Cannot recall the exact reason for choosing Wahine to model.
She was a very pretty ship and also built in the UK.
My friend is a meticulous modeler and vessel is a credit to him.
Has both bow and stern thrusters and a bow rudder.
He did write a article for Model Boats International when it was still available.

Why did I build the 'Wahine'?
I can still recall where I was when news of the ship's sinking played out on TV. A few years later, my first job as a student engineer at then-AEI in Manchester UK was working beside the engineer responsible for the design of it's successor, the Rangatira's, main steam turbines. When I considered building a model of the Rangatira I thought the looks of her were spoilt by the funnel shape and, since it was almost a duplicate of the Wahine, I opted to build the Wahine.
Roy
PS. I have seen Rowen's models up close and his posts here do not do justice to the quality and detail that he puts into every model. Every detail is scratcbuilt and accurately constructed.