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Some useful recommended suppliers.

I receive a constant stream of requests by phone, letter and e-mail, all asking for details of competent and reliable, suppliers and manufacturers of the various items needed to complete a model built using one of my moulded hulls. As a result, I've added this information feature as a helpful reference page for Kingston Mouldings customers.

I have first hand customer experience of most of the contacts listed below, and feel that they are operations I can recommend to you. There are also one or two with whom I have had no direct dealings, but am relying instead on enthusiastic testimonials from regular customers who have recommended them to me.

There are several possible explanations for the absence of well known model suppliers from this short feature. The most likely is that I don’t have any recent experience of the business concerned, and as a result no first hand knowledge of the goods or standard of service that they may offer. Some of these businesses may be excellent, but if I don’t know about them, I can’t express an opinion. Another reason for non-inclusion, is that the supplier concerned didn’t bother to respond when I contacted him to ask for up to date information, a business attitude that makes me less than enthusiastic about recommending anyone. The third possible reason, and unfortunately this does apply to a small number of people in the model trade, is that having dealt with the person or business in the past, I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone, and certainly not to one of my own customers.


This list of recommended suppliers has to be up to date if it's to be much use, so it's revised and updated from time to time. If you've suffered a bad experience from anyone listed here, want to praise them further, or can suggest anyone new that you think should be included, I’ll be pleased to hear from you. Also, if you hear of any of those listed changing contact details, or leaving the business through retirement or anything else, I'd really appreciate any new information of that kind.

Westbourne Model Centre.

My own local model shop, and still one of the best in the UK for boat modellers. If they haven’t got a particular item in stock, or can’t get hold of it pretty quickly, it’s a safe bet that no one else will be able to supply it either. Fast and efficient mail order all over the world, and expert advice by phone, fax and e-mail, what more could anyone ask?

Westbourne Model Centre
41 Seamoor Road
Westbourne
Bournemouth BH4 9AE

Tel/fax: 01202-763480

mat@easynet.co.uk

www.westbourne-model.co.uk

Cheddar Valley Steam.

Following the closure of Cheddar Models, their long-time expert boiler maker Tim Taschimowitz has now set up his own operation just a few miles down the road as Cheddar Valley Steam, and he is back in business producing boilers for model steam locomotives, traction engines, model steamboats and full size steam launches, for both the UK & overseas markets. Tim has 30 years of copper boiler making expertise and his boilers have long been world renowned. He uses only the highest quality materials, and I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing Tim every success with this new venture.

Cheddar Valley Steam
Unit 4 Castle Mills Industrial Estate
Biddisham
Somerset BS26 2RH

Tel: 0870-8554511

cheddarvalleysteam@hotmail.co.uk

www.cheddarvalleysteam.co.uk

Clevedon Steam.

After Cheddar Models ceased trading in 2005, Jerry Watson decided to use his experience gained through working there, to start a small business supplying useful items and accessories. The range has steadily grown as demand increased, and the intention is to supply complete steam plants in the near future. There is currently an eBay shopsite Clevedon Steam, with a website to follow shortly. Apart from supplying essential fittings, Jerry can also carry out remedial work on all Cheddar steam plants, and advise on any problems that customers may experience with them.

Jerry Watson
2 The Penns
Clevedon
North Somerset BS21 5AN

Tel: 01275-340048 Mob: 07818044648

clevedon.steam@uwclub.net

Stuart Davidson : Boiler Specialist.

Yet another one-man operation, where would the UK model boat world be without them? Stuart is semi-retired now, but can still make almost any kind of vertical or horizontal boiler in any size as long as you're prepared to be patient, and he can also supply gas tanks in various sizes. For many years, Stuart made all the boilers for SVS steam plants.

Stuart Davidson
Stone Cottage
15 Cauldwell Close
Whitley Bay
Tyne & Wear NE25 8LP
Tel: 0191-2531802

stu.davidson@blueyonder.co.uk

Scoonie Hobbies.

It’s getting quite hard to find good model shops, ones that still stock lots of items of interest to boat modellers, but here’s another one, this time north of the border in Scotland. Scoonie are good at mail order, both home and away. They have an interesting catalogue which you can download yourself from their website, something that will be both cheaper and faster than asking Scoonie to mail you a copy.

