Forum

Graupner Closing

There’s been some discussion on Graupners demise on RCGroups. Many people seem to think that Graupner and Robbe s were overpriced, and used RTF/RTR models from China to prove their point. Well, like we say here in Texas, “that dog won’t hunt”. In my humble opinion, a well made kit will be a little more expensive than anything pre built as there is the extra cost of plans, instructions, packaging, just to name a few. And, as a builder, I’d much rather pay a bit more for a decent quality kit that I get the fun and pride of both the building of said kit and the ownership. Now, there are people who cannot or will not build, and more power to them. If that’s how they pass their time that’s okay by me. But..using the China made models as a benchmark to gripe about a much loved kit manufacturers models and prices is just a little off kilter. That being said, the KYmodel sourced Graupner kits were improving in quality, it would be a shame to see them fade away or be harder to purchase now that the quality seems to be improving.

4 years ago by Cashrc

Forum

Graupner Closing

Lets not stop at Korea. The Chinese have an appalling record with all animals. You name it, they think that pieces of them are good for health cures. All of our stuff comes from China so I think a ban on buying s is impossible.☹️ Peter.

4 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Graupner Closing

DON'T PANIC !!!! 😮 Just read the original (in German) Press Statement from Graupner. Facts are: The German site in Kirchheim has no ion facilities (hasn't had for several years since the last restructuring) and has long been just a Sales organisation. The huge site there is no longer viable due to rising costs and cheap competition. So ONLY Graupner/SJ Gmbh in Kirchheim has declared insolvency and will close. Since the cooperation with the S. Korean company the ion was moved to Shenzen in China. This is also being closed, (due to rising labour and tax costs!?) and ion as well as Marketing & Sales are being concentrated at the Graupner HQ near Seoul in S Korea; Graupner Co. Ltd, who own all rights to Graupner s and the brand name. The future emphasis will be on the RC electronic side; TX/RX, HOTT system components ESCs etc etc, as this is the side of the business still in the black and growing. Graupner Co. Ltd say they will issue a further statement regarding the future sales and service partners in due course. THE BRAND IS NOT DISAPPEARING 😊 (Not yet anyway!) Cheers, Doug😎 Press Statement attached for the German students amongst you 😉 Viel Spaß beim lesen.

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

TRIAL FITTING SMOKE UNIT TO THE HSL

""""Probably can't buy that here Red, even glycerin is behind the counter now (what's dangerous about glycerin's got me buggered! you can drink the stuff!""" There are ways to get around restrictions JB - one is ask the chemistry teacher/dept at the local school or the Uni - explain what you want it for or get them involved - be able to get a bit that way - in the early days the king ordered the peasants to p... in the corner of their hovel in winter - then in summer the kings men dug it up - presto - potassium nitrate . So you could also possibly produce your own...... As to glycerine JB - you have heard of nitro glycerine I presume?(excuse all the the sarky bits ) - its only a mixture of nitric acid and glycerine or the stronger version from PN and glycerine. Add clay and you have the Nobels ............ In younger days when going out with a girls school teacher was asked to help her sort out her storeroom . Would you believe on one really rickety shelf glass jars of potassium cyanide and hydrochloric acid stood together- if they had fallen!!!!!!!!! - Instant gas chamber as used in the US..........

5 years ago by redpmg

Response

Re: waiting

I don’t order from Hobbyking unless the is in a US warehouse. The service is pretty good from there, however, if it comes from the “Global” warehouse(s) then it’s rolling dice on when you see your goods, plus they send them “signature required” which means I have to go to the Post Office to sign for the goods. I work 8-9 hours a day, don’t want to run all over town after work. I use Cornwall quite often, am very happy with their prices and service. I would probably order from Krick but I don’t think the Krickstore ships to the US. I also peruse EBay and RCgroups classifieds. I have quite the collection of older brushed speed controllers, motors, and non-digital servos, as I still find them quite useful...my Neptune utilizes an old Futaba MC210 speed control that I think I paid 15 dollars for. My buddy JP orders from Banggood and is fairly happy with their service, seems to think they have Hobbyking beat on several levels.

5 years ago by Cashrc

Blog

Fire Monitors final fitting

Having trialled the various options for rotating the monitors I have decided to use the gears option. I am going to mount the servo in the roof. The cabin roofs have bridge pieces which are just about correct to mount some aluminium bars on which will carry the servo I have reinforced the inside of the roof where the base of the monitors fit as the roof is only made from 1/32” ply, I use an aluminium disc - 25mm dia x 1mm thick . The monitor bases are fastened using three 8BA csk screws and nuts. (I must say at this point that people may wonder why I use BA nuts, bolts and screws and not metric, it’s because I have a good range of all BA taps and dies) The aluminium bars are slotted to take the servo and allow for adjustment and again fastened using 8BA hex hd screws and the bars are attached to the roof again using 8BA screws and into the wood! (I have successfully used machine threads into wood of all sizes, this requires the wood area to be treated, I use a RONSEAL that is for treating rotten wood, it’s a very viscous liquid and soaks into the wood and after an hour or so it goes rock hard the tapped holes can then be clean up with a tap) I can adjust the fit of the gears to give a nice smooth rotation; all that needs to be done now is to design the water system.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Re: Over sized Deck!

