Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates

[chris watton]

Just a little update.

 

From very early 2022, KRICK will be my Vanguard Models German distributor. I am putting their first order together now. They already have copies of all master files for the plans and instructions, so they can produce their own German language versions.

 

I have known Krick for 25 years, and am very happy for them to be my distributer for Germany. Over the past year, I have had many emails from people in Germany, asking if I had a distributor for their country, and now I have.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

[Kevin]

1 minute ago, chris watton said:

Just a little update.

 

From very early 2022, KRICK will be my Vanguard Models German distributor. I am putting their first order together now. They already have copies of all master files for the plans and instructions, so they can produce their own German language versions.

 

I have known Krick for 25 years, and am very happy for them to be my distributer for Germany. Over the past year, I have had many emails from people in Germany, asking if I had a distributor for their country, and now I have.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

 

 

Congratulations

[mtaylor]

That is great news, Chris.   Congratulations.

[druxey]

Well done, Chris.That is excellent news for Western Europe - and you!

[chris watton]

Thank you, guys!

 

I had the final part of my new laser purchase finally arrive this week, a monolith of an extractor for my new machine. I can now use both machines, as they both have their own extractor and air assist. (I think I was engraving two lots of Sphinx decks on the new laser, in the pics)

 

A little more news:

 

1 - I can get hold of pearwood dowel. Is this something you would like in kits, or have an option for, as it is more expensive?

 

2 - Alert - I have started a 'Version 3' of this, and will be the final version, after bringing it up to my latest standards. This will be available once all V2 stock is gone - BUT, it will be £20 more expensive (All kit prices need to increase, in fact, as materials are getting more expensive, but will hold all prices for as long as I can). Alert 3 will need to cost more because the laser cut gratings are included, and the cannon carriages have been re-worked to have the cap squares integrated with the part, as per the Sphinx carriages. Laser engraved decks will be standard with this kit and the white metal anchor set replaced with a black resin 3-d printed version, eliminating the last trace of white metal from my kits. I will have to have the Alert manual updated when next printed.

 

Staying with Alert - I am having a full sail set made for this kit, so a pre made set will be available early next year. The company that is doing these is the same that do the sets for Amati, Occre etc, and are not the same very high quality I get from the (much more) expensive current sail sets, and this will be reflected in the lower price, compared to my existing sets. I love the sail sets I have now, but they do take an age just to do 20 sets, and I am forever running out of stock. An alternative was sorely needed. I have ordered 100 sets each for Alert and other kits (Not Speedy, Flirt, Duchess or Sphinx)

 

And finally, as I am writing this, something just arrived that I gave up all hope of seeing this side of Christmas - a 50kg pallet chock full of fresh photo etched brass and copper from Italy, that I was running short of! All I am waiting for now is my damned Nisha and Erycina sail sets.....

 

Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year!

 

Chris

[Nirvana]

Chris, that's wonderful news to hear.

Congratulation getting Krick to help with distribution.

[Craigie65]

Good to hear you are making progress against the headwinds.  Your set up looks very professional.

wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

[glbarlow]

Merry Christmas Chris, so glad your business has taken off, we’re Al the better for it.

[chris watton]

Happy Christmas!

 

Over the past few weeks, I have, amongst many other things, been working on trying to make small boat hull shells. I know that some have trouble making these with the small planks, and I thought they may make a nice alternative to the wood hull versions. Only the small boats, though.

 

What I have done is produce hulls for a 14, 16 and 18 foot cutter (66, 75 & 84mm long), with 2 versions for the 16 foot, a standard and a slightly slimmer version for small decks (27.5 and 23.5mm widths).

 

These are 3-d printed in SLA resin, so no mould separation lines and every hull is printed from the same master file, so they are always the exact same. I have tooled them so the supports are all on the flat stern board, and any slight support stumps are easily sanded off by simply rubbing the stern on a flat piece of sand paper.

 

For now, only the slim 16 foot boat (not shown) has laser cut pear seats and oars, with the others being just the hull - but I figured it is the hull most would have problems with planking, the rest is easy. The planks are clinker and scale thickness, too.

 

These will be available very soon, with the 14 and 16 foot versions being perfect for the fishing boats, and the 18 footer being for almost everything else.

 

ETA - the three hulls shown are not the final versions.

Edited December 25, 2021 by chris watton

[Glenn-UK]

Great news

[BobG]

Very nice! Chris continues to make innovative advances in ship modeling so that more modelers can be successful and enjoy the hobby more easily at the level they choose.

