"What happened to Houston's Ships 1/1000 pre-Dreadnoughts?" Topic

Hi all,
I was wondering what happened to this model range? I did some searching and came up with a lot of dead ends. Searching turned me onto Black Smoke Blue Water, so it wasn't in vain but I'd still like to get some more of the Houston's Ships tp gp with some that I already have. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Try this link. link

Under the Great Endeavours manufacturer heading. Looks like email requests for info only.

Great Endeavors went dark about a year ago. If you try using Wayback you might be able to spin up an archived version of their website.

There were threads about trying to find the old Ral Partha colonials which GE had also been producing. At that time, TMPers were posting info about contacting the GE operator. Apparently you could still get product, but you had to email the operator, a Dale Kemper, to get a hard copy catalog and ordering instructions.

I don't know if this still works, but…

TMP link

Good Luck.

The old Houston's 1/1000 line was long ago split between Wargaming Miniatures (ACW) and Great Endeavors (post-ACW). In 2017, the Great Endeavors web site disappeared, and has not yet been repaired/replaced (nor do there appear to be any plans to do so). The owner of Great Endeavors (Dale Kemper) says he will respond to email requests, so that may be your only option to get more.

Fair warning: Dale Kemper told me that he does not refresh molds or masters, so as the molds are lost to the vicissitudes of time and wear, they will die off and won't be replaced. I was unable to get a second hull for the Dulio/Dandolo class.

Worse: some of the models I ordered from Great Endeavors in 2015 were delivered as indifferent collections of parts from various Houstons Ironclads models unrelated to the models I ordered. The "substitutions" don't always make sense. I decided I'd be better off scratch-building, or waiting for someone like Pithead or Black Smoke Blue Water to make what I want.

- Ix

For future Googlers and others stumbling into this thread:

Since the last time I looked, Black Smoke Blue Water has grown a whole web site, complete with ordering page(s). Their standard scale is 1/1000, but the ships appear to be 3D prints (or resin castings of 3D printed masters?) and can be rescaled in 1/2400, 1/1800, 1/1500 or 1/1200 on request. These might be worth buying up, while somebody is enthusiastic enough to make them.

- Ix

I bought over 100 of the pre=dreadnoughts about two years ago from Mr. Kemper. It took about 4 or 5 months to get the entire order, but it was well worth the wait.

Okay, I sent an email, I'll see what happens.

If you're determined to go with 1000 scale there is always War Times Journal,…after maybe you've sold a kidney, or hit the Powerball, or some Rich uncle has shuffled off.

At their prices you might as well go 1250 Neptun.

I already have some of the Houston's 1/1000 minis, trying to keep in that scale