Mark Jenks has done it again! I recently had the pleasure of assembling one of RCengr's most recent additions to his spectacular laser-cut ship kit line, King Edward VII, appropriate for assembling any of the "wobbly eight" and with slight modifications (some as easy as omitting easily identified parts of the kit) it can serve as the hull for several other pre-dreadnaughts. From his PDF instructions: "This kit can be used to build the basic hull for the British Formidable and Duncan classes, as well as the Japanese Mikasa. The Japanese Asahi and Shikishima class are also close to the hull built from the shortened kit, needing only a subtraction or addition of 1/2” length respectively. When building any of these alternate ships, leave out the 1.8” extensions in the keel, sub-deck, and deck, as well as rib #9." Like his Bogue kit, I assembled this watching TV in my carpeted living room in about 40 minutes. Then I took it to the shop to make some cuts to the subdeck for curvature and to glue and glass it up. Very slick. Mark does not include any superstructure this time, but its minimal on the KEVII class. What he does include this time is an integral rudder servo mount, pully system parts, and rudder. Also unlike the Bogue which comes with fiberglass bow and stern sections, this one must be completed by adding balsa or other filler, but it's minimal and very easy. Mark's ram bow was considerably more conservative than images online, so I simply threw the plywood sprue on the band saw and cut of a bit more to add on. It still requires final shaping. BTW, the light strip of decking and deck rim on mine are some of the parts you'd omit to build one of the other models he names. I failed to include it in my deck paint job, so it does not yet match. Might never. I could not have been more pleased. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Mark other than happy customer. Though not yet listed here, this is where you can order http://www.jenkse.us/rcengr/Kits.pdf
What you've said tracks with my experience with his other kits. Yours looks really cool, especially the scary ram bow!! Tallyho, and beware Axis evil-doers!
...the story of my (boatbuilding) life... Every time I see a new Mark Jenks kit, I want it. No, I need it. I'm pretty sure I have some kind of disease, but I don't want to be cured
