This kit has been my first model making build (as distinct from assembly of plastic kits off sprues). I bought the kit in 2010, not long before our lives here in Christchurch, New Zealand were forever changed by the first of a series of major earthquakes. When first received, I was a bit daunted by the thought of all the cutting, sanding, trimming, drilling etc but had commenced some work before the second major quake put paid to such activities and focus shifted to recovery, temporary repairs to ensure continued livability of our house pending a long long wait for permanent works, also finding a new job as previous was put paid to by the second quake. Then for the best part of the next 10 years, battling with our two tier system of EQ coverage here. The government has an EQCommission which covers the first $115,000 of dwelling damage and it has a vested interest in minimizing its exposure. So for the best part of the next 8 years, working and battling privately to get a fair outcome was all consuming. Eventually we moved into our rebuilt home in January 2021 - one month before the first anniversary of the second quake that ultimately rendered our then house uneconomic to repair (EQC initially said about $38,000 would fix it!!!).
All that by way of background to explain the long delay since purchase until finally getting "stuck in" to this build. I decided to tackle the superstructure first and attached are three images showing progress to date. Currently I am constructing the main mast from brass rods and wire, will update that when finished.
Due to the fact we had to move house three times (out of our damaged home, into our temporary flat, back into our new home) some of our stuff got mislaid, which included those few items from the Narvik kit that I had done some work on pre EQ. The good people at Deans were able to supply me with the missing sheets and I rocked on. Somehow or another, the sheets identifying fittings in the 3 kit trays were also awol, although I otherwise had the full set of instructions. Fortunately, a lot of the pieces were recognizable as to what they were and where they were to be fitted and again, Deans sent me these pages and I was very pleased to see that I had done pretty well on visual observation alone
I decided to get a professional model builder I know to build the hull with its motors and shafts etc. Not only has he vastly more experience than me with mechanized aspects, he has a workbench long enough to easily accommodate the hull!
Pictures of this will follow at some stage.
All in all I have enjoyed this build though I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say there have been times when it was a love / hate relationship
