I had a hull sitting round under the hose for a number of years and decided the lockdown was a good time for a new project (ie complete it) Finally finished it in around a month and a half (on and off) and it's now been tested and runs very well on the water, (bit tricky on land) Will probably be experimenting with different motors and props for best performance and quietest running. Would make a great rescue boat with a set of padded arms on the front. Thought of fitting it with a car ESC so as to have reverse,- (only problem is keeping the prop on while starting in reverse) Hull is completely glassed and resin sealed inside.

I joined Taskforce 72 some years ago so my first scale model was HMS Argyll. Never having built a scale model before I purchased a Fleetscale semi kit. The build took 18 months and incorporated working stabilizers, rotating gun, rotating radars and lighting. Running gear consists of Futaba 6 channel radio, ford buhler motors,twin speed controllers and 4x 7.2v 5000 ma nicad packs running on 14.volts. It was a much enjoy able build with many challenged including making many moulds and castings to create the finer details. Some think else I had no experience in. The wharf was also made just to moor the model, along with a few islands just to add some intrest. I hope you enjoy the pics.

I was sent the steam plant by one on our members.It is a freelance steam launch as I lengthened the boat to fit the boiler and engine.The steam boiler and engine are the Maxwell Hemmens Canton plant.It has been run on water and held 30 psi for allmost 20 min. Rick

So many years later. Pilot Boat, much more to be done.

Black Bess was built in 1984 when R/C was 27Mhz. Sail winch and rudder. All frames were 5mm plywood salvaged from the bottom of surplus RAF bedside table draws. 3/32 plywood skinning. transport courtesy of Richard Blizzard. I found the sails and rigging this morning

Just started a Refit Blog on HMS Repulse. Following a phone call from a distant friend I have acquired the above for a song price and will be undertaking a total and 100% refit. Tremendous amount of work to do In every area. Repulse will be in dry dock for the foreseeable future with work in hand. Keep you posted. Bill.

Z37 NARVICK German Destroyer type 32 class.

Here is my newly finished "Orca" scratch built from the plans by Pat Tritle. she is 1:14 scale and about 35 inches length. First run out today and she went perfectly. The only thing I needed to do was add a little ballast in the stern as she was sitting slightly nose down at top speed, thats now been rectified. I will add more photos and perhaps a video next time out. But I am very pleased with how she's turned out, a definate keeper!

These three show the lever in each position from the base top lower and center .Center is full stop,top is full foreword and bottom is full reverse and notches in between for slower speeds Rick

Graham TV1 STEAM ENGINE as the engine sits left is the prop side and the lever is in the up position the center post has notches in for speed control as the lever moves up and down for direction .I hope this helps Doug. Rick

Resolve was a class of ocean going tug built for the Admiralty just after WW1. The model is built from the Caldercraft kit and I am really pleased with the way it has turned out. The many white metal parts are of good quality and as you can see, there is much detail, all included in the box. At the time of writing, the closest she has got to the water is for her hull only sea trials where she performed well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv5RNJXMm64 The cardboard box you see contains the many white metal parts to give some idea of any extra ballast required. She is currently gathering dust in my garage whilst I impatiently await for some kind of normality to return.

HMS Victorious....Circa 1941. Based on a Fleetscale hull.Scale 1/128. I started her some 5 years ago and it really has been a long job because of other projects which I prioritised.Thus it has been an on and off project.Still a lot to do in most area’s,so she is a long way off being finished with a lot of errors to rectify and modify. Front lift goes up and down. Rear turrets all turn. Has a water steam smoke effect boiler. Working bilge pump,plus more. I also want to get the lifting crane to rotate, any ideas anyone, space is not at a premium? Started on the Island only recently. Had a trimming sail just prior to lockdown.She weighs a ton 🤔 This lockdown has boosted work much to the wife’s annoyance 😂😂 Will try to keep on top of this project now. Regards Bill

Built over 30 years ago and still going strong after many Atlantic convoys and refits Bluebell is still one of my favourite boats. Still sailed on a regular basis. My sons,who used her as a build project all those years ago still enjoy her as well. My sons wrote to the Flower Class Corvette Association were made Lifetime Members and given the tie and lapel badge.

Another of my scratch-built ships (no plans) Runs on two-channel 6v

This is my latest model, a swim head stumpy, prolific in the creeks and rivers of the Thames and Medway until about the 1930's She is scratch built, 30 " long. In keeping with other barges I have built, I have named her 'Harty' as in Isle of, or Ferry, part of the Isle of Sheppey which is separated from the Kentish Shore by the River Swale. First Minister Drakeford says I must not sail her at the moment, but let's hope that day will come before too long.

