The illustrations for this article are for a model of the Armed Merchant Cruiser Chitral taken from a set of drawings in Modelarstwo Okretowe. The plans were to 1/500 but I wanted to build in 1/700, so the drawings needed to be reduced.
 
The technique described here is suitable for destroyers and larger vessels in 1/700 scale. For smaller vessels such as tugs and trawlers, I prefer to use the “bread and butter”method.
 
The Modelarstwo Okretowe drawings had been done with modellers in mind and had all the necessary details done for me. However, you can get by with a drawing with at least a plan view and an elevation. Hull sections and drawings of different deck levels are helpful, but not necessarily essential if the subject is small. If it does not already have a waterline drawn on, then this needs to be sketched in using the elevation to determine the length at the waterline and reference to photos to get some idea of the shape of the hull especially at bow and stern.
 
As my drawings were to the wrong scale, they were scanned into the computer. The picture was cropped to the exact length of the hull, and knowing the actual length of the ship meant that the scale length could be calculated. My graphics programme allowed for the length of the image to be set on the printer, which gave a percentage reduction. The whole picture was then printed using that percentage. It is possible to do something similar on a photocopier, but you will need somebody with better arithmetic skills than I to tell you how to do it!
 
You then need to print at least three copies of the drawings (more if it is a complex subject with several deck levels) at the right scale either from your computer or on a photocopier. The first copy will be your reference plan. The remainder will be chopped up to provide paper templates.
 
The scheme is to produce a framework of the hull which will then be clad in styrene sheet for the decks and hull plating. This is very similar to the technique used in building card models, and building card models is a great preparation for scratch building. I generally use 20 thou styrene sheet for the framework and decks and 10 thou for the hull plating. It is important that you bear these sizes in mind as the framework then needs to be built 10 thou narrower than the drawings on the hull width and 40 thou shorter on the height from waterline to deck (20 thou baseplate + 20 thou deck)  to allow for the thickness of the decks, waterline plate and hull skins. Failure to do so will give all sorts of problems later and on a small subject particularly, will result in an out of proportion appearance.
 
Next step is to cut a paper template of the waterline from the drawings 10 thou narrower all round. Stick this to the styrene sheet using PVA glue. This holds the templates in place, but also allows them to be peeled off when they have served their purpose. When it is thoroughly dry (if the glue has not dried completely the paper could well tear) then cut out the waterline and this will be your base plate. Turn the base plate over or peel off the paper to give a bare styrene surface and mark on the centreline. The profile is then transferred to styrene sheet in the same way, remembering to reduce by 20 thou at top and bottom, and cut out.
 
The profile piece is then stuck on at right angles along the centreline. To kept it upright, rectangular styrene stock can be used on either side of the line. You could use continuous strips, but these will get in the way of the transverse frames, so I prefer to use blocks with gaps for where the frames will go. With Chitral I probably went over the top in the number of transverse frames I used as it is a fairly large hull and I wanted it to be rigid.

Photo 1 shows the profile ”spine” attached to the waterline plate.
 
I then like to add uprights from rectangular strip to the central spine. These will support the inner ends of the frames. It is a bit of a chore, but when it comes to cutting and fitting the frames, they can be cut fractionally shorter than the distance from the waterline to the spine and then slid into place to get an exact fit at the edge. Cutting and fitting the frames is a critical stage as they will support the hull plating and the decks, and need to be made individually. As the sheer on the deck rises the frames need to be made taller to match the spine. Working accurately in two planes can be difficult, but getting the hull sides right is more important than the deck level. If the frames are not high enough, the top edges of them can be shimmed with different thicknesses of sheet to get them spot on to support the deck– better that than having them standing proud of the spine as it is trickier to reduce the height than to increase by shimming. If your drawings show hull sections, this is where they come in as they will give the shape of the outer edges of the frames towards the bow and stern (the centre section of the hull usually has vertical sides).

