I Wonder What high Pressure would do for us .

CapnMac82

A skipjack in 1/48; a hoy in 1/32, perhaps cutters in 1/72 or even larger.  Tow boats, pilot boats, fishing craft--how about a Buoy Tender?

 

I'd buy them all!  Doesn't Midwest offer a Skipjack in their wooden kits?  I have built several of their smaller craft- pretty easy to build, no spiling.  Planks are all die-cut.

CapnMac82

A skipjack in 1/48; a hoy in 1/32, perhaps cutters in 1/72 or even larger.  Tow boats, pilot boats, fishing craft--how about a Buoy Tender?

Larger scale, simpler rigging, big but not too big--interesting subjects to engage the interests of modelers.  Not drive them off to cottage and aftermarket sources.

A 1/48 Hoy would be about a14" hull.  One mast and a top mast; gaff, boom, and maybe a topsail yard.  Less than an whole extra sprue would allow making into an Anchor Hoy.  A Water Hoy would just need barrels.  A Ballast Hoy would just need a derrick and a clamshell.  A Gun Hoy would need tie-down bolts for the gun carriages.

A cutter would be similar--used by just about everyone in the Leeward Isles--you could legitimately claim one was Dutch, another British, and even American, and only change the box art a bit.

A brig hull could be easily repurposed as a Snow; or a Brigantine.  Design the bulwarks right and the kit manufacturer could offer a mercahntman or an armed version.  Just a few changes and a Bomb sloop/brig would not be a stretch.

Just how many 1/48 U-Boats are going to bought, let alone built?  And we can't even get a brig or a hoy.

 

Jim (Nino),

In fact, I have written many times to Airfix for a 1/144 - 1/150 HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake.  Indeed, I have also recommended their own line of  the "ships of Nelson", or a Napoleonic Wars series to a standard scale.  Alas, I'm sorry to say that they are rather narrowly focused only on airplanes.

Bill

Nino

A "hoy" CapnMac82!

Well, I will admit to a facsination with their bluff lines, shoal drafts, flush decks and simple huge gaff sails.  The hull form could be made into a lighter by just adding a couple unstayed masts for lug sails.

And, I have to disagree, Brigs would be an excellent wat for the manufacturers to revitalize sailing ship kits.  They were the costal defense vessels.  They were privateers.  They were the actual "big" pirate ships.  The champions of Lakes Eroe and Champlain (both sides, in two wars).  Compact hulls with simple rigging.

We have every variant of German armor, even to "paper" versions--yet not a generic Brig.

As the late Dr. Tilley used to say, “Revell USA has been been out of the plastic sailing ship business for far longer that they were in it.”  

When was the last new mold released- 1969?

As much as I wish it were otherwise, creating new plastic sailing ship kits is a poor investment. The reality is that most sailing ship enthusiasts build in wood- and many look down on the plastic as inferior. 

Tanker - Builder

Aw , Cmon Stik !

 I know at least a few states full of shipmodelers . How do you suppose the R.C. and niche mfgrs of R.C. Sized kits stay in business . I still don't have as much wrapped up in an 1/72 scale Corvette from W.W.2 as I would have in the Normandie .. At least I can sail the Corvette . All I could do is look at the Normandie .

 Think about this too .There is an old company , granted a small one that has been in business for over 100 years ( Bluejacket Shipcrafters ) and they constantly release new stuff .Yes , Stik , I am serious . There is a market , and based on my research , it would grow exponentially if the product was out there .

I am a member of three clubs here in the Boston area.  One is an IPMS Club-  we have one Nationals-winning ship builder (WW2 warships) and a couple of other guys who build the occasional ship. In the last ten years, I have seen 3 sailing ships brought in-  my 1957 Revell Flying Cloud, and two small scratch built wood schooners built by a guy taking a ship-in-bottle class.

I am in an RC scale boat club. Scale RC is a niche hobby here in the states. There are few US kits available (Dumas), most are from Europe.  There are a lot of fiberglass hulls available, so we do a lot of scratch building. The RC scale boat suppliers here are struggling....

 I am also a member of a static ship modeling club.  The 30 guys there build wood ship models. Three of us from my IPMS club are also members (WW2 guy, bottle guy, and me.)They are welcoming, but WW2 plastic guy and RC guy are not mainstream.

CapnMac82

 

 

Nino:

A "hoy" CapnMac82!                                                                                                     

      The "Brig" and Mortar shops are almost gone due to lack of interest. I don’t go to mine for model ships since the selection is only Arizona, PT-109, and Titanic.   We have some real problems now with Toys-R-Us going away and the sad news of Hobbico. (Who knows what will happen to their assests.)

 

 

 

Well, I will admit to a facsination with their bluff lines, shoal drafts, flush decks and simple huge gaff sails.  The hull form could be made into a lighter by just adding a couple unstayed masts for lug sails.

And, I have to disagree, Brigs would be an excellent way for the manufacturers to revitalize sailing ship kits.  They were the costal defense vessels.  They were privateers.  They were the actual "big" pirate ships.  The champions of Lakes Erie and Champlain (both sides, in two wars).  Compact hulls with simple rigging.

We have every variant of German armor, even to "paper" versions--yet not a generic Brig.

 

Ahoy again, and well put Sir.

   Hey, I like my Pzkfw V in models F and  G, and my B-17's too. Maybe they'll make a Yamato in Fand G.

          I actually would like a nice 2-masted Brig model.  The hull form could be used, as you mentioned, for a plethora of various identities maybe even the USS Niagara. Nothing like a good War of 1812 Movie with Oliver Perry and his "subordinate" in the Brig Niagara.  What a good story it would make: The Hero of Lake Erie!   Big Battles, Big Drama, and a Big History lesson. It would sell model ships.  It could bring manufacturers & LHS's to profitability. I can dream.

     I can't recall any plastic model company making a model of a Brig other than Pyro (and Life-like, & Lindberg).  It had too wide a stern but at least it floated well in a bathtub.

  Thanks Capnmac82. I continue to learn from you and all the other Forum members.

     An extra idea...For all you Active duty Sailors who build model ships, would you consider writing?  What if Active duty members wrote in to some manufacturers?  Nothing like a letter postmarked from a Naval base to garner attention in a good way.

         Jim.

P.S.  Okay, I know, the Niagara was a Snow Brig with less draft for working in shoal water so maybe not a Hull for a Caribbean Pirate ship.  I think Revells' Viking ship came out in 1977, 40+ years ago. Revell Germany did the Batavia released around 1996 and their Vasa came out in 2011. At least they are trying... every decade and a half or so.

ejhammer

Midwest doesn't even have any boat kits anymore except a kayak, listed on the website.

 

That is a shame!  They were very nice kits, a booklet of instructions with photos.  I always recommended them to friends who wanted to try a wooden ship model.

E.J. 

 There was a company a year or so back . Called B.a.D. Shipmodels .Most were 1/96 and of modern American naval vessels from the W.W.-2 period .These were improved upon when My friend owned the company . He found out like many , If there is a market for R.C. it is a Niche market .

 Most of the B.a.D. line were static built by the buyers .The " Wisconsin " at the Nauticus Museum is a joint project between my friend ( the owner ) and Myself .

 can you say 17 ft.long ? He bought the company from somebody I believe , in New York ?