Merchant sailing brig 20 Feet to 1 inch

Another "damp squib" as far as ship model builders are concerned. No interest displayed in this model at the local ship model society. But a local collector has reserved it, pending visual inspection!
 
Thanks,
I have stopped doing build logs as they are now reserved for my downloads. But I have nothing planned, as most of my enthusiasm has gone. The local collector will be inspecting the above model tomorrow, but as he already has a number of my models, I am sure he will want this one. It might have been different if I had been building warships, but model shipbuilding forums have very little interest in models of trading ships. My Facebook group now has 1,479 members, many of who are very active building merchant ship models, and I am pleased to encourage them although I have not put any build logs on recently. It is a pleasant change for me to be able to see what others are doing in this field. I did advertise SOS on it a few days ago, but there was no interest shown.
 
Nothing planned - When I took it to a model meeting today, the buyer who I had arranged to meet there was aboslutely delighted with it, and the man next to him looked very closely at it, but with the rest of them, there was not even a flicker of interest! It is the 277th that I have completed since I started counting in October 1992. But this type of model has long-since been superseded by kits and nothing is ever going to change now. This has created a demand for them from collectors that would overwhelm me if I took them on, and conseqently, I grow weary of it all.
 
shipbuilder said:
Nothing planned - When I took it to a model meeting today, the buyer who I had arranged to meet there was aboslutely delighted with it, and the man next to him looked very closely at it, but with the rest of them, there was not even a flicker of interest! It is the 277th that I have completed since I started counting in October 1992. But this type of model has long-since been superseded by kits and nothing is ever going to change now. This has created a demand for them from collectors that would overwhelm me if I took them on, and conseqently, I grow weary of it all.
Click to expand...
She's a beautiful little brig Robert. As I've said many times before... your work is wonderful and the subjects are IMV the best.
Sometimes I too get discouraged by folks who show no interest...not even, *Oh my gosh you created this*..just a plain faced uninterested look. Now I'm not so hypersensitive that I need folks approval, but it is become very clear that cargo carriers(sail, as far as I'm concerned), just don't excite viewers like war vessels.
I have used many of your techniques from your book & CD...so you are very welcome in my shipyard.

Just love your work.

Rob
 
Thanks Rob,
It is not exactly that I am disillusioned as much as I feel that I am in the wrong place amongst those who prefer building and reading about warships, mainly of Naopleonic times I just don't find their histories very interesting - drills, drills and more drills, heavy discipline followed by spells of active service where the main aim is to blow each other to pieces, As you will be aware, my Facebook group now has 1,545 members, many of whom are very active, and it gives me great pleasure to see what others are building in the way of merchant ships both sail and steam. The downloads remain very popular, and anything I build is snapped up immediately. This makes the hobby self-financing, but again, I am uncomfortably aware that many consider me to be very mercenary in this respect, classing me as one who "knows the cost of everything, and the value of nothing!" Having just read an ancient novel written in the USA over 100 years ago, by Charles Clark Munn, I think his final comment on life just about sums up my present feelings accurately:
Life at best is but an enigma, and like children pursuing a "Will O' The Wisp,"so do we all pursue the illusive beacon light of a brighter and happier to-morrow - always hoping, never attaining, though striving ever until, wearied of the vain pursuit, at last we fall by the wayside and are forgotten.
Charles Clark Munn (1847 - 1917)
Bob
PS - I went off to sea 58 years ago today, 3rd May, 1961. :)
 
Don't lose heart Robert. I've followed your models for some time now and I think they are exquisite! And then remembering that everything one sees on your models is scratch-built. My other hobby is model railways and there there is a huge ongoing discussion as to whether the art of kit or scratch-building is on the way out. Most people in this day and age want a here-and-now result; hence the huge Ready-to-run market - and it seems to be growing. At least in model ship building there are no RTR models; it's either kits or scratch-building and long may this last. Like you, I build miniature models and derive great pleasure from them plus the added delight of solving problems. There's no popping down to the local model shop to buy that little detail - you have to get your thinking cap on and find a solution!. Keep it up Robert, you have more fans and admirers than you know.
William (Denmark)
 
Thanks William,
Afraid it is all out of my hands now. On September 3rd, I am to undergo quite complicated eye surgery that will take about 100 minutes to complete, and after that, who knows what the result will be. This is made all the more difficult because at present, I have no symptoms, and can see very well. It is to reduce the pressure in order to prevent me getting glaucoma, that I do not have at present. I was going to announce this closer to the time, but it may as well be now. But model shipbuilding will certainly be out for quite a long time even with the best outcome!
Best wishes Robert
 
Dear Robert, First and foremost I'm very sorry to hear of your eye affliction and I sincerely hope the forthcoming operation will be completely succesful. Your modelling has been instrumental in my starting modelling ships in a, more or less, miniature scale. At the moment I'm building a 'generic' American harbour tug, the plans of which I found in the magazine 'Model Boats' last year. It had been reduced to an A4 sheet which makes it roughly 1:100. It's great fun bulding and forming the hull and then I've rather fancifully plated it with 'plates' of computer paper. Not sure actually how they were built. Also made a nice propeller out of brass sheet and, at the moment, getting ready to turn 14 port holes and a funnel on my trusty Cowells lathe. So, as you say:, scratch building is both fun and challenging. I hope to send a few pictures of my efforts but am not too clever at doing this.
Do keep us updated on the results of your operation Robert and we all wish you a speedy recovery.
William
 
All the best for the eye surgery. I really hope you can make a swift recovery and get back to doing the things you enjoy most.
 
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