Aginvicta

A great looking ship and well presented

I am no expert in Nautical matters but I would think it is better for a ship to be anchored only at the bow so it could swing round with the current, if it was anchored front and back there must be a danger it could be side on to the current and the wind. Those small boats certainly look much better now Beefy. I like the covering you have put on one of them, just needs some rope over to tie it down. Andy

I've found a couple of things that may be of interest, http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports2002/20731.asp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faiXF7jSxBE Andy

Happy Birthday by the way Andy

The shape of the centre chain looks the most realistic to me if you could twist each link a bit more. The r/hand one looks way oversize and the left one's links don't look right, but if they were all painted the same colour it would be easier to judge. Andy

The decals really bring it to life. You have done a great job getting them fitted. I imagine they must have been a pain to fit when they were new as well. Blue Peter once tried to swim the Channel with a boys club from South London, how about a tribute to the late great John Noakes, him and Peter Purves in a small boat with the film crew and Val Singleton making tea. Although if I remember correctly John got seasick and didn't do any swimming. Andy

You'll need a double garage if you're going to add the Atlantic in to this. Andy

If you intend leaving it in your garage you might as well go the whole hog and model the whole of that part of the Channel. Airfix used to do a Cross Channel ferry model, a couple of those steaming past, a couple of Oil Tankers and Freighters and the Jet Foil that ran between Dover and Ostend. Oh and don't forget the White Cliffs of Dover as well. I have a few photos I took last time I was up on the White Cliffs a couple of years ago if you need any help. Don't you just love these quick weekend builds. Andy

This is looking really good Beefy. Peter Hall's etch is really good to work with and well detailed. I have been looking at pictures of the Goodwin Sands but I can't find any showing the lightship in relation to the sands. There is a good picture of a SRN4 hovercraft crossing the sands at low tide. I'm not sure if they are the same scale but if you got an Airfix SRN4 hovercraft it would look good passing by over the sand. It would need to be the Ramsgate (Pegwell Bay) to Calais service, the Dover to Calais service would not have gone passed the sands. Just a thought. Andy

Beefy, you will also have to make a scoreboard for the cricket match. It was probably propped up against the cabin area. Nothing too fancy like a test match scoreboard, but would have run total, number of wickets down and current batsmens scores. The Scorer would must likely have sat up on the balcony by the main light, would have got a good view of the game from there. You need to have a table by the boundary rope which would have the things for the Tea Interval, cucumber sandwiches cut into triangles with crusts removed, at least 2 different types of sponge cake, a Teapot large enough to float a battleship in, and at least 24 teacups. Nothing fancy probably Royal Doulton with hand painted periwinkles. Andy

I am trying to remember what type and colour badges the Venture Scouts wore on their uniforms. I know the colour of the Woggles we wore on our kneckerchiefs usually depended on which Six we were in when we were Cubs. I was in Yellow Six and had a yellow Woggle. Our Kneckerchiefs were one half purple, the half green. I have absolutely no idea what colour the crew from the lightship would have worn, maybe red with a big white hat to represent the light on their ship Andy

The railings look really good, you are certainly getting the hang of P.E. I don't have any photos of the canoes. If you Google 1970's single seat Kayaks you'll get the idea. Andy

That looks so much better. The contents of the carton are a favourite of mine as well. Andy

You are probably right not to bother with a working light, you are going to be busy making the ship crew's rowing boat and 11 canoes for the Scouts. They were as far as I can remember all yellow. The Venture Scouts used to make the canoes and sell them to raise funds for the troop, as well as the quarterly Jumble sale, when we had to spend a Friday evening going round collecting Jumble, or more accurately other people's unwanted junk, Andy

It's looking good Beefy. Does the P.E. include parts to make up the rotating light assembly? Andy