coxswain

The problem here is nobody seems to have the staf in the right position or configuration, here’s a photo or two to show how it actually was.

Just one more boat to go, yee ha 🤪 driving me nuts all those boats.

Next part was doing the final fit up to try and make it work, seem to be like a cat, land on my feet most of the time 😂 be it a grumpy puss, Jaqueline shouts up stairs, your supposed to be enjoying that, it’s your hobby 🙄 anyway, got it together ok, just leaving the horrible boat strapping to do, have decided this is murder to do, the result works, but no fun.😂 Also finished the bridge wing bracing and rigging to the davits on boat deck. 

Also bought these little fellow’s, think they’ll help add a bit of scale and interest to the model when finished 👍 they are quite detailed, best l have seen so far, that’ll be interesting trying to paint them for sure. 

Also finished making the last of the davits, glad to get them done. Next stage is to paint them all. As you can see l  am starting to fit up the boat into position, lot of fiddling about at this stage, only two to go though, be glad when the boats are finished as well, been a bit of a slogging match.

Some more slow and steady progress on my Flyer build.
All the lower shrouds are on. I ended up coating them with glue/water mix to try to de-fuzz them a bit and i think they are looking OK. I’ve also managed to ensure no unwanted mast bend - everything seems to be lined up quite nicely.
I’m not entirely happy with the thread between the deadeyes, but I think that’s more a reflection on the thread quality more than anything else. It feels as though the thread has a larger diameter than it ought to have, and consequently it doesn’t look as clean as it might. I wasn’t sure how to tie off those threads either, nor indeed what to do with the shroud ends, so I’ve gone with something that looks OK and is practical at 1/100. There are two seizings on the shrouds, and the line between the dead eyes is just wrapped around the shrouds a couple of times and tied off. I’ll glue them before cutting off the excess.

I’m pleased that I was able to get a constant distance between the deadeyes. For the initial pair I measured everything as far as possible in advance and attached the deadeyes to the shrouds before anything was attached to the model. But latterly I would attach the first deadeye to the ship, and do the second one whilst it was attached. I found that it was quite easy to adjust the shroud length with just the throat seizing on the deadeye so could get a good compromise between the height of the deadeye and the tension in the shrouds.
 
I’ve also attached two of the three forestays. There’s not a great deal of standing rigging left to do, and thankfully I don’t think I’ll run out!
 
I’ve done a couple of test rat lines. I’m not sure whether it’s the colour combination, the thread diameter or the fuzziness, but I really don’t like them. I’d not really paid much attention until now, but the only two threads supplied with the kit are one dark brown and one natural. The thread diameter is not specified but I believe they are both 0.25mm, and the rat lines do not look right. I think the rat lines should be rather thinner threads, so have tried a 0.15mm thread from another kit as a test.

 
The uppermost ratline is the 0.15mm thread, whereas the two below are the kit supplied thread. I’m not sure if it’s easy to make out in the image, but I think the thinner thread is a much better choice - it also appears to be better quality with far less fuzz! Still not sure on colour through - I can’t help feeling they ought to be darker! The decision might be made easier by the scarcity of thread in the UK at the moment - most seems to be out of stock!
 
Still, plenty to be getting on with in the meantime!

A bit more slow progress on the Flyer. I feel like I’m doing everything twice because there is so little guidance in the instructions. Even trivial things like the length of thread to cut for the line between deadeyes - I initially cut enough to get them attached but did not leave enough to tidy up the ends nicely! I’ve no clue how generous they are with the thread length supplied so trying to be fairly economical!
Anyway, I’ve started with the main mast, and put the pair of main stays on first. I’ve not glued the mast in so am relying on tensioning stays/shrouds for placement. I’ve also put the shrouds on, and the aft pair on each side are really pretty tight to ensure the mast rake is aligned with that in the plans.
So far so good I think, and starting to look a bit like a ship! Although I’m still not happy with the fuzziness of the lines in spite of running them through wax. I think I’ll need to coat them with a glue/water mix to improve the appearance.

Hoping to get the foremast stays & shrouds in place this weekend.

