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Arctic Convoy

While everything on HMS Bustler is trying to dry/harden in the sub tropical heat here in Scotland I thought I would put something else onto the slips ,decided on a cargoship /tramp steamer from the 30s-40s will call it Arctic Convoy as a tribute to the gallant men who endured so much. Started with the main and boat deck that I can do in the warmth of the kitchen,the drawings showed steel but being a true Scot if I spend a couple of pounds on a 1000 coffee stirrers then I'm going to get my moneys worth, so decided to give the ship wooden . Hull frames are marked out ready for cutting will post pictures of the Hull later on .

5 years ago by marky

Blog

While waiting for bits to come decided to stain the ,wee tip :- stain them the same colour your other half wants the window surrounds done in 🤣🤣🤣.,a rub down and another coat tomorrow

4 years ago by marky

Forum

Algerine Class Minesweeper H.M.S. Pluto

Hi Doug, This is what i was referring to. http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/images/HMS_BRAMBLE.jpg £275.30 HMS Bramble [425] ALGERINE MINESWEEPERS These ships were built between 1942 and 1945 and were fitted with magnectic, acoustic, and mechanical sweeping equipment. It would seem that this class of ship developed from the Halcyon class of minesweeper of the 1930's still retaining some of their general appearance. These ships, having been built in the U.K. and Canada, later served in the Canadian and most Western Alliance Navys. Details of the kit Scale 1/96 Length 762m Beam 120mm Sailing weight 2.21kgs The model is based on a plated fibre glass hull. All are LASER CUT 1.5MM HIPS SHEET and superstructure is in 1mm printed plastic sheet format with turret, funnel, boats etc in vacformed plastic. Weapons and fine detail fittings are in cast in light alloy, and all larger items are cast in lightweight plastic. Stanchions and ladders for that extra fine detail are in etched brass. Propshafts and tubes are included in this kit along with the rudder and tiller arm. THE FULL SIZE PLAN is from the D McGregor range. With its twin screws and twin motors and short length/beam ratio this makes into one of the busiest little models in our range and she has all the outstanding handling qualities of her bigger and full size sister. The close range weapons fit on this model are 4 40mm bofors guns. The kit contains a comprehensive set of instructions. Martin555.

4 years ago by Martin555

Response

Re: Arctic Convoy

39x6!?😮 Plenty of space (registered tonnage😉) to pack goodies in Mark👍 Or will she be another static ? 🤔🤔 Whatever, great subject, keep her away from my U25 though 💥 Unusual to start on the in such detail before the hull is finished! I would be afraid that the main deck wouldn't fit properly leading to --> 'Bodging under the bulwarks'😮 Measure twice or thrice, cut once 😊 Wishing you w/t seams and flush 🤞 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Now that Elsrickle has shown me the way to make my boat davits work I'll have to get on with finishing the lifeboats for HMS Hotspur😉 The Dichloromethane is waiting patiently on the shelf 😉

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

LATEST SMOKER, E-CIG ELEMENT

Re - FLEET TO GENTS OF THE R&D DIRECTORATE; SMOKE DIVISION Will find info in files and report in due course, (once work on the bridge finished, scrubbed and the sea grass attended to) Would have the Ensign do it but he's away on Mermaid patrol (❤️🐱 - encrypted) and out of radio range. JB- R&D -Smoke Envelopment Division.

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Veronica deck laid up.

Pleased to hear you have reached the deck planking stage, Ken. Looking forward to seeing her. I'd treat the with sealer before varnishing if it was me. That will raise the grain, which can then be rubbed down before varnishing and should give a better finish. Cheers, Nerys

