Amati 1:64 HMS Victory - LATEST NEWS

[James H]

I do have some news for you on this.

 

Amati have now shipped the Victory out via DHL, and it should be with me on Monday. I'll then post some pics etc. 

[Sjors]

Yes! Is there a seat available at the first row? 
I have my drinks and popcorn ready.

Good luck with this amazing kit.

[Articcie]

Good luck building this beast!

Your build log, will it be in this topic, or do you start a new one?

[yvesvidal]

1 hour ago, Articcie said:

Good luck building this beast!

Your build log, will it be in this topic, or do you start a new one?

James, being a good moderator will start a new Build Log in the corresponding https://modelshipworld.com/forum/130-build-logs-for-ship-model-kits-by-era-launch-date/ section.

 

I will be following as I followed the concept and creation of that kit by Chris Watton. 

James on the other hand, will be totally unreachable and will feel at times, as if he has joined some monks order...somewhere in medieval Europe. My condolences to his family and close friends.... 🙂

 

Building that beast will be epic, to say the least.

 

Yves

[Landrotten Highlander]

7 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

James, being a good moderator will start a new Build Log in the corresponding https://modelshipworld.com/forum/130-build-logs-for-ship-model-kits-by-era-launch-date/ section.

Might be helpful to have a link in this blog, since as a follower I am getting notifications for this thread, which helps me manage my time a bit better.

And a HATE missing out on the beginning of hte build blog.....

[Articcie]

8 hours ago, Landrotten Highlander said:

And a HATE missing out on the beginning of hte build blog.....

Agree on that!

[James H]

I promise that as soon as the stuff lands, I'll do some photos and they'll form the start of a Build Log that I'll link here and in my signature. The kit is scheduled to be here on Monday, so you can bet by the end of that day, or Tuesday, there will be a proper log for it. 

 

Work on it won't start for about a couple of weeks after that as I'll be going away, but at least you'll see the materials and it'll be 'official' 😆

[Morgan]

You’d better weigh this thing so we can load test our work benches! 🤪

 

Gary

[James H]

20 minutes ago, Morgan said:

You’d better weigh this thing so we can load test our work benches! 🤪

 

Gary

The only thing this will be without (at the moment) are the cannon and figurehead as they need to be cast. Those won't be needed until the hull is complete and just before masting anyway. Amati were also a little low on their 1.5mm x 7mm x 1000mm lime strip, so sent me what they had until the rest comes in. That's for the first planking, but there is a LOT of work to do before even reaching that stage, so that's no issue. 

[Suzdal]

4 minutes ago, James H said:

Amati were also a little low on their 1.5mm x 7mm x 1000mm lime strip

Wow, that means the packing "crate" must be at least 1 meter in the diagonal.

 

Richard

[James H]

2 minutes ago, Suzdal said:

Wow, that means the packing "crate" must be at least 1 meter in the diagonal.

 

Richard

It will just come in whatever they have. I don't know the diagonal measurements of HMS Vanguard box etc. but there is a lot more material than the Vanguard anyway.

[yvesvidal]

The Build Log can be found here: 

 

Yves

[FrankWouts]

Hi all,

Is there finally any news on a release date?
Frank.

[James H]

Subscribe to this topic. As soon as I have news, this is where I'll post it.

[barkingmaddbarry]

i don't remember how many emails i send to Amati regarding the release of the 1.64 models but i will continue harassing them until it happen, what ever they charge i will paid for the is once in the life time build !! for me 

[Keith_W]

Chris, I think we are all fed up with Amati dragging their heels on this kit. If they have lost interest, maybe you should purchase the rights back from them and then offer it for sale as a Vanguard kit. 

[goochiemama]

Hi, just wondering if the 1/64 scale of the HMS Victory coming out soon?

[James H]

On 11/17/2023 at 3:39 AM, goochiemama said:

Hi, just wondering if the 1/64 scale of the HMS Victory coming out soon?

 

I refer you to post #194.

[allanyed]

On 10/28/2023 at 1:25 AM, Keith_W said:

maybe you should purchase the rights back from them and then offer it for sale as a Vanguard kit. 

Great idea if it can be done, but there are so many Victory models and kits.  I like that Vanguard comes out with ships that have not been built by the thousands and are of very high quality compared to many of their competitors.   

Allan   

Edited November 19, 2023 by allanyed

[Kevin]

im sure @chris watton is disappointed that Amati have not released the Vic, i am also sure that he has the  desire to deign vessels that are not quite so well known 

[Keith_W]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

Great idea if it can be done, but there are so many Victory models and kits I like that Vanguard comes out with ships that have not been built by the thousands and are of very high quality compared to many of their competitors.   

