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    Blog
    WWII Italian MAS 562
    Skinned the frames added deck and splash rail also started on
    cabin
    and superstructure, added rudder and installed twin brushed Graupner 600 motors via Graupner style direct couplings. Motor mounting system through a bulkhead gives extra support to motors which mount on to end of the shafts. currently adding a rudder servo mount, as rudder is a close copy of the real boat's and still functional.
    6 years ago by CB90
    Blog
    Aerials and masts
    Hi everybody!!! Great weekend so far, drove the Studebaker this morning, saw “Ford vs Ferrari” with my family (great movie btw) and had time to work on the PT. I did the side aerials last night, got the mast about half done today. Now, if you’ve kept up with this blog you’ll find that I just don’t like making small detail parts from wood, unless it’s supposed to look like wood. The side aerials are supposed to be glued into small pieces of wood that are rounded and fitted to the side of the fwd
    cabin
    so that the aerials are about a 20 degree angle. Nope. Not doing that. I have a small stock of various sizes of carbon tube, it was easier and I think, better looking to cut a small piece, sand the angle in, glue that to the
    cabin
    and insert the wire for the aerial. Also, Robbe recommends that you put a loop in the aerial end for safety. I used small thrust buttons for rubber model planes glued to the tip. I think that looks better. The mast was started today, I substituted 5mm carbon tube in lieu of the 5mm wood dowel, everything else is kit supplied. I think the superstructure will be done by Monday evening, maybe Wednesday latest.
    4 years ago by Cashrc
    Blog
    More superstructure details
    Hi everybody. Got some of the details done on the superstructure...looking better, although there’s a few flaws. However, I might be a bit of a hack, but I know how to camouflage my mistakes🤣 Some of the detail pieces are supposed to be built up from abs and obechi wood. I COULD have done that, but then you have to fill the wood with a filler, sand, repeat, etc, all on a piece smaller than my fingernail. To me, it was easier to do a “midnight requisition “ on some of Graces old Legos (with her permission of course) cut down to shape and painted. I’m going to get most of the rest of the bigger projects done, then I’ll do the tiny fiddly bits like the door hinges and the
    cabin
    vents. I also need to start thinking about any additional functions, if any, such as lights or sound.
    4 years ago by Cashrc
    Response
    Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, on the water at last
    Re - Good piece of water you have there JB - what is it dam or river Hi Peter, it's actually a drainage pond for the golf course and surrounding housing area, and belongs the the Gulf Harbour development co. The Gulf Harbour R/C yacht club sails there and are the ones who built the jetty. I was happy with the model and it ran as I hoped it would, luckily. Battery life running as it was in the vid, would have been around 45/50mins being safe, (not going below 3.3v/cell, - battery alarm is set for 3.6/ cell and had not gone off ) Batteries are 2011 and 2012 so they are getting on a bit, ( the 2011 is getting a bit puffy but still balances ok) I might replace them with 2800s but probably not necessary, as just chugging around I'd probably get an hour or more. Motors only draw about 2,1A max ea static, (under way less than that.) and seem just right for the boat. Had actually thought of something ducted fan powered, as I have around 8 various spares I built to experiment with in the Vampires (incl 4 in a ducted fan experimental quad I built, if necessary). see pic. Next model might be the 20ft Hartley
    cabin
    boat I built a few years ago, but that might be next year, as I have a lot of other things which need doing. I'm re-doing the Graupner Optimist at the moment between jobs. Thought about a ducted fan airboat (still have a hull I made 15yrs ago!) JB
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Response
    Re: SEAPLANE TENDER TANK TEST 2
    Re - It was just a loose idea, maybe a bit of copper tube I think I am just going to run out of room after checking dimensions Martin. It would have to go under the rear cockpit floor and I just have too much in there already, (2 battery packs and all the tubing)so I might flag it for now, and if I get a brainwave later I might re visit the idea. I agree with what Doug said about trying to get things working in such a small scale. There will be a way, just haven't found it yet. Custom made may be the only answer. If the boat had a full
    cabin
    it would not be an issue, but the low cockpit floor layout limits you a bit. JB
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    She knows I'll play with any likely material, John. I cut a lump out of her net curtains once to make model Rattan for a Riva cocktail
    cabin
    et. I would have asked, but she'd gawn shopp'n'. Pegasus stock Koverall, so I might take a trip over there. It's not TOO far to go. M
    5 years ago by Westquay
    Directory
    Mermaid sport fisherman
    Mermaid is built from a fibreglass hull I purchased on ebay. I saw it several times and finally gave in and purchased it. It is from "bhc" and it is a good quality product. They have many types of hulls but no plans so you are on your own. I decided it would be a sport fisherman with a cuddy
    cabin
    and outboard motor. I made many cardboard patterns till I was satisfied. I always wanted to try an outboard. Motor shell was purchased from Graupner and fitted with an Astro 05 motor that I had on hand. (I may change that). Haven't really tried it yet, but goes well in the Jacuzzi. It not quite finished yet Graphics are by "Callies" they are an internet company that will make you anything you want at a reasonable price. They were very understanding and cooperative. I highly recommend them. It was much cheaper and easier than buying your own vinyl cutter
    5 years ago by Commodore-H
    Forum
    3D Printing.
