N Scale Shipbuilding Plans

[Pete Nolan]

I plan to introduce a line of N-scale ships in the coming months, perhaps as early as July. I am about six months behind my original schedule due to family health issues. So here's an update on what's coming. The following are in various stages of production, from the most ready to the least ready:

210' Reliance Class USCG Cutter (1960s--Present)
   1965-1980s: No stack
   1980s-Present: stack

173' Aggressive Class Minesweeper (1950s--Present)
   Resin-cast hull

173' Bluffton Class Subchaser (1940s--1970s)
   Resin-cast hull and superstructure

125' Active Class Cutter (1930s- 1970s)
   This will also be available as a full hull model
   Resin-cast hull and superstructure

110' Subchaser/Patrol Craft (1917-1970s)
   Resin-cast hull

110' Island Class Cutter (1990s-present)
   On hold; master destroyed in molding accident (I forgot the mold release)

348' Benson Class Destroyer
   Prototypes built
   1945 4-gun destroyer
   1958 ASW/mine warfare

381' Fletcher Class Destroyer
   Prototypes built
   Original bridge
   Low bridge AA

497' Fast Freighter Beavercove
   Drawn and cut; awaits first assembly

450' C-2 Freighter Seawitch
   Drawn and cut; awaits first assembly

All parts are cut by a computer program for accuracy. They are built in true N Scale at 1.95mm to 1 foot. They are hand-built or casted entirely by me.

They will be fully detailed. I do not claim they are museum quality, as that 400-year quality standard would require a tenfold increase in the cost. But they are detailed beyond most offerings, and equal to the level shown in my own ships.

I've made the molds and cast the smaller ships, and am pleased with the accuracy and detail level. I'll have pictures and more details after March 9, when I return to my workshop. I might offer some of these as kits, depending on how hard they are to build. The Reliance Class cutter's hull is fiendishly hard to get right, so that won't be a kit. The subchaser has two basic cast parts, hull and superstructure, so it could be a kit.

And there are some other ships in the works, based on models I built for my railroad. These are small freighters, tugs, and fishing boats.

As in the real shipbuilding world, there is some modularity: a subchaser's superstructure also works on a fishing boat. A minesweeper's layout and gear are not all that different from a trawler's.

So production is gearing up for March 9. I'd like to hear what folks might want and buy.

Thanks for your patience.

[Ken G Price]

Thanks for the up date.

[GoCanes]

Excellent, as a 10mm (just about N scale) wargamer, I can tell you that you will have many fans, not just N scale train folk.

How about some N scale trawlers, barges, and Contenders?