Response

Cooling coil

As long as the coil toutches the motor you will be ok if it is NOT touching then simply start agaain as it will b a waste of time.............................................With regards to your painting question simplest way is to go to halfords and buy grey primer with is acrylic....if it is a wooden hull then you WILL NEED to use a coat of Halfords or Equivellent car to seal the primer underneath ...rub down with 800 DRY then put your grey on top of it....reason for this is simple the primer is porous so you will need to stop water getting at the wood,if it is GRP then no need for this Dave

5 years ago by Dave J

Forum

Paint finish for warships

I am building a 1/24 th scale Perkasa,but this recommendation applies to any warship. Autotek etch primer covers anything with even one coat,and, as an etch primer is good for any substrate including galvanised , ally, plastic / resin.It has an authentic Matt finish,and one squirt repairs any building marks.When finished, I will with Autotek MATT . Find it on ebay at about £10.50 for two 500ml cans! Use in well ventilated room,it is acidic!

5 years ago by drspock

Forum

Pretend deck planking

Hello from Australia, First start off with a scrap piece of plywood the same as you intend to use for the deck. Work out the width of the planks and score lightly with a scriber (not to deep). Using a ruler or suitable guide ,mark the lines with a no 3 fine tipped marker pen. wait till dry(usually 24hours to stop bleeding) then either spray or paint on satin . (3coats). Always works for me. Good luck. Sid

6 years ago by sidley70

Blog

Complete!

So, having had a few days off during the week when "The Boss" has been at work has given me enough hours to finish The Waveney off! Its been a hard week of making the small bits n bobs from scratch using a combination of balsa, carbon rod, brass rod, plastic tube, plastic sheet etc to make the radar array, antenna mast, extra cockpit details ect. The deck winch was made from large Servo output discs! The RNLI flag printed off Google! This has been followed by alot of detail painting and ing. Anyway, I think I have just about exhausted as much detail as can be had at this scale and and happy to call completion! Only job to do now is get it in the Hot Tub and add the 2 Kg of ballast to get her on the waterline. On water photos and video to follow in the last update on this thread! as for next projects? I have the Aeronaut Pilot boat sat in the pile and the Fairy huntress 23 plan and wood pack on route from Sarik Hobbies!

6 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

Fitting

Well, best laid plans and all that. Things have not gone too well. I managed to transport the boat in pieces to Hungary as planned. That is where the plans changed slightly. The plan was to have a trial on the river by the end of my holiday. I was rudely interupted by beautiful weather so I spent a lot of time in the river myself instead. I have started to assemble the superstructure and completed the radar, which turns rather realistically when under power. I have added coloured LED`s to the navigation lights. I have mostly completed the painting and ing. I assembled the hand rails but still have to paint them. I started to look into the electrics but had to stop when I found that the pump I purchased was not suitable for purpose. I put the pump under test and it only appears to work if fully submerged. Not really useful for a boat. I will search for a replacement.🤔 Just a small note, I have now found that the superstructure has warped slightly during painting. I fitted it really closely before painting but now it has twisted slightly. Very disappointed but never mind.😤 As I am now home until Christmas, there will be no further progress until then. I may not be able to trial until April as our river is often frozen at Christmas. Well I could not help myself and bought another kit. This next one is different and should be easier. it will be a Pilots boat. At the same time, I will now continue with the PTB refurbishment.🤓

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

nearing completion!

So, I have managed to crack on quite a bit this week. Ive done a heap at work on nights this week, followed by near enough a whole weekend of no interuptions as the "long haired Segeant Major" has been at her parents for the weekend!😁 it took a couple of days to build the coxswains console out of balsa and alot of fettling with plastitube and sheet, very please with the outcome. its not 100% scale acurate as is the rest of the model, but close enough to give a good representation of the wheelhouse contents. Just the Coxswain and seat to build and paint for a completed wheelhouse. The rest of the weekend has seen the cockpit just about finished, painted and ed. So, to complete the model the following items need to be built, painted and fitted. Radar mount and radar, instrument dials, cockpit glazing, antenna mast and rigging, towing bitt, rear cockpit railing and winch, hull grab ropes, anchor, and finally about 2 kilos of lead ballast to get her sitting right on the water. I reckon another week to 10 days for a completed model!

