by Edward Pinniger
1/150 Clyde Puffer (Gramodels)
The "Clyde Puffer" was a type of small steam coaster, common on the coast of Scotland and northern Britain in the early/mid 20th century. They typically had a hull length of around 20-25m (66-80')
This is the first resin ship model I've built so far. I bought it in late 2007 from Gramodels (http://www.gramodels.co.uk/), a small UK manufacturer who specialise in military vehicles and buildings in 1/150, 1/72 and 1/43 scales, for N, OO and O gauge model railways respectively. Their range includes a number of WW2 landing craft, and this Clyde Puffer, in 1/150 scale. I also have their LCT, LCM and LCA which will be built in the near future.
The kit parts required a lot of cleanup to assemble neatly, but are moulded with a good level of detail, including realistic-looking deck planks and canvas hatch cover. I added a few extra scratchbuilt and spares-box details, including a roof for the wheelhouse, navigation lights, a galley chimney, davit, and etched brass railings. The ship's boat is also from the spares box, whilst the kit includes one it was unusable due to air bubbles.
The model is painted (with Revell acrylics) in a fairly typical paint scheme, and weathered quite heavily. Drybrushing was also used to give a realistic wood effect on the decks + wheelhouse.