Another semi-kit from Rob Fowler, rob4boats@yahoo.co.uk, who also supplied my MASB. The hull is very well made and extremely robust. At 1/24 scale fittings and crew are easily available so there was very little to scratch build. I can only claim ownership of the lockers, and splinter matting (made from Lilliput). The colour scheme is (loosely), based on Western Approaches camouflage and this was my first attempt at weathering. On reflection it looks quite clunky close up but looks okay on the water.

Built from a kit produced by SLEC from an original Lesro design. Construction started in March 2020....still 'work in progress'

Finally finished the build, just needs the registration mark putting on. Apologies I have no build log, was to far in before I thought about it, and it's taken a long while to finish, with other boats on the build.

Thames Barge part built when I got it been a labour of love as from a club member that went to the great lake in the sky ⛵⛵⛵

Built some 9 years ago, and still continues to serve well and turns heads at the pond. The dive tank has always given me problems and am looking to either repair or purchase a new one when funds allow.

This is my most recent finished build of the Dumas 78’ pt Boat, this again was bought to keep me from going insane during lockdown, however I had found myself finishing it in 4 days!, it was a good kit but some of the things supplied were poor so I did customise them to give that extra detail such as the torpedo tubes instead of using the vinyl sticker to wrap around to create the ribs, I used 0.5mm x 0.5mm styrene strip to give it a more better look, I did change the 2 bladed nylon prop for a much stronger 3 bladed brass one.

This is the RO-marine Najade motor yacht kit, this was something to keep me busy during lockdown, it is a nice kit but I thought it was going to take me longer but was finished in 10 days, I was not a fan of the sticker decking or the seating so I made my own real wood decks out of lime strip and made some cream leather seating.

This is my Arleigh Burke class destroyer DDG-81 U.S.S. Winston Churchill, this uses a hull from MTB hulls and a set of plans the rest is all scratch built, it is an ongoing project but should be finished within the next few months.

This was my first warship, a type 23 frigate HMS Argyll, this was a fleetscale semi kit, the model took me around 8 months mostly due to working full time, there are a few 3D printed parts on her to give those extra details, as for hardware I used 2 MFA 540 motors wired to a 20amp esc with a set of 2.4ghz 2 channel radio gear

This is my type 45 destroyer HMS dragon in 1/96 scale, it is a sirmar semi kit, the model took me 6 months to build, it did include some 3d printed fittings from Shapeways for a few extra details.

This was the next boat I built, this time from scratch. In my family history search I discovered that my great grandfather had emigrated to New Zealand in 1870 when he went was as a farm worker. He ended up in a small place called Coromandel on the North Island. Auckland was across a big sea inlet and in the days before significant roads, much of the transport was by small steam ships, it was similar in the UK in the Bristol Channel and on the East coast of the USA. Somehow he improved his status by becoming part of the crew of the boat that plied between mainly Coromandel and Auckland. Unfortunately whilst in Auckland when off the boat, he fell into the harbour there and was drowned leaving a wife and by then 5 children. I do not know anything about their subsequent life in N.Z. but they all ended up in Australia and my grandfather became a ships carpenter and roamed the world. On his way he married my paternal grandmother long enough to conceive my father and the continued for a few years to travel the world, before ending up in British Columbia where he married a further two ladies, so at one time he had three wives. With this information I decided to see if I could build a model of the Coromandel. As it turned out there is a book on the history of steam transport in the North Island of New Zealand and there was one picture of the Coromandel in this book and after fair amount of research ( mainly in the Great Britain library here in Bristol ) I finally produced a design for the boat and covered its construction on this site. The model is electrically powered and radio controlled but only had a few sailings as it is more of a historic object now and the salt water in the sailing sites around Bristol does not do models with brass parts a lot of good so it now resides on brackets in my lounge.

I have been a member of this site for a long time and I thought it was about time I put my boats in the harbour two have existed for a long time particularly the Fire boat that must go back to the early 1960's. The Valsheda has been a project for the last 9 years, this year I hope to finish it. The first one is one of the founders of this site, the Kit built Fire Boat it started long ago with a very small diesel then to glo plug and in is final form electric. I covered its re build on this site some time ago but it looks like the older stuff has gone from the site. The picture is as it is today after years on a shelf in my office.

1:50 Scale scratch built model of last operating steam tug in South Africa. Built using plans I drew up using photographs as reference. Alwyn Vintcent currently being restored by Villiersdorp Vintage Tractor and Engine Club in Villiersdorp, South Africa.

These are better. Rick

Not the best as I have trouble taking pictures Rick