chris watton

There are 9 full size plan sheets dealing with masts and rig. Before I started developing my own kits, the models I developed before also never had photographs of the masting and rigging sequence in the manuals, or if they did , they were very basic, as the plan sheets deal with this. They have all of the separate masts and yard line drawings, along with all dimensions required. Photographs of this stage are always a little surplus to requirements. You cannot put the masts together using pictures, you need the line drawings and dimensions on the plan sheets for that.

Manual was completed today (about an hour ago, actually, at the time of writing this), and box art will be complete tomorrow, at which point, all files are sent to printers, so I should have all manual, plans and box labels with me by the end of next week, with orders being shipped week commencing 27th Feb. All pre ordered kits have a personalised optional name plate included, with the purchasers name.

Well done to Jim, a very long project, and he's done a fine job. Tomorrow I shall complete the build manual and box label art, and sent to printers as soon as complete. This has been a very long haul!

Certainly a very stable gun platform!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

Me too!

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..