Great posts Rick.
I've just picked this kit up in Perth in a sale so your work will be extremely valuable to me. If you don't mind, i'll copy your work and finish mine without sails, they never look right on models of this size.
The instructions in this kit are better than previous ones, it actually contains some rigging instructions, previous ones had none.
This will be my last AL kit as there are too many shortcomings in them re accuracy, materials etc. I suppose they are aiming at a general market though rather than specialist builders. Having built a few the glaring inaccuracies are too obvious now.
(Having said that, a shop near me has had a AL Cutty Sark on the shelf for nearly two years. At $600 oz its a ridiculous price but maybe the owner will be open to an offer....)
For a first wooden ship it looks great, my first one (AL Bounty Longboat) looks like it was built by a drunk!
