Thanks gents and lady for your great posts. It pleases me plentifullyishness when I read the amazing comments.
Monica. the scale is 1/200...The whaler hull is 6" long, with a couple of inches for the bow sprit.
Dave, you are right, it is almost impossible to put into words how I arrive at the end result...It just happens. I hope that has come over as I intend it to!
I get an idea, which I suppose, in a way, is a story, but plan no further. I start with a very basic notion of what I would like, then make a start and ideas just pop up. These I incorporate into the model as I toddle along. It just seems to fall into place - rather like an unknown jigsaw.... and yes, sometimes the jigsaw falls on the floor.
I try and adopt an 'if it looks right, then it's not far off'. I sit back after a stage build and see if perhaps this or that could be moved, added to, or even scrapped. Then, out of nowhere, some more ideas spill out. There were so many things that didn't look right with this model, particularly the scale of the add-ons, but - and this is most important - never be afraid to alter stuff, no matter how drastic. This build was a prime example of that being put into practice!
Not much help, but I'm really finding it difficult to put it all into words that could be of some use. I'll try and come up with something in the near future.....
Thanks to all who followed the initial build of this mini diorama, and again my thanks for the excellent posts on the finished model.
Ron