chris watton

Cheers guys! This does mean that orders will be done a lot quicker, and we will be able to actually build up more stock. Within the next week, I will have completed/finalised the Harpy plan sets (am on the final 4, rigging). There will be 16 x A1 size plan sheets for Harpy, along with the manual. I will start laser cutting the production sheets soon. Once I finished the plans, I shall have one last look at these darned officers/table/chair figures, as they have been revised again, but I don't want to waste time on these until all my work for Harpy is complete. Today, I did think about adding the nice CNC machined blocks as standard for Harpy. However, I backed off, as this would increase the kit price by around £40. So I think having them as an optional extra would be better. I know people moan about the standard blocks, but in all honesty, they are the only viable choice when they have to be bought in the tens of thousands, some in the hundreds of thousands. It takes suppliers time to produce 50 kits worth for just one kit.

Just a little update: We now have premium sail sets back in stock for Saucy Jack and Ranger, plus machined walnut blocks (including sister blocks) sets for Speedy. And today, my wife starts working for Vanguard Models full time, my peace is shattered!

Absolutley stunning work!

I know that painting, it was that what inspired me to do Harpy plus I love the name, from this book (Highly recommended): Regarding the paint scheme, I will suggest the usual red for inner bulwarks and cannon carriages, black for main wale (of course) and gunwale. Sides can be painted yellow ochre or, as I want for the prototype model, varnished, purely for aesthetic reasons. Like Speedy, I have little doubt she was daubed in all kinds of colours during her long career, so it is entirely up to the modeller what they want to do with the colour scheme. I did try to join that Kent History site, but I was presented with a lot of crazy questions about Kent in order to join, which I hadn’t the foggiest clue how to answer…..

Add yards, but just add the parrels/slings and tyes, though, and lifts later.

Damn! That's the trouble with the pre made hulls, they need to be packed well and in a box, otherwise they just won't make it in one piece. Stuff like that is always better if ordered with larger items. But we will look at the postage options, these are always a nightmare and sometimes way over charge. When that is the case, I always refund the difference.

Very well done, Glenn, you have come a very long way in the space of only a few years. Your Indy looks magnificent.

I have tried to made the basic hull assembly as painless as possible. I remember a thread where someone was building a Speedy, and got frustrated because some parts didn't fit as they should. and what happened was the aft deck supports were not pushed all the way home, and then glued that way. This meant a whole new laser cut set for the hull. I now try to design these things to avoid such incidents, hence all the retaining tabs to help lock/secure parts into place. I think I already mentioned this on my thread, but the upper deck planking lines are a rework from original plans for a Cruiser Class, which shows the actual deck planking lines. Not the same class, I know, but designs are only a year apart, and with a little adjustment to the lines (Cruiser Class a little wider at the bow), the planking lines are more or less the same from the contemporary plan.

OK, over this weekend, I shall have three scales for the new 3-d printed 24 foot cutter in stock. 1:72nd, 1:64th (of course..) and 1:48th. Each will come with a fully detailed 3-d printed hull with nice clinker planking and a sheet of 0.8mm pear for the laser cut fore and aft floor, seats, knees and oars. 24′ Cutter (full kit – various scales) – VANGUARD MODELS This is not an enlarged file of the 18 foot cutter, but completely new and based off original plans.

Looks fantastic!

When nicely planked, I see no reason why the modeller should not just leave the lower hull uncoppered or unpainted.

I have been asked about 72nd scale versions of the 3-d printed boats. These are now done (well, almost, 18' cutter has about an hour's printing left), so later I shall have a 24 and 26' launch and an 18' cutter available in 72nd scale. Later this week I shall have print and laser cut files for a 24 foot cutter. ETA - Now in stock: 3D-Printed Ship’s Boats – VANGUARD MODELS

In fact I have two Nelson figures, one is yet to be added, though. This was have been available for four years

Brace pendants should be black, my mistake...

For the boats, yes, when I get time. Not the new figures, though, as I am pushing my luck at 64th for the delicate parts

I should get the final files for the figures next week, which I then need to set up on my 'slicing' program. I am thinking the more delicate parts may be better left on their base and supports, to help protect the more delicate parts, and the customer removes the supports. This isn't an issue, as I always use the lightest supports I can get away with to minimise the 'pock-marks' they leave behind. I hope to have the full suite of 3-d printed ships boats before the year's out (so Sphinx and Indy will have an option for all 3-d printed hull boats) - this will be quite a large investment in money, but I think worth it, as even I prefer the 3-d printed hulls, so imagine quite a few customers may, too. Regarding Harpy, I shall be sending Jim the laser cut, PE, 3-d printed parts next week, so you should see a build log of this soon. (I am very much looking forward to seeing what Jim does to this, I love the lines). I still have around 4-5 full working weeks for CAD (plan) work, so still plenty for me to do before even starting preliminaries for kit 18, which I anticipate starting in September. Finaly, I have been told by my PE supplier that copper is back on the menu, but more expensive. So, I will eventually have the PE copper plate option back for kits that have copper bottoms. I will keep them a separate option, as I know some prefer not to copper the bottom, or some even prefer the tape, so do not want to increase the cost of a kit to take into account the expensive PE copper when not everyone will use it - Best to keep it an option.

OK, dare I show them...Gulp... Updated files To me, they look great!

Same as the old boss....

The figure set is being reworked, so should have an update within the next few days. In the meantime, I am busy producing Harpy fittings, laser cutting kits parts for orders and still working on Harpy CAD drawings in between everything else. We have now become so busy that my wife will be working full time for Vanguard Models from September, as it is neither fair or untenable for her to have a full time day job, and then to come home and work again until late putting kits together. My accountant confirmed the validity of this today. Our house is up for sale, as we need a larger premises, but no bites as yet, dammit....

Cheers guys. My problem is that the carver I have used from the start seems to have vanished, I can only think that they may have passed away. He was responsible for all natural and carved decoration, both figures and stern/figurehead 3-d prints. I prefer to stick to just one person or company for each discipline used, that way they know exactly what I want and know what they can do. Problems arise when you have to find a replacement for the previous person or company. To try a new sculptor out, I thought the best thing to do was to give them a figure or two to work on. This is the main reference I suplied, along with another two references for the period clothes, from head to foot. I thought at the time that this would be a very nice addition to my figures range: Now, if something is not right, I will not waste my time producing them (the 3-d prints do take a lot of time) and selling something I am not 100% happy with - even though at my main scale, these details will be barely seen, more so when in their cabin with deck beams obscuring a lot of the view. This was to be a 5-part set and would take a lot of time to produce and post process, so if there are doubts about this set, I have no problem abandoning it and turning my attention to kit design, the one thing I do know well and have complete control over. I will give this carver one more chance to get the problems highlighted sorted - so the fat lady hasn't broken into song quite yet.

For this kind of work, I have to rely on others who are conversant in such disciplines, as digital sculpting is akin to alchemy for me. I this case, I have now decided to take the loss and scrap this project, files have been deleted.

This is what I got from the first run using a new 3-d printer. Am sure my standard printers are better, or I need to look at settings.. Bases never came out, and a few other bits, so this is what I was left with. Carver is changing the figures for smaller hands and a few other little things

OK, have asked my sculptor to do something with those hands, and beef up the collars and lapels, as well as chair legs, to help with printing. Just finished first print, only half of the items printed (new printer, so trying again), but I did get a seated and standing figure and table in 48th and 32nd, and the sitting officer and table in 64th.

I think I give up on the figures

I am printing a set now, will see how they come out, and if needed, changed again - but won't really know until the parts are actually printed.