Photo 2 shows vertical blocks to support the inner edges of the frames and about half of the frames fitted.
 
There are several ways of fashioning the bow and stern, depending on the shape you need to achieve and your preference. One way is to fill the spaces between the frames with Milliput and then carve back using the edges of the frames to gauge when you have removed enough material as soon as the edges are exposed. Indeed this technique can be used for the whole of the hull.
 
The snag with combining Milliput with a styrene skin is getting a good bond where the two meet up. If the stern is vertical there is no problem in just applying sheet all the way round, but counter and cruiser sterns are not so easy. In these cases I usually fill up the space with blocks of styrene from rectangular stock and then carve to shape. The side skins can then be glued on with styrene cement where they meet.

Photo 3 shows blocks of styrene crudely cut to shape for the stern to be finally carved to shape later.
 
At the bow, a strip of brass replaces the stem. This is because the brass is thinner, enabling a sharper bow to be modelled, and also because it is harder than the plastic, and therefore less likely to be over sanded.

Photo 4 shows the brass strip being fitted for the stem and blocks for the bow starting to be built up
The decks are made by cutting and sticking paper templates as before (remembering to make them 10 thou smaller all round). The stern can now be carved to shape using the edges of the waterline plate and the deck edge as guides. It is useful to mark the edges you are using as guides with a black marker to make them stand out clearly. Carving starts with a fine razor saw to remove large lumps of unwanted material, then chipping away with a craft knife and finally finishing by sanding.

Photos  5 and 6 show the stern and forward well decks in place. The paper templates can be seen with some areas cut away. The central cutaway is to reveal where the edges of the superstructure will be fitted. Smaller cutaways are where there are areas of steel deck which will be treated with filler on the grooved sheet which is being used to represent planking. The carving of the shape of the stern is partly done.

Photo 7 shows support pieces being fitted at the top edges of the central frames to support the top edge of the plating. Normally the edge of the deck piece would perform this function, but Chitral had a section of deck which protruded beyond the hull, so a modification to the usual technique was needed. The paper deck templates have now been peeled off having marked the position of major items first.

Photo 8 shows the stern superstructure being built up from strip and block. The carving of the stern is now complete.
 
Once the decks are in place the hull sides can be plated with 10 thou sheet. If joins are needed, then a piece of strip needs to be fitted behind the join area to support the joined ends. As it is difficult to predict the shape of the pieces needed for covering, the sheet is fitted oversize and then trimmed back to the level of the waterline and the decks. An approximate paper template can be made by wrapping paper around the model and marking it off with a pencil where it touches the deck and waterline edges. I find that a compromise has to be made – allow enough extra all round to permit trimming, but not too much as this will prevent the sheet conforming to the compound curves on the hull.  Any solid bulwarks can be made at this stage by leaving the sheet standing above the decks at this stage and trimming to the correct height. Because the sheet is thin, the cement used will cause it to “dimple” in some places where it contacts the hull frames, but this can easily be corrected with filler.

Photo 9 shows the paper template for the hull skin taped in place to check for fit. Decks for the forecastle, forward well deck and aft decks are all in place, but not the overhanging central deck as explained earlier.

Photo 10 shows the first oversize skin of 10 thou sheet glued in place. It was proving difficult to get it to conform at the bow which is why a series of cuts have been made towards the waterline plate giving a fringed appearance.

Photo 11 shows the skin trimmed to size using the waterline plate and deck edges as a guide. The solid bulwark on the forward well deck is achieved by marking its position and trimming to that line rather than the deck edge. This way the bulwark does not have to be added later, and there are no problems with joints.

Photo 12 shows both skins in place and trimmed to size.
 
The build will now proceed with layers of superstructure being made from strip and block and overlaid with decks, remembering to paint areas which will become inaccessible as you go along.
 
So now, once you have some drawings, you can build that ship which you know that no manufacturer is ever going to release.