I’ve made just a little more progress with my Flyer build. I’m a bit frustrated by the lack of guidance in some areas. There is nothing for the anchor. The instructions & plans just have anchor warp running through the hole in the bulwarks and being tied off on the bowsprit bitt. There is no capstan or windlass arrangement on this model. I’ve see an excellent post on here describing how it would work on similar vessels, but I’m not sure I’ve got the space or layout to pull it off effectively, so I will likely opt for a couple of Sampson posts and will wrap whatever thread I have left around them.
Likewise the tiller arrangement. I understand there would normally be a couple of single blocks on each side of the tiller, but there is not enough space for this to work; the gap between the two blocks is so narrow that it looks odd. Therefore I went with the plans provided and just looped thread around the tiller and tied it off on each side.

 
 
I’ve added the bowsprit shrouds which I’m quite happy with. Having not done this before I was worried that I might not get them sufficiently tight but this has not been a problem so far. The only thing I don’t like is the white wax residue on the dark thread. It’s super fuzzy if not waxed, so would welcome any recommendations on how to avoid both wax and fuzz!
 
 
 
 
 
I’ve also added a few more eyelets in preparation for rigging. Oh, and put a rope to restrain the recoil on the cannon because safety first!
Next steps I think are masts which are only dry fitted so far, and then tackling the standing rigging.
Do people normally glue masts in place in perfect alignment before any rigging, or can adjustments be made via tension on the standing rigging?
 

 

What a great build! It's inspirational to see such quick progress.
 
What glue are you using to join your wood to wood pieces? I'm looking to sail my Oseberg model when it's done and am researching which waterproof glues are used in RC boats at the moment (though my Oseberg won't be RC, just needs to float).

Oh, like USS Boston 1884 -- yeah, I like that suggestion, too!
 

 
Or USS Petrel 1889.

 

So that’s the base coat of the camo done. I need to give it a clear coat next but, I have to start a different log as I have a club build to do…

OK, I have quite literally just finished the Trial Cutter prototype. This was a fun little project and went together a lot quicker than I thought. As mentioned (I think), this is larger than Lady Nelson, but slightly smaller than Alert (but a hell of a lot more pre cut than either), with overall length being 560mm with bowsprit and boom (Hull alone being around 330mm long)

By the way, if you want to purchase these kits, you can contact one wholesale buyer in Europe. mailto: kontakt@modellbaudienst.de  As far as I know, they are planning to arrange the delivery of kits from us.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Several assemblies of different modelers.
By Cougar_A
 

 

 
 
By  Walterone


 

 
 
By  Bim

 

 

 

I've just finished the yards on the mainmast. It's a process of keeping the faith as you go, as it has to look like an explosion of rope before order then appears out of the chaos... Here are the footropes in process...

And then completed...
 
 

And here's a shot of the whole mast... the lower stunsails have had the stunsail yards attached to the tops, but haven't been rigged at all yet... None of these yards are finally attached, but are pretty much complete as units. 
 

To have a bit of a break from the yards, I think I'll do some ratlines on the lower shrouds. I think I probably need to tackle the futtock shrouds (metal bars?) first, though, otherwise they're going to be a bear to access.
 
Thanks for looking in

Hi all,
 
Not much more to show, except the reefing points that are now stiffened using watered down PVA front and back. This was done before they were trimmed to length, by placing a small ruler behind the reefing points. Then they were trimmed to the bottom of the ruler giving a nice neat line.. The second photo is the progress on the mainmast lower-topsail yard with the footropes in progress....
.
 
As always, thanks for the likes and encouragement.
 
Rob

Pulling up a chair and putting the popcorn on the cooktop!
 
It'll be interesting to watch this one - the assumptions Sergal made vs those of Landström in reconstructing the Great Harry, vs what is now known from the excavation of the Mary Rose.
 
Are you planning to follow the Anthony Roll's colour scheme? If I had a time machine I'd go back and fix the colours on my own Great Harry. But everybody back then seems to have gone with Elizabethan colour schemes which though really cool, are maybe 30-40 years wrong.
 
