Ryland Craze

INTRODUCTION
 
 
This is the build log for Hr. Ms. O 19, one of only two submarines in her class of the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Navy).  Please forgive me for making this introduction very personal because she was part of my life and therefore holds a very special interest for me.  My father, Opperschipper (Adjudant) Petrus W. van Warmerdam, was with her from about one year before her launch September 22, 1938 till his promotion to Opperschipper in January 1941.   
At the time he was placed on the build he had the rank of Schipper, with the added function of Quality Control and Assurance Inspector and liaison between the Navy and the ship builder Wilton-Fijenoord in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 
 
His second tour of tropical duty started right after his marriage to my mother in October 7, 1931, and they started a family while in Surabaya, the former Dutch East Indies.  My sister and I were born there, November 14, 1932 and April 15, 1934.  When his second six-year tour of tropical duty ended in the end of 1937 he had to return to the Netherlands.  Of course his family, my mother, sister and I, followed shortly after on the passenger liner M. S. Christiaan Huygens of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland, Amsterdam. 
 
When we arrived in the Netherlands we first stayed in Den Helder, the Royal Navy Base, but after hearing about the new class of submarines being build he immediately requested to be placed on them.  Because of his expert technical knowledge of submarines the Royal Navy agreed and he and his family moved to Vlaardingen Ambacht, Narcisplein 3 to be exact, a small town near Schiedam, in March of 1938.  Sjors and Anja know this area quite well.
 
The shipyard was located in Schiedam, the Netherlands and the boat he was assigned to happened to be the furthest along of the two in that class, mine laying submarines. 
 
The original design concept for a mine lying submarine was completed in December, 1934 and assigned numbers O 17 and O 18. (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section)   However, the design was altered to a more squarish form amidships for better loading and discharging of the mines by engineer G. de Rooy.  (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section)  Rumors have it that it is based on the design of the Polish submarine Orzel but cannot be confirmed.  The Orzel was also a mine-laying sub but I believe that the mine tubes were carried inside the main hull and not on the side as the O 19 class subs.  
 
The O 19 and O 20 were also the first subs equipped with “getrimd diesel system ,” where the boat could run on diesel power while submerged to charge the batteries and for ventilation.   This is commonly known as “Snorts,” or “Snorkels.”    Navigation was done via the navigation periscope.
 
The KM (short for Royal Navy in Dutch) used to classify submarines for domestic waters with O and those for the colonies with K (K stands for “Koloniën ” which means colonies).  They were originally assigned the numbers K XIX and K XX, which was changed to O 19 and O 20 sometime during their fabrication.  All subsequence submarines received the O designation till the end of WW II.  After the war all subs received names instead of numbers.
 
The O 19 was launched September 22, 1938 with my father onboard of course   and officially commissioned on July 3, 1939, my mother, sister and I were present for that event.  I was standing on extreme left of the photo, hidden behind the bow flag, next to my mother.  The ensuing trial runs were successfully conducted near de Scandinavian coast and the fiords where proof diving could be done more successfully.  Although the boat was designed for a maximum depth of 100 meters these proof dives were limited to 60 meters.
 
Special tests were to be conducted on the voyage to the Netherland’s East Indies to measure geological differences in the Earth’s crust when sailing over the continuation of a mountain range underwater as well as wave action while submerged.  She and her crew arrived safely and without any technical difficulties at the Navy Base in Soerabaja (old Dutch spelling) in September 1939.
 
My mother, sister and I followed in December of 1939 on the passenger liner M. S. “Johan van Oldenbarnevelt,” of the Stoomvaart Maatschappy Nederland.   Both the Christiaan Huygens and JVO served as troop transports during WW II.
 
On January 1, 1941, my father was promoted to Opperschipper (Adjudant) and had to be transferred to a surface ship of the KM, which was the light cruiser Hr. Ms. Java.   The reason for the transfer was dat that rank was not maintained on submarines.  That was the second time in my short life that I saw my father shed a tear.  He loved the submarine service that particular boat and the crew.   As all submariners know these small crews on the subs become like a family.  He hated the Java, that “old rust bucket,” as he called it and he was subsequently killed in action on that ship during the “Battle of the Java Sea,” 5 minutes before midnight on February 27, 1942.  A long-range Japanese torpedo hit the Java in the rear port side just where his battle station is.  Fortunately he never knew what hit him when the powder room exploded and 20 meters of that part of the ship just evaporated.
I have photographs of the wrecked stern section that lies 70 meters down on the sea floor and now have closure and sort of a “grave marker.”
 