    I'm going to use needle files and fine wet and dry,the model makers at the University use chloroform they put it into a fume
    cabin
    et and expose the parts to the chloroforms fumes which smooths out the build lines ,not something most folk could try at home.👍
    5 years ago by marky
    Blog
    40'' Seaplane Tender, new build K
    Deck is now on and trimmed and chine spray rails and gunwale rubbing strip are on. Will be making the toe rails next and a few tweaks here and there, and inside edge of deck trimming to balsa facings (to be fixed) before undercoating.
    cabin
    is a work in progress and still to be 'fitted'to deck ( whole sandpaper sheets strapped down tight to deck, and
    cabin
    placed on top and sanded fore and aft till a good fit)
    cabin
    will fit over an internal coaming/upstand to keep water out. Spray rails and rubbing strip are hard balsa toughened with cyno (toe rails will be the same) Glue for decks was West System 105 resin with 404 powder additive (magic stuff, most widely used epoxy for full sized boats in NZ.)
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Blog
    The Battery Box & Power Switch
    I wanted to install a main power switch on the model so that the battery could be pre-installed and connected ready for the lake but at the same time the battery needed to be easily replaceable at the lakeside. The problem I faced was where I could fit and conceal a switch for this, and have it easily accessible too. The answer, I decided, was to disguise the switch as a
    cabin
    feature that I intended to include in the model detailing anyway, and the boats steering wheel was the ideal candidate. I started by sketching out a design that would incorporate a battery box and switch as a complete sub-assembly and with a workable design I began by constructing the battery box from 3mm ply. The switch mounting was formed from 1.2mm aluminium plate for which I made up a card template to determine the right size and angle of bends required to obtain the ‘slope’ of the top panel. Once formed and drilled the switch plate was fixed to another ply panel on one end of the box and fixed in place with screws. I found the XT60 connector mounting PCB on the Hobbyking site and it is perfect for my needs so the alloy mounting plate was drilled with clearance holes for the connecting pins and the heat shrink tubing that further insulates the soldered connections, and the PCB is fixed to the plate with a couple of M3 screws and nuts. The switch is rated at 12v 25A and I disassembled it to remove the operating toggle so that I could remove the taper on the shaft and reduce it to a 4mm diameter to take a brass tube that forms the new steering column. The plastic steering wheel was picked up from the SHG stand at the Thornbury model show and is a perfect scale for the boat and it’s a perfect fit inside the brass tube too. The switch contacts were bent to give some clearance for the wiring. A cautionary note with these switches, don’t solder any wires directly to them as the heat from the iron will also melt and deform the plastic case too. This causes the internal contacts to move and lose their firm ‘snap’ contact and potentially compromise the switch rating. I discovered this very quickly but thankfully I had ordered two switches, as they are not expensive, so I had an immediate replacement that was then wired with spade connectors. The switch assembly was finished with another XT60 connector that mates with the power cable that goes back to the ESC via a 15A blade fuse. The whole switch and battery assembly is fixed to the deck floor with three woodscrews and so the whole assembly is removable for maintenance or modification if required. When I glazed the
    cabin
    I made the port sliding window movable (but with an end retaining stop) so that I could quickly access the ‘Steering Wheel’ switch without having to remove the
    cabin
    from the boat. A battery change will involve that but as the whole
    cabin
    is retained by six small but very powerful neodymium magnets this is very quick and simple matter anyway. The whole battery box and switch will later be ‘boxed in’ with a false control panel with a throttle control and dials, and this will also be on magnetic retainers, with the battery section as a separate removable part for an easy battery change. All of these features I had considered and planned at an early stage and so implementing them was quite straightforward.🤔🤓 Getting closer to completion now, along with the control panel cover I need to re-shape the brass rudder and also fix the waterline tape problem that has really annoyed me!😡 More on that in a later update.😁
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Radio Aerial and Loud Hailer
    On the
    cabin
    roof is the radio aerial, the kit supplies a base in white metal, but to accommodate my aerial design I decided to machine my own out of brass. I wanted the pole to be tapered and with it being only 2mm dia I found the easiest way was to support the piece in a wooden block at the same height as the Dremel laid flat on the bench. With the piece rotating, I used a smooth file and grades of wet & dry to taper down to 0.75 dia. Next I machined the 2mm end down to 1.5mm to accept the spring, this spring will be soldered to a lower piece which then goes through the base and into the
