Small Ship Models

It seems that human nature pushes us toward besting seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In some cases, that means directly challenging the power and “will” of Mother Nature. Great aviators of the early 20th century such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart were forever expanding the boundaries of flight. The Vikings did the same much earlier for trans-Atlantic sailing exploration.

The Titanic is perhaps the most infamous example of mankind reaching too far too fast in its effort to overcome natural obstacles. Before the ill-fated ship struck an enormous iceberg in the north Atlantic, no one truly believed it could sink. Even when the ship was slowly slipping into the icy deep, the band continued to play music – whether out of sheer disbelief or in an effort to pacify the passengers and crew. A Titanic model ship serves as an excellent reminder that sometimes nature is too awesome a force to overcome.

For many children, all the education in the world isn’t enough to guarantee success. Sure, having an abundance of knowledge and degrees doesn’t hurt, but it pays to have a concrete goal. In order to spark some ambition in a growing child, he or she should be told from a young age that hard work and dedication can pay off in the form of desirable material goods.

If a young boy is given a model yacht to play with, he will naturally want to own a full-size version someday. Planting this mental seed early on will most likely ratchet up the willingness and drive it takes to make money. Model yachts can also be appreciated for their elegant craftsmanship and attention to detail, but they’re most desirable because of the wealth they connote.

They say that everybody needs a hobby, but I think the truth is a bit more complex than that. I’m so busy during the week that when Saturday rolls around, all I want to do is relax on a boat, floating leisurely down a local river. It’s not so much a hobby as an essential respite from the 9 to 5 work schedule, the dull meetings and oppressive deadlines.

It should come as no surprise that when my wife raised the idea of redecorating our spare room, I suggested a boating theme. As a history teacher, she had a special fondness and appreciation for American Indian wood art; we set about collecting as many pieces – both genuine and replica – as possible in a short span of time. I found a wooden canoe model online that complemented the new theme without overpowering the rest of the décor.

The early 20th century was the heyday of the ocean liner. The Titanic and Lusitania are just two of those monstrous masterpieces. The shiny paint adorning the ocean liners of the time was of the highest quality. The paint’s ingredients; lead powder mixed with linseed oil and hand mixed.

Though collectors of ocean liner models may want to reproduce that hand-mixed paint look, they don’t have to actually use lead and linseed oil. Many specialty shops offer paint that will have the same type of finish and color pigments as the paint used to lacquer the Titanic.

Collectors should also know that the shipbuilders of 100-years ago didn’t buy their paint in 5-gallon buckets. The painters if the Titanic, for example, mixed paint in a specially-built shed.

Model Ships are the scale representation of the actual ship.