|||
Not Registered
Go AD FREE & get your membership medal
BRONZE
Less Ads
SILVER
GOLD
Ad Free
Cancel
Anytime
£2.50
£4.50
£6.50
Subscribe
Go AD FREE & get your membership medal
BRONZE
Less Ads
SILVER
GOLD
Ad Free
For A Whole Year!
£25
£45
£65
Donate
You Will Be Helping Towards:

  • Domain Fees
  • Security Certificates
  • iOS & Android App Fees
  • Website Hosting
  • Fast Servers
  • Data Backups
  • Upkeep & Maintenance
  • Administration Costs

    Without your support the website wouldn't be what it is today.

    Please consider donating towards these fees to help keep us afloat.

    Read more

    All donations are securely managed through PayPal.

    Many thanks for your kind support
  • Join Us On Social Media!
    Download The App!

    Login To
    Remove Ads
    Login To
    Remove Ads

    Model Boats Website
    Model Boats Website
    Home
    Forum
    Build Blogs
    Media Gallery
    Boat Clubs & Lakes
    Events
    Boat Harbour
    How-To Articles
    Plans & Docs
    Useful Links
    Search
    Search
    Blog
    Mast assembly
    The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs
    navigation
    light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the cabin roof, these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small wooden former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch primer, and white primer, followed later with a final coat of appliance white
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi, Doug: As “luck” would have it I managed to fall down several of our basement stairs last Fall (no pun intended, I promise. But I really hope it’s the “last fall” I ever take). I had a good hold of the railing & I don’t have any idea why I fell. Luckily it was only about six steps; it could have been much worse. As it is, though, I dislocated my right shoulder & tore the right biceps tendon loose from the bone. The dislocation was fixed with physical therapy but surgery via scope was needed to install two titanium anchors in the front of the shoulder bone. The tendon tatters were trimmed, then it was sutured to the anchors. Seeing that I can tie my shoes by myself again now I’m trying to get back to work on my tug. I’m still severely klutzy but I’m getting better every day & my fine motor skills are coming back OK. When the doctor told me I needed surgery I said I wanted a second opinion. He said: “OK, you’re ugly, too”. Then I asked him if I’d be able to play the violin when I’m all better. He said I shouldn’t have any problem playing at all. That’s great news for me seeing as I can’t play one now. Seriously, I do miss not being able to play my guitars. Well, that’s all I can write for now. I hope you’re doing really well & having great success with all of your projects. Take good care. Pete
    5 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Blog
    Nav. lights and smoker
    The
    navigation
    al lights and the smoker still need to be final wired with a power switch for each. The amp draw on the smoker is about 2.2 Amps as measured with my meter, so I intend to use a 2 1/2 Amp Fuse. Will probably just use manual switch rather than remote just to keep it simple, we will see..... Cheers, Joe Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Blog
    LED Nav. Lighting
    Two days ago I put what I hope is the final paint on the hull, hatch and misc. parts. I like to let it sit for several days to cure, especially in cooler weather. I took the time to work out LED
    navigation
    al lighting for my Brooklyn Tug and got that installed. I will photograph that tug later. Back to the springer tug, I had difficulty finding a good mounting spot for the starboard and port lighting so I decided to raise it on a light bar. Photos show the styrene structure in progress which will have the green and red side lights and a single white light on the top center post. Worked out the resistor values to reduce current and work off of my 6 volt supply, then soldered as shown. Fed the assembled LEDs through the plastic rectangular tunnel I created. The one photo I took with the red LED turned on is so bright that the camera just picked up a bright spot. I may have to reduce brightness but will test out in daylight first.... These LEDs are very bright and are 360 degree view! Ordered from "superbrigntleds.com" in order to get the full 360 as the ones at the local store were very limited to 18 to 60 degrees. Ordered red, green and white and they arrivedin about four days, great service. I have used this company several times and am happy with them, good to know. More to come, Joe
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Forum
    Artesania Samson RC Tugboat Build +
    navigation
    Has anyone built this model? Can you please comment on it. Thanks
    5 years ago by juskiddin
    Blog
    Deck, servo mount
    Put together a pilot house based on some tugs I've seen. Just freelanced it as I went. I build a lot with styrene so I am used to just cutting and building. I use liquid styrene cement that fuses the materials together. See photo, will trim it out as I mount it, need to add some detail at roof and some
