Albatros has started to close the gap between Newsletters and the arrival of New Models.
Lady Nelson arrived in hospital ship guise The most obvious thing about this is the catalogue number. Check this out very carefully because I am fed up with having to explain it to everyone: Lady Nelson is now Alk114A; it used to be Alk114 but Lady Rodney has promoted herself to Alk114 from Alk109. There is no telling who will finish up with Alk109 but I am waiting with baited breath how Sammelhafen will manage with two ships having the same number as well as both ships having two different numbers each!
The next new old model is the troopship Strathnaver, Alk125. Previously, the same casting was used at different times for Strathaird and Strathnaver and the deck painting has varied from batch to batch regardless of the name underneath or the name on the picture on the box....
Finally, in this historical section, we have Lancastria, transport, 1940 with the new, Navis Neptun style painting with plain grey decks and superstucture, black funnel, red boot topping without the white band. I preferred the black funnel with streaks of red showing and you will have to read the Antics website explanation about all of that....
Now for the other two: RFA Argus in 1922. I saw the ship in Falmouth in 1921 being de-stored and expected it to be the end of the road but no. The model shows her with the new fittings and deck markings for her current role (whatever that is or is going to be after the Defence Review. Finally Mounts Bay Alk309C. Here you get three ships for the increased price of one! This model has the new hangar for large helicopters, an open dock gate and two loaded floats, so the model set has more play value. Now you have an excuse to buy all four Bay -class (if you can afford them)!