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chris watton
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Everything posted by chris watton
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Thank you for all your comments, they are appreciated. I did state from the start that I finally wanted to develop stuff I always wanted to do, for the main developments at least, and the scale would be constant. When working for others, there were so many developments that were started but never finished, or finished but never released. At least now I can state with 100% certainty that what I now start, it is finished to the bitter end and released. I have enough subjects in my 'Future Projects' folder to last at least a decade. I have to be mindful of the very large models, as a 1st to 3rd rate is a 1.5-2 year development cycle, a lot of time and money, more so if they are designed with full deck/s detail, and not the standard fare of block models and dummy barrels (If the latter, I have little doubt I could develop 8-10 kits like that per year, and make more money - but no fun and not bringing kit fidelity/design quality forward) After Indy, I have this US privateer schooner, and after that, I may do a small kit before Surprise, which should be complete next year. Anyway, that is my plan for the next 10-12 months.... ETA - I haven't forgot Bristol, it is another large kit, so I need to wait just a little longer - I shall probably have a figurehead and stern decoration made for her sister, Leopard, too, so you can have a choice. -
Never say never! My 'Future projects' folder is quite large, and there a couple of ancient vessels in there.
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Vanguard is 72nd, and a 2006 vintage design with dummies for the lower gun tier.. I have Bellona earmarked for a 64th scale 74, but that's not set in stone. Depends how well the larger kits sell, as they take a long time to produce and use a lot of materials. A 74 with full 32 pounder lower gun deck would be cool, though.
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I did used to dream of doing a full Trafalgar line up, but realised they'd all look more or less the same for each rate! Always wanted to do Spartiate, though, and the 36 gun Phoebe almost beat Indy for the 12th kit...
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I just said I will do no yachts, and another large pic of a yacht is posted... lol
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No yachts, there is already a plethora of yacht kits for people to choose from - plus they do not interest me, although undoubtedly beautiful. Amati have a whole range of the things!
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I decided to go for a Spartan, the figurehead is in fact an altered drawing from the French 74 Spartiate. I figured a Spartan warrior would be the very definition of indefatigable.
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You may be right, and I know Surprise did not have the mast of a 36 until a later date. As far as I know, when Aubrey was first given command of her, she had a standard main. Perhaps adding the larger mast in the drawings would be a better alternative, then the modeller can make their own choice.
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I am currently working on an American schooner!
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I think at 64th, it will be a perfect size for most. If I went 48th, it would get very expensive and perhaps too large for most.
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Kind of, but that ship is actually a replica of HMS Rose.
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OK, HMS Surprise, the Jack Aubrey HMS Surprise, with the 9 pounders and 36 gun frigate main mast is a definite for next year.
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I did actually do a design for a 72nd scale Surprise way back in 2006, but, as with so many other developments, never materialised, instead having to move on to magazine part work fare. (Sigh...). If I do go ahead, the new one would be 64th (of course) and a lot more refined than my original designs. (Didn't have any stern cabin detail) Not interested in Beagle (as there are more than enough kits of that already), but may do a Cherokee Class (Coffin Brig) at some point, and will definitely do a classic Royal Navy 18 gun brig Cannot remember the name of the books, they were in audio form, which I listened to when I had my day job. I have Royal George earmarked, so no 90 gun ship, and if I were to do a 60 or 70, that would be Centurion or an Elizabeth Class from the first half of the 18th Century, and as for a 50, I already have Bristol lined up to fill that gap.
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I have read a few of these books, and they are fine, but not of the same calibre as the Hornblower and Aubrey series, I think. Plus the name of some of the ships is highly questionable - Buzzard for a frigate, or Caligula for a ship of the line!
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To be honest, if I had my way, the next half a dozen kits at least would be frigates! But I cannot... I guess it could be argued that Surprise isn't really a frigate, but a corvette, as it was no larger than the 32 gun Amazon Class from the 1770's! (although a few of that Amazon class did go on to serve well between 1793-1815).
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Still happening, but will do that later. Bristol is quite large (although Indy is longer), and I have to make sure I have time to produce all the parts and have all the materials available- - and I do not want another very expensive kit out so soon after Indy.
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Whilst continuing to develop this nice little Baltimore privateer schooner, I am thinking of what else to do in 2023. As I have Indy, I am almost compelled to develop a Patrick O’Brian vessel from the Aubrey & Maturin series, HMS Surprise (much smaller than Indy), complete with Aubrey & Maturin figures. I am not sure, what you guys think?
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Not easy, but I did make sure I took the lines of the 2 decker in the initial designs for Indy. (well, I had to, as the razee lines show just the profile...). However these 'raw' bulkhead lines are not 'tweaked' to ensure a perfect run of the planks, which is a very big job in itself. As Royal Yards were rigged 'Flying', they will not be shown on the model with no sails, but there is nothing stopping you adding them!
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OK, finally, Indefatigable pre order is now live: HMS Indefatigable – 1794 – VANGUARD MODELS The first batch will be ready to ship mid-late February.
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OK, I streamlined the pricing options and now have the box details for shipping. Here are the prices: VM/12 HMS INDEFATIGABLE (February 2023 Release) £1350 VM/12/Box HMS INDEFATIGABLE Boxwood Planking (This replaces all pearwood and red alder planking (Decks) £1800 VM12/D1 HMS INDEFATIGABLE Laser engraved deck set (Very Limited supply - Red alder planking still included) £120 VM12/CP01 HMS INDEFATIGABLE PE copper plate set (Including rudder shape PE)_ £150 VM/12/PB HMS INDEFATIGABLE Pear block and deadeye set (This set replaces the standard set) £140 Box details: Box weight – 14.5kg Length – 990mm Width – 370mm Depth – 195mm The box weight is well over double that of even Sphinx. The box dimensions are those for the shipping sleeve. I wanted to keep the length under 1 metre, as I know some postage rates go up a lot past this point.
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No wooden kit is easy, but the difficulty can be mitigated, but never erased completely. All we can do is give the modeller the best chance possible to build and end up with something they can be proud of, and most of all, enjoy the experience.
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