Surely Ed you must have some packaging of food items that come in a carton or box packaging? Taco shells? Sugar? Salt? Popcorn? Soda Crackers? Pasta? Wax paper, Aluminum Foil? All these are s that might come in a carton versus plastic pkg.

5 years ago by Ronald

Response

Re: Another Exhaust Smoker V2

Hi Doug, Yes, probably too much smoke at present, but I can always turn it down once I’ve tried it on the lake. I think it probably needs to be a bit OTT to make it obvious on the lake. In discussion with JB, he suggested that the smoke should only be on when the throttle is idle as you won’t be able to see it when the boat is motoring fast. So last night I wrote some code for a PIC microchip to switch the smoker on/off based on throttle setting. I could just have used another channel on the R/C to switch it on/off, but I’m short on channels and this way is more interesting. The functionality is initially with the throttle at idle, the smoker will be off. A quick jab forward on the throttle and back to idle will turn the smoker on. It will then remain on until the throttle is held forward for a couple of seconds, i.e. the boat is underway, when the smoker will turn off. It will then remain off whatever the throttle setting, until another quick jab forward from idle. I still need to test and debug the code. I have been using PIC microchips for all sorts of projects for many years and use a whole range of different types depending on the application. They are all programmed with a PicKit2 which plugs in to the USB port on my laptop. I think the current version is PicKit3. I write software in assembler code and compile it with the free software available from Microchip. I have found that for model boat applications the requirements are generally very simple, and very few I/O pins are needed. I have been using PIC10f220 chips for these as I have a stock available left over from a I used to manufacture and sell online. These have 4 I/O pins and work well for RCswitches, pulse stretchers, and the functionality described above. There are more powerful chips available for mor complex applications. Regards Graham93

5 years ago by Graham93

Forum

LATEST SMOKER, E-CIG ELEMENT

Re - I gave up smoking about two or three years ago now Yes you should give it up Martin, there's research I just read the other day (some US university) that reckons there's harmful stuff in it which is as bad as cigs (not to mention the Nicotine they add!)?? Turn your tank into a boat smoker not a smoked boat maker😂 Burning Ethylene Glycol, Glycerine Nicotine and 'flavours' can't be good for you, (unless of course your flavours are a liquid form of a certain natural (referred to sometimes in hippie days as 'old bed socks' ) or you're nipping over the fence to the paddock and collecting the glow in the moonlight 'mushies', nudge nudge wink wink say no more say no more know what I mean😉😉😉😉😂😂 JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Response

Re: Fire Monitors Part 2

Thanks Peter, Component Shop have some great s for this sort of thing, and that device would give a good range of control. Being a retired electronics engineer I like to keep my hand in and make whatever I can in terms of controls. Makes it all a bit more interesting. Regards Graham

5 years ago by Graham93

Response

Re: Billing Boats!

With luck they'll be coming from Germany or Austria Pete, They are Branded AvioTiger, a German / Austrian company https://www.robbe.com/rc-elektronik/multi-modules-futaba-f-serie.html with service centre for Robbe s in northern Austria https://www.robbe.com/kundenservice?___store=english&___from_store=default The German AvioTiger and Austrian Lindinger joined forces to revive the Robbe Modelsport s. Krick took over the marine stuff. Cheers, Doug 😎 Oh! And Billing Boats make their own kit parts in Denmark 😉

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 46” Crash Tender

as others have said measure twice - cut once, try fit twice - glue and pin once, taking your time is no bad thing, rushing this type of work only results in a poor end and rework of rushed work. Im still working on mine over a year after starting Its looking like a good planed build keep it up.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Re: Acrylics & Acrylic Glue?

DON'T PANIC Admiral 😉 Acrylic is just another plastic, nothing mysterious. So you need a solvent glue designed to weld acrylic plastic together. It's just like using polystyrene cement to glue polystyrene plastic kits together. Like we all did as kids and budding sailors, engineers etc😊 Get stuck in Ed 😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Lots of advice from the glue maker here Ed https://scigrip.com/s?technology=acrylic-cements#s and How To vids here https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=acrylic+glue

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: 40'' Seaplane Tender, new build. mods and improvements.

