it into top shape. I had learned a lot in 10 years and had built several other ships. I was also becoming the local veteran that all the new guys, and a few of the old ones, looked to for advice. I was teaching them face to face and over e-mail and looking back to how I started. If only I had known all this stuff I would have had a lot more fun. I could see how frustrating it could be for someone and how easy it would be to lose them. If your ship does not work it’s hard to have fun battling it. After a year or two of frustration you’ll stop coming back. I had been making DVDs of NATS and sending them out to members. I thought it would be a good way to find new battlers by making the Welcome to the MWC video to hand out to new guys. Making the How to Video was the next step. Go through each step of ship construction explaining how and why we did each part. Teaching how to perform each step would help the new guys get their ships on the water faster and help them keep them on top of it. So why is this on your computer and not your DVD player. Well it’s 5+ hours long and would not fit if it would play on your DVD player. Plus this way I get to put other good pieces of information on it to help you out. You’ll find several Inside of a Warship articles where I review my own and some of the local ships. You’ll get a good idea of how different class ships lay out. I point out some of the good and the bad of each ship. These will give you a chance to see how other guys build things. Then you can steal the best things from each design and make them your own. There are a few rib layouts from different ships to give you a feel for laying out the ribs on your ship. There are a several articles I have written for TF 144. An article helps you pick out your first ship. One deals with working with ABS plastic. Another has the parts for the guns noted on it. There is a short gun skills article, practice, practice. There are a few flyers for you to put up in the local hobby stores or any place you think you might find another battler. Some of the flyers have all the fiber glass hulls that are for sale on the internet. This list keeps growing so check out the web sites and see what’s new. I have not covered building wood hulls yet, that will have to wait to part two. Good luck and get building!!!
As for a new boat builder I must say that the DVD has been a great help. when you have a question just pop the DVD in and fwd to the part you are working on and get help from a pro. And it is not only bobs way, he shows several other boats and how they are set up.
Are these still available. ? I like to get 2 of them.I like to play one at a local hobby show coming up in May. This would certaintly help with interest.
Yes they are always for sale. Just send me a check, no paypal, and your address and I'll mail one out.
It is based on an MWC cruiser, the French Montcalm, a Swampy hull. Most of the building info appies to all clubs, wiring, hull cutting, SS construction, drive system... all are the same. It's the guns that would change from MWC to Big Gun.
Bob, this sounds like it might even be useful for those doing wood construction. Please send details to me at reike2@comcast.net Thanks, Ron
Not this winter. Maybe next year. I have to find a ship I want to make a wood hull from. I already have 8 ships so adding more goes slow. By making the video as I built took 3-4 times as long as just building.
Any exceptions on the no-paypal for shipping abroad.. to be more specific shipping to Denmark. It's a bit annoying to spend $25+ on sending a check for "just" $10 + shipment.
On THIS SITE you'll find Bob's email address. Just shoot him a message with your shipping address and he'll write back with details. If memory serves the "welcome" video is $5 and the "how to" video is $10 (+shipping). I purchased both videos and have been using them not only for my own edjumacation (Southern spelling) but also for getting friends interested in the hobby.
I would really recommend these videos, We strongly sudjest all new members watch the build one even though we are a IRCWCC group mainly it is still a huge help for someone to show what is involved in getting a ship together and on the water.
Hello bob, the name is Nikki, Are the welcome and the how to DVD's still available, and are much are they! Nikki
Yes they are. Send a check for $10 to me at Bob Hoernemann 1480 Lake Susan Hills Dr Chanhassen, MN 55317
The DVD was (is) very helpful, especially on the electronics and internals. By the way, thanks for the Nats DVDs! they turned out great
