Future Fairey Projects

Bob, doh, guess which version of the Swordsman 37 I showed a picture of in my first post! A full cockpit version is certainly easier to build, only one roof and less windows! And they do look very nice. I can draw whichever version you fancy. Will, when I had my Mk. 2 Spearfish kit I did think about building it into something else but thought the hull too big for a 1:12 build and would have been a shame in some ways as it was a mint kit. I think the hull was a bit flimsy as well until braced compared with the fibreglass Huntsman hull which I think will be easier to modify? Chris

1 hour ago by 🇬🇧 ChrisF ( Rear Admiral)

Building Related

Just happened

Well Garth, now that you have the kit ... "Time to get to work. Chop chop"😉 😎

13 hours ago by 🇩🇪 RNinMunich ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Question of the Day?

Hmm - not sure - the only northern gannets I have seen, have been well clear of powered ships/boats, but ok with sailing boats, and dive from height to catch the fish underwater.

17 hours ago by 🇬🇧 luckyduck ( Lieutenant)

Website Related

Animal and nature photos to enjoy.

Hello Things have been looking like this in Stade since yesterday. And it should continue like this all week.

1 day ago by 🇩🇪 Wolle ( Commodore)

Non-Hobby Chat

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The hand pump is awesome, Mike! Is it cold in Rothenburg?

2 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

Non-Hobby Chat

120 years of modelboat history

Happy New Project Year Chris ! A Swordsman 37 joint project sounds like it could be one of the best ideas that we have considered...so far..... Working at your favourite scale, a 37" long Swordsman would be a very handy size and I would love to see how it runs alongside the 39" Rapier. I think the longer Swordsman will perform very well, and built with integrated cabin sides it should be a very weather-proof model that would be able to perform in any of our UK water conditions, 12 months of the year. Bob.

3 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

Building Related

Flysky Warning

Looked at a few but being I have about 40 of the same switches "in stock" I tend to use what I have, especially on cheap items. Lew Added: Plus ordering, shipping, and doing this sometime in the future (maybe) also needs to be considered. It is now done.

3 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

RC & Electrics

Mary Ann 472

Thanks Roy See the revisions to my original post. Roy, it appears that the sprit is moveable and is extended or retracted depending upon the sailing conditions. In some if these video clips, it is sailing with only one jib and the sprit retracted. Then in other clips, it is extended and two sails are seen. If, I am going to go this route, a lead keel will need to be installed. I will also build it for harbour purposes with sails furled and using the onboard motor which is already installed.

3 days ago by 🇨🇦 Ronald ( Fleet Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

The eve of another year

Hi Ronald Love those little boats, and the snow blower is just the ticket for those who have proper snow. Colin

4 days ago by 🇬🇧 ColinJ2 ( Master Seaman)

Non-Hobby Chat

8 Channel Transmitter

Nobody has mentioned RadioLink on this thread yet, but I have used them for several years since they became available in the UK when they were first imported and distributed by Rossendale Models. Sadly Rossendale Models is another of our UK model shops that have disappeared but RadioLink is now distributed in the UK by J.Perkins. RadioLink first became known for their use with drones and were always considered to have really good performance with reliability at a fair price. I use RadioLink radios for all of my model boats and in all of my race cars. When Horizon Hobby distributed Spectrum in the UK I always used their radios in my large scale racing cars, helicopters (of all sizes) and almost every thing else except my 1/16 scale Wedico model trucks that mostly run on various types of Futaba F14 radio sets. Horizon Hobbies closed their UK distribution at about the time that RadioLink became available in the UK, and fortunately RadioLink proved to be a really good replacement for Spectrum of at least similar quality, high levels of innovation - and at a much better price! Since changing to RadioLink I have never looked back, but some of my 1/16 scale tanks came with the budget priced FlySky radio systems and they work very well too - well enough for all my r/c tanks to run with FlySky to keep some commonality between them. Bob.

4 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

RC & Electrics

Glynn Guest models

The original Miami at 1/32 nd scale , i think.. One of the quickest builds i have know and easy. Just a note, all my GG models were direct drive single and twin screw.. ATB Muddy..

5 days ago by 🇬🇧 muddy ( Sub-Lieutenant)

Building Related

Dickie harbour tug

So..... I'm not really a builder, but I love a refurb project, and thought this would be easy! Day before my grandsons birthday, after a couple of successful runs, I thought give it a final bench test, nothing worked!. Now the deck was silicone to the hull thinking I would not need to venture in there again, as the original thin seal was useless. Took ages to split it apart, water had got in, esc was dead By now I'm thinking should have just bought a new one, changed the esc, pump now not working either! I had a very fine filter in the water feed pipe, it was blocked. So, started again. Luckily we had a standby birthday present, so pressure was off, but I was disappointed with myself for missing the water leak It has a water tank in the bottom of the hull that fills once the boat is in the water. It feeds the pump, and acts as ballast, quite clever, this was leaking into the hull when the pumps was operated. I decided the silicon was a messy idea, so ordered some neoprene seal, it's now all ready for reassemble. An easy project that has turned into a right pia😁 and too much money for what it is. It had better not leak again, or it's in the bin😮

7 days ago by 🇬🇧 pmdevlin ( Lieutenant)

