Brad, and in no way taking away from your superbly built model of the Cutty Sark, I couldn't help but notice the dearth of rigging lines. I did note your comment that you decided to leave them out but hope you might reconsider that in any future build.
You did such an excellent job of the hull build, and of course it's your model, but I would really urge you to try and add the rigging on your next build. Many of the kits, as I recall, provide a fairly good fairly good set of rigging plans for their kits, and I believe MM is no exception. While it might not be the exact, actual rigging used on the real thing, let's face it, at smaller scales it's almost impossible to do that, so some shortcuts are taken which give you a pretty good end result nonetheless.
I admit this is one aspect of sailing ship modeling that is challenging, but I don't think, once you try it, you will find it as difficult as I believe many first feel. I had started my USS Constitution a while back (it's been languishing for many months as life charges through, but I hope to get back to her soon), and one thing I tried to keep in mind as I worked on the hull is how the rigging would eventually be laid out...time will tell if I succeeded in this respect, but I think it's good to try and plan things out, particularly in the rigging.
I'm not sure it's much different from many other aspect of model projects in this regard, but with the rigging it does help if, before you start to build the hull, particularly adding the details to the deck and/or finishing up the hull in general, to visualize how the rigging lines will be added to the ship later on. In this way you can make any adjustments or add such things as eyebolts to the deck, or holes/blocks, which would be difficult if not impossible to add later on in the build.
As with any model project, as I'm sure you found in this beautiful build of Cutty Sark, if you break it down into mini projects, and try to figure out how the rigging will be added later before moving on, I think anyone can do an excellent job of rigging a sailing ship. Part of the fun in building sailing ships, I personally feel, is learning a bit about how the rigging works and how the rigging is set up.
So, if I might be so bold, I do urge you to consider trying the rigging on your next project, even if only the standing rigging, such as the shrouds, stays, etc., and I think if you take it step by step, and add more of the rigging with each succeeding ship build, you will shortly find it's not as bad as it first seemed. And there are many in this forum who would be very happy to give you some suggestions/tips as your go along.
Actually, when I get back to Constitution and start on the rigging I will be attempting to explain how (and often why) I do what I do in the masting and rigging parts...not that I'm any expert, of course, but I have built a few sailing ship models before and learned a few things about the rigging.
Anyway, just a comment and suggestion, if you will permit me.
Looking forward to more photos when you can!
Cheers!
Jim
