Leudo
Leudo is a type of cargo ship, used in Mediterranean Sea to carry various goods. Of course, most people familiar with the subject will think about the wine-carrying type of Leudo, and that’s exactly what this model depicts.
Model quality
This is an upgraded Pear version of the kit, so the material quality is very good.
But I have few issues with the design of the kit. Unlike Falkonet’s Yawl which was superb, this kit feels over-engineered to the point where it detracts from builder’s experience.
This is exacerbated by the fact that there are no written instructions supplied, only step-by-step photo instructions.
While the photo instructions are great, they are not enough. I’m glad this is not my first wooden kit, as some of the steps are tricky even for the experienced modeller.
Also, I feel like some things are made far more complicated than they should be.
For example, the way the hull is assembled on a special form is clever, but I’m not entirely sure it’s the easiest approach, especially the bulwark part.
And don’t get me started on the deck! I’ve done both typical approaches before - manual planking, and laser-engraved decks. Both approaches have their own merits, and I generally like both.
But here we have a weird mix - each individual plank is laser-cut and engraved! So the deck planking is even more laborious than with traditional manual approach, because char needs to be removed from every plank individually. And the planking pattern is very simple - I could have easily just done it myself with normal planks, without endless sanding of the plank edges.
Build notes
This is a form that is used to shape the hull:
Planking is double, with even the first layer being laser cut and pre-spiled.
Planking of the lower hull complete, first layer of the deck installed.
Another form is used to plank the bulwarks, and even with the form it’s quite fiddly, really hard to achieve good fit despite planks being pre-spiled.
Deck planking in progress, you can clearly see that each individual plank is laser-cut and needs to be cleaned up and glued separately.
As is common with Russian manufacturers, there are no dowels for the masts. Instead, one needs to work with provided laser-cut parts, which is rather annoying. It’s not a big deal, but I find this type of work to be extremely boring.
Rigging was rather simple, only four shrouds and no ratlines.
Finally, the kit also includes parts for four big barrels. I started to assemble one, and quickly gave up. It was fiddly and boring and I was already tired with this model (too much char cleanup, dubious engineering), so maybe one day I’ll upgrade the model with the barrels. For now, it’s good enough for me.
Conclusion
Very interesting subject, but rather disappointing model. Photo instructions were insufficient, some assembly steps were unclear, fiddly and/or over-engineered, and overall I didn’t enjoy the build.
The end result still looks nice to me, and I love unusual the subject, especially the peaceful, hedonistic nature of wine cargo ship.
Gallery