Steven

Ahoy from Snug Harbor Johnny !  This is my third unbuilt kit review (reference Endurance by OcCre and Khufu's Solar Barge by Woody Joe) and this will take a few posts to do this fine old kit justice.  Like the man asked, "How do you eat an elephant? ... One bite at a time !"  As mentioned in the 'What did you Receive Today' category, I was informed about the availability of the the LARGE scale Great Henry by Rick from the Modeller's Workshop in Montreal, Quebec.  BTW, he was a pleasure to deal with and the parcel was received much faster than I'd have guessed.
 
  We were discussing a completely different old kit he offered to the Forum, when he mentioned that there was a group of 4 kits that were dropped off at his store for consignment that included the HMS Victory and the USS Constitution.  There are many fine builds of these, as well as the Bounty, but the prospect of a BIG version of the Great Harry piqued my interest as I've only seen a couple of pictures of this version anywhere.  Rick noted that it is unlikely that Sergal produced more than 100 of these, with drawings dated January 1, 1975 - well before the Mary Rose was raised (much less conserved and studied enough that quality reference books became available).  He posted some pictures of kit components without 'digging' too much into what he described as entering Tut's tomb, and he suggested a price including shipping of $500 ... yet went so far as to say I was welcome to bid lower if I was interested (as this item was considered a 'slow mover') and he'd relay that offer to the consigner.  No way was I going to risk offending anyone, and I was willing to 'pay to play' and agreed to the initial price suggestion.
 
   I don't risk giving too much away by saying that I think it was  fair value given the unusual nature of the kit, and to do it justice will take a real commitment of time and effort.  As mentioned in the other thread, the box weight 15 pounds and I was surprised by the mass - as if there were bricks inside the carton.  'Turns out that the large box was fully packed with materials (wood, metal and paper) - enough to be considered a 'solid' mass.  The picture below is of the first opening.
 
 

  
 
  Sergal had to design this based solely on a few contemporary illustrations, and their experience with 17th through 19th century ship kits of various types.  Prior to receiving the parcel, I'd procured three great reference books on the Mary Rose (pictured below) because Sergal had 'gallionized' the Great Harry somewhat as exhibited by putting too much tumblehome in the widest places than we know is appropriate based on the recovered hull of the Mary Rose.  The Great Harry, after all, is a larger and better armed version of the MR - and was built to match (or exceed) the newly built Scottish warship the Great Michael.  These might be thought of as 'Carracks on steroids' - taking the recent carvel-below, lapstrake above construction developed in the late 1400s (reference the Danish ship Griffin - Griebshund - now located and featured on a PBS NOVA documentary) and expanding the size with 'less tubby' lines and more powerful weaponry, 4 masts and the new innovation of sealable gun ports in the sides so the heavier ordnance could be lower in the ship for reasons of better stability.
 
  Sergal had three full decks in the stern castle (although the top is narrower, what, so it looks a little more like a galleon? ... and its DEFINITELY not "Elizabethan", even thought Elizabeth I was a Tudor Queen).  They've played a bit with the forecastle as well, but then I'm not 'knocking' the manufacturer at all - considering the date of production and the paucity of accurate scholarship in the 70s concerning Henry VIII's fleet.  In fact, the re-build of the GH in 1536 (the MR was also rebuilt, but loaded with more and heavier guns that likely played a key role in her demise - but much to our present scholarship, so look on the bright side) the sterncastle of  the Harry was reduced to lessen the heeling it was previously noted for.  So the original version should have 3 full decks in the stern castle, and reportedly did not have top gallants in the pre 1536 version.
 
  My intent (when work will be done on the GH) will be to incorporate information in the book pictured below to build a pre-1536 version:
 

 
  OK, time to have a look at the first drawing that lay on top when the kit box was opened.  Yup, this model is BIG - and the length at the waterline is 28 1/2", and the hull from the beak of the fore castle to the stern (not including the bowsprit) is 35".  And talk about height ... if taken at face value, it will take a larger case indeed.  Baggins might consider this a 'mathom' - or perhaps some might think a 'white elephant'.  Bur wait - a 1:75 Vasa or Cutty Sark will be as large, and there are many who build models this size.  I've been struggling with 1:96 and smaller for a while, and having more 'elbow room' might be a good thing.  So in the picture below I placed a yardstick for scale - and also the largest hull frame that points to a rationale how this model may really be 'not as large as it seems'.
 