    cabin
    where it’s bolted in position. I decided to incorporate a spring to make sure it does not get accidently bent. Soft soldering was chosen, as the silver solder would have tempered the spring. The result was really better than I could have imagined. Loud Hailer Another heavy item, first job hollow out with the Dremel and then fill with polystyrene and top with Milliput and sculpt the shape –result, the weight was halved. Next I made a frame in the same way as the one I did for the search light – (see search light) All the
    cabin
    furniture has to be mounted on the roof which is curved! I found the best way was to use Milliput. The method was as follows, 1 Drill the hole for each item in the appropriate place 2 Make sure the fastening method for each piece will hold the piece upright (I tapped the hole 8BA) 3 Make a dividing piece from PTFE baking sheet circular for most items but oblong for the mast feet 4 Roughen the surface where the items contact the
    cabin
    roof 5 Place the divider on the items base 6 Mix a small amount of Milliput 7 Place a circular amount under each item 8 put some Vaseline on the securing bolt so it doesn’t stick 9 Pull the item down to the desired height and fasten in position then trim around the bases 10 When dry remove the item and the baking sheet, paint as required 11 sorry if this is common knowledge
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Mast assembly
    The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs navigation light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the
    cabin
    roof, these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small wooden former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch primer, and white primer, followed later with a final coat of appliance white
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    The well deck floor & sides.
    The ‘box’ of the prototype I’m building is made of balsa wood, later production models are produced in ply and have the planking lines laser etched on the floor panels, and as balsa doesn’t take stain particularly well I have used separate obeche panels to line the box internally that can be finished with the Teak stain that I’m using. This does, however, mean that I can apply the deck lines using a black indelible marker pen and incorporate some detail lines around the motor housing. I started by cutting and shaping two obeche panels that join along the centre line of the deck and fit neatly around the motor mount and prop-shaft, then I used some tracing paper over the panels to make a test pattern for the planking lines. When I was happy with the layout of the lines I first applied two coat of Teak stain to the panels, and when that was dry I used a .8mm pen to mark the deck lines, the ink takes a while to dry fully and I found it all too easy to smudge some lines 😡 which had to be very quickly taken off with a dampened cotton bud and re-applied. After 24 hours the ink had fully dried and was impervious to smudging and resistant to removal by any means (except a solvent). The floor panels were then glued down to the balsa floor with an even spread of aliphatic glue and weighted down over all of the area as there was a tendency for the panels to curl and lift. Each side panel was made in one piece and then separated into two parts to make the fitting easier, the join will be covered with a vertical detail strip, and they were also stained before being glued and clamped in place. No lining detail was applied to the side panels as I’ll do this with other surface applied pieces later but only in the area outside of the
    cabin
    . All the panels were given a couple of coats of satin lacquer to enhance and protect the finish.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Basic hull construction completed
    Hi Stuart - I have a Huntress which is the same length as your Huntsman which was built by Dave M. it will be a little lighter as it doesn't have an aft
    cabin
    . it is fitted with a Turnigy D2836/11 750kV so the one recommended to you is a good choice. Chris
    5 years ago by ChrisF
    Forum
    Help identifying
    Hi justkiddin I live in Hobart, so not to far away from you mate. My mate and I both have Sea Hornets, his has a funny
    cabin
    on it also. Mine is build by the original plans. Brushless 28mm 1900kv, 45Amp ESC on 3S with a 32mm prop. Was GPS at Lauderdale canal at 45KPH. WE sail on a Saturday morning from 9 to 12, so if you are down this way call in. Canabus
    5 years ago by canabus
    Forum
    Help identifying
    Thankyou all so much. Yes a sea hornet with a funny
    cabin
    . Wonder how it ended up with this
    cabin
    ? Wonder how it ended up in a little country town called Ross in Tasmania Australia? I'm sure i'll have some questions in the future re motor and batteries.
