Welcome to the World of Models Building

This is an excitings, rewarding experience that not only lets you build some great ships, but gets you out onto a lake on a nice sunny day to sail your model. There are many models that you can build, Fletcher Class Destroyers from World War 2, or a modern O.H. Perry Class that sails in todays United States Navy. It doesnt matter what you are interested in, its your model and you can put as much time into it as you like.

Step 1: Research

Everyone starts the same way, research. Weather you surf the internet, or purchase books with photographs of the ships that you are looking to build.

Research links: US Navy Website, Federation of American Scientists

Step 2: Purchasing Your Ship

Next step is to see who sells the hull to the ship that you are looking to purchase. For instance, if you are looking at building the Ticoderoga Class Warship, the Bunker Hill, you can talk to dealer that sells fiberglass hull and fittings.You also should look into running gear (props, shafts) for your models. Homeport Models works with some great companies to provide the gear you will need for your ship.

As for structures, Homeport is a time-saver that you will want while building. No only does our structures has the details etched into the walls such as vents, door markers, and windows precut, but its very easy to build using the gator board material. You will see results quickly and it will save you time on your build.

Companies to purchase hulls, fittings, and more: Scale Shipyard, CNC Models, John Haynes Models, GT Sitek, Floating Drydock, Fleetscale, Resin Shipyard

Step 3: Building Your Ship

As you buld your ship using photographs that you can obtain from different resources you might find that there is one area that you are missing the detail. There are places that you can go to get some extra photographs. There are also sites that help show the building process. Homeport has worked with Model Marina to show the building of the USS Bunker Hill.

Homeport also has some videos on this web site of the building of a Perry class and a Ticonderoga class which shows how to work with gator board.

Resources While Building: Sea Photo Photography, Model Marina, Steel Navy Gallery

Step 4: Finding Fellow Modellers

I have been in this hobby for over 10 years now, and what I have found is most people are very nice and willing to share their experiences on how they built their models. If you have a question about how something was built, or more details about how I got started in the Model Warship building hobby, please use our contact form. We are happy to answer any questions.

There are a number of clubs around the country that sail ships and exchange ideas. You can find them on some great message board site.

Reserouce for Meeting Modellers: Warship Models Underway, Model Boat Mayhem