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ccoyle

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Everything posted by ccoyle

  1. I missed the end of this one. Fantastic model, Richard -- very neat work and love the colors!
  2. Sorry to hear about the hospital bit -- I hope that things will improve on that front.
  3. That depends on how one defines the word "yacht." America's Cup racers are relatively well-represented (numerous versions of America, Mamoli's Puritan, Amati's Endeavour, etc.), but the really elegant sailing and motor yachts of yesteryear are not on anyone's radar. Chris may recall that at one time I suggested that he look into doing a kit of Coronet, which is currently being restored at the International Yacht Restoration School, so lots of info on her construction should be available. Sadly, though, I think that a kit of any of these glamorous vessels would only ever appeal to a small slice of our membership, since they don't have the requisite lots of guns. So as Chris hinted, something like this is probably best reserved until after he gets an established basic lineup in place.
  4. Hey, Chris. Choosing what kits to issue and what order to issue them in is undoubtedly a real challenge with inherent financial consequences. I think that taking a look at what have been popular sellers for Caldercraft and Amati/Victory models based on message traffic at MSW could be helpful. There's little doubt in my mind that your impending Dutchess of Kingston will sell well, because it is akin to Fly/Pegasus in size and ornamentation. Brigs and sloops were the workhorses of the RN, true, but I think there can be too much of a good thing in a manufacturer's lineup, e.g. Caldercraft's Jalouse and Mars, which are great kits that are only infrequently seen around here. Same could be said for Amati's Mercury -- awesome model, but how many build logs for it do we have going right now? I think the suggestion of a 20- or 24-gun frigate is a good one, as that would be an incremental step up from Speedy/Flirt, and it is also a subject that is lacking in the broader kit model selection. Afterwards, a heavy frigate bearing the Vanguard Models brand name will sell like hotcakes, I'm fairly certain, especially if it is one with a history, and will justify your investment in machinery. Fun stuff to look forward to!
  5. Okay, a little progress. Mounted the posts for the backstays and shrouds, along with the sterncastle ladders.
  6. Welcome aboard! Sorry to hear about your paint & stain issues, but your deck planking looks first-rate. You'll get it sorted. Cheers!
  7. Speaking as one of the folks who marks builds as finished, we tend to do so at whatever point the builder says it's done. That may or may not include casing. If the builder says a case is imminent, we'll wait until the case shows up in the log.
  8. Welcome back!
  9. I did a little editing. Hope that made the sense of the post clearer?
  10. Good luck on your remodels! I always tell people that I hate do-it-yourself work because after I've completed it, it looks like I did it myself. 🙄
  11. I have some sort of strange modeler's affliction where I get about 2/3 done or so with a model and am already thinking about the next one -- this partly explains why I have three partially finished models on hand. I have to force myself to finish the current job before I indulge myself with starting another.
  12. My memory on the Laughing Whale to BJ transition is hazy. I believe that way back before Nic bought the company, BJ was in the process of updating the older LW designs before adding them to the catalog. Project probably stalled and never got restarted. Nic might know more.
  13. Bluejacket acquired some of the Laughing Whale designs after the latter went defunct.
  14. Getting one's first-ever first planking done is a huge psychological hurdle for new modelers. You'd be surprised at how many folks get the false deck and hull formers glued together -- and then give up. So congrats on your milestone!
  15. Most model kit manufacturers (plastic or wood) or publishers (paper or card stock) offer at least a few kits that are geared toward beginning modelers. There are even free examples of such models in card stock, which you can learn more about in our card modeling tutorial in the card modeling section. Wood kits for beginners tend to be smallcraft such rowboats or daysailers; these can often be built into quite attractive models. If you use the search feature to look for "Midwest Products", you will find many examples of such kits. Midwest no longer makes boat kits, but they are still common on eBay, and other manufacturers offer similar options.
  16. Welcome aboard! I'm not thoroughly familiar with what's available in live steam kits, but I know that there are many options out there, with prices ranging from relatively inexpensive to not-nearly-as-inexpensive, if you catch my meaning.
  17. I'd be genuinely curious to know how many Fly and Pegasus units Amati has shipped. These two kits must certainly be among their all-time top sellers.
  18. This is an interesting challenge you have set before yourself. Your anime carrack obviously has a lot of fanciful details that would not be found on a real carrack, so building a model from any of the existing carrack kits would be both difficult for a beginner and perhaps not much of an aid toward achieving your ultimate goal. A ship like this will need to be a scratch-build, so perhaps you should start with some thought about what type of medium do you think you'd be most comfortable working with, i.e. wood, card stock, or plastic. You could then start with some simple kits in that medium to gain basic modeling skills which you could later apply to your scratch build. Other than your anime ship, what kinds of boats/ships do you think you might be interested in building?
  19. No fears. Posting a photo of a portion of the plans, e.g. part of a plan sheet, for review purposes is covered by fair use exemptions.
  20. You could always come over to the Dark Side -- card modeling. Liners are actually popular subjects in the card modeling world. One of the nicest card liner kits out there is the HMV Cap Arcona, but there are any number of smaller and less challenging subjects.
  21. The metal wires in the diagram are for making trunnions -- the little posts on the cannon that rest atop the carriage. The cast guns in the kit have the trunnions molded already. Rings and eyebolts can be easily and cheaply made using annealed wire and round-nose pliers.
  22. Pete, your models demonstrate just how much appeal can be added by a smooth, neat paint job -- really a treat to view.
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