    5 years ago by juskiddin
    Response
    cabin
    detail part 3 (instrument panels)
    I look with amazement at some of the work that these people do on here. I visualise things in my head but do not have the tools or the nerve to even attempt doing them. No lathe or decent soldering iron or good enough workshop or the money to start with. How I envy the work they do. And as for some of the electronics< i'm lost. Awesome springs to mind on it all.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Response
    cabin
    detail part 3 (instrument panels)
    What can you say but nice work
    5 years ago by ropeburn123
    Forum
    What type of antenna is this?
    I put the beads on the wire to not catch it when removing the
    cabin
    . I was afraid of snagging it. The beads are clearly seen in my bifocals 🤓
    5 years ago by Ronald
    Blog
    Electrics in the
    cabin
    Progress on the main build is slowed at the moment so that I can complete the electrical installation. I have decided to route all of the wires inside of the original outer sleeve. I have removed the wires and replaced only the ones I need. I have stuck them to the inside walls as I do not like them hanging everywhere. Perhaps they look a little like insulated pipes, at least that is what I tell myself. I have terminated all of the wires into two 9 pin connectors. These will then connect directly into a small ABS enclosure where I have a flasher circuit and a pcb with all of the resistors for the LED`s. I have wired in this manner so that all I need to do to completely remove the
    cabin
    is to disconnect the two connectors.All of the remaining circuits can remain in the hull. A little more work is required in the hull to fit and wire the switches to operate the equipment from other switches on the transmitter.😊
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Blog
    Detailing the deck.
    Some obeche coaming strips were added to the insides of the well deck and a piece was added at the rear which notches into the side coamings, this required shaping to the curvature of the deck so I wound some masking tape around a pencil to the required diameter and marked a line on the coaming to sand the profile down to. This piece won’t be fixed in place until I have added some internal detail in the rear of the well deck. Some thin strip was fitted along the sides of the deck which form part of the ‘treads’ that run the length of the
    cabin
    sides, these were glued and pinned in place after the edges and ends were rounded. At this point I applied some ‘Antique Pine’ stain to the bulwarks, rubbing fenders and deck strips. The position of the treads that run along the deck for the length of the
    cabin
    sides were marked by taking a measurement from the plan and transferring this to the deck strips. The tread angle from the plan was determined to be 68 degrees using a digital angle finder (another little bargain find in Lidl for less than a tenner 👍👍) and position marks pencilled on the deck. I chose to mark and apply these treads as per the model that is in the National Maritime Museum which I’m following to recreate my version of the Police Launch. These ‘photos have been very helpful in detailing this model. They can be seen here: https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/67590.html I used some temporary spacer strips along the
    cabin
    sides and deck strips and then cut and shaped each tread individually to fit in the desired positions, all the treads were fixed using a couple of dots of superglue making sure that no glue got onto the deck surface as CA and aliphatic glue does affect the way the obeche accepts the wood stain as I discovered when I did some ‘colour tests’ earlier. The whole deck was then given a very light rub down with a fine abrasive pad before the first of several coats of ‘Teak’ stain was applied. The contrasting colours of the Antique Pine and Teak stain works well on this model and is in keeping with the wood colours of the NMM model that I’m using as a reference. EDIT…..I have just noticed that the digital angle finder and digital callipers are back on sale at Lidl on 3rd of March for £9.99 each…….still a bargain 😁👍 https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/MiddleofLidl.htm?articleId=20539
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    cabin
    detail part 5 speed control & compass
    Just keeps 😊getting better.
