Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates

[Vane]

Thats a Beauty!

 

[BobG]

This is a beautiful and interesting model to add to your line-up. I'm glad you aren't just focusing on big warships only. 

 

Will this model have masts, rigging and sails?

[chris watton]

Thank you! this is still in development stages, I haven't done a single line drawing for it yet for kit plans, but I really wanted to get the designs and all cut files nailed before moving on. Good job too, as it has gone few quite a few design changes.

 

I do all laser cutting in house, and all PE is done in Italy.

 

I should mention that there will only be one version of this kit, as I want to sell it only with materials I have tested when building the prototypes, but it will be very high quality. I think the pear suits this model perfectly, and only painted what I felt I needed to, and left as much as I can unpainted.

 

ETA - It is ship rigged, so three masts this time, but I feel this would look better with a lateen style mizzen yard.

 

Ah, also, forgot to mention, like the Zulu and Fifie models, this has the same rabbet system, but with a little more detail etched into the parts

[BobG]

On 7/15/2020 at 12:10 PM, chris watton said:

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.

Chris, will the Flirt be available from Ages of Sail in the near future as well. I ask since I live only about 1 & 1/2 hours from the store and it would eliminate shipping costs cost from across the pond.

[chris watton]

Just now, BobG said:

Chris, will the Flirt be available from Ages of Sail in the near future as well. I ask since I live only about 1 & 1/2 hours from the store and it would eliminate shipping costs cost from across the pond.

Yes, as soon as they are boxed, I will be sending some to them.

[ccoyle]

Wow. Again!

[chris watton]

Here is a pic of one of the earlier stages, after second planking. I decided to add 'sacrificial' cross beams to the upper bulkhead tabs to eliminate the chances of breaking them when in planking stages. I thought of this after I planked, so in the kit, the beams are designed better to fit, rather than the ones in the pic.

 

Also, I added etched line on the pre cut second layer. These lines are the painting positions, so the hull can be masked at these lines and the blue and red backgrounds painted before adding the pre cut rail pattern. This really helped as trying to paint in-between each rail would have took a long time, with probably not as neat an end result.

[JeffT]

Thats a beautiful ship model.

[Edwardkenway]

Nice!!! Loving the gingerbread decorations. 

[glbarlow]

Very nice. What is the history of a ship like this. Very different (and interesting) from warships (and most common models) as gun platforms with 6 cannon and more space dedicated to what I guess are cabins?

[chris watton]

16 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

Very nice. What is the history of a ship like this. Very different (and interesting) from warships (and most common models) as gun platforms with 6 cannon and more space dedicated to what I guess are cabins?

I am unsure of the history, I just knew I wanted to do it when I looked over the plans. Druxey did find something out, and I have a feeling the vessel is the same as what is referred to in this passage from a Wikipedia page:

 

"Duchess of Kingston

 

She lived for a time in Calais, and became mistress to Stefano Zannowich. 1777, after her acceptance by Russian royalty, the two had a boat built then made a spectacular entrance sailing into Kronstadt, the port of Saint Petersburg. In the Governorate of Estonia, she bought 3 properties: Toila, Orro, and Fockenhoff, consolidating them into an estate she named "Chudleigh". She planned to create a 'model Brit estate', imported spaniels and pointers and a collection of plants. She lived there in a clifftop house with a view of the Baltic Sea." 

[glbarlow]

9 minutes ago, chris watton said:

made a spectacular entrance

It’s all about the entrance 😁

[dkuehn]

1 hour ago, chris watton said:

Fockenhoff

This is what my wife thinks of my boat building. 

[Malcolm Greig]

Marvelous looking and interesting model.

I like the comment from Wahka_est   "One man army against the big manufacturers"! 

 

Malcolm

[Ronald-V]

Really nice design again! You are doing very well with so much designs in such a short time  

[Wahka_est]

Chris, is there a list of all the designs that you have made in your lifetime?

[Kevin]

woke the wife up at 0400 this morning, to show her this, @chris watton design got a better response than i received

[ccoyle]

33 minutes ago, Kevin said:

woke the wife up at 0400 this morning, to show her this, @chris watton design got a better response than i received

Stuff like this is why we need an LOL button.

