Sea Quest

Thanks Patrick. It was a kit worthy of placing up a notch, especially with all the detail it carried.

After viewing other builder versions of the vintage HMS Prince, I was apprehensive to not feature mine on the forum. However, after much soul-searching, I decided to give this a 'go'. Only because I place the Airfix line of sailing ships in high regard relative to quality. The engineers of those times had a great vision to introduce these kits to us in the 1960s. It took 41 years for me to evaluate and study them relative to modification. Meaning, to take what was already created and add better detail to the 'forerunner'. To this end, I present these images of the current PRINCE which has taken three months to build, being that it's been modified with wood, paper, metal and various linens. I raise my glass to Airfix for my creating "The Airfix Trilogy" which comprise of three sailing ships, re: ROYAL SOVEREIGN, WASA, and HMS PRINCE. Thanks for viewing!

Of recent times I've witnessed an upswing of builders searching and bidding frantically for Airfix sailing ship kits that are no longer in production. This current activity denotes that the passion has returned. I, being one of the candidates. For nearly four decades, aside from my scratchbuilding assignments, I've always wanted to establish a unique line of models that reflected the Airfix tradition of fine sailing ships. I had lost the first models after 1980, but always had them on my mind -wondering if I would ever get them back again. And then the internet became a reality. Three years ago I was gifted two Airfix models of Royal Sovereign and Wasa which I faithfully built with the established skills I developed. I featured both on this forum. However, I wanted to pursue Saint Louis and HMS Prince to rekindle my early years as a hobbyist turned professional. After creating the prior two, I searched for months and found that these were taken immediately in global bids...until recently. Last winter I received the Prince and became a child again -full of excitement. Here, I present several work in progress images of this current build to show how great a model it is -to highlight the painstaking research those designers put into this kit of those times. Prince is another 'winner' and I hope other builders will eventually remove it from their boxes, build and enjoy the model as I am doing today! I present these current images in the hopes of completing the build in a few months...Thanks for viewing.

Patrick: The sails are finished with aged bond paper which gives a more realistic look to this scale. Cloth sails would ruin it and tissue is fine, but bond paper tend to give a better quality to models up to 1:96 scale.

Thanks... The rigging was tough with this one; but overall, I'm satisfied. The real challenge was making the miniature blocks. Without them the rigging would not be as good.

Hello: I duly understand your situation relative to having your kits built. These are mementos of our youth and can be appreciated as such. But then they can also be heirlooms if built properly (in detail). I have done such for past clients -globally. If you are still interested in having them built, I can oblige since I've also have experience in restoration work. Fairwinds, sir.