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    Blog
    36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob
    After the successful build of the ‘Vintage Model Works’ RAF Crash Rescue Tender I was asked by Mike Cummings of VMW if I would undertake to build a prototype of their new model with the aim of checking the construction method and the assembly instructions for accuracy before the kit is put into production. The model is a ‘Thames River Police Launch’ and is based on the original design by Phil Smith for the Veron company, this was a very popular model kit in the late 50’s and 60’s and sold for the princely sum of 43 shillings and tuppence, approximately £2.15 in today’s money but an equivalent cost of £48.50 in 1960. This design has been updated to accommodate electric propulsion and radio control by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer and it has been re-scaled to be 36” in length where the original was 24” which gives much more scope for detailing and provides more ‘hiding room’ for the drive, control systems and all the associated wiring. The kit produced by VMW uses the same construction techniques as the original and the materials are a combination of balsa and plywood both of which a laser and CNC cut for precision. The ply and balsa materials supplied are of very high quality as one would expect from VMW and all the stripwood for the chines, rubbing strakes and deck detailing is included, even the dowel required for the mast is in the box, very comprehensive! The kit also includes white metal fittings such as the fairleads and stanchions, and the
    searchlight
    and horns. The glazing for the windows comes in the kit too. The instruction sheet supplied is in need of revision as it is largely taken directly from the original as written by Phil Smith and some of the terminology needs updating, for instance the ply bottom and side skins are referred to as ‘strakes’ but I understand that a re-write of the instructions is in hand along with an updated plan showing the best positioning for the motor, prop-shaft, battery, ESC, receiver, rudder and servo. During construction I have added a few additional pieces of ply or balsa as reinforcement or supports and substituted some balsa parts for ply where I thought a stronger material would be better. I also added some hatches to give access to the wiring at the bow and the rudder & servo at the stern but largely I have not gone ‘off plan’ to any extent. The pictures show the model in it’s present state (Nov 2018) and is ready for painting and finishing.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Directory
    (Other) Vosper
    I always liked the sound of a fourstroke engine so I thought I would replace the brushless motor in this boat with an aircraft Os 40fs which I converted with a water cooling jacket that I turned up on my lathe. I also made a reverse gearbox with a clutch, the gearbox is operated by a servo and works well, I also fitted a water pump so could still cool the engine while ticking over stationary, boat has been weathered and is fitted with lights and a
    searchlight
    that swivels around operated by another servo, there is also a cooling fan above the engine just to help keep things cool. (Motor: Os 40 fourstroke) (10/10)
    5 years ago by Biscuit
    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
    Martin's Taycol Conversion Boards
    Howdy Ed, Yep, will do. Have taken some pics along the way. Mast lights and
    searchlight
    are working. Red/Green Nav lights fitted (had to spray the roof the right colour first - white not grey!) but not wired up yet. About to do that now. After that the two aft facing Towing lights and deck flood lights. Also discovered that there should be two deck lights P&S of the main cabin😉 Will need the miniscule chip LEDs for those - Now, where did I put my microscope🤓🤔 In fact while researching I found there's a whole list of 'bits' missing. Not least the Life Raft, which should be behind the wheelhouse!!😲 (In God we trust - But just in case we want a Life Raft 😁) Have also started drafting new decals with the correct owner's logo and fonts. The wiring is only a lash up at the moment to check that everything works. As soon as I'm happy, with resistors an' all, I'll fit some mini connectors. More soon, (in a different thread cos this will bore the pants off Martin. A NO Lights Man!) That reminds me of a banner I once saw above the RAF Controllers at the London Air Traffic Control Centre. "RAF controllers do it in the dark" 😲😉 The civil side was brightly lit, other side of the wall the RAF guys had minimal desk lighting only. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Hi Rob, I wonder why the drawing does not show the loudhailer on the opposite side of the roof to the
    searchlight
    .🤔 Cheers, Peter
    6 years ago by Rookysailor
    Blog
    Seat Trials and mods.
    It’s been a while since the boat had it’s maiden voyage on the lake at St. Albans and I’m pleased to report that it looks really good in the water and goes like stink if you open up the throttle. Sadly I still don’t have any decent video of the boat yet as I can’t film and drive the thing at the same time, but I do have some static wide shots from my GoPro. When I do the video I’ll ask a cameraman mate to do the honours, maybe I’ll put the GoPro on the bow and then the stern to get some low action shots…the storyboard is already building in my head!! These early runs were great as they showed up some minor problems that needed attending to. I found that it needed ballasting slightly as it was not sitting on the waterline evenly from side to side so I flattened out some old lead water pipe and cut it into small sections so that I could add ballast incrementally. I did this in the ‘domestic test tank’ and once I was happy the lead pieces were fixed in place inside the hull with some super strong double sided tape. The ESC needed a little programming adjustment because I had forgotten to set the low battery level point to ‘off’ as I am using NiMh batteries and not LiPo’s , that was the cause of the short initial run time on the first outing…..DOH !! The batteries are now held in place by Velcro straps on some bearers that I added, otherwise a battery change involved cutting cable ties and replacing them at the lakeside…not very practical. The volt/amp/watt meter is also now on a proper bracket so that the display is more readable. I have also changed the charging connection from the nasty Tamiya connector to a nice little panel mount XT 60 connector that HobbyKing sell, it comes with a handy blanking plug that I have drilled for a retaining cord. I have also finally got around to upgrading the firmware on my Turnigy i6 radio to the 10 channel version so that I can assign the lighting to the switches properly and have the rotation of the
    searchlight
    on one of the two rotary knobs. I can use the old 6 channel RX in the new boat….blog coming soon.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    46Firefloat Mk2 paint
    Not that I can see. Just a
    searchlight
    . @Robbob, What do you think?
