Vac-formed barge kit

 

I can't resist a reasonably priced and interesting kit so at the model boat show, I came away with a couple of things from Sarik Hobbies. The first of these is shown above - a vacuum moulded barge kit.

 

The model can be built with or without a cover over the load. If you prefer it open, square plastic tube is supplied to make up the model's interior. That's quite a bit of scratchbuilding but looking at the photos, the results are nice.

 

I'm inclined to think that if you go to those lengths, the vac-formed kit might not be to your taste. Corners are necessarily rounded and the detail isn't sharp. This is due to the process not the makers, in most respects, it's as good as any vac-formed kit.

 

The worst part of any kit like this is cutting the parts from the main sheet. Because of the curved corners, you have to guess where the waste stops and parts start. A little lateral thinking and this kit is pretty good. I cut oversize and then sand back using a large block.

 

After this, assembly is simpled with liquid glue. A piece of tube provides the chimney and a bent paperclip is the tiller arm. Should you prefer to make an unpowered butty boat then a template is included to cut the larger wooden tiller from plastic.