Paul
The presevration of the Victory is excellent, and I have no problem with that, also the Warrior, that I find far more impressive, and also the Great Britain and the Glenlee (how many have even heard of Glenlee?) But at the same time, to most people in Britain, they are just "old boats!" As far as I am concerned, they have ruined the Cutty Sark by the way she is displayed in something like a big glass marshmallow!
As for what I will build next, maybe nothing. Interest from ship model builders in merchant ships has declined to such an extent, that it is hardly worth showing them. Take my Helen Craig, for instance, in the Scratchbuilt section here on MB, virtually no interest. or curiosity as to what it would look like when completed has been shown. It was sold within hours of completion to a local collector, as most of them are, but I am coming under so much pressure from collectors that it has taken all the pleasure out of it for me. Since the Gulf Stream was damaged in transit to Belgium, I have decided not to send any by courier any more, and insisting on personal collection has virtually wiped out their selling potential.
I stopped taking them to the local ship model society ages ago, because of lack of interest, and not a single member has asked me why! Times change, and interests change on the ship model scene, and I guess I am now beyond my sell-by date!
I am doing a lot more reading and writing though (maritime, merchant navy only), but most of the interest is on the other side of the world – USA, Far East and Australia/New Zealand, but our microscopic publishing empire (Sheltederck Publishing) is now thriving!
Bob