    navigation
    al lighting. Put on on 3mm plywood deck, same as hull bottom. The deck is also curved (proper term is SHEAR) and I started to build up some wood edge at the opening. Will sand everything well, then start sealing and priming all surfaces. Made a bracket for the rudder servo mount and an adjacent platform for the ESC and RX. Ordered two 6v 5ah SLA batteries. I will wire in parallel to stay with 6v and get 10ah. I like to stay with 6 volts as I want the motor to run slow like a tug should. Will wire in an in-line fuse. Haven't decided where I will put switch, up high somewhere to avoid water. I will show the wiring once I get to it. This build is going fast because it's a simple design, just what I was looking for. I work on it late afternoons and into the evening while I watch basketball games. About 4 hrs a day. Looking forward to building the hatch and getting some primer started tomorrow. Regards, Joe 👍
    5 years ago by Joe727
    Blog
    Internal wiring & bottom skins
    Because I am keen to conceal as much of the wiring as possible I have decided to place the battery at the bow and the operational equipment at the stern, the engine on the original boat was central and covered with a soundproof box and this is convenient as the motor can be positioned and concealed in the same way. This means that some of the wires will have to run the full length of the boat and the easiest way to conceal them is to run them beneath the ‘box’ around which the hull is formed, and this needs to be done before the bottom skins are fitted. Holes were bored through the bulkhead formers under the port side of the hull and battery cables were run to the stern where the ESC will be and three motor wires from the ESC run to the centre, emerging near the motor position. For good measure I put in a servo cable and a separate draw wire just in case I needed to put more cabling in for any additional features, perhaps working
    navigation
    lights? Satisfied that I had all the cabling in place I was able to fit the bottom skins starting with the starboard side first. Before doing so I put a very slight 'hollow' in former F1 which should help blend the shape of the the hull where the ply skins meet the balsa blocks that will to be carved and shaped to form the bow. This can be seen in the last picture. The process of forming and fixing the skins is the same as for the side skins but in addition to the pins holding the skins in place I used some brown polythene ‘packing tape’ to pull the skins tightly against the bulkhead formers and strakes. The packing tape has a very high tensile strength and is ideal for this, and of course cheap and easy to remove. Once the aliphatic glue had set thoroughly overnight I removed the excess from the skins with a small block plane and finished them with my sanding plate. Before I fit the skin at the stern I will have to arrange the water cooling for the ESC, with the pickup just behind the prop and the outlet on the stern. I’ll cover that aspect in the next update.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Pete, how's things? Cheers, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Blog
    The wheelhouse
    navigation
    light.
    This is a small item but very visible on the wheelhouse and since the standard for this item has been set I have to follow suit. So first of all get some 3mm blue LEDs ordered and then it’s on with preparing the white metal body. I used by hand as suggested a series of drills increasing in diameter until 3.1 dia was reached but only 2/3 down the length from the front the smaller hole (1.5mm) was bored right through for the wires to exit. Arrival of the LEDs, first check the LED using my power supply, just over 3 volts seems to illuminate to the correct level. Next was to remove the shoulder on its plastic casing so the whole body does not exceed 3mm over its length and lightly abrade the outside to give a diffused light. Next cut the LED legs to 2mm from the plastic casing noting which is positive, next prepare the wires. I used Futaba servo wire cable 22awg which is very flexible and with the white signal wire stripped off leaving a red and black wire. These were tinned and cropped to 2mm and then quickly soldered to the appropriate terminal. Next check the LED still works! first hurdle over, I now needed to check the that when the LED goes into the body it doesn’t short out so checking the diameter over the widest part which is over the soldered terminals this was 0.1 below 3mm. I decided that shrink sleeve was too thick so I mixed some epoxy resin and coated all around the terminals, this proved to be satisfactory in both non-conductivity and dimensionally. Now the final test, using some aliphatic wood glue I slid the LED into the body whilst it was illuminated as it was a tight push fit, bingo it’s still lit – leave to set. I used aliphatic glue, as it would be easier to remove should I ever have to change the LED. The body still needs painting white but this will be done with all the other fittings at a later stage.
