Neill

Fingers crossed that the delivery of the PE parts will arrive this week and that they all look good so the kit is ready for pre release very soon.

They did, I now have everything here, all looks very good. Made some changes to PE sheets, a few alterations and also adding part numbers to each part on the sheet. All look very fine.

I only wish. 
 
I'm now on starting Sphinx shroud pendants and my room is blistering hot. It's almost unworkable for I need to stay in there for as long as I can before it makes me feel drained and sick. 

I would say between 400-800 hours.
 
I do mention at the start of the manual the amount of parts, and not to be put off by this, it's just that the parts you usually have to make up yourself from stock timber are already pre cut. In some cases, a little bevelling or rounding off of the edges is required to finish the parts, but that's it.
 
You have multiple sizes of yard cleats and mast and sling cleats (items you usually make up from wood strip), even the mast head battens are pre cut, as are the mast fids.
 
So, a lot of parts and a lot of laser cut wood sheets, but this does not or should not translate into meaning more complicated than any standard kit. Quite the contrary, I am hoping...
 
I did tell Jim that I do not mind how big the manual is or how many photos  we use, the more info for the modeller the better, I believe.
 
And what a job Jim is doing, he really is doing the kit justice.

I have been told that the photo etched sheets will be ready to pick up from Italy at the end of next week, so will receive the week after. If these are all good, I will think about changing the Sphinx to pre-order, as all will be with me. I even have the boxes, double walled, so very strong, and have just ordered the shipping sleeves.
 
Manual is up to date, almost complete, but has a lot more pages than I initially thought, with close on 1000 pictures..

Here's my last update before the final completion images.
 
The masts are pretty straightforward. Cartridge paper is used for the iron banding, the battens then fitted over these. When complete, the masts are varnished and then sections painted black before then fitting out with rigging blocks etc. For this model, I've used the optional pear blocks (except for deadeyes as the pear weren't in stock when I started). 
 






 
 
All yards are then built, including mizzen gaff, ensign pole etc. These will be fitted out as soon as the paint is dry.

 
 
Whilst waiting for paint drying, I fitted the bowsprit and rigged the shrouds and stays after first adding the gammoning. Boomkins are also rigged.

 
 
And this is the result so far.

 
 
Catch you when she's finished...

Just realised I never got back to you DelF.
 
The reason for the difference in description for the new lanterns is because we wanted to differentiate between actual resin castings and and 3-d printed parts, which is a completely different resin anyway.
 
I have just completed all laser cutting for Sphinx. I can now tell you that the laser time for each kit is six and a half hours. There are 33 separate laser cut sheets in 8 different thicknesses from 0.5-4mm
 
One of the reasons I really need a second machine...

I do like these lanterns, it wasn't until James took some real close ups that I realised the detail was there, door hinges, handle, and open vents around the upper canopy cylinder.. 

I'm still beavering away with masts and stuff, but the lanterns have arrived, and they are now fitted.
These are 3D-printed ones with the correct rake and acetate internal glazing. Very nice!
 

I think it is very important to make the kits as easy as they can be. It really doesn't matter what experience some have, or have not got. It is a kit, so it should include as many pre-made parts as possible to give everyone a fighting chance.
 
There is always much room for improvement, depending on each modellers experience and preferences, and those that can, will still make their own stamp of the kits. At the same time, I am hoping that those who perhaps may have been a little scared off by other kits in the past will feel confident enough to tackle such subjects. For most, the kit is complete, but for a few, it is a blank canvas and only the start of what they plan to do to it. For example, you don't have to use the pre cut and etched lower side parts, as I will include enough pear strip to plank from bottom edge of the blue painted sides down, the choice is yours. 
 
Regarding the plastics, or resin, which is what I use, after having to use white metal for the best part of two decades, I would choose the resin every time - easier to use, bend, file, better definition and next to zero shrinkage - with zero shrinkage for 3-d printed parts like the cannon barrels, figurehead, boat beam brackets and lanterns. If the material suits the end result, I will use it. But never again white metal...

Thank you so much, guys, very much appreciated!
 
These new kits do need a lot of time spent on development, and with Sphinx, it needed a lot more than any kit I have done before, Victory included. It really is a mad kit!
 
Even full time working on these, larger kits will still require 6 months minimum development time, from conception to finished prototype, but I do plan to do a couple of smaller kits after Sphinx (including more ships boats, cutters etc.), before starting on a (really) big one. 

Personally I really like the new materials that Vanguards are using to  improve and make things easier to assembly. But from a traditional point of view I get the feeling that shipmodelling always had try to distance itself from the plastics modelling world. Kits have strictly been limited to wood, rope and metals. Now when I do both wooden ships and plastics i see that the both worlds have alot to learn from eachothers. 

