My Models
|
|
|
|
Here are some of the models that I have built so far. My main interest is static display ships, either from a plastic kit or build from scratch.
These models, naturally, are normally displayed in
beautiful display cases by DeeCeeKay!
|
|
|
| The USS Constitution, scale 1:150, was my first attempt. This Revell kit was on sale for such a ridiculously low price, that I could not let it go! It almost did not get finished as frustration levels had reached saturation point. But it is amazing what forgetting about it for a while can do for the motivation. Eventually
this model was donated to a charity auction
where it raised A$500 for an eye clinic in
India.
The USS Constitution is preserved in Boston USA. |
 |
|
|
|
 |
My second attempt was the Royal Ship Wasa,
Airfix scale 1:144, motivated by my Swedish heritage and having seen the salvaged hull in Stockholm.
Built by Dutch shipwrights but altered by the Swedish king, she was destined for disaster. Here she is displayed in full sail, which is somewhat rare as the she only sailed 1300 m in her lifetime! I was hoping to get away with not painting the brown plastic hull brown, but the
end result is rather poor. I am contemplating turning it into a waterline model with a seascape to replace most of the unpainted hull. The jury is still out on this. |
|
|
|
| The HMS Victory, scale 1:180, is an old Airfix favourite of many modellers and as a birthday present from the in-laws, a
"must finish" project. At this scale it was a hard slog for my big fingers and diminishing eyesight, but we got there in the end. Two more long boats have been added to the standard kit and blocks have been incorporated into the rigging.
HMS Victory still takes a prominent place in naval life in Portsmouth UK. |
 |
|
|
|
 |
As if scale 1:180 was not bad enough, I also made this model of IJN Yamato, scale 1:250, from an old Otaki kit picked up at a garage sale in the neighbourhood. Several parts were missing and some assembly had taken place.
As the manufacturer had gone bankrupt, improvisation was the key word. The main mast, stern crane/radio mast and the
sea-planes were missing. Some of the guns and propellers needed repairing but eventually it all came together.
Those of you who would like to visit this ship better bring their bathers
(swimsuits) as it lies in approx. 300 m of water off the coast of Guam. |
|
|
|
| Yes George, this is the little
resin Gulfstream Collection, scale 1:90 model of
a PT boat, you so
kindly sent over all those years ago. I
got the hang of working with the resin
eventually but it was the photo etched parts
that were the real headache. After long
sabbaticals from modelling and intensive
counseling sessions the doctor says that I will
be OK, eventually. Only joking George, it
was all good fun, if not a steep learning curve, |
 |
|
|
|
 |
The Thermopylea was a second
hand Revell scale 1:70 kit I picked up at
the Model EXPO in Adelaide. and was a
project that took several years. Fear of
rigging was amongst the reasons for the
delay. When I spotted a spider taking up
residence in the vauxhall, I thought I better
bite the bullet and get on with it. As
with all these things , it wasn't all that bad
once you worked out what went where and
how. The wreck of the Thermopylea has been
found 300- 400 miles of the coast of Portugal,
where it sank after the Portuguese Navy used it
for gunnery practice in the early 1900s.
How very sad. |
|
|
|
