by Fraser May
1/25 Roar Ege (Billings)
This is my build of Billings Boats Kit of "Roar Ege", which is a reproduction of "Skuldev 3", a Danish merchant vessel from around 1000AD and dug up in 1962 in Roskilde, Danmark where she'd been sunk along with others as a block ship.
I wasn't impressed with the quality of the materials in the kit. The planks are plywood, which works well as they're nice and flexible. The strip wood is all Ramin, I think, horrible open grain stuff. You'd have thought they might have used Lime, Europe does have lots, after all. Billings class this kit as suitable for an 'advanced beginner'. To anyone, of whatever level of skill contemplating 'Roar' I'd say you need to keep your wits about you, the plans/instructions are brief and not very clear. You end up with a very beautiful little ship. When I can get some decent cordage (that in the kit is horrible) I shall make a sail for her - and probably re-rig - and make a slightly more elegant stand, too. Or a diorama?
The photography was done with my Canon 350d and a Sigma 17-70 zoom - mounted on a tripod.
