chris watton

Sorry to read this. If you had contacted me, I am sure I could have helped with any parts you wanted to replace, including different materials. As you didn't, I couldn't...

Ship rig, three masts. Have attached a VERY early mock up drawing, so you can see mast disposition

Hope so..... Otherwise all the drawings I'm currently doing will be for nothing...

I already have all production photo etched parts with me, and resin castings for stern decoration, figurehead, winch and other castings are on their way to me. All materials are with me, but will wait until I am sure all fits as it should before starting production laser cut parts. A November release is anticipated. I can tell you that designing the photo etched decoration took an absolute age...

I am forced to agree.....

Very pleased to read that UPS make good on their delivery times! Am sure I have mentioned this before, but I do include all blocks needed to rig the cannon for Flirt. The 'Standard' (pearwood) has 2mm single blocks and the Master Shipwright has the pearwood 2.5mm 2 hole blocks. I am aiming for a November release for the royal yacht, all going well, and if my mental acuity holds up. After this, I aim to consolidate my fittings range. For example, offer full cannon kits with barrels and PE as well as the laser cut parts. All sizes of barrel are being cast for me right now. I will also offer more PE fittings like deadeye strops, rigging hooks, and maybe offer the hand pumps as separate fittings. I will need to design a new ships Stove for my next (much larger) kit, so this should be available as a separate fitting too. But right now, I am slowly doing the drawings for plan sheets for the royal yacht - always forget just how long these take, they are a real time sink....

Thank you, I hope you like it. It is a world away from my Jalouse designs - but that was over two decades ago.. Tomorrow I will be receiving a huge order of pearwood blocks and deadeyes, to finally replenish stock, and once again have pearwood block and deadeye options for Alert, Speedy and standard Flirt.

Sometimes, I actually start the rigging lines at the belaying points and work backwards to where the rigging line starts.

All UPS shipping for pre-order Flirts done. According to UPS, all US customers should receive by end of day Thursday, and for the UK, tomorrow.

It is Vallejo Liquid Gold. I do like the Vallejo paints, as they dry very quickly. I spray the PE and resin decoration in white primer first, and then brush painted the Vallejo gold onto the parts.

Cheers for the links OK, All Flirt stuff is now with me, plans, manuals, box labels and shipping sleeves, so all Flirts will be shipped over the next couple of days, It is no longer pre-order, as they are now in stock. I have another large pear block and deadeye order arriving from Master-Korabel very soon, so pear block sets will be an option for standard Flirts soon (also Speedy and Alert)

Hello Roger, I designed this particular Fifie, and I honestly do not know what else to tell you other than I used a set of plans drawn and researched by people more expert than me for this type of vessel. I remember during my own research (this was well over a decade ago now), wheelhouses were very 'ad-hock', with no two vessels being the same. These were usually old sailing vessels that were converted to screw propulsion, the Fifie type being popular for conversion due to its lack of rake at the stern and generous beam. Even the rudders were original, with just a big chunk taken out where the prop was to be. The conversions were carried out as cheap as the owners could get away with. I am sorry, but this is really all I can tell you. The plans used were all to the same scale and, at least for all critical dimensions for hull, superstructure, wheelhouse, hatches etc., these absolutely remain the same. I would have had no reason to deviate from these. Cheers.

Thanks for all the great comments! I do know that a healthy number of kits in a new range is around 12, and if and when I reach this number, I will be very happy. At the moment, I have another 11 definite kits in my 'Future Kit Developments' folder, all complete with bought and paid for plan sets for each (including Royal George). I am thinking for the larger kits, two versions may be the best way to go, due to material costs. Standard versions would have Tanganyika planking (I must stress I have very high quality tang, not the crap we usually get) and basswood or walnut wood laser cut parts, and 'Premium' versions will have the pear planking and laser cut parts - and perhaps boxwood 'Master Shipwright' versions made strictly to order. But this is a while away. Right now, Flirt release is imminent (I am very happy with this kit), all printed materials, manual, plans and box labels, arrive tomorrow (was promised last Thursday, but due to a lot of people still furloughed, they took longer than their quoted time), and I am promised the new size shipping sleeves next week, too. I am currently having a full suite of 64th scale cannon barrels 3-d printed and then cast in black resin (100 of each initially) of 9, 12 (2 sizes), 18, 24 and 32 pounders. These should cover all future kits (except for carronades). Right now, I am working on the royal yacht, line drawings for profiles and mast and rigging plans - these do take a while to do, but need to do them before making the masts, yards and adding the rigging to the prototype. And that's where I am up to.. Oh, one more thing. I can get flags produced, but this is an area I know little about. If someone could give me sizes and correct colours for the era (1750-1815), I could also offer these...

I do know that some professional model makers, who specialise in more modern vessels sometimes use fine wet and dry paper to simulate the the anti-slip surface, looks pretty realistic when in place.

Cheers! At the moment, a big three decker is way off. When I start this, I would need to be in a position to be doing this full time plus have a lot of extra cash to cover development costs. But working up to Royal George is my aim and it is the flagship of the range I have settled on. I did think about Caledonia at one point (even San Josef), but that would be too much of a monster, and flatter lines than the mid 18th Century First Rates. Although I did laugh to myself envisioning my wife's face when seeing the hull grow on the dining room table..

Yes. Carving masters will cost a small fortune to get made, so it's a while off yet...

Thank you, Ernie! I think my love of frigates will be well reflected in future developments. If all goes well, this will be my 'Flagship' model, as I have no desire to ever revisit Victory....

It is hard to work out the times involved, because I do this from home, so am always thinking about the designs and tweaking. Sometimes at 2 or 3 in the morning when I think of a solution to a problem that's been bugging me all day! I think perhaps one full week for the very small kits, with a lot more hours tweaking aspects of the initial designs. The more complex the design the longer it takes, but to the modeller, they wouldn't know as most of the hard parts are 'ironed out' before ever being kitted - although there's always something that slips through, no matter how much time I spend checking stuff... I would very much like to do an ancient vessel one day, I think perhaps one of Hatshepsut's vessels, complete with a scale figure of her would be pretty cool...

Cheers guys. I only said something because I always get asked about my past designs, the Nelson's Navy period was not a happy time and, TBH, still upsets me when I think of all the time and effort I put into doing those kits, to bring on a new marketable range so quickly. Anyway, now you know, so let's look forward rather than back - I just wish I had the balls to do this years ago. Still, better late than never...

Well, as far as I am concerned, that's now just history. I am very happy now, doing what I am doing without restriction.

I sent you a PM. You see, I did design a lot for them, but according to them, I designed nothing, it was their son, I was just a 'Factory Operative'

Cheers Mike. And yes, I did design Pegasus, along with all kits in the Victory Models range.

I must say, considering you are new to this, you have done a remarkable job on your model. very well done!

Well, you'll get no complaint from me!

My God that is absolutely stunning!