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[Propslip]

I recently picked up an old model of HMS Inglesham on ebay. Scale is about 1/72 It is unmade, came in a simple card box. Hull is a form of bread & butter construction with space for a motor. All the deck houses & fittings are printed onto a number of sheets of wood. A number of A4 sheets describe construction & have drawings of detail, no plans are provided. I know a fair bit about the class & Inglesham herself was the first of them. Kit appears to be late 50's early 60's. My question is who made the kit?

[Glyn]

I have a black and white brochure at home with this small range of ships listed. Can't remember off-hand the name of the company, or where I got the brochure from, but I have a feeling that it came with some model ship plans that I ordered from the UK back in the 70s (possibly A&A Plans). I'll dig it out and let you know the name of the company.
I think the other ships in the range included an RN survey vessel, but again I can't recall the name after all these years.
Watch this space and hopefully all will be revealed!
Regards, Glyn

[Propslip]

That figures Glyn the Waterwitch & Woodlark were converted from Ham Class Minesweepers into survey vessels & the Echo, Enterprise & Egeria were purpose built but were based on the Ham Class hull so maybe the suvery ship derived from the Ham Class kit.

[cdsc123]

One day I will make the Arlingham in 1/24th, I haven't got copies of the plans yet so it is a project very much at the "hmm, that would be nice stage" (this vessel was guardship here for a spell hence my choice). Waterwitch survived until last year, the vessel she replaced as survey vessel in the mid-sixties was my dad's old HDML (then A-352 later HMS Meda), which was sold on last year (and motored to Holland). This vessel in her turn had replaced another called Gulnar in 1949, another survivor to this day.

[Glyn]

Hi Propslip!
I found the brochure, so I can now reveal the source of your model!
It was manufactured by a company called Woodcraft, who described themselves as 'Toy and Modelmakers'. Their address was Back Greenwell Street, Darlington, Co Durham, DL1 5DJ.
Their range of model ships at that time (mid-70s) was HMS Inglesham, HMS Coniston, PAS Aberdovey (A fleet tender) and HMS Bulldog which, at 31", was the largest of the bunch. They were all 1/72 scale, 'to suit 00 gauge railway layouts' (to quote the brochure).
If you like, I can scan the original document - all two pages of it - and e-mail it to you; the prices alone should bring a smile to your face!
Regards, Glyn

[Propslip]

That all ties in with what I have. I just checked the box & the postmark is Co Durham!! Please send me a copy of the advert to Gdsearch67@sky.com

[Glyn]

Will do - watch your e-mail!
Regards, Glyn

[Propslip]

Got the picture OK Glyn, thanks. That is definately the boat I have, paid 25 quid for it on ebay. Did a little search on Google & a Norman Crockit (the owner of Woodcraft I think) asked at a recent Council meeting about the possibility of a model boating lake in Darlington, so I guess he may still be around. My guess is not a lot of these models were ever produced, which leaves me another problem, do I make it or hold onto it like the John Piper Grey Goose I have!!!
                                       Propslip