 

Ahoy Johnny!
 
I hadn't realised you were a re-enactor. Me too, but mostly mediaeval - in particular 11th century Anglo-Saxon (my big triumph was getting to play King Harold's brother Leofwine and "lead" the English right wing at the Battle of Hastings re-enactment on the actual battlefield in 2006. Not re-enacting any more, but my wife and I toyed with doing Henrician (i.e. Henry VIII 1545 - same year as the Mary Rose went down, so a lot of artefacts available to reconstruct), got as far as a shirt and doublet for me (and underdaks) then changed our minds.

Me with my hearth troop, Senlac Hill, 2006. I'm the tall one, standing third from the right, with red hose and a big axe.
 
Regarding colours, the paintwork on the Anthony Roll picture is a bit hard to make out, but is either (as you propose) alternating red, yellow and white diagonal stripes or perhaps just red and yellow. And as you're doing pre-1536, the earlier you go, apparently the less paintwork, though it does depend on where - Bruegel's ships are completely without painted decoration, as is the "marriage" ship and the ones on the St Auta altarpiece of 1520

but others such as this one from a Portolan of 1521 by Iacopo Russo seem to show paintwork on the upper works.
 

Regarding shield decoration, the Anthony Roll shows alternating "St George" (red cross on a white background) shields and pale blue shields with possibly a white band at the top. The definition is very bad, but the Embarkation at Dover painting (thought to have been painted around 1545, well after the event),   http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/imagelarge69119-.html shows three shields any of which which might be what is portrayed in the Anthony Roll. They are all per pale (divided in half vertically) blue and white - one with a gold fleur de lis, one with a red Tudor Rose and one with a portcullis (which I think denotes London).
 
It's a very interesting model. I'll look forward to seeing what you do with it.
 
Steven 
 
 
 

To me it looks like the "collectioner's" vessel is too high - it would probably be crank and unseaworthy. Even though it pretty much duplicates the height of the forecastle on the Anthony Roll, I think Anthony got it wrong. AS far as I know, the aftercastle could be estimated from that of the Mary Rose; as she sank on her side, just about all of the upper works survived. There is still hope that they'll eventually get the funding to go and find the forecastle, but in the meantime we just need to work on 'best guess'..
 
Nice to know you got into doing "Hastings" at some point. The Big One in the UK is a real experience - I've done it twice and loved it. https://www.google.com/search?q=hbattle+hastings+2006&rlz=1C1NHXL_enAU770AU770&oq=hbattle+hastings+2006&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i8i13i30j0i390i650l4.7532j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:b1403b79,vid:EOwW04V4NA4
 
By the way, additional to the model Tudor figures I mentioned above, the sailors should be easier to obtain as their clothes were simpler - see http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/imagelarge69119-.html 
 
Steven

SO far no opinions offered,  so I'll have to be 'Captain of my own ship' ... subject to Admiralty directives.   'Seems the HGaD represented the cutting edge of the naval battleship at the time in so many ways ... and the MR was the immediate precursor (so its lucky we have what we have of her).  A very notable thing was the bow shape and lines BELOW the waterline, which were anything but 'bulbous' as earlier carracks often were.
 
  A gentler transition to the 'fatter' middle sections would lessen resistance and provide speed superiority over any comparably sized (or lesser) vessels.  This is a key tactical advantage since (after battle assessment) an opponent could not 'get away' if the decision was to engage - nor could an otherwise superior force catch-up if the decision was not to engage.  The advantage to the development of a 'square' stern was to support a larger stern castle as well as creating room for ordnance much further back in the hull (allowance for recoil and reloading requires enough breadth on the gun deck) - and a stern rudder w/tiller saw the elimination of the vulnerable steer-board (on the starboard side).  The lines in the stern had to be modified so that the stern rudder would be effective - simultaneously providing a speed advantage as strong eddies were mostly eliminated  Perhaps this inspired some streamlining in the bow.
 
