Depending on where you decide to purchase your plans, the seller may be open to giving you a PDF. Some sellers may be worried about someone reselling their plans if they have the file and would not be so open to it. Try finding plans you like and shooting the seller an email if you can get the pdf it shouldn't be too hard to design models of the ribs in a program like Delf Ship. But some people would tell you it's better to hand cut the ribs for the experience. Cutting a bit bigger than the outline and sanding it down to the final form works well for accurate ribs.
Ok, sounds good, though in this program I can tell the machine to intentionally leave extra space to sand down later, so it shouldn't be a problem
HAND!!! tsk I have a bandsaw for a reason! I think you don't really need to... (I'm gonna stop debating this Depending on the ship, you might be able to find plans online or on this site. Do you have a 3D printer.
Note that others might also have to use them. I will also have access to many teachers who have used theses tools for years, and my grandfather used to be a carpenter
Most ships are built off fiberglass hulls. I have a Des Moines hull I might be willing to part with. Some prefer wooden hulls, but of active ships in the IRC 80-90% are fiberglass-based. Still plenty of work to do going from an empty hull to a functional ship. You can draw and print the superstructure, turrets, etc if you'd like. 3D printing can be good for some internal mounts, not a whole lot else (if reliability is valued). Most work can be done with hand or small power tools (dremel, jig saw, soldering iron, drill, etc)
Just saying, for Big gun heavy cruiser guns are hard to come by. I have never seen a Gun armed big gun heavy cruiser. But I guess you could do it.
I would not recommend a CA as a Big Gun beginner boat. I've seen it done on rare occasions, and it never goes well. All the complexity of a battleship without the space, armor, or displacement to survive mistakes. Again, talk with club members in-person, and you'll get a much better idea of what you're looking for. There are a number of free plans on this site, and various people have much larger collections of digital plans. What format are you looking for? Most of mine are large .jpg files or similar.
As I mentioned before, we're having a build session during the day on 12/7 in Annapolis (1106 Skyway Drive). There will be several wooden-hulled boats there, and we can talk about advantages and disadvantages to going down that path. I can bring along Des Moines plans as well. If that timing or location doesn't work send me a message and we can try to work something else out more locally.
Great. Starting in the morning around 9-10 and going through mid afternoon (3-4ish). Any time in there should work, we typically grab lunch down the road at some point. I’ll send out a better estimate with more details a few days before
Is this hull big gun or fast gun, and if it is fast gun what would it take to get you to part with it?
Either, it’s an untouched 1/144 scale hull. I can bring it over to Annapolis next weekend with some plans
Anyone know where I could get plans for the USS Benham (397) or another of her class? she looks like a good torp boat
