Forum

TRIAL FITTING SMOKE UNIT TO THE HSL

Re looks like a plumbers nightmare JB Does a bit Red but the piping is dictated by the outlets on the water jackets. The inlets are T'd from the pump,(now on the front side of the bulkhead,) go round the s and cross from the outlets to opposite side exits. Was worse before with the large pump where the smoker is now. There are also twin inlets from the stern pickups (extra one for safety and bypassing the pump. Not a lot of room, as the hull is quite narrow, and I built it with close to original bulkhead positions (and dropped wheelhouse floor which takes up a lot of room). Also minimum number of hatches to keep the look as close as possible. Need to be a contortionist to get at things! JB

5 days ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: K & O Outboard s

They are the best model outboard s i have ever seen, I really like them. thanks for showing them. Martin555.

9 days ago by Martin555

Forum

Aeronaut Pilot Boat

For my next project I am looking at the Pilot Boat by Aeronaut. www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/.../Aeronaut-Pilot-Boat-3046-00.htm I am unable to find any reviews or information, apart from the somewhat limited information on the web. I am not new to model boats but I am new to electric power. It is suggested that two s are used (not supplied). The kit seems to be very detailed with scope to add. Any advice would be much appreciated. Steve

4 years ago by cormorant

Blog

HMT Resolve by Caldercraft

Having already started the build, Martin555 suggested I do a build log. Never done one before so here goes. First impressions of the kit - very comprehensive and parts of good quality, as I would expect from the manufacturers, Jotika. However, I soon found that quite a few parts had been numbered incorrectly, so be careful! Two versions can be built, civilian and Royal Navy. Being a keen military modeller, there was no contest. My first decision was the power plant. Steam far too expensive and complicated, so I decided on electric. Recommended were 900 brushless s which are very big lumps. Consultation with Jotika resulted in 540 2.5:1 geared s which had the added advantage of lower shafts, making it easier to connect the prop shafts, which are parallel to the hull. 60mm 4 bladed props completed the drive train, which as you will see later from the sea trials proved very effective.

1 month ago by cormorant

Blog

Fitting sub decks and Sea Trials

The fore sub-deck is glued onto the bulkhead assembly, prior to fixing it into the hull. This is a straightforward operation, but some sanding of the sub deck is needed, particularly around the bow. With short strips of square balsa glued onto the hull sides between the deck beams, to support the edges of the foredeck, the whole unit was again dry fitted. Happy with the dry fit and armed with various clamps and clothes pegs, I glued the assembly into place. (Once again, apologies for the lack of photos as I did this before deciding on doing the blog). Before fitting the aft sub-deck, I cut out an opening to get to the tiller if necessary. The opening will be disguised later in the build. Sea Trials. I decided on lead acid batteries, as the weight would go a long way towards ballasting - she sits very low in the water. Jotika advised 60mm 4 bladed props, which were duly fitted. As I have already said, I use a Taranis radio and this has the advantage of being able to set up a differential drive between the s and rudder in the transmitter. As you can see on the video, she turns in her own length. You will also see from the video the 'deck cargo', or cardboard box full of the white metal fittings. This gave me a better idea of how much more ballast I would require for the finished model. I did have a scary moment when the 'deck cargo' shifted and she took on an alarming list to port! I thought I would be a contender for the 'Titanic Award', presented annually by our club for the best sinking. However, with nerves of steel, I navigated her safely back to the slipway. I was most pleased with the way she handled and moved through the water. The s and props supply more than enough power and she will require very little more ballasting.

1 month ago by cormorant

Blog

Bulkheads and fit.

And it was all going so well! If all else fails, read the instructions and look carefully at the drawings. Having removed deck camber beams, mid deck bulkheads and longitudinal stringers from the CNC sheets, I glued the assembly together and taped it to a flat surface to dry, as per the instructions. However, as you can see from the two magnified sections in picture 1, the deck camber beams and stringers are not flush. I only became aware of this after glueing the assembly into the hull and trying to dry fit the aft deck. Once again, the trusty Dremel with cutting disc attached came into its own and I managed to rectify the problem - not without difficulty. Before glueing the bulkhead assembly into place I fitted the s. As I have already mentioned, with the propshafts parallel to the hull, there is very little clearance for the s. However, with the offset shafts on the 2.5:1 540 geared s, this was not a problem. I used vac formed plastic 'cradle' mounts and standard universal couplings. I am now a great believer in using proprietary silicone sealant to fix the s onto the mounts. This not only cushions vibration but allows tweaking of the final line up, which I do by eye. Before the sealant sets, I run the s and further tweak to get as little vibration as possible. See pic 4. With s in place it was time to fix the bulkhead assembly into the hull. Instructions suggest using slow cure epoxy, but I used Gorilla glue, which does the job just as well, without the trouble of mixing. Included in the bulkhead assembly is the servo tray for the rudder and with that connected and the power plant -two 12v 7ah lead acid batteries - in place, sea trials were fast approaching.