Our lives changed dramatically shortly afterward when the Japanese successfully invaded the Dutch controlled Indonesian islands and made us “guests of the Emperor” of Japan, i.e. prisoners of war, and placed us into concentration camps for the duration of the war.  Yes, even women, and children, all non military people were classified as combatants and came under military rule and in charge of the Kempeitai.
 
Fellow ship model builders, something you may not know but the Japanese High Command gave orders in the beginning of 1945 to exterminate all POWs in September of 1945.  As terrible as the two atom bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki are, it saved millions of lives and is the reason I am alive today with two beautiful daughters and a grandson.  My wife too was a “guest of the Emperor” in a concentration camp in Semarang, Java.  It is also giving me the great pleasure counting all of you as my friends.
 
The O 19 served with distinction during the entire war and I am sure that my father would be proud of her and the crew.
 
Well then, this model is in memory of my father and I dedicate it to him and the crew he loved.  The boat is still with us today, albeit as a wreck on Ladd Reef in the South China Sea (19.93 Lat, 174.57 Long).  Due to a navigational error she ran right smack in the middle of that reef at low tide.  And yes, the crew survived and was rescued by the USS sub “ Cod,” which is moored permanently in Cleveland, Ohio, as a museum.   There are some interesting films on “YouTube” of the rescue 
 
My model will be at a scale of 1:50 which translates to 1.6 meter and only shows the exterior of the boat, except for the side-launch torpedo tube assembly.  This unit is mounted outside the main pressure hull, between the hull and the deck structure forward of the deck gun location. 
It will be plank on bulkhead, using poplar wood for the majority of the build.  For the deck structure I may use 1/32 inch plywood over a frame of poplar, covered with epoxy resin.  The simulated hull plating will be 150 lb hot pressed watercolor paper over 1.5 mm poplar planking and epoxy resin.   Other materials will be brass rod, brass and copper wire, plastics, cardboard material and whatever comes to mind to achieve the desired effect.
I’ll be using red Titebond glue, Elmer’s Carpenter’s WoodGlue Max, which is an interior/exterior glue and waterproof.  Of course CA will also be used when appropriate.
 
I am still doing research on the original paint scheme at the time of the commissioning but that point is still in the future.
 
The drawing section is to follow.
 
Cheers, 

hi all
 
not much progress to report.
but we do have a nice pile of components ready to go.
 
have also been trying out chucks edge bending method on a model shipways pinnance kit.
 
i have enclosed some photos of this model for reference purposes.
 
not finished yet and some more sanding yet to do on the hull.
 
far too much glue used on the strake to frame joint and is going to take some cleaning up. lesson learnt!
 
will be restarting in earnest once the triton cross section is finally finished
 
again comments and critisms are greatly appreciated
 
cheers....mick

Greetings,
 
I was able to get some more time in at the bench today which is always a good thing, because the prospect isn't too good this coming week.  I finished mounting all the windows, mast, mast supports to the Day Cabin.  The yard was glues to the mast along with the cleats on each side at the mast base.   
 
The Day Cabin hatch, non-skid, speed wrench and boat hook will be installed after a coat of primer has been applied, which will be at the mercy or the weatherman.  I still have to attach the blocks at each end of the yard then thread the flag halyards through each.
 

 

 
Cheers, Tim

I finished the planking above the wales on the starboard side.  They still need the tops faired and a bunch more sanding.
Maury
 

Hi Clare and Rob,
 
You are welcome, I am glad that the pictures could help out.
When I visited the museum there was a temporary ship model exhibition and there was a　”Kitamae Sen" model　（Edo period from Ezo, the present day Hokkaido).
 
Please find below some pictures, it can give Rob an idea for adding the cargo as it is the same type of ship as the Higaki Kaisen.
 

 

 

 

 
I also have the Higaki Kaisen book edited by the museum (all in Japanese) with some plans and details.
If you are interested I can scan it and send it to you as it is almost impossible to find it these days.
 