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Pete, welcome back😊 Glad your eyeballs have cleared up 👍 Just ordered new goggles yesterday, should be here end of the month, then I can fiddle with 1mm LEDs again - maybe😉 No, I didn't put a plug and socket at the base of the mast. I hard wired it into connections in the wheelhouse roof. Then took all the wires down through the funnels until they poked out the bottom of the main cabin. That's it for now. The mast is not glued in, it's a tight push fit so can still be folded down a bit. Later I'll make the little distribution board and put the plug and socket there so I can still remove the whole superstructure for maintenance. No again, I haven't done any more on the Southampton yet. Been busy fiddling with my fish cutter Gina 2, hull preparation and preliminary coat of white paint, and cleaning up Colin's vintage Taycol field coil motor. See Electrical Blogs 'Taycol Supermarine'. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Thanks for the information. Following Doug’s lead I came up with an idea for a scale fluorescent light fixture to install on the pilot house ceiling. I have odds & ends in my spare parts boxes that I can use to make the fixture, complete with a reflector & transparent pebble-surface scale diffuser. Even though the fixture won’t be visible I still want to achieve nice, even light in the pilot house with minimal shadows. The fixture design is still on the mental drawing board at this point but I’m reasonably sure it’ll work in the tug’s pilot house. if it doesn’t, however, I’ll definitely look into your suggestion. Thanks for reading my post & for your helpful advice, too. Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    if your still thinking about the cabin light you may like to think about using a surface mounted LED https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Surface-Mounted-LEDs-10-Pack-Choose-from-available-colours-UK-Free-P-P/263020022470?hash=item3d3d370ac6:m:mhKaps2dYMjCRQilJ3q6aeA Just to give you an idea
    6 years ago by Haverlock
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hello, Doug! I’m happy to report that my eyes are finally healed & I’m ready to get cracking on my tug’s LED lighting improvement project. Needless to say it’s so fantastic to be able to see again. The infection was so bad that I had to move around the house for weeks with at least one hand on the wall or I was in danger of falling or walking into the china cabinet. I lost what’s called “stereo vision” & had no depth perception. it was a nightmare to say the least, especially considering that the source of the infection remains unknown. But I just had a checkup at the ophthalmologist‘s office & I was given the happy news that all traces of the infection are completely gone. Hallelujah!🙏🏼👁👁 BTW, did you complete your tug’s mast LED lighting project? I recall that you had finished up the mast itself & had its LEDs working. Were you able to reinstall the mast in the pilot house roof & get everything back together without any problems? At one point you had mentioned possibly making a plug & socket arrangement for the mast so that it could be removed for safer transport to the lake. Were you able to follow through with that plan or was it just is easy to simply re-install the mast? finished for your dog? if so, how did it come out? I hope all is well with you & that your many projects are all turning out successfully.
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Directory
    (Working Vessel) ''Maureen Lee''
    The “Maureen Lee” started out as a Bristol Bay ready-to-run semi-scale model of a typical European fishing cutter. Many modifications were made to her to make her look like an old, worn-out fishing boat. Factory-installed switchable work and
    navigation
    lighting means that she can even be operated at night. A 550-size electric motor and metal propeller allow for ample power. A Bristol Bay model is supplied practically fully assembled… you need only mount the two masts and install the batteries. Numerous robust details make this model look great at home or on the water! Technical specifications: Hull length: 850 mm Width: 220 mm Overall height: 737 mm Total weight: 3650 g (Motor: 550 type) (8/10)
    6 years ago by Ishmael
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    You beat me to it Colin 👍 I found those as well and zoomed 'em. Looks like a form of Hi-Drag Stockless to me. ZY-6 perhaps? https://www.google.com/search?q=anchor&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CfFk5f5z1stxIjh3v-f6XBUqtMaFvPunPF0WW6eEMlRwTx83aAQ7-VRjFuEVajCB3ZW6INeHJMT0AQMnnyxfIaPT6ioSCXe_15_1pcFSq0EWfp-oVF7ohoKhIJxoW8-6c8XRYR8UdrSsA2N-4qEglbp4QyVHBPHxEHwwlFx7f4JyoSCTdoBDv5VGMWEdeKfFdC8UvEKhIJ4RVqMIHdlboR4kyhSnadMgwqEgkg14ckxPQBAxH9KvO1-FzePioSCSefLF8ho9PqEco2s6mj51j2&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjA35yticfdAhVOKuwKHZ5uBG0Q9C96BAgBEBg&biw=1920&bih=955&dpr=1#imgrc=QnBVjglX2_7EVM: Cheers, Doug https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Stockless_anchor
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Thanks.
