chris watton

The website will always be a work in progress, as it is constantly updated and more products added - it is quite the job to keep on top of it.

I would like a tick list for each kit on their product page, so you could tick the kit and however many extras are associated with that kit, but all of this takes time, and as James mentions, the site he inherited was a complete mess and has taken a lot of time to sort out from the ground up.

Tie the two side deadeyes with a single rope, and the lower deadeyes with a single rope each, then the heart blocks with a single rope each - I should have made the drawing clearer, as they all look like the same length of thread.

Well, when designing Speedy back then, it was more like a legacy type kit, as the laser cut wood was was to be limewood and sub contracted, and some Amati fittings, like ladders. I think only 20 were made like that before I realised I wanted better....

I would love to, but that would be one hell of a commute!

OK, Plans and manuals for both Adder and Sherbourne are now at the printers, and I have been told they will be delivered to me by the end of next week.

So now I can open for pre orders.

Adder:

HM Gun Brig Adder – 1797 – VANGUARD MODELS

Sherbourne:

HM Armed Cutter Sherbourne – 1763 – VANGUARD MODELS

I kept the PE cap squares just in case some modellers preferred to use them, instead of the now intergrated caps. I never liked the PE caps, sometimes way too fiddly, more so on the smaller size guns (and so easily lost)!- but I leave it up the individual modeller to choose, rather than taking that choice away completely. There was room of the new PE to keep them, so I did.

3 hours ago, Craigie65 said:

Enjoy your well deserved break!

Cheers!

But just had over 80kg of photo etched brass sheets arrive for kits, boats and cannon (ordered last September)! So no rest for the wicked...

OK, plans, manual and box label all now fully complete for Sherbourne. Was up all night completing manual, and then the box label this morning.

Gonna have a couple of weeks off now..

I would guess that the manufacturer updated some of the parts from wood strip to laser cut, but have never updated the instructions to tell you this. It is a kit that has been on the market for decades.

Damn, that's impressive.

6 minutes ago, BrochBoating said:

 

More than reasonable. Kits I have couldn't be more different (positively) than others I've looked closely at. 

 

Is there a likely release date to try and avoid missing the first run?

 

Thank you

All being well, both will be released next month, and then that is it for a good while.

3 hours ago, Glenn-UK said:

Thanks Allan

I have no idea regarding wooden hoops. I am just following the plan sheets provided with the kit for for the position of the woldings and iron banding.

 

Cheers

Glenn

The wooden hoops are never shown because scaled down to 64th, they would be less than 0.6mm wide (1.5 " or 38.1mm wide full size).

It is always a balancing act with prices. For these, I decided to subsidise them even more than I usually do, Sherbourne especially, in the hope they will attract newcomers and other modellers who haven't yet tried one of these VM kits and have no clue about the materials that make up the kits - hoping the dividend will be more people taking up the hobby, rather than being permanently put off.

Prices will have to be higher in the future, though, as pear and PE brass have just risen very sharply, but I had the materials and PE before the price hikes for both Adder and Sherbourne. The cost of PE brass especially has just gone through the roof.

Adder was almost abandoned last year, as I wasn’t sure how popular it would be (and the costs of producing these is great), so started to do Sherbourne instead. But as I kept looking at Adder, it grew on me, and ended up looking so much better than I had hoped.

I have just completed the final job for Adder, the box label. Now onto Sherbourne.

Also now have final prices:

Adder - VM/15 - £246

Sherbourne - VM/16 - £149 (For first run of kits)

2 minutes ago, Nirvana said:

Chris, 

Your 3d printed small boats look awesome, what software did you use?
I also like the Gunboat Adder, I hope you didn't upload the plans without altercations because these would otherwise be easy to use from a Chinese perspective.

The boats were done by a professional digital artist under a commission from me, so not sure about the software they used.

I am always looking for people who can do such projects for me - I will need someone to colour a set of frieze work for me at some point too, so I can print them or have decals. Anyone who is interested in this, let me know. (I can do it, but it would save me a lot of time...)

The plans are very low res - but am always mindful of people less scrupulous

38 minutes ago, Ogontz said:

Hello James H,

I rather liked this new Occre release bc of the balcony style stern galleries - we don't seem to see this very often these days. But now having seen your Panart work of art, I'm inclined to rescind my approval of Occre's rendition. 

I think we've officially crossed over into a time that unless we're willing to pay close to or above $1000, the kits that we plebians can afford will be of diminishing quality in both design and materials. 

Large 3-decker kits have always been around the $1000 price, at the very least, because they are large 3 deckers. Anything much cheaper will have compromises.

I saved up for months back in the early '90's for the Sergal Sovereign of the Seas, (back then, it was very normal to save up for what you wanted) it cost me £550. Taking into account inflation since then, that comes to around £1150 today.

For PE, a Stanley Knife should do the trick. I have never used anything else.

2 hours ago, glbarlow said:

You have such a long way since Speedy and the decision to go at it full time. Well done!

Thank you, Glenn.

It is strange, seems like only yesterday I decided on the name for the model range, yet also seems like forever ago!

And here are the Adder laser cut and PE parts, not on A3 like Sherbourne, but 50x70cm sheets. Also one of the profile plans, where the 'droop' of the foredeck is clearly visible. 

I will not be able to get Sherbourne as cheap as the other one, as this is very pre fabricated with many more parts, but I do plan to subsidise the first batch so that I retail it for under £150. One of my aims (as well as making a little profit) has always been to encourage new modellers to the hobby, and not put them off with crap.

Sherbourne has 19 A3 size plan sheets (as well as a full colour A4 manual), with 10 plan sheets dedicated to the very simple masts and rig, breaking the rigging down into bite size portions. I have included here the plan sheets for the laser cut sheets and PE, so you can see what actually goes into the bulk of this kit, as well as a couple of profile plans.

Very nice, Chris!

Next week I shall start the manuals for Adder and Sherbourne, which will be the final big job.

3 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

That brings a smile to my face, like many I cut my wooden model boat building teeth on the Caldercraft Sherbourne, how kits have moved on! 

I remember doing that, I did that and I think a Ballahoo Class Schooner at the same time back in 2000, took about 3 weeks from very start to finish. This one took quite a bit longer, and I hope it will show in the kit.

..And second prototype model done. Well, still have the clear acetate stand to add, but rig completed literally minutes ago...

Sherbourne (64th)

I very much like this:

(STEVEN DEWS (1949-) 
HMS Centurion & the Spanish Treasure ship Nuestra Señora de Covadonga

34 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

I don’t know Chris, your rushed rigging in 5 days would make most of us very happy if we did it! 🤣

Well, it wouldn't stand up to too close a scrutiny  - used lots of CA for securing knots instead of the usual PVA, so if damaged, it will be a nightmare to fix. Also lots of simple knots instead of the more usual seizings. I have included minimal rig for this, with running rigging being just tyes, lifts and braces - but still manages to look pretty busy up top.

Still laser cutting the parts for both kits, onto the laser etched decks. This time, for both Adder and Sherbourne, I am using more power for the engraved parts, so they are not so light, as seen on the prototpe models (which have the exact same batch of 0.8mm pear I used for the prototypes and the same laser engrave and cut settings).