Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates

Morgan · May 18, 2020

4 hours ago, chris watton said:I have added loads of new laser cut fittings over the past week or so, shroud cleats were added yesterday. I am working on a 64th and 72nd scale Brodie Stove, which will be laser cut and a lot of PE. Same with ships boats, but may do these as and when they are added to kits. If there's anything else you think I could do, let me know, laser cutting and PE stuff is no problem.

As you asked!!!

How about mini chain and elm tree pump kits? Also, not sure on the feasibility but I struggle to get realistic after market hammock cranes, they tend to be fairy naive.

BTW - the consignment of gun carriages, binnacle and grating landed and I must say the quality is excellent.

Gary

chris watton · May 18, 2020

1 minute ago, Morgan said:

As you asked!!!

How about mini chain and elm tree pump kits? Also, not sure on the feasibility but I struggle to get realistic after market hammock cranes, they tend to be fairy naive.

BTW - the consignment of gun carriages, binnacle and grating landed and I must say the quality is excellent.

Gary

I could certainly do the pumps, but I think I shall do these as I design them for future kits. I will also look at doing hammock cranes, and a few more fittings once lockdown is over and supplies run freely again (PE done in northern Italy, where the virus hit quite hard).

I would like to do more cannon barrels and PE to go with the carriages, but regarding the barrels, I would need to find a less expensive method of producing them, as it stands right now, I cannot justify the high cost of producing all barrels in all sizes on the off chance I may sell a few now and again. Again, I will sort these as and when new kits that use them come online.

Glad your parcel arrived OK!

pythagoras · May 18, 2020

Hello Chris,

Regarding the shipment of Lady Eleanor, which was to arrive at first last Thursday, then last Friday, UPS did disappoint. Tracking says it will arrive today between 2 and 6 pm. Must have been a hiccup somewhere!! At least I have no plan to start the build anytime soon, so the delay really is unimportant. I can't wait to see my first Vanguard kit. It's like Christmas in May.

Thanks Chris,

Pythagoras (Tom)

Bobbuild · May 18, 2020

Chris

How about stern lanterns?

BobG · May 18, 2020

6 hours ago, chris watton said:

Maybe one day, but I have to be honest, Victorian era ships do not get my juices running so much. My real passion is from mid 18th to very early 19th Century. There seems to a model kit of Endurance already (above)?, I really do not want to develop subjects that are already catered for (unless there are old subjects I have done in the distant past I would like to re-visit and 'make right' and do proper justice to).

I knew this ship was not something you would be passionate about but I just thought I'd throw the idea out there just in case you got bored some years down the road! I'm relatively new to ship modeling but I have found, like you, that it's important to have a very strong interest in the history and stories of the ships I choose to build and the Endurance is such a ship for me. I've searched the internet to no avail trying to find a wood kit of her.

The model of the Endurance in the photo I posted is not from a kit. It is a custom, hand crafted model from designer builders, Stephens & Kenau, located in the Mossel Bay Maritime Museum in Mossel Bay, South Africa.

https://www.stephensandkenau.com/ship/endurance/

I'm looking forward to all the models you have lined up to come. I'm currently working on the Pen Duick by Artesania Latina and the poor instructions make me really appreciate even more the high quality kits you are producing.

All the best,

BobG · May 18, 2020

3 hours ago, rcweir said:

Tehnoart (based in Riga, Latvia) had a limited edition resin/brass/fiberglass kit of Endurance out a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the company is no more and I think there were only a dozen or two kits available of that ship. This is a link to an article about one build of that kit: https://www.expeditions.com/blog/edurance-model-ship-ken-greenwood/

Thanks very much for this information and link. That's a very interesting story of Ken Greenwood building the Tehnoart model of the Endurance and then eventually donating it to the South Georgia Island Museum. It's too bad that Tehnoart is no more. I would have purchased that model kit.

