I am currently working on Constructo's Enterprise
kit, and have been for about the past 12 months (I only work on the kit on weekends for a few hours). I find the kit to have excellent instructions (detailed plans and color photographs), and high quality gorgeous wood and other
parts. Many of the wood parts are precut. All of the precut parts and fittings are beautifully organized in numbered bags. The frame and bulkheads were laser cut to perfection. The instructions are tersely written (in 6 languages), though clear. For example, one part of one step said "plank the
hull". That part of that step took many weeks to complete. The instructions presume a knowledge of wood model ship building or the ability to obtain such knowledge from elsewhere. The kit included (free) extra vaneer
planking for the hull which has made my hull look absolutely fantastic (with some help by me, too!). I most previously made the Skipjack from Midwest. That kit was excellent and had excellent instructions, plans, and drawings (not photos). However, that kit was a level or two below Enterprise in terms of difficulty. Also, the Skipjack used much softer and thinner wood and required the hull to be painted, thankfully, to cover a number of mistakes I made. However, Enterprise is not to be painted so mistakes are not an option. As a result of Enterprise, my
tool collection has increased. I would also recommend a Dremmel, in particular. I now also have an excellent
book on wooden model ship building that has helped me immeasurably. If my wife agrees to give me more space for displaying my work, my next kit will be a Constructo, possibly San Mateo. Money cost is not a factor for me in selecting a kit, however, time cost and frustration is. I will not hesitate to buy another Constructo kit.
