Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates

[chris watton]

3 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Yikes 3 boats. The 4 on Vanguard took me forever, but I’m sure it will look great on the final product. 

I hate them too, and would one day like to find a way of having the hulls pre made/cast, complete with rib detail, in resin.

[chris watton]

Just thought I'd add a pic of the Duchess plan and manual set. 81 page full colour manual and 13 50x70cm plan sheets

[Glenn-UK]

Thanks for picture, I've had notification from UPS. Delivery expected Monday for DOK

[chris watton]

7 minutes ago, glennard2523 said:

Thanks for picture, I've had notification from UPS. Delivery expected Monday for DOK

UPS are picking up Monday, as it took an age to sort out plans and manuals for each kit, so the real delivery day will be Tuesday. I have no idea why UPS do this when I arranged pick up for Monday!

[KentM]

I received notification early this morning that mine will be delivered in Texas on Monday.  Can't get any better service than that.

Kent

[glbarlow]

Such great detail that must be in that number of plan sheets, amazing!

[DelF]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

Such great detail that must be in that number of plan sheets

There are 10 sheets with Speedy and I have most of them pinned up round the walls of the workshop as I'm constantly referring to them. Great quality, as with the rest of the kit. If Duchess has 13 sheets I'll definitely have to wait until I've finished Speedy before I pin them up - either that or persuade my wife that her half of the workshop needs new wallpaper!

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

2 minutes ago, DelF said:

the workshop needs new wallpaper!

Clearly plans are works of art, suggest to her having them all framed 😆

[chris watton]

I am sure I create a rod for my own back when it comes to the rigging plans, as I prefer to try and do the lines to scale thicknesses, but this means every line is double, so whenever they intersect another line, trimming is required. A long job when drawing the lines. When they are printed, however, you can hardly see the double lines, so always wonder if it's worth just drawing single lines and saving myself countless hours. Always think this with every new kit, but when it comes to it, I always choose the more time consuming method, but I think they do look better, especially when picking out some areas to zoom in. For this reason, it is the rigging plans that take the longest to draw by far.

[Rik Thistle]

Chris,

 

I think clear drawings makes life so much easier for the customer.

 

But maybe as a compromise you could use a single drawn line on the plan to represent a rope, but give the detail on the rope's end-fixings on a separate A4 sheet (or two) that includes all types of fixings (knots, seizing etc) used on that ship...each different type of fixing on the A4 sheet would have a unique number, and then the appropriate unique number would be indicated on the plan sheet at the end(s) of each rope.

 

That would save you having to draw each fixing multiple times on numerous plan sheets. Kinda like a simplified version of welding symbols ... https://www.samsfabrications.co.uk/useful-tools/welding-symbols/

 

You could even keep a library of A4 fixing sheets on your website. Plus maybe some tips on seizing, knots etc.

 

Just a thought,

 

Richard

Edited November 6, 2020 by Rik Thistle

[glbarlow]

I’ve always appreciated how you present the rigging, I note the double lines and appreciate the detail blow out as you place it, on the same sheet and near where it goes. I like seeing the full picture all at once so I can visualize how that detail fits in the bigger scheme. In other words, please continue as is.  It’s worth it at least to me and I’m sure others.

 

I wasn’t entirely kidding about works of art.  I’ve reached the stage with kits I rely far more on the plans than the instructions. 

Edited November 7, 2020 by glbarlow

[dkuehn]

Some folks here have mentioned receiving an email from UPS for their DoK delivery. I haven't yet and I'm trying to figure out if I should be more patient or start panicking. 😬

[Glenn-UK]

5 minutes ago, dkuehn said:

Some folks here have mentioned receiving an email from UPS for their DoK delivery. I haven't yet and I'm trying to figure out if I should be more patient or start panicking. 😬

UPS are scheduled to pick up the kits on Monday.

[Rustyj]

I gave in and ordered the DoK yesterday!

 

[dkuehn]

2 minutes ago, glennard2523 said:

UPS are scheduled to pick up the kits on Monday.

I figured patience was the way to go, but it's hard keeping the neurosis at bay. 😀

[dkuehn]

1 minute ago, Rustyj said:

I gave in and ordered the DoK yesterday!

 

 

[Oboship]

On 11/6/2020 at 6:36 PM, glbarlow said:

I’ve always appreciated how you present the rigging, I note the double lines and appreciate the detail blow out as you place it, on the same sheet and near where it goes. I like seeing the full picture all at once so I can visualize how that detail fits in the bigger scheme. In other words, please continue as is.  It’s worth it at least to me and I’m sure others.

