Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates Volume 2

[Erik A]

great news. 

of course you know that you will expand to fit the available space in a short time. its a known phenomenon

[uss frolick]

Remember, when nosey customers show up unannounced and demand a tour, you will need an executive pub /media center.

[Pitan]

Ooo, I see Chris has announced HMS Surprise as comming soon on the Vanguard home page!

[François de Saint Nazaire]

Nice music 😉

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2025 by François de Saint Nazaire

[chris watton]

Well, we start moving some stuff into new work unit tomorrow. The laser machines will not be moved until mid January (laser machine engineers are moving them and setting them back up).

 

I did a little floorplan to see what I needed, rack and worktable wise, (which is now all ordered and arriving next week) and this is what I came up with:

 

 

I am sure that after the year is up, I will need something larger, but for now, it is three times the space I have right now, and I will be able to run both machines in concert for the first time!

 

Hope everyone's having a great Christmas week!

Edited December 28, 2025 by chris watton

[Mike_H]

Excellent Christmas and New Year. Both improved by the news that Vanguard M’s manufacturing output is to be seriously uprated. I suspect demand for Surprise will test that uprating! Will there be a chance to get to the front of the queue by pre-ordering?

[chris watton]

11 hours ago, Mike_H said:

Excellent Christmas and New Year. Both improved by the news that Vanguard M’s manufacturing output is to be seriously uprated. I suspect demand for Surprise will test that uprating! Will there be a chance to get to the front of the queue by pre-ordering?

Thank you and Happy New Year to you and everyone on here!

 

Laser machine running today with Surprise production - but have to stop to do more Sherbourne laser cut sheets, keep running out for that one!

 

There will be a pre order window for Surprise. If I can, and if I have the time; for every pre order, like the Indy, I shall try and do a personalised nameplate with the name of the purchaser on each nameplate.

Edited January 1 by chris watton

[glbarlow]

I’m in for the pre-order, when does that start? Although it may be cheaper for me to fly there and pick it up given tariffs and shipping. 

 

Happy New Year!

[chris watton]

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

I’m in for the pre-order, when does that start? Although it may be cheaper for me to fly there and pick it up given tariffs and shipping. 

 

Happy New Year!

I think pre orders will be around March, when the build manual is complete and ready to be sent to the printers. Also, assuming I will have completed all production laser cut parts for the first 100 kits by then...

[chris watton]

I wonder what people would think of this as a kit in the (distant) future, a behemoth of a 2-decker (for a British made ship) - the Second Rate 80-Gun Foudroyant - just a couple of feet shorter than Victory:

 

[Kusawa2000]

9 minutes ago, chris watton said:

I think pre orders will be around March, when the build manual is complete and ready to be sent to the printers. Also, assuming I will have completed all production laser cut parts for the first 100 kits by then...

Chris: I assume price lists and options will be available (e.g.. copper plates, etc.) before hand so we can figure out what we want to purchase? 

 

Thanks

 

Mike Draper

[Kusawa2000]

2 minutes ago, chris watton said:

I wonder what people would think of this as a kit in the (distant) future, a behemoth of a 2-decker (for a British made ship) - the Second Rate 80-Gun Foudroyant - just a couple of feet shorter than Victory:

 

Chris: Love the idea of a three decker that no one has seen as a kit/project!

 

Mike Draper

[chris watton]

Just now, Kusawa2000 said:

Chris: I assume price lists and options will be available (e.g.. copper plates, etc.) before hand so we can figure out what we want to purchase? 

 

Thanks

 

Mike Draper

There will be only one optional extra for Surprise, the machined walnut blocks. All else will be standard for the kit, PE copper plates, flag set, Aubrey and Maturin figures etc.

[glbarlow]

3 minutes ago, chris watton said:

what people would think of this as a kit

Nothing that big for me. 

[chris watton]

22 minutes ago, Kusawa2000 said:

Chris: Love the idea of a three decker that no one has seen as a kit/project!

 

Mike Draper

This is the 3-decker I have earmarked for my 'Flagship Kit'

 

Edited January 1 by chris watton

[James H]

9 minutes ago, chris watton said:

I wonder what people would think of this as a kit in the (distant) future, a behemoth of a 2-decker (for a British made ship) - the Second Rate 80-Gun Foudroyant - just a couple of feet shorter than Victory:

 

Absolutely!

 

One of Nelson's flagships, and also one of only two of his ships ever captured on film; the other being Victory.

 

Foudroyant was wrecked only about 30 miles from me.