1 month ago by cormorant

Response

Re: Maiden!!!!

Runs real nice, you put that together pretty quickly! How about a 2s 2200MAh (or even 1800 MAh) as that would give you a good run time and far less weight. I use them on my twin 540 45T s with 30mm props, and I can get over an hour of mucking about with the Seaplane tender, which weighs about 6LBs. You could maybe go up to a 55T ? - what wind is your , seems pretty rapid? To reduce your torque roll you could always reduce your pitch or use a smaller prop to avoid adding more weight. JB

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build

Just started a 40" model of a 41'6" seaplane tender. I have been wanting to do one for years and now that my 36" 100 series 64ft HSL is done I was getting itchy fingers. Started with drawings from the 1976 Model Boats mag (part of the series on ASRs they did back then) which show frame shapes and positions, and enlarged them to 40" (A-O paper after rearranging the images on the A4 primary enlargement used as printing 'pattern' to enable max size on A-O. ) I did the same with the HSL and with a bit of fiddling got all the frames to line up nicely to shape. You have to be a bit inventive building this way regarding framing material etc, but it's possible if you have previous building experience. I found with these particular drawings that the frames were not drawn with identical profiles (left and right sides) so I had to create 1 side and flip it for the opposite side. I also had to create an extra frame between 2+3 as there was no real support for the stringers without it. The front top deck frame is cut from 3mm ply, as are the frames,-(ply is from packaging of a big Toyota Landcruiser axle recall which was done during my time at Toyota, which is 3 ply, very light, and perfect for this type of job, and not to mention, free!) I borrowed this frame method from the old 60s Vic Smeed MTB plan and it makes a good strong bow section to work with (used it on the HSL also.) Ply longerons are run through from transom to F2 with hardwood stiffening between transom and F4. Chine, gunwale and mid stringers are 4mmx2mm Beech, bottom stringers are 3x3 beech with mid stringer doubled. I may have to put extra stringers in the sides but that will depend on how the planks lie in the flares. planking will be 1.5mm balsa as the flares are quite pronounced especially in the bow area, and you just can't get sheets to go round the compound curves. Hull will be glassed and faired when finished and sealed with thin resin inside once everything is ready. Cabin is reasonably easy but takes a bit of working out and fiddling with due to lack of any plan, but it seems to be working out reasonably with the use of photos etc. The model is going to be a representation of a tender which was imported privately in the 50s by a doctor in the Milford sounds area here in the South Island of NZ, to enable him to visit patients, due to there being water access only in many of the remote areas. I have modified the drawings to represent this boat, which included changing the mast and removing the rear oval port and replacing it with a small round port, (not sure why this was changed, maybe an interior modification made the large port unnecessary ?) The boat ended up in Auckland at some stage and was owned by a family not far from my place for a number of years (pic is on the hard at our local yacht club in the 70s, - colour pic is from a friends super 8 movie taken from his boat, on an outing together with Jaguars owner 60s/70s). It is now apparently back in the South Island being restored. The model will use brushed 540 s with twin ESCs etc but still a way off yet. I have to work out a way to make the cabin removable either with or without the rear cockpit, but more likely it will be a 2 piece job. It's a bit of a make it up as you go project. Model Boats frames boat sheets Landcruiser s ESCs 👍 Like 💬 Comment 🗣️ Share 5

5 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

HMT Resolve by Caldercraft

I am using five small 6volt geared s to drive the features. 100, 400 and 1000:1 gear ratios. The s are only around £5 each.