 

I wasn’t entirely kidding about works of art.  I’ve reached the stage with kits I rely far more on the plans than the instructions. 

Exactly my opinion, too!

Uwe

[dkuehn]

Got my email today and it does say it will be delivered today.   I'm guessing it will actually be here on Thursday, which is pretty fast shipping. 

[Glenn-UK]

I have received notification that UPS have now collected my DOK kit from Vanguard Models today. I'm now eagerly awaiting an updated notification from UPS regarding the delivery.

 

I have bought some new tools in help me with this build. I plan to keep a build diary to keep track of my time spent with this build and to record any observations / notes / problems. 

Edited November 9, 2020 by glennard2523

[chris watton]

First batch of orders were picked up today, wait, no, yesterday, Monday, so most should receive today (Tuesday), with other countries not too far behind.

 

Am very much hoping that with this kit, no one will have any issue whatsoever with hull assembly and fragility - I designed it so it's as strong as a Tonka Toy. So if you break it, then there's no helping you, really....lol

[Edwardkenway]

Tonka Toy, Now there's something I've not heard for a long time!!

[Glenn-UK]

The DOK has safely arrive at my dry dock. My time will now be split between my current Robert E Lee build and the new Duchess of Kingston build.

 

Great delivery service by UPS and special thank-you to Mrs Watton for taking time off work to put the kits together, her dedication to the cause is greatly appreciated.

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by glennard2523

[DelF]

Snap! I'd like to echo Glenn's thanks to Mrs Watton and to Chris.

 

Chris kindly ran up a boxwood version for me, and I also shelled out for the pearwood blocks. I've been really impressed with these in the Speedy kit.

 

Unfortunately, after a quick look inside to admire the contents, Mrs D. whisked the box off until Christmas. I'll just have to get vicarious pleasure from Glenn's log in the meantime. Fortunately I've got Speedy to keep me occupied in the meantime. 

 

Derek

[glbarlow]

1 hour ago, DelF said:

Chris kindly ran up a boxwood version

Well, aren’t we special😳😂

[dkuehn]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

Well, aren’t we special😳😂

I'm on a tight budget so he cut mine from fallen fence boards from around his neighborhood. 

[chris watton]

I did mention earlier in this thread that if some asked, I would be open to the odd boxwood version. However, the Duchess kit has been tried and tested with pearwood, and two fully built up hulls have been made up and tested with the pearwood, and I know the designs work well with this material. This means that officially, the pearwood version is the only version, with the only option being the machined pear wood blocks.

 

I do not know how well some of the major boxwood patterns would bend, so I decided that no official 'Master Shipwright' version will never be offered. That plus the cost is very high, as there are a lot more laser cut sheets in this than the previous kits. I have seen Delf's amazing work on his Speedy, and he is clearly comfortable with the boxwood, but it is most certainly something I would not recommend for the less experienced.

 

Anyway, I think the pear suits the model perfectly. There is no way I could have got away with some of the more intricate cuts with the laser with 'kit standard' woods that are more open grained, like lime or walnut.

[glbarlow]

I for one trust your judgement. Pearwood is a beautiful wood. 

[BenD]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

Pearwood is a beautiful wood. 

I most definitely agree. It comes out beautifully with oil or wipe on Polly. It's very flexible and resistant to chipping/cracking and generally a pleasure to work with.

[chris watton]

Pear wood was initially meant to be for the 'Master Shipwright' kits, but I realised very quickly that limewood was way too fragile for the type of designs I had in mind, plus I winced when seeing close up shots of the limewood parts, being quite open grained. This is OK if the parts are to be painted and the parts are prepped correctly, otherwise, I just didn't like it and realised that if the kits were to be a little different from the more 'commercial' kits I have designed in the past, I must invest in better quality (closer grained and less fragile) woods.

 

Once I got to know the properties of pear better, this opened a lot more options for me, like pre-cut drift rails, which would have been a disaster in more open grained woods, with parts breaking when just trying to remove the parts from their retention tabs (One of the main reasons I always endeavour to place the tabs along the grain, rather than against it).

[Nirvana]

Chris, have you tried to work with poplar? Seems to have the boxwood characteristic and easy to find and buy. Slightly more dense but beautiful too.