My name is Don.  I live in Charleston, South Carolina in the USA.  I am currently working on my second attempt at building from scratch, and I've only built a few kits many years ago, so I'm very much a novice.  I'm building the Presto, built as the Fergus in Glasgow in 1863 by Alexander Stephens and Sons.  She was built to run the Union blockade during the US Civil War.  I bought a copy of builder's plans on e-bay and ordered a set of paddlewheels from Graupner that are advertised to fit their Glasgow Tug kit.  That set the scale at roughly 1/40 and made the hull length 1,626mm.  The Presto ran aground and was destroyed on February 2, 1864 while trying to run into Charleston.  The wreck site is only a few miles from my home.  I'll attach some pictures as soon as I figure out how.  I enjoy looking at the pictures of models your members have built.  There are some real beauties out there.  There are not many model ship builders here in my area.   

Welcome Don!

Any help we can give please ask. We all started somewhere, I'm sure you'll produce a stunning model!!
All the best

Stuart

Hi,
Welcome abord and good luck with your paddler. 

Choosing a model with a local attachment is a very good idea. R.G.Y