1 month ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: SEAPLANE TENDER STAND ADDITION

RE- Yet another problem to sort jb, No problem really Peter, more just a slight nuisance. All of my boats weep oil slightly and it's a bit like the old British bikes (BSA, Triumph etc) saying, 'when they stop leaking oil it's time to put more in' (my BSA B31 and B40 were prime examples)😀 Thanks for the offer on the grease, appreciated, but we have all the different types available here. Probably not allowed to send it these days anyhow!) - nothing remotely flamable,-couldn't even buy a new empty, fluid type Zippo styled lighter on line for my son, had to buy an electronic one! The Lithium is quite good for most things and there is also a similar one which is Calcium Sulfonate, which has even better properties but a bit more expensive and not really warranted. Have included a pic of some SKF grease which looks good but the main problem I have with using grease is getting it into the shaft tube and through the bearings (with shields), and once you put it in you can no longer use oil and will have to try and clean it out before doing that again. A small problem with plain white lithium grease is that it can go hard and 'cake' with age, although if the shaft tube is full it would help stop water getting in as you said. Very little oil weeps out when running as the Teflon washers on the shafts push up and close off the bearings. Only an issue in the car or at home (hence the tray) JB

1 month ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Night Watch

Sounds like a Honda bike, hehe.

2 months ago by KenThompson

Response

Re: Carla (Neptune)

That's nice, a real traditional yacht. When did you build her?

2 months ago by Nerys

Directory

Carla (Neptune)

Krick kit of the yacht Neptune, re-named Carla.

2 months ago by Rookysailor

Directory

(Working Vessel) Eppleton Hall

Still in the process of building a 32nd scale model of the paddle tug "Eppleton Hall" from scratch, for the most part. (: 540 MFA 919D) (ESC: VIPER Marine 25) (10/10). All electronics have now been installed including 2 s, 2 ESC's, a small smoke generator, a sound module and speaker, a rudder servo, a distribution panel, all running off a 12V gel cell.

1 year ago by Ishmael

Forum

Fast attack craft

Very nice job Martin - looking really good - glad you finished the project even as a static model. Should not have to be much bigger for RC - if anything - a pair of 280's or speed 300s on 6v 2/3 AA Nimh would push her well at the current size . Using one lightweight ESC driving both s and small receiver/servo would not add much weight. How does she float at present? (of course Dodgy would be using brushless s and Lipo's which I'm totally unfamiliar with)

2 months ago by redpmg

Response

Re: row row row your boat

How about a geared 6 volt running a cam. These s can go down to as little as 14rpm and are very small.

2 months ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Upgrade to 2.4

This is a plastic boat which used to be sold in large numbers for the RNLI. It is now rather rare and is collectable. Here is one on Ebay for £127! Note - that does not mean that they will get a sale at that price - but they will still sell for quite a lot! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IMPACT-RNLI-SEVERN-RADIO-CONTROL-LIFEBOAT-RNLB-VOLUNTEER-SPIRIT-GREAT-CONDITION/264428640626?hash=item3d912cd972:g:8OYAAOSwrdRdUWr8 These were often converted to 'proper' 2.4GHz by modellers. I've never examined one, but I think they are 27Mhz, driving two s which provide steering and power. If that is so, a conversion would mean buying a 2.4Ghz radio set, a single and propshaft and a servo and rudder, taking out the entire inside of the boat and re-installing the new equipment. You would need some modelling skill to do this. It is unlikely that the other 2.4Ghz sets interfered with your signal. The 27Mhz set installed in your boat will have limited range compared with the 2.4Ghz systems, but it should work adequately close to you. Perhaps your batteries are weak, the aerial is badly positioned, or there was some 27Mhz interference close to you? If someone else was using a 27Mhz radio close to you then it may interfere if they and you were on the same 'spot frequency'. The 27Mhz band is divided up into sections, and only one boat can use one of those sections at a time. These sections are given colours, and you fly a coloured flag on your aerial to tell everyone that you are using that section - called a 'spot'. Do you know what spot your boat is on, and was there anyone flying a coloured flag on their aerial near you? I think you have a difficult decision. Either keep it as it is and make it work as well as it can, or get some help and spend some money converting it. I would try to get it working as well as I could first. Have you tried a range check? Get someone to hold the boat while you walk away with the controller and see how far it will work... and the next time you take it to the pond, ask one of the experienced modellers if they can help a bit...