[niwotwill]

Chris these are amazing. I find it hard to imagine how you've become such an expert at 3d modeling, many kudos to you.

[Blue Ensign]

On 12/24/2021 at 10:17 AM, chris watton said:

Thank you, guys!

1 - I can get hold of pearwood dowel. Is this something you would like in kits, or have an option for, as it is more expensive?

 

 

Hi Chris,

 Presumably this is round stock, which would give a  nice finish to some of the Booms, yards, and masts, but can you get Square stock?

Square stock allows for nicely profiled heels  and heads on masts, and forming octagons  on yard centres, but the round sections obviously have to be turned.

This may be beyond the remit for your target  kit market, but simple masts such as on your Fishing boat kits would benefit from  such an enhancement as Pearwood dowel.

In preference to the standard Walnut (too dark for my taste) or Limewood dowel (tends to warp) I use Ramin for lower masts and Boxwood square stock for Topmasts.

A Pearwood alternative I would find appealing.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

[glbarlow]

Totally agree with BE’s comments 

[chris watton]

I am still unsure about the pear wood dowels. You see, I have to buy a lot of it in order for them to produce it for me, we're talking thousands of Pounds. I cannot simply order a couple of hundred, so I have to try and weigh up the pros and cons. I would love to offer this, as I feel it would be in keeping with the rest of the kits. But would customers pay the increase in kit cost - or do I offer it as an upgrade. If the latter, I still have to order a large amount, and hope that enough want it.

 

Having said that, I probably will go for it at some point soon, and I will ask about square dowel. I still have to be very careful about what I invest in.

 

I have attached some pics showing the final iteration of the new resin boat shells. These show the 16 foot cutter hull (but the 14 and 18 will be the same, just smaller and larger. I have left on the 'stumps' of the supports for when 3-d printing, so you can see what area needs slight sanding. Only the stern board requires cleaning up, as already mentioned, as these boat hulls are not cast. Downside is production time, 5 hours to produce (for the 14 foot, rising to 6.5 hours for the 18) and 30-40 minutes in post processing, but can do multiples at a time, so no big issue for me. Also in the pics is the smaller (slimmer, in beige resin - others are in white) 16 foot boat, which will be offered as an extra for the fishing boats kits.

 

I should get my shipment of Nisha and Erycina sail sets in the next week. In that shipment, I have a re-supply of pear blocks (mostly single sheave, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6mm sizes) and three new sizes of the detailed lantern kits in 17, 19 and 22mm sizes, so I will have 5 sizes to offer. I invest in these as they will be used in all future kits.

 

Cheers!

[niwotwill]

looks fantastic Chris. Building boats for ships is a model in itself. It can be fun but it is tedious the 3d boats for a smaller kit are a great answer. It appears that you painted the outside of the boat with the oars and thwarts, is the correct? If so it give a good gauge as to the boats thickness. Can't wait to we can order.

 

Many Regards

Will

[chris watton]

1 hour ago, niwotwill said:

looks fantastic Chris. Building boats for ships is a model in itself. It can be fun but it is tedious the 3d boats for a smaller kit are a great answer. It appears that you painted the outside of the boat with the oars and thwarts, is the correct? If so it give a good gauge as to the boats thickness. Can't wait to we can order.

 

Many Regards

Will

The beige boat isn't painted (none in the pics are), it was just printed in beige photopolymer resin, and then the laser cut parts added.

 

I do like these, as I had to have scale, or very to scale thickness or not bother. I see so many very good models almost ruined because the boat/s stick out like a sore thumb, and bare very little relation to the build quality of the mother ship. Everything must be of the same 'fidelity'. Cast metal boats were out of the question, as they almost always look awful, as do pre shaped wooden boats, and look nothing more than afterthoughts. (I have always thought this)

 

I still prefer the laser cut and PE mini boat kits for the larger models, as they suit the completed model perfectly. Plus, I think that if you buy something like a Sphinx or larger, you should at the very least have the modest skills to build the boats that come with the kit. For smaller kits, it's a different matter, and I am hoping these resin boats will enhance the overall finish, rather than detract.

 

Final tally, I will produce 4 sizes for the cutter, 14, 16, 18 and 20 foot (95.25mm). Jim will be making a 24 foot cutter (laser cut MDF frames and pear wood planks/thwarts etc.) during the next few weeks. The 24 footer will be included with the Indy, amongst others.

