Helo from Dave in California

[greateastern]

Hi,
I am a retired librarian with an interest in things nautical that began with a volunteer stint as a cataloger at the San Francisco Maritime Museum after I took my MLS. My interest in paddlewheels started when I saw a wonderful model in Ireland while on vacation there about 15 years ago. I intent to build a model and have Russell's drawings (and his books). I've searched the net quite a bit about paddlers and how I missed the Paddleducks is beyond me  but I am happy to have found your site.  I have too many projects I want to do and currnetly have a type vii uboat in frame, a sail training ship in frame and I am trying to work up some plans for the Japanese battleship Mikasa. I like old things in large part because they have style in design, eye appeal, they suggest better times (though they were not likely better for those who lived then). I hope that I can add something beyond my sparse comments in the plans area.  I'm also a nut on seaplanes and flying boats.
dave

[Eddy Matthews]

It sounds like you should fit right in Dave - Welcome to the madhouse!

[Walter Snowdon]

Hi Dave and welcome. As well as paddlers I also have more than a passing interest in early steam warships and spent many years wargaming the pre dreadnought era.  I still have my fleets- the entire collection of warships and auxiliaries for the russian , Japanese and Chinese navies between the periods 1890-1910 and a large part of the US navy for the same period. In larger scales my interest tends toward Chinese and Turkish navies, particularly Rendell gunboats. You mentioned seeing a paddler model in Ireland- in which museum and what ship?. a great welcome to you from all of us. Regards, Walter.

[greateastern]

Hello Walter,
It was the Nat'l Mus in Dun Laoghaire and the model was a huge one of The Great Eastern. They have a rather nice collection there, small, but several well-done (to my eyes) nodels of turn-of-the-century steamers.  It is kind of sad that the museum has to live more or less on handouts. When I was there  Ireland was doing very well with a growing economy. Things may be different now , but they were spending  zillions downtown and the area around the university --for tourists--no doubt. Here is their web address.
http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/dir/maritime.html
We seem to have an interest in the same period and places for ships. I had a major interest in things Japanese for many years, primarily photographs and woodblock prints, but it gets expensive.  Now just narrowed down to the MIkasa to keep my hand in. Also an interest in things Russian.  Two things I would love to do are models of the Texas and Duilio. I have plans for both but after reading Brian King's book on the Duilio, I'm hesitant even to begin. I'm going to toy with the card model of that one to see how it goes first. I'm going to need to live to be at least 120 to get all of this stuff done though.