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Response
    cabin
    detail part 3 (instrument panels)
    I have all the machines and more but I cannot do that. You have a real skill. I love your fixture ideas. One day I will try to machine some similar parts when I start my 46" RAF Crash Tender. I intend to use this build blog as my guide. Thanks for all of the in depth explanations of how you achieve such detail using every trick in the book and many that are yet to be written. I love reading this build. Really clever. 😊👍👍👍
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Shroud for Model Air Boat
    I' m new here and hope to link up with other model builders. I only build static models, and have or are in the progress of building different types of boats.
    cabin
    Crusers, Ski boats, Air Boats, House Boat. I have about 10 models in various stages of building and repair. This being an introduction and an inquiry. Does anyone build air boats? I have a shroud question. I used super glue on my early builds and they havent with stood the test if time. Looking for feedback
    5 years ago by retirement-hobby
    Response
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 2
    Ha Ha...very perceptive of you Mike 😜
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Painting
    I must admit that the painting process is not my favourite. it takes so long and time is always at a premium due to work commitments. I rush it a bit so that the build can continue. I fitted all of the windows into the deck structure and covered them with the low tack film. I then primed, two coats, painted, two coats followed by two coats of lacquer. I am quite pleased with the results even though it is not perfect. I decided not to fit the deck until all of the electronics, including the ESC, battery and receiver had been installed. This is because one of the big problems with this model is the lack of room to work in once the deck is in place. Another problem I encountered was the fitting of the tiller cranks onto the rudders. if the instructions are followed, it is almost impossible the adjust or remove them once the deck has been fitted. I solved the problem by reversing the cranks and bending the connecting wire to miss a bulkhead support. The screws can now be reached from the deck opening. I have now completed the majority of the painting and have started to assemble the remaining parts. Currently I am doing the wiring of the lighting and making a couple of circuit boards. There are a lot of wires involved so to reduce the amount I have decided to us e a common negative. (Cannot remember what this is called right now). There are still a lot of wires and they are mostly coming out from the
    cabin
    structure. I have decided to introduce some nine pin connectors to make
    cabin
    removal a lot easier. This is quite a big job and will take a little while. I really enjoy this bit. The results add that little bit of extra satisfaction when it all works as it should.🤓 The top search light assembly came as a bit of a surprise. it is manufactured from nickel silver plate and requires soldering together. Even though I am a precision engineer, I have not soldered a box since I was at school. Once I stopped burning my fingers with the heat, I quite enjoyed the assembly even though it would have been useful to have an extra hand and took the best part of today to complete.😤 I can honestly say that I have enjoyed most of this build and even though earlier on I was thinking to avoid Aero-naut models in the future, I have changed my mind. They are very cleverly designed. I expect to complete this model some time in March. That would be the first for me to complete in recent times even though I have two others on the go and one new one in its box ready for a Summer start.😊
    5 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Response
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 2
    I'm assuming the antique pine stain was applied to the sides of the
    cabin
    not the roof ?
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 2
    Before the front window panels can be added to the
    cabin
    structure they need to be shaped to follow the curvature of the front deck as much as possible and then glued together with a reinforcing strip on the back of the joint. Unfortunately I made an error 😡 when shaping and jointing the parts and had to make some new panels from some thin ply that I had to hand using the old panels as a template, hence the roughly cut window apertures in the ‘photos. This was unfortunate but I feel better for the confession 🙏. The new window panel was then glued and pinned to the front of the
    cabin
    assembly and left to dry while in the meantime I used my hot air gun to heat and bend the roof panel to the correct curvature. The roof panel was then pinned and glued in place on the
    cabin
    framework and when dry was trimmed with a small plane and the front window panel trimmed down to the roof profile. I added some additional framing and bracing pieces at the base of the front window panels and a ‘shelf’ which will form part of the dashboard inside the
    cabin
    . I also added some extra framing and an end panel at the rear of the roof and a thin square bead was fitted around the base of the
    cabin
    sides and front to improve the appearance where the
    cabin
    meets the deck. Before adding further detail to the
    cabin
    I used some Z-Poxy finishing resin on the roof panel to strengthen it and provide a better surface for the paint finish which comprised of one coat of white primer, two coats of gloss ‘Appliance White’ and two coats of gloss lacquer, all with a thorough rub down between. When all the paint had dried and hardened I gave the exterior of the