5 years ago by Nerys

Blog

Gun, and Capping Strips

Having suddenly remembered that my wife is dragging me off for two weeks in Mauritius next Tuesday, I thought I had better update things. Construction of the windlass was very satisfying so I thought I would jump the gun (sorry!) and build the 12 pounder. Another annoying incorrect part number for the gun platform (399 read 361), but the remainder of the mini build went OK. The suggested use of scrap 0.8mm ply as a spacer ensured parallel planking on the gun deck platform and again, the white metal parts required very little fettling. Instructions say to fix the stanchions in place, then thread the 0.2mm railing wire. I think it would be easier to thread the wire onto the stanchions and then glue them into place. I also found that the vague instruction to leave a gap in the railings on the 'left rear side' for the ladder, required fine tuning to avoid the bottom of the ladder coming up against a cowl vent. Shouldn't have jumped the gun! Next job was to glue the ply capping rails around the top of the hull. I used superglue which gave a quick fix, together with the usual stuck fingers. However, once sanded and painted the end result was very pleasing. Supplied are sheets of 'screen printed' deck overlays, which are detailed with planking etc. Instructions say that these can be lightly stained, which I initially decided to do. Not a good move! Even a light staining masks a lot of detail. Luckily, I only messed up the foredeck, so a trip to Jotika for a replacement. A chat with John (Jotika) resulted in leaving the unstained, which will later be clear lacquered. It seems that the were originally screen printed giving much 'heavier' detail which would take a stain. However, the current are laser etched so the planking isn't as heavily defined. (More about that later). Ok, I have been ordered to start packing my case, so more in a few weeks.

5 years ago by cormorant

Response

Re: Veronica

Deck planking was normally 6" x 3" pine, caulked seams then laid with pitch. We used to bevel the plank edges slightly to facilitate this. The of the model barges I have built so far, I have laid a 3mm ply deck in pieces first then planked with lime strips 1mm x 5mm. Where you, apart from being a more experienced modeller than me, are using plans, I build on the methods of the traditional barge builders of old, working on the adage that if it looks right, it must be. Your method, you could paint in the pitched seams which would look great with a varnished or untreated deck, but my barges have painted which hide the seams. It's all horses for courses. All the best, Nerys

5 years ago by Nerys

Blog

Forecastle Bulwarks and Hull Fittings

Now for the good bits! This is part of a build which I really enjoy, when the boat starts to take shape. With 750 white metal parts there should be plenty of detail. With the main sub in place, I fitted the bulkhead facias, together with the extended bulkhead. The parts are pre cut to take the white metal portholes and watertight doors, which I glued in with superglue. The holes needed enlarging to allow the portholes to fit correctly. (Irritating). Using the screen printed sub foredeck overlay as a guide, I drew around the curve to give the position of the breakwater. The breakwater is made of ply and to achieve the curve, I soaked it in water for 10 minutes which made it supple enough to follow the line I had drawn. To get a quick and secure fix I used superglue. Cutting the gaps in the forecastle bulkhead down to deck level was straightforward, but if you use a dremel cutting disc, don't get over enthusiastic and cut into things you shouldn't! The last bit of this section is fitting the portholes, ash shute doors, hawse lips and and mooring port lips. All these are white metal and the hole centres are marked on the hull. Having used a small drill to start the holes off, I enlarge them with a reamer to prevent the gel coat cracking. The portholes on the hull have rigoles (eyebrows) and when I have fitted these in the past, I have always got some of them on the scunt (aka crooked). Having taken great care to get the first one correctly orientated, I drew a line through the rest of the holes, which helped aligning the remainder. I found that the hole centre for the hawse lip was close to the waterline and to maintain the correct distance I had to enlarge the hole upwards (if that makes sense). The fitting of the mooring port lips was straightforward and for extra detail they are both inside and outside.

5 years ago by cormorant

Forum

Construction of a smoker

Thanks for your advice Steve, have already bought the wooden and upgrade on the armament,plus countless etch brass sheets, for more detail, I'm expecting things to break off, as it happens with many of my boats I sail, with detail work on them.😐 cheers, Peter

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Response

Re: Gato Ballast Tank Test

If I am not mistaken the real submarine would take between 30-60 seconds to get awash, so for the scale of your model 40 seconds would be about right. At speed with plains set it might reduce the dive time a bit making it quicker to submerge. So really you should not need to control the flow rate. Just had another thought. If that took 40 seconds to fill the tank at full speed then you will require a second pump connected. By connecting the two pumps to a two stage switch setup you could start filling with one pump then to fill quicker the second pump will kick in. The same for emptying. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

