Range Finder Special - A visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard & the National Museum by Dave Wooley
Fairey Huntsman 31 - Colin Bishop reviews the 1/16 scale Vintage Model Boat Company from SLEC
Chatham Historic Dockyard - Join the editor on a saunter around the incredible historic dockyard at Chatham
Test Bench - A round-up of all the latest kits, books and blingy bits
Next Issue - What's coming up in your favourite modelling magazine!
A Tale of Two Tugs - The Chris B and Lady J by Bryon Calverley
Finishing and Sealing a Wooden Hull - Dave Milbourn takes us through his methods for finishing wooden model boats
Halcyon Days - Kneeler boats by Ernie Lazenby
RAF Air Sea Rescue Launch (Whaleback) 1941-44 - Ron Rees builds a beginner's British Power Boat Company's Type 2, 63ft High Speed Launch
Tifone - A freelance model based on a small police launch by Glynn Guest (FULL SIZE PLAN)
Sea Scout - A classic 1950s freelance cabin cruiser reviewed by Jim Newberry
Ship's Boats - A study of the more common types of Ship's Boats found on ships by Richard Simpson
Drawings, Scaling and Scale - Scratch building from plans by Neville Wade
One of the main challenges when creating an interesting 'special' is selecting a general subject which can be approached in multiple ways but still achieve the basic remit. Model Boats, whether you like it or not, is a specialist subject and when you start slicing that specialism down into smaller groups you instantly cut down on the interest level which in turn appeals to a smaller readership. We all have our particular'thing' ' that we are really into but, at the end of the day, the majority of us just like watching, building, sailing or reading about model boats; don't we?
This special was originally organised by my predecessor, Graham Ashby, and I have done my best to keep to his original plan but there has been the odd 'casualty', one due to my lack of experience (and knowledge) and another that failed to make the deadline. At least one of those articles will appear in a follow-up issue and hopefully no one will be any the wiser apart from the contributor of course who should have stopped spitting feathers by the time this is published! Nearly six months has already gone by and only now, thanks to a few recent cock-ups on my part do I feel truly confident that I know how this magazine ticks from a construction point of view. Getting the content so good that it will appeal to everyone is maybe a step too far but that won't stop me trying! With regard to the next 'Special', bearing in mind what I have just written, why don't you send in your ideas and we'll add them to the stockpile.
Martyn Chorlton