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hi Pete, Yep, the colour of the LEDs can be determined by doping the diode chip with various elements. The early ones were either red or clear, so the colour was added in the epoxy dome around the chip. Cheap ones still are like that. Nowadays you can get LEDs that light different colours according to the voltage applied! For instance in those irritating shelf / vitrine light strings that rotate through a variety of colours all the time.😡 I have some that are red or green depending on which way round you apply the voltage! They are milky white when off. Useful for checking the operation and setup in the boat of brushed ESCs and motors, esp for multi-screw boats, and the output of switching circuits. Funny I always thought halogen lights were a hard white with a blue tint, like some car headlights. Cool on the Kelvin temp range. Yellow is more like the warm white light of a tungsten bulb to me. Yellow deck floodlights are more likely to be sodium lamps, like many street lamps. The measurements you sent me indicated that the switch on voltage (Vf) of the
    searchlight
    was 3V and all the others 2V. So I based my final calc on that. if any of your LEDs don't 'strike' with 150Ohm just reduce the resistor to 120 to give it a 'shove'😁 I don't expect that though. I have a box of 300 various LEDs and 1000 various resistors in front of me (and the mast from my Southampton tug😉) so will do some practical tests. Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW: I can strongly recommend that you buy a simple LED Tester, like one of these- https://www.ebay.com/bhp/led-tester I'll help you get the LEDs the right way round in your circuits and tell you how much current they need for a decent brightness, and at what voltage they will turn on! Only a few bucks and saves a lot of aggro. It'll also tell you what colour a 'clear or white' one will be when it turns on😊
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hi Pete, Hope the eyeballs are better 👍 Think I've now got the ultimate configuration 😊 (or the possible, tentative, subject to committee approval and board resolution, potential penultimate configuration 😲) See attached pdf. All new stuff is in red. Thinking is as follows, according to the mast diagram you sent me- L3; NAV & Towing in parallel 2 ccts; one for the port & stbd in the cabin roof, one for the white rear NAV & Towing, yellow, on the mast pointing aft. L4; 2 white deck working lights plus new LED for the cabin light - white or yellow/amber. Your choice. I might be inclined to go for yellow as bridge lighting tends to be not too bright so it doesn't impair the night vision of the watch. Could be why it was a bulb in the first place - softer light ? R2; Anchor light at mast top only. Makes no sense to combine with running (NAV) lights etc. R3; The three new white running lights on the mast pointing forward. L2 and R4 remain as they are for
    searchlight
    and horn. Now working on the corresponding wiring sketch. More tomorrow. Cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Evenin' Pete, first instalment coming shortly in pdf format. A table, based on your excellent sketches of what you want to do, showing control element on the TX, function, number of LEDs in the cct or ccts, resistor(s) needed, current consumed, for various battery voltages. Example attached as jpg pic. Based on your measurements I am assuming that the
    searchlight
    is a 3V high brightness LED and all the others are 2V LEDs, and nominal current 20mA. This means that with a nominal 7.2V supply (Vs) for some circuits with 3 or 4 LEDs two parallel ccts will be needed. All will shortly be revealed 😉 I have optimised the resistors so that a) the LEDs don't fry when the batt is fully charged, 8V, b) that the LEDs can still turn on when the batt voltage dips to the 7.2V nominal. c) Only 2 or 3 values will be needed. Now have to convert my Excel file to pdf. Will follow this up with wiring suggestions, including the little Distribution Board with the resistors. I've tried to combine the lights you want logically considering how they would be used on the real ship. Stay tuned! Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; the mods and resistors suggested in the table mean that the existing SMD resistors on the ccts board must be shorted / replaced with wire. Your wrapping wire (stripped of course!) will be ideal for this😉 Hope you have a small soldering bit!
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Spektrum, new, useless...
