chris watton

9 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Certainly the film Master and Commander shows chain pumps in use, you’ll confuse non nautical nerds if you don’t offer them 🤓

 

Gary

As I am having 9-pounders on the main gun deck instead of carronades (which never look as cool), I have deviated from the real version, so chain pumps it is.

10 minutes ago, Jim Rogers said:

Chris I LOVE your gun crew figures. Would it be possible to come up with a set of sailors doing sailor actions. They really add to the model.

Very Nice, Winnie?

OK, for more sailor figures, if people want to send me pictures of what they want, including the contemporary dress and stance, I will see what I can do.

3 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

For fear of contributing to what last time got quiet passionate, in the Indefatigable build log, perhaps the option for both?  This kit is a little harder to define because of the “fictional” overlay associated with Patrick O’Brian and the movie which had a scene showing chain pumps being used. I realise this will add cost, but if only one option can be incorporated then I would vote for chain pumps, as I’m only ever going to build the fictional Surprise and I am biased due to loving the film adaptation. Just my two pence worth. 
 

And this is even before we discuss the armament and main mast…. 🤣

I am thinking chain pumps for Aubrey's Surprise, I feel I have a little more leeway with this one...

Look at this pic, looks like the original Surprise/L'Unite didn't have chain pumps also! Should I change this to chain pumps for the version I am doing?

Also, I have done a set of 4 chain pump housings as a separate option. Each housing is around 22mm long and 9mm thick (1x5mm pear centre and 2x1.5mm outers). 

Superb!

9 minutes ago, Oldsalt1950 said:

Looks really nice Chris. I assume once this is done you'll be moving on to Sophie. With that said, you know people are going to be clamoring for a Jack Aubury figure to captain her.

 

Jim

 

No Sophie, just Surprise.

OK, designs for the Baltimore privateer Grecian have been completed, and here are some pics of the 'quick and dirty' build I do, to check final designs. I do mean quick, as this time last week, it wasn't even planked! With that in mind, please note that I have literally threw the bits together on this without too much clean up. All this is for is to check all laser cut designs, to make sure all fit as they should - and if they don't, they are removed, a new part cut and re applied.

I have included a lot more ordnance than she ever carried, but if I just included a couple of 4 pounders and a couple of x 6 pounders, I am sure that wouldn't go down so well. So what I have done and will include is a choice. There will be 12 x 18 pounder carronades, 8 x 6 pounder long guns and 4 x 4 pounders. I have gone with a mainly carronade armament, plus a pair of 6 and 4 pounder cannon - but the modeller can change this if they so wish.

I will also include a 3d printed 20 foot cutter hull and the laser cut floors, thwarts and oars to go with it.

I have included a couple of pics showing its size in relation to Sphinx and Speedy - the latter looks very tubby when sat next to the very sleek schooner!

The first 5 Indy kits complete in boxes, all they wait for is plans, manual and box label.

59 minutes ago, Beef Wellington said:

Looks like a very interesting subject.

 

I'm loathe to post this because of clogging up this thread...but, I wonder if it would make sense to start a new thread specific to each new kit project?  Hopefully that will keep people on topic and focused, and reduce the inevitable back and forth with parallel development activities, pet peeves etc.

This thread just updates you guys on what I am up to, there are separate threads/build logs by Jim Hatch which concentrate on each of the new kits.

Today I received the fittings and more fragile laser cut sheet box. This fits within the main box, protecting the parts further when in transit, as the main MDF hull parts are very heavy. 

You are a man after my heart!

All the frigates you mention in your opening post are the same as the ones I want to develop!

Looks great, Kevin!

7 minutes ago, Blas de Lezo said:

First of all, I wish all the best for this 2023 to everybody.

 

Second I ask you forgive me if my question is completely wrong. Is this HMS Indefatigable the same one that together with other three frigates attacked the Spanish convoy that included the ill-fated Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes?

 

Thank you in advance, and of course, my sincere congratulations to Chris for this superb design.

 

Víctor.

Yes, it is the same frigate that captured the Spanish 'Treasure Fleet' in 1804, resulting in the Mercedes blowing up.

9 minutes ago, Oboship said:

Thanks for sharing the first impressions of Grecian! That model will be even slightly longer than Cruiser and Jalouse!

 

Grecian is surely an option for me to get another VM kit!

Best regards

Uwe

I sincerely hope so! lol

Cruiser is 100 foot along the deck, Grecian is 95 foot, so not a lot in it.