2 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z8.1

Re Are those the V16 Detroit Diesels ? I wish Red! then she'd be faster than 22knots!! (but sitting up to the gunwales!!) The day someone makes square s is the day we will be able to make a reasonable facsimile of an engine. Tried to find a plastic model of the Detroit 453 (thought of making a couple and running the driveshafts from the s through them for a scale look) but there are very few even close model s (especially to scale) around. Mostly V8s (had the boat had Detroit 6vs or 8vs I might have been able to bodgey something up) but 4cyl diesel (or petrol for that matter) models are like lips on a chicken. An Aussie crowd does a reasonable 1/20 scale Falcon but that's a petrol 6 and the rocker cover's all wrong. If I had used the same 28mm brushless as in my HSL I could have made a case around them and built something on that, but the 540 s are a bit big. There is a scalish looking Engine shell with a 320? inside it on Banggood for around $30 but not sure how big they are, (no size description) - probably look good in a large slowish model. Never mind, can't see them, just a bit of fun😊.

2 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Night Watch

Bury Warrant! Have you fitted your ship with wheels without authorisation?😠 Advisory to NAV Officer: Take A580 NNE, steer course 005° at M60 Junction 14, Steer ENE to avoid Manchester shallows, Steer NNW at junction 17 onto A56 Bury New Road /Manchester Road. Proceed with caution!! Do not neglect Morecambe Bay Patrol. I will turn a blind eye if the odd crate of contraband pudding goes missing🙈 Not my thing😉 FLEET// 2202 CET. ADDENDUM: Never lived on IOM but apparently I was once there as a very teeny weeny! One family legend says I was named after Douglas IOM, the other says it was after Dad's Douglas Flat Twin bike, which he traded in for a Ford Pop when the family expanded😉 Whichever, there seems to be an affinity with IOM as I have a huge Deans kit of HMS Manxman, a ship which has always fascinated me somehow😁 Ramblin' Admiral OUT//

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Blog

large smit tug duel esc

hi just finished putting new s, torpedo 800's in my tug had it running off one 12 volt batt with two 20amp viper speed controllers removed one esc red wire so each prop was individually controlled as no rudder, tank turn all was well in test so today tidyed the wires and fixed them in place and tested it again one of my esc kept blowing fuses and smelt of burning this is the one that powers the receiver took it out of the boat tested it on a battery and puff of smoke phoned howes were i bought them they said send it back and we will look at it never had any issues with vipers so hoping its just a dodgy esc will let you know how i get on and but some picks of my boats up cheers Mark

2 months ago by 0151rogers

Response

Re: Fleetline Marlin & K&O outboards

Love the outboard s. Martin555.

2 months ago by Martin555

Directory

Pair of Fleet Line boats

Fleetline boats with electric s and running lights Have original boxes as well

2 months ago by Brightwork

Forum

Electronic Speed Controllers

Hello all. I am currently designing the WTC for my Gato submarine project and would like a little help with the ESC`s. I have to keep things as small as possible and as light as possible. Can I wire two brushed 360 s into one ESC. This would save a lot of space. I am happy to run them in tandem. I have decided to do the ballast by pumping water into the container and out again using a reversible pump run by a second 30A ESC. I would like to run the main twin s from the first ESC using channel 3 as usual. Can I run the smaller pump on, say, channel 5 using one of the 3 position switches or maybe the normal aileron stick. Is this possible? Thanks.

2 months ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Re: Futaba F14 Dual Throttles!

Hi Ed, I have Cottesmore set up so that I can use independent s and Bow thrust and rudder for manoeuvre in port, then flick a switch to group the s together for normal control with rudder. Martin555.

2 months ago by Martin555

Forum

Electronic Speed Controllers

"Can I wire two brushed 360 s into one ESC" Yes you can Peter, That's what I did with my U25. My s are 385s. The blue thing stuck to the starboard hull side, with two little white trim pots on it, is the ESC. The board bolted to the engine room forward bulkhead is the power distribution board to the s and includes the spark suppressors. Cheers, Doug 😎

2 months ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Are there fairies.

After carful consideration I think this model deserves a better as the one it has won't align to the prop shafts as the is much too big. As I have a collection of marx s I'm thinking of going with a either a decaperm or hectoperm, unless my spare Tarcol supermarine will line up. I will post again once I find a that will align with the propshaft. Cheers Colin.