    Hi Martin, First your last question😉 "What DO you do with a 3rd channel?" Example: 5 foot destroyer! 1 Throttle. 2 Rudder 3 Gun rotation, servo and pulleys 4 Torpedo tube rotation, servo and pulleys 5 Smoke switch, servo and microswitch (Smoke could be linked to the ESC to free this channel for the ASDIC pinger!) 6 Split into four functions (by misusing the gear down lever on my Graupner MC-10😉) for Whoop whoop, Fog horn,
    searchlight
    s and signal lights, NAV lights. All switched via a home brew decoder / switch board and 5V relays! Alles klar? 😉 Re the DX5e; if I were you I'd let a (supposedly?) Spektum trained guy look at it first. With luck he'll have a service manual or at least a circuit diagram, which I don't 🤔 and should know the binding procedure backwards. I could only do some rudimentary tests without the circuit diagram, and make some educated guesses. I could at least try binding it with a variety of Rxs, including my Spektrun RXs which all work faultlessly with my DX6. Up to you, will PM my address anyway. I could at least check, with a simple RF meter, if the damn thing is transmitting at all! Just thought - if you're going to smash it anyway ........ 😉😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS: 4th attempt at the prop shaft for the cutter also failed 😡 She just does not want to get her bum wet!! Too long 'on the shelf' 🤔
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    David Metcalfs Waveney - ''The Scout''
    For sale is my 1/12th scale model of the Waveney Lifeboat - "The Scout" Kit produced by David Metcalf. Built to a good standard with an array of working features: Working radar controlled through a voltage reducer Navigation lights, mast lights, front and rear
    searchlight
    s, flashing blue light and well lights all controlled by an Action Electronics P62 quad switcher. The flashing effect of the blue light is controlled by an Action ElectronicsP73 multi flasher. Powered by two Turnigy 3542/5 1250kv brushless outrunners controlled by two Fusion Hawk 60amp electronic speeed controllers. Fitted with Raboesch propshafts and 3 bladed brass left and right handed propellors. Batteries and radios are not included in the sale. The model is available for pick up only with cash on collection from Stafford ST16 which is approximately 1/2 mile from Junction 14 of the M6 motorway. Price £700 ovno
    6 years ago by Flack
    Directory
    (Tug Boat) Happy Hunter
    Found this kit on a well-known auction site and bought it for £100. it is the original Robbe kit and fittings included. There was no command module and so I have devised a way of having working anchors, tow, crane and warning beacon, bow thruster, nav lights and
    searchlight
    . It was a bit of a struggle to balance her properly and she needs quite a lot of ballast. A real handful, you might say but she looks really well on the pond. (Motor: MFA Torpedo 800) (ESC: Action P94) (8/10)
    6 years ago by liamduck
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hi, Doug: You’ve been a busy man! I certainly appreciate your efforts & assistance. I haven’t removed the tug’s deck or the bottom cover of its pilot house to look at the circuit boards as yet but I’ll do it later on this morning. I’ve included a marked-up scan from the tug’s instruction booklet to show the transmitter’s current use of its function switches. I also suggested a way to add LED navigation lights to the mast (in two groups) & control them with two of the transmitter switches. Please let me know if the scan or my poor printing are unreadable & I’ll try again. The table below lists the factory-designed transmitter function switches & their original purpose. TABLE ONE - EXISTING CONFIGURATION Switch L2 - Controls (1) clear LED pilot house roof
    searchlight
    . Switch L3 - Controls (1) red LED port sidelight. Switch L4 - Controls (2) clear LED aft deck lights. Switch R2 - Controls (1) clear pilot house interior light*. Switch R3 - Controls (1) green LED starboard sidelight. Switch R4 - Controls the horn. *This appears to be an incandescent bulb. Table Two suggests a way of combining some of the existing functions with two groups of new mast LEDs, then using (2) of the existing transmitter switches to control them. For mast lights I’d like to add (1) yellow LED mast top anchor light, (3) clear LED forward-facing navigation lights (1) clear LED aft-facing navigation light & (1) clear LED aft-facing anchor light. TABLE TWO - MODIFIED CONFIGURATION Switch L2 - [No change] Switch L3 - Controls (1) red LED port sidelight, (1) green LED starboard sidelight, (1) aft-facing clear LED anchor light & (1) aft-facing clear LED navigation light. Switch L4 - [No change] Switch R2 - [No change] Switch R3 - Controls (1) yellow LED mast top light & (3) forward- facing clear LED navigation lights. Switch R4 - [No change] Even though an actual tugboat probably wouldn’t have all of her mast lights turned on together, I don’t mind if they’re all on at once on my tug. The modifications above result in having (4) LEDs controlled by Switch L3 & (4) LEDs controlled by Switch R3. if these changes are possible then adding the (6) new LEDs should be relatively easy, plus all lighting & the horn are still powered by the tug’s 7.2 volt battery. I plan to upgrade the battery to a much higher mAh rating to help offset the extra drain from the additional LEDs. Doug? if you’re still awake after reading this what are your thoughts? is my plan feasible? Thanks again for your help. Pete
    6 years ago by PittsfieldPete
    Forum
    LED Tug Mast Navigation Lights
    Hi Pete, Okaaay! That complicates the issue a little. 'I think I better think it out again'! Now we have to decide which lights you want to switch together as some would not normally be on simultaneously; e.g. Anchor and running lights. Do you perchance have a layout drawing of the circuit board and the plugs and sockets? 'snipped' out of the instruction book perhaps. Or a good focussed photo might do. As I understand it you currently have the following switchable functions, correct? 1. red running light, 2. green running light, to be combined with the red, 3. white deck lights, How many individual LEDs? 4. white
    searchlight
    , 5. white interior lights, How many individual LEDs? Need to know the numbers of LEDs in 3 and 5 to estimate the current the switching circuits can handle!!! Maybe we could combine some others as well, e.g. deck lights and towing light or anchor light? Stern light with the red and green? Deck lights with the interior lights? Interior lights with the running lights? Let me know what you prefer, (I know... ALL singing, ALL dancing and beer from a tap on the side😁) cheers, Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Cabin roof mechanism
    Hi MT, the 'common' supply lines could be used for running lights, which all come on together, via a tiny distribution board (e.g. Vero Board) set into the cabin roof. I'm contemplating a similar arrangement for my Sea Scout. In your case just make sure that there are no hinges / pivot points in the line. I.e. solder an extendable loop of wire to the last element of your lifting mechanism and connect this to the distribution board. If you want to fit separate roof mounted
    searchlight
    s etc it gets more complicated, but doable I think. More power to your innovation, cheers Doug 😎
    6 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Cabin roof mechanism
    That's a very clever design and we'll executed. Two concerns, the finished roof might be a little fragile and easily knocked, trust me, it happens 😱, particularly with the mast in place and the 'pantagraph' motion knocked out of alignment. Also, if you are doing working lighting for the mast, front and side nav lights and
    searchlight
    , how will you articulate the wiring to them neatly? Perhaps a self locating, on closure, multi pin connector? I'm sure you have already considered these points so I'll be interested to see how you engineer them. Keep up the great work 👍. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    For Sale - Pilot ll from plans by Vic Smeed
    For Sale. Plank on frame wooden hull scratch built from original plans by Vic Smeed. 86cm L by 28cm B. She is very well made, though I can't claim for construction as I bought her part built. I re-painted, added the drive train and electrics as well as detailing the the deck house and upper deck. Twin brushed fanned 540 electric motors with Mtronics Viper Marine 20amp ESCs. 2.4ghz Tx with four channel receiver. Navigation lights and
    searchlight
    . (Need final wiring) I think she looks good on the water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6ELvkWcM-4&t=20s Collection only please. £210 ONO.