 

[François de Saint Nazaire]

Dear Chris,

 

I am writing to follow up on the French version of the Tourterelle 28 frigate. Could you please clarify the current status? Specifically, are we pursuing an alternative version, or has the project been officially cancelled?

 

Je te te souhaite une excellente année.

[chris watton]

11 minutes ago, François de Saint Nazaire said:

Dear Chris,

 

I am writing to follow up on the French version of the Tourterelle 28 frigate. Could you please clarify the current status? Specifically, are we pursuing an alternative version, or has the project been officially cancelled?

 

Je te te souhaite une excellente année.

I never said I was doing a kit of Tourterelle - what I said was that there are 2 figureheads in the kit, one fictional (as seen on my prototype), and the original, which we used the Tourterelle for the detail. So you can build the Tourterelle from the Surprise kit, if you so wish, as they are the same class of vessel.

[Kusawa2000]

49 minutes ago, chris watton said:

There will be only one optional extra for Surprise, the machined walnut blocks. All else will be standard for the kit, PE copper plates, flag set, Aubrey and Maturin figures etc.

Chris: Thanks! That is exactly what I wanted to know

 

Mike Draper

[glbarlow]

That’s all we need. Better blocks is such a major upgrade to any model. Anyone can scratch from there as they choose. 

[GrandpaPhil]

Foudroyant and Royal George would both be incredible models!

[Force9]

Ahoy Chris...

 

I'd like to add my congratulations on the success of your kits and the demand leading to the need to expand operational floorspace.  I can remember some interactions we had back in the old Pete Coleman site days - before Vanguard Models was a gleam in the eye???

 

I know that you periodically engage with the forum to probe for future projects... I suspect a Royal George would be a welcome addition, but likely not fly off the shelves given the potential cost to produce on your end and the cost to purchase on ours.  Certainly it would be an incredible standard bearer to represent the quality of your kits and the research invested on your end.

 

It seems that your focus is (rightly) on Royal Navy subjects, but I'd still make a pitch for something in your lineup to directly appeal to the US market and early American Navy enthusiasts.  I know that your internal polling suggests that the Royal Navy ships have wide appeal on both sides of the Atlantic, but I suspect there is more untapped/pent up demand for American navy subjects than you acknowledge. The Grecian is a beautiful ship, but her quick capture meant that she has more historical appeal in the UK and not so much on this side of the pond.  I wish you'd have something like the sloop-of-war Wasp (Frolic, Peacock, Hornet) in your back pocket. Very meaningful historical appeal, very interesting design and ship rigging.  I would think (hope?) that such a kit would tap into a wide audience on these shores and potentially fly off the shelves. I don't know the business model for a company like yours, but I suspect the overall cost to produce such a kit would lead to a very reasonable price/benefit ratio for many modelers.  I bet @uss frolick would point you towards some terrific source material.

 

Cheers to you and all you do for our hobby

 

Regards

Evan

[md1400cs]

Chris,

Best of luck indeed!! Your work is so exceptional for our hobby. Way back when - it's unfortunate that your HMS Victory never came to fruition. Water under the bridge. The Royal George  - within one of your kit boxes - looks to be an amazing possibility.

 

To Evan's @Force9 point, however limited our American historical lineage, there are, as he said, certainly possibilities as well. Arguably a superlative kit example of the USS Constitution might be the most popular? And certainly the Bonhomme Richard given that John Paul Jones is such a well known name (and his quote) to so many on our side of the Atlantic. I don't think that a commercially produced example of this kit even exits? 

 

Regards,

 

MJD

[chris watton]

17 hours ago, md1400cs said:

Chris,

Best of luck indeed!! Your work is so exceptional for our hobby. Way back when - it's unfortunate that your HMS Victory never came to fruition. Water under the bridge. The Royal George  - within one of your kit boxes - looks to be an amazing possibility.

 

To Evan's @Force9 point, however limited our American historical lineage, there are, as he said, certainly possibilities as well. Arguably a superlative kit example of the USS Constitution might be the most popular? And certainly the Bonhomme Richard given that John Paul Jones is such a well known name (and his quote) to so many on our side of the Atlantic. I don't think that a commercially produced example of this kit even exits? 

 

Regards,

 

MJD

Thank you  I cannot do anything about the Victory. I have contemplated designing a third, but it is a very long development, and not sure my heart would be in it for the 2-3 years it would take. But I always get emails asking if I will do a Victory, so always torn on the issue..

