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Excellent model, what scale would it be?
sometimes I use a crew member and build around him,
Actually, I tend to go by the figure size myself. I like to use 'slot racing' figures (also farm labourers and zoo keepers by 'britains ltd' and 'gauge 1' rail figures) these are all 1/32nd scale. Model cars by AMT, revell/monogram and tamiya are usually 1/24th or 1/25th so the figures you sometimes get for them could be used on a 1/24-1/25th model, and LGB rail is 1/22.5...(figures in all those scales are available from preiser - though not all are suitably dressed/posed for marine models!) looking at the wheelhouse and knowing the hull is 3 ft long, I'm guessing it'd be about 1/32nd - 1/48th...doesn't matter really, I was just curious...
 Quote sometimes I use a crew member and build around him,  What you need is a crew member on the foredeck of that tug winding down the funnels. I remember that being done on the Dresden paddlers when I visited in 1985. After the wall came down they were rebuilt around 1990 with hydraulic lowering of funnels  Alistair
....your paddle look like feathering Graupner's....