Work with Balsa wood

Well guys, back to the Balsa, I have a few models built in balsa using various methods. My 5ft cabin cruiser built in1964 is decked in 3/8"x1/8" balsa over 1/4" frames. My 4' 6" tug built in the 1970's has its Hull and in balsa, 3/16" thick planks. And the Hull is 1/4" thick x 1/2" wide planks. Then my grandfather's tug built in the early 1950's is bread and butter construction 14" long, 2 1/2" beam. Built using 3/4" x 3" balsa with the interior carved out for motor, battery and ballast blocks. All of them are used regularly and are still waterproof, relying on either paint or varnish to keep them safe. I find it quite easy to repair damaged sections, as you can cut out damaged parts with a sharp scalpel very easily. Then cut and shape the replacement part to fit snugly. But before fitting the new part I put a piece to bridge the gap on the inside. Once fitted the new part can be sealed with sanding sealer, I prefer shelaq based, then sand back and repaint with your desired finish. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

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Work with Balsa wood

It was JB🤔, but the original was getting rather fragile, brittle and easy to poke holes in. By the time of the refit I had a bit more "disposable" and a LOT more knowledge 😊 The revamped hull was then sealed and strengthened with FG tissue and resin. Foot of the bow was protected from running aground on the sloping shore of our lake with 0.3mm brass. Now she's fit for ramming U-Boats😉 I replaced the Bridge and Flak deck structures with 0.5mm and 1mm ply and with 3mm ply at the same time. They say ship modelling is a Labour of Love❤️😉 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

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Haydock Park 2019 boat show

Ok Now I understand Peter, Substructure and are wood (ply), all the "decorations" are etched parts. Nevertheless, the detailing is superb. A lot of very intricate work. Thanks for the excellent hires photos👍 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Night Watch is a storm in a tea cup. We'll get it straightened out.😉 More seem to enjoy it than complain so why stop it? I'll just have to explain (once again🙄) how to minimise the Notifications and stop the 'flood' of mails in their inbox! Live and let live!👍

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Hi Red, "Am I being paranoid or is there an easy way to seal removable ? " The only suggestion that I can come up with is :- If you shave a bit of material off of the hatch all the way around then glue an elastic band around the edge so that it is a snug fit in the hatch opening. It will be tricky to do but this will prevent a lot of work now that the boat is finished. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"Perhaps DG is the best one to answer this -" Dunno why - my boats will sink like anyone else's if they fill up with water. Partly it's horses for courses - don't sail a boat with a low freeboard on the choppy side of the lake where the waves break over the bow. Fast boats which deflect water away might get away with it - slower displacement hulls where the water creeps up the side won't. Google 'Coandă effect' for a more technical description of the reason water sticks to surfaces. Tugs usually have heavy ballast and are more likely to have waves breaking over them than to ride up and over them. And sealing a deck effectively is going to depend very much on the way it's designed to fit on the hull... Adams of Adamcraft fame in the 1950s used to stretch clear plastic 'clingfilm' over the of his open boats (it was invented in '49!) to keep the water out, and you might find that trick useful if you have to have a removable deck. The clingfilm would go underneath the deck, of course... Sinking is less of a problem with EeZeBilts (though the Beaver with its heavy ballast would go down). They are made of many watertight compartments. If your boat doesn't have such flotation support, try using expanded foam in all the spare cavities. I do this in my boats, partly as a safety measure, partly to deaden the motor sound and stop the from 'drumming' and partly because I mount batteries and radio equipment in it. Here is a shot of a PT Boat with removable centre deck, which is happy in heavy waves - you can see the foam blocks...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Perhaps DG is the best one to answer this - Having had one boat which took months to build disappear for ever due to flooding through a removable deck now have a distinct aversion for those. Since that occurrence have always tried to use a coaming type approach for any removable item - touch wood no losses since then. Problem occurred when kitting a "Sunny" tug for my grandson (MB magazine A3plan) have had to extensively redesign due to that having a removable deck. Tugs are notorious for being wet boats since they have very little freeboard at the stern and it seemed that it would limit the boat to calm conditions only. Am I being paranoid or is there an easy way to seal removable ?

