Michael Scarborough

Greetings all, Does anyone make a kit similar to what Chuck is doing with the Medway Longboat, the Winnie and Speedy for a model of the ship portrayed in Jean Boudriot's 74 Gun Ship? At least parts for the frames, keel etc.? Cheers from NYC, Michael

Greetings all, I was finally able to start my Medway Longboat project over the weekend. I have to say that my over-riding feeling after two days work is this: In the past 60 years, plus!, I've built many, many models, in a wide range of subjects and media, but few can match the quality and engineering of this kit from Chuck. Simply put, it is a joy to work on. No sweat, no cussin', no sending parts into orbit. Amen. I've read through all the build logs and there's nothing I can add. You gents have it all covered and my coming late to the party just means I get to take advantage of your experiences. One thing...I've decided to use Tung Oil to finish mine. I used it a lot when I was still doing furniture on commission and like the way it handles and the glow that results. I use Sutherland and Welles. It's pricey and it takes a bunch of coats to build up the visual depth I like, but, for the look I'm after, it's worth the time and money. I doubt I'll be able to get back to it before the weekend so here're some shots to tide you over. (I just keep going to the model rook to fondle it wishing I could stop work to keep going.) Cheers from NYC, Michael

Greetings, Clare, I was directed to you by stating in my new member intro that I had an interest in Samurai Era ships. I had no idea this sort of kit was even available. Oh, dear...I will have to get this kit. Having grown up as a very imaginative boy in the late 50s, in Iwakuni , right on the shore of the Inland Sea, and having forgotten all about Roy Rogers in favor of Samurai, this sort of thing is right up my alley. I see bankruptcy in my near future. What you're doing is really marvelous and I will follow along with great interest. Cheers from NYC, Michael

Well, I certainly have made landfall among a welcoming bunch of shipmates. My sincere thanks, gentlemen. Allan, you're very welcome. I usually sang Mozart or Rossini, which I loved!, but this was just pure fun. It was a wonderful contract and a great opportunity to work in Berlin just after the Wall had come down. I was certainly well treated. And let me add this about Kurt Weill. He was a highly trained and well respected Classical composer in the 20s and 30s in Germany. He brought that training with him to America and the depth of his musical knowledge shows even in his Broadway shows. I listened to that show every night for 45 performances and I heard something new in the score every night. While I lobe Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe, and thin they wrote beautiful melodies, musically speaking, they can't hold a candle to Weill. That's my humble opinion, FWIW. Jaager, I really appreciate this list of books and will visit Amazon forthwith. Thank you for taking an interest in my education! I tend to be quite sponge like and, as you can imagine, the past 27 months of training at the Met Museum have been some of the richest of my life. Now, as far as Khovanshchina goes, I will not pretend that I know the section to which you refer. I'm afraid that falls outside the repertoire I sang and time was always short for listening to works I wasn't working on. One of the many blessings of now being retired is that I can listen to the MANY works that I missed. I know portions of that Opera and you can be sure I will very quickly be familiar with the rest. Then I can answer your question. Druxey, yes, my love of the Japanese aesthetic was instilled in me at a young age and it has never left. In fact, one long term idea I have is a model of the Shogun's or Emperor's barge or a Samurai type ship. And, amen, all one can do with dull tools is get frustrated and waste time.

Here you go, Allan. This was Berlin, 1995. Street Scene by Kurt Weill. There're two of us in this scene...I'm the pretty one.

LOL, indeed! I'd forgotten all about that! Man, next you'll be diggin up some of my old WANTED posters. I can't hide anywhere!

And you'd assume correctly! LOL!

No! Not like Wagner, although he was sure an influence on Weill in his early days. Weill came here to avoid the Nazis and wrote super Broadway shows in the 40s. Operatic in scope but pure Broadway in style. It was a blast to sing.