Cheers
Marc

No update but I did want to let folks know I completed the last chapter of the monograph.   It is uploaded on my website here for folks building it along with me.
 
http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/revenue-cutter-cheerful-1806.php
 
This has been a busy few weeks but I am now up to date with all my writing and have  fully stocked my parts inventory.   After this weekend's joint clubs show and conference (new london CT) I will have plenty of time to work on the model.  I am so looking forward to next week and will begin working on the inside bulwarks as soon I get back.
 
I can't believe I am caught up with everything!!!   Now its time for some fun 

ok ....could be better, but one has to decide how much effort one wishes to put into doing one's best, and that's my limit for now .....will slim down the second rail......lots of finishing sanding to do, and in this case, sanding and shaping after the fact is preferable to me, as i can see where everything is in relation to everything eltz....decorations only on trial...and i notice the fellow with the thongs and the dolphin striker, has his lead underwear showing....hard to find a primer that sticks to lead ..will have to redo.....
    oh....i forgot.. ...i  did add some meat to the forward bulkheads to reshape the bow a bit... and regretfully, i had to get pearwood for the stem and stern from a different source....as the color was different as you can see in the photo....nice if i could darken it somehow...
    maybe sound dumb, but i'l experimenting with applying stain after applying the rub on poly.....goes on more even and can build up a bit....then more poly.......we'll see..............
    rudder done...still have to paint .....ran out of brass nails with the round heads......cap rail is a bit rounder.....
   that will be it for a while......(the cannons )                cheers......
oh....tremendous fun trying to shape those head timbers......close enough for jazz
  ha....i just discovered something.......i used rub on poly because the tung oil made this particular wood too dark...but the new wood i bought was lighter....so instead of staining the new wood to darken it, i put oil on it and it became a little closer to the color to my original pear wood............to late to try on the rudder etc...hinges all glued in place, but will oil the rails.......for what it's worth......

Chris, have you looked at the 1/72-scale HMS Wolf? It just came out last year and it looks like a much more reasonable project to take on as far as sailing ship card models go. It's also about half the price of the Mercury kit.
 
Druxey, thanks for the tip! I will absolutely be giving that a try. I had the same problem in attempting one of the paper model lighthouse kits that Shipyard makes. The laser cut versions of those (also available in the paper model / cut out and laser cardboard / everything included kits) are reasonably prices and no compound curves to deal with. But, I had the same problem with large paper areas that wouldn't react well when painted with water based paints. Enamel or Lacquer primer okay then?
 
Tony, I'm sorry I missed your question about blackening the ball bearings. I have some stainless steel blackener that has worked quite well on some of the ball bearings. It's called Caswell Stainless Steel Black and it's a thick gel that works terrific on stainless steel. Unfortunately, the formula didn't work very well on these ball bearings. It did darken them a little, but not near enough. I suspect that this is some kind of alloy. 
 
I ended up having to roll them around in black paint, and I can't remember now what kind. Having attempted to blacken them though, I think it created a surface took the paint just fine without primer. 
 
 
Well, I wasn't sure what the fate of the Alert was going to be, honestly. But, after working on it yesterday, I'm having fun again. It's just so intimidating to look at a sheet of uncut parts, thinking about all that cutting that needs to be done so carefully. But, once you get going, it's not so bad. Last night I  mounted the rudder, added timberheads and mostly finished the deck pumps. Cutting the handle out on that last one was VERY intimidating. 
 
Now, I'm starting to think like a ship modeler again and looking at the hatches. The kit doesn't show them, but I think I'm going to cut the holes in the main hatch grating for the anchor cables, and I may have to build my own companion way deck hatch, the sliding type as shown in Goodwin's book on the Alert. I'm also thinking about how I'm going to do the skylight over the captain's cabin.
 
I'll post more pics soon.
 
Clare

Thank all of you my friends for your kind words.
 
It's time now for me to search for some water or alcohol based dye for my display board side molding. I also want to make a few extra things for the display, like a few crates of Heineken beer, another anchor, a few more mines and crew members of course.
 
For all practical purposes the model is finished and am now figuring out how to take the photos.  I plan to make a few prints on glossies to give to the museum in Holland.
 
So, till then,
 
Cheers

Said it before, but what the heck----It's a really great thing you guys have done, and are doing now, with the Lifeboats for Warriors, and I'm proud of you both for the part you play. Having seen it now on FB and the TV link, I almost feel like I met you guys in person. 