Allan   

 

There may be many Victory kits on the market, but at the moment there is only one kit worth considering - the Caldercraft. Having seen the prototype pictures on MSW many years ago I have been anticipating this kit for a long time. Anyway, we'll wait and see. 

[James H]

Amati have been speaking to me over the last two weeks, regarding resurrecting this. It isn't forgotten about.

 

Let's just be patient. 

[hamilton]

I really hope Amati considers releasing this in chapters like CAF's models.....this would make it more accessible to those of us who model on a limited budget! I'm guessing the retail price on this kit will be around $2000....not a realistic prospect for many, myself included.....with many desirable kits priced so highly (and understandably given rising costs of materials, particularly wood), it makes good business sense to widen the market by providing a more modular approach to building....but that may just be my view from the cheap seats.....

hamilton

Edited November 19, 2023 by hamilton

[James H]

13 minutes ago, hamilton said:

I really hope Amati considers releasing this in chapters like CAF's models

It's a possibility. At the moment, I don't know.

 

 

13 minutes ago, hamilton said:

I'm guessing the retail price on this kit will be around $2000

I wouldn't surmise at this point.

 

[hamilton]

On 11/19/2023 at 11:20 AM, James H said:

I wouldn't surmise at this point.

 

Feel like it's more of an educated guess, based on the price of the Vanguard Indy, which at today's exchange rate would set me back $2300 CDN....a desirabe kit, beautifully constructed and well out of my grasp.

hamilton

[chris watton]

If you want to have a go at a Victory that doesn't break the bank, the 78th Panart version isn't too bad, if you're willing to put the work in.

[hamilton]

Thanks for your response Chris!

 

Yes I understand - but it's not about a version of the vessel - it's about specific kits that are desirable to build and that create real excitement among the modelling community - yours and Chuck's fall squarely into that category. No offence to Panart, but the Victory you designed just seems better in every respect. I don't necessarily want to build "a" Victory, but I definitely want to build your Victory, if that makes sense.

 

The economics of kit manufacture are unfamiliar to me, so I would never presume the circumstances you face in developing and maintaining your business. That's not what the issue is. It's more that perhaps some business innovation - like Chuck's with the Winnie & Cheerful broken into chapters, or CAF's with their line - will be helpful at sustaining this craft for a broader cross-section of the ship model market. $500.00 is about my limit for a kit - about the price of Chapter 1 of CAF's Granado. I imagine others set their sights similarly or lower. If the Victory or other high end kits were presented in modules, I imagine way more people would buy them and manufacturers could tap into markets for their products that otherwise represent unrealised demand. It requires some innovation and re-thinking on the manufacturer's side, but once that's done.....

 

It's kind of like when the Bell phone company originated, they though that their business model would involve selling expensive devices and connection services to the wealthy - niche product, small market, high price point. Bell (well....Alfred Vail) figured out that the value of their network was based on volume of connectivity - so there was good business sense in expanding the network and lowering the cost of service to facilitate this - a move that led to massive profits for Bell and put them in the catbird seat for network development for a sustained period of time. I believe you, Chuck, CAF are in that position now, representing younger and more innovative entries into the manufacturer's market with an opportunity to refresh things overall - think of the number of kits you have developed in the last 2 years relative to what Caldercraft/Jotika has introduced in the last 2 decades....that says a lot, I think, about market position and market potential. People are excited about your kits and Chuck's too, and this community provides an active following that serves direct promotional functions. It's a great situation! But it could be even better!

 

The idea of the high-value product for the niche modelling market is fine, but there is still money to be made outside of that market with the same product through a different organisation of the manufacture and presentation of the kits. Admittedly I have no idea how offering kits in sections/chapters might affect the cost of manufacture - obviously a big concern - or even if it is a realistic approach to design....but it seems something worth exploring more generally as a means of sustaining the craft and the businesses on which it depends. The modular nature of ship modelling itself also supports this approach.

 

Full disclosure - I'm a philosopher by trade and not an entrepreneur, so my comments here come from a pretty idealised conception of how to run a ship model business - or any business! But at the level of accessibility and market development, it seems to make sense to offer avenues of access that can realise the value of the ship modelling market more fully than the complete high-end product can or does.

 

I hope these remarks are not taken in any way as a slight against any kit manufacturer's practices! More the observations of an envious modeller dreaming of a different world.....

hamilton

[uss frolick]

The desire is there too, to build a Vic in a standard scale, like 1/64th. Model companies do come up with some oddball scales ...