Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates

[Morgan]

I think the Centurion would be a fantastic subject, the ship deserves a higher profile than she has, and her exploits under Anson are a good read, one of those instances where reality is more outrageous than fiction.

 

Gary

[chris watton]

4 minutes ago, Morgan said:

I think the Centurion would be a fantastic subject, the ship deserves a higher profile than she has, and her exploits under Anson are a good read, one of those instances where reality is more outrageous than fiction.

 

Gary

I agree

[markjay]

I'm saving my pennies for that American schooner. You can put me down on a preorder list if you have one, Mark Friedman in Arizona.

[Kusawa2000]

17 hours ago, chris watton said:

Whilst continuing to develop this nice little Baltimore privateer schooner, I am thinking of what else to do in 2023. As I have Indy, I am almost compelled to develop a Patrick O’Brian vessel from the Aubrey & Maturin series, HMS Surprise (much smaller than Indy), complete with Aubrey & Maturin figures. I am not sure, what you guys think?

HMS Surprise? You have my vote

 

Mike Draper

[Oldsalt1950]

Just my two cents, but why not design your way through the fleet, from sloop to ship of the line. Use the time period from 1750 through 1815. You already have a good start at it.

 

Jim

[mnl]

How about something completely different:

 

New York 32:   https://newyork32.org

 

or 

 

Q Class: https://qclassyachts.com/index.html

 

Both classes of very nice, successful racers from the 0's to the 30's, and still racing today. Lines and design rules are easily available. 

 

Best regards,

 

--Michael

[glbarlow]

Glad you’re staying true to your product line, and that Surprise is next up or near it. 

[chris watton]

6 hours ago, mnl said:

How about something completely different:

 

New York 32:   https://newyork32.org

 

or 

 

Q Class: https://qclassyachts.com/index.html

 

Both classes of very nice, successful racers from the 0's to the 30's, and still racing today. Lines and design rules are easily available. 

 

Best regards,

 

--Michael

No yachts, there is already a plethora of yacht kits for people to choose from - plus they do not interest me, although undoubtedly beautiful.  Amati have a whole range of the things!

[scrubbyj427]

9 hours ago, mnl said:

How about something completely different:

 

New York 32:   https://newyork32.org

 

or 

 

Q Class: https://qclassyachts.com/index.html

 

Both classes of very nice, successful racers from the 0's to the 30's, and still racing today. Lines and design rules are easily available. 

 

Best regards,

 

--Michael

I love the NY 32! Almost bought one some years back. I was really considering building one to compliment my Amati Dorade. Glad there’s interest out there.

sadly the one pictured below sank in the med during a sudden storm but most of the class still exists and is active. Such a lovely design.

[chris watton]

I just said I will do no yachts, and another large pic of a yacht is posted... lol

[James G]

Everybody has their favorite and sometimes just can’t resist! 😆

[scrubbyj427]

26 minutes ago, chris watton said:

I just said I will do no yachts, and another large pic of a yacht is posted... lol

Sorry Chris, I got all excited about the idea. 

[realworkingsailor]

If you’re still brainstorming for ideas, this kinda intrigued me:

 

Mid 18th century landing craft.

 

Photos from pp 30, 31 of the book “Ship Models, The Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario”.

 

Not sure if any plans still exist, but it struck me as an interesting subject. (It’s not a yacht! 😁)

Andy

 

[Oldsalt1950]

If Chris really wants to go crazy, he could do a Trafalgar Series and design ships from both sides. Three different navies and at least 3 different classifications of ships. Trafalgar: 32 British ships (25 ships of the line, 4 Frigates and smaller craft), 23 French ships and 15 Spanish ships (33 ships of the line, 7 Frigates and smaller craft). There are a lot of ships to choose from in this battle.

 

Jim

[chris watton]

I did used to dream of doing a full Trafalgar line up, but realised they'd all look more or less the same for each rate!

 

Always wanted to do Spartiate, though, and the 36 gun Phoebe almost beat Indy for the 12th kit...

[Beef Wellington]

As has been said, a 1:64 seventy-four is huge market gap....and so many great subjects.  And of course the historic Leda class with 2 living examples...

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, Beef Wellington said:

As has been said, a 1:64 seventy-four is huge market gap

 

A 1/64 scale seventy-four would quite literally fill a huge gap -- in anyone's display space! 😬

[glbarlow]

HMS Vanguard is out there.

[chris watton]

14 minutes ago, glbarlow said:

HMS Vanguard is out there.

Vanguard is 72nd, and a 2006 vintage design with dummies for the lower gun tier..

 

I have Bellona earmarked for a 64th scale 74, but that's not set in stone. Depends how well the larger kits sell, as they take a long time to produce and use a lot of materials. A 74 with full 32 pounder lower gun deck would be cool, though.

[glbarlow]

And Surprise. I’ll buy the first one. 

[glbarlow]

28 minutes ago, chris watton said:

Vanguard is 72nd

It’s huge, can’t imagine 1/64th then. 

[VTHokiEE]

36 minutes ago, chris watton said:

1600 to the early 19th Century

Oh no, does this mean I should stop holding my breathe for a one off ancient vessel? (PS - No matter the answer I will indeed continue to hold my breathe 😉)

 

From the number of Vanguard kits on the forum it seems like you’re reading the room pretty well. Keep up the good work! Someday I’ll pick up another kit - you make them faster than I can build them by a long shot. 