Edited December 26, 2021 by chris watton

[hollowneck]

On 12/26/2021 at 7:05 AM, Blue Ensign said:

Square stock allows for nicely profiled heels  and heads on masts, and forming octagons  on yard centres, but the round sections obviously have to be turned.

This may be beyond the remit for your target  kit market, but simple masts such as on your Fishing boat kits would benefit from  such an enhancement as Pearwood dowel.

In preference to the standard Walnut (too dark for my taste) or Limewood dowel (tends to warp) I use Ramin for lower masts and Boxwood square stock for Topmasts.

A Pearwood alternative I would find appealing.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

I also prefer square stock for all my masting - preferably pear wood - but boxwood would also work; adding this cost to your top-level kits is not a deterrent IMHO: I spend the "extra" money in any event on additional stock to finish my models. As B.E. says, doing the various profile work necessary for accurate-looking masts and yards is best accomplished with square stock; however, I agree this may not be desirable for your target market. The exception, as noted, would be the smaller craft you're offering which don't have the complexity involved with modeling Royal Navy warships.

 

Related to this question, I have noted in my Build Log for the HMS Sphinx that I'm including only one of the boats, not all three offered in the kit. Indeed, your pre-production and tweaked resin cutters look very nice. In compatible scale length, I'd have no problem including them with my models; properly detailed -thwarts, oars, etc.- and finished to resemble actual wooden craft. They'd work a treat in my world...

Cheers,

Ron

PS Check this photo out; Chris should recognize it instantly: it's a 22' Caldercraft cast-resin cutter hull, a kit they've offered forever. I love these well-done little guys; carefully detail them and they're respectable additions to any larger model.

[chris watton]

So, I ended up producing the following (64th):

14 foot cutter hull

16 foot cutter hull

18 foot cutter hull

20 foot cutter hull

22 foot cutter hull

24 foot cutter hull

 

They should be available to buy very soon.

 

Nisha and Erycina sail sets arrived today, along with new sizes of lanterns and more pear blocks. All sail sets ordered will be shipped this week.

 

The CC cutter shell is well after my time.

Edited December 29, 2021 by chris watton

[chris watton]

OK, the boats are now on the website.

 

The small 16 footer designed for the fishers:

 

Clinker-hull boats (full kit) – VANGUARD MODELS

 

The clinker cutter hulls:

Clinker-hull boats (3D-printed) – VANGUARD MODELS

 

And three new sizes of detailed lanterns with 5 sizes now to choose from:

Lanterns – High Detail (sold individually) – VANGUARD MODELS

 

And finally, I have ordered the pearwood dowel. Once I receive (told 6-8 weeks), I will make up upgrade sets for Sphinx and perhaps others, to replace  the masts and yards walnut dowel.

[James H]

On 12/28/2021 at 7:19 PM, hollowneck said:

 

PS Check this photo out; Chris should recognize it instantly: it's a 22' Caldercraft cast-resin cutter hull, a kit they've offered forever. I love these well-done little guys; carefully detail them and they're respectable additions to any larger model.

 

 

As this is a VM-product topic, you'll now be able to check out the link for the new, more refined 22ft cutter hull. On the site right now! 😉😚

[AJohnson]

Oh, I  wish I had known these were coming as I only last week got a 14ft. one from a company you know well where you need to use black card for ribs...  yours look beautiful! 

Edited December 30, 2021 by AJohnson

[myxyzptlyk2003]

On 12/26/2021 at 2:40 PM, chris watton said:

The beige boat isn't painted (none in the pics are), it was just printed in beige photopolymer resin, and then the laser cut parts added.

 

I do like these, as I had to have scale, or very to scale thickness or not bother. I see so many very good models almost ruined because the boat/s stick out like a sore thumb, and bare very little relation to the build quality of the mother ship. Everything must be of the same 'fidelity'. Cast metal boats were out of the question, as they almost always look awful, as do pre shaped wooden boats, and look nothing more than afterthoughts. (I have always thought this)

 

I still prefer the laser cut and PE mini boat kits for the larger models, as they suit the completed model perfectly. Plus, I think that if you buy something like a Sphinx or larger, you should at the very least have the modest skills to build the boats that come with the kit. For smaller kits, it's a different matter, and I am hoping these resin boats will enhance the overall finish, rather than detract.