    6 years ago by cormorant
    Blog
    TRIUMPH (CG-52301) USCG Type F MLB
    Laser cut kit from Barracuda RC Boats, N Carolina, USA. Baltic birch plywood false keel, ribs/frames, hull sheathing, deck and cabins. No formal plans; I was able to source a handful of B&W archival photos from the USCG website. Fortunately I was able to procure a motherload of archival photos and a few hard to read layout drawings from Mr. Timothy Dring, LCDR, USN (Ret.). He is co-author of "American Coastal Rescue Craft", which is the "bible" if you will, of such. I do sometimes thank the internet. I am certain that without his assistance, my efforts on this wouldn't have been as enjoyable. The kit was also void of fittings, which I was aware of prior to purchase, so I invested in a 3D printer. That I've used to a limited degree, due to searching for parts in the correct file format is mind-numbing! I have globally sourced fittings; USA, UK, ASIA. As a matter of fact, the
    searchlight
    s I got from this Model Boat Shop were 3D printed, and I was able to fit 5mm LEDs into them. I'd like to get a couple more and put some superbright 12v LED drone lamps in them for use on my 35" towboat. Many deck fittings are handmade when possible, the cleats and fairleads are from Cornwall Boats, UK. (Very reasonable & diverse source, if you didn't already know.) I try to keep wood natural when detail allows it, as I never have enjoyed painting over natural grain. Her decks are covered with 1/16" scribed basswood sheathing from earthandtree.com, which is normally used for wainscoting dollhouse walls. All my boats that have wood decks are covered with scribed sheathing; I feel it makes 'em look "sexy". Believe it or not, the idea for wainscoting came from finding 3/16" at Hobby Lobby's dollhouse department. A couple of feet x 3.5" was about $16, so I found a less expensive source that also had more selections (earthandtree.com) The rail stanchions are 3/16" square dowels with 2 corners rounded over on the Dremel router table. Leaving their base square, I fit a square peg into a round hole with no glue to facilitate removal, and also for ease of replacing broken ones, which is inevitable. The rail is 1/16" brass rod that also is readily removable. The stern rail is stationary on the lower half, and the chain & wire stanchions are removable for towing ops. The deck coamings and knuckle are African mahogany strips, other mahogany accents came from leftovers of a prior build. I also try on all my boats, to incorporate vintage leftover scribed sheathing salvaged from my late Father's builds, so I know he's got a part in my builds. Note-the raised deck section between the aft ladder trunk and towing bit is actually a laminated deckhouse he made for the Frigate Essex. Unfortunately, he was unable to build that kit due to Alzheimer's disease in his latter years. (I blame that mostly on the hazardous fumes from the airplane "dope" & glue he used when building RC planes in the 60s & 70s.) I use polyurethane instead of resin due to COPD, 37 yrs of smoking, I quit 2.5 yrs ago. The driveline consists of: 775 Johnson DC main (3500 RPM@12V), Harbor Models 4mm x 14" shaft w/brass stuffing box, Raboesch 75mm 5-blade brass wheel (not OEM), 5mm U-joint couplers, Dimart 320A fan-cooled ESC. Handmade wooden teardrop rudder on a 3/8" sternpost, 1/4" tiller arm steered by a Halcion sail winch servo and cable system. Flysky 6 channel. The nav lights and other illumination are Lighthouse 9v LEDs, also a GoolRC Receiver controlled flashing blue Law Enforcement light. Obviously, I put the cart before the horse and completed the topsides and below deck before finishing the outer hull, but the Wx and season change dictated such. Can't wait for Spring!
    6 years ago by circle43nautical
    Response
    Brass Fittings
    AS PREVIOUSLY POSTED, I ORDERED A PAIR OF BRASS
    searchlight
    S, AND RECEIVED THEM RECENTLY. THET ARE AS ADVERTISED; VERY DELICATE, BUT HiGHLY DETAILED AND PRECISELY MADE. BRAVO ZULU!
    6 years ago by circle43nautical
    Blog
    Painting commenced!
    So, now onto the pleasant task of adding some colour to primed wood! White primer, followed by 3 light build up coats of VW Brilliant Orange. it’s also had a single gust of laquer. Will leave overnight to garden before masking off for the black panels. Will then start to retail paint and add all the exterior extras like lights, horn,
    searchlight
    , handrails, antennas etc.