    cabin
    a first coat of ‘Antique Pine’ stain. Next I will add some detail to the deck.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Trying to trace a boat
    I've got one in the style of a "Cigarette" racer Twin screw detachable
    cabin
    for access . The legend on Tx is super at top and RC Speed Ability across bottom it's white with red and blue stripes. Nimh cells for everything. 40 ,3 Meg it I recall.👍 This may help although full scale. https://www.google.com/search?q=cigarette+racing+boats+for+sale&oq=Cigarette+racing&aqs=chrome.3.0l6.27169j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 I hope you have the time to look through All of them. Find one you like then see if someone does a kit /plan whatever. Good hunting.😁 PS Just thought ! have a look at Bang Good and Gear Best sites under speedboats etc.🤓
    5 years ago by onetenor
    Directory
    (Pleasure Craft) Fairey Swordsman
    Bought this some years ago with a holed hull and no
    cabin
    . Made only those repairs needed to make it useable, fitted new 2.4Ghz radio gear and batteries, and have been using it ever since. I keep threatening to restore it properly but it's fun as it is and a rebuild is probably more realistic anyway. (5/10)
    5 years ago by Mids-Phil
    Response
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 1
    Hi rob I have just completed a similar job on a Freeman 22
    cabin
    cruiser, a three sided structure with a couple of additional cross pieces made from bamboo at the deck level and finally glassing the whole structure it finished as a very rigid
    cabin
    , however I appreciate you have more window apertures in yours which leaves little area for increasing strength between roof and the sides. having said all that I'm sure you will have produced a superb
    cabin
    to match the rest of the boat. all the best Michael
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 1
    Now its starting to look like a Thames Police Launch. Keep up the good work Robbob. Cheers, Dave W 😊
    5 years ago by rolfman2000
    Blog
    Building the
    cabin
    . Part 1
    The superstructure of the launch is very simple, and from a practical point it was designed to give the crew a large field of view across the river and fast access in and out to deal with emergency situations. Consequently the construction is quite basic and would be quite straightforward if permanently fixed to the boat but this
    cabin
    needs to be removable to give access to the battery location and motor. Because of this the
    cabin
    needs to be a strong and rigid structure of its own and yet fit invisibly to the rest of the model, it’s also only a three sided structure because of the open access at the rear and that alone will be a point of weakness to the structure. I started by glueing the internal bracing strips to the insides of the deck sides as described in the instruction sheet and some strips that form the base for the sides that sit on the deck, these also needs to be sanded to an angle to sit flush on the deck and also create a vertical face that some further strips are fixed to which meet the inside walls of the deck well. Although all the parts for the
    cabin
    are accurately laser cut I chose to do a dry ‘test fit’ using pins and elastic bands to hold the side panels and roof braces together. This 'dry fit' was neccessary because I had previously decided to fit false obeche panels over the balsa sides and floor of the well to get a better surface to finish in the way I intend, balsa does not have any pleasing grain and does not look good even when stained, so I pinned all these panels in place to account for their addition to the internal dimensions of the well deck. When I was happy that the geometry of the side panels and front window panels was correct I glued all the roof braces in place and added some reinforcing fillets to make it more rigid, temporary braces were glued across the front and rear of the assembly to keep the whole thing rigid and square during further assembly. The pins and rubber bands were used to pull in the side panels while the aliphatic glue set. All of this was done with the
    cabin
    on the boat so that the correct ‘dry’ fit converted to a permanent fit. Part 2 will continue with the addition of the front window panels and roof.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Sea Queen - strakes
    I found when fitting spray rails to use triangular stock like trailing edge section for aircraft wings. it looks neat and bends more easily than square stock.Fitted thin edge up the right angled face forming the deflecting face. Filled and sanded it blends well into the hull. Maybe not true scale but looks nice. it comes in many sizes and suppliers.SLEC is one for starters and Hobbies is another. Balsa
    cabin
    another. Just loads if you use uncle Google.👍
    5 years ago by onetenor
    Blog
    Roof magnets
    I had from the beginning I had intended to hold all the hatches down with Neodymium magnets however as you work on, these things seem to get forgotten, so now it’s time to do some of the not so exiting tasks. I had bought some 10 x 5x 1.5 magnets so I need to machine the slots into the roof
    cabin
    quadrants. These needed to be mirrored by a quadrant that can be epoxied into the corners of each
    cabin
    area. Using the trusty Lidl disc sander I produced 12 quadrants and then after making a simple jig to hold them in place I machined the corresponding slot in each one taking note of left and right hand variants. The next job is to glue all the magnets into the roof spaces and then when they are set glue the magnets into the quadrants making sure the orientation is correct. To make sure the magnets are set into the