2 months ago by Colin H

Forum

Chris Craft Cobra by Dumas

Very skilled piece of work,I've stitched a few bike saddles in the past but nothing as small as these seats ,the boat looks great really like the finish.👍

2 months ago by marky

Forum

Work with Balsa wood

Hi Red, Now that you have explained what a "sticky" is, no the subject of this thread was working with Balsa and as I have not used Balsa wood for so many years I was just sharing my thoughts and experiences, as I might help the newer members that have not used this wood before. As more experienced modellers I think that we tend to lose sight and forget the new guys to the hobby. There is nothing worse than trying to understand some of the more complex stuff when you can't understand the simple stuff first. Anyway enough woffel , the servo has it own built in speed controller. When you strip off the gears and remove the rest you are left with this (see photo) and speed controller. The pot you can use to zero then any movement from the TX stick will dive you forward and reverse. You can replace the pot with two equal resisters ( I think it's 2k2 not sure at the moment. I don't know what other s you can use it on that is to technical for me. Also if you remove the you can then connect led lighting circuits to it. You can see this on utube. Martin555.

2 months ago by Martin555

Blog

40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Z-5

First swim in the 'indoor test tank'. Floats spot on and has truckloads of power. may have to fit the 80T s yet as it may have a bit much thrust with the 45T 540s, have to wait for 'sea trials' to see what if anything needs changing. Excess power is a waste I think, and it's better to and prop the model so full power is scale like, and not race boat capable. Not exactly quiet, but have not oil filled the shafts yet and they are spinning at 12000 RPM( the 80Ts should be a lot quieter). Speed controllers 'chirp' a bit but there's probably only me to care about that anyway. Looking ok so far. JB

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build. Quest for the correct engine sound

True Martin, the whistle is from the turbo but the originals in the ST are non turbo. It would be great if someone would make a cheap sound unit, where you could record a sound and upload it to the unit and it would convert it to a usable proportional sound. The sound units I have work like this and have an SD card in the system where an original sound is split into small WAV ? bytes and each one loops if stopped in a particular position, or steps up the folders in sinc with the TX (bit like going up the scale on a piano. Problem is to find a genius who can hack this system and find a way to copy a sound into the SD card we could all use. Only way at the moment is to use an installed sound, or find a smooth continuous 0-full power sound and make a WAV file and send it to the manufacturer (GT Power-China) and get them to convert it, and send you a download an hope it will install, -super complicated! Got to be an easy way!? The sound on this vid is (this is a bit like your cryptic stuff Martin) made by an inkjet printer carriage on 4v run through one of those adjustable voltage regs we discussed recently, and just sitting on the deck (as a sound board). I've been trying things like this for years, on and off, and you can get some quite good sounds from electric s attached to resonator boxes, - even found the lid of a jam jar sounds like a hot bulb engine when clicked in and out over a small box (like the old clickers we had as kids), Thought of making one with a cam on a geared electric on an ESC. Always on the lookout for a cheaper alternative. JB

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Are there fairies.

".....That is a puzzle, if its a dc why would it have 3 brushes. I have only seen 2 or 4 on dc s......" From the excellent Workshop Practice series No.16 - Electric s - Jim Cox: "...More modern types (of automobile wiper s) are permanent magnet s which use a three brush system. A pair of brushes in the normal position 180 deg apart is used for low-speed operation. One of the low speed brushes and a third brush set at about 120deg are used for the high-speed wipe. Because the brush at 120 deg only sees a fraction of the normal back EMF more current flows and the runs proportionately faster...."

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Are there fairies.

Spare space might be for running in reverse Colin, (move a brush to the other side) or maybe for a different speed.? Maybe cancel thoughts on wiper , looks like a beast! Might have had drive belts on it at one stage (old converted sewing machine ?) Industrial machine perhaps? JB

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Are there fairies.

hi i have seen dc s with 3 brushes this was in a 2 speed ( ie old car wiper ) but with a modern speed controller the 3rd would not be required

3 months ago by jacko

Forum

Night Watch

Not staying in Whitby Nerys, home will be based in Scarborough, but we tow a little Peugeot, which lets us get about. Went to Bridlington last year, and visited said museum, as you say, small but VERY interesting, loads of places to visit on this coast.😐 pob lwc Peter(Rooky) BTW my wife is Welsh.