 

Final tally, I will produce 4 sizes for the cutter, 14, 16, 18 and 20 foot (95.25mm). Jim will be making a 24 foot cutter (laser cut MDF frames and pear wood planks/thwarts etc.) during the next few weeks. The 24 footer will be included with the Indy, amongst others.

 I guess I have to respectfully disagree with the statement above that if you get the Sphinx you should have the skills to build the kit boats.     The following may sound a bit weird but part of the "fault" is that you have made such a wonderfully, buildable kit that the skills required for those small kit boats may often be beyond the skills of many modelers.

I for one really had little problem with the main ship, but I failed miserably with the small boats.   My failure was to the extent that I actually quit the build at that point and have put the hull on display without the boats.  (Note I never intended to rig the model as I don't have room for any more fully rigged model ships).     I have followed most (if not all) of the build logs for the Sphinx and I have yet to see any results for the small boats other than by Jim (whose skill level I will never attain).

I do have Caldercraft kit small boats and am not totally pleased with the result.   It looks like your new small boats may be a partial answer to my lack of skills.

[Jasseji]

Agreed on @myxyzptlyk2003 comment here, i got one of the small boats from you as a warm-up before i even ordered the Sphinx kit and so far it was a fail so i will propably try again with the kit boats, but having a resin-cast hull seems the way to go here, also die to the fact that some People might enjoy more doing the Deck furniture and fittings than Hulls (comes down to personal builder prefer ce).

 

I am Glad that Chris makes them, It's always an option and having options is good

[chris watton]

Just playing around with potential deck stuff.....

[ccoyle]

6 hours ago, chris watton said:

Just playing around with potential deck stuff.....

 

I'd like to see one of our accomplished weathering artists, such as @FriedClams, get hold of this kit and a set of its deck gear and then really grunge it up. I'm sure these boats were worked very hard.

[hollowneck]

On 1/2/2022 at 4:58 AM, Jasseji said:

Agreed on @myxyzptlyk2003 comment here, i got one of the small boats from you as a warm-up before i even ordered the Sphinx kit and so far it was a fail so i will propably try again with the kit boats, but having a resin-cast hull seems the way to go here, also die to the fact that some People might enjoy more doing the Deck furniture and fittings than Hulls (comes down to personal builder prefer ce).

 

I am Glad that Chris makes them, It's always an option and having options is good

 

I agree that the Vanguard small boat option is a good one!

I intend to order a 24-footer from Chris and tie it down on my Sphinx (HMS Camilla) model. After some painting and minor detailing, the clinker hulled launch ("turned turtle") will look really nice as well as more historically accurate. Personally, I have no particular desire to make one of the supplied boats in the kit although these lasered pear items look very nice. The construction pieces and manual all look good for those who want to follow the entire kit to it's finalé with all the boats presented (whether Admiralty-style, or masted & rigged). These additional little "mini builds" in the Sphinx kit will please many modelers I suspect.

 

I've noted Chris' small figure on the deck here; I've been researching scaled figures for my model over the last few weeks. I'm hoping there may be a new source for 3D-printed ones that I can use since I'm placing my model in a fairly dramatic diorama setting. The NRG Store is now offering scaled 3D figures that I'm looking at seriously, but only a handful are in my build scale (1:64). I may resort to the same 'ole Italian castings I've used previously...

 

Ron

 

[georgeband]

Chris,

 

These little cutters look superb and I would use one on my HMS Whiting (Ballahou or Fish class schooner) apart from one tiny detail - they are too big! According to a log book I have read the boat was hoisted on board and the only space available to stow it is too small for even a 14 foot boat. 

Could you make a scaled down version as a 12 foot cutter? Please? It should not be too difficult with 3D printing... 

 

George

[chris watton]

8 hours ago, georgeband said:

Chris,

 

These little cutters look superb and I would use one on my HMS Whiting (Ballahou or Fish class schooner) apart from one tiny detail - they are too big! According to a log book I have read the boat was hoisted on board and the only space available to stow it is too small for even a 14 foot boat. 

Could you make a scaled down version as a 12 foot cutter? Please? It should not be too difficult with 3D printing... 

 

George

You asked...

 

I now have a 12 Foot Cutter Hull option (L-57.15xW-20xH-12.2mm)    

 

Clinker-hull boats (3D-printed) – VANGUARD MODELS

[georgeband]

This is an impressive level of service! Thank you, Chris, for responding so quickly and positively. I will be ordering tomorrow. 

 

George