Newsworthy updates from Chris Watton

[bhermann]

Chris

 

All I can say is - WOW!  If I were in the market for a warship, this would be the one!  Thanks for your hard - and excellent - work and for thinking of the modeler as you work through the process!

 

Bob

[Beef Wellington]

Chris, simply looks spectacular!

[realworkingsailor]

I think anyone building this kit would have to follow Mike Mott's lead, and build a workshop large enough around the ship.....

 

Andy

[fnkershner]

Chris - I don't want the kit. I want your model! Wow!

[WackoWolf]

Excellent work Chris. I want the kit or like Floyd said, I want the one your making. LOL  It is Beautiful. Keep the pictures coming.

[chris watton]

Thank you! Although you'd better off with the kit, as I have changed a lot during the build: stern and quarter gallery balustrades, stern counter, better gun port lids to name but a few. Anyway, judging by some of the works of art that others are capable of, they'll put my effort to shame.

 

I guess I only have the new poop screen bulkheads and poop deck area to finish off, and the figurehead and anchors for new interesting pics - after this it is just the boring stuff, yards and rigging. I find this area a bit of a chore now, as I enjoy building the designs, and seeing how well (or not) things work out. But with the masting and rigging you know exactly what to do and how long it will take so I end up 'sleepwalking' through it - not as much fun....

 

Having so many parts pre cut can make you lazy, I have found. I was convinced I had drawn a dolphin striker for laser cutting, and looked everywhere on my mass of laser cut prototype sheets - but nothing. I then looked at my own plans and realised I have had to make it myself from dowel! I may complain..

 

I may make just the hull without the masts for myself in the future, as I have enjoyed building this one. I think I may be doing Prince next.

 

Oh yes - I haven't glued the flying jibboom in place, as that's guaranteed to be broken off at some point...

Edited July 12, 2013 by chris watton

[Jaxboat]

Here is a question totally not about shipbuilding. What is the name and breed of your Avatar pup? Very pretty dog

Jaxboat

Edited July 12, 2013 by Jaxboat

[chris watton]

Here is a question totally not about shipbuilding. What is the name and breed of your Avatar pup? Very pretty dog

Jaxboat

She is a

 

Dachshund, or Sausage dog and her name is Mrs Miggins. We bought a long haired Dachshund just before we moved to Italy, and a female standard Dachshund from Pisa when we moved. Not long after they got together we had this:

 

 

And here is the culprit:

 

Mrs Miggins is the one on the right:

 

We kept 3 of the 5 pups, letting them go was so difficult. Mrs Miggins was to go to my friend, but she didn't like it and was so happy to see me when we came to take her back home that she made sure I didn't put her down until we were in the car!

 

This is her now, on Christmas day, working out a way to get that turkey on the table (which I have since commandeered for Victory..)

[Jaxboat]

Very pretty dogs and, I am sure, smart as a whip based on other dachsies I have known. In the US, we often call them Wiener dogs. The American Cartoonist Greg Larson who drew "The Farside" for many years had a collection of cartoons where he imagined "Weiner Dogs", as he called them, in famous artworks by Dali, Rubens and my personal fave Edvard Munch's "The Scream"      .

Thanks for sharing pics of your canine friends with us.

Best

Jaxboat

Edited July 12, 2013 by Jaxboat

[dvm27]

Congratulations on a beautiful model Chris. While there are many lovely features, I don't believe I've seen a better job coppering the hull. The copper belts, finish and scale  look just right.

[chris watton]

Congratulations on a beautiful model Chris. While there are many lovely features, I don't believe I've seen a better job coppering the hull. The copper belts, finish and scale  look just right.

Thank you, Greg! I always thought that the pressed copper tiles never looked quite right, as the simulated nail heads are shown much too proud of the surface, when in fact they were nearer to flush with the surface. Also, due to the pressing out process, the edges on some are wavy or curled up slightly, so the slightest brush against them can snag and pull them off. They look OK from a distance, but do not stand up so well to close scrutiny - I have always thought; what is the point of adding super detail parts for a model when other aspects let it down - it has to be all or nothing.

 

It is no good having, say, super detailed window frames, but when looking at them, your eye is instead immediately drawn to the oversized clumps of poorly cast blobs of metal that is meant to be the stern carvings - or even worse, changing the shape of the actual main stern pattern to accommodate the oversize parts!.

This I think, is the big difference between beautifully scratch built models and the majority of commercial kits. I prefer kits that, when built, people cannot tell the difference between kit and scratch, or at least blur the lines between them - if it is as true a scale model as you can possibly make it, then there should be little difference (especially in the bow and stern areas) - except you don't need a fully kitted out workshop complete with expensive machine tools to make the kit..(although a small lathe would help for those pesky masts and yards..)

[Jaxboat]

Chris,

Are you using a new technology for the coppering?

Jaxboat

[chris watton]

Chris,

Are you using a new technology for the coppering?

Jaxboat

Not really, it is photo etched 0.10mm copper - the thinnest material we could get away with.

[druxey]

I have to echo Greg's comments. Generally, as a scratch model-maker, i don't spend much time looking at kits. However, yours and your prototypes are the rare exception! Beautifully executed, especially considering the parameters that you have to operate within. 

