Sample of George's Art, The Mariquita
By: George Argiris
This J was bought from Gene Novak a couple of months ago. Of course he did a great job of building her, and I'm so glad Gene was able to give her up. Being a born artist, I can't leave well enough alone. so off I went and started researching all I could on Ranger. Like my other models I add things just to make it my own. So you J experts will most likely call me out on a few of her details, but shes still Ranger. Off to the ship yard she went for a refit. I felt the deck rigging would be a nice touch, and yes the lines are waxed, because I will sail her as much as I can. I pretty much made everything water resistant. The crew was a challenge to find, so I ended up using F1 pit crew dudes and painted them up. I added the decals using rub-on lettering. I also needed to break some arms (stems from my Italian background) and reposition them to have them in a better pose. There 1/18 scale (the boat being 1/16), but I like them a little smaller, makes the boat look bigger. Each of them have two pins going from there feet down through the deck. I'm sure I won't lose them in the lake (I hope). I actually went as far as making one of the winches work also, so when spun you can hear the clicking. I'm a better detailer then a sailor, but should fair well out on the lake.
Like I say Gene did a wonderful job, and I hope I made him proud by messing with her. Also, thanks to all of you I emailed asking questions and pointing me in the right direction or to the right person.
Questions? Email George: georoadie@yahoo.com
P.S. I included a watercolor of mine