Very fair price indeed , funds earmarked😀

Only once I have cut all parts and have everything except plans and manual (as these are done locally). If there were any problems with the PE or anything else after taking people's money, I would be devastated if I had to delay the release. Hence waiting until alI is with me and have checked everything over. 

Will keep my eyes peeled😀

Will keep my eyes peeled😀

Will keep my eyes peeled😀

Very nice work from James!
 
He now has all 23 sheets of completed 50x70cm plans , and I will start on manual as soon as I receive the pics. Still awaiting my lantern shipment, which I should receive in the next week, I hope.
 
Production laser cutting already well underway with laser machine running 12 hours per day minimum - but this will still take a while. Initial production run will be for 40 kits.

This update takes me up to hull completion (apart from fitting the lanterns and quarterdeck hammock cranes which will be fitted later).
 
Work starts on fitting out the forecastle deck, fitting out with the hatch assembly, belfry, fore bitts cross beams and the breast beam rails.





 
 
Of course, there's those catheads which need fitting. These are designed with engravings that mean each cathead is an easy, multipart assembly, and they look rather nice when built up. Opening up the bulwark holes for the catheads was the longest task here, taking about 90 mins in total, but they fit superbly.




 
 
Ok, back onto the quarterdeck, fitting the stairs I made much earlier in this build. The same goes for my capstan and hatch assembly. The ship's wheel unit is something I made up in the last week, and that goes nicely into position.



 
 
 
Now, the quarterdeck breast beam rails are installed. These did look fiddly, but they fit together as easy as Lego! That's right down to installing the PE hammock cranes through all slots in each layer. When complete, these are painted black.




 
Time for timberheads! (and quarterdeck rail stanchions).


 
 
Followed by the rails:

 
 
Off to the other end of Sphinx now as I build up the head rails. These are made from laminated pear and the top of these are shaped as I did with the timberheads on the gunwales. Those 'seats of ease' are also installed.


 
 
 
Remember those cannon port lids? Here they are, finally installed.

 
 
 
The boat beams are now slightly different to the ones I used as they are engraved with the positions of the specific boat cradles, making things a little easier for the builder. The mounts for the beams are cast in a tough resin, attached with CA once I'd measured the 'between centres' to the holes in the gangways.

 
 
 
Hammock cranes are now installed and rigged.



 
 
The boomkins and figurehead parts are fitted, completing this update...


 
 
Here's a few pics of the build so far. Tomorrow I'll be sending Chris a pen drive with over 830+ photos and 24,000 words of text. Your instruction manual will be epic, in every sense of the word 😆






 
 
 

Very fair price indeed , funds earmarked😀

This is shaping up to be a beautiful model.  So much so it has reinvigorated my model making mojo.  Time to start the Lady Nelson and keep an eye out for when Sphinx is released for sale.

Development for this particular kit has certainly been very intensive. Jim's model is actually the third prototype, the first two were mine, one a basic hull assembly, to iron out potential larger issues, the second to sieve through smaller issues, which leads to the production parts, which still need a further 'sieve' to help 'fine tune' the designs. Many, many parts have been tweaked over the past few weeks, and all for the better.
 
Tangible models need to be made, I know that when I design them in CAD, when I assemble in 3-D, all looks perfect. However, for wooden model kits, they never work out exactly how they look on the PC screen, too many issues can be very easily overlooked if the time wasn't put into assembling progressively better prototype models from the designed parts. At least, this is how I work, knowing the pitfalls of designing these things, and having to take into account all of the slight differences from one model and modeller to another. 
 
I know that most kits in the past (talking European kits, as these are the only ones I have experience with) leave the onus on the purchaser to sort problems out due to shortcomings. I wanted to address this by making a kit so complete (although you still need to pay attention and take your time), that the onus is on me, not you - most who are fairly competent at model building should really have any issues building this, but it's still not a quick build, due to the sheer amount of parts. But at least they are parts you won't have to make from scratch, some just require a little finishing..
 
Mad kit....

There's so many tasks on a model which some modellers with either:
Fail at. Hate. This is designed to still be something you build and not just 'assemble', but at the same time, it's also designed to make those build tasks a little easier and in many cases, quicker. It's still not a model you can just jump into and build in a couple of months. I've been on this 12 weeks now, and I've still about 5 more to go, give or take. I know that I also work full time and have been creating content for a manual that will around 900 images and 20,000+ words, but I do work relatively quickly as I need to......Chris needs to be able to bring income from this intensive period of design and prototype build. 
 
Sorry about lack of update today. I sort of underestimated the list of last tasks to complete the hull. I'm working on this tonight and rest of tomorrow night too.

Very fair price indeed , funds earmarked😀

Very fair price indeed , funds earmarked😀