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Or this.
    6 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Try this pic it may help.
    6 years ago by Colin H
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi, Doug. I’ve attached a zoomed-in photo of the “Anchor Enclosure” that’s built into the starboard bow bulwark of the Wyeforce. There’s an anchor in the box but I can’t tell for sure what kind it is. Maybe a navy-type with the fluke & bill pointed inward toward the deck? A better photo is needed to be sure, so I’ll keep looking. The enclosure itself would be simple to build & fit to the hull. I remember seeing a photo of the boat’s foredeck area that showed what may have been a hawse pipe running inboard from behind anchor enclosure & down through the deck, presumably to a winch belowdecks? Does that make sense? Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hey, Doug. Thanks for the photo link; I grabbed them for my reference archive. The winch can be seen again in one view; I think I have plenty of information now to extract measurements & sketch a fair representation. Thanks again. Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Evenin Pete, Here's link to a Harbour tug site with more pics, including work deck and inside the wheelhouse. Cheers, Doug 😎 http://www.danwalker.co.uk/Harbour_Tug_html/tuginfo.html
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Doug: I feel like a dunce for not noticing that anchor before. it sticks out like a sore thumb if you know where to look. That’s another thing that I’m surprised hobby engine didn’t add to the boat. I guess in the long run it was easier for moldmaking purposes to omit that particular detail. That’s another thing, however, that wouldn’t be all that hard to scratchbuild. All that’s needed is to cut an opening in the bulwark & build a sheet styrene box for the housing. it’s not exactly a high priority item, but I think it would go a long way toward adding realism. So far none of the photos of the Wyforce I seen show what the anchor enclosure looks like on the inside of the bulwark. Then again maybe some of them did & I missed that, too. I assume there’s an anchor winch, possibly below deck near the chain locker. I expect there’s a “drop/raise” button inside the pilot house. I’ll browse for a photo of the anchor & post it if I succeed. Thanks
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Pete, Welcome back👍 Yes, I did remove the moulded rungs. No chance of cramming the wiring in if you don't. I just twisted them out with a small pair of pliers and machined the rest out with a 3mm milling bit in my mini drill. I had hoped you would come to the 'cluttered' conclusion about the mast! Don't know of any standards for lamp spacing, never thought about. Spect there is, maybe Ed (figtree) knows, but he's having internet problems at the moment 🤔 Thanks re antenna cables. Not difficult with a couple of chunks of copper wire and the pin-drill. Some time I will also add the two small booms carrying a GPS antenna and an anemometer. Re anchors: all tugs I've ever seen have anchors. This is on my list of 'Missing details on the model'. it's quite a long list🤔 Pics attached showing the anchor in a recess on the stbd bow. BECC still exist but only seem to sell through agents/stockists now. Here the US/Canada stockists;- http://www.becc.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d47.html This probably your best bet http://www.loyalhannadockyard.com/ Some of the others have disappeared😲 Look forward to your winch sketch, cos I wanna build one too! Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hello, Doug: Out of curiosity, did you remove the molded-on plastic ladder rungs from inside of the mast to gain more space for wires? Seeing your finished mast has shown me that it’s best to keep the original nav light locations. Having all 6 lights on the main mast will make it look too cluttered. With all of the lights switched on it’ll look like a light saber is jutting out of the pilot house roof. Do you know if there are standards governing the horizontal spacing of
    navigation