Kusawa2000 · May 19, 2020

17 hours ago, chris watton said:

Chris: I have been quiet for the last while on my lobbying for having the Bellona on your list of next kits but now that its out in the open I would still love to see her released as a kit! I still remember your prototype you had worked on years ago.. It would be great to see her released sometime down the road

MIKE

Bobbuild · May 19, 2020

Chris

Another suggestion is barrels and casks.

chris watton · May 30, 2020

Right, before the Flirt release, I wanted to put together a version 2 of the Speedy Master Shipwright edition.

I wanted to produce 10 of these very special kits, unfortunately, because of lack of pear blocks due to lockdown, I only have two full kits available.

For this version, I have used all the best materials I can get, no expense spared:

The 2 and 3mm MDF has been replaced with high quality birch plywood, with the lower deck showing laser etching

All pearwood laser cut sheets are replaced with boxwood, and there is an extra 1mm boxwood sheet containing some parts from the 0.8mm ply and the PE sheets, like lower tops and all mast and yard cleats. There are 17 separate laser cut sheets, which include the ladder and gratings sets.

Second planking in boxwood

Pearwood laser cut heart blocks in case some want to replace the deadeyes for the lower mast stays

Not cheap, but it is about as good as I can make it.

https://vanguardmodels.co.uk/product/hms-speedy-master-shipwright-version/

glbarlow · May 30, 2020

I’m still first on the list for the Shipwright version of Flirt, just let me know when I can order.

VTHokiEE · June 8, 2020

Gosh, I hope I'm not stealing anyone's thunder but I saw that you can buy Vanguard models on Ages of Sail, very cool!

chris watton · June 9, 2020

12 hours ago, VTHokiEE said:

Gosh, I hope I'm not stealing anyone's thunder but I saw that you can buy Vanguard models on Ages of Sail, very cool!

Yes, Ages of Sail contacted me a couple of weeks ago, and it all moved pretty fast from there.

I have been quiet as I am working on finishing Flirt and also in the middle of designs for the 6th kit.

I have also given my castor all 3-d files for all sizes of cannon barrels, so I will have samples of each (9, 12, 18, 24 and 32 pounders) next month.

Edwardkenway · June 9, 2020

1 hour ago, chris watton said:

I have also given my castor all 3-d files for all sizes of cannon barrels, so I will have samples of each (9, 12, 18, 24 and 32 pounders) next month.

Does this mean you are going to be offering barrels as an accessory item for sale from Vanguard to complement your carriages?

chris watton · June 9, 2020

5 minutes ago, Edwardkenway said:

Does this mean you are going to be offering barrels as an accessory item for sale from Vanguard to complement your carriages?

Eventually yes, carriages, PE parts and barrel for a complete cannon and carriage kit.

Edwardkenway · June 9, 2020

Good news, as I was struggling to find some non walnut carriages and barrels for my Triton, without having to go abroad and incur expensive shipping

glbarlow · June 9, 2020

2 hours ago, chris watton said:

Yes, Ages of Sail

Congratulations on a new distributor, that’s great news!

amateur · June 9, 2020

Can your "home production" cope with the potential increase of demand without damage to your health,

or are you in for a 24/7 year -round production scheme to keep up?

Jan

chris watton · June 9, 2020

39 minutes ago, amateur said:

Can your "home production" cope with the potential increase of demand without damage to your health,

or are you in for a 24/7 year -round production scheme to keep up?

Jan

I have a great wife with a 'Can-Do' attitude!

The aim is to one day give up our day jobs and concentrate fully on Vanguard Models..

BobG · June 9, 2020

That's great news, Chris! I've always had good online shopping experiences with Ages of Sail. I do think they could make a few minor improvements to their website which would improve the viewing experience for their customers though. I hope to visit their store soon too since they are only 1 1/2 hours from my home.

Justin P. · June 10, 2020

8 hours ago, BobG said:

That's great news, Chris! I've always had good online shopping experiences with Ages of Sail. I do think they could make a few minor improvements to their website which would improve the viewing experience for their customers though. I hope to visit their store soon too since they are only 1 1/2 hours from my home.

