chris watton

I like pre cut timberheads for kits - the alternative is a very tedious job for the kit purchaser....

Very well done, Kevin, you should be proud!

Those look fantastic!

Damn, I thought I put more than enough deadeyes in - I shall add a few extra for future kits.

I did already email you with my answer, so here is a portion of that emial I have already sent you you: I have used MDF for the past 18 years, starting at Amati - I am very surprised you did not know this! As I have explained countless time now, for some of the more complex designs, ply was no good, why? Because the tolorances on the thicknesses are comical, they can be anything between 2.7-3.4mm for a 3mm thick sheet. This is OK with very simple kits (just a simple keel and a few bulkheads), but not when so many parts need to slot and interlock well - using ply would be a disaster, as batches can vary a lot in thickness. Also to add, when sanding the bulkheads, it is much easier as the material is all the same.

OK, now in stock (Finally...) The Viking ship "Oseberg" Version 3 (Ships of Pavel Nikitin) – Vanguard Models Captain John Smith's Shallop - Ships of Pavel Nikitin – Vanguard Models

I finally have my Pavel Nitikin shipment! They will be live on the website later.

On a separate note, I should have my shipments of Pavel Nitikin Viking ships and John Smiths Shallop kit arrive next week - I can tell you that the shipping costs were horrific...

This morning I was sent the renders for the alternative figurehead for Surprise (and I suspect the one that most will use). Both versions will be included in the kit. Still have a lot of time to spend on this development...

Yes, I use CA for the same thing, but that is never left on the model, it is just to make it easier to push the rope through the holes in the blocks.

Always best to glue as little as possible for masts and rig, because if something is accidentally broken, things are so much easier to repair. I do wince when I read that some use copious amounts of CA on their rigging, rather than a little dab of diluted PVA.. Harpy looking fantastic!

Well, being a wooden kit, there is nothing to stop you doing this and discarding the kit parts. I see this with the pre made decks, some plank their own. Nothing wrong with doing this at all. Indeed, I expect it from some modellers.

The pear is 0.8mm, the 0.2 doesn't seem a lot compared to standard 1mm thickness, but it does seem to make a lot of difference when manipulating the sheet to shape, plus there is less need to soak the part before bending to shape. Pear does like to hold onto that water for at least a day or so (sometimes much longer), making it look as though the part is way too big before shrinking back to original size.

I know that Cutty Sark was an Hachette parts work development, which I thought was a shame, as I think that was a great looking model and very detailed. Not sure about Prince, I know I did give it a redesign about 11/12 years ago from my earlier 2002 original, with gun ports incorporated into the hull: Even a fully detailed Royal Mail carriage!

Well, I worked all day today, continuing Surprise stuff. This morning, I decided to make the templates for the fore and quarterdeck bulwarks, which are to be pre-cut. So first, the upper deck and beams were to be removed. My initial idea was to do the same I did for Indy, with most of the outer sides planked. However, I could not get the thought out of my mind just how nice the sides would look if they were pre-cut and engraved, with treenail detail - that would look great when painted ochre (or just varnished). So, with this in mind, I made a template for the whole of the hull side down to the top of the main wale line (or in Surprise's case, where the planks get thicker). The pics show the end result of a day’s work, with many templates laser cut in white PolyBak, with each successive template (and there were many) tweaked a little more until, eventually, the final template is cut in the material that will be used in the kit, pear, shown in the pics. There was no warping to the undersides near the bow, and curved around very nicely on my disposable 'mule hull' The downside to this, and the reason I initially dismissed doing this, is cost (0.8mm pear sheet needing to be 800mm long and 4 required just for the outer hull) and time. It will increase the overall cost to the kit. But it does mean planking, like on the smaller kits in the range, is relegated to the bottom half of the hull only, with all upper sides being completely pre-cut and laser engraved. It also means I can work slots into the bulwark sides for the fore, main and mizzen channels, these worked very well for the new Speedy and Harpy. I hope I have made the right choice.. Oh, for the rudder fixing, I am doing the same as I did for Indy, with 3-d printed gudgeon and pintles that simply slot into the rudder and rudder post, I do very much like this method as it is both simple and looks accurate.