Hi Ken,
 
I ordered direct from GPM. I've order from them maybe 3 times now and it's worked out fine. They seem to have a problem formatting US addresses correctly, but my orders have been arriving okay. Each time, I'd modified the address information I typed in so that the final address looked okay. 
 
The last time I ordered from them, it took a little over a month. That's the longest I can recall. I was about to write off the order, but then it finally showed up. 
 
On the laser cut parts, the one issue I have with them is that I painted some small parts while still on the sheet. I've been using the paint that Shipyard sells, which is an artist's acrylic. It's water based and it seems to weaken the card stock. So, the small parts fell apart a bit too easily and I lost a few. When I do get the parts free, if they are intact, I touch the parts with a dot of thin CA. That wicks into the part and holds it all together pretty well.
 
Here are a couple photos of the new gratings cut, painted and dry fitted into place. You can see the gratings included in the kit laying on the deck as well. I also found that I could slice off the bottom layer of the grating, opening up the laser etched holes completely. 
  Big improvement.
 
 
Clare
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Thanks Slog, Ken and Tony for the kind words and advice.
 
 
Well, today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to mention that several months ago, I acquired Shipyard's HMS Mercury kit, but not the super deluxe 1/72-scale laser cut version that looks EXTREMELY AWESOME in the box, but the regular 1/96-scale paper model kit. I had to check it out as part of my research into the hobby and also because I just couldn't help myself. 
 
In addition, I bought a matching laser cut detail set from GPM. The basic kit includes the laser cut frames, but the detail set includes some very nice features like the gratings, parts for the ship's boats, cleats, blocks and deadeyes, cannon and carronade carriages, and especially nice are the laser cut parts for the stern and quarter galleries. I just couldn't imaging using the printed windows or trying to cut out the frames. 
 
 
Don't worry, I'm not giving up on the Alert and starting the Mercury just now. But this does lead me to some issues I've been having with the Alert. I do periodically pull it out to work on it, but I'm finding that cutting the small parts has been SUPER difficult and it's really slowed me down. I'm doing it, but I'm used to working with wood and being happy with the results. I'm not used to making something that I can't get looking as nice. I've been tempted to cut my losses and go with the 1/72-scale laser cut Alert kit or something. But, then I came up with a nice time saver that may save my project. I looked over the 1/96-scale HMS Mercury detail set and discovered that several items in that set are compatibly with this kit. Maybe that's saying that the kits aren't to precise scale. But, I was going to build the small Alert kit and if I can get laser cut parts that are the same size as those I would otherwise have to cut-out, then I don't care where the scale might be off at this stage.
 
The detail kit for the Mercury cost me about $35 shipped from Poland, and I'm quite willing to sacrifice it for the good of the cause.
 
Turns out that the quarter deck cannon carriages are a perfect match for the Alerts carriages (and the right quantity), the gratings look like I'll be able to cut them to size, some of the cleats are perfect match and there are some others that I think I can trim quite easily. Also, while I've already acquired laser cut blocks and deadeyes of the right size, the Mercury detail set has a ton of these and enough of the smaller ones are the right size to use for the Alert.
 
Anyway, the point here being that if you want to make your life easier with this kit (and probably others too), get one of the detail sets from GPM. It's definitely going to give my project a boost!
 
Clare
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

Time for a small update.  In preparation for the quarter deck planking, a series of coamings, hatches, gratings and ladder down to the gun deck have been added.  Nothing spectacular, but here are a few photos to show where we are:
 

 

 

 

 
Need to do a little tweaking before everything is cemented in place.  
 
Have begun working on the waterways and margin planks.  These are being cut from Swiss Pear.  Need to finalize some decisions as to how much of the quarter deck will be left open to view the interior.  I'm favoring Chuck's suggestion to leave the entire port side open but I think I may add the margins and waterways to that side just to look more 'finished'.  
 
No pressure   .......  
 
 

Fantastic model of your Dad's boat Piet. I was very glad to have been able to meet you and to see that fine model in person. It is nice to see the personal connection as the drive to build a masterpiece like that.  Thank you for sharing your story with me. That is the type of History you can't get from a book.
 
                                Happy Modeling.
                                 Marty G.

Lou,
 
You're not "bad".  This topic got previously hijacked, to put it simply.
 