They have a store near Sac or is it in the Bay? Im flying into Sac in September to attend a professional conference up in Tahoe (along with some visits to old friends in the Nevada City area and might squeeze in a visit if I can!

Congrats to Chris and Wife for making a dream come true, Ill be doing my part to support the cause. Really want to do Speedy, Alert and now of course, Flirt.

mtaylor · June 10, 2020

Justin,

Here's a link to their page with the location: https://www.agesofsail.com/contactus.html Did a quick Google... looks like they're between Oakland and San Francisco.

BobG · June 10, 2020

1 hour ago, Justin P. said:

They have a store near Sac or is it in the Bay?

They're in San Leandro in the East Bay, Justin. It would be a fairly easy 1 hour 40 minute drive from Sacramento depending upon the time of day. You would want to time your visit to avoid rush hour traffic. Rush hour anywhere in the Bay Area is a nightmare.

ErnieL · June 10, 2020

Chris, if there will be any more Master Shipwrights Speedys available, I’d like one. I’m on the list for the Master Shipwrights Flirt already, and I’m hoping to also build a second Speedy for my office at work.

ErnieL · June 10, 2020

15 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Congratulations on a new distributor, that’s great news!

I hope the new distributor is careful about Chinese sales.....

ccoyle · June 10, 2020

6 hours ago, ErnieL said:

I hope the new distributor is careful about Chinese sales.....

One of the guys that works at Ages of Sail, Clare Hess, is an active member here. I'm sure he's well aware of the situation.

chris watton · June 10, 2020

6 hours ago, ErnieL said:

Chris, if there will be any more Master Shipwrights Speedys available, I’d like one. I’m on the list for the Master Shipwrights Flirt already, and I’m hoping to also build a second Speedy for my office at work.

There isn't right now. I only had enough materials for a couple. I ordered the boxwood specifically for the Flirt MS edition, but I had a couple of scrap on some sizes, so could only do 18 Flirt MS laser cut boxwood parts, but still had enough for a couple for Speedy (as quantities are different)

When I order some more boxwood and I finally receive my pear wood block order, I will do a few more, but because of the cost of the materials used, they will always be very limited editions - I will let you know when I can do some more.

ErnieL · June 10, 2020

Perfect!

chris watton · July 15, 2020

**PRE-ORDER OPENS AT 12.01AM, THURSDAY 16th JULY**

Hello,

Seems like an age since I updated this, but I have been very busy with both Flirt and new designs for an end of year kit release.

Anyway, I can say that I have all materials in and ready for both versions of Flirt. I am waiting for the plans, manual and boxes and labels to be delivered.

I mentioned in Jim's Flirt thread that I changed my mind about the boxes at the last minute (was going to have the same boxes as Alert and Speedy, even did the full box art for the kid). Because of the length of some of the materials, the new box will be 520mm long (internal), 300mm wide and 90mm high. The kit components will fit much better.

I will paste what I wrote on the Flirt thread:

Standard version Flirt is already high spec, with laser cut pearwood and pearwood planking, Keel and bulkheads are 3mm MDF, and lower deck and stern frames are 2mm birch ply (the 2mm deck was initially meant to be done in 'Ceiba ply', but I decided this material was utter trash, and changed to much stronger 2mm birch ply) . There will be 2mm single blocks for rigging the cannon carriages if you so desire.

Master Shipwright version is crazy spec, but will look fantastic, DelF's version of Speedy looks wonderful. Flirt MS will have laser cut keel and bulkheads in the highest quality birch ply, all wooden laser cut parts in 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm and 4mm boxwood, second planking in boxwood too. Machined pearwood blocks as standard PLUS 90+ 2.5mm 2 hole pear wood blocks for rigging the cannon carriages. This version also comes with the 18' cutter as standard, with 1x2mm boxwood planking.

Both versions will have 100 metre reels of Gutterman 0.1mm thread, so there's more than enough for rigging the cannon as well as masts and yards.

Both versions will be available to pre-order at 12am, as I know everything is in hand and all materials laser cut and fittings/wood packs made up, ready to go into the boxes once here.