Customs Cruiser Amapa
Brazilian Navy
This is were it all started, my first scratch-built model.
It was not my first ship model, I had previously completed a large kit of "Peggy" a steam drifter with a working steam engine. On that project, I found that I had replaced so much of the kit that the result was probably 40% scratch-built. This gave me the confidence to attempt a complete working model from scratch. Around that time Model Shipwright published plans for the Brazilian Customs Cruise Amapa built by Thornycroft's in 1907 (Edition 88 if anyone wants to buy a copy). The vessel is relatively simple and at 130ft long, a working model at 1:32nd scale seemed about right to me.
This pretty little vessel has all the hallmarks of a late Victorian cruiser on a small scale, even a nod to the ramming bows that became popular after the Russo-Japanese war.
The model took me 18 months to build and was a steep learning curve, I really had no clue what I was doing.
The hull was a bit of a disaster to be honest but the result has a sort of old world charm that I still love to this day. All in wood and brass, it’s about 90% scratch. It has aged well, acquiring a nice vintage patina over the years. The wooden deck has gone a wonderful honey colour while the boats still shine as they did when completed. As a working boat, it was not a huge success, having a tendency to try to capsize in a turn, I didn't run it much...
I painted her grey overall but a year after I completed the model, the Brazilian embassy replied to a letter I had sent them 2 years before asking for information on the vessel and enclosed pictures showing she was in Victorian white with mustard funnel etc, what a shame as I love that colour scheme.
The wheelhouse is mahogany with a fully fitted interior
Her limited armament was a Hotchkiss 3pdr QF gun mounted on the foc’s’le
The entire welldeck is built as removable tray that provides access to the batteries and control gear
The galley is fitted out with an iron range and shelving etc
She has three boats, a whaler, a cutter and a dinghy. These were my first papier-mâché hulls build over a mould. The whaler has it’s masts and sails aboard.
The quarterdeck has the aft steering position, companion way and deck food casks. The well-deck above has two chicken coups
The lime wood on the deck has aged to a wonderful honey colour. The quality of the wood you can buy today is not up to the same standard as 25 years ago.
You can read all about my build experience in Edition 104 of Model Shipwright, warts and all.
I was cheeky enough to enter the model in the London Model Engineering Exhibition, can't remember which year and was surprised (and amazed) to receive a Silver Medal.