3 months ago by Rookysailor

Response

Re: WTC construction.

Hi Martin. I have a 3mm gap all around the tube. I have not thought as far as the connection between the forward and rear planes yet. I will stumble over that one later. I am still considering having a tube through the centre or near the top for wiring. I will see how it pans out. (Wish this spell checker used proper English and not US English). The inner tube is a nice slide fit inside the WTC. My plan is to get the servo, battery and frames to hold it in place. The length is only a guess at this stage and if only a small amount of water is needed to submerge the submarine, then I will probably shorten it. I have used 4mm wall section tube for the ballast tank and I am going to tie rod the caps in place using brass bolts with SS threaded rod between. I will modify the bolts with M4 internal threads and o rings under the heads. Should work a treat....I hope.😊

3 months ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.

Hi Guys, Well buildwise that is as far as I have got, lots more detail work to be done. I was a bit stuck as to how to switch on and off the lighting until I came across Arduino. So I purchased an Arduino PCB and then I looked on utube to see how to program it. I just picked up enough programming knowledge to be able to switch the lighting on and off in a loop sequence. There's a lot of really good tutorials about programming the Arduino on utube. My plan is as I have to fit suppression capacitors to the s I will remove all of the removable trays and at the same time wire it all differently as when the superstructure is complete it will be very easy to break something off just to switch Cottesmore on and off. I will also learn a bit more programming so that lighting is more controllable. So that is about it at the moment I hope that this log has not been to boring. I will update this log from time to time when I get back to working on her. Martin.

5 months ago by Martin555

Forum

1940 Chris Craft

My wife and I were in Gig Harbour, Washington State today where we were invited onboard by the owners of this beautiful boat. They told us, it is on the water most of the year in Seattle. The boat is varnished every two years. It requires continual care as the salt water is corrosive. Also seen was a nifty outboard; even the outboard cover is made of wood. A group of friends were seen enjoying a dockside luncheon. They said “Please take our picture” Very nice inboard Runabout.

2 years ago by Ron

Response

Re: Deck/hatch built, selected

Hi Lads After crawling the web, I finally found specs on crawler 540 s on 7.2 volts unloaded. 20 turn 13000 rpm 27 turn 15000 rpm 35 turn 12500 rpm 45 turn 9500 rpm 55 turn 7700 rpm 65 turn 7000 rpm 80 turn 5500 rpm The last three easily run 14-20 pound weight boats with 3-4 blade 50 to 60 mm props. I am using the 55 and 65 turn in Helen fishing boats and the 80 turn in a tug boat. No cooling on the s !! Canabus

3 months ago by canabus

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build W

Hi Red, if you get onto AliExpress (Alibaba) and just google Goolrc 540 and you should come up with a heap of them with different brands and manufacturers. They will all be made by the same manufacturer in China but re branded by on line hobby sellers (Gool RC being only one) You can get various winds in these s which is good (fewer turns higher revs less torque, more winds slower but more torque) Some of the sellers have the turn Nos and RPM figures for them which is handy. You will have to look at a lot to find the best price as prices range from $11 up for the same thing. If you want to buy something, check sellers rating, sales Nos and reviews as well (good if it's up around 98-99%, - probably selling snow to Inuits, but been buying from them since 2010,-very few problems ) Ali Express is pretty reliable (based in US) and will sort refunds if product is dud (even if the seller doesn't want to sort it, Al Ex will make them) If you get a free acct with them, it makes buying stuff easy. It's surprising how many people have not heard of Ali Express,+ Banggood and RC Echo (another similiar sites I buy stuff from,-not just model bits, although RC Echo (HK) is mainly models. Hobby King (Hong Kong) is just a rip off (was good 10yrs ago but too dear now ) and their freight prices are ridiculous, (most times more than the item which can be bought cheaper from AliEx or EBay etc with Free shipping) Bloody Australian bullshitter,-re-brands everything as theirs or made by them (don't know why, because we would buy stuff anyway if it was a good brand, (eg- they re-brand Castle Creations -USA, one of the largest electronics companies ESCs) If you look at the site - Made in China.com - you will find every manufacturer/ re seller in China and you will be surprised what you find there, which is claimed to be made by others. Happy hunting. John B

