I love making plastic model kits but I've always fancied making an RC model boat ever since I saw a Leander class frigate being made by Bob Symes on TV in 'Model World' back in the 70s. Having had no model boat building experience and no knowledge of electronics I considered myself more than qualified to 'throw one together'... 😂

After half an hour on Google I found myself buying a set of Vic Smeed plans for a 1/24 scale Thornycroft MTB and a Belair kit for it. It was when they turned up that I realised what I'd let myself in for.

Firstly I did a 'dry run' with the Belair Kit. All seemed reasonably straightforward so I got down to chamfering the keel pieces. Then I started glueing all the bits together, leaving a 1/4" gap for the propeller shaft. I didn't have a set square, so used some lego stolen from my son to make one.

When my timber turned up I started to fit the chines and gunwale. I noticed my first gunwale strip had made the stem/bow/front bit too sharp. It needed a bit more curve, so I added a couple of 'spacers' to the inner strip so the outer strip would give a broader curve and ensured the inner strip wouldn't be pushed inwards by adding a strut from the stem reinforcement. I then started to apply the skin (1/16" ply), moving from stern to bow.

Of course it started really easily, but as I approached the curvy bits towards the front I started to use cardboard to make patterns for the pieces of ply I'd be cutting. Some of these I'd soak in hot water for a couple of hours so I could get a decent bend to them. I used PVA glue with superglue for when I couldn't use clamps and needed an instant strong bond.

On the hull pieces I decided to cut the apertures for the portholes, but wait until I'd varnished it all before fitting the nice shiny portholes I'd ordered from Amati.

So as you can see, the bow looked a right state - I didn't have any clamps capable of bringing the skin together neatly at the front. I knew that whatever I used to fill it would have to be very tough to withstand the knocks I knew it would get in this landlubber's hands. So I used milliput, an epoxy putty that sets rock hard, won't crumble and is waterproof.

I filled with wood filler, then gave it all a good sanding starting with coarse sandpaper, working down to a fine one. So here's where I'm up to - quite pleased as it looks the part and more or less symmetrical.

Now I need to think about what I'll be putting inside it to make it go so I can fit and seal the prop shaft, varnish and then see if she floats

So I've got the hull all done, cut the apertures for the portholes and got the foredeck down. I can't really do any more until I have the gizzards. So ignoring the things that will actually make this vessel GO, I've concentrated on the fluff that will make it look nice 😂

I made a list of everything that will go on the deck with the links to various suppliers. But looking at it in the cold light of day I realised it would add up to an awful lot of moolah so I banished all thoughts of ESCs, water cooling, servos and inflammatory LiPo battery packs and got scratch building, using plastic card and the odd plastic lid. I won't do it all (Battlecraft's twin vickers turret and torpedo tubes are too beautiful to ignore - and you can see their ship's wheel and lifebelt in the pics) but had a go at some lockers and hatches. I've used a couple of portholes on the porthole hatches, applying a drop of PVA glue over the glazing which should provide a decent mask that I can remove once it's all painted.

Here's how it's looking currently, with wheelhouse and some bits of foredeck litter placed on the deck just to see how it looks - come on, we all do it don't we?😜

I've made a hinge for the mast so it can fold down in transit and held in place when erect by wires hooking onto the 'stick thing' at the front (you can tell I'm new to this can't you?)

So regarding the gizzards: I'm going to stick to the original plan of one engine/prop (i'd hate to think what horrors would ensure if I tried to convert it to 2 props at this late stage - doable I know, but I want to keep things as simple as I am...)

After various nocturnal saunters through Googleland, I've come up with a tentative plan:

Motor: Fusion 3535/05 Brushless Motor 1500kv 35mm Outrunner

ESC: Hobbywing Seaking-30A-V3 Speed Control (with a water-cooling setup)

8" prop shaft with a 30mm prop, keeping it as close to the hull as possible without slicing a hole through it - to minimise any torque roll (you see - i'm learning!) Regarding the prop - RH or LH as there's only the one? And is brass worth the extra cost over plastic?