    cabin
    sides at the correct depth I made a temporary balsa wood frame around each
    cabin
    to rest the quadrants on while they set. Another small job complete
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    This old sea commander was built by my dad in the mid 50's. With the help of the wife, we have started to repair and rebuild, the wife stripped it down. Doug (RNmunich) is rebuilding my taycol supermarine ready to fit into it. So far we have relaminated some of the hull boards and
    cabin
    sides. Sealed some of the sprung joints with 2 pack epoxy. Once that's had 48 hours hardening time I will rub down and coat the hull in glass cloth and Eze-Kote. I have 1 problem, the main
    cabin
    roof is missing and I don't have any plans to remake, so if anyone can help me please let me know. Thanks for reading, watch for updates in the coming weeks. Cheers Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    Thanks for all your comments and input. What i really need now is a copy of the templates sheet so that i can cut some new parts to replace some of the missing ones . I have ordered a new rudder, and new plexi glass for the windows. Already in hand is an Mtronics Viper marine 25 amp ESC. 12 volt 7ah battery, Futaba 27 or 40 Mhz RX. Futaba servo. Just awaiting the motor from Doug (RN in Munich). We are going to repaint the Hull in White,
    cabin
    sides in Dark Blue,
    cabin
    roofs in White. The decks will be left as my dad made them, just cleaned and a fresh coat of varnish. the inside of the hull is well sealed already with bitumen (original) which is still allright. Next stage start rubbing down the hull ready for the glass cloth and Ezekote resin. at least i can do this indoors in the warm, workshop too d*** cold. Thats all for today shipmates, more to come, Cheers Colin.
    5 years ago by Colin H
    Response
    Ultimate Enticement
    I am building an original kit and am struggling with a removable roof and lifting floor for access. I am not using the drop in mould for the kit as it is to many layers. Will make my own interior. I may close the
    cabin
    in as well with sliding doors. Love your build and would like to see that back seat in the rear. Hopefully a full width bench. That is what I like to do.
    5 years ago by Brightwork
    Forum
    1950s sea commander refurb.
    Collin, What a great project... I have recently been taking small images and blowing them up by selecting smaller areas, say the
    cabin
    roof only, then printing that on A4. Usually these files have high enough resolution to make some very readable files. if you have a computer, they usually come with some basic drawing tools like "Paint" or use paint.net.... Take the image and open with Paint, then just use the rectangular select tool to pick what you want to enlarge. Then just crop it and you have a nice separate image to save. Be sure you save under a different name so as not to loose the original file. I may be giving you information that you already know, don't mean to insult.. See my photo of some I did last night, pasted about six together to see the 1M boat sections. These are rough as they come from an image only 16cm wide, but good enough for me to build from given some drafting. Good luck with the build, I will be watching. Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Blog
    Putty and sanding
    Did some putty job on both sides. Still a lot sanding to do. And put some white paint inside. it will make it look bit clean and also work as a layer. Will prevent the water reaching ply. Beside of it a small
    cabin
    cruiser.
    5 years ago by Sakibian
    Blog
    HMS BRAVE BORDERER
    Winter seems to encourage modeling, have spent many hours in hibernation working on the deck and superstructure details. A supplier offers a full set of Perkasa fittings, most of which would work on the Brave B. At one point considered buying a set. They are made in both resin and cast metal. Eventually parsimony prevailed, so only purchased a small number of hatch covers and other intricate shapes that would be difficult to make well. The items duly arrived and the quality is good. Was surprised by the weight though, so am pleased had embarked on making the other items from the usual materials. There should be an overall weight saving, along with a reduction in my surplus styrene and wood stock. One of the design tenants of the Brave class was flexibility. The vessel could operate as a MTB, MGB or Raider, or with a mixture of these capabilities. The weapon mountings were designed to allow armaments to be installed and moved around to suite the requirements of the role. Have reviewed many Brave class photographs trying to establish a “standard” armament configuration, to reproduce. Not only does the configuration define the weapons installed, it also establishes the ammunition and flare storage
    cabin
    et arrangements. Eventually decided upon the 2 x 40mm Bofors gun arrangement with 2 x 21” torpedoes and 4 x extended range fuel tanks. The model is now essentially complete. No doubt as I keep examining it will add further small details and refinements. Only disappointment so far is that it does not achieve the original weight target of 6 lbs, it is 9.5 lbs. The 6 lbs may possibly have achievable using one screw and motor etc., but once three are installed, not likely. The real test is when finally back on the water. Will close this blog then with a concluding report.