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Blog

36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob

After the successful build of the ‘Vintage Model Works’ RAF Crash Rescue Tender I was asked by Mike Cummings of VMW if I would undertake to build a prototype of their new model with the aim of checking the construction method and the assembly instructions for accuracy before the kit is put into production. The model is a ‘Thames River Police Launch’ and is based on the original design by Phil Smith for the Veron company, this was a very popular model kit in the late 50’s and 60’s and sold for the princely sum of 43 shillings and tuppence, approximately £2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of £48.50 in 1960. This design has been updated to accommodate electric propulsion and radio control by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer and it has been re-scaled to be 36” in length where the original was 24” which gives much more scope for detailing and provides more ‘hiding room’ for the drive, control systems and all the associated wiring. The kit produced by VMW uses the same construction techniques as the original and the materials are a combination of balsa and plywood both of which a laser and CNC cut for precision. The ply and balsa materials supplied are of very high quality as one would expect from VMW and all the stripwood for the chines, rubbing strakes and deck detailing is included, even the dowel required for the mast is in the box, very comprehensive! The kit also includes white metal fittings such as the fairleads and stanchions, and the searchlight and horns. The glazing for the windows comes in the kit too. The instruction sheet supplied is in need of revision as it is largely taken directly from the original as written by Phil Smith and some of the terminology needs updating, for instance the ply bottom and side skins are referred to as ‘strakes’ but I understand that a re-write of the instructions is in hand along with an updated plan showing the best positioning for the , prop-shaft, battery, ESC, receiver, rudder and servo. During construction I have added a few additional pieces of ply or balsa as reinforcement or supports and substituted some balsa parts for ply where I thought a stronger material would be better. I also added some hatches to give access to the wiring at the bow and the rudder & servo at the stern but largely I have not gone ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.

1 year ago by robbob

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build W

Very good work as Martin says - amazing how much time one will spend on a subject one is passionate about . looking forward to seeing it on the water....... See I have been asking dumb questions - s are 540's - what brand ? And the GT sound units self explanatory- googled them but no luck - sometimes Google SA a bit iffy

3 months ago by redpmg

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"....but would have to be a bit more powerful/stronger build even for Jelutong....." You can cut steel with a Shapeoko (slowly!) so long as you have the right spindle and cutter. It's designed for a DeWalt or a Makita - I would use a Dremel clone when cutting something like ply - and a stronger tool. But then it would be much noisier. Using a model boat is unusual, but I have shown that it works with balsa...

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

".... I have also been looking on utube at DIY CNC Machines using old DVD Drives and an Arduino board...." You can probably make a machine for nothing out of scrap if you know what you're doing - but I wouldn't advise a beginner to learn that way! The issue is getting the precision of movement together with enough stiffness to be able to apply adequate force when cutting and not have the structure bend. For modelling, we have an advantage in that many of our materials are thin and easy to cut, compared to typical professional requirements. A common cutting tool is a Dremel - which we often have, and you can see that a model boat can easily cut balsa - and probably light ply...

3 months ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build U

Hi MT, sound units are actually for cars but have a choice of 58 sounds from V8s to diesels and are the only ones I've seen which seem to sound ok. You have to go through all the sounds and try them through the throttle range but there are a number which sound ok for boats. You can also plug them into your computer and make a few changes such as throttle sensitivity, turbo sound and volume etc. The sounds are proportional, from starting to full throttle and are all WAV sounds which seem to be split up into small 'samples' and as such, some are not quite linear but are useable. There are 2 different models, One is the 'GT Power' sound and lights model - version 2 (the better I think) which comes with all the pre wired and plugged LEDs needed for a car, (h/l, t/l, indicators etc) and comes as a module and separate speaker, (you can plug 2 speakers into this module for better sound). The other model is the 'GT Power' Car Engine Sound 'mini' which is just the sound module and speaker in one box. This works the same as the version 2 model but at present I'm having a problem with the Mini, which has the wrong model for USB adjustment installed, (sounds can be selected manually on the module but when you plug the module into the comp and open the module control panel, it's for the wrong model, - sound files are still viewable though) I'll have to contact GT Power for a fix (going by their on line help page, they seem quite ready to sort problems out and give solutions) Cost is around $56 NZ for the version 2, and around $ 51 for the 'Mini' version which is comparable to most other sound units available, but with more features than some. Apparently, if you send the GT Power tech/help guy a complete WAV sound file (ie, start, idle, and steady slow acceleration to full and back they will make a sound file for your unit and email it back to you,(yet to try but would be brilliant if true) Units are sold on Ebay, Ali Express and Banggood (and many other model shops) and it's worth shopping around all of them, as there are big price differences. These are also sold as GOOL RC sound units but are made by GT Power. ( http://www.gt-rc.com/en/msgBoard.jsp ) You will see the home page on there. I use a number of their products such as battery chargers, rev counters, battery checkers etc and all seem very reliable and work well. I don't think they sell direct, but they are sold everywhere. For Rooky Sailors benefit, the s are Gool RC 540-45T 7.4V brushed car s which have ball bearings and replaceable brushes ( is rebuildable). Haven't tried them on the water yet, but the 45T (12000rpm) should be tourqy enough (different turn Nos are available) John B