Hi Doug, - rats nest indeed! 😂 Thanks for the nice comment BTW, I do actually have ID tags (masking tape on wires),- you can't see most of them as they are hidden behind the felt lining and under the deck and floor boards. I also use male and female JST plugs reversed when 2 connections are close together. Main power into systems comes from each battery, and splits into a number of JST connectors which supply each particular unit. It's hard to get so many wires neat and tidy in a limited space, as they don't always exit or enter the units in a convenient direction, and some don't bend all that well. Short of cutting all the wires off and substituting my own, I just do the best to fit them as they come. Looks messy but when you are trying to fit 2 ESCs, 2 sound units,(which have to be lifted out while wired, to get at batteries) a water pump, 2 1800 mAh LiPos, 2 remote switches, a battery monitor, 2 shaft oiler reservoirs and a UBEC and associated wiring (including light feed wiring to cabin top) into a space of around 200x200x100mm it's bound to get messy! A problem is finding nice quality flexible silicone wire (especially on JST plugs) which bends nicely round things. Most wire s you get on line are stiff poor quality stuff, and you don't know what type it will be till you get it. Main thing is that it all works and you can't see it with the top on😁😊 Re- the smoke,- I have 3 Heng Long smokers (one of which I've modded (see vid) and am experimenting with ways of making them compact, (been done on You Tube with a smaller fan than I used (in place of original pump) stuck directly to the side of the smoker tank. The smokers work really well, - just have to reduce the size (maybe a small motor in a tube with a propeller to replace the pump) Hard part is finding smoke which is 'waterproof' as it has to come out with the exhaust water. Usual baby oil smoke just disappears and doesn't travel well down tubes, (even without water) so the unit needs to be close to the exit with a non oily smoke. Perhaps an incense stick or cigarette in a tube?😀😊 JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Mtronics ESC's

It's a shame about QC! Companies should stand by their s! And they should respond to a question as well! Not just grab the loot and run!

5 years ago by figtree7nts

Forum

Mtronics ESC's

Well at least they got back to you and are prepared to send you a new one. I spent eight years making PCB's using surface mount machines and have placed millions of components. Also tested millions of PCB's and I know that although a few fail most pass. But we still got a few sent back due to failures. I also know that a few PCB,s that failed the first test were tested several times and then passed. I even know that some had a lot of failures so the company that we tested them for chanced the programs so that they passed. Even changing a component to an equivalent made a lot pass the tests. And to make matters worse because of the large volume of PCB's for certain companies they decided only to test one In twenty, so purchasing any electrical s is a bit of a gamble. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

Fast attack craft

Hi Peter, "One thing this conversation has resulted in is a much better understanding of alternatives to LiPo. " Thanks! Then I have achieved my objective😉 What irritated me about Dodgy's initial post on the subject, and apologies to Dodgy if my response was a little over the top, (must remember not to answer such posts so late at night🤔) was that it seemed to generalise without mentioning the the decisive parameters involved, including cost difference! Sure there are better low discharge NiMhs thse days, but at higher cost, as I believe I mentioned. E.G. for the fast electrics market. LiPos have also improved their safety record tremendously (thanks partially to the Boeing Dreamliner mini disaster) in the 15 years that Dodgy has apparently been using them. Seems more likely that HE had shares in a LiPo company to be able to afford them back then😉 In fact most of the earlier problems with Lithium batteries were with Lithium-Ion. Was a big nuisance when we wanted to export some of our mobile/portable tactical radio kit. Had to send the batteries separately under special (expensive) conditions 😠 Seems about time I updated the Battery charging sections in the 'How Tos' on this site to match current s! Been meaning to do that for yonks. So much to do, so little time 🤔 Cheers, Doug

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Fast attack craft

Re - It is good to have all this information on the different batteries, Hi Martin, I think what we are trying to say is that all battery types are good as long as you maintain them properly and they are suitable for the job they are doing. Batteries are getting better and safer every day and the choices increasing as well so it can be confusing for beginners in the R/C hobbies. Unfortunately you do need to be aware of the technical stuff re -use and charging, as all battery packs can be dangerous (ie, try shorting a big NiCad or NiMh pack and see if the smoke doesn't leak out and melt your fingers!) They can cause fires too but people seem stuck on the LiPo 'dangers' and forget about those 'safe' batteries. The good thing is that people can google anything these days and can usually check for instructions or possible problems before buying any , model or otherwise. JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Krick and Hobbyking