5 years ago by redpmg

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EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"...as you are designing developable surface boats.." Nice boat, and thanks for the reference. It's true that EeZeBilts are 'developable surface', in that the hulls are all made with flat materials which may be twisted but not distorted. Clever use of grain allows quite a lot of curves where necessary, and in fact you can distort balsa to an extent - the of the bigger craft are often slightly dome-shaped in length AND breadth. This is simply achieved by pinning the thin deck over a strong former... Of great interest would be techniques for overlapping and butt joints. This is always tricky when skinning...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

46'' RAF Crash Tender

Going back a tad to the thread around i month ago when MaggieM and Robbob discussed planked or painted . Comments were made about a shinny RAF Fireboat at Warwick, which is a very good friends project. His is 93. What else is in the photo is 94 built by another good friend. Much has been made in this thread about scale models and correct paint, plus position of, and colour of stern lights on these boats.( and the research too) So there is an element of modellers licence or personal preference, which has been discussed in depth. The is fine! However I would like to ask you guys as to how far you go with "License" As while 93 is a great model and sails very well, it scares the hell out of us all with the wake at full throttle. There is a glaring deviation from prototype design! The model is only single screw, and not twin as per prototype! Before you ask there is a barn like space inside her so it is not a space issue. So if it is twin screw prototype should it be a twin screw model? Would you mark it down as a judge in a scale competition? Thoughts anyone, before I leave the country!!!.

5 years ago by ikseno99

Response

Re: 36'' Maiami Crash boat used for camera boat.

"everything has been converted to electric long ago" Know what you mean John. I've still got a 5ltr canister of pepped up glow fuel kicking about in the cellar. Probably degenerated into uselessness by now🤔 Maybe I'll stick in the car or use it to start the barby😊 Re Premium line- Belfast wasn't so bad, but had the same crappy plastic props held on with grub screws. So she's getting threaded shafts and brass props from Raboesch 😉 On Graf Spee though I noticed a lot of resin casting faults, evidence of air bubbles and smudged detail, as well as over / under-spray in the painting and lifting of the wooden . Had to inject liquid CA glue round the edges to stop it peeling ☹️😠 Best thing on both ships were the faultless hulls with double skinning!😉 One thing surprised me with Belfast though- the recommended SLA batteries don't fit! I couldn't get them in any which way 🤔 Not to worry, they go in my 1:72 destroyer with ease 😊 BTW I prefer lapsang souchong 😋

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Upnor, Thames Sailing Barge

"Arethusa" !? (AKA Peking) Funny you should mention her Ropey! I've been tracking her renovation, here in Germany, since Nerys mentioned her association with the ship. Last I heard the hull was done, she's been refloated, new teak fitted and was waiting for her new masts. Reports are here on the site - somewhere 😉 Update June 2019; back in dry dock having her masts fitted😊 See pics. Look here for more of the latest pics https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category😛eters_Werft Hmm! on saving this post the site changes 'colonP' to 😛 !!??🤔 Change it back in your browser address box! Plan is that next year she will become part of the Schifffahrt Museum display in Hmaburg. Cheers, Doug 😎 "Peking was launched in February 1911 and left Hamburg for her maiden voyage to Valparaiso in May of the same year. After the outbreak of World War I she was interned at Valparaiso and remained in Chile for the duration of the war. Awarded to the Kingdom of Italy as war reparation she was sold back to her original owners, the Laeisz brothers, in January 1923. She remained in the nitrate trade until traffic through the Panama Canal proved quicker and more economical. Arethusa II In 1932, she was sold for £6,250 to Shaftesbury Homes. She was first towed to Greenhithe, renamed Arethusa II and moored alongside the existing Arethusa I. In July 1933, she was moved to a new permanent mooring off Upnor on the River Medway, where she served as a children's home and training school. She was officially "opened" by Prince George on 25 July 1933. During World War II she served in the Royal Navy as HMS Pekin(g?). "

