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A little while ago I received a commission to build a model of a Thames river launch the ELIDER, the model itself came in kit form from one of the well-known manufacturers. Once I had spoken with the customer regarding the model work could begin, the first job as always was to go through the build instructions and study the parts lists etc. It must be said that the instructions were far from straight forward to understand as is the case with most instructions that have been translated from another language. So, I decided to use my own expertise and experience to carry out the build, the first task was to construct the frames etc followed by the hull planking this was straight forward enough and, in the end, turned out very well. With the hull now planked the work moved onto the hull interior detailing which was critical due to being exposed, this was then followed by planking the deck area thus completing the main part of the build.
Now the hull could be finished off by adding the rudder and prop etc plus rubbing strip and name plate detailing prior to the hull being gloss varnished up to deck level to enhance the end result. Once the hull had fully dried work could begin on the boiler assembly along with the pipe detailing and other fittings in the surrounding area on the open deck, as you can imagine time and patience were essential during this process. With the open deck area finished I could move onto the cabin, this certainly proved to be a challenge with lots of fiddly wood working to be done which in the end once the roof and final details had been added and varnished certainly enhanced the look of the model. With the model now 80% complete the final stages were to add the canopy and the small mast along with the rigging details and anchor etc. The one final job was to now add a bit of extra fine detailing and then to check it carefully to make sure everything was perfect.
Now the model was completed and at the customer’s request the model was mounted on a bespoke display stand supplied by the customer which certainly enhanced the end result.
Overall this commission proved to be very satisfying as well as challenging.