    7 years ago by Skydive130
    Forum
    Sprinkles
    Sprinkles, a scratch built, U.S. Coast Guard PWB (patrol boat waterways) is just about done. Operating features include; working running and
    searchlight
    , rotating radar and blue emergency beacon. Water monitor on cabin roof can traverse and squirt water 10-15 feet. Bending tubing for the water monitor was difficult, it is actually a composite of several types. Nozzle was made on Unimat. Pump is a Sig "gas passer" Propulsion is from two 600 size motors geared 2:1 with 9.6V Nimh and 3 blade 45mm Graupner props
    7 years ago by Commodore-H
    Response
    Decks
    Thanks, yet again. I'll keep them as I have shown, but will extend the wire to the edge of the flight deck. Your pic showing them lifted on rising posts fits perfectly. She is actually nearing completion. Main job is all the rigging and aerials. Am making twin bofors to go in front of bridge. Now have
    searchlight
    on Port bow platform. Scale about four foot six diameter.
    7 years ago by Gdaynorm
    Response
    Decks
    Hi Norm, would be very surprised if there was only one
    searchlight
    ! Would expect some higher up on the island as well. At one stage the gun on the starboard bow was also replaced with one. Aircraft cranes? They would only be needed to fish ditched planes out of the drink🤔 The boat cranes would need to be bigger and robuster to handle the greater weight. When not in use they would be swung alongside and secured. As I said before; she was modded so often, even during the build i.e. second mast for a radar, that whatever we do we end up with a hybrid! Have another look at the photos in my last batch, download them and expand in a decent photo viewer, such as Irfan View, and you should see the masts and rigging before the Pacific era. Cheers Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Decks
    searchlight
    fitted. I wonder if it was the only one. I have been assuming boats were handled by the aircraft cranes, but that could only apply to those stowed in the bays within reach of said cranes. She must have had some sort of retractable arms that either turned out or were run out. I have come to the conclusion my model will have to be a bit of a hybrid of dates. The best pic I have of her masts, rigging and aerials is of her in the Pacific, with damage to the bridge showing from the kamikaze attack.
    7 years ago by Gdaynorm
    Response
    Decks
    Yep, you're right, definitely a
    searchlight
    👍 Behind it you can see the railed gantry I mentioned before. 'Running buses' is a boring way to describe excursions to india & Nepal. Sounds pretty interesting (and hair raising) to me! Cheers Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Decks
    Hi Norm, Norm (!) Oughs drawing may well be 'as built'. During the war she received many mods. Depends on the time snapshot you want to recreate. I may be wrong about the island (photo perspective) but it seemed that way. I remember standing on the topmost island deck of a Colossus class carrier, at the foot of the antenna mast, looking down at ants crawling about on the deck, and the even smaller ones on the dockside! 😉 I was up there inspecting the COMMS antenna fit. That was my job the last 30 odd years. On existing ships I would survey the COMMS systems for upgrades and refits. For new build ships I would discuss the requirements and possibilities with the navies and then discuss with the shipyards how to achieve them! All good stuff, but the last 10 years I was getting a bit stiff for the climbing, so I sent a younger colleague up while I discussed the existing system and any problems with the crew in the Wardroom😉 Can't see your pic, the site only accepts jpgs etc🤔 An irritation that has often cost me time to do conversions 😡 We'll have to 'gang up' on Fireboat (Stephen) to get this improved. i often wanted to upload a pdf page, but had to convert to jpg etc first😭 Where is this mysterious platform? Maybe I can find it. A large
    searchlight
    would not surprise me. Could also be an early radar antenna, need to research the types mentioned above. If the launch has a cabin it may be an 'Admirals Barge', and Admirals had a lot of freedom to paint them how they wanted. So black and mahogany sounds very appropriate to me 👍 Often said on this site (and elsewhere) but: 'The only silly question is the one you don't ask'! Keep up the good work, Doug 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Decks
    Hi, I made the bridge to my drawing. I think it's right. I would think that Noram Ough had his basic dimensions correct. if not I might as well start over! in the pic I am attaching, there is a platform with what looks like a very large
    searchlight
    , but it is not clear enough to be sure, Seems a bit unlikely. I am giving her a 36 foot launch. I assume it would have been grey, though I am tempted to paint it black, with varnished wood cabin and mahogany foredeck. I am beginning to feel a bit stupid asking so many questions. I hope you don't feel 'oh no not him again!😡 Never had anyone to consult before. Most of the time here it's me helping others in our little club. You got around a lot of ships all over the world I think. What were you doing, or shouldn't I ask? Regards Norm
    7 years ago by Gdaynorm
    Response
    Decks
    Starboard side! Photo from 1940. Same square platform for antenna mast maintenance, with same railed deck above. Same round platform behind that (as you already have built) with what looks like a single 40mm or 20mm? Single barrel but shorter than the 40 up front! Then nothing except gantry deck until aft end of the island; then antenna mast mount, boat deck and crane, antenna mast, then some small AA 1x40 and 2 twin 20s?, director,
    searchlight
    , antenna mast, then 2x 4.5s. also a close up pic of port fwd. 40mm mount and battle damage! All for now👍 Good night from Munich 😎
    7 years ago by RNinMunich
    Forum
    Aeronaut Pilot Boat
    Hi Ed Three LEDs were supplied, two for the bow lights and one for the
    searchlight
    . The remainder I had to purchase but they cost next to nothing on ebay. Steve
    7 years ago by cormorant
    Blog
    The lighting circuits.