 

I think Royal George would perhaps make a welcome alternative for a British 3-decker. I have even contemplated HMS Temeraire (1798), but I know full well that once done, and when painted in her Trafalgar colours, people will think it's Victory (as it was virtually identical in size and layout), and when realising it isn't Victory, they will moan asking why I didn't do that one instead! I wish it wasn't this way, but sadly, seems true judging by the amount of emails I get asking if I have a Victory...always been the same.

17 hours ago, Force9 said:

Ahoy Chris...

 

I'd like to add my congratulations on the success of your kits and the demand leading to the need to expand operational floorspace.  I can remember some interactions we had back in the old Pete Coleman site days - before Vanguard Models was a gleam in the eye???

 

I know that you periodically engage with the forum to probe for future projects... I suspect a Royal George would be a welcome addition, but likely not fly off the shelves given the potential cost to produce on your end and the cost to purchase on ours.  Certainly it would be an incredible standard bearer to represent the quality of your kits and the research invested on your end.

 

It seems that your focus is (rightly) on Royal Navy subjects, but I'd still make a pitch for something in your lineup to directly appeal to the US market and early American Navy enthusiasts.  I know that your internal polling suggests that the Royal Navy ships have wide appeal on both sides of the Atlantic, but I suspect there is more untapped/pent up demand for American navy subjects than you acknowledge. The Grecian is a beautiful ship, but her quick capture meant that she has more historical appeal in the UK and not so much on this side of the pond.  I wish you'd have something like the sloop-of-war Wasp (Frolic, Peacock, Hornet) in your back pocket. Very meaningful historical appeal, very interesting design and ship rigging.  I would think (hope?) that such a kit would tap into a wide audience on these shores and potentially fly off the shelves. I don't know the business model for a company like yours, but I suspect the overall cost to produce such a kit would lead to a very reasonable price/benefit ratio for many modelers.  I bet @uss frolick would point you towards some terrific source material.

 

Cheers to you and all you do for our hobby

 

Regards

Evan

Cheers   I know something like Royal George will never 'Fly off the Shelves' because of cost (estimated £2-3k), but it is one I have always wanted to do - and I no longer have no one pulling the purse strings telling me I cannot!

 

I will look at the US sloops of war at some point, but I already have around 5-6 years of developments booked up! A 3 decker with perhaps all deck detail and deck beams is a 3 year project - If it was designed like I did a couple of decades or so ago, with an empty hull and 80% dummy barrels, perhaps a year tops - but where's the fun in that...

 

Now, I just worry that I will not live long enough to develop all the subjects I want.....

[ccoyle]

7 minutes ago, chris watton said:

Now, I just worry that I will not live long enough to develop all the subjects I want.....

 

Would the correct response to that be "Perish the thought!" or "Perish -- the thought!" 🤔

[mrcc]

I am one who would wait for a Vanguard Models HMS Victory, as they say in Canada and perhaps in other places, “till the cows come home”!

[Kevin]

48 minutes ago, mrcc said:

I am one who would wait for a Vanguard Models HMS Victory, as they say in Canada and perhaps in other places, “till the cows come home”!

im afraid those crows wont be coming in your direction, i dont think @chris watton would ever contemplate doing her again, and it looks like Amati will never release his 1/64 version

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Here's a fine idea for 'one last worthy design ... HMS Centurion.  My friend John Fitzhugh Millar, of Williamsburg, VA, built a fine admiralty model of her in the parlor of Newport House on South Henry Street - made primarily of balsa (yes it can be done in balsa and still look fine).  The 1:48 hull model is a good 3' long and makes quite a statement (I'll see if they'll send me a photo), so 1:60 or 1:72 are options.  No way would Centurion be mistaken for Victory, and the story behind the epic voyage is compelling.

Anson's ship that went around the globe was the HMS Centurion, his flagship during a famous circumnavigation from 1740 to 1744, where it became the sole surviving vessel from his squadron and successfully captured a Spanish treasure galleon before returning to England with immense riches. 

Key Facts About the Voyage & Centurion

• The Mission: Commodore George Anson led a squadron to disrupt Spanish interests in the Pacific during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
• The Journey: The squadron, consisting of six ships including the 60-gun Centurion, sailed around Cape Horn, facing horrific storms, disease, and heavy losses, with Centurion being the only ship to complete the journey.
• The Prize: In 1743, the Centurion captured the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, securing a massive haul of silver, which was a major success.
• Return to England: Anson returned in 1744, completing the circumnavigation aboard the Centurion, bringing back vast treasure and making him famous.
• Legacy: The voyage, detailed in A Voyage Round the World, became a bestseller, and the captured treasure significantly funded Britain's war effort. 
• Images of the Centurion model at the Royal Museum in Greenwich, England are pasted below:
•