jfhealey

I hope you post pictures of your display cabinet as you make it. I, for one, would be very interested to follow. Fred

Superb. What next?

That is a lovely collection to which your Winnie will be a superb addition. Good luck with move Gary. A bit of a nerve shredder for you I suspect. All the best Fred

Welll done Matt. And i will second yor appreciation of Chuck's wonderful project. With so many Winnies nearing completion (and looking so good) he must be rather chuffed. Fred

Really beautiful. You must be delighted. What's next? Fred

Better than that?!?! It looks pretty perfect to me (though I admit Mike (Stuntflyer) sets pretty high standards to shoot for). You certainly merit a glass or two of Scotland's finest. Fred

I've had two goes at the Winchelsea. I realised not long into the first build that the model was far too complex for someone of my limited experience and skill level so I gave up to start again. W2 was a much better effort but there were things I was unhappy with and I ( I suspect many of us) can get disproportionately bugged by things I look at and think: if I did that again I'd do it better. So I took a break and made Syren's lovely cutter Cheerful in boxwood from Hobbymill EU and I'm very pleased with it too. I thought I might have a go at a scratch build but I think that's beyond me. Apart from any other failings I simply don't have the knowledge. What I want to build though is a fully rigged ship. My own view - lots won't share it - is that rigging really sets off a model beautifully. So I've decided to have a go at a fully rigged Winchelsea. Scratch building the masts seems reasonably achievable and within my compass. And having had two as it turns out dummy runs at Winchelsea I'm reasonably confident I can make a decent effort this time. So here goes. I decided to start with the masts on the footing that if I can't get those right the project will go nowhere. I'm not strung up on historical accuracy (though I would welcome observations). I'm using a combination of Shipyard Model HMS Enterprize and Anatomy of a Ship HMS Diana plans with Herbert/Antscherl books for methodology. I started with the crosstrees for the main mast. Here are parts 1-4, again in boxwood from Hobbymill EU.. And then the tops. I made the mizzen mast first. Here it is (with the bowsprit). This is the mizzen top more or less complete thogh I wonder if I should file down the radating battens towards the centre a bit more yet. The top is not glued to the crosstrees and the cap is not finished. And here the bowsprit. Cutting the bowsprit from square section to this stage took most of of a full day. And here trying the bowsprit for size (although not yet cut to length) on W2. I'm also having a bit of a go - experimenting really - at the ship's boats. That is the pinnace sitting midships. I have cut out and assembled all the frames with sockets to take the masts. This is where I am at the moment. The masts of course are not glued in nor are the tops glued to the crosstrees or topmasts glued. All the best everyone Fred

Superb. You must be delighted. Fred

Excellent result with the hinges. I can see you put a lot of time and effort in. Well worth it. Fred

I agree with JJ. However difficult you found the gratings and headrails you overcame the challenge triumphantly. You must be very pleased. Regards Fred

Wow! You Americans really push the boundaries don't you. And how generous of Chuck to chip in with "Let me know how I can help....". Fred

Yep, I'm interested. PE hooks are better than anything I can make and these look better still. How do you find the time to do all this stuff? best wishes Fred

I wonder if it is humanly possible to build a finer model than yours. I rather doubt it. Put another way around I guess this is a close to perfection as can be done. Simply breathtaking. Fred

How do you work so fast?? I am beginning to think there may be two of you or maybe Chris Watton is a spoof name for a factory full of tiny elvish boat builders. Its another lovely vessel. Any chance you might one day up your preferred scale to 1/48? Fred

Thank you gentlemen for your very kind remarks which are warmly appreciated. It is very rewarding when model builders, both beginners and those with far more skill than me take the time to look in and post a like or a comment. Thank you. Fred

Super build JJ. I can't see what the colour issue is with the channels. they certainly look the part to me. Good luck with your road/sea trip. I hope you and Winnie make it unscathed! Fred

Hi Rusty. I've been out of the Winnie loop for a while focusing on my Cheerful. With that now complete Im catching up with the Winnie posts and in particular admiring the construction of the head rails. For a relatively small component(s) they make a real eye catching difference to the overall appearance don't they? And yours are beautifully executed. Fred

That is looking lovely. I particularly like the kettle standing handily by for an emergency cup of tea. Fred

David - I have no idea why you are disappointed with the rigging of the guns. They look superb to my eye as does the whole build. Fred

Three topless young ladies in one post Chuck? I guess you are fully recovered from your recent close shave with pneumonia?? Just for balance and while having no wish, on principle, to disagree with a fellow Englishman - I like the one on the left. Very best wishes Fred

Thank you both Pauls, Glenn and Joe for your kind words. I have looked closely at Vanguard models. Both the Sphinx and Indy look as though they make up to wonderful models but I would like to go in the other direction - scratch building as much as I can - whereas Chris's models appear (I've never seen one - only looked in on the build logs) to contain many pre-cut patrs for assembly. I'm sure they still reward the skilled and patient builder but, as I say, I want to reverse the semi-scratch building path that Cheerful takes you down. I'm also sold on 1/48 rather than 1/64. I have placed my order with Seawatch for both volumes of the Antscherl/Herbert Speedwell book. Wish me luck! Fred

Thank you Glenn, JJ and Greg for the advice on achieving a realistic look to the rope hanks. I may yet have a further fiddle around with them but for the time being I think I'm going to call my Cheerful finished. Here she is. I have yet to make a base. That's next up but I'm also thinking about my next project. These are the contenders. 1. Finish the Winnie I started a while ago. I have two issues with that. First some parts I made are just not good enough and will bug me hugely. Secondly I have come to the conclusion after much thought that I prefer fully rigged models. 2. Start over with Winnie, scatch building as much as I can, but make provision for masts and rigging and avoid the mistakes I made on the last Winnie. I think I can make the masts. For the hull I have all Chuck's hard work and expertise though I would like to scatch build as much as I can. 3. Stretch myself and try my hand at a scratch build - I wonder if either Speedwell on bulkheads rather than frames or a Swan class sloop are within my skill range. I have the David Antscherl / Greg Herbert for the latter. I think frames are probably too complex for me however. I don't have their 2 volume Speedwell books which include building Speedwell on bulkheads which may be build-able by me: at least I can have a go. I think I'll get the books and have a think about things. In the meantime: thank you Chuck for Cheerful. I loved building her. All the best everyone Fred

Thanks chaps. I think when all the coils are done I won't be so focused on the ones I presently cannot get to sit as I would like them to sit. I think in any ways these coils are the hardest bit of the model. I will try your weighted dowel trick JJ. I would certainly like the coils to be more "up and down" rather than circular and that might be the answer. At the moment I am experimenting to see what works for me. Fred

I've tried making a few Tom Lauria rope coils. The methodology for making coils seems pretty foolproof though I had poor results with white glue - I used diluted Titebond - and much better results with small amounts of carefully placed CA. The problem I have is getting the coils to lie naturally. I can't see a solution to that at the moment. Still, they don't look to bad. I will certainly settle for them. About another dozen to make and Cheerful will be done!

Perhaps a 1/48 HMS Victory or something equally daft. The deadeyes are brilliant. Speedwell is a triumph. You know all of this Chuck. But get well first.