We all have our methods and reasoning for what we use and how we use it.  I, for one, am amazed at the tolerances of some suppliers and also by the lack of tolerances by some others.   Consistency is what I look for and if I have to use a Crown or a Hobbymill to get it, so be it..   In other words, if I'm slicing 1/16" planks off a slab that's supposed to be 1/8" for 1/16"X1/8" planking, I don't want to find out that it wavers all over the place and in some places is less than 1/8" thick.   I'll thickness it down, but I can't add thickness to it.  
 
For you and others, milling your own wood is great.  For people like myself, not so great.   I don't have the time, space, or equipment.  This is truly a topic of "whatever floats your boat".   I'll slice planks off a slab, etc. but dealing with anything bigger than 1"X 4" is out of the question. 
 
And for the record, I do take umbrage with someone (not you) painting scratch builders who don't mill their own wood are somehow less than those who do.  An artist is an artist, doesn't matter if they grind their pigments and mix their own or buy them in a tube. We have artisans (not me by a long shot) here who do mill their own, others who don't.
 
I'll go quietly now....

Really proud of you guys Dave! Hellava job. Nicely done Piet! You're a natural! 
 
Cheers

Well done, Piet. Both you and Dave deserve the accolades for a wonderful event and cause.

Originally Posted January 25, 2010
 
I have been working on my Armed Virginia Sloop and I can finally say that I have finished Chapter 5 of the practicum.
 
The first picture shows a side shot of my AVS. I have installed the swivel cannon posts and the channels. I pinned the channels to the hull and secured them with glue. I also elected to mount my AVS on pedestals instead of the kit supplied launching ways.
 
The next two photos show the deck details. I probably spent way too much time on them, but I was satisfied with the end results.
 
Here is a photo of the ships wheel, binnacle, elm tree pumps and the companionway. I replaced the cast metal ships wheel with a wooden wheel that I purchased from Model Expo.
 
This last picture shows the hatch and a close-up of the cannon rigging.

 
The completion of Chapter 5 basically finishes the hull. All that is left to finish is the masting and rigging. I have actually started Chapter 6 of the practicum and will post some pictures of my progress soon.

Originally Posted January 10, 2010
 
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2010 is the best year yet.

It has been a while since I last posted an update on my AVS Build Log. I have been working trying to finish up all of my deck furnishings. The part of the build I thought would give me the most problems was rigging my cannons and making the rope coils. Having never done this, I checked into the many ways of making the rope coils. I am using MoRope and did not want to cut my rigging line, so I opted to make the coils on the deck.
 
This is the procedure that I went with. I started with Elmer’s White glue thinned with water (75% glue to 25% water) and added a couple of drops of dish detergent to help absorb the glue into the rigging line. I placed a piece of double sided tape next to the cannon and then cut a small square of wax paper and laid it on top of the double sided tape. This is where I would construct my rope coils. I took and stretched out the line to be coiled and give it a good coating of my glue mixture. I then coiled the line around an Xacto aluminum knife handle and keep working it on the wax paper. Eventually the rigging line would lay right, but you have to keep adding glue. When the glue dries, you will not see any evidence of the glue residue. I gave the line a heavy coat of glue where I was going to cut off the excess line. MoRope will unravel quickly if you do not have the area glued where you cut the line. Here is a picture of the rope coils drying on my deck.
 
After the rope coils dried, I carefully removed them from the wax paper. I then discarded the wax paper and tape that was on the deck. I placed an old Xacto knife blade under the MoRope where I was making the cut so that I would not damage the deck. I cut the excess line off and placed some undiluted glue on the underside of the coils and positioned them on the deck.
 
This was the first time that I have made rope coils. I felt I had better practice making them, as I did not want to mess up my cannon tackle rigging. I practiced making many coils using the kit supplied materials, but was not having much success. I finally practiced with the same thickness of MoRope and this worked great. After two practice coils, I was ready to go live.
The first coil on my AVS took over an hour, with the last coils taking about 20 minutes each. I am happy with the outcome. Here is a picture of all of the cannons rigged.
 
I used 0.6mm MoRope for the train tackle and rope coils and 0.8mm for the breeching rope. I think that the 0.6mm line may have been slightly too heavy of line to use as the kit supplied line came out to 0.5mm. However, MoRope only comes in either 0.4mm or 0.6mm line as they do not make 0.5mm line. I also used 3.5mm Warner Woods blocks, which I think was a good fit for the 0.6mm MoRope.
 
I finally feel that I can now move forward on my AVS build. I have completed all of the deck furnishings and only have to install them. I will post some pictures when I complete this step.
 

