Hi y’all. Decided to take a few weeks away from my workbench to refocus, and get the corner forward of my workbench cleaned out to have more hobby storage space. It’s partially done, and will be finished and ready for shelving by end of month..but the bench calls.😁
Anyway, my next victim, er project is an original Robbe Antje. This was gifted to me at a club meeting four years ago by my friend and trading partner Larry Buchwalter. He had had it in his possession for some time, and wanted to see it finished. Larry loves boats, but he likes to build airplanes, and rebuild/restore boats. This boat was barely started, and has a history..
The kit was ordered in November of 1987 by a woman who wanted to surprise her husband for Christmas. There is a typed letter to the Robbe division in New Jersey where she’s making the order, and having it shipped to a different address. She also asks for a 4 dollar discount, but does not want to send the coupon form her husbands catalog as he would realize what was going on. I even have the credit card receipts…
Anyway, the gentleman never finished it, it was barely started. He did a good job on the rudder shoe and rudder tube, installed the stuffing box, rub rail and deck support, and had the motor installed. Nothing else was started. There was a servo installed, a brand new Futaba with a G connector. From what I can gather he either lost interest, or passed away before he could finish it…so I will.
Now, I. Changing a few things under deck. I removed the geared brushed motor and mount, and made up a bulkhead mound for a 650kv Zippkits motor. This motor makes good power on 2 lipo cells, and is not too fast, perfect for tugs and workboats. The G connector servo has been removed. My intention is to get everything under deck done, wiring, etc and a ballast check done with the deck laid, but not glued in, and some ballast added, along with approximate weights laid on to simulate the wheelhouse and details.
I am thinking about building her as a converted fishing boat, maybe a yacht or pleasure boat, or some other work boat. If I go that route I’m probably going to omit one mast and shorten the other. Anyway, here’s a few pics of her, I’ll post more as I go along.
Cash

Hi Y’all. I have the motor mount, rudder servo and linkage done. I went to start the cabin, but realized that the very fine die cutting in the kit was very har for me too see. I need new glasses since my operation, so the Antje will wait till that happens.
Cash

Hi y’all. I’ve finished the RTTL and maidened her, she needed less motor and prop and some fwd weight, but she ran dry and reliably. Waiting on 2nd maiden..
So…around 3 years ago I started this blog on the Robbe Antje that I acquired from my modeling and trading buddy Larry. I realized that I could barely see the die cut marks on the superstructure due to my eye surgery and need for new glasses. Well, I got new glasses a few months after the first posting, need new ones again but I can see what I’m doing, so the Antje is on the bench.
The only thing I’ve done under decks different from the last post is I’ve installed a better rudder servo, ran a silicone tube to the greasing tube, and decided to use a good solid coupler vs the universal I had originally installed. Same motor, prop, layout etc.
I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with her. Decided to make a weekend cruiser/vacation boat out of her. To that end the rear mast and all fishing equipment will not be installed. I’ll keep the fwd mast, slightly shorter, and add a foredeck so I can build a sleeper cabin up front. Annnndddd…I’ve planked the deck. My plank wood is 1/32 thickness 1/2 inch wide basswood. I say 1/32 but some of the strips look closer to 1/64th. I had some thin mahogany veneer from another project, so where I would have had to use narrowed planks to finish I used that instead. It’s laid down and sanded, I need more sanding, then I’m going to look at a very light stain to finish and clear over that.
It’s a start. I have to figure out how I want to do the foredeck and then build that up, I need to start the pilot house, and I need to find some 1/20 to 1/24 figures and the like. I’m basically using the kit parts, deleting some things and adding others, and seriously shooting from the hip here…
Cash

Hi y’all. Got a bit more accomplished on the Antje this weekend. The underdeck equipment is sorted out, save for my lighting controller, but I have a spot reserved for that. I’m using a different ESC brand, I think the manufacturer is ZTW, the brand name is Shark. It’s a flat esc with water cooling for marine use. I also picked up the program card to make my life easier. I’m not using the water cooling as I’ll be doing good to hit 8 amps and this is a 30 amp esc, so I should be fine. The program card has other uses, such as a lipo cell checker, and a servo tester. The esc has good response, a good usable low end, and the motor runs fairly quiet. So far it’s well worth the money, and they are not expensive by any means.
I installed the foredeck as well. I thought it would look wrong if it was just a flat panel, so I made up a curved bulkhead to give it a little shape. Finally, I gave the deck 2 coats of oak stain, then a coat of semigloss clear.
I’m on the fence about the foredeck finish. I coul just stain or paint it and call it a day….but I have some planking left over. Might look into that.
I’m also not sure if I want to paint the hull or leave it as is. I’m thinking about a light blue, or a lighter brown. It’s a little too glossy to my eyes, so if I don’t paint it it will surely get a chat or 2 of semigloss.
Lots more to do so stay tuned….
Cash

Hi y’all. Not a whole lot done but I’m getting there. The deck is installed, looks okay but needs a little work starboard, the fwd cabin bulkhead is in portholes added and first coats of stain on, companionway built up and stained. I need to make up a door for the companionway and the bulwark railing then I can move on to the hull paint then start the wheelhouse. I’m not going to plank the cabin roof fwd but I might do som trim. I’m thinking about laying down some strips of sandpaper for an anti slip walkway so the anchor can be raised, maintenance, etc. But…then I’ll have to add some sort of rudimentary railing so the “crew” won’t fall overboard, or am I overthinking this? Anyway, stay tuned y’all. She’ll be pretty if I don’t make myself crazy..😂
Cash

Hi y’all. It’s been a few weeks since my last post. I’ve had a bit of builders block, coupled with just being a bit tired…I’m in the wrong state to not like summer weather!! Anyway, I decided to do the bulwark rails for my next step. Robbe supplies you with some coiled up 3 mm square plastic strip to do the job. Since that strip is almost 40 years old and it’s been curled up in a box, it took a set, and no amount of finagling or cursing helped. So I winged it. I used 3/16 balsa to do the job, curved it where I could, cut in sections and sanded where I needed. I’ll probably do some touch up sanding and painting when I’m almost done, but it looks okay for now.
I decided to paint the hull sonic blue over white. Since the deck was installed and the foredeck built up I had to do a lot of masking but it turned out okay. I painted over the pre installed plastic strip but it won’t matter as she’s getting a proper rubber rub rail when it’s all said and done.
So, I’m at the point where I start building the pilot house and some deck details. I have to use my imagination a bit as she’s going to be a weekend or short vacation boat, so I have to figure out what would look good as far as detail for that kind of boat.
Cash

Hi y’all, quick update. I started the pilothouse. All I have done so far is the four walls, however that took some time, as each wall is a double layer. To make it even more fun, the die cut openings weren’t very die cut-more like die embossed, so I had to cut each opening out with an xacto. Once the walls are built you assemble them into the house. That’s where I stopped after I made sure it fit well. I need to stain it, and I want to do a little detail work inside, stain that, add ships wheel and a throttle quadrant, and make provisions for lighting. Then glazing and the roof. Once I’m done with the house the rest should go by quickly.
Cash

Hi y’all. Bits been a bit since my last posting. Work, daughters car (needed a turbo) and the good old late summer heat dome we get starting in late July just made life a little less fun. However, I got some more progress made last weekend and yesterday.
So, the story goe with this boat is that she going to be a day cruiser or vacation boat, hence the foredeck/sleeper cabin up front and the lack of fishing gear. I’ve decided that this boat has been bought and refurbished by a youngish married couple, who had the means to make her into a nice coastal boat. So, I needed a crew. The boat is 1/20 scale….theres hardly any figures in that scale. So……I picked up a couple of American Diorama 1/24 scale figures, both look in their mid 30s, and look the part.
I got the pilothouse stained, then I built up a control console and a shelf that runs the width of the pilothouse and about 1/3 of the way aft on both sides. The first picture will show a bigger wheel Than I ended up with. Also, the young man at the helm is a little short, so he has been “boosted” via a converted Lego glued to his feet and the floor. The controls came from my parts stash.
I glazed the windows with separate pieces vs a long strip. I went ahead and glued them into the recesses that were made when the double walls of the wheel house were built. I used canopy glue for this purpose. In some of the pics you can see the glue, but in the latest you can tell it dried clear.
Lastly I drilled the hatch the house sits on for tubes to carry the lighting wires from the roof down below decks, and built up the forward box that’s on the pilothouse front wall. After I do a little more inside the cabin then the roof and lights will be next.
Cash

Hi y’all. Got the pilothouse closer to completion Saturday. I found a 1/24 scale GPS unit in my stash, so I gave it a little paint and glued it to the dash. I decided that was it for the interior, including the pilot. So I then turned my attention to the roof. The aft part of the roof is ply, and has extensions for the nav lights. I used standard 6 volt bulbs for the navigation lamps, but I used a 12 volt for the cabin. Powered on that gives a nice warm glow inside. I painted the first six inches starting at the bulb ends brown so the wires would blend in better with the interior. I had to set up the wiring before I glued the roof on as once that’s done there’s no access. I was able to run most of the wiring down the tubes I installed, but I had to fold and hide a bit of the interior lamp wiring as it and the starboard nav lamp wiring share the same tube, and it got a little cramped. Once that was glued on, I installed the roof supports, painted the roof and installed that. I made up 2 doors, one for the cabin and one for the fwd compainionway from scrap thin mahogany, I need to
make up hinges and handle and install those later.
Cash

Just did the doors an hour ago