Australian Paddlesteamer "Alexander Arbuthnot"

[Sakrison]

This is the kit from World of Paper Ships in the Netherlands. It was a bit challenging, but the fit of the parts is excellent and the artwork is first-rate. I definitely recommend the optional laser-cut set.

The "A-A" is a former towboat on Australia's Murray River. Today it runs as a tourist boat based at Echuca on the Murray. The kit represents the tourist boat. I wanted a working boat for the river port on my HO scale model RR, so I left off the tourist gear (tables, benches, a beer cooler, and a BBQ) and added an oil drum and a wood pile (fuel), and scratch built the railings from scale lumber.

At 1/100 scale, the "A-A" is a wee bit small for HO scale but good enough for my purposes.

World of Paper Ships offers two other Aussie paddlesteamer kits. The Adelaide, another towboat, has the most detailed instructions of the three, with lots of assembly diagrams. All three kits are available direct from the publisher and include illustrated instructions in English. Each kit includes parts for "basic" and "advanced" versions.

I have written a construction article about the Alexander Arbuthnot kit for the Nautical Research Journal. It will probably be published next January.

[FRD]

Very cool!

[Michael Mash]

Nice work with your Australian riverboat.

[Sakrison]

My article on building the "Alexander Arbuthnot" is in the Sprng Issue of the Nautical Research Journal, and they put the A-A on the cover!

My GPM Bismarck appeared on the cover last fall.

Paul Fontenoy, editor of the NRJ is a fan of paper models and wants more articles on paper ships. (That's a fat hint to you paper ship builders.)

[Don Boose]

My copy of Nautical Research Journal arrived today. I very much enjoyed reading your Arbuthnot article.

Don

[rmks2000]

Well done!

[Sakrison]

Originally Posted by Don Boose

My copy of Nautical Research Journal arrived today. I very much enjoyed reading your Arbuthnot article.

Don

Thank you, Don.

[Tapcho]

My favourite paddle steamer paper model for years now (maybe some day I will buy me one). Very well built model and congratulations on the NRJ cover appearance.

Tappi

[Sakrison]

Originally Posted by Tapcho

My favourite paddle steamer paper model for years now (maybe some day I will buy me one). Very well built model and congratulations on the NRJ cover appearance.

Tappi

Of the three paddle steamers offered by World of Paper Ships, the Adelaide kit has the best instructions with the most detailed instruction drawings. Vagaries in the instructions for the Alexander Arbuthnot caused me some head scratching moments. Instructions for the Pevensey are somewhere in between -- better drawings than for A-A, less detailed than for Adelaide.

I'm currently building the Pevensey, scaled up to 1/76, for the Midwestern Model Ships & Boats Contest in May.

[Tapcho]

Thanks for the heads-up on instructions but that doesn't really matter to me. AA pleases my eyes the most and that's why I already ordered it. :-) Your build served as a welcomed reminder of the model I want to build so thank you for that.

Tappi