Hi guys and Gals. I do not blow the trumpet for suppliers too often but I just have to mention the superb customer service I have received from both Krick and Hobbyking. 1) Krick. The Dusseldorf model from Krick I am currently building has a superstructure mainly formed by one piece of blow moulded clear Lexan which incorporates all of the windows also. The windows are covered by preformed stick on masks which are supplied on a pre-cut sheet. Just peel and fix. Well, I peeled and fixed a few a little out of place. They were so difficult to remove that I damaged the corners. Not much good for spraying. I wrote a note on their web site asking if they could give me a price for a replacement sheet. They wrote back the next day saying they would replace it f.o.c. True to their word, it arrived today, three days after my request. Well done Krick. Good s too I might add. 2) Hobbyking. I like Hobbyking. The s are good but their customer service is excellent. Over the last couple of years I have made many purchases and two have gone wrong.The first was a Li-Po battery. One cell was down when it arrived. I went to customer service on the web site and it asked me to take two pictures, one of the battery serial code and one of the battery connected to a monitor showing total voltage. I did this at 2pm. At 4pm I had an email approving the claim and a replacement was sent the next day. The second claim was this week. My relatively new Frsky Taranis X9D Plus (six months old), strangely started turning itself on, beeping, and the screen flashing and then off again repeating this every 30 seconds. The only way to stop it was to remove the battery. I wrote to Hobbyking on Sunday advising them of the error. On Monday I had an email asking for a video of the problem. I sent this on Tuesday. On wednesday they responded by saying that they had not seen this problem before and to send the unit back to them for replacement. They sent three emails over two hours today. The first said that they had received the faulty unit and that it would take around two weeks to assess and respond. Well that became one hour. They wrote again and said that the claim was valid and passed on to sales for replacement. Sales wrote one hour saying that a replacement was not immediately available and a full cash refund would be made. Five days and sorted. I can now buy a replacement. It would be good to hear of others good outcome supplier stories, or in fact the horror stories too.

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Veron Huntsman 28 riding the white horses!

Here are 4 types we can get here (3 chrome 1 stainless, - the Dupli-color being the best - $19 NZ). I used the Dupli-color (Australia) on the chromed plastic tow ball covers on both my cars and it's still looking reasonable after a year outside in the elements. When you first apply it, it looks as close to chrome as you will get with paint, (perfect for a model). There is another US which looks even better but costs $200+ US) and requires primers, black base coat and air brushing on. There must be lots of similar s in the UK, just finding them might be the problem. Try asking a spray shop, if they don't know, no one will. JB

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Veron Huntsman 28 riding the white horses!

"... with what you will use to repair the chrome work." Suspect it might be called "New Frames" Martin 😉

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Veron Huntsman 28 riding the white horses!

Hi, I would be interested to know how and with what you will use to repair the chrome work. Martin555.

5 years ago by Martin555

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"...I'd rather cough up a bit more and know that I could do something with it!.." Quite right! When buying, people need to understand the important features of a , and with new technology it is easy for the advertisers to conceal these. For a CNC cutter, stiffness is very important, particularly if you are going to cut metal. The machine must not deform appreciably when it puts a strong force on the workpiece. It also needs adequately powerful stepper motors to put that force on. and, of course, it needs to move the cutting head to all parts of the workpiece. I was interested to see that the spec states 'max travel distance' - I would have expected it to say 'max cutting dimensions', and wonder if these are less than the figures quoted. At least we can specify a cutting area ambiguously, so that modellers can understand what they are getting. I would guess that 1ftx1ft cutting area would be fine for most aeromodellers, while 1ftx1yd is more what boat modellers want. But it is easy for an individual to chose. Motor power requirement is harder to define - it depends so much on the leverage designed into the mechanics. Screws have more advantage than belts, for instance. And if you are only count to cut softwoods you can get away with much less power than cutting steel! Usually I would like to see the steppers having between 5000 and 10,000 gf·cm of torque - though that is a 'piece of string'. Rigidity is even harder to estimate. You can get some feel when the seller says that this machine will not cut metals, or 'is an engraving machine'. The other indicator is weight - rigid machines are going to be much more massive. If the frame is light it will bend under stress. Though if you are using a laser...

5 years 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 s 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 motors are Gool RC 540-45T 7.4V brushed car motors which have ball bearings and replaceable brushes (motor 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

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

"....So I hope you don't take this the wrong way. When I made the hull it was reasonable easy. It seems to me that there are two issues hear. Firstly the Bow section. Secondly fitting waterjets...." I am always happy to discuss model boats with other designers! Looking at your sketch, it seemed to me that the bow unit had all the chine curve in it. The chine on this boat actually starts to curve quite a way from the bow. Would that mean the boat was actually being made in two halves, rather than a long box and a short bow section? I think your original design will fit a water jet very well - but I need to see what the is like before deciding to use it - or not...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

I use a VERY old copy of Ashlar-Vellum's DrawingBoard. It's no longer current - it ran on W95, and worked up to XP. Their current s are Graphite, Cobalt and Xenon. This package has an interface designed by two people from the Xerox PARC research centre, where they developed the ideas of a mouse and windows which we use today. It is completely intuitive, and you need no training whatsoever to use it - it's just like sketching with a pencil on a pad. Unfortunately, they maintain patents on the interface, which is probably why other s are more clumsy, and they sell to the professional market. Their cheapest package starts at £1.5k, so I'm not suggesting that anyone use it. But if anyone is in the market for a commercial high-end CAD package I would recommend that they take a look at that company...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