Scoonie Hobbies, 87 St. Clair Street,
Kirkaldy
Fife KY1 2NW.

Tel: 01592-651792

andy@scoonie-hobbies.co.uk

www.scoonie-hobbies.co.uk

John Lambert Plans.

John Lambert claims to be a naval illustrator rather than a draughtsman, but his drawings are pretty good all the same. He has drawings for almost two hundred differ rent warships of destroyer size and below, and he specialises in WW2 Allied Coastal Forces. If you need detailed drawings for any gun from 9mm to 4.7”, you’ll probably find them in one of John’s catalogues, he does one for warships and another for weapons and mountings. See his website for lists and all the latest details.

6 Chestnut Close
Pine View Park
Maulden
Bedfordshire MK45 2FR
Tel: 01525-864862

lambert.plans@btinternet.com

www.lambert-plans.com

Marten Howes and Baylis.

MHB are best known for their superb steam launch kits, which are most definitely not for beginners, but they also supply a range of fittings for steam launch type models, all at either 1/12th or 1/24th scale. All of these items were originally produced for their range of kits, and almost all are turned or cast in brass, but plastics are also used where appropriate for items like cowl vents and gratings. Not exactly the cheapest fittings available as you might expect, but all of high quality.

216 Bredhurst Road
Wigmore
Gillingham Kent ME8 0RD

Tel: 01634-233146

martenhowesbaylis@btinternet.com

www.model-steam-boats.co.uk

Battlecrafts.

If it’s beautifully made scale fittings for a small warship you are after, including the Vospers and Fairmiles in the current KM range, anything from a cowl vent to a highly detailed and fully assembled 40mm gun, Adrian Smith is your man. This is the same operation previously known as Precision Controls, and Adrian has largely taken over from dad John, who ran it under that name for many years. He always has stacks of work, so delivery times can be quite long, but most would agree that his fittings are well worth waiting for. All the info you'll need on their range is on their website.

Battlecrafts
7 Glenburnie Road
Bideford
North Devon EX38 2LW

Tel: 01237-476820

www.battlecrafts.co.uk

Quaycraft.

Specialist manufacturers of model ships boats, lifeboats, dinghies, cutters etc., all beautifully detailed and cast in resin. You would have to be an exceptionally skilled modeller to come up with a small boat that was significantly better than one of Waylon Smith’s little masterpieces.

Quaycraft
37 Chambercombe Road
Ilfracombe
North Devon EX34 9PH

Tel: 01271-866837

Waverley Models.

Another of those one man modelling businesses that keep the hobby going, this one run by long time scale boating enthusiast Mike Mayhew. Waverley do a huge range of resin and white metal fittings in a number of scales, and they also have their own range of scale-sail fibreglass hulls. For surprisingly modest amounts of money, Mike will even consider filling gaps in his range by making special fittings to order, as long as it’s an item that has a reasonable chance of racking up further sales in the longer term, and he also turns out excellent sails, mainly for small yachts and older type scale-sail models.

Waverley Models
20B Moor Lane
Clevedon
Somerset BS21 6ES

Tel: 01275-546772

waverley.models@virgin.net

www.waverleymodels.co.uk

Nylet.

Nylet have now been making model yacht sails since 1945 (two generations). Frank Parsons can offer almost everything for model racing yachts, including One Metre racing yacht kits, Nylet/Hitec and Graupner sailwinches, a wide range of yacht fittings, masts, wires, carbon-fibre fins & rudders, masts and full rig kits, books, and Nylet 'how to' booklets. A major part of the business has always been the production of made to order racing sails (in Dacron, scrim or film), and also 'vintage' sails in traditional cotton for scale and older designs. Frank also offers a restoration service for most older model yachts. Nylet's website contains full details of all products, and they can also send a printed catalogue on request.

Nylet (Dept KM)
PO Box 5416
Bournemouth BH6 5XT

Tel: 01202-420370

frank.nylet@ntlworld.com

www.nylet.co.uk






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