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

46'' RAF Crash Tender

Hi Elsrickle, Those are the same drawings that I posted 6 days ago. if I remember correctly Martin (Westquay) sent them to me a year or so ago to ask me to enhance them a little so we could decipher the text describing the paints used. Thanks for blowing up the text 👍 It confirms as I had posted; , cabin sides and tops were all the same shade of grey. https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp?cRange=BS%20381C&cRef=BS381C%20631&cDescription=Light%20grey non-slip, cabins smooth. No white anywhere. But if you like white - Why not?😉 Cheers, Doug

5 years ago by RNinMunich

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

Hi John, I'm not denying that some RAF boats did have planked , especially some HSLs. But not the two crash boats / Fireboats (93 & 94) which Ray's model is based on. Some boats seem to have had a multitude of colour schemes over their service lives. Especially those stationed in the Med and tropical zones. The service life of 93 and 94 seems have been pretty short in comparison so photos are nearly as rare as rocking horse droppings. All I can offer is the paint scheme 'as built' (or intended?) by Vosper. In the end "Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice!" Cheers mate, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

Doug, to go with your no plankey deckey I found a few pics of on various smaller boats used by RAF. The white and grey H&Ds in tropical white look the best in my humble opinion. The 100 series HSL seems to be one of the only rescue boats with planked , - later boats seem to be all painted ply. Almost everyone seems to go with the black and grey theme for most boats, (the RNZAF painted their 64ft HSL hull black with varnished coamings at one stage but soon changed it to 'Launch Blue' as black was not on (no reference to pool) apparently, - ended up white in the end with varnished coamings!

5 years ago by jbkiwi

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

I don't know anything about on ASR launches or similar but have a strong memory of the laid planked on RN ships being scrubbed every morning. They were always bare wood to ensure non slip finish.

5 years ago by Nerys

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

Totally right Martin, I think it's a bit like scale judging where people who have never seen or been near a subject (plane or boat or whatever) are judging someones' work from photos. There's always somebody who comes up and says "why didn't you do it this way" I doubt whether anyone can build a 100% scale model so it all seems a bit pointless to me. I think if the public think something looks fantastic and you're happy, then you've done a good enough job. Precise models belong in museums where thousands of people can see them, not just a few at your local pond. I'd like to plank the on my ST but I'll do it as it was when I knew it, (and have photos) but no doubt one day someone will tell me it's not correct, BUT, you're safe Martin,- there's not a person in the world who can tell you the pike's not correct ! John

5 years ago by jbkiwi

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

I feel in two minds about that PT Boat. They are so cheap to make that I made a couple, and have been tempted to make some more - enough to equip a squadron, and then do a little video of them performing the 'mass attack' manoeuvres which are specified in the PT tactics handbook provided to each captain. But both the ones I made had wood-plank . Should I keep on being inaccurate, but matching, or should I paint them up in proper camouflage colours ... ?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

Hi DodgyGeezer, I agree with you, wooden do look better. I suppose if the model maker is a true scale modeller then the urge to get it right is powerfully strong. You mentioning the Flower class corvette has just reminded me that I have an original Matchbox 1/72 scale kit up in the loft. Martin.

5 years ago by Martin555

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

I am reminded of the 1/72nd Revell Flower class corvette model. That had a steel plate deck, with non-slip walkways and some small planked areas at the bow and amidships. But the model has the deck completely covered in moulded-in raised planking lines, and if you want a more accurate model you have to sand or scape these away... My own EeZeBilt PT Boat had a stained and drawn planked deck, because I thought that looked pretty. But in reality the originals had plywood sheet which were painted. I think a few of the ELCO 80ft prototypes may have had planks - but they were all initially delivered painted grey, so you would never have seen them. They just look better with wood planking, don't they...? "....I have been told that when the boat was commissioned into service all the superstructure was painted white ~ I see the majority of other models grey with white roof......." I think that all service craft have a delivery specification paint job, which would act as an 'undercoat' and then they have other paint jobs specified for different theatres, and maybe even different tasks. These paint jobs may change rapidly - particularly where camouflage or FoF recognition is involved. So if you want to be accurate, you need to look up a date and a location and find the official specification for that craft at that time. Luckily, I think that that Crash Tender had a short career on the South Coast, and probably only ever sported one official pattern.