    I had previously made and tested the lighting pcb but I subsequently decided to modify it to take some 2 pin Molex connectors, they have the same hole spacing as the Veroboard PCB and are polarised and will make the final wiring a little easier and a lot neater too 👍 All the lighting wires were formed into colour coded twisted pairs and tacked in place within the wheelhouse with some epoxy and then overpainted black where they were conspicuous. The PCB is fixed to the bulkhead on PCB spacers and all the wiring retained by a cable tie on a self-adhesive base. The two Turnigy R/C controlled switches were mounted on a plasticard plate with double sided foam tape and then this plate secured to the bulkhead with a self tapping screw. The battery connections and common negative connection to the R/C receiver battery are on Molex connectors as well. The battery was fitted with XT60 connectors and secured to the keel with cable ties through some screwed eyelets. The port, starboard, forward blue and mast lights are on one switched circuit and the
    searchlight
    on a separate switched circuit. The
    searchlight
    also rotates on it's own servo channel. The result is a nice tidy installation which can easily be removed for servicing and modification if required 😎
    7 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Sir Kay Round Table Class Minesweeper 1:48 scale by Caldercraft
    Recently constructed ballasted and tested radio controlled model boat with working
    searchlight
    , navigation lights and Ship's Bell. Needs finishing by repainting, weathering to suit and a few minor additions (e.g. Anchor - supplied). Includes: Graupner HOTT may-10 transmitter and receiver JP ENERG-PRO NiMH flat 7.5v battery NiMH Battery Charger 230 457RE5401 Electric Motor ESC Viper Marine 15 Action Electronics P43 relay switches Mylar 5m round speaker for bell Spare ballast £150:00 Ono Collection only, please, due to weight of ballast. Based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Selling to fund purchase of another - fun is in the making!
    7 years ago by saltysnogbad
    Directory
    (Working Vessel) Sprinkles
    Latest boat still under construction is Coast Guard PWB. There was a kit at one time but mine is scratch built. When finished it will feature working; running lights,
    searchlight
    and rotating beacon as well as operating water monitor and radar. (Motor: electrofly 600) (ESC: mtronics) (10/10)
    7 years ago by Commodore-H
    Response
    The deck anti-slip finish.
    Hi Canabus. That does look like a pretty good example you have picked up there👍 As Paul says it's good to put your own spin on the refurbishment, yours appears to be 180 degrees judging by your 'photos 😜. I made the opening wheelhouse hatch to allow me to get to the servo that turns my
    searchlight
    but I soon realised that I would need much better access to fit the wheelhouse glazing, portholes and all of the metal fittings that are on threaded studs, and of course all of the servo and lighting wiring. I have also got a great deal of inspiration and ideas from this site, for instance I also took a leaf out of Paul's book and cut away some of the wheelhouse bulkhead and cabin former to give me room to get a hand inside the space. It looks like you intend to do the same judging by the pencil marks on the cabin former in your last picture. I can now also, at a later date, put some detail inside the wheelhouse such as steering wheel, instruments and controls fairly easily which would have been impossible before. Good luck with the re-furb. Rob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Wheelhouse roof detail....and a paint problem !
    Because of the curvature of the wheelhouse roof the
    searchlight
    , mast, aerial and other fittings need some shaped wedges to sit on so that they sit vertically, this is particularly important for the
    searchlight
    as it is designed to rotate. I cut and shaped some plasticard for these and when I was happy with the angles I superglued them in place on the roof and used a small amount of filler to blend them into the roof profile. Similar spacers were made for the anchor where it sits on the forward cabin roof as well. After masking off the surrounding areas I sprayed a coat of Halfords white primer on the roofs and immediately noticed that the paint ‘crazed’ very badly for some unknown reason. I had used panel wipe to clean the roof before painting and was spraying over previous coats of the same primer so this was really disappointing to see 😭 I had to leave the paint to harden for a couple of days and set about stripping it back to the base coats as much as possible and then re-masked and sprayed again….only for the same thing to happen again 😡 This was despite pre-warming the can and shaking it thoroughly for the prescribed two minutes. To cut a long story short I discovered that the new can of white primer that I had recently purchased was faulty and it was spraying considerably more solvent/carrier than pigment and this heavy overload of solvent was the cause of the problem. Halfords replaced the paint without argument but I had to wait another couple of days before I could remove the paint and start over again for the third time. Happily the replacement paint was OK, the re-spray was successful and the final gloss coat is to a reasonable finish but the whole process set me back a couple of weekends and was a very frustrating experience 😞 An isolated case I’m sure but after previously stating that Halfords paint was OK, I now reserve my judgement and remain cautious with their paint, and I now do more test sprays just in case…..
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Part 2. The
    searchlight
    optics.
    Here's the fully assembled and painted
    searchlight
    . Robbob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Part 2. The
    searchlight
    optics.
    very professional looking job! 👍
    7 years ago by Radioray
    Response
    Part 2. The
    searchlight
    optics.
    Impressive
    7 years ago by vosper
    Blog
    Part 2. The
    searchlight
    optics.
    The reflector that I originally used for testing came from Maplins and was not a particularly good fit and it also produced a broad diffused light, but I found another lens from the same supplier that could be adapted to fit and would produce a much narrower 10° beam. The lens body was too long to fit into the
    searchlight
    body so I 'ground down' the lens on some abrasive to a size that would fit using progressively finer grades of wet & dry paper. The lens was then polished with some cutting/polishing compound to restore the optical clarity.🤓 The original and modified lenses are shown in the 'photos. The lens now fits perfectly into the
    searchlight
    body and produces a much narrower and focussed beam of light. I cut and shaped a piece of 1mm clear perspex to form a protective cover over the lens to hold it in the
    searchlight
    body and make it waterproof. The
    searchlight
    on the real boat has a 'tri-form’ protective cage with a centre boss (my description, there’s probably a proper name for it ), this part is not supplied in the white metal kit so I constructed one from some 22mm copper plumbing pipe, some brass pins and a hand turned and drilled brass rod for the centre boss. These parts were ‘soft soldered’ together as silver soldering would be quite difficult because of the different heat gradients. Before final assembly I will paint the parts gloss grey and secure the optical and protective lens with some canopy glue which will form a flexible seal and won’t ’fog’ the lens as superglue would, and then epoxy the 'tri-form' cage to the front. Hopefully the end result will be well worth the effort and do justice to my brother’s lathe skills!😎
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Making the
    searchlight
    . Part one. The metalwork.