We have a here Peter which is almost the same thing. A common brand is International Everdure which is a sealer and preservative used inside wooden boats. It is a very thin epoxy resin with anti mould properties which you mix 1:1 with the hardener. You can just make a batch and pour it into your hull and tip it around to get it in all the spaces ( hull needs to be reasonably sealed before doing this as it will find its' way out like water). You can work it for about 6 hrs on cold days and brush any spots you have missed with what goes to the bottom. The remainder settles to the bottom of the hull and makes the keel like a rock, (you can remove excess with a brush and paper towels if you don't like that idea. The beauty of this epoxy is that it finishes as smooth as a babys' bum and you can even coat the decks with it as well (did the deck of my ST and you would think it's varnish) Another brand we have is Norski which is the same sort of . Reasonably expensive but magic stuff (smells strong for a few days then nothing, smooths out nicely too) John B

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Hi Martin, The FG refers only to the very light glass tissue, which is completely inert. (FG doesn't automatically mean Epoxy Resin these days!) In future perhaps I'd better use the abbreviation GF for glass-fibre (NOT Girl Friend😉) instead? The beauty of Ezekote is that it is not epoxy, does not need a heat generating hardener and is water based. Deluxe advertise it as 'Foam Safe', that's even printed on the bottles.😊 The Foam glue I recommended is also explicitly described as suitable for Depron, amongst others. That's why I mentioned it. I've tried various Deluxe Materials s and they all perform 'as advertised' 😉 Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW Both s also dry crystal clear.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Blog Interruption

Rob your pain was felt as I did this job, I remember thinking of you when setting this up and to be honest I'm not sure I would have done it without some sort of mechanical advantage, but, as you say you got a good finished , I just did it faster without the pain.👍 On another note I have finished the Freeman 22 Cabin Cruiser for my Grandson and its waiting for it maiden voyage, I will post some pics when it occurs and add it to my finished boat harbour. Also I'm moving workshop from the 4th floor to the basement, however the room needs a major refit so the modelling will be on hold for a few weeks/months, I'll keep an update on the forum section.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

two part epoxy resin

Dodgy Geezer. What you say is perfectly valid in a perfectly idealised free market system but falls down because the customer is unaware of all the variations in price of a given . Of course large scale retailers constantly exploit this information gap by deliberately making comparison difficult by altering pack size offer ratios, fake offers etc. making it very difficult for the average customer to be able to compare accurately. Forgive me for being somewhat cynical about this sort of thing but I've just had the annual charade of changing electricity suppliers and enough said on that subject!!! Could we please stop this now, I fully understand your point of view and I know we will never be able to agree. I'd much rather talk about boats, model or real. Far more interesting and much more worth while talking about.

5 years ago by Nerys

Forum

two part epoxy resin

Thanks for the encouraging words Colin, the proof of the pudding will be in the sticking (as they say). I usually rely upon the proven in everything but I thought this a chance worth taking. I am about, at the end of a sleepless first watch to conduct the first test. A report will be issued in due course. Nerys.

5 years ago by Nerys

Forum

two part epoxy resin

".... I went into my local 'Everything a pound' store today and found packs of two part epoxy resin, a la Araldite priced at , guess what?...." My experience with the epoxies found in 'Poundland' (I expect that the same s will be found in many other cheap outlets) 1 - The epoxy you get in the dual syringe - works ok. Not particularly good at adhering to smooth surfaces. Remains a bit flexible. 2 - The epoxy you get in two separate tubes - does not work. Will not set. I tried several different sets of the 'tubes' adhesive, several months apart. Got the same experience with them all.

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

What could this Hull be for?

Hi Doug, dug out the Brede kit - been packed away since 2009 - almost identical to the Kingston one other than the rails which have to be retro fitted. The moulding is not the best but its a very sturdy hull and easily sorted - was never intended as a commercial - he only made 5 or 6 and was a reluctant seller. Tried contacting Mr Parker - so far no response. Still hoping.........

