I wanted to thank all who expressed interest in the kit. Juanita was a fun kit to develop & get into the market for folks who appreciate these old sternwheeler towboats I grew up with in the States.

This will be my final post on this kit since it is no longer part of my domain after the initial group buy & is now available for sale on eBay.

We are developing several 1/24 scale barge kits due for release late March that will include both deck and open hopper barge for carrying bulk cargo such as coal or sand. I will post a new thread on that once we finalize details & I have photos to share.

Lastly, I can announce now that our next paddler kit will be Major in the same scale in her original late 1920s appearance. Release date has not yet been set but expect it will be later this year once several other projects Cactus RC is currently involved are finished.

Cheers!

For those who may want to really detail your build, I've attached some new photos that I came across several days ago taken late December after we wrapped up the kit development. Some of these clearly show the many weld lines in the deck, superstructure & pilothouse; also the exposed pipes & deck lighting that we didn't see in the photos we collected earlier. Also, for the first time, I now have a photo of the pilothouse interior so will be making a few minor changes to what was sent in the initial run to better replicate the true boat.

Chuck if I were to choose from what I can see in your posted picture, my favorite one is “Cindy” push tug.
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Thanks again for your kind words. Developing these old towboats from my home states into kits is something I enjoy doing. The quality & follow up communication comes with the territory since it is the minimum what I would expect if I was the customer.

They all look very interesting and challenging projects.
With this first Juanita model you made me bring out my admiration for Paddlewheel River Boats, something I never looked into before.
My line of model boats has always being Tugboats and that’s why I have an Caldercraft Imara still in the box.
Your Juanita kit quality and the way that you communicate with your customers has made you a trustworthy model producer.
I work for Model Expo out of Miami and I know what it takes to be a figure in this vast model ships world.
I don’t know what excuse I will create to tell my wife that I want another model but for sure I will purchase whatever you create.
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Thanks! Greatly appreciate the interest & support in these sternwheeler towboat kits.

Regarding future projects related to the subject at hand, am currently evaluating several subjects in the same scale:

1) Major in her original 1928 configuration. Major is currently still on the water in commercial service as part of the Valley Gem fleet based out of Marietta, OH.

2) Standard (Donald B / Barbara H): Built in 1923 for Standard Oil, Standard is the oldest surviving unaltered rear-wheel towboat afloat & was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Renamed Standard, she is being rebuilt by her new owners in Bellaire, OH. Would be offered in both her original & raised pilothouse/captain's cabin version.

Well before one of these gets selected & underway, we plan to release several barge kits in the same 1/24 scale, an open hopper & a deck barge to carry a crane or for ferry use. If we do follow Standard, we'll also plan to do a gasoline barge which was her original service.

Hey Chuck.
Congrats!!!!!
What is your next project?
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The first run of the new Juanita kit packed & waiting for UPS to pickup.

Thanks, once again, to all who joined the initial group buy. 😎

Chuck, that’s great news.
This will be a super enjoyable model to build.
According to all of the pictures you have posted, the parts quality is AAA +++.
Thank You for all of your posts.
😎I’m

Some photos of the kit taken during initial packing. Kit will be packed inside a larger shipping carton just like I did for the Major kits that survived UPS without any damage.

We are running behind on the build manual so that will be finished over the weekend & sent as a PDF in advance of any kits arriving.

UPS will pick up tomorrow so those who joined the group buy can expect delivery sometime next week assuming no weather delays.