[chris watton]

I have to echo Greg's comments. Generally, as a scratch model-maker, i don't spend much time looking at kits. However, yours and your prototypes are the rare exception! Beautifully executed, especially considering the parameters that you have to operate within. 

Thank you! I know your work so that's quite a compliment!

[Jaxboat]

PE! Very interesting. What are you etching , the nail holes?

Jaxboat

[chris watton]

PE! Very interesting. What are you etching , the nail holes?

Jaxboat

Yes, they are in the Vanguard and Pegasus kits, too.

[realworkingsailor]

I bit of blind bias, going by what I've seen around here, I find the Amati/Victory Models plates very well done. Doing the "nails" like they have, avoids the pimply appearance that the CC plates have.

 

Andy

[hollowneck]

Andy - I left the "pimply" plates off the hull of my Diana partially for just this reason. I am also not a big fan of the shiny copper look on hulls, especially large ones with lots o' surface area to see (and yes, I realize over time copper bits may acquire a nicer looking "patina").

 

I did use the Chris' copper plates in my Victory Models' Mercury build. I can attest that there copper plates are accurately-sized and the imprinted bolt/nailing patterns look great when viewed up-close. It's a personal preference for me too: I'd rather see a beautiful expanse of finely finished hardwood on a sailing ship hull.

 

Chris, have you gotten any quotes on how much the perspex case for your Vic is going to cost?!   

 

Ron

[Ulises Victoria]

I want this kit!!!

[chris watton]

 

 

Chris, have you gotten any quotes on how much the perspex case for your Vic is going to cost?!   

 

Ron

It is not having a case. I usually have a wooden crate made and have the finished model couriered to Italy, but this one is too big - if it were to be placed in a crate, the dimensions would be silly. Therefore, we will be hiring a van and driving it from the UK to Italy ourselves when complete in September/October time.

 

I am thinking of including a full flag set, complete with signal flags for the 'England Expects' and 'Engage the enemy more closely' - what do you think? 

[WackoWolf]

I for one like the idea of the flag set. Not sure about everyone else.

[chris watton]

I for one like the idea of the flag set. Not sure about everyone else.

The kit will have sail material and a full set of sail plans for those mad enough to add them, and I suppose you can't add the sails without adding the flags, too..

[Jaxboat]

Chris,

Love the idea of the flags. Especially, the famous Trafalgar signal hoist  . 

 

Sails? Meh! Of course, why would you have a signal hoist bent on if the ship wasn't moving  ? It just so difficult to make the sails look authentic. Any thoughts in that area?

Best

Jaxboat

[Padeen]

Chris,

I also vote for the flag set and sail plans, being one of these mad modellers wanting a fully rigged model! 

[chris watton]

All of the new kits (after Pegasus, I think) have sail material and plans. Sails aren't really my thing, so I cannot give any real pointers on how make them look authentic, have only ever added sails on a customer's request - a Krick Alert, Gorch Fock and a Japanese sail training ship - and that's it!

 

I have seen the signal flags on the Victory at Portsmouth, without sails, so it should work with the model, perhaps...

[st george]

I like options, so the inclusion of flags and sails gets my vote.

[Kevin]

lol - never mind the sails - i have set aside 200 hours for them, but im realy struggling to fit the rudder - what a pain - how can one piece of wood some cooper tiles some silly hinges and the pintles take so long to get right, lol but what a great result for the cricket

 

and yes to the flag ?

Edited July 14, 2013 by Kevin

[hollowneck]

Chris,

 

I would recommend including a set of flags with the kit, but not sails. I have always included flags (and pennants) with my models. I think they are a nice "finishing touch." For those who would want to make sails, a plan set included with the kit would be nice. If the interest is high, Amati can always make a full suit of actual cut sails available as an option.

 

Assuming you drive the completed Vic to Italy this Fall, I understand your job is basically done. I get that you can't accurately guess on how long it will take to put this model into production - however.... can you (please) tell us how long it took Amati to get the Vanguard (or the Pegasus) into kit boxes?

 

Ron

[flyer]

Hi Chris

Your Victory will be a marvelous work of art.

Concerning sails - I prefer to have some on a sailing (!) ship. Out of laziness I showed them furled on my last 2 builds (and will do the same on Pegasus). Therefore I appreciate any help with the sails included in the kit.

I was wondering about the coppering on your Victory. Believing that the point of those left and right copper plates was to put them on overlapping (where the ‘missing’ line of nails would be covered by the next plate, creating a regular nail pattern over the whole area) I now get the impression that you put them on side by side. Perhaps you can help me with some questions:

• Were they plates actually put on overlapping on the prototypes?
• Wouldn’t it be easier (and perhaps cheaper) to make just one sort of plates, where the overlapping part covers the nails of the plate below? Excellent as they are this wouldn’t be a problem with the nail heads to be covered.
• And what’s the point of left and right plates if you put them on side by side? You create a nail pattern were plates seem not properly attached on 2 sides.?

Thank you for clarification.

 

Take care

Peter