Batteries: I like the idea of Nimh batteries as apparently I can use 2 battery packs which would help with weight distribution - but what packs - and how would I link them - any ideas?

I think I know what I'm going to do with the rudders but I'll obviously need a servo. I've seen some rc packages that contain transmitter, receiver and servo - any advice on a half decent one that doesn't cost the earth?

does all that make sense?

Electrics arriving in dribs and drabs - the two 6v NiMh batteries sit nicely either side of where the engine will be installed so I made 'compartments' for them which they fit snugly and there'll be no risk of them falling out - seemed neater and more secure than using velcro and they're easy to extract.

The twin Vickers turret and Carley float arrived from Battlecraft and they really look the thing - had fun painting them and completing the engine hatch which they'll be attached to.

Did a rough positioning of the gizzards (I bottled making the engine mount and ordered one on fleabay but it'll take a while to arrive so I'll have to wait awhile to seat and seal the prop shaft.

Fitted the portholes (unglazed - I'll glaze them after the hull is painted) and decided to see if she'd float and see how much ballast I'll need.

I remembered to seal the prop shaft aperture with duct tape, filled her with the engine, batteries etc and gingerly lowered her into the churning maelstrom of our bathtub. Phew! I had a nasty moment when I saw a glittering on one side at the bottom, but fortunately only the bathroom light reflecting off some wood glue. She was floating about half an inch below the waterline so I used whatever was to hand as ballast. I'll need 450g near the bow and another 600g just astern of the engine compartment. Once the ballast's in I can get the deck down.

Crikey - hadn't realised it's been 2 months since my last Thornycroft post. I haven't been neglecting the build - just trying to fit the motor, tillers and all the electronics inside. I was envisaging two access panels at the rear, but decided to merge them into one large panel, giving me more room to squeeze in the ESC, switch and fuse, without interfering with the tiller mechanism or the prop shaft.

Even then as you can see from the photos it looks a right pig's breakfast 😂. I'd got to the stage where I was ready to switch it on and see what happened. To be honest I wasn't expecting much as this was my first time putting electronics together and I didn't have much faith in my cack-handed attempts at soldering. As I bound the receiver and transmitter, something stirred and i was flabbergasted to see the rudders twitching. everything actually worked 😮.

My biggest headache has been the transom-mounted twin tillers. I tried combination after combination of various linkage components. In the end I went back to the drawing board, fabricating 2 tiller posts from brass rod, with soldered arms extending through the transom which linked up via brass strip, steel rod and brass tube mounted on the servo. This appears to work. I just need to put some finishing touches to her and I'll post some more pics of her in a finished state in the next week...

Well here's how she's looking. I must say I'm really pleased with the way she's turned out. I scratch built a fair bit of the detail, but did invest in some of the major fluff (mg turret, torpedo tubes, depth charges, anchors etc from Battlecrafts)

She's taken me about 4 months to build and I've had great fun learning new skills and techniques. I'm actually dreading taking her down to the nearest boating lake for her maiden voyage as I've convinced myself she'll catch fire and sink without trace.😂

My Vic Smeed Thornycroft MTB has been sitting in dry dock over the summer, due to holidays but also procrastination due to my fear that when I finally launched her she'd go straight to the bottom...

Anyway, this morning I plucked up courage, took her down to Black Park lake near Slough and chucked her in. She appeared to sit well in the water. I gently engaged the throttle and waved a tearful farewell as she moved off 20 yards or so towards the middle of the lake. I took her round in a wide arc and back to port. I repeated this a couple of times and did some straight runs until the tiller mechanism jammed, fortunately she was within grabbing distance.

I was so relieved and pleased that she worked. She had a good turn of speed (nothing too dramatic) and seemed to steer well, keeping fairly upright.

There appeared to be little if any water ingress. The water cooling system for the ESC didn't work (I suspect kinks in the tube) but it didn't appear to be overheating. I'll attend to that and also the tiller mechanism before I take her out again.

Finally got my sea legs!