5 years ago by redpmg

Forum

Batteries in a DX5e

Hi Dodgy, Consensus of the IT pundits seems to be that Contention ratios are no longer particularly useful in the days of Broadband and ever more local exchanges. Anyway, here's the spec of the I use T-COM Magenta M. Even the minimum quoted would seem to be more than enough for Skype & Co.😊 At the moment still copper, FO should be installed shortly. My GF who live a couple of miles away already has it. ".... but I wonder if a pool-side broadcast might be another alternative? ... - so all you would need is a member with a good battery, a firm mobile link and an open-ended contract..." Doesn't that bring us back to the cost factor raised by John? Also, even with a good battery constant constant video streaming would probably pretty soon flatten it☹️ A decent video camera hooked up to a Laptop / Notebook with a Hotspot connection might be better? Suggest if this topic progresses that it be continued in a new thread, of appropriate title. Under 'General Resources' or 'Hobby Chit Chat' perhaps? Cheers, Doug 😎 PS T-COM has just announced their prices for 5G mobiles and Flat Rate. €900 for a Samsung 5G phone, €85 / month for the Flat Rate. Plus a warning that to use the full speed you need to be close to the cell antenna! "Am Mittwoch startete die Telekom auch den Vertrieb erster 5G-tauglicher Smartphones und 5G-Tarife. Das Samsung Galaxy S10 5G wird für knapp 900 Euro angeboten. Der 5G-Tarif für unbegrenztes Surfen kostet knapp 85 Euro im Monat. Das sind fünf Euro mehr, als die Telekom bisher für ihre "echte" Datenflatrate mit LTE-Geschwindigkeit aufruft. Mit 5G sind allerdings Downloadraten von bis zu einem Gigabit pro Sekunde (Gbit/s) möglich, mit LTE sind es bis zu 300 Megabit pro Sekunde (Mbit/s). Um von der vollen Geschwindigkeit des 5G-Netzes profitieren zu können, muss sich der Nutzer allerdings in der Nähe einer Antenne befinden."

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Plan For Princess Elizabeth Paddler

Didn't Sarik take over the Traplet s? https://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=129165&p=2 They have some paddler plans, but not the PE I'm afraid😭 https://www.sarikhobbies.com/?s=Paddle+steamer&post_type= 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Directory

Mermaid sport fisherman

Mermaid is built from a fibreglass hull I purchased on ebay. I saw it several times and finally gave in and purchased it. It is from "bhc" and it is a good quality . They have many types of hulls but no plans so you are on your own. I decided it would be a sport fisherman with a cuddy cabin and outboard motor. I made many cardboard patterns till I was satisfied. I always wanted to try an outboard. Motor shell was purchased from Graupner and fitted with an Astro 05 motor that I had on hand. (I may change that). Haven't really tried it yet, but goes well in the Jacuzzi. It not quite finished yet Graphics are by "Callies" they are an internet company that will make you anything you want at a reasonable price. They were very understanding and cooperative. I highly recommend them. It was much cheaper and easier than buying your own vinyl cutter

5 years ago by Commodore-H

Forum

Batteries in a DX5e

" If Graupner want to reach a wider public they need to ensure that the kits are available" Who actually makes the kits? I thought you meant a manufacturer with Pietenpol, not a particular model kit. It's the manufacturers job to ensure availability of s. Natch if the wider marketing through a partner awakens larger interest and demand (which is the object of the exercise) then it's up to the manufacturer to gear up his ion to match. Unfortunately this is often not the case - until it is too late🤔 Natch Graupner will want their cut for their marketing / sales efforts. Doug Apropos Cub; I still have a boxed Great Planes kit of an 'ElectriCub'. Deluxe kit #ECUB-D. Sport model J-3 Piper Cub. Wingspan 59". Kit includes loads of wood (much pre-cut) vacform nose, motor and mount, prop and spinner, wiring harness, full size plans and build / operation instruction book. Bought about 30 years ago. I only opened it to check that it was complete. I will most likely never build it so if it's of any interest to you let me know and I'll send some more details / pics. PS: forward vision was a nightmare on most of the early aircraft, (Concorde as well 😉)

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

CAD with Designspark Mechanical.

I don't know what the easiest way to learn CAD skills is, but I suspect that they will be a common requirement for modelling before long. I suspect that most kids - certainly those who are interested in modelling - will be learning the basics at school. But those of us longer in the tooth will have to do things on our own - much like the early days of R/C aircraft, when getting the thing into the air was a success on its own... I found that an easy introduction into 3-d modelling was using a 2-d drawing package. Even something as simple as Paint will introduce people to the idea of having a drawing area, then using the mouse with various 'tools' to create line drawings - but I suspect that there is a better free 2-d drawing package available somewhere. 3-d drawing skills can then be added. Basically, these involve taking an enclosed 2-d shape and giving it 'thickness' - so a circle can be 'pulled up' to become a cylinder. This then becomes a 3-d object, can be rotated about its axes, and fitted to another object. Making several of these objects, modifying them and joining them together will create a complete drawing. Again, there are free downloads of 3-d drawing packages available, and it's probably worth learning on these before spending a lot of money on a professional . The above might be a path that someone with no experience might find useful to follow...?

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Blog

The Waterline/Boot Topping.