    lights? There should be, otherwise I’d think the lights could tend to overlap & look like one big light, especially in fog. BTW, the cables you added to the mast antennas look great. The smooth curve of the cables & the weather boots at the antenna connections add a lot of realism. Well done!👍🏻 Speaking of details, do you know if tugboats carry anchors? if so, what type? As far as I know the US Coast Guard requires every powered vessel to have at least one anchor. I see no reason why tugboats would be exempt from this rule. I’m glad you mentioned using a Tamiya sanding sponge as a means of removing the factory-applied lettering. There’s a model railroad technique I’ve used successfully where an ordinary pencil eraser & window cleaner are used to remove lettering. I’m sure it would work on my boat but I might not live long enough to get it finished. Shortly after I got the boat I ordered a cloth American flag & scale Plimsoll markings from BECC. Sadly BECC has gone out of business. Another good supplier goes around the bowl & down the hole. Sad. Regarding the winch again, your comments tell me that I may have mislead you into thinking that my boat has a winch. it doesn’t, but I did say I’m planning to scratchbuild one. in fact, I’m going to sketch one out right after I post this message. Thanks, Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Pete, Thanks 😊 Yep, I decided to stick with 4 lights cos tha's all I see on the original 'WYEFORCE'. Yep again! I do intend to modify the two lights on the stub mast; 1 yellow 'Towing' and 1 white 'Stern'. I will also fit a wheelhouse light. Decided to do it 'fluorescent' style by fitting 2 white 3mm LEDs in the ends of a long block of 5mm perspex. After that the 2 work-deck floodlights, lower cabin lights and 2 deck lamps 1 each side of the main cabin. I'll probably link the cabin and deck lights so that they all come on together. Now pondering how to build a miniature working diesel genny to power them all😁 Good luck with your divider! You will have more wires to squash in than I did so I doubt there's room. Have fun trying. I separated the wires quite easily by keeping all the negative legs of the LEDs (that's the leg going to the larger electrode in the diode) on one side and soldering them to the brass wire negative rail first. Then I took colour coded thin 'hook-up' wire to each LED in turn; working from the top down. Cut the LED leg to 1/4", stripped the hook-up wire back 1/4", twisted the wire strands together and tinned it. Tin the LED leg as well and bend it 90° down the mast. Then it's easy to solder the wire cleanly to the LED keeping it well away from any other wires. When all was connected, and tested OK, I stuck the wires down with thick gel super glue so they can't wander about. To fit the LEDs to the mast, I removed the brackets; removed the dummy lights with a razor saw, filed the mounting flat and drilled holes for the LED legs in them, using a 0.75mm drill bit in a pin chuck, and glued the LEDs on with gluper sue. Then I bent the leads 90° back towards the mast and drilled 0.75mm holes horizontally into the mast so I could literally 'plug' the lamp bracket complete with LED straight in and glue it down. Painted matt black the leads become invisible, as in 3rd pic above😉 Winch: at least your version of the model seems to HAVE a winch! Or where did those two pics come from? Mine ain't got nuffink, just a big 'ole at the back of the cabin😭 All the best, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hey, Doug What you’ve done so far looks terrific. I noticed that you stayed with four lights on the mast itself. I take it you’ll also replace the two “dummy“ lights on the stub mast (behind the pilot house) with working ones? I considered the same thing but I like the look of all six lights on the “main” mast. Based on how things usually work out for me I’m still going to put a divider or barrier in the mast before I button it up. if there’s the slightest ghost of a chance of a short in the wiring it’ll happen to me. Five minutes’ work & a scrap of plastic will help me sleep better. Regarding the winch, it appears to be a very simple unit (see attached photos). The large bitt/towing hook unit in the photos hides some of the winch details, but it doesn’t look like a complicated unit to model. A few pieces of plastic sheet stock, some rounds & a few bits from the spares boxes is pretty much all it’ll take. I plan to attach the winch assembly to the Deckhouse; not to the deck. The base plate for the winch will need to be shaped to fit around the horn speaker grille holes in the deck but otherwise no problems. I already have a large roll of scale rope to wind around the drum. If anyone who reads this happens to have photos or a sketch of the winch in full view please post them if you’re willing. Thanks. Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Mornin' Pete (it is in Germany anyway!) I agree, there are lots of details and 'standard equipment' missing from the basic model. You can see the winch and Life Raft canister in one of the photos of the original I posted above. Re Mast wiring; don't fiddle about putting a divider in the mast. it'll just get in the way. Attached is a pic of my modified mast. I used a 0.5mm brass wire on the right-hand side for the earth return. Wire is better than rod cos it's flexible (can be pushed into the corner). I glued it in with gel Gluper Sue WHEN all connections were soldered and tested. The LEDs are standard domed lens types. I ground the tops flat and painted the tops with several coats of matt black until it was opaque. After testing I closed off the mast with some plasticard and fitted ladder rungs made of copper wire. I also added the missing antenna cables to the bottom of the VHF IMM antennas, 0.5mm brass wire. (Some time I'll also fit the missing GPS antenna and anemometer.) Then painted the mast matt black. I then turned my attention to the searchlight and red/green NAV lights. First I stripped the wheelhouse roof and painted it white as in the original. On my model it was grey🤔 Then I drilled out the searchlight to accept a 5mm Bright White LED. You won't have to do this cos you have a later version with lights, mine had none 😭 Then had to paint the searchlight with several coats of matt black. Otherwise it just glowed all round! Pics show construction stages and finished lighting effect. All wires inside the wheelhouse roof I super glued to the ceiling and ran them down inside the funnels (stacks to you guys across the pond!😉) ready for connection to a switch board in the hull. While I was at it I rubbed the false Southampton name off the cabin using a 1000 grit Tamiya sponge and am preparing inkjet printed decals with the correct Wyeforce name and logo. Have fun getting all lit up Pete,😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Attached some pics showing the original 'Southampton' 😉 and making obvious what's missing on the model 🤔
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi, Doug: I hope all is well. FYI, I’ve received all but one of my parts orders needed for the LED Mast Light project. The flat top LEDs arrived today & will be perfect for Nav lights. I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but a while ago I decided that instead of starting work right away it would be best to wait until everything I need for the project is on hand. While waiting for parts to arrive (& mysterious eye infections to clear up) I looked the boat’s Cabin & Pilot House over & made a list of details I want to add, changes or replace, not least of which is the conspicuous absence of a towing winch. Other things like adding a life raft canister, better looking life rings, fire extinguishers, etc. will come later, after completing the Mast LED Nav lights & wiring changes per your design. This brings me back around to a wiring question. Some time ago we discussed using a common ground bus inside the Mast & soldering each of the six “-“ leads to it rather than using six wires to do the same job. I plan to put a plastic divider piece up the middle of the Mast & run the six “+” LED wires on one side. The other side will have the bare ground bus onto which the “-“ leads of each LED will be soldered. The question is: what gauge should the bus be? I was thinking of using a length of brass rod but I don’t know what diameter to use. What do you think? Thanks, Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Media
    Pilot launch
    Have just brought this vessel, Well made and light. it is of show quality complete with working
    navigation
    lights and blue beacons. Rather fast too
    6 years ago by Bryan-the-pirate
    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 laquering. 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
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Nevertheless astromorg, it is clearly listed on the yard drawing as a
    navigation
    Light. I had been wondering if you had worked in a shipyard😉 Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi, Put the original radio board, smoker and light wiring back in. Take out your new RX and ESCs and use them for something else. Then fit a P94 dual ESC and Rudder Mixer from Action Electronics, sold by Component shop. You will get the same effect when used in Mode 3 👍😁 You will only need the 10A version for the Richardson. https://www.componentshop.co.uk/p94l-dual-esc-and-mixer-2-x-10-amp.html Only difference with the 20A version is chunks of ally on the power transistors as heat sinks! Easy enough to 'self fit' 😉 Have fun, cheers, Doug😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    I have a Richardson Tug and have now got each prop with its own ESC, trouble is to do it I had to replace the radio which cut out the lights, horn and smoke so maybe to strip out everything and start again is the best idea. individual twin props are good, it will now turn around in iys own length. I gues it depends on what you want to do with it, just sail it or use it for tug towing.