  The full-round (or 'apple') bow would return as 'Castles' disappeared and space was needed for heavy ordnance to be in the forward part of a warship, and more displacement was also needed to support the increased weight in that area.  So you see, form follows function - which is at the core of my considerations about the HGaD's for castle shape and size.
 
  Most contemporary depictions are from a stern aspect (or profile), and many models have defaulted to a 'pointed' forward castle.  There is another reason why this would be a disadvantage ... as the sides go down to a 'point', there is almost no internal space for anything.  Carrack castles started out as mostly square fighting platforms on either end of a double-pointed hull.  There ARE pointed forward castles where they are 'open- topped fighting spaces.  In the case of the HGaD, a fore castle starting out at least a little wider than the gunwale beam would serve better as a 'mini fortress' if the forward face were not so narrow.  Below are some images for comparison:
 
The earliest castles:
 
 
 
A flat forward face (but no overhang)

 
 
 
 A 19th century engraving depicting what sure looks like a relatively wide front-faces castle:
 

 
A more modern piece of artwork:
 
 
 
  Once again, these are different opinions through time - so the concept of 'form follows function' should be my guiding principle whatever route I go.  BTW, here's a nice stern view of a model showing the narrowing of the back ... but the shape goes too deep to afford the 'clean' water needed to make the rudder more effective, as the reference books on the recovered MR show.
 

 
  I found a good enough piece of birch plywood (2' x 4') just a few thousandths over the Sergal kit frames. There's plenty there to make all the modified frames I'm likely to need.  I searched through the whole stack at Home D to find one that was flat enough.  Regarding the Sergal frames supplied, I noticed that the keel piece was kinked enough to be not good to use as it sat - so I got out my iron (set on high for linen) and used dry hear and cautions counter bending on a wooden work bench to reverse the kinks.  It worked!  I've used wet heat for 'solid' (non-plywood) stock and dry heat for plywood before (it can loosen the glue bond) - and wrecked pieces (some time ago) while learning.  The deft touch and 'wood sense' not to over-bend (once learned) is helpful.  It's like when I was a kid and 'stripped' a metal nut when over-tightening on a bolt.  That helped 'calibrate' me how not to strip a nut - and the lesson has stayed with me all the intervening years. 
 
 
 
 

Dear all,
Thanks for all the likes and comments. It has been a wile since last update (more modelling than build log). Agamemnon himself sits on the bow now. The bowsprit is getting finished. For the moment it is just dry fitted. The iron bands on the bowsprit I made from masking tape which I painted black before applying to the bowsprit. Instructions call out fore cutting stripes out of black paper but black painted masking tape was much easier. The lower part of the foremast was something I started with last weekend.


Best regards
 
Henrik
 

1:32 Fifie – The Scottish Motor Fishing Vessel
Amati
Catalogue # 1300/09
Available from Amati for €220.00
 

 
 
The Fifie is a design of sailing boat developed on the east coast of Scotland. It was a traditional fishing boat used by Scottish fishermen from the 1850s until well into the 20th century. These boats were mainly used to fish for herring using drift nets, and along with other designs of boat were known as herring drifters. While the boats varied in design, they can be categorised by their vertical stem and stern, their long straight keel and wide beam. These attributes made the Fifies very stable in the water and allowed them to carry a very large set of sails. The long keel, however, made them difficult to manoeuvre in small harbours. Sailing Fifies had two masts with the standard rig consisting of a main dipping lug sail and a mizzen standing lug sail. The masts were positioned far forward and aft on the boat to give the maximum clear working space amidships. A large Fifie could reach just over 20 metres in length. Because of their large sail area, they were very fast sailing boats.
 
