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SHIP MODEL REPAIR



Because you value your ship model, you want a restorer who is highly competent.

A trusting restorer must be a nautical historian who knows many ship types of different periods. This is important because old models might leave no traces of their missing parts. You can validate this knowledge requirement by viewing the accuracy of the models the restorer has been produced and the great variety of his repair jobs.

You want a gifted professional, not an wannabe, to take care of your ship. An amateur can tie knots and glue things but he cannot accurately duplicate the missing parts. He has to turn to a third party for premade parts, which usually are not exact shapes and sizes. He might destroy the antique look of your model. He will either give up or mess up a precious model when things turn out not like what he expects.

ModelShipMaster is the only one who can custom make parts. This can be attested by the tiny details in the ship models that we make. Incompetent repairers do not have good photos to back up their claims. To compensate, they write lengthy about how good they are, about childhood passion, and their intentions. Well, we have seen enough primitive models from passionate amateurs. 

The professionals who restore antique furniture and decorative art are still amateurs in the ship model business. They mostly fill, sand and paint, not create. Their tools are very different and larger. We have witnessed a case in which an owner took back his ship immediately after seeing an antique repairer's tools.

ModelShipMaster repairs ship models of any type and any quality. We can travel to your place or you can send your models to our facility in California.

Below is our repair of the steamship SACO for Ayres Hotel in Newport Beach, California. The SACO's information was scant as it was built for World War I and we managed the restoration so successfully that only a couple of weeks later the hotel commissioned us another restoration--an extraordinary model of a Russian warship. Mr. Ayres is a nautical collector who owns more than 30 exceptional and rare models--many of them are displayed at his headquarters hotel which is only 15 miles from ModelShipMaster. If you have a very expensive model and you are looking for a trusting restorer, just contact the manager of the Ayres Hotel and ask about our technical expertise and professionalism.  

We can execute a restoration/repair at your place in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego if the repair can be done by two people in one day. For longer distances and more complicated repairs, email us for a possibility. Please note that we can't accept all off-site restoration, as we simply do not have time. Below is our restoration done at Crystal Cruises in Los Angeles. The ship is the Crystal Harmony which was built by the well respected American model builder J.H..

 

Second time at Crystal Cruises, upgrading the model:

 

If driving is not practical for you, packing and sending a model to our location is fairly easy. Just place it inside a large carton box which is at least 20" longer, wider, and taller than the model then fill the box with packing peanuts. Then bring the box to a local FEDEX station. If the box is too big for your vehicle, we can schedule a FEDEX pickup for you. Note that after the repair we will have to build a crate for your model's return voyage.

For a cost estimate, please send us some photos and the length of your ship model.  Services@modelshipmaster.com. Please help us be efficient and do not call. We really need photos. In general, for a model ship that has rigging and masts, your minimum cost is only $900. For other types such as model yacht, ocean liner model, container ship model, ect., the minimum is $1,100. For a repair performed in Europe: $1,300 for all types.

Below are some of our representative restorations for your enjoyment.
            
At the residence of the owner of the luxury cruise liner OCEANIA CRUISES, Miami:

 



SOS, An extensive restoration of an antique tall ship model
 


KISUCA, a builder model. Metal.
 


Stella Polaris
The most extensive restoration of a ship model ever performed, worldwide.
 



Prisoner pirate ship,  one of the most beautiful tall ships we've seen.
 

Please click on thumbnails to enlarge photos:

 

 



 
 

"I just want to let you know how thrilled my clients are with their ship. Thank you for taking the time and care in bringing it back to life. Nicole Hitchcock."

"The work you did on my wife’s schooner, The Sword Fish, is beautiful! I too love to look at eye level from the stern to imagine the rough conditions under which the model was made. I guess men were really men back then!! Freeman."

  
        
Our world number 1 team can perform on plastic as well. Here's a flimsy plastic model that we repaired in 2018:

Have a very fine model boat in need of repair?  Here's our sample.

"I contacted several model ship places in California for a repair and only you accepted it. Before I found you I had dragged myself to a big retailer and disappointed myself after learning that they imported everything and all they could fix was to glue back broken-off parts. More surprise was that another retailer whose web site appeared highly professional did not even have a warehouse! He also knew zip about building ship models. Anyway, it's a great pleasure to know you guys who are  saving my sinking ships.  Sincerely, Jim P."

"Hello! So I finally was able to give the ship back to my Dad! He was ecstatic to see it all repaired. He had no idea it was happening, and was absolutely thrilled to see it back in full glory. I wanted to let you guys know and thank you once again for your hard work and service! Thank you again! Brandon N"

"She has arrived and is beyond gorgeous! My son’s face was priceless and he actually thought I had somehow found another ship as he remembered how tragically damaged she was!  He’s happy that a case is being made since right away my granddaughter (9) wanted to touch it.  He was telling his family stories of how he ran around on her as a kid and all the fantastic treats he used to get in the galley etc. Again, THANK YOU!!! Sincerely, Kate"'

One of the most sentimental moments we have experienced happened in September 2019. We picked up, repaired, and delivered a fine model build by a brother (now deceased) and passed down to his sister who's now bed ridden in a senior center in San Diego. We have revived innumerable loving memories with restorations but that was perhaps the first time we felt the full meaning of our job. "Awesome!! Thank you! You can't know how much joy this will bring her." Texted her niece, who had a model repaired and 2 large display cases made by us five years prior.

We also accept commissions to repair/restore other types of artwork. Below is one for the CEO of one of the world's most prominent music record companies, located in Santa Monica. We had this job after repairing his one-of-a-kind HMS Tiger model.

We also accepts jobs to build crates for the most odd-shaped art pieces. We charge only two third of what specialized art movers do but do a better job as model ships have the oddest shapes and we are extremely successful at packing them. 

Choosing a restorer might be tricky sometimes. You might think a well-known model kit company would be an optimal choice but you should think twice. A kit maker is specialized in computer drawing, molding, and prefabrication. He is good at making thousands of kits in a short time but not necessarily good in constructing models, let alone restoring, which requires very a dissimilar skill set. He uses cheap flimsy wood for his products. We might appear less authoritative compared to a big model kit producer but our skills in ship modeling and restoration are way superior. Our materials are peerless.

We hope the info presented above is helpful for you. If you have any questions, just send us an email. Wish you the best.