chris watton
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Everything posted by chris watton
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This will be Indy's colour scheme, more or less
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My gut instinct told me the ratlines would have spanned all shrouds, so that's how I show them.
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I do use Plastikote, have done for years, but it is James who made the models you see in the manuals - but I did also use it for the Fifie and Zulu hulls, and James did too
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All my model work is done on our dining room table, and that includes the 1.6 metre long Amati Victory.
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Without the flying jibboom, it makes the length a paltry 1245mm - or just mention the hull length only! Or just the deck length...
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I can now tell you that the overall length of this model will be around 1350mm, with flying jibboom and Mizzen driver taken into account.
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It is very nicely done indeed, very well done! Regarding the stern resin decoration, I have since halved the thickness, making it much easier to manipulate.
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There will be no banana shaped keel on this, or any of my new kits. I have said this numerous times before, but I could not have designed these in this way if ply was my only alternative, thickness tolerances are comical, and with MDF, it is kind of 'homogenous', so much easier to sand, with no harder and softer parts to take into account. The problem with ply is that the best stuff is not only very expensive, but also an absolute pig to sand, no fun. Then you get the cheaper crap that is next to useless except for the basest of kits that people start, thinking they got a bargain, and end up never finishing it. I know some still worry and some email about the health aspects when using MDF. I send them all the certificates of conformity. The UK supplier of the MDF also supply that exact same grade MDF to UK schools and universities. There are grades of this material (like ply), and I always make sure I get the safest (as I too sand this stuff, and laser cut it, day in a day out). I cannot wait to see Jim's model in its full livery!
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Looks like I may be able to offer as an option a Hornblower figure, too. Or a tall thin young lieutenant...
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The figures are not cheap to commission (plus I am having the Indy figurehead sculpted at the same time). From a strictly personal point of view, I do not like to see a lot of figures (or sails) on a static scale model unless it is a diorama (Like what Hollowneck does so superbly). But maybe I will commission a gun crew at some point. I did think it would be pretty cool to have one figure, a famous captain who is linked with the subject, on the deck to give a greater sense of scale to the model.
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You are right, I received my first laser machine a week before Christmas 2019, and my second machine almost two years' later to the day! Have learned a lot since then... Yesterday I submitted my drawings/designs for the Indy figurehead to my digital carver, plus details for a Pellew figure. So hopefully, these will be done in the next month or so, and Indy will have its most famous captain to grace the poop!
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Yep. if it wasn't for Jim, I would probably only have 6 or so kits out by now, instead of working on the 12th!
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I am sure ZHL of China will soon integrate these new designs into their next kits sometime soon....
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He has done a fine job, as usual. Pity about the sail set situation. I cannot release this kit until this problem is sorted, very frustrating. The Spanish made sails are now in the refuse bin, where they belong, and a hard lesson learned for me.
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B.E. The 32 gun gun frigate Amazon is a future development certainty.
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No, they come in bags. For example, when I order 15000 3mm single blocks, they will come in a bag of 15000. We count them out for each kit - as each kit has a different number of blocks. Same applies to the higher quality (and much more expensive) pear blocks
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I am sure that payment by instalment option for PayPal is already set up on my website.
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Ranger was a Barking Fish Carrier, built in 1864. Unlike the Well Smack (like Saucy Jack), the fish carriers were built for speed, in order to get the cargo to the markets as quickly as possible (The well smacks kept the fish alive, so less need for speed). She had a length overall (hull length only, not including spars) of 74 feet 3 inches and a beam of 16 feet 6 inches. Because of the hull lines, this one is also one of the very easiest to plank.
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OK, Jim (Hatch) has finished the Ranger model. This is to the last in a range of easy to build fishing craft, and is my 11th kit. And once again, he has done a superb job. I have decided to put this kit on hold until I can sort better sail sets for it, as the Spanish made sails are quite simply crap. They may be OK for other manufacturers to use, but the contrast between the kit contents and the cheaper sail sets is too striking, so, although I have paid for the sail sets, I will not use them, nor will I be ordering any more of that 'quality' - Ever! The Ranger model is shown with the Master-Korabel derived sail set (I have one more spare set). I have ordered a batch for Ranger, but due to current circumstances, I have no idea when I will get them. In the meantime, I have been looking for someone more local to produce the sets for me, as a stop gap, but so far, no luck. I should have a new batch of Saucy Jack sail sets (and Nisha and Erycina) arrive from Master-Korabel within the next 2-3 weeks. These should have been here almost 2 months ago, but the Ukrainian situation has made things 'difficult'. Also difficult to get hold of right now is my machined pear blocks and deadeyes, as these also come from Master-Korabel. Again, I have searched for alternatives to help tide me over, and the best I could find was machined walnut blocks, but they cost the same as the pear - so I do not think my customers would be willing to pay the same for walnut blocks as they would for pear. And I wouldn't blame them.
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They were sculpted by a very talented local woman (UK), one regret is that I never kept her contact details. But I guess I sub contract to digital sculptors now, as all my new stuff is 3-D printed.
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Watered down PVA brushed on the shrouds and ratlines works a treat - I would never use CA for these.
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