 
Fifies built after 1860 were all decked and from the 1870s onwards the bigger boats were built with carvel planking, i.e. the planks were laid edge to edge instead of the overlapping clinker style of previous boats. The introduction of steam powered capstans in the 1890s, to help raising the lugs sails, allowed the size of these vessels to increase from 30 foot to over 70 foot in length. From about 1905 onwards sailing Fifies were gradually fitted with engines and converted to motorised vessels. There are few surviving examples of this type of fishing boat still in existence. The Scottish Fisheries Museum based in Anstruther, Fife, has restored and still sails a classic example of this type of vessel named the Reaper. The Swan Trust in Lerwick, Shetland have restored and maintain another Fifie, The Swan, as a sail training vessel. She now takes over 1000 trainees each year and has taken trainees to participate in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races to ports in France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland as well as around the UK.
Extract from Wikipedia
 
The kit
Fifie is packed into a large, heavy box that certainly hints that there’s a good quantity of material included to build this historic fishing vessel in all its glorious 1:32 scale. I do admit to particularly liking this scale, having built plastic models for many years and indeed for magazine publication. It’s definitely something I can relate to when eyeing up the various dimensions and features. Amati’s presentation is flawless and certainly stands out, with its large, glossy lid that captures an attractive view of the Fifie. It has to be noted here that the hull is usually fully painted, with green being common above the waterline, but this model was finished to show off the beauty of the walnut timber supplied in the kit. And why not! For those that don’t know, this kit, under the Victory Models label, was designed by Chris Watton. Many of you should be familiar with that name and his design pedigree. At 1:32, this kit is no shrinking violet in terms of size. Fifie is 700mm long, 470mm wide and with a height of 230mm (sans masts).
 





 
 
Lifting the lid does indeed show a box crammed with materials. Inside, we have several bundles of timber, plus a packet of timber dowel/strip/metal rod/tube, a thick packet containing numerous laser-cut sheets, another packet with plans and photo etch, and underneath the main timber, we have sail cloth and fittings packs. Thick foam is included to stop the main materials from banging around in the box.
 
Strip wood
Fifie has a double-planked hull, with the first layer being constructed from 1.5mm x 7mm lime strips. These, like many of the other bundles, are 600mm long, and very cleanly cut with no fuzzy edges Sixty-five of these are supplied. The same quality goes for the second planking layer, which is supplied as 90 strips of 1mm x 6mm walnut which is some of the best I’ve seen in a kit. There is little colour variation in these, and they look pleasantly uniform. I’ve always found Amati’s timber quality to be exceptional and this is no different. As well as elastic to hold the bundles some labels are also included to help identity the material.
 





Other strip wood is included (beech and walnut) for such things as deck planking, caulking (yes, caulk plank!), lining the various deck hatches, sheathing the deckhouse structures, rubbing strakes etc. These bundles are both taped and bound with elastic, with the deck planking having an identifying label also. Cutting is clean and precise.
 




 
Dowel and tube/rod

Various lengths of dowel is included for masting, false keel strengthening pins etc. and thicker strip wood for the timberheads. All is supplied in a nice uniform walnut colour….no nasty walnut dyes/stains in this kit! These latter lengths are also packaged into a thick clear sleeve, unlike the others. Note also various lengths of brass and copper wire, as timberheads well as some copper tube. Some mounting parts are included for RC conversion, but you will need to purchase other items to complete the model for radio.

 
 
MDF sheet items

Again, Amati has made extensive use of 4mm MDF for the hull false keel and bulkheads, and all are laser-cut, as are all individual wooden items in this kit. Cutting looks very precise with very little in the way of scorching, apart from very localised discolouration. I know many don’t like MDF as a material for our models, but MDF sands easily and is also warp-free, lending itself to a nice, true hull. You won’t see any of this when you start to lay planks. There are FOUR sheets of this material, and you’ll notice that there aren’t any parts numbers engraved on here. You will need to refer to the first two sheets of plans which contain the parts references.






A single sheet of 2mm MDF contains parts such as the four-piece deck, cleats, and the bulkheads and keel for Fifie’s single launch vessel.


