Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates Volume 2

[chris watton]

Here is my main laser machine cutting a new batch of Sphinx 1mm pear, almost 2 weeks for all parts, but almost all done, so plenty in stock. Laser to be joined by its bigger brother on Thursday!

[Tossedman]

I love watching a laser cut – and I use one here often. How much bigger or faster or more powerful will your new laser be?

 

Cheers,

 

Todd

Edited March 31 by Tossedman

[chris watton]

8 minutes ago, Tossedman said:

I love watching a laser cut – and I use one here often. How much bigger or faster or more powerful will your new laser be?

 

Cheers,

 

Todd

Working area not much bigger, 1016 X 610mm compared to the 960 x 610mm of my current machine. However, that extra length does mean I can put 12 x 100x500mm sheets on the bed, rather than 10 sheets, plus I won't have to cut off 50mm off the ends of my larger (1000mm long) sheets to get them to fit.

 

Current machine is an 80 Watt Sealed CO2 Laser, whereas the new one is 100 Watt (my first one, which is being part exchanged for the new one, is only a 40 Watt and a 635 x 458mm work area, so no good for Indy or Surprise, but got me started and it did cut the first few kits fine, if a little slow...)

[chris watton]

I had my new laser machine delivered and set up yesterday, a few teething problems, but to be sorted. I now have 2 large machines, with the new one picked specifically for the larger kits I have in mind in the future. This is by far the largest investment yet.

 

Damn, I need more space....

 

Pics are a little too bright, shutter doors were open and sun was shining in!

[JeffT]

Its a beast.

[usedtosail]

23 hours ago, chris watton said:

Damn, I need more space....

That's exactly what I say every time you release a new kit. Congratulations on the new machine.

[druxey]

Nice to see the most essential item in the shop: your coffee mug. Congrats on your new piece of kit.

[chris watton]

I have had quite a few enquiries regarding Surprise, asking if it is the film version.

 

No - it is NOT the film version. It is being developed using the original Admiralty plans of Surprise (Unité of 1794, captured 1796) and he sister, the French Sixth Rate frigate Tourterelle (1794) 

 

If I were to develop Surprise as per the film, Master and Commander, the hull would be almost 20% smaller, being more Sphinx size, it would be around 18 foot shorter along the gun deck. This is because the film Surprise is that of a replica of a Seaford Class 20 gun ship of the 1750's, somewhat smaller than the actual HMS Surprise - and by the tail end of the 1790's, Surprise was considered very small for a frigate (hence why some refer to her and her sister as corvettes rather than frigates).

Edited 4 hours ago by chris watton

[knightyo]

Am I reading this correctly that in NOT creating the kit based upon the ship that was used in the movie, that the kit you are creating matches more closely the ship depicted in the books?  If that's the case, I think most of the interested modelers would prefer your version anyway.

 

Alan

[chris watton]

16 minutes ago, knightyo said:

Am I reading this correctly that in NOT creating the kit based upon the ship that was used in the movie, that the kit you are creating matches more closely the ship depicted in the books?  If that's the case, I think most of the interested modelers would prefer your version anyway.

 

Alan

Yes, the books, not the movie. If you wanted a Surprise based off the movie, then Sphinx would be a better starting point, as they were designed for the same amount of guns and thus very similar dimensions.

 

Here is the real difference in size between the film version and the real version, the latter being the one above:

 

(The main wale lines for Surprise are erroneous, and will not be on the actual model, being French)

 

Edited 4 hours ago by chris watton