6 years ago by Skydive130

Forum

Spray painting hulls.

Hi guys, I spray my hulls using various systems. I have an industrial 120 litre 3hp compressor, with devilbiss spray guns which are for larger areas. I also have Badger air brushes and compressor with 2litre tank for the smaller hulls and detail work. I sometimes use cans, which I usually get mixed at local automotive paint supplier. I try to stick to R.A.L. paint codes. Most automotive paint from my supplier is acrylic or water based. But I always try to use good quality synthetic lawyer. I recently tried a polyester based but it didn't thin down very well. But whatever method is used for painting it's the preparation that makes the end result, and that's 90% patience and 10% skill. I certainly have more patience than skill as I've only been doing it for 50+ years. Cheers Colin.

6 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Which Paint?

A couple of years ago i scratch built a 1/24 scale Vosper Long boat MTB 510. I spray painted the hull and super structure with Halfords white and gray primer. The Hull was given coat of Matt clear Spray (Plasticote). The deck and super structure were also coated in a matt spray. This product was Rustoleum Crystal Clear Matt . I have used this product before on acrylic base paints, and had no problems. Do not use on oil based paints as it will crinkle the surface. The Plasticote product i used on the Hull was fine at the time but a couple of years on the surface has become crazed. so i will have to repaint the complete hull sometime in the future. Can any one out there recommend a paint combination or product that is satisfactory, and will not craze like an old masters oil painting from the 1500s.

6 years ago by andyhynes

Forum

Fairey Marine

I dont think anyone actually prints ready to use. So just put it in Google, then print it out and stick it on. Don't forget to over the top to waterproof it. Sorry, but thats the best i can do. Best wishes, Dave W 😊

7 years ago by rolfman2000

Blog

Moving along towards finished!

After beck paint dried overnight, spent an hour painting the deck boards before alit of masking followed by spray painting the bulwarks. I have installed the stanchions. Tomorrow will see any areas of touching up required (tip- if using rattlecans, gently spray some into the cap which can then be used for touch ups, clean brush using cellulose thinners) and then final coats of . After all this it will be on with the final fittingbif rope work and s few other bits n bobs

7 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

Hull painting and trimline

After over 24 hours of paint and setting time, have this morning before bed (on nights) added the white trim line and RNLI flags. As I said in a previous post, adding a thin white line between top red and blue is not seen on the real thing, however I feel it gives a nicer finish and therfore is staying! RNLI flags at the stern are probably not on the orginals either? at the end of the day, this is never going to be 100% scale, but my interpritation on the classic lines and if I am honest after 30 years of building RC Aircraft ect, I have enjoyed building this as much if not more than anything in the past. Simply because it started with a set of plans and a set of inacurate templates and the hours are starting to pay off in what I hope will look good on the water, that moment is at worst only a couple of weeks away? I have ordered some smaller gold lettering for the name as the stuff I have is too big and will look stupid, that may well arrive today? Once the rubbing strake has been fitted this week the hull will be all but done apart from the deck fittings. Stanchions almost finished, will finish those tonight at work. Ive started thinking ahead to my next project? I was considering the plan featured in the Nov Model Boats Mag "Fairy Huntress 23", then i stumbled upon a set of plans and templates for the old Veron Vosper RTTL 28 inch which I bought. This being made of balsa and ply I consider it to be about the same weight and performance when finished to the Huntress. So on that note I will be including the same electric set-up as the huntress. This means going back to Brushless and LIpo, a subject I am more than familiar with. All electrics ordrered from Hobbyking and will collect on Tuesday as I live 3 miles from them! Reasoning behind this model is I am in the Military and like Military stuff, thefore prefered over the civillian Huntress!! I shall base my Vosper on the example displayed at RAF Hendon.

7 years ago by Skydive130

Response

Impatient but hit away with it!

Good advice mark! I’ve had reactions before and the mess it makes is horrendous! I shall let it harden until tomorrow night before doing anything else to it. in the meantime I can get on with making 30 brass stanchions!

