Chuck Stewart
Norton Shores, Michigan
“The Slow Boat to China” is what Chuck calls his rendition of the Meng 1/150 scale kit called “The Crossing: Taiping Chinese Steamer.” Wiring it for lights was a construction challenge for Chuck, who spent a good deal of time sealing bulkheads, decks, and the hull to prevent illumination leakage. Passenger and crew are an assortment of Scenic Woodlands and Model Power N scale figures. Chuck painted with Tamiya spray cans, Floquil enamels, and Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, and used a Tamiya acrylic brown wash over gray primer to depict weathered wood for the decks. He says, “The kit was a bear. First time I’ve ever taken a cordless drill to a model (so I could fit the deck to the hull).
“Despite the build frustrations, I think it looks cool. The Meng kit apparently doesn’t really represent the real ship, so I decided to have fun with it. It really is the slow boat to China. You will see several safety concerns: unsecured cargo on the deck, lifeboat oars not stowed, and only four lifeboats! And, yes, that is an aging Rose from the Titanic on the bow yelling, ‘I’m queen of the world!’ Some people never learn.”