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

46'' RAF Crash Tender

Hi MaggieM I saw the same boat as you at Warwick, a superb example of planking on a very well built model, but these boats were working craft and not 'gin palaces' so that kind of deck finish would be inappropriate although I did choose to plank the lower and towing deck on mine. It's such a shame that so few photos of 93 and 94 exist and all of those are in B/W so the question of paint colours is very much hotly debated. There are a couple of films too, again in B/W, that are very useful for all but determining the colours. I'm convinced that there's a big 'Ministry of Supply' book on these boats somewhere and I've seen some pages from it but it's whereabouts has eluded me to date. If anyone knows where that might be ...let me know 😉

5 years ago by robbob

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46'' RAF Crash Tender

Hi. The original boats had painted with a grey anti-slip paint called Cerrux, some modellers choose to plank the main deck but it doesn't look right to me, ultimately the choice is entirely yours. I hope you enjoy building the model, and do try to do a build blog 😀. Robbob.

5 years ago by robbob

Blog

New drive Train and Oiler

Most of this actually took place last August / July! Regular readers may have seen that when Dad built this boat in the 60s he put a Taycol Target field motor in it. About 25 years ago I put a Decaperm and 'modern' transistor ESC in her to provide forward and reverse. Performance was sedate to say the least. I have since modified the Taycol (see below) so it can be run forward and reverse and decided to put it in an ancient Billings Boats Danish fish cutter (Gina) that I inherited from an Aunt. The cutter is badly in need of renovation (see pic 1) and the Taycol will be more suited to her performance requirement! On advice from Canabus in Hobart I obtained a Propdrive 2830 1000kV brushless motor, appropriate ESC and a 35mm 3 blade prop from Raboesch. Pic 2 shows the old and new motors. Next step was to trial fit new motor mount, coupling and prop. Pics 3 &4. While doing this it became obvious that a new shaft was in order, as mentioned in last update. Soooo, - appropriate stainless steel rod, thrust washers and set ring were acquired and back to the workshop. After cutting to length to accommodate the new coupling type a 3mm thread was cut a the prop end. At the inboard end I milled recesses for the grub screws in the set ring and the coupling, pics 5 - 7. I don't like to just file(or even mill) flats for the screws cos they have a tendency to slip and work loose😡 Trial fitted the new shaft and found I'd boobed a bit with the measurements and need extra thrust washers to make up the difference. 😲 Pic 8. No sweat, they came in a pack of 50 anyway😊 You can also see in this pic that I decided to fit an oiler pipe while everything was in bits anyway.😉 To solder it on in a cramped space without setting the boat on fire 😡 I packed a wet rag underneath and used a gas Kitchen Torch! Known as a 'Gas Gourmet Burner'. Yep, those handy little gas torches like your Missus uses to melt the brown sugar on her Crème Brûlée!! So do I, delicious 😜😉 The torches are not expensive, small, very handy, refillable with lighter gas and can be adjusted to a very small hot flame. ideal for this job. See pics 9 & 10. Pic 11 shows the new motor & mount, shaft and coupling all trial fitted after using a brass alignment tool I quickly made up on the lathe. Pic also shows the trial electrical installation after cleaning up the 'machinery compartment' a little and painting with silver Hammerite. A Quickrun BL ESC is sitting in the bottom in one of the trays my Dad originally fitted for the 2 wet cell (very wet!) 6V lead acid batteries. The home made board on the left carries the battery and ESC connectors, main ON/OFF switch with LED, blade fuse holder with a 20A fuse and a green LED which tells me if the fuse is blown! Stuck on the walls (OK Bulkheads!) with so called Servo Tape are a 6 ch Turnigy iA6 2.4Gig RX and the arming switch for the ESC. Battery compartment is sized to fit 2S and 3S hard case LiPos. For trials I can fit my Wattmeter forward of the switchboard and splice it into the battery supply using Tamiya connectors. Might change these to XT60s later if current drain is more than 12 to 15A. All for now, all this was pulled out again preparatory to cosmetics on the hull, , cabin roof and walls inside and out. But that's another chapter so, 'Tune in next week, same time same channel when once again it's time for 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN BUCK RODGERS IS APPROACHING!? 😁 Or 'The Saga of the Cabin Roof' 😉 Cheers Doug 😎 BTW: After drilling the shaft tube for the oiler pipe I flushed it out with light machine oil (pumped in from a big syringe) and shoved a few pipe cleaners through (rotating them on the way) to remove any remaining drill swarf!!