Building Related

Holiday greetings from the seaside

And to all over the world from western Cornwall uk

7 days ago by 🇬🇧 Stephen T ( Captain)

Non-Hobby Chat

Last xmas sailing of the year

What a great meeting you have there, some beautiful boats, are they smd lights around the cabin cruiser? looks chilly though where you are, we are the same here in Manchester UK, cold and crisp but due for some snow they say. Cheers, Pete😊

5 days ago by 🇬🇧 Rookysailor ( Commodore)

Trotamares ex-fishing boat

After making/constructing model boats for 60 years, I have a good eye for the displacement of a model, no calculations needed except sometimes for sailing yachts. I have in ready to go state 10 yachts and 11 electric models with about 20 models in the background, plus about 4 unbuilt kits. I have passed on 4 boats to others this last year. Roy

8 days ago by 🇬🇧 roycv ( Fleet Admiral)

Building Related

My Christmas present

Ronald. I didn’t mention that Little Canada was expensive; I have no way of knowing since I have not been there. Too bad the school groups create problems. There’s an incredible amount of time & hard work that goes into creating such intricate displays. It’s been several years since I visited Miniatur in Hamburg. I don’t recall it being overly expensive, but perhaps it was. Miniatur is quite large; as I recall it covers three floors. I particularly liked the harbor display complete with RC boats and the traffic jam in a European city whose name I can’t recall that had a vehicular accident programmed into the automation. Complete with traffic tie up & responding emergency vehicles. The airport depiction, it might have been Zurich, was also fascinating. For any modeler visiting Hamburg Miniatur is a “ do not miss”!

8 days ago by 🇺🇸 Chum444 ( Commodore)

Hobby Chit Chat

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends

Love It!🥰

9 days ago by 🇨🇦 Ronald ( Fleet Admiral)

General Resources

Next project

Merry Christmas Gang!!!!! Enjoy and let's build our boats like never before in 2026!!! 👍😀

11 days ago by 🇺🇸 jumpugly ( Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Movie rust and aging...

Someone really knows how to weather a model boat. Excellent!

11 days ago by 🇺🇸 Hsailer ( Able Seaman)

Hobby Chit Chat

Update re: PeterD

Hang in there Peter! We've got your back with the well wishes and good vibes. Best -- Guy

13 days ago by 🇺🇸 jumpugly ( Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

Waterproof servos

Eric, there's always the great rc sub guy on youtube! I would touch base with him on his channel to inquire. He def knows his stuff. https://www.youtube.com/@RCSubGuy

15 days ago by 🇺🇸 jumpugly ( Admiral)

RC & Electrics

Bluebird

Yessir Ed! I downloaded them and they are beautiful!!! 😊👍

17 days ago by 🇺🇸 jumpugly ( Admiral)

General Resources

Before and after..

Looking good! I think scale sail boats are great. The Down side (here in Florida) is the wind. Either too much or not enough putting them in "chains". Mine does well on the shelf. Lew

21 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat

TVR1A Steam Engine.

A little more progress on the building front, and a few more decisions made with regards to exactly what I am trying to accomplish. So we now have planked decks front and rear of the engine, and maybe timber box grating around the engine. I have decided to cover up the servo at the side of the engine, so the full metal jacket now has a wooden over coat. I have also made a start on the pipe work and some serious silver soldering. Fluxed rods or easy-flow, that is the question? I have made a Windemere steam kettle, which will be fed from the bottom of the sight glass fitting, and it will be moved from its temporary location on the servo cover. Regards, Gary.

25 days ago by 🇬🇧 GaryLC ( Captain)

Building Related

engine etc etc

Hi Bob, many thanks for this information, very much appreciated.

26 days ago by 🇬🇧 Guy O ( Recruit)

RC & Electrics

Dutch sailing barge

Sorry, I copied the translated text twice instead of editing the errors.

26 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

General Resources

RTTL2755 having a run out

You're right, John, it navigates perfectly, and you made a very impressive video (too bad it's so short). How much does your RC model weigh?

26 days ago by 🇮🇹 AlessandroSPQR ( Fleet Admiral)

General Resources

Sprite

Hi Ronald, I just use the closest Former (bulkhead) template to give me the correct shape to cut out at each end of the boat stand and allow for the thickness of the bottom skins. In the case of the Sprite Plus, the ends of the stand locate part-way between Formers, so I averaged the bottom line (that will fit against the skin) between the Formers that are in front and behind the ends and it worked out perfectly. A cut-out to clear the prop shaft at the desired location was added so that the hull sits really neatly on the stand. Once the foam pipe insulation is added to each end of the boat stand it does remove the need to be quite so accurate with the cut shapes - but it is nice to know that mine fit well with the boat in the chosen position on the stand before the foams are added. Bob.

27 days ago by 🇬🇧 zooma ( Vice Admiral)

Building Related

WW 2 and radar

I thiink I saw the Thatch weave demonstrated on a reconstruction wartime documentery... something 360. 2 aircraft could shoot down a single one even if it was faster. Very clever thinking. Interesting reference to radar on your link. Roy

27 days ago by 🇬🇧 roycv ( Fleet Admiral)

Building Related

Nautical Nonsense: Cutlass Stand

I'm at my son's home right now and here is where the cutlass holder sits. Lew

27 days ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ ( Vice Admiral)

Hobby Chit Chat