    Having decided to make the
    searchlight
    a working feature I needed to make a sturdier base for it as the supplied white metal item is far too weak and not up to the job. This is another job for the man with the lathe......😜 I want the new piece to replicate the original as much as possible so I took measurements of the white metal part and produced a dimensional drawing which I e-mailed to my brother. A short while later the item arrived in the post with another as a spare in case I messed up the first! 😓 I annealed some ‘D’ profile brass rod and formed it to the dimensions of the original cradle and set this into a slot filed into the top of the turned
    searchlight
    base. Before silver soldering the cradle into place I spun the part in a drill and rounded off the base with some abrasive to a profile more like the original. I also filed flats at the cradle ends and drilled them, and the
    searchlight
    body, to accept some 2mm brass screws to join the two parts together. The base has a 2mm diameter hole bored through to accept the drive shaft from the servo and a very small grub screw secures the base onto this shaft. The 3 watt LED is already epoxy into the
    searchlight
    body but I will replace the wire with something thinner and bring it out through the back in some heat shrink tubing. I'm hoping that this will be flexible enough to allow free rotation of the
    searchlight
    .😊
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Navigation lights and circuitry
    The white metal fittings for the port and starboard navigation lights were hollowed out with a burr in a Dremel tool and a small hole made for the LED lens to go through. After the wiring was soldered onto the LED’s and tested they were set into the fittings with some epoxy. I have pre-drilled the cabin roof and sides for all the fittings and there’s enough wire on each to go to the supply and switching circuit board that will be in the cabin. All of the lighting, including the
    searchlight
    , is switched by R/C so I made a power distribution and switching circuit from ‘Veroboard’, my favourite prototyping tool for circuit development. Following my initial drawing of the lighting circuits I laid out the component positions and cut the Veroboard tracks to suit. Each LED is fed through a separate correctly rated current limiting resistor. One switched circuit controls the three navigation lights and the mast light and a separate switched circuit activates the
    searchlight
    . I included a spare position on the first circuit just in case I found justification to fit the mysterious stern navigation light that appears in photographs of the 93 boat, research into this has led to a bit of a dead end but nevertheless it’s good to have the capacity to add another light elsewhere if necessary, perhaps the cabin interior, without too much re-wiring. The large ceramic resistor is for the
    searchlight
    LED, it only needs to be a 2watt type but I couldn’t find a 3R9 resistor rated at less than 3watts in my bits box, it’ll do the job OK but it looks disproportionally large compared to it’s ¼ watt neighbours. Both lighting circuits are switched separately by R/C switches from Hobbyking, these Turnigy receiver controlled switches are rated at 30v 10A max so they are capable of some heavy switching if required so my little lighting circuits present no problems for them. One important consideration is that the negative supply to the lighting and the negative supply to the receiver have to be bridged for the switches to operate correctly, and this clearly explained in the instruction that come with the switches. The Veroboard has pins soldered into it for the wiring connections, all will be soldered and insulated and the board installed in the forward cabin, I’ll also include a separate charge/operate switch for the battery supply close by. Everything has been tested on the bench and all works as intended, as another will attest, it’s advisable not to do this on the lounge table in case of misplaced confidence in electrical design 😜
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Painting the wheelhouse & forward cabin roofs.