Wow! Many thanks for the warm welcome, gents. I very much appreciate the kind words and feel very welcome! Allan, I have a couple of videos of some Kurt Weill performances but will wait to post them once I get to know you boys a bit better. I don't want to get sent to the principal's office on the first day of school. LOL. I have Chuck's Medway Longboat which I plan to start on Saturday, January 1st! And I will indeed keep a log. I'm reading through all the build logs and getting a lot of info. Very excited! Cheers from NYC, Michael

My name is Michael Scarborough. I started building models with my dad in the late 50s and am still a passionate builder in a wide range of media and subjects. At present, my main area of concentration is 1/32 scale WWI aircraft models, as well as box dioramas, many of which are inspired by Japanese block prints. In terms of my life's work, I spent 25 years singing Opera internationally. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and, in 2000, having had enough of German food, living out of suitcases and dealing with pushy sopranos, I moved from the performing arts into the decorative arts. I began working in antique furniture conservation but that quickly lead to the realization that I wanted to design and create furniture for clients. Eventually, I added Japanese style lacquerware to the mix and have spent the past 10 years making pieces for collectors and galleries. Looking back as I write this, it all sounds rather easy, but, trust me, every facet of the past 25 years required a helluva lot of work and unwavering support from the world's greatest wife. That said, I have been very, very blessed to have had two successful careers in the the art world. I retired from all work for clients in August, sold off most of my machinery, but kept and improved my model building area. I've also recently completed two years of intense training and am a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NYC. I now spilt my time between the Met and working on models, and writing about them, and making sure dinner is ready from Mrs. S. when she gets home from work. My dad was a career Naval officer and one major benefit of that was our living on the coast of rural Japan in the late 1950s and early 60s having spent 16 days on the Pacific getting there. We had a beautiful, 24 ft. wooden sloop built and spent many amazing weekends sailing the Inland Sea. By the time I was 7 years old, I could tell you the difference between a backstay, a halyard and a sheet, and I could tie a bowline with my eyes closed. I then spent my high school summers working at a marina on the North Shore of Long Island. But, somehow, between all that time spent around salt water, and 60 years of building models, I have yet to make a serious build of a sailing ship, something I consider to be the highest form of fine model building. That important part of my model building oeuvre is about to end and, taking a long look at some of the truly amazing models on this website, it is clear I am in the right place and among the right artisans. Cheers from NYC, Michael

Thanks, Mark...I will do so!

Gregory and Roger, Thank you both for these very helpful responses. I knew this was a group I could count on. I've just ordered some from Syren and will take a long look at the other builds that you suggest here. I'm definitely game to make my own. Roger, thanks for pointing out the metal line and block, which I didn't recognize, as such. My father, Capt. USN, 1935-64, would be mortified! OK! I am really encouraged by this info, and the group. I have Syren's Longboat kit and plan to start on it as soon as this book has gone to the publisher. Many thanks! Cheers from NYC, Michael

Greetings all, I'm new here and, for the moment, am working on nothing with sails or cannon! Sorry...I hope that will come! For now, I'm doing a 1/32 scale diorama of a Sopwith Camel and H.3 Lighter, as used by the British in WWI. The plane is from a kit but everything else is being scratch built. At the moment, I'm working on the mast and boom which were used to retrieved the Camel after ditching. I'd like to find some really crisp blocks, shackles and the other sort of fittings seen in the pictures here. I've been through the ModelExpo site but, frankly, as a rookie, find myself getting lost. Perhaps one of the old hands here would be willing to make some suggestions. The blocks I'd need would be about 4mm, Double and Single, along with shackles of suitable size. Also, whatever sort of fittings might connect the boom to the mast in a situation such as this. It seems to be a fixed connection, as opposed to something that would ride up and down the mast. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers from NYC, Michael Michael

Greetings, Keith and Gregory...I know I responded with thanks to your very helpful suggestions but see no indication of my response here. I'm squeaky new to this forum so perhaps haven't got the procedures down right. At any rate, thanks again for the suggestions. I'm primarily a 1/32 scale WWI aircraft modeler but have long had ideas of a nice build of the blockade runner, PS Hope, and, in my deepest dreams, a full build someday of Jean Boudriot's 74 Gun Ship. Cooler minds prevail, however, and I have the kit for Syren's Meday Longboat and will start with that. At the meoment, I'm scratch building a Royal Navy WWI lighter to carry a Sopwith Camel. It's for that that I'm looking for parts. Perhaps I should start a build log. Again, thanks for the help and I look forward to becoming a contributing member of this talented bunch of artists. Cheers from NYC, Michael

Can anyone suggest a few good online sources for basic ship fittings? I'm scratch building a British WWI aircraft lighter. I've been finding bits here and there, but not one basic supplier here in the USA. Does such place exist? Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Cheers from NYC, Michael