New Hull Proposals

Ralph Coles and I have been talking about new hull projects. Ralph would like to know if anyone would be interested in buying any of the following hulls:
HMS Eagle - WWII carrier built after WWI on the hull of a Chilean battleship (Almirante Cochrane - sistership of HMS Canada), The bulged main hull could be used to build HMS Canada after her return to Chile as Almirante Latorre and bulging in 1929-1931, though the bulge shapes were not identical.
HMS Victorious, Illustrious, Formidable, Indomitable - the famous WWII British fleet carriers that served in the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
Titanic, Olympic, Britannic - the latter two liners served in WWI as a troop transport and a hospital ship
Aquitania - British liner that served as a hospital ship in WWI and troop transport in WWII
Another large WWII liner suitable for use as a convoy ship: Normandy, QE, Queen Mary, Bremen, Europa, etc.
Ralph would prefer to make a carrier and a large liner as his next hull mold projects
Bob

 

I'd like a nice ocean liner for sailing around a friend's swimming pool. Unfortunately, ships like those on your list are huge! I've been looking at some more around 3 to 4 feet long.

 

I think more smaller ships class 2-5 are needed.

 

The Almirante LaTorre (ex-HMS Canada after bulging) is Class 5. I've offered to do the Class 5 HMS Agincourt or a WWII version of the Revenge Class but there wasn't enough interest to proceed with either.
For Class 2 I have plans for a 2.5 unit Spanish CL (Navarra) and am about to start work on a Manxman/Abdiel Class light cruiser-minelayer hull mold. The Navarra is a very neat looking CL and being a Neutral can fight with the Axis or Allied fleet. I've made two Spanish hull molds so far (dreadnought Espana and heavy cruiser Canarias) and would like a Navarra for myself. If 4 more people would buy one I'll make a Navarra mold too.
Bob

 

Honestly I like all your picks for making, but personally I am on the hunt for a small AXIS l Convoy ship that will be very close to performance and size of the US LST.

 

How about a smaller liner. The big ones are just so much work to take care of. The Luraline would be a good size. She's the ship that "heard" the Jap fleet's radio transmitions before the Pearl Harbor attach. If you believe that conspiracies stuff.
Something that is 36" to 59" long.

 

I know those British CVs would have a lot of potential in Treaty, and perhaps Biggun as well.

 

The Brit R class would be interesting. A german Emden would also be nice to see. As well as more cruisers.

 

I think that's a common desire! The available options for Axis convoy ships in general are pretty limited.

 

The Emden that was in WW2 was what I was thinking.

 

Eric Broderick makes a small German merchant hull suitable for convoy. I think it's for one of their smallest armed commerce raiders (Pinguin or Kormoran??). If I remember correctly it's about 2 feet long. Eric has been a forum member - I think he's under Canuck100.
Bob

 

The Mehoshi Maru is an excellent Axis convoy, 35" long and low to the water. The plans are freely distributed online. I believe a copy is located in the files section of this website. If not, PM me and I'll email the plans to you.

 

Personally, I'd love to see a Queen Mary mold being made. I would definitely consider buying one.

--Chase

 

Is he still producing hulls? As far as I know, none of them are available.

 

El Jefe,
Try emailing him. He still has the molds and does produce hulls intermittently. On the other hand I haven't talked to him in over a year and Ralph Coles has had no success trying to contact him over the last two months.
Bob

 

I think Eric's raider hull was the Comet.
Mikey

 

If he was going to make either the Olympic class or Aquitania, I think the latter would be better, considering there is already a Titanic hull available in Australia and there are Titanic plans all over the place. No one makes a Aquitania and plans are not as easy to find. Not to mention most often when people bild liners, it is Titanic; I've never heard of a Aquitania.
Of course, if you wanted a smaller liner, my favorite the SS Kronprinzession Cecilie is always nice, it is about 57" and no one makes a hull yet. Same deal with the Wilhem Gustloff and RMS Carpathia.

 

I. Like most others, would love to see more hull molds being made. But the question as to what hulls they should be, is almost a trick-question.
If it is an allied ship. Then there will most likely be a couple/few allies interested.
If it is an axis ship. Then the same will apply.
If it is an un-alligned ship. Then even though it would be able to battle on either side, the amount of interest would not be great, as most allies, and axis, prefer allied, and axis boats. And the number of non-alligned captains is not great.

In addition to that.
Most non-capital ships are to some extent looked at as secondary ships in some of the clubs. Which makes it hard to sell them in any quantity early on.

So not that I think I am a know-it-all. But here are some thoughts/questions on the matter.

The large aircraft-carriers might be a primary ship for folks in Big-gun, and Treaty, but would most likely be a secondary ship in the fast-gun clubs.

The large liners would be secondary ships for pretty much everyone, in every club.

Convoy ships might be utilized as a starter boat for some of the folks in the Big-gun clubs, but I am not sure that there would be any mentionable demand for them, as they would again be secondary ships in all of the other formats.

Now for the questions.

If it was decided to go ahead with something large like the liners, or big aircraft-carriers..
Would it be possible, or even a good idea, to produce the hulls in two pieces.
It might lower the costs of shipping, and it might make producing the hulls easier. (not sure).

As it seems to me that the biggest hurdle in producing a plug/mold/hull for any ship is to find a ship that will generate enough interest to basically pay for itself, and then make some profit, in a fairly reasonable amount of time, so that it is worth it to those doing the work..
I am not sure that trying to get a few folks to purchase the first four-six hulls in advance will work out in most cases.
The reason that I say that is that some of the hulls that have come out in the past have been top-of-the-line (in quality), and have also been pretty interesting (if not famous) ships, that are in some cases really great ships for combat. But. Folks are not flocking to them in the short term, until they see a few of them on the water. Especially the new folks.

My personal oppinion is that in order for the hull-makers to stand the best chance of being able to produce quality hulls for the hobby, we first have to come up with a more manufacturer-friendly strategy, when it comes to financing the production.
Mikey

 

Again. These are just my thoughts and oppinions on the matter.
It would seem, that in the past the general trend was for one or more folks to pay (up-front) for say four-six hulls.
So the manufacturer would purchase the materials, and produce first a plug, then a mold, and then six hulls, and ship them off to those that had purchased them.
The purchasers had the hulls that they wanted, but the manufacturer now had little funds left over to purchase more materials in order to make, and then sell more hulls from the mold.
On top of that. It might then take a couple/few months for the first opperational ship to see the water at an event, and be viewed by the other combatants, which, in the long run, might lead to more hull sales for the manufacturer.
In some cases. The hulls might not have been seen on the water even to this day, for one reason or another.
I personally have still not seen any of the Seydlitz hulls on the water, and it was a true work-of-art.
Mikey