I suspect the price will be around the same as Speedy.

4 minutes ago, mugje said:

Tnx! Nice size and shape...looking forward how this one turns out!

Me too!

2 hours ago, mugje said:

Looks quite big! What's the hull length?

Hull Length only - 505mm

Overall Length with bowsprit and gaff boom - 878mm

ETA - and I had better add - Scale - 1:64th

Second pre-prototype. This has a lot of bulkheads!

There are the very first cut parts for Grecian - what is there may not reflect the end kit, though...

I thought I would start a new thread, as the original was getting a little too big.

OK, for at least the next 5 years, I have my developments more or less already mapped out. The subjects cover a wide range of vessels from the 17th to early 19th Century.

For 2023, I have three confirmed. The first is Indy (of course). I may add as an optional extra cistern/chain pump housings. This has been my largest development to date, taking well over a year of full time work, and having Jim make the prototype and taking the manual photo pics and text. If I were to do this, then Indy would have been a 2 year development.

After Indy, I will have the American schooner Grecian (1812) almost ready, which I anticipate releasing in April/May. I have almost finished the mast and rig drawings, and profiles, so this may come together pretty quickly once Indy is released. 

From Wiki:

Thomas Kemp of Baltimore designed Grecian with several innovations. She was pierced for 20 guns, though she never carried that many, and her gunports were unique, designed perhaps to save weight. She had a long, curving stem, and a shallow, less convex bow. Grecian's first captain was James Phillips, and under him she had made one voyage to France. She received letter of marque No. 944 in December 1813, under Captain Knapp.

Not sure how much of that can be trusted, though, as she was not pierced for 20 guns, she has 18, with the fore-most being next to useless due to the distance between port and starboard (very sharp bow, so 7 per side being usable, in my opinion). It seems she had a mix of guns, being more standardised when in the British navy. What I have done is give enough guns for carronades, 6 and 4 pounders. I am sure the 4 pounders were used at the front, due to space issues, with the 6 pounders being nearer the middle and rear - so the modeller will have a choice of what to fit where.

After this, I will start on HMS Surprise, and this should be released this year, assuming all goes well.

And that's it for now....

ETA - My real love is frigates, as I have said before. If I had my way completely, the next five or six releases would be frigates from 32 guns upwards! But I cannot....

I have always said that when starting my own business, designing and producing new stuff, the subjects would be models that I have always wanted to do. Most are famous, can be found in most books on the subject and have good histories (although Surprise only had a action packed career in fiction). There are only a couple of subjects I would eventually like to revisit, but for the most part, I like to concentrate on stuff that hasn't been kitted before, from the 17th to early 19th Century.

When a model is developed, you have put a lot of time into this one subject, at the very least months, if not a year or so of your life, and a lot of money. You have to really like the subject to go through this. Almost a labour of love..

21 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

Wow. This tool looks absolutely Medieval.

2,400 copper plates with 9,600 indents made by this tool one at a time? It does involve torture!

James, you're a better jeweler than I...😂

Or you can use this:

Rivet Maker tool – VANGUARD MODELS

A lot quicker!

That looks great!

21 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

I find it almost inconceivable that a ship the size of Indefatigable did not have Chain pumps, when even humble sixth rates had them.

However, this plan of Indy does appear to show elm tree pumps abaft the Mainmast, I think Chain pumps were shown with rectangular heads to represent the hoods.

This bothers me, as I'm sure it did Chris, could there possibly be an error on the drawing? but even so I understand why he followed the plan.

 

On the bright side the area behind the Mainmast is more or less hidden by the Quarter-deck  so their absence won't be a constant reminder of this conundrum. 

 

B.E.

As I said, I had to go on the only contemporary evidence I had. It was a tough decision, but felt the best one. I know that Pellew had a lot of control when fitting her out, I figured that perhaps he insisted on hand pumps for some reason, instead of the main type. The plans of the two decker Indy shown chain pumps, the plans for the razee do not, I could not ignore that.

I do suspect that if I went with my first gut instinct and replaced them with the main type, then people would have pointed out that the plans show hand pumps, so whatever I did, it wouldn't be right to some...

Nope, there is no evidence of chain pumps. I was so sure she had them that I brought in drawings of them into my main Indy file, in anticipation of adding them. But when concentrating on that area, it became clear the old chain pumps were changed for standard hand pumps. I did find this strange, but, absent of evidence to the contrary, I have to follow the contemporary drawings.