7 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

Impatient but hit away with it!

Was happy that the primer coats where dry enough to mask and get the blue on! Will defo leave this overnight to set firm. In the morning before bed will give that promised coat of then later in the day will add some white trim line. Don’t know yet, but might add a very thin white line between red and blue at top of hull. Just thinking it will give a good separation between blue and red. Can always remove if it looks naff!

7 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

Painting commenced!

So, now onto the pleasant task of adding some colour to primed wood! White primer, followed by 3 light build up coats of VW Brilliant Orange. it’s also had a single gust of . Will leave overnight to garden before masking off for the black panels. Will then start to retail paint and add all the exterior extras like lights, horn, searchlight, handrails, antennas etc.

7 years ago by Skydive130

Response

Priming the hull.

Ive used automotive primer sealer to deal with the base coat,make sure its primer sealer otherwise your going to have bubble issues.Do all your hole filling,dent filling scratch filling before applying it.Let it dry and use scotchbrite to give the paint something to grab onto,do not change the brand of paint during the paint work.Seen several paint jobs messed up by this,paint with enamel then stick with it on the whole job.You can do a base color with enamel and go back with detail work,but dont do a base then do enamel trim,IT WILL BUBBLE.Painted many cars since my college days and boy does that suck when you have to sand the whole thing again.To think at over $200 a gallon you dont want mistakes!!

7 years ago by chumbucket

Response

Unknown original paintwork

You can paint over enamel ,but I would suggest going back to the base wood.Use a primer sealer to seal all the other paints out then go from there.I know what your talking about,happened to me till I figured out how to deal with it.Ive even gone as far as to brush on a couple layers of 30min epoxy deluted 50% with denatured alcohol to use as a sealer then start my primers to get smooth.Do Not Paint Enamel over ,the enamel takes a long time to dry which attacks the under layment of any paint/primer.This is why the bubbles form under the paint you just put on

7 years ago by chumbucket

Forum

fireboat update

I used Halfords primer, that has been alright, its just that black shows up every mark, bad preparation on my part I think 😑 I had that trouble with on a fast electric boat and was told that I had not left enough time between coats

10 years ago by AlanP

Forum

fireboat update

Alan, if that is halfrauds paint I see, what primer did you use? Black is a real pain, my lacquer has now crazed, very faint, but I know its there 😑 I ended up getting some mixed from a paint supplier, it was same price as the shop bought rubbish, and the finish was great, don't know wehat went wrong with the

10 years ago by pmdevlin

Blog

Aerokits 46'' Fireboat twin screw brushless conversion

Ive now had another play, its time to take all the gear back out again, inspect for anything unusal that should not be happening, and paint, boring! My paint process for the hull, reclean, sand with a block using 800grit, its already primered, paint the red, 2 or 3 coats, flat with 600 then 800 wet/dry, clean off, another 2 coats of red, wet/dry detail sanding, then clear , two coats, flat again same way down to 800 grit wet/dry, then using a cutting compound polish buff it up, and then a less abrasive polish, then a creamy polish to finish, hoping that I have not gone through the paint. Same process with the black, but for some reason the black is always harder to do, and as the hull sides are more noticeable it has to be good. Hardest part is getting the flippin line straight. it does not go up at the front, its dead straight, but almost Impossible to do> 😟 It is red, not pink, like it looks in the pics, no particular attention to paint codes here, red is red, and black is black, but I did want a nice deep finish, so probably did more coats than was necessary 😉

11 years ago by pmdevlin

Blog

Glenn Aerokit 36'' Mk2

Painting went quite well, the only snag was the red which kept bleeding through the black. The white line was I think successful, although a bit of a fiddle to get flat over the chine line, doing It on a hot day helped. The grey primer upper deck looks OK too, but the first coat of acrylic was a bit flat. I then used poly-urethane for alloy wheels, miles better, the hull especially Is like glass. It Is slow to dry but well worth the wait. Usual stickers from Cornwall model boats, used 94 as most people seem to favour the more photographed 93! I just need a bit of time to fit the deck out with the model slipway stuff In the winter, but the latest test post re-assembly was fine, too much rudder travel was easy to remedy and everything else was good for me. This was finally at my local pond, Norwich and I had the place to myself, probably because It was raining! It seemed very big after Sheringham but as I say It was empty, I will have to join the club and visit on a Sunday morning actually with a boat rather than as a spectator.

