Hi, many thanks for your reply--and especially for the link to Konradus.com. I have tried to contact the builder about help building another one for us.
About myself: I recently completed a book on the subject of HMS Captain:
Turret versus Broadside | Wolverhampton Military Studies | Helion & Company
I am also scheduled to give a public talk on the ship for the American Civil War Round Table (UK), on 22 January at the Civil Service Club, London:
The Loss of HMS Captain: The Civil War Origins of the Victorian Navy’s Greatest Tragedy | acwrt.org.uk
Of course I’d love to be able to present this completed model for the audience (both in person, and for viewers who pay to watch the talk via Zoom, etc.)
As I indicated above, Sir Sherard Louis Cowper-Coles is the great grandson of Captain Cowper Coles, who nominally designed and built HMS Captain—and then went down with his own ship off Cape Finisterre (7 September, 1870); I have been working with Sir Sherard recently, and he intends to also be present at the talk in London on 22 January.
We are setting up a charitable ‘Find the Captain’ Trust, which hopes to raise money to charter a marine survey expedition to locate and identify the wreck of the Captain. From my research we believe it is about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Spain, at a depth of around 1,300 metres (not an easy find!)
Sorry for intruding upon everyone like this, and in something of a rush. I only just discovered the Orel kit a few days ago, and went to Papermodelers.com looking for someone experience and talented (and hopefully free) to build this for us.
Many sincere thanks for your consideration,
Howard
p.s.: I am an American citizen who has been living in the UK now for 25 years--and teaching War Studies and Military History at the University of Wolverhampton (UK) since 2005. I live near Telford, West Midlands (Shropshire).