When I got home last night, there was a large box waiting for me.
The box was certainly well packed and inside was a new un-started kit for the Interceptor and to my surprise, there was a small pack of pre-cut wood parts, a short M5 prop shaft and some lengths of brass rod to make the various railings and rear mounted dive ladder.
A brass rudder, water scoop and outlet were also included and are probably the original items. The brass shows signs of being old and being allowed to get damp, but they will clean-up well and look good, although the rudder looks very small for a model of this size, so I may change it for a similar size to the one that I have fitted on my Rapier as I know that works well.
The hull is moulded in a blue glass fibre colour and the deck and super-structure is moulded in white. The flying bridge parts are pre-cut in plywood.
A printed set of instructions with dimensioned diagrams to show where to drill various holes and gave the measurements to enable the windows to be cut out etc were also included.
These instructions had a name printed on the top of the front page that looked like it has been applied at a later date with a rubber stamp, and this said:-
Stratos Models.
19 Earsham Street.
Bungay,
Suffolk,
TEL: 2373.
My guess would be that this is a copy of the original HydraFibre intstructions that have had the new owner/makers name rubber stamped on the top as an easy way to provide the building instructions whilst identifying the new business owners ??
The box was damp and so I have dumped it , but I have kept the lid with the printed label and just inverted it to hold all the parts until I get around to assembling it.
The telephone number suggests that this is quite an old kit, but I have no idea just how old it could be or when HydraFibre ceased trading - or just stopped making these kits. Presumably Stratos Models took over the production - or maybe they just bought up some unsold stock and had their own label printed?
Any information regarding the likely vintage of this kit or when Hydrafibre was last active or ceased trading would be interesting to know.
As for the model, in broad terms it is not unlike the Rapier insomuch that it is about the same size and is a fast cabin cruiser with a similar cab arrangement and should be capable of giving a very similar performance.