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

water is wet and so was I.

This is one of the best Fairey I have ever seen on a model, you should put it in its own listing. I applaud your workmanship and patience. Keep it up shipmate. Cheers Colin. 👍

5 years ago by Colin H

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build B

Finished planking hull, now started on fairing it. Planks (1.5mm balsa) were just pulled in to the center stringers by clamps and thick cyno'd to those first, then once set, top and bottom ends of the planks cyno'd. When dry, a bead of balsa glue run along every stringer to keep everything in place. Once faired, it will be glassed and once done the inside will be worked on. Deck will be 1.5mm marine ply, but I will have to resist the urge to stain it, as the subject boat had painted . bead 👍 Like 💬 Comment 🗣️ Share 1

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Blog

Fitting shafts and motors

I have spent the last couple of sessions preparing and fitting the prop shafts, mounts and pump plate. First was to prepare the wood profiles, paint with sanding sealer and then prime them. They look a lot neater sprayed grey than just plain ply wood. I checked the two motors and found that the suppressor was not of the correct value. I removed it and replaced with the normal 47nf capacitor across the terminals and 10nf from each terminal to the casing. I then connected the wires to the terminals. I built the assemblies, fitted the motors and placed then in the hull. I then inserted the shafts and connected them to the motors via solid connectors. I prefer solid drive connectors where possible as I believe this should reduce vibration which is often introduced through universal joints. When I was happy with the alignment, I glued the shafts in place with Acrylate. I then fitted and glued the water intake pipe also with Acrylate. Next came the pump plate. This plate also has the rudder servo secured to it. After assembly, this was also glued to the hull. Next job was to fit the rear deck support and the bead on the outside which will eventually hold the rubber fender strip. The pencil taped to the flat stick at a distance of 12mm was used to mark the outside of the hull similar to marking the deck support line before. It was now time to prepare the two deck levels. Strengthening braces of ply wood were fitted all around. This has resulted in quite a strong unit. The instructions say that the fitting of the is next. I think they have forgotten all of the working features of this build. If the are glued now, there is no room for fitting in all of the gadgets. I will wait until I know what is required. Next time I will start the preparation of the cabin. This part contains most of the fire monitor servos and piping, radar and search lights plus general lighting. Very busy.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

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Mistery box

Whilst I was at the Abergavenny steam and vintage show today I was offered some model boat stuff for a charity donation. Box of assorted boat fittings and a box of motors etc including another Taycol, plus a mistery box. When I got home I opened the box to find a large tug Hull and but no name or instructions. So if anyone has details of this tug I will be eternally grateful. All parts are labelled, J&P. McConnell, Mersey Tugs, Catalogue number 00603.

5 years ago by Colin H

Blog

Yorkshireman refit- rear deck

No turning back now I thought this was going to be straight forward. I've decided to put the main bridge superstructure to one side of the work bench and forget it, for now. In the past I found its easy to try to do to much, you get bogged down,disheartened and loose interest. So the next job now the are off was to check the rudders operation. It did seem a bit vague,the boat came with a full set of working radio gear. 4x6volt batteries in banks of 2 that took a charge well. A steering servo and 2x decaperm geared 6v motors turning in opposite directions with handed 4 bladed screws. The rudder cranks were white metal that didn't grip the rudder shafts tight enough, hence the vagueness, 1 motor was loose on the mountings, the other had a cracked gear box cover. Is it me, this scenario seems so reminiscent of so many good looking cars and bikes I've bought over the last 40 years, only to find within a couple of weeks you've got "sucker" written across your forehead, and a lame dog on your hands. These to me are the type of challenge I like. There the only ones I know come to think of it. New kits are for pussies? Jokingly. Anyway if someone in the past has taken all that time and effort to turn a silk purse into a pigs ear, I look at it as a challenge to turn it back into its former glory. None of the hatch tops were square especially the covers for the rudder cranks, and as can be seen in the accompanying photos the deck holes weren't raised to stop water ingress. I re cut the holes to help fit new cranks and fitted 10mm up stands, made new sheet hatch covers then refitted the original hinges and handles. Also while cleaning the loose paint layers off the outer stern bulwark, I uncovered the original name of the boat. It was originally a "Yorkshireman" hence my goal to turn a Irishman into a Yorkshireman. Apparently after a bit of reading up they were sister ships in real time and were built not 20miles from me at Selby, Yorkshire around 1976.

