shipman

Good question about the boarding nets......I've always read of them but have no idea what they looked like or where they were used exactly. At one time nets were strung above the upper deck to catch falling debris from aloft; never seen a picture of that either.

Wow! Lou's splendid photo's made me sit up. Such good quality images. It would be great to see more of them, please. I think the deck house roofs were originally planked (like the deck). I've read so much recently, but I think that was an observation from Longridge. There is an etch brass set of the bow and stern decoration available, which I have and are so much better than the kit decals . Can't remember exactly where they came from, but if you ebay the kit, the source comes up. When I lived in London during the 80's I visited the ship a couple of times, but it wasn't open, so never got to see the deck areas. It struck me to be a large vessel, but I just got the 1:350 kit from LEE. When comparing it to more modern ships in that scale the 'Cutty' is tiny! That kit was originally boxed by Imai and later by others. The current 1:350 Revel looks to be the same moulds, but they did offer an entirely different version in that scale some years ago. So happy to get others input on this subject, which is very refreshing.

Thanks for the drawings Bill. Just compared the Underhill drawing with his drawings in Longridges book. They aren't identical. Longridge states Underhill updated his drawings to include his own research, based on a stay on the ship while she was still afloat. As I understand it, the original plans/drawings haven't survived; only a sketchy diagram from Lloyds Register. The Portuguese owners did their best to ruin the ship, nearly sinking more than once and drastically reducing the rig. Apparently the fore deck house wasn't an original feature. The 'Dolly Winch' just in front of the chain pipes has fittings which are clearly there to bring the anchor in, yet again nothing lines up. My suspicion is, the original chain locker may have been below what is now the forward hatch. I accept my suggestions are extremely speculative. Photo's of her as a training ship show several high deck bulwarks full width and several extra boat davits forward. Another suspicion is that a lot of the deck 'furniture' is not where it was when she was a working ship. Continuing this theme, I suspect a lot of these fittings were initially absent on her return to England, but were 'salvaged' and re-fitted to retain some semblance of original character. I don't think we'll ever know the truth, but time has a habit of providing evidence which is sadly lacking at the moment. Also, the beak-head rails and stern decoration are pure fiction, having gone missing at some point in history. I've read that the original stern was decorated with a rather racy tableau with scantily clad characters from Shakespeare's tale, which caused embarressment and scandal in polite society at the time! Considering how much money was spent on the recent restoration and the use of supposedly superior modern paints and varnishes, she's already beginning to look rather shabby. I'll close by mentioning I have an extensive collection of books on the ship dating back to the early 1920's.

G'day Bill. I haven't yet found what would have been 'best practice' for anchor/chain management on other Clippers during that period and would appreciate input on this from other members, hopefully with some reference. When Cutty Sark was 'rescued' from the then Portugal owners, she'd undergone many changes and modifications, few of which were recorded. Indeed, accurate descriptions of her in her finest years are scant. An example would be the deck rails, which I suspect, would have been polished brass?

Following your build with enthusiasm. I have a couple examples of this kit. One is an original version with the copper painted hull. A few features puzzle me. The anchor chain exits the pipes from the cable locker underneath. It then trails forward across the deck and runs alongside the coaming of the fore hatch. If you've ever seen a ship drop its anchor, the chain runs out with some violence and speed. Well, as this feature is commonly depicted, the deck and the hatch would be destroyed! So I've never been happy with this. Before the ship was restored, it had the chain laid on the deck. The recently restored vessel has none of this. Another feature of the kit are the clearing ports, which are depicted on the outside of the hull. It would be nice to emphasise these; yet the inboard deck level makes a nonsense of them. It just wouldn't work. Otherwise, the kit is a fair representation of the ship as she is now. Looking forward to the rest of your build.

He He. I'm sure they are still called mudguards in Essex.

Love your wheels and paint. ALL Honda's at that period had silver painted engines. Indeed there wasn't any bare polished alloy anywhere. The material was rubbish 'monkey metal' and would corrode in a blink. Handsome looking beasts at the time, but had rubber frames and a propensity to throw con-rods. Believe me, I know.

Thanks Bruce, I'll bear your advice in mind. I can't swear all the AOTS covers are duplicates of inside pages but the half dozen I do have lead me to believe they are.

I wouldn't get too worked up about the inside cover illustrations in the later editions of the AOTS titles; you'll find the same picture inside the pages. Bit of a wasted opportunity, if not a con. I have several of the first editions and their later ones with this feature. If you hang around fleabay constantly, you'll eventually find a bargain. I've managed to collect the whole set that way. AbeBooks is now owned by Amazon, consequently bargains there are few, but do come along.

'ixomodels' version of this car; not the best, but you get the idea? (continuous compound curves always look best. Like any hull.

Care of Ixo models: not the best model of this car, but you get the idea?

KP, your model looks fabulous. You have a bit of Wingrove in you. So, do you have pictures of the real car? Or where can we find it? Have you seen the Youtube video from 'Plazmo'? He wired up a set of these wheels in a jiffy, using monofilament fishing line; worth checking it out.

I saw the Longridge model just before the museum removed the 'shipping hall' and it was looking sad. 'Cascamite'....yes, it came as a white powder which you mixed water with. In 1969, as a schoolboy, I made a mahogany 'coffee table' entirely put together with it. The top was made of two wide planks glued edge to edge. All these years later it still looks as I made it, despite all the abuse it's had.

Not Ducati Blue? And now a RED Bentley! I must say you're doing a fine job. Is it a replica of a real car or a little whimsy? The wheel rims would look cool in chrome/nickel with the centres red and black spokes. Wonder what Airfix will want for the re-release?. Here I am, driving a proper car!

Er....That's what I was trying to say........thanks 🙂 The wreck of the Blucher was recently surveyed.

One of the 'Hipper' class got sunk by a single torpedo in one of the Scandinavian waterways. Several German warships lost their stern section in action; that looks like one of weaker points they had. The Hipper and Bismark were confused by their resemblance during the Hood encounter. Of course the Admiral Hipper wreck still exists (largely intact), even though the Yanks threw an Atom Bomb at it!

Like your ratlines issue, the slight miss-alignment of the yard will not be so obvious as things progress. It's a bit like staring at your nose or ear in the mirror, the more you look, the bigger it seems! Your build continues to impress.

Phew! Thank you, Hubert.

The standard of photography on this site is normally exceptional. I suppose numpty's like me have come to take it for granted. A dedicated camera doesn't have to be expensive; I've been using a Fujifilm Z2 compact for years which I bought second hand and it was ten years old when I got it. Every time I download to my laptop I'm astonished how good it is. Stay safe.

Hi, I was hunting around and found your build, which looks like a grand job, I hope you don't mind me saying how disappointed I am with the fuzzy photography. I've trawled through 3 or 4 pages and given up. Such a shame.

Hubert, we've swapped PM's. I'm trying to sort out the ebay malarky, to pay you. I've sent a couple of updates to you, but Mailer-Daemon keeps returning them to me. My old brain hurts!

30 years ago one came past me while heading south on the A1; I followed it for about 10 miles until he took his exit. It was sitting at 80 comfortably, sounding like a quiet version of a Fergie tractor.

Oooo! Just found this log. Love what you're doing. Always fancied a go at this kit since my younger brother knocked one together in the '70's. A car similar to this turns up at local shows, it's quite a beast and is as big as a bus!

Keith, the applied reflective material on your life rings stand proud. On the real ones they are inset.

Not all Ducati are red. Still, I instinctively feel the designer had red in mind. Not all MV Agusta are red, but if they aren't; somehow they don't look the part.