[amateur]

I had decided that my house became too small for another dull size wooden model, but now I am seriously, very seriously tempted indeed.....

How many months do I have to turn the missus around?

 

Jan

[chris watton]

I am hoping for a November release, all depends how long the CAD drawings take me. I cannot go much further until I have done hull and deck elevations, mast, yard and rigging plans, as I will need to work from these to make sure everything's OK.

 

Lazy day today, though, as I am almost burnt out...

 

ETA - Flirt boxes arrived today, and printed plans, manual and box labels arrive Thursday. All I will be waiting for after this are the shipping sleeves, which I ordered today, after measuring the new box sizes. 

[Wahka_est]

Do you maybe need help with converting drawings? You can pm me.

[chris watton]

8 minutes ago, Wahka_est said:

Do you maybe need help with converting drawings? You can pm me.

Thank you, but no, I need to do the drawings from scratch, using the parts I have designed. The actual plans that I get the lines off are used only once to get all relevant lines and details, which are then expanded on to design the kit parts.

 

After this, I will be working on larger stuff, but being larger, they will take more time. I have been worrying about material and final kit costs for larger kits. I am thinking that perhaps I could do standard kits using limewood for laser cut parts, and for those who do not mind paying more, have a pearwood edition.

 

Or would most just prefer to pay more for the better (and much stronger) wood? I have a choice of 4 I really want to do next, and it's damn hard deciding which - head tells me one thing, heart pulls in the other direction....

 

[Morgan]

Perhaps the moderators can help you set up a poll to get a more in depth opinion from the forum, it’s hard to know from a few comments and exchanges. You have established a brand and quality / feel to the kits that go together, I would personally go with a stronger wood, but the cost may, as you indicate, disenfranchise people on larger kits, but you can also make the argument that on a larger kit if your going to spend the money why would you skimp. Customer survey required!
 

Gary

[glbarlow]

I don’t think lime wood is much of a differentiator, but that’s just me. I’d pay (and have;-) for something better than what other kit manufacturers offer. 

[Rustyj]

I also feel that if I'm buying a kit the additional cost for better materials is the way I'll always go.

 

Can't wait to see what else your head and heart come up with.

[BenD]

I agree with Gary that you could do a vote for the next kit if your really divided one what to do next.  So far I know you want to do the Bellona, Leopard, and the Indefatigable.

 

I'm looking for a frigate for my next build and I would be willing to drop $800 on a good one.  

[chris watton]

Cheers

 

The problem is that I no longer want to design 'block models', which the majority of mainstream kits are - just a keel and a few bulkheads and one full deck, perhaps one more not so full deck for larger kits and a few white metal parts or blocks of wood to fill in the design/production time saving gaps.

 

When I populate the lower decks, the amount of materials (and cutting time) increases many fold. But this is the way I want to design the larger kits, as this is what I would want if I were choosing a kit. I like having the gratings put to one side so I can see down to the depths of the vessel, not have pretend shutters to hide the fact there's nothing there.

 

Also for larger models, the new method of designing the gun port surrounds uses a lot of material, but I think, again, it is worth it, as it eliminates completely any ambiguity of having to mark out or, if it's a pre cut part, misaligning the ports.

 

I guess my aim is to try and eliminate the guesswork involved in making the kits and make it as painless as I can. Some are expert and much better than me at building models, but there are many who do need an extra hand, and it is to these people I try and think about the most. The most experienced always go their own way anyway. I am always astonished at what some of you guys can do with the simplest of kits and make them your own.

[Glenn-UK]

Better quality every time, my experience with poor quality materials from Model Space confirms that in my opinion 

[chris watton]

5 minutes ago, BenD said:

I agree with Gary that you could do a vote for the next kit if your really divided one what to do next.  So far I know you want to do the Bellona, Leopard, and the Indefatigable.

 

I'm looking for a frigate for my next build and I would be willing to drop $800 on a good one.  

It will be one of these

[BenD]

I can't tell what ship the top three are but the Sphinx on the bottom looks like a 24 gun. It's the 1775 one right?