I saved the photos of the finished USS Constitution Fighting Top until after the MMSI show, because I wanted the collector to be the first to see the completed work. It turned into quite an impressive model. The buyer was sure to suggest that I show it as there aren't likely to be many of these on display. I was happy to show the fruits of nine months of work. Happier still to have won a silver medal for the piece (so I'm told, I sat out the awards ceremony because I thought I had entered "Exhibit Only"). I got lots of positive comments on my work, but none more than the Top. I showed more than one person the instruction booklet. It was a difficult build, but nothing any builder with a few skills, time and patience can't handle.
I did the Saturday seminar for the club this year. I'm always happy to share techniques and I was flattered when the club invited me to do so. The subject was doing groundwork with an emphasis on outdoor scenery. I discussed some of my techniques with a slideshow SBS. It seemed to be very well received. At least no one fell asleep long enough to fall out of their chair.
There was a lot of nice work on the tables. I'm not going to name names, afraid I'll leave someone out. Suffice to say, the standard was very high and the most of the tables were full. I know I walked away inspired. As always, food and drink were taken in abundance. Over time it really does come around to meeting up with old friends, meeting new ones and sharing stories.
I'm amazed at how empty my studio seems with the Top out of the way. The model itself was big, as was the box it came in. The instruction manual was impressive in its own right, and was always open on my bench. Now I need to give all my brushes a thorough cleaning, change out my thinner, and straighten up. I'm going to need a new light sometime soon too, as I burned one out last week. There's still a lot of junk to clean up and then a good wipe down. I'll probably do some general re-arranging and then think about getting on the next project.