Edited December 20, 2022 by VTHokiEE

[chris watton]

18 minutes ago, VTHokiEE said:

Oh no, does this mean I should stop holding my breathe for a one off ancient vessel? (PS - No matter the answer I will indeed continue to hold my breathe 😉)

 

From the number of Vanguard kits on the forum it seems like you’re reading the room pretty well. Keep up the good work! Someday I’ll pick up another kit - you make them faster than I can build them by a long shot. 

Never say never!

 

My 'Future projects' folder is quite large, and there a couple of ancient vessels in there.

[uss frolick]

HMS Surprise would be fantastic, but Lord Cochrane's ex-Spanish prize frigate, HMS Imperieuse, is beautiful, well documented and chock full of history, too!

 

A flush decked sloop-of-war, like the Hermes, 20, of 1810, of any of her fir-built sisters like HMS Levant, would be unique in the kit world. Hermes was based on the captured French Bonne Citoyenne, one of the Royal Navy's fastest sloops.

 

EDIT: The frigate-turned-sloop USS Cumberland would be beautiful in her 1862 version, showing her as she gallantly fought the ironclad CSS Virginia. 3/16" scale would be perfect!

Edited December 21, 2022 by uss frolick

[chris watton]

Thank you for all your comments, they are appreciated.

 

I did state from the start that I finally wanted to develop stuff I always wanted to do, for the main developments at least, and the scale would be constant.

 

When working for others, there were so many developments that were started but never finished, or finished but never released. At least now I can state with 100% certainty that what I now start, it is finished to the bitter end and released.

 

I have enough subjects in my 'Future Projects' folder to last at least a decade. I have to be mindful of the very large models, as a 1st to 3rd rate is a 1.5-2 year development cycle, a lot of time and money, more so if they are designed with full deck/s detail, and not the standard fare of block models and dummy barrels (If the latter, I have little doubt I could develop 8-10 kits like that per year, and make more money - but no fun and not bringing kit fidelity/design quality forward)

 

After Indy, I have this US privateer schooner, and after that, I may do a small kit before Surprise, which should be complete next year. Anyway, that is my plan for the next 10-12 months....

 

ETA - I haven't forgot Bristol, it is another large kit, so I need to wait just a little longer - I shall probably have a figurehead and stern decoration made for her sister, Leopard, too, so you can have a choice.

Edited December 21, 2022 by chris watton

[Aa-schipper]

On 12/17/2022 at 12:08 PM, Nipper said:

Chris

I'm really looking forward to the Baltimore schooner, with its link to Patrick O'Brian's Ringle.  It will be a great addition to the VM range and I guess will sell very well - it will very likely be my next build after Sphinx.

 

Will another frigate be the best next project for VM?  You haven't yet got a two- or even a three-decker but I wonder if these may be out of the price range for many modellers - I'm sure they would sell but perhaps not as well as something the size of Sphinx.  

 

I think that the Aubrey/Maturin books are the most inspiring and enjoyable for those interested in maritime history. and I think that many of us have been moved to build a ship as a result of them.  I might have gone for a Surprise kit if one had been available before Sphinx.  So I guess Surprise could be a big seller, perhaps really enticing for new readers of the Aubrey/Maturin books.

 

If you do decide to go ahead, why not offer some figures of Jack Aubrey's crew, not just Jack and Stephen?  Then I could use them to crew my Sphinx!

 

Nipper

 

 

I second this motion—in fact, all of them! 🙂 

[glbarlow]

4 hours ago, chris watton said:

I did state from the start that I finally wanted to develop stuff I always wanted to do,

As you should, we shouldn’t look to you to fulfill random, specialized, or limited interests.  Nor should your page be the place to challenge the business model you’ve set and have so clearly and frequently restated.  You’ve come a long way since your first release, I am confident you will continue to make the right choices.  I will order HMS Surprise the day you announce it.

 

 

[Gregor]

I might even beat Glenn to the order-button, depending on our respective time zones 🙂

I literally began to stroke the spines of my books (I nowadays own a set of five bound books with all novels in it) - but I digress...

There were figures of Aubry an Maturin mentioned in an earlier post by Chris. I began to visualize them, sitting at the stern, playing music together. This would be a wonderful touch, as it symbolizes the heart of their friendship. Now I bet all of you have this silent movie in your head, the long, endless voyages in the south sea -  impossible to unthink 🙂 .

Cheers,

Gregor

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by Gregor

[Morgan]

That image of those figures is unfortunately of Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany, I don’t think Chris could afford the image rights!

 

Gary

[James H]

13 hours ago, James H said:

Can I also suggest that instead of this topic (used to talk about new releases) being used as a Wishlist and why certain subjects aren't tackled, that you create a new topic to chat about this.

 

Like every follower of this topic, but email inbox is getting flooded with simple Wishlist banter and talk of why stuff hasn't been designed etc. 

 

21 minutes ago, carlosgf said:

Hi all,

 

Can I suggest a bomb ketch vessel? Not too long ships. Not another Granado...

 

By othe hand, I think Vanguard Models' Granado needs a good couple of mortar... 😜

 

Can I point you to the post I made earlier today about not turning this into a Wishlist?

 

The problem is that a topic about new releases and products is becoming swamped with members asking for their own wishes. 

 

Cheers.