    6 years ago by epmbcmember
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Going back to your query RNinMunich, something over thirty years of my life was as an engineer officer in the RN. Half in sea going appointments and the other half spent mainly directing ship support and maintenance. Great times!! I spent a bit more time today reading up about DF systems. Loop antenna on Wikipedia was interesting. it seems to me that a simple manual DF loop would be a feasible option for the teardrop; it was certainly that on many varied aircraft at that time (inc the Wellington). Also, thinking about the size of the teardrop, it may be small for a DF loop, but comparing it to the other
    navigation
    lights, it's really too small to be one of them! I love chasing all over the net trying to find positive solutions to little mysteries!
    6 years ago by astromorg
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    None at all Peter🤔 Ask them! All I see is the little so called '
    navigation
    Horn', as in the listing from Rob. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Hi All. I found the drawing I mentioned, if you look at the numbered items you'll see that No 72 is the
    navigation
    light and No 14 is the mast crutch. There was never a stern light on either boat according to the drawing although one appears on the stern of No 93 in one of the 'photos but not in the other dry dock 'photo....perhaps it was part of a re-fit during it's service life ? Also, the mast light is not numbered or described...but it is there.... I hope I've thrown some light on the subject........I'll get my coat..
    6 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Is there a white
    navigation
    light on the centre on the fore cabin roof.
    6 years ago by Elsrickle
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Next query I will be fitting a 360 deg white mast light, and is there also at the front centre of the fore cabin a small white
    navigation
    light. I think it is shown in the black and white photo of the 93 at mooring.
    6 years ago by Elsrickle
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Deffo resistors come after the choke. They drop the voltage from 15v to 7.5v To charge Nimhs at 7.4 at various capacities from D cells singles or multiples down to 6 cells Half AA packs. The Ds are glow starters the others for various Radio/Power packs Say 19000 or so Mmilliamps down to a few hundred. all have been shorted some how and fried the resistors beyond readability. I'm doing this for fun as I have others I can use but would like to keep them with their original kit. if needs be I can series them. Auf Wieder whats it. John👍😁 PS thaf van is at no5 I live at no 7🤓
    6 years ago by onetenor
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    H i J o h n My 'word in edgewise'😉😁 Are you sure they are resistors and not chokes? What output voltage and current rating are the Warts? Can't claim to 'know' Meliden! Nearly 50 years ago I lived at RAF Cosford, between Wolverhampton and Wellington, and from there, or when I visited an Aunt & Uncle in New Brighton Wallasey, we used to tour North Wales from time to time. Meliden rang a faint bell, so I Google-mapped it 😉 Sometime much later after a business trip to Liverpool I took 'the pretty way, home to Sandhurst via Wales and the M4 😁 Loved it 👍 The Grove huh? Bet that's your Boat Transporter 😁😁 Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi doug Can't get a word in sideways /edgewise LOL. Re the resistors I'm repairing some "wall warts" and need output resistors which have been burned out by shorting. Guessing the resist needed but quite small.All I have tried so far have been too much. Red Lion, Miners very good but The Star (old Plough) is less than 100 yds away opposite the end of the Grove where we live. Just across the main road. How come you know Meliden then? The thing is I'm more or less T-Total.😜👍
    6 years ago by onetenor
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Wadaya Know! There's still some Premiums / Platinums around and not so pricey now😊 https://www.modellbau-universe.de/produkt%3Bflower-class-corvette-premium-edition-revell%3Bre~05112%3B15%3B1%3B1%3B1.htm
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hmmm! Thanks for the warning👍 I've also got the old original kit, no lights or rotating radar, but those are no great sweat anyway.😉 And have collected a mass of 'after market parts. Premium edition seems to have disappeared? Shame. Enjoy the film, but get the book. it's worth it. G'night, Doug 😊 ZZZZZZZZZZ
