The Barracuda Ship
Built by Santiago Plicio in March 2019
You could say after finishing my last model The Storm Slayer in January that I had been somehow bitten to have created something looking so different from my previous two other ship models The Wrath of Tides and The Phantom.
Both of those models had kind of resigned me to thinking that there was only a limited shape particularly with the hull that was possible to achieve with the rigidity of Meccano pieces and hence why despite being passionate about ships, I had not built many over the years. However both those were models I kept in my garage resisting the urge to deconstruct while over time in the back of my mind I mulled over new possible ideas about the shape of any such vessels should I ever decide I will try again.
I say I was bitten because not only did I try again, but I found myself almost immediately starting experimenting with new shapes determined that I would finally create a hull in different angles to the ones I had already built in the past and that something sleeker looking had to be possible. I guess it was an urge that just took me.
Even so, I was not sure if I was building a new boat or just experimenting with creating a new looking hull but I was pleased with the combination of pieces and with what was suddenly emerging and any doubt that I may have had were quickly dispelled and I was full launched into vessel creating.
When I had finished the full hull of yet another unexpected ship to add to the fleet, I was delighted to have this one looking longer and narrower than before and with having created more of the sleekness of a yacht than before, and now it was just about arranging the masts to finish it off completely. I took inspiration from a plastic model in my front that had sat in a shelf for almost forever but that suddenly had my full attention like never before, and its sails were all replicated to sail over my Meccano.
Within a day I had added the mast, sails and a few details to the deck and supporting rigging, and chose to use the same material for the sails as I had successfully done in The Storm Slayer and I cut them to size.
On the third day everything was fixed in place except the stand to hold it upright which didn’t take long and then all that was left was to launch the boat with a name, while all the time I was already thinking that I might almost immediately on another yet another boat model, as I say I feel like I’ve been bitten…
I name this ship ‘The Barracuda’ — once bitten no longer shy!
A fast clipper-style vessel to cut through distant waves.
August 2020
In the final two photos you can see that the Barracuda has now put to sea, along with a dinghy that I added.