5 years ago by Rogal118

Response

Re: Type V11C Submarine.

Hi Martin, Thanks😀 Pics are a few years old. Both models are sadly in need of refits now. U25 is functional but the top half, deck and conning tower etc, had an unexpected collision in the work shop dry dock - with the floor 😭 Hotspur was gutted a few years ago to renovate the hull. Intention is to modernise the electronics and fit an Action Electronics dual ESC with rudder mixer to improve the 'cornering' of such a long narrow hull. Crewmen were sort of made by me😉 I shanghaied them from some ancient Airfix 8th Army and Afrika Corps 1/72 soldiers I used on the backyard battlefield as a kid. Modified some for their new roles; e.g. the guys with mine detectors were given brooms to scrub the instead! The ones climbing ladders were originally crawling with rifles in their right hands. Cap'n on the bridge is actually an Afrika Corp tank commander! I have some new crew for U25, one of them seems to be a bit peed off with his posting 😁 Guess I'll have to pull my finger out and put all this 'stuff' in a Blog or Harbour or summat!! Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Hints and Tips.

DECK FITTINGS Good one(s) DG👍 I used a similar idea for the bollards on HMS Hotspur, made from short bits of alu tube with 2mm dome head screws through them. They also serve to hold the down. 2mm washer for the base. Visible on the extreme left of the pic. Plywood BTW were made from the recycled back of an old bureau 😊 Depthcharge throwers were made to John Lambert (RIP) plans from scraps of 0.3mm brass, 1mm copper wire and 5 and 8mm wood dowels. Very fiddly measuring the plans, scaling up and double triple checking the marking up of the thin brass bits. (Never mind the snipping!) But worth it I think. Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

HMS Cottesmore IN 1/48 scale.

Hi Guys, Before I start I would like to thank everybody for the fantastic comments that I have received it is much appreciated. I have and will continue to gloss over parts of the build as I do not wish to seem to be teaching the more experienced model makers how to suck eggs. However if any body has any questions I will do my best to answer them. So let's go. Next to get some treatment was the twin rudders, the rudder posts were positioned and glued with two part epoxy. The next stage was to glue some strips of wood along the length of the hull to give me something to attach the deck to. I am lucky to know somebody that laminates fibre glass so with his guidance I was able to make the two .(sweep deck and main deck.) After cutting and shaping them I then glue some pieces of plastic card on to the deck in various places so that it made it easier for me to find the locations of some parts later on in the build. The were then primed with car primer, then the sweep deck was then glued in place and the gaps filled with car body filler sanded and primed again. It was then that I had to start doing some detail work as if I fitted the main deck it would be extremely difficult to do.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

New forum rankings.

Ed, FIRST rule of survival in the military NEVER VOLUNTEER!! Or, as the Sarn't Major / CPO Quartermaster sees it; 'I want three volunteers - YOU, YOU and YOU'. 😁 PS; thanks for your generous offer, I'll be sending you the shortly 😉

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Painting the hull – Part 2. The hull colour

Hi Rolfman2000 (Dave) I only attend the Warwick show as a visitor so I won't be able to exhibit the boat there, it will have another public showing at my club exhibition in September though and it will be fully finished by then. I'm just adding the final detailing to the cabin and now. Hopefully a maiden voyage soon too 😁 Robbob.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Re: Painting the hull – Part 2. The hull colour

Good choice Rob👍 sets off the varnished very nicely. On a sunny day with blue skies (I'm an eternal optimist😉) the blue should come through quite well. KUTGW !! Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich