Aerokits 1962 34.5" RAF Crash Tender rebuild, including interior.

Started by EdH

24 updates 219 likes 178 comments
EdH #21 of 25 2

Wheelhouse Roof

Although the hatch opens, the wheelhouse roof cannot be removed, so decided to add more light to show the details inside. Put 6 concealed bulbs in the ceiling, as well as a spotlight and masthead light. These bulbs were advertised as white but there's a very slight blue caste, which goes away if you up the voltage slightly over the rated 3v. Of course they then get very hot and the only way to replace an LED is to cut the roof off! The bulbs are tiny - 1.4 millimeters!
Liked by Colin H and RNinMunich and
4 comments
  1. EdH
    Midshipman
    Doug, I was misled by the salesman who was not totally honest. There was no Kelvin number quoted but he made a point of saying how white they were. It’s not a problem and not too noticeable unless the voltage drops, plus I only paid $5 for 50 of them! Maybe not quoting the kelvin should have been a sign. Our house is full of LEDs and we are very careful what we buy. Was my own fault but it doesn’t look bad!
    Liked by Martin555 and RNinMunich
  2. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    Evenin' Ed,
    Salesman may not have been dishonest, just plain higorant!🤔

    For a similar price I recently bought a 15m roll of such mini LEDs, one LED about every 3.5cm
    Divisible in 10cm chunks, each chunk with 2 independent rows side by side of 3 LEDs each.
    Complete with dropping resistors!! Add 12V to the end of any section of 3 (or several in series) and 'Let there be light'💡😊
    I'm using some 'chunks' to convert a few of my old halogen bulb lamps.
    Also occurred to me that I could use longer strips to illuminate some portholes in for instance; Titanic (what else🙄), Bismarck, Belfast,KGV, Ark Royal etc etc.
    Funny though, I don't remember joining the Illuminati!😁
    Cheers, Doug😎
    Don't get too 'lit up' in isolation😮
    Liked by Martin555

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EdH #22 of 25 2

Anchor, chain, hawsepipe

The anchor chain that Graham sent to me arrived yesterday. He wouldn’t accept money for the item or the international postage to the US. I post on 4 Facebook pages and Instagram, so, without using your name Graham, plenty of modelers now know about your random act of kindness! The chain is naturally quite delicate and I imagined it would end up broken if left to flop around on deck, so I replicated the cabin top and deck with scrap wood and ran CA glue down the chain to make it rigid, moving it to the model when dry. Thank you Graham, both for the chain and the kind gesture which left a good feeling in these strange times!
Liked by Colin H and Escrich and
2 comments
  1. Graham93
    Vice Admiral
    Hi Ed, glad it arrived safely in these difficult times.

    Like the superglue approach. The chain on my Crash Tender is just attached at the ends. It’s been OK so far, but if I loose it, I now know what to do with the replacement 😀

    Graham93
    Liked by EdH and Martin555

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EdH #23 of 25 2

Fold down mast rigged

The metal mast is rigged. The forward cleats are split pins with epoxy sanded to shape. The aft cleats are rectangular brass with a brass pin. After cleaning windows etc., permanently glued the wheelhouse roof on, sealing this area.
Liked by Peter Wilcock and Escrich and
4 comments
  1. EdH
    Midshipman
    Doug, I use split pins a lot. One of my favorites was the chain plates for a Bristol Channel Pilot a couple of years ago. One side of the pin was bent 90 degrees and epoxyed into a bulkhead, while two smaller pins held it against the side of the boat. It was so strong you could lift the (heavy) boat by the shrouds!
    I was wondering if doing a weekly build blog on a past scratch build is frowned on. Every one of my boats has been built in a different way (some radically different!) so they might be of interest, but I don't know if it should be a current project. I only do one a winter! Ed
    Liked by Colin H and RNinMunich and
  2. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    "I was wondering if doing a weekly build blog on a past scratch build is frowned on."
    On the contrary Ed,
    It would be most welcome👍
    What difference does it make if it was done last week, last year or ... ?
    Main thing is what did you 'scratch' and how!!😁
    Looking forward to it.

    " .. one a winter" That's far better than my completion rate the last few years Ed!
    Cheers, Doug 😎
    Liked by Martin555 and EdH

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EdH #24 of 25 2

Concerned Doctor

For some reason I missed posting the concerned doctor, done a while ago. He was made the same way as the previous figures. Not sure how he would be dressed, but put him in a white coat so it was a little more obvious who he was.

I want to add a figure on deck, operating the forward fire hose. I purposely pointed this hose high in the air, so the figure can be kneeling, giving a larger area to attach and less chance of breakage by a grandson! He could either have one knee on the ground like the guy to the left, or both like the guy on the right. Suggestions?

Where I really need HELP is how he would be dressed. I was thinking some kind of oilskin, but I'm not sure if it should be yellow. The picture isn't much help as I believe, as someone else said, that this was a builder's demonstration run picture. Maybe even Vosper employees! Suggestions very welcome!

I'm going to put this on hold for a bit, as I put the floats in last week and we are getting ready to play with real boats! We have to make the most of the boating season in Maine. My daughter sends me pictures of tree blossoms and beautiful flowers in London but here the daffodils are just starting (2" little green shoots!).
Ed
Liked by Escrich and jbkiwi and
12 comments
  1. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    Mon plaisir Ed😉
    Looking forward to see your crew busily busying themselves - "Two six"!!
    And the 'weather conditions' you subject them to😁
    Cheers, Doug 😎

    PS FOR NERYS!
    Since you've painted your Tender in a warm climate scheme your crew could be 'lounging about' sunbathing in white shorts n shirts, or topless!!😮
    Liked by Martin555

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EdH #25 of 25 2

RAF Crash Tender maiden run

Brought the Wesmac and this winter's RAF Crash Tender to my local model club meet. First time for the Tender and I was happy with her performance, but not with my photography. Will bring a tripod next time! When you run models at far greater scale speeds than the original, instability is always a risk, but she was very steady even in tight turns. With the finished interior, figures and added details, she is quite a bit heavier than intended, which might well have helped. She was at full throttle once in the video, towards the beginning, just after passing the other boat. I particularly liked the way she flattened out at speed. The massive Wesmac seemed to dwarf the tender but at 34.5", she's not that small! An enjoyable day with like minded souls and their beautifully made models. Hope the video loads ok! Ed
Liked by Plivez and Madwelshman and
6 comments
  1. EdH
    Midshipman
    Rob, I had a club member running it and still managed to mess up the photography. Part of the trouble was the sun made it hard to see the camera screen and my camera doesn't let me look through the viewfinder for video. Ed
  2. Nerys
    Fleet Admiral
    Crash tender looks really good Ed, hope mine looks and performs anything like as well when I can eventually get to the lake to try her out. I am also interested in the other boats you photographed particularly the sailless Thames Barge. I presume she has been built as a model of an auxiliary barge. Would love to hear a bit more about her. The fishing boat too, she looked interesting,

    Cheers, Nerys
    Liked by Madwelshman and Martin555

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