- Joined
- Aug 14, 2018
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- 519
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- 353
![](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/styles/default/xenforo/ranks/06chiefpettyofficer.png)
A girl I once knew, while sitting an entrance exam for a teaching college answered the question, ‘do you have any problems making decisions?’ She answered first, yes, then scored that out and wrote no. I felt a bit like that trying to decide what to build next. I was looking for something different, but likewise I really enjoy wooden sailing ships.
However, the decision was made when I read the book,’ British Naval Trawlers and drifters in two world wars’, my first thought was to build from plans with a scratch-built hull, then out of the blue I saw an ad. In our local ‘Gum Tree’ for the Calder Craft model. A quick bit of research told me this was a very old kit dating back to the 1970,s and was designed more for radio control than a static build i.e., more detailed modelling, ‘oh dear’. But I went and took a look, turned out the chap had bought it for his ten-year-old son thinking it was the finished article and ready to sail! He took one look inside the box and that was that. So, it was mine at a very heavily discounted price,(less than half rrp). The said box by the way is huge and the kit, although very old-fashioned, looked as if it was recently of the production line, I had feared something that had been laying around for years, not so.
What did I get for my money? Well certainly not a state of art computer designed model like those so brilliantly being produced in China these days. Laser cut? Nope, back then the only laser I had heard of was the one aimed at 007’s goody bag, ‘You want me to talk Goldfinger?- No I want you to die Mr. Bond!’ As for 3D well that bought you a bag of crisps. What you do get is a quite nice-looking grp moulded hull that will need a lot of work to look realistic, but not impossible. A whole load of printed plywood, some brass rods, dowels, and a piece that looks like part of bathroom plumbing! There is also a huge bag of white metal fittings which look really good, for white metal that is, last and least of all a vacuum formed ship’s boat, funnel and life raft, hummm. A set of plans and an instruction book complete the deal.
Seriously, yes it is all ‘old school’ but it looks great for the time, and I cannot wait to get started. Oh, near forgot, the instruction booklet mentions an article in the Dec. 1983 Model Boats mag. about Round Table trawlers, so I bought a job lot of the mags of eBay for a fiver and had a laugh. December 1983, one month until 1984. I remember reading Orwell’s book at school and thinking it would be years ‘till then! Where did they go?
Here are some pics. of the Grand Départ.
![IMG_20231027_101459.jpg IMG_20231027_101459.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387109-0698124e77f925de9a5ddce0a56a46ad.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_101512.jpg IMG_20231027_101512.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387110-8cdee2346b9d9b3183597f35ffa31975.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_101822.jpg IMG_20231027_101822.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387112-9077fe84f4963964f83f47ce6bf9e55e.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102435.jpg IMG_20231027_102435.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387113-3adfecb41d807930c6396876c5171db6.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102441.jpg IMG_20231027_102441.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387114-0d9f64324768557ab6c23c3962baa748.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102447.jpg IMG_20231027_102447.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387115-f689ff0839a310ac16e1cbb2e612dcbd.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102504.jpg IMG_20231027_102504.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387116-22ae48dc20adaff9b7862c757a4a4992.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_104120.jpg IMG_20231027_104120.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387117-66f902fbb6110b1972ba3ebcfa887f1c.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_104104.jpg IMG_20231027_104104.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387118-cb328344d15cc220eefe1625535d4f26.jpg)
Cant wait to get started Cheers JJ..
![IMG_20231027_101443.jpg IMG_20231027_101443.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387111-17de5fa8ba0901562b56dd8177317b0b.jpg)
However, the decision was made when I read the book,’ British Naval Trawlers and drifters in two world wars’, my first thought was to build from plans with a scratch-built hull, then out of the blue I saw an ad. In our local ‘Gum Tree’ for the Calder Craft model. A quick bit of research told me this was a very old kit dating back to the 1970,s and was designed more for radio control than a static build i.e., more detailed modelling, ‘oh dear’. But I went and took a look, turned out the chap had bought it for his ten-year-old son thinking it was the finished article and ready to sail! He took one look inside the box and that was that. So, it was mine at a very heavily discounted price,(less than half rrp). The said box by the way is huge and the kit, although very old-fashioned, looked as if it was recently of the production line, I had feared something that had been laying around for years, not so.
What did I get for my money? Well certainly not a state of art computer designed model like those so brilliantly being produced in China these days. Laser cut? Nope, back then the only laser I had heard of was the one aimed at 007’s goody bag, ‘You want me to talk Goldfinger?- No I want you to die Mr. Bond!’ As for 3D well that bought you a bag of crisps. What you do get is a quite nice-looking grp moulded hull that will need a lot of work to look realistic, but not impossible. A whole load of printed plywood, some brass rods, dowels, and a piece that looks like part of bathroom plumbing! There is also a huge bag of white metal fittings which look really good, for white metal that is, last and least of all a vacuum formed ship’s boat, funnel and life raft, hummm. A set of plans and an instruction book complete the deal.
Seriously, yes it is all ‘old school’ but it looks great for the time, and I cannot wait to get started. Oh, near forgot, the instruction booklet mentions an article in the Dec. 1983 Model Boats mag. about Round Table trawlers, so I bought a job lot of the mags of eBay for a fiver and had a laugh. December 1983, one month until 1984. I remember reading Orwell’s book at school and thinking it would be years ‘till then! Where did they go?
Here are some pics. of the Grand Départ.
![IMG_20231027_101459.jpg IMG_20231027_101459.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387109-0698124e77f925de9a5ddce0a56a46ad.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_101512.jpg IMG_20231027_101512.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387110-8cdee2346b9d9b3183597f35ffa31975.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_101822.jpg IMG_20231027_101822.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387112-9077fe84f4963964f83f47ce6bf9e55e.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102435.jpg IMG_20231027_102435.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387113-3adfecb41d807930c6396876c5171db6.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102441.jpg IMG_20231027_102441.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387114-0d9f64324768557ab6c23c3962baa748.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102447.jpg IMG_20231027_102447.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387115-f689ff0839a310ac16e1cbb2e612dcbd.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_102504.jpg IMG_20231027_102504.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387116-22ae48dc20adaff9b7862c757a4a4992.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_104120.jpg IMG_20231027_104120.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387117-66f902fbb6110b1972ba3ebcfa887f1c.jpg)
![IMG_20231027_104104.jpg IMG_20231027_104104.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387118-cb328344d15cc220eefe1625535d4f26.jpg)
Cant wait to get started Cheers JJ..
![IMG_20231027_101443.jpg IMG_20231027_101443.jpg](https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/data/attachments/387/387111-17de5fa8ba0901562b56dd8177317b0b.jpg)