11 years ago by fid2b

Blog

Paint your wagon

OK, been a while since I could do much but I am a little surprised to find how much I have missed not having the chance to take her for a turn around a pond- other things get in the way. I removed all the internals except the prop shaft which is unaccountably stuck to the aft U/J, might as well leave it there for now, and started sanding, which was a fairly painless process. Then a little P45 and more sanding, you know how it goes. Then came the paint choice- no-one really seems to be able to say 'these boats were this colour' and to be honest I am not worried about the perfect shade, all the photos of the originals look slightly different anyway. I first put a coat of car acrylic primer over everything then used an epoxy two part light grey for the interior, very hard and waterproof. I liked it so much I carried on above decks as it seemed to be going so well. A couple of days later I did the hatch tops white and hmm, not much contrast with that grey so it has to be over coated- makes a good solid base though. The hull is traditional red and black with white stripe to split them, car paint again and a self-adhesive pinstripe, we'll see how well it stays on after a few coats of . The grey above the deck will be plain car primer, it seems the right shade and will be shiny once ed also. So there I am, half painted and not in the least ed but that should change in the next week, then a while for it all to harden fully and I will fit the old girl out again, and post a photo and maybe video if I make it to a pond- I am keen to try my local pond at Norwich where I might get more than 2 seconds at full chat!

11 years ago by fid2b

Forum

Chrome fittings

Yes I agree, the companies doing "plating" [ in any form] are getting less and less, plus the chances of finding one that would accept to do such small "model items" is limited, due to the small sizes and the machine handling capabilities, afterall someone has to actually hand polish at the end of the process and their normal scale machines are not capable of such. you may well end up with paint, and a decent coating of clear afterwards to build up the sheen.

12 years ago by Gregg

Blog

Final striping and decals

I sourced a nice set of MartinI Racing decals off Ebay, they were originally listed for 1/10th scale r/c cars, but they are so easily adaptable for marine use too, simply dont fit any of the decals with the car names on ! A final couple of coats of clear seals the decals to the paintwork and means none of the decal edges are going to lift after a few water Immersions. When looking at secondhand boats, try to magine what it could look like , AFTER you get it home, not just how it looks with the for sale sign on. YES it means you can buy cheaper to start with if the paintwork is in real need of a refurb, but after only a few hours of work, you can end up wth a nice loking boat for not a lot of pennies.

12 years ago by Gregg

Response

Stickers are on!

HI Geoff, I went with Halfords grey primer for the uppers and finnished with 2 light coats of Halfords clear to give just a satin effect and not too glossy. Below waterline I went for Halfords Vauxhall Burgundy which was reccomended by another member and I think is a much better match than the brighter red that I was looking at. Hope this helps. Dean 😎

12 years ago by Stonemonkey

Forum

Paint spraying problem - can anybody help?

It sounds like you are holding the can in one place too long and over coating it. try as suggested, "lighter" coats on, but keep the spray can moving, so you press the nozzle down BEFORE you start on the item to be painted and you keep it pressed down untill you have passed the end of it too. DON't try to stop/start actually on the item, or you will get uneven paint coating. take it in even spray lines, nice light coats, almost to the point of it going on "dry", as don't forget it will become a proper mettallic once the clear is painted on,...........once the base colour has fully dried, even in this hot weather, kindly leave it a good 3 days before applying the clear cote, or the paint may craze later as the thinners from the base paint creeps through.

12 years ago by Gregg

Blog

Hull detail.

After removing the last lot of masking , after painting the blue coat on, the hull was left for 2 days to dry off. I then added the red/yellow lining tape and the main hull decals, depth markings etc. I prefer to attach these whilst the paint is still "soft", as they bond better. The hull will be getting a couple of coats of clear , but not untill all work on the hull is complete. Reason......... if you scratch/damage the paint, its much easier to repaint the "base colours" or do a quick "touch in", but once it is coated with , its a bigger problem to do a "touchin", so I prefer to save the final coat till much later.