Originally Posted November 12, 2009
 
Hello Everyone,
 
I have finally gotten to a point where I can show some progress on my AVS. I have completed all of the deck furniture and only have the rigging of the train block and tackle on the cannons to complete. I even found time to finish the display board.
 
After I had attached the cleats, swivel cannon mounts, catheads and boom crutches to the hull, I sealed the hull with Testors Dull Coat. This will help to protect the hull. After sealing the hull, I made the stern windows using Micro Kristal Clear. It looks like a white glue and dries clear. I was satisfied with the results of this.
 
I am using MoRope for the rigging and Warner Woods West blocks. I am extremely satisfied with both of these products. I was going to use 3mm blocks for the cannon tackle, but I could not get them to work. They were just too small for me to work with using the Practicum instructions. I wound up using 3.5mm blocks, which were still much smaller than the kit supplied blocks.
 
Getting this far has been a major hurdle for me. I feel that I have been stuck in Chapter 5 of the Practicum for years. I have received a lot of support from fellow forum members on this build log and through PM's from others.
 
Another incentive for me to finish my AVS is that I have on order the MS Brig Syren. I want to participate in the Syren Community Build as this is the kind of support that I need. Chuck has developed a super kit and supplements it with a detailed practicum. With his support on the forum and the support of the other Syren Build members, I know that I will complete a ship model that I will be proud of.
 
Here are some pictures of my AVS. I will try to post some more progress pictures after I finish attaching all of the deck details and finish the cannon rigging.



 

Originally Posted April 30, 2009
 
In this post, I will be updating my build log to the point where I resumed building my AVS in January, 2009, after three and a half years of no work on her.
 
Chapter Three of the practicum has you doing the remaining planking.  I started out planking the inside of the bulwarks.  When planking over the gun ports, I would trim the planking to open up the gun ports.  After I completed the bulwark planking, I placed thin strips of wood in the upper and lower opening of the gun ports to fill the gap between the first layer outer planking and the inside bulwark planking.  I took care to make sure that my gun ports openings were uniform.
 
Then it was on to the second layer of planking.  The planking above the wales worked out fine as there was very little tapering.  For the planking below the wales, the practicum had you install the planks in scale lengths in a four butt pattern.  This was a different method than what was taught on the first layer of planking.  After completing the second layer, I sanded everything and applied several coats of MinWax Wipe On Poly, sanding with 0000 steel wool between coats.  I was real happy with the finish.  However, I changed my mind, sanded down the poly finish and painted my AVS using Model Shipways paint.  For the AVS, I really like the painted version as it is a very colorful ship.
 
Chapter Four has you completing the deck details.  I started building the hatches, companionway and scuttle.  These were built first as you plank the deck around the deck furnishings.  I followed the deck planking as per the practicum.  If I were doing it over again, I would have used a four butt pattern for the deck planking, where the practicum had you just using one long plank with no butts.  I also completed the quarter deck wall planking and the poop deck planking.  In this section, I also built the cannons.  I made a jig so that all of the cannons would be uniform.  The practicum called for the installation of the oar sweeps, but I elected not to install them.  This basically completed the hull of the AVS.
 
Chapter Five is where I got bogged down and construction came to a halt.  This chapter is where you complete all of the smaller deck details, eyebolt and cleat installation, ships wheel, swivel cannons and rigging of the cannons.  For the ships wheel, I ordered a wooden one from Model Expo.  The wheel was too thick, so I sanded down both sides and am happy with the outcome.  This is where I stopped construction.  Following are pictures of my AVS at this stage of construction.


 
 

Plenty of photo's posted in the "Events" section.... "Spring Meet Up"

This is turning into an interesting discussion, but I still maintain that evaluating a product received from a vendor needs some kind of measurement of quality. That is what I tried to do.
 
Whether or not it is 'over analysis' or 'time consuming' or 'truly scratch building', is irrelevant. I think most of us will agree that a vendor who can offer and produces a product that we want and produces that in good quality is the one we go back to.

Try this link posted by Mike Kloppenburg....President of Lafayette Scale Modelers.... All of these shots were taken as we were setting up this morning.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/419067198178592/permalink/808527725899202/

And heeeeeres Piet.... The handsome gentleman on the right of course.

 
And, the O 19 was a real hit at the show.