3 months ago by jbkiwi

Wiki

Easy reversing switch for single ESC twin set-up

An easy way to reverse a (or s) in a twin set-up using only one ESC (such as Electronize) is to use a polarity reversing toggle switch. I used this method in my MTB until I replaced everything with twin car ESCs. The switch is operated by a servo using a spare channel on your TX, and is just a rod through a hole drilled in the toggle with a stop each end (at the appropriate distance apart) and silicone tube buffers each side of the toggle. Power goes in the center 2 terminals and the wires are arranged in an 'X' across the 4 outer terminals with the opposite pairs joined and hooked to the + and -. You could make a double action set-up with 2 switches (reversing both s to opposite directions) if required (I was only reversing one ) To operate, you stop the s, switch toggle to reverse and go either forward or reverse on the throttle (one will be working as normal, the other opposite). I only used 1 on my model and it was sufficient to give good independent maneuvering. Check wiring polarity carefully 1 pair at a time to make sure they are switching properly before you solder the pairs. You may need to adjust to suit your desired direction when you move the throttle so it's best to set it up out of the boat. The unit can be made much more compact, as mine was a prototype using bits I had lying around.

4 months ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Where are they?

Some months (last year) I bought all the electonics/electrical stuff for a twin model. Now I need to fit them, guess what? I can’t find the damn things anywhere! I’ve even spent a day tidying up my workroom, no success. Agreed it did need doing. So my question to you is where are they. Any clues will be more than welcome. Have fun. PS yes I did buy them got the email receipts!

4 months ago by glyn44

Forum

Fishtailing

"In all the years that I have been model making I have never done this or know of anyone who has." You do now Martin😉 I've been doing it for years, still do when I use brushed s. Also on brushed pump and auxiliary s; radar etc. Oh! But connect to the prop tube (aka stuffing box) NOT the shaft 😮 Also note his comment about a single earth point. This prevents so called ground loops (no- not pranging a plane on the runway!) These loops in the earthing wiring can act as radiators and are often the cause of humming in audio amplifiers, hi-fis for instance. Doug 😎

4 months ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Magnetic s

Hi Guys, This type of would be good if you could control the speed. There will be no need for a main battery for the model, you could also drive a generator to keep the receiver battery charged. https://youtu.be/wsWpkkCh_lI Maybe one day! Martin.

4 months ago by Martin555

Forum

Magnetic s

I have been thinking with the idea of magnetic s and trying to get away from normal propellers. At the moment I am unable to spend much time in my little workshop (health reason) So I have had these crazy ideas buzzing around in my head. Normal this leads to me making something different. Martin.

4 months ago by Martin555

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build Q

Hi Martin, I've filled it up to the top with a syringe but the small bubbles are good for an indicator as you can't see any movement otherwise. I could just make a small header tank, (or even a bit of the large silicon tube mounted vertically on a T and it would bleed itself. I'll see if it gets hot, and if so I'll probably make a small tank for expansion so it doesn't pop the hoses off. There is good circulation all round so hopefully it won't be an issue, I certainly won't be racing it, (it's getting heavier by the minute - coming up on 6lbs and with paint and batteries probably a shade over.) It will need the weight to make it sit properly as the hull was only about 1 3/4 lbs . It will be interesting to see how these s perform, these are 6v 45T but I can always go to 60T or 12v for more grunt. The combinations are endless!

4 months ago by jbkiwi