12 years ago by Gregg

Blog

Painting the hull

After leaving the hull in primer for 4 days, sufficient time to allow the thinners in the material to evaporate. time to put the top coats on. I first masked off the upper hull and painted the white lower section using aerosols [halfords appliance white], allowing time between coats for the surface to dry. I've learnt in the past, not to try and put a second [or third] coat on too quickly , or thats when the paint starts to "run", leaving you with another problem to deal with. The masking was left on for 24 hrs, then removed and the hull left to dry again for 3 days. I then masked off the lower hull and applied the blue upper colour [ford galaxy blue], applying 5 coats over the next few hours,allowing drying time between coats. Once the hull has its decals applied, I will then give it a couple of coats of clear to help protect it, but not worth doing yet., just in case it gets scratched, then you have 2 different layers to replace.

12 years ago by Gregg

Response

On the water !

hI steve yep will go with the halfords enamels they seem to be the best suited for the job I did my pt 15 with them and it turned out ok with a coiple of coats of clear like you suggested got justabout all the bits for the boat now "its cost a fortune" with all the robbe radio gear and electrics but the next boat I will source alternatives which having browsed the net are very easily obtainable I think Im going to do a vosper by nautical marines looks a great kit. well I hope to attend the next funday there only two waters around here one is shared with boaters and another is club membership so I guess Ill join them Im new to the boat thing mainly done helis,tanks,trucks and cars but I seem to enjoy the boat thing more "getting old I guess"anyway thanks for responding see you sometime kurt

14 years ago by fryer1966

Response

On the water !

HI Kurt. Sorry, but this boat was already painted when I purchased it, so dont know what was used, but yes, halford aerosol paint is good enough, but for a bit more protection, try putting a couple of clear coats over the top to protect from scratches, otherwise you could be forever touching up minor scuffs. I will be repainting the hull on this fireboat next year, once Ive had some fun out of it. I did not get to the fun day either, was working and these guys would not put anything on, on the saturday, so I stick to running on my own local pool, but would be good to see a few dusseldorfs together sometime, if you ever passing through the cannock/midlands area, let me know and your invited to the pool my club uses, but if I can help you with any teething problems or tips, feel free to get back to me, direct email is "*PM only - Admin*", Ive goit as many pics of the renovation work Ive done as well as the installation of the fire monitors, mine only swivel and fire water, could not be bothered to create too much mechanism for lift/lower too, they fire water better set at high angle anyway. best wishes. Steve.

14 years ago by Gregg

Response

Aerokits Sea Commander

Robert, no problem, the Blue Commander was a "finished" boat, crew, maps, brass fittings, ropes, etc. and a real credit to its owner/builder! the best finished model on the day beyond doubt... months of painstaking work. while the photos on here really do not do my very unfinished "plain jane" any justice (it was literally de-masked the night before, and has no on anything).. when it came time to get them wet.. my boats performance was just stunning!!! all I needed to do was get rid of the tx rudder trim from my previous boat! while its gorgeous blue cousin was having major problems on its first outing! and was doing a fair Impression of a U-boat! he will sort it! perfectionist's do! I just need to add some and a few fittings, though to be honest I cant bring myself to cut that doorway in my super-smooth glass clothed cabin sides db

14 years ago by dbninja

Blog

paint on!

wow.. nothing like finished, less than a week since it was in primer, but the layers of masking tape are off... decided on a classic simple scheme.. done with car-plan acrylic aerosols, white, royal blue, bit of red to add some colour! almost everything is flatted down to a matt finish waiting for a couple of coats of clear to add a shine, no seating or interior or glazing yet as everything was just placed loosely together to see what it will look like.... (who else does that? ... all of you I bet) the sea scout really was the "plain Jane" of the Aerokits range, am doing my best to turn it into something nice. this is a real-time blog so as I do a bit... I post it! the last photo is just a reminder of the A£20 ebay disaster this renovation started with!

14 years ago by dbninja