I don’t know what it is about successfully applying a white waterline to a hull that gives me so much grief. I had problems with getting a good result with my Crash Tender and similarly with this model too. The common denominators are; 1. Me. 2. The hull. 3. Trimline Tape. On both occasions I’ve used this tape it has refused to adhere properly where it crosses the spray rails and on this occasion it also lifted in lots of places along the hull sides so that when the finishing lacquer was sprayed on it got behind the tape, lifted it more, and looked awful 😞 and this was despite meticulous cleaning and keying of the surface before application. Without meaning to do an injustice to the I suspect that it’s just the way I was applying it and perhaps I had greater expectations of the . Consequently I had to remove all of the tape and flat down the step in the lacquer coat 😠 and consider another approach, perhaps masking tape and white paint or an alternative tape. I decided to persist with the ‘tape’ method so I found a seller on eBay that could supply very thin PVC car body ‘coachlining’ tape in any colour or width to order, so I bought 10 metres of 4mm in white for just a couple of quid. What a difference!😊 This stuff went on beautifully straight, sticks like the proverbial and has stayed firmly in place over all of the contortions of the spray rails and hull. Furthermore when the hull was re-lacquered with a clear satin finish it behaved impeccably….success at last.😀👍

5 years ago by robbob

Forum

WaterProofing and Painting

To answer your question first, I would seal the wood inside and out with several coats of sanding sealer or primer - checking that the glue joints are sound first - and then use cellulose car spray for the final colour. Once decals are in place a final coal of car lacquer is a good idea. But you will find that everyone has their own approach to painting. Many people would advise covering with a fibreglass skin and epoxy, particularly as it's a racing boat... Is it this Dumas kit? http://www.dumass.com/_info.php?s_id=391 I believe that that boat kit comes in different sizes, and has been around since the 1970s. It's a racing hydroplane, and not the first choice I would have made for a beginner to model boating! Here is a video of an electric one running: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0kYvPZOe4 You may just intend to build it as a display item, but if you are thinking of running it then you may find a bit more advice helpful? I suppose that the first point to make is that that old World Engines radio is quite out of date. If it's 27Mhz it's still legal, but, even if you have all the bits for it I would advise against running anything with a vintage radio which may be unreliable. Don't throw it away - it's worth good money to a vintage collector - but a modern 2.4Ghz set will be much more reliable. I see that the boat comes with an I/C motor. If you are not experienced with model boats I suspect that you have not used one of these? Again, these are becoming a bit of a specialist skill since so many lakes ban their use. Converting the boat to electric would bring it more into line with modern practice. Common advice is for beginners who have little experience to go and talk to the nearest club, and I think that applies in spades here! Racing boats run fast, need careful expert set-up, and are easy to crash - possibly damaging more than just your boat in the process. A club will have more experienced members who know where to run the boat safely, will help you set it up, and may let you practice with simpler boats to learn how to do things properly before taking your (and your uncle and grandfather's) pride and joy out on the lake... Here's someone else with a similar problem to yours... https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1661638-1970-s-Pay-n-Pak-boat-NEED-HELP%21

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Blog

New supplies required!

Had to do the ‘glue run’ today. Was in Southampton so went to the Poundland there to buy my tried and trusted two part epoxy and super glue. The spray cans are also great to have and a new which I hadn’t seen before were the pack of four tweezers. All for a £5 note!

5 years ago by GrahamP74

Response

Re: WTC/Sub Driver.

The switches are GT Power and were purchased from Ali Express (specs in pic). they seem to work very well and I've used them in my HSL for lights and cooling pump. GT Power also make battery testers, car sound units (used in my MTB and HSL) and chargers amongst other things (I have these s and they've worked very well so far) You can have as many of these switches as you have places in you REC spare. Great little piece of kit, uses are endless. John PS I run the pump on 9v with no probs, supposedly can accept 40v in

5 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

Model Boat crew....

A model vehicle - car, boat or plane - looks a little odd if it seems to be operating with no driver. Aircraft have quite a selection of different scale 'head and shoulders' figures - road vehicles seem to be made to standard scales so that driver figures are readily available - but boats are often made to a wide variety of scales and then need scale figures which are not readily available, and can be very pricey when they are! I was asked recently about figures on the boats I make, which are continuations of the Keil Kraft EeZeBilt line. These were originally 'pocket-money' starter kits for young children, so they were very cheap, and the fittings were not bought, but made from available household items like paper-clips. I have continued that tradition, so making an EeZebilt remains cheap and encourages manual dexterity rather than a large wallet! Figures can be made cheaply by adding filler to a wire armature, but this does require a bit of carving skill. It is easier to start with a basic shape and alter it a bit, and the obvious place to start is with a model railway figure. Cheap Chinese copies of s like the Preiser range are available on Ebay for around 10p per figure - see the link below for example. These figures are available in many scales from 1:200 up to about 1:24. The first point to make is that choosing a suitable scale to build your boat to will make it a lot easier to populate it with figures! I typically look to make boats at 1:24 or 1:48, two common scales for railways. Now the only problem is that the typical figures for sale are not sailors or naval personnel. Instead they are usually civilians, railway staff or workmen. But that is easily solved by using a modelling knife. I have illustrated this below with a set of drawings for a 1:48 figure - see the PDF link below: 1 - a typical figure. Note the jacket and tie lines embossed on the body. I wanted to make an Indian Naval Officer, so my first step was to look up the colouring and shape of their uniform. I find that they wear white, with either a plain-front tunic or shirt and shorts. 2 - To make a plain-front, simply scrape away the clothes lines embossed on the figure's trunk. You may also need to cut any hanging parts of a jacket away, or fill a hole with some modelling putty. 3 - To adjust arms, slice them off and then re-attach with Plastic Weld. The plastic will melt and conform to the new shape. 3 - To make shorts, just trim the long trousers in a bit at the shorts hem, then carve the lower leg to show the bulge of a calf. 4 - An officers cap is easy to make. Stamp out two tiny paper disks using a sharpened brass tube, and cut one disk in half. Cut a slot across the figure's forehead, and superglue the half-disk in there to be the cap peak. The full disk goes on top of the figures head, and the excess glue is drawn by surface tension to make a brim. The glue will soak through the paper and make it hard. See the PDF below for details...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Static Model Boat Club

