ColonelKrypton

And, a craftsman essential tool - ruff - sandpaper. cheers,

I discovered that by spending far less time online, posting less, poking around forums (etc) that I felt less stressed about building and sharing and have become more productive and the simple pleasure of being in the workshop working with my hands and mind has returned. Posting a lot of WIP works for some but not for others. I have always thought that you tended jump between the two extremes of a lot and very little. It now seems as though you may have now found a suitable middle ground in which you will find more pleasure. I must do a bit of research on paddle wheel naval vessels. Heretofore I have never given any thought to such vessels. When I think of paddle wheels vessels I tend to think of the paddlewheel steamers which plied the Mississippi and other parts of the Great Lakes in the 1800's in the grandiose version of Hollywood's best Wild West floating Casino's. I do so enjoy every installment of the Bertie Builds a Boat and always looking forward to the next. cheers, Graham

Indeed, brilliant. Very creative in a Steampunk/Gundam/Manga/(insert your own ... ) sort of way. cheers, Graham

These pieces look very nice. Have a great New Year. cheers, Graham

Good Christmas Eve afternoon. Too soon we get old, too late we get smart. It took me a long time to learn to slow down. I still occasionally get caught up in the "finish what you started, rush to get it done before you start something else, (etc)" mentality. It is what we were taught and not so easy to change. I didn't get the chance to visit the local model emporium to dig through their bargain bin for a suitable gem so I am off to dig through my "stash" to see if I might find something suitable for the Blitzenbuild. Seasons best wishes all around. cheers, Graham

Learn something new everyday. I had, until just now, not stumbled across the term general purpose polystyrene which sent me off to do bit of breakfast time reading. https://www.amcopolymers.com/resources/blog/polystyrene-whats-the-difference-between-hips-and-gpps Now I have a bit better understanding of GPPS (General Purpose Polystyrene ), HIPS (high impact polystyrene), SAN ( Styrene Acrylonitrile Copolymer ) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Resin), the later two related to this topic and for the curious wishing a bit more detail https://www.toyo-eng.com/jp/en/products/petrochmical/ps/pdf/feature_en.pdf All in all, gives me a bit better appreciation for the materials found in our model kits and raw material for scratchbuilding. That you do rather well. You have mastered the material well. cheers, Graham

As well you should. Very, very nicely done and the pictures too; well lit and tightly cropped so as to show that wonderful detail. For some reason I liked the whaleboat build more than the other larger vessels. It suddenly dawned me when I realized it is that the whaleboat being much smaller is far more personal, a small vessel where every man had a place and purpose, dependent on each other working together as a well oiled machine. The whaleboat evokes much larger thoughts of individual adventure. The larger vessels, while interesting in their own right are far less personable where one man is but a small cog in a much larger machine. You have probably already seen these postings on youtube for Tom Lauria's ship models and his whaleboat in particular. I just happened to stumble across these the other day as you were nearing the finish. https://www.youtube.com/@shipmodelguy/videos cheers, Graham

Tedious perhaps but it does look good. Resin wood? Looks OK in the operatic style. cheers, Graham

Yes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Alert_(1856) According to wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Alert there have been 16 ships of the Royal Navy bearing the name Alert. Number 11 was the one after which Alert Nunavut (formerly Northwest Territories) was named having wintered nearby in Cape Sheridan 10km East in the winter of 1875 - 1876. I was not a ship reliant on only sail as it also had a single screw driven by a steam engine of 383hp. I have spent some time exploring and working around Ellesmere Island. Such a remote and seemingly desolate place teaming with wildlife and history. Fascinating. cheers, Graham

Indeed, on both counts. Of that we can be reasonably certain as you have always shown to have a "Never give up, never surrender!" manner. Casting aside a frustrating build of of a kit that is slowly sucking away at your soul is not giving up or surrendering, merely grasping firmly ahold of the present circumstance and taking those measures that will allow you to continue onwards towards infinity. I as many others here suffer the same fact of life of just getting older. Some to a greater degree than others, some less. I hope not. I hope that in spite of aches and pains and changing eye sight I will be able to find some path to follow. It may not be the path to perfection that I have always been seeking but it will at least be a comfortable path that some level of pleasure. Hmmm, HM Alert. There were a number of British ships named Alert, one of which figures into Arctic exploration in the high Northern reaches of Canada. There is a place on the Northern tip of Ellesmere Island about 450 nm from the North Pole called Alert for a different vessel than the one you intend to render as a miniature. cheers, Graham

I think so. The clear yellow and orange can create a nice spar varnish like finish - light or dark depending on the effect you are looking for. Mix to effect of course and a touch of red can also help. Incidentally the Mr Hobby / Mr color line of paints also have the clear yellow, red (etc) as does the Tamiya enamel range for those who prefer enamels, although I don't know how common the enamels are in the UK. cheers, Graham

Acccckkkk! I did indeed. Don't you just hate tinger frouble? I had copy paste "Jerry Pournelle's" name from your posting but overwrote it with something else Should have been "If you are a fan of Jerry Pournelle" cheers, Graham

If you are a fan of https://www.amazon.ca/Grizzly-H5604-Center-Square-2-Inch/dp/B00012YCU6/ do search for his Iron Law of Bureaucracy. You may find it interesting. cheers, Graham

Very, very nice. Another masterpiece of scratchbuilding. It certainly was small and the crew compartment doubly so. Not something I would like to ride into battle in. cheers, Graham

Bread that wasn't mouldy cheers, Graham

HIPS - High Impact PolyStyrene. Everygreen styrene and HIPS are the same thing. Polystyrene can be found in a variety grades, some softer, some more firm; Evergreen seems to be quite consistent overall and is found almost universally throughout the world. Incidentially, styrene ( cas no. 100-42-5 ) is an organic solvent and is a colourless oily liquid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene Polystyrene is what our kits are made of but we tend to just say styrene and most know what is meant. cheers, Graham

Very, very nice. cheers, Graham

Very nice. Many layers of interesting detail that draws the viewer in. Not perfect but certainly excellent. Something to be proud of. cheers, Graham

Indeed it is so much so that your post had me scurrying off to do a bit more reading. What seems such a simple task can be anything but. I do like your fitting one anchor catted, fished, and belayed and the catted and swinging in the breeze. It is those small details that adds much visual interest to a model. cheers, Graham

I do so enjoy your near tome like nautical writings; I have learned much and continue to do so. However your list of terms is missing one very important entry, that most basic of Pirate speak - Arrrrrr! cheers, Graham

As do I. Not enough group builds specifically aimed at Great War subjects. Please do pitch it again for 2025, count me in. cheers, Graham

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." is a fairly common inspirational quote which I will leave up to the reader to discover by whom. The trying, the chase, embracing the journey always has the highest value. Why climb mountains or swim the channel if not for the challenge? Deal. cheers, Graham

I have noticed the same. Temperature as well, my hands are worse when they get cold but a bit of warming quickly helps. I have several fingers where the large joint in the center can "lock up" requiring a bit of massage and warmth to return them to normal. Some days it is hard to hold a hammer or hatchet for long or even operate a screw driver. C'est la vie. It has been cloudy, chilly and damp here. A bit below seasonal norms plus a wee bit of snow; it is November after all. cheers, Graham

I hear you. I have to pick and choose when and what I fuss with in the workshop for the same reasons. Gives me reason to do something different those days. cheers, Graham

yes, and there also seems to be a lot of overlap of a subject matter in a number group builds, for example the Tiger STGB overlaps with the "All Creatures Great and Small". I think it is expected that will likely be some overlap but this year it just seems that there is more than usual. cheers, Graham