    5 years ago by Rowen
    Blog
    Rubbing fenders, more epoxy & hatch coamings.
    With all of the deck planking fitted I can now fix the rubbing fenders to the hull where the deck meets the hull sides. These are made from 6.5mm x 5mm obeche strip steamed and bent to shape and fixed with 30 minute epoxy, unfortunately the strips are not quite long enough to do this in one piece even with the rear rubbing fender in place at the stern so a join has to be made which I hope won’t be too conspicuous. The fender tapers in height from bow to stern and the piece that runs across the stern was made from 5mm x 5mm obeche. All the fenders were ‘pilot drilled’ for the pins that held them in place while the glue set. The complete hull was then given a further two coats of epoxy resin with a rub down between coats and a final ‘polish’ with 240 grit paper used wet. The resulting finish is perfectly smooth and ready for paint. The front and rear hatches were fitted with the coamings that will hold the hatches in place. The rotary disk sander that I bought from Lidl is certainly proving to be very useful in shaping small parts at this stage of the construction. I note that it’s back on sale now (Feb 2019) so if you have the opportunity and £30 ….go buy yourself one! The next stage will be to assemble the
    cabin
    .
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    cabin
    detail part 6 panel light
    Hi Mike. You described this detailing to me at the Ally Pally show, and it's even better than I imagined. Superb work as always.👍👍 Rob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    cabin
    detail part 6 panel light
    cabin
    detail part 6 panel light The panel light presented a difficult challenge in that I assume the real one has a tubular light fitting in it, difficult in 1/12 scale. However, creating the tube assembly was not difficult using some annealed 1/8” brass tube and making a bending jig, (simply a 1/8 grove milled using a ball ended slot drill into a piece of hardwood I formed the tube into the required shape. I used the back of the jig to hold the piece while I filled the tube half way through along it top inside edge @ 45 degrees this is where the LED tube will fit. The LED tube is from one of the new type LED garden light bulb that use a small solar panel to illuminate it during the during dark hours. Smashing the bulb leaves 4 filaments which can be used independently, these are very delicate and need the wires attaching very carefully finally feeding it into the brass tube and then after all this fiddling, if it still lights, epoxy it in place. The next job is to make some brackets to fix it to the instrument panel. The bracket was made from 1/8” bore tube and some 0.010” brass shim I drilled some holes in the sheet prior to cutting to size, this was done using only a 1/8” dia centre drill and then enlarged with a clock makers reamer until the tube fitted snugly through this was then soft soldered in place. The whole unit was then epoxied in place on the instrument panel. All the wiring for the panel LEDs can now be completed ready for connection to the random flashing circuit board. (this came as a kit for just £3:90) The circuit board is fastened to the panel with a sub-board made from a scrap piece of ply with PCB supporting pillars in the corners, when this is completed I will post a video of it working. The LEDs on the circuit board are only for testing and will be replaced with the panel LEDs.
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Progress on the
    cabin
    Great job, Take your time!👍
    5 years ago by figtree7nts
    Blog
    Progress on the
    cabin
    A bit of slow progress, dame😡 Billing do not make it easy to assemble it
    5 years ago by Tica
    Response
    cabin
    structure
    More to come 😎 Just had a short diversion with a Lead Auditor Pharmaceuticals and Medical devices course for the last 3 days.
    5 years ago by Tica
    Response
    White Star BB''570''
    Hi I use 10mm magnets in a double setup, one mounted on the hull and one on the
    cabin
    on each corner of the
    cabin
    . On my last Perkasa I used the double setup forward and a single double setup on the stern. The total weight of the boat is six pounds and I can lift the boat by the
    cabin
    !!!
    5 years ago by canabus
    Response
    cabin
    structure
    looking great buddy! Keep it comin!
    5 years ago by Sakibian
    Response
    cabin
    structure
    It's coming along nicely! I remember when. I put together the Robbe Neptun. Some 30-35 years ago. The instruction where in German! I just went by the pictures which were few! Take your time!
    5 years ago by figtree7nts


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