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Strange that you should mention the Movie/book 'The Cruel Sea', have just bought the DVD from Ebay, looking forward to watching it once again. I have an old Revell corvette kit, and last month bought the NEW corvette kit from Revell which has most of the lighting in kit form, plus revolving radar, but very annoyed 😆to find out that there is no p/e parts or wooden decking as in the platinum edition, but it only cost me £100 + vat trade deal, sssh🤐 Cheers Peter😊
    6 years ago by Rookysailor
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Know what you mean Peter, I think, when I get round to her, I'll do mine as 'HMS Compass Rose'. The 'fictitious' ship in Nicholas Monserrat's book 'The Cruel Sea'. Which is based on his experiences on a Flower Class in the Battle of the Atlantic. Well worth a read👍 Difficult to put down 😲 Try Googling and/or Wikiing Flower Class corvette and you should get oodles of links to photos of the originals and suppliers of kits n bits. What you could do of course is to Go The Whole Hog and buy the newer Revell Premium version of the kit. That has wooden decks and a host of detailed upgrade parts. Plus LED lights etc 😊 List price here €199. https://www.revell.de/en/products/revell-technik/flower-class-corvette-technik.html Whatever you do, enjoy it😊 Cos otherwise there ain't no point is there!? All the best, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Many thanks Doug, once again to the rescue👍, would like to build mine as a USS one, any ideas....then maybe keep the deck steel! just fancy a different version than the usual HMCS ones. Peter😁
    6 years ago by Rookysailor
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    My God Peter! I've no idea now 😲 She's been in the stash for about 25 years or more now 🤔 Sorry. I'll look for the bits n pieces tomorrow n see if there's any clues. Ciao Doug PS Found it! it was in the Great Little Ships Deck And Fittings Set, and it's brass not wood, and heavy.😲 https://www.djparkins.com/product.php?productid=18179&cat=303&page=1 In the meantime I believe Artwox in Oz do a wood deck.
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Doug, with reference to your wooden decks for the 1/72 flower class corvette, where did you get them from? I'm having trouble getting any browser info🤔 many thanks, Peter😋
    6 years ago by Rookysailor
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Hi Pete, That was just a selection of my larger 350 scale kits! Forgot HMS Prince of Wales battleship😉 I also have a vast collection of everything from 720 to 72, including the Revell Flower Class corvette. I started an XL spread sheet to keep track of them with scale and size data, number of shafts, and where practical and already measured max load capacity! Re: wood decks; I have them on my Graf Spee and HMS Belfast both 1:128, and have bought them for Hood, Bismarck and the corvette. In my experience the self adhesive starts to pull up at the edges, always in the most awkward place to get to to fix😡 I learned to use a gel type gluper sue for first time fitting and thin runny stuff for repairs so it creeps under the edge a bit. Yes please, the info on the decks would be useful especially Titanic. i have a premium version with lots of etch parts but no wood I think. Why do we do it? Cos we're nuts! Prerequisite for scale modelling 😁 Happy modelling, Cheers, Doug 😎 PS my favourite carrier photo attached; Capn of the Nimitz wanted to go water skiing 😁😁
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast
    navigation
    Lights
    Doug: Why do we do it? So many kits, so little time. I just looked at my list...736 kits, not counting the last year’s worth of purchases. I’ve convinced myself that it’s a nest egg. My downstairs stash of 1:350 ships also has the Tamiya HMS Hood, Big E & USS Missouri. I’ve got the RMS Titanic, too & the RMS Lusitania as well. Subs of all types, a resin USS Long Beach & Bainbridge to compliment the Big E. Remember the famous “Nuclear Navy Trio” photo? I’ve attached a copy in case anyone hasn’t seen it. The 1:350 Normandie is an astounding resin cottage industry kit that I got at a very good discount but it still cost twice as much as my first car! I can send you the link to it if you like, but make sure you’re seated before you look at the price. BTW, I found sets of pre-cut, self-adhesive wood decks for the Titanic & Hood, too, I believe, & a few others, but I can’t remember which ones. They really make a model pop, for sure, but I’d be inclined to use contact cement or something so they don’t “pop” off the model. if you’re interested I can send info about those to you, too. Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete


    About This Website
    Terms of Service
    Privacy Policy