Dear friends and customers,

Now that all the castings are complete, we begin to complete the "Australis". The ship is the former "America" of the United States Lines and was in my eyes compared to the "United States" always the more balanced ship. I built the model based on the original model of the Mercater "America" I bought. From this original model, however, almost nothing is recognizable. It should definitely be the most elaborate prototype I've ever built. The incredible mass of piping - presumably air conditioning of the ship - on the superstructures sometimes made me think of building a tanker. The model was actually made for my friend Mick Lindsay in Southampton, who unfortunately has passed away. He helped me with a lot of photos from the ship.

Although we will generally no longer offer any buildable version of ships in the future, we will be making this model in five versions for many reasons - two with a white hull and three with a gray hull. I will send an unadorned mail so that you can get an overview and launch your pre-orders (the merchants urgently need to plan your orders). I would also like to point out that there is a booklet on the Australis in the Netherlands right now. Theoretically, I could take a bulk order, but I would need at least 24 orders and that soon. A corresponding booklet about the "America" has already been published and I like it very much.

Furthermore, I am currently working on various models of small ships, which I wanted to work for a very long time. Newly added is the "Holland" (2) of 1940, whose plan I got through the mediation of Nico Guns from the Netherlands. The tug fits perfectly in our series in many respects. In 1943 it went - lost in the meantime seized by Germany - and is thus another of the design innovative "Wartime Looser". Because - this noble tugboat had its small superstructure mass in complete drop form and is thus another streamlined vessel in our series. It is said, that she towed the "Tirpitz" in her short live. I thank Sjouke Veenstra with all my heart for making me a copy of this otherwise unavailable plan.

Other small ships, which are currently being produced by us, but - unlike the "Holland" have long been on our list:

There are four British pilot displacement boats to call sea position: First, the "Bembrigde" - still present and properly restored by knowledgeable Polish hands, this fantastic little ship is historically at the moment one of the most interesting ships ever - because - it was the first prototype for the Corvettes of the "Flower Class". We also have "Sir Thomas Brooklebank" and the "Pathfinder". I have a special relationship with both of them. I dreamed of a large model of the "Sir Thomas" since it saw the ship model in a very early edition. In my opinion, this ship is designed especially balanced. This year I have managed to get a large scale model from the northernmost corner of mainland Scotland and it has given me a lot of pleasure. Among other things, it is the only ship model running straight astern. I saw the "Pathfinder" in 1984 from the early morning mist of the Thames estuary during my internship at the coaster "Pinnau". Certainly one of the most beautiful ship encounters of my life. Already many years ago, Michael Dollenbacher brought me a large model from GB.

In addition, we build the sisters "Brook" and "Gurnard", which were, so to speak, prototyps of the large pilot boats on maritime patrol.

Since we are going on a trip on the Göta Canal next year on the occasion of our "silver getting to know each other" and then continue with the "Storskär" to Waxholm, I have finally started the prototype of this perhaps most elegant and definitely the fastest old steamship in the archipelago of Stockholm. It has already grown far. This was made possible by my friend Christian Rex, who had very good plans (and himself a very nice 1:50 scale kit of this beautiful ship offers) and send me a copy.

Also a long-time favorite of the "long to do" is the 19m rescue boat of the DGzRS of type "H. J. Kratschke". This model is already well advanced.

In the frenzy of reconditioning and because I now have a customer in Norway, whose father sailed on this miserably documented ship, I have now started the "Ottar Jarl" of the Hurtigrute. So to speak, in order to compensate for the fact that I can not build the complex "Roald Amundsen" without proper plans, I build now based only on the - besides: false - elevation drawing of the "Ottar Jarl".
The ship was built in the United States in 1929 as a "W.B. Foshay" for use between Seattle and Alaska, so actually built for a not unlike operational area as the Norwegian west coast and arrived in Norway in 1946 in times of absolute tonnage poverty the NFDS started as "Ottar Jarl". Not only the completely atypical look, but also the generally unique from the American continent construction - the beautiful structures that remind of gazebos - I like all that very well and I'm really looking forward to finish the model.

The Hamburg harbor ferry type 2 is to become the last little thing of this series. I find these ships with their many windows in many curves difficult to build and will tackle that in a quiet moment.

Meanwhile, as 3-D printing, we have the following models - they just need to be finished by hand in some little things before I make forms for them:

"Bore I" 1973

"Conte di Savoia"

"Dragon" and "Leopard"

"Svea Corona" and 2 other Dubigon sisters

"Kronprinsessan Victoria" and "Prinsessan Birgitta" 1981

Spitsbergen (Hurtigruten)

"Stefan Batory"

"Maasdam"

"Stena Germanica" 1967

"Tresfjord" or "Rømø Express"

"Visby" and "Gotland" 1972 and 1973 respectively

"Visby" and "Gotland" 1980 and 1981 respectively

The "Prinsessan Birgitta" from 1974 needs a few additional parts for delivery.


Recently, we have had Ri-0250 delivered the Polish Atlantic liner "Pilsudski" to our dealers. The ship was built in 1935 on the Italian Cantieri Riuniti dell 'Adriatico in Monfalcone. Of which we are currently producing the second edition, after which but then for the first time is over. Also we are currently producing other models of the "Victoria" from 1931 (recently published by us under the number Ri-0077) and soon go to the post-production of the "Sassnitz".

Burkhard Schütt