Hello i have been looking and can not find this model do you know where one is... are they an old model they do not make anymore? the midwest s i found didn't even make boats anymore... 👍

5 years ago by samc

Forum

Motor, speed controller

"....With every one I've used you can switch off the Brake and eliminate the double stick action to go astern....." Ah, well - it rather depends on the you buy. I go for the cheap Chinese ones which can have very limited features, and are usually designed for cars alone. I agree that brushless tend to have jerky starts which are not good for rescues. Ideally bow thrusters or even pod motors would be best for manoeuvrability. One other feature which might be useful for long-distance recovery is on-board video. This is another facility where the price has plummeted in recent years. I have a steerable camera on the back of my Sea Princess with a mobile viewer built into a plastic box using a car DVD monitor, and the components (5.8Ghx Tx/Rx) typically cost around a tenner each. Cameras can be £2-3! The boat also has a micro video recorder built in - pic below. The cable is for connecting the viewer to the main controlling radio - it diverts two spare channels from the radio to the video operator to let him aim the camera...

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Motor, speed controller

As you say DG " it rather depends on the you buy." The Quicrun series are Chinese, not expensive (cheaper than mTroniks &Co for instance) and can do everything we boaters need. 'Taste and try before you buy'😉 or at least read the specs and manual. Pod motor is a good idea but not exactly KISS or C&C unfortunately. On board video is another good idea👍, especially when the victim is far offshore. I've recently acquired a waterproof camera about the size of a single cell LiPo (overgrown AA cell) 19mm x 68mm. Suitable monitor is also in the stash. Next steps will be to investigate a controllable gimble mount and 5.8GHz back channel for monitoring operations. Where did you get the 5.8 TX/RX and micro-recorder? Looks very innerrestink! Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Re: Lazer cut Kits

H.A.Kits will be attending the Model show in Coppell, Lancashire on Saturday 23rd march. This will be our first event as a trader, our latest s go on sale for the first time plus all are models are on display. So come along and see our s, maybe pick up some bargains and freebies!

5 years ago by HAKits

Blog

Manufacturing of Paddles

I started with the paddles. Main reason was that I was not sure the final would work. I ordered all the brass parts using eBay and google. Templates were photo copied from the drawing (paddle frames) and stuck to 1/32 brass sheet. Centre punched all the points that needed to be drilled. Holes drilled used a jewellers saw to cut out the frames and finish off using files. I had not done anything like this before but patience was need to replace all the broken blades. I note that the saw came with 120 blades. I then made all the paddles, the spider gear, etc using soft soldering technique. The wheels were then assembled and tested. small adjustments had to be made with a file as some of the paddles were fouling each other. Disassembled them and painted them using car spray paint. I was quite pleased with the paddles so could start thinking about the tug hull. ,

5 years ago by Hillro

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 laquer Spray (Plasticote). The deck and super structure were also coated in a matt laquer spray. This was Rustoleum Crystal Clear Matt Laquer. I have used this before on acrylic base paints, and had no problems. Do not use on oil based paints as it will crinkle the surface. The Plasticote 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 that is satisfactory, and will not craze like an old masters oil painting from the 1500s.

6 years ago by andyhynes

Response

Priming the hull.

Hi Paul. Yes I will be spraying a textured finish on the deck, another Halfords , and then the custom colour BS 381C ' Light Grey 631 over that. The deck and cabin sides etc. will then get a final coat of satin lacquer. I have done a test sample of this on some scrap and the effect is quite pleasing. 😊 I'll keep all the roofs as gloss white. Right now I'm looking for some wood strip to plank the tow hook deck and rear cockpit. I think 6mm should be the right size but I want quite a light colour to contrast with dark caulking, any recommendations on that? Rob.

7 years ago by robbob