Hi Curt,
Thanks for posting the photos of my models. The first two are of SNS Espana, built in 1998, sold in 2001 or 2002 and never used again. I offered to buy it back several times but the new owner wouldn't sell it unless I bought his entire collection of more than a dozen hulls.
The next photo has HMS Terror in the foreground and was taken at the 1997 model show at the Halifax Forum. The WWI model of Terror was built in 1996 and was my second for R/C naval combat. (The first was a WWII HMS Terror built in 1984.) In the photo you can see the stern of Ralph Coles' mock-up for HMS Erin. Also on the table but not in the photo was a mock-up of HMS Agincourt. Both projects were scrapped due to lack of interest in the hulls.
Just behind Terror to the left is the hull for my HMS Courageous, completed in July 1997. She was sold around 2003 and is now in the U.S. Washington Treaty Combat fleet. Behind the Courageous hull is the hull plug for the British Kent Class and Spanish Canarias Class heavy cruisers. The hull mold was completed in 1998 and produced a couple of Kent Class cruisers and SNS Canarias for the NABS fleet. The Canarias remains in action in the U.S. and was great fun to battle with. The mold was sold to Tugboat and Strike Models bought it from him last year.
The second photo of HMS Terror is from 1996 - 1997 before all the details were shot off, mostly by your Bismarck! Note the extensive use of plexi-glass armour drilled to lighten it. I was surprised by how easily it shattered and it was replaced with 2mm thick styrene for the first Cannats competition in 1998, when it was a back-up model for the new SNS Espana.
The only photo of HMS Gorgon shows her at a Maritime Museum of the Atlantic model show in front of Hood, with Warspite's bow to the right. Judging from the Hood's incomplete superstructure and missing 6" gun battery the photo dates from 2003. Built in 2000 Warspite was my most successful combat model and was used at the 2003 IRCWCC NATS. She teamed up with Marty Hayes' earlier version of Warspite at a few Cannats, when they were usually the only Allied ships to remain afloat! Warspite will be replaced anohter QE in 2011.
In a few photos you've captured images related to most of the R/C naval combat models I've built since 1996. In order of completion: HMS Terror, HMS Courageous, SNS Espana, SNS Canarias, HMS Gorgon, HMS Warspite and HMS Hood. Those were followed by HMS Minotaur, HMCS Prince Robert and IJN I-400. Nine of the ten models were sold, though I bought Gorgon and Terror back, refitting Gorgon and eventually scrapping Terror. Gorgon and Minotaur are my only battle ready models though others are under construction.
Thanks again Curt!
Bob