There is also a single 6mm sheet of MDF (sheet 2698-B) which contains the four parts needed for the cradle. I’ve seen numerous sites which now sell this model claim that no stand is included with this model. Well, this sort of proves that statement incorrect. This is the same cradle shown on the box lid images. Of course, you’ll need a suitable MDF primer for this, and some nice coats of gloss lacquer to get the best from this.

 
Ply sheet parts

SIX sheets of thin ply are included for just about every other timber construction elements of Fifie, including the deckhouse, deck superstructures, keel sheathing, and bulwark capping strip. Again, all parts are laser-cut and will require minimal effort to remove any edge char.



 
 
Fittings

Two boxes of fittings are included in the very bottom of the Fifie kit box. Some of the weight bearing down has caused a small crack in the two vac-form fittings boxes, as you can see, but all parts within are absolutely fine. The first box contains the cast metal propeller, deck buckets, ship’s wheel, rigging blocks, life preserver rings and a whole load of beautifully smooth wooden balls for making the many buoys which sit on Fifie’s deck. These are perfectly circular, yet the ones on the box image are slightly shaped. Instructions show these as the balls, and you could perhaps opt to use a little putty to add some shape to these.





The second fitting box contains seven spools of rigging cord in both black and natural colours, nails, various cast fittings such as bollards, plus rudder pintles, anchors etc. Copper eyelets, chain and ferrules etc. make up the set.





 
 
Sail cloth
Should you wish to add sails, then enough material is supplied for you, in bleached white cloth.

 
Photo-etch

Very few kits come without photo-etch parts these days, and this is no exception, with TWO sheets of 0.7mm brass with a very high number of included parts. A quick scan around the sheets will easily identify parts for the mast bases, steam winch, engine skylight, capstan, deck hand pump, wheel assembly, herring shovel, tabernacle, mast rings, etc.




 
Acetate and card

I have to say I’m not entirely sure what the card/cartridge paper is for except for maybe general use, but the thin acetate is obviously for the cabin windows.
 
Instructions and plans

Without a doubt, Amati produce some of the very best instruction manuals to come with any model kit. For reference, check out my Orient Express Sleeping Car review and that of Revenge. Fifie is no different with a luxurious and fully-pictorial, 64-page publication. Whilst this isn’t perfect-bound as with the previous reviews, it is in full colour and produced to a standard that’s still far higher than many contemporary manufacturers, with each stage being shown under construction so you get a perfect idea about what is required at that point in construction. Text is also in English, or at least in the sample I have been sent. The rear of the manual contains a complete components list. 










Backing up this publication is a set of seven plan sheets. The first two of these are for identifying the various timber and PE parts. The others show general profile and detail imagery, as well as masting and rig drawings. Remember that the hull itself is built entirely from the photographic sequences so everything you see on these drawings is for external details.








 
Conclusion
I have to say that you get a lot of kit for your money with Fifie, and when I first asked Amati what they envisaged the RRP to be, I was quite surprised at this. Everything about Fifie is quality, from the packaging and presentation, to the beautiful, photographic manual, fittings, sheet and strip timber, all the way to the superbly drawn plans. I’m very surprised that the gestation period has taken so long for them to bring this excellent kit to market. It’s also a Chris Watton thoroughbred. If you’ve seen his previous designs, then you’ll be familiar with the format of Fifie, which was quite the different vessel for Chris to tackle, when everyone seemed to think he would only design fighting vessels, armed to the teeth with cannon. I must admit that Fifie did take me quite by surprise too. The very shape of this iconic and historic vessel is so homely and welcoming and for me, invokes images of those times when fishing communities were happy and thriving. Whether you’re a fan of Chris’s work or not, Fifie is most certainly a kit that you should consider dropping into your virtual shopping cart next time you visit your favourite online model ship/boat retailer, and of course, if RC is your thing, then this kit will also suit your genre!
 
VERY highly recommended!
 
My sincere thanks to Amati for sending out the sample kit you see reviewed here. To purchase directly click the link at the top of the article to take you to Amati’s online shop or check out your country’s local distributor. Plans are also available from Amati, for €21.00