James H

I want one of those lathes too, with the extension bed.

Pretty much. I've been doing book and magazine work for about 10yrs in a lot of international titles, but that was in plastic modelling. I just needed to adapt it to wooden ships, which takes up far more space 😆

Well, this is it folks, it's all done. It's taken me just under 11 weeks from start to finish, and that's around 10 days longer than I planned, simply because I've had to re-learn rigging again. The last time I did a fully-rigged warship was about 13yrs ago, so I was just a little rusty. I rigged this model in about 12 or 13 days, in total. I actually re-learned swear words that I'd also long forgotten. I have cut corners, there's no doubt, but that's more through necessity as I know Chris needed to get this kit sorted. Ordering the boxes is by far one of the longest jobs when it comes to wait times. But I can tell you that the model will now be available in early August (tentatively), and in standard and Master Shipwright editions. Please ignore the strange rear shroud line in this first photo. They don't cross. It was just me moving blocks etc. And here is the finished model, in various angles. Remember that the launch is only in one shot for effect as that will only be included in the Master Shipwright edition, and not shown on the box art. And here's the manual's cover... For me now, it's a very short break before I plough into the Amati Victory which I've just been told is being kitted for me at this moment. Hope you liked the Flirt build! I know it's abridged, but you can see the full manual in the kit

If you like those type of ship, then go for it. OcCre's kits are well presented with good instructions and some of their range have videos too.

Ok, I've had a play with your settings. See if that works now.

Will the sails be pre-stitched as shown?

Definitely! I'll follow that build, without a doubt.

I think you'd be ok with one strake. Don't beat yourself up over it. Pretty sure there were so many variations in stuff with the strakes. You'll love that pear when under varnish. Under polyurethane it looks great!

No, the box says it's 230mm wide. The height is 470mm.

You'll have about 2yrs from when I start to build this, to it being released, so you'll need to make sure that money is well looked after!

I think that sometimes, because the model is something like 'Victory', large and expensive, there is a tendency to call it 'Expert', when in fact, if you've built a few smaller models, you could probably tackle it. Sort of like 'Intermediate'.

Sorry to hear about the death, especially at this awful time too. Lovely work on Speedy. I'd be real pleased with that. Certainly nothing there that I can point out for anything.

I hope you'll enjoy the build. Any questions about it, and maybe anything I've not shown or later stages, feel free to ask.

There'll be more than one manual too. Maybe 2 or 3 manuals, depending on how Amati format it. I will try to make it as foolproof as possible, and Chris's design is such that it lends itself to ease of building. I think if you've got a few other kits under your belt, this is within a modeller's reach. Oh, and...

It is quite surprising just how high that waterline does go, but it's correct. There's very little space between it and the strakes.....enough for the white boot and some bare wood above it. Nice to see this coming along!

I have the 31 sheets of plans. Parts should be with me in the next week.

Dang, your second planking is better than mine was! What a great job you've made. Sand her nice and smooth and make sure you at least fill in any slight gaps below the waterline area (if any).

Now now! My dye mix looked right at the time! 😆

Great to finally see a CAF kit reviewed here. Thanks for taking the time to go through all those boxes!

Hope you wiped your feet on the way out 😄

So do I! I so want to see that kit built here. @PJG

Don't be daunted! We look forward to seeing you get this and crack that box open. Every build is a journey, no matter how much or little experience we have. That's part of the fun. There's plenty here who can and will help you. Remember, there's never such a thing as a silly question either. Just ask away! @chris watton designed that model too, so he'll be able to watch your progress.

You nailed it, absolutely. If you can't have a slice of the pie, then just complain that you don't like the flavour. No doubt they'll welcome this kit once ZHL has pirated it and they are guiding folk to the pirate product page. I see you're from God's own county My favourite shire. MDF has more consistent tolerances than ply....even some of the very best quality. The Vic, for example, could not have been designed in the way it was if it wasn't for those tight tolerances of the MDF. It has several hundred interlocking joints. Chris will tell you than ply can vary quite a lot in thickness from batch to batch and even across the same sheet. Accumulation of tolerance errors would have made this model a nightmare with the modeller opening up slots etc. I know MDF isn't good when it gets wet, but do some guys build there models in a swimming pool or shower? What's this about it coming to pieces with glue? Absolute rubbish. I've used very thin MDF and PVA with no problems. I know kids who use thin MDF to make things with tons of glue, and they don't have problems either. Odd eh? ❓ Also this stuff about it not being suitable for modelling (structural). Well, you've seen the Victory prototype, Chris's other designs, so it is suitable. Some folks don't like MDF and that's fine. You hear some moan about the dust from it being nasty....well those folks need to check out the hazards associated with the resins in the timber dust they create normally, including the resins bonding ply. Several countries, for example, class all wood dust as carcinogenic. The simple solution is don't breathe in any dust you create, be it timber, ply, or MDF. Haha! Chris has explained this quite a few times, so I've just done it again for him. See above

I might be able to get away with some stuff that won't be seen in the manuals, such as furniture.....and possibly even lighting if I hide it surreptitiously enough.

No reason you can’t do that. I won’t be able to with mine as it’s for the manual, but I’ll be following the builds that eventually begin on MSW.