    Back to the painting now, starting with the wheelhouse and forward cabin roofs that need a couple of coats of white primer over the grey primer which has been flatted down. The two coats of white primer were also flatted down and left for a day to harden before the first coat of Halfords ‘Appliance White’ gloss was sprayed on. This initial gloss coat is to see how the gloss goes on and to reveal any surface defects. I still need to drill more holes for some white metal fittings and make some tapered circular spacers for the
    searchlight
    and aerial bases so the final gloss coats will go on after that. After the first gloss coat dried I could still see some wood grain ‘grinning’ through the finish so I expect I’ll need to put on a few gloss coats with a thorough flatting down between before I achieve the level of finish I’m aiming for.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Radio kit & batteries
    My decision to include functional lighting and a rotating
    searchlight
    in addition to the usual throttle and rudder functions meant that I had to revise my initial choice of radio kit from a two channel system to at least a four channel system. My final choice was actually a Turnigy TGY-i6 six channel system from Hobbyking. The reviews I read during my research were very complimentary and it certainly fitted within my budget, I actually view it as extraordinary value for money at £44 for the TX/RX combination, my last R/C system was a MacGregor single channel 'clunk-click' system for £20 back in 1970-something when that sum was my weeks wage! 😯 The programming options are predominantly for aircraft and helicopter modellers but that's not a problem as there's all the basic programmable options in the menus that I need. I think I ordered the wrong 'type' of transmitter as I want the throttle on the left with a centre spring return and the rudder on the right stick, a quick strip down and butchers at the internals has shown that I can transpose the stick/pot/gimbal assemblies very easily to suit my preference and swap their functions in the menu options. The standard of construction is remarkably good for such a low cost piece of technology, speaking as someone who has seen and worked on the insides of innumerable bits of broadcast TV kit. The transmitter has four assignable switches, I'll use two for the lighting circuits, and one of the two pots will be ideal for my rotating
    searchlight
    . The rudder servo is a Futaba S3003 standard servo with plastic gears, I think anything more would be overkill. I also bought a couple of Turnigy R/C switches to control the lighting circuits and NiMh battery packs for the receiver and lighting supplies as I didn't want to feed these from the main batteries. I cobbled it all together on the bench for a quick test and it all works just as expected including running up the motor through the ESC, I have a programming card for that and I will need to set up the ESC before it goes in the water. The main battery packs are two 9.6v 5000mAh NiMh packs by Vapextech which are wired in series, they sit on a bearers on either side of the propshaft aft of the motor, the receiver battery pack sits between them and all will be strapped down with cable ties.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Fitting the wheelhouse roof panels
    The three panels make up the wheelhouse roof and the outer two needed the heat gun treatment to curve them in two directions so a bit of patience is required here to get this right. When they are correctly shaped the mating edges of all three need a little chamfering, they also need to overlap the cabin walls by 1/8th of an inch. I cut out a hole in the centre panel to give me access to the bracket that hold the
    searchlight
    rotation servo in place. Before fitting the roof panels I added a couple of small blocks either side of the cabin formers directly beneath where the mast feet will be to reinforce the areas so that I can bolt down the mast legs on threaded studs and also to enable it's removal for storage if required. Once again I used a file and sanding block over the formers and cabin sides to profile them so that the panels sit flush on the framework. The outer panel on which the
    searchlight
    sits was also pierced to take the 2mm threaded stud will connects the servo to the
    searchlight
    base. I'll need to make and fit a circular wedge fillet on the roof to meet the
    searchlight
    base because of the curvature of the roof at that point. The undersides of the panels got a couple of coats of sanding sealer and a brushed coat of a black satin water based paint, being careful not to coat the areas where the glue lines will be. The rest of the interior of the cabin also got another coat of black paint. The centre panel was fitted first making sure that the hole was correctly aligned with the servo shaft position, when the glue had dried the two outer panels were glued and clamped. I fitted the sliding hatch rails on a couple of bearers and made a frame around the access hole for the hatch to fit onto. The other small hole at the front of the centre panel is for the navigation light wiring. Thankfully that's the end of the superstructure construction which was unnecessarily difficult due to the less than helpful instructions and drawings and poorly fitting parts. Some room for improvement here by the kit maker I think ❓ ..... Next episode coming to screen near you soon.... 😁
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The wheelhouse, pain tempered by an inspired suggestion!
    Hi Paul. My mast will be fixed so clearance won't be a problem. It's the white metal one supplied with the VMW kit which I have drilled to accept threaded studs in the feet so it will be bolted down. The nav light on top is operational by the way. I am aware that the mast will be vulnerable to accidental knocks so perhaps if I ever have to do a repair or a re-fit I will re-make it in brass and hinge it forward and then hope it clears the
    searchlight
    😰 Rob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The wheelhouse, pain tempered by an inspired suggestion!
    yep, wheelhouse roof is a real pain, quite a complex shape, the way it overhangs, and slops forward. Nice idea with the
    searchlight
    , having it rotating, I considered it, but never did it. Mine was made from brass also, just remember the mast folds down forward, you need to clear the
    searchlight
    , you might want a practise run before drilling the nice new roof! 😭
    7 years ago by pmdevlin
    Blog
    The
    searchlight
    , making it light up and turn.
    After a bit of head scratching I think I have a plan 😉 I bought a Turnigy mini servo, a servo tester and a battery pack from Hobbyking, and a 3w white LED and reflector from Maplins. The LED is mounted on quite a large heat sink and needed trimming down to fit inside the
    searchlight
    body, I checked all the time for continuity and that the conductive tracks on the heat-sink would not short to the metal body, I drilled a hole in the underside of the body for the wiring and epoxied the LED in place. I temporarily connected a dropper resistor and battery pack to the LED and ran it for a few minutes to test the heat gain which was negligible, clearly the metal I removed from the heat-sink is amply made up by the mass of the white metal body. The servo was temporarily fixed in place with a couple of screws so that I could test the rotation with the servo tester (at this time I didn't have any radio gear) . It works a treat ! 😀 The servo was then mounted within the WF3 windscreen former with the output spigot directly below the proposed
    searchlight
    position, a supporting structure and a retaining bar holds it in place as I don't intend to permanently fix it. I will cut an access hole in the cabin roof below the hatch to allow access to the bracket so that the servo can be replaced if required. I'll make a lens and protective grid later and also re-make the
    searchlight
    cradle and base in brass as the white metal one is just too flimsy and would bend and break in no time. Now I can get on with the rest of the cabin construction 😁
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    The wheelhouse, pain tempered by an inspired suggestion!
    The wheelhouse construction on first sight seems to be reasonably straightforward but in practice it was a real PITA as the instructions are somewhat lacking in detail and the drawing supplied isn't of much help either so I largely disregarded them and placed the cabin and windscreen formers so that the geometry was correct. This involved putting in extra supporting pieces and bevelling the formers so that the windscreen panels and roof skins would fit properly when I was ready to fit them. Also, the instructions say to fit the glazing to the windscreen panels and fix them in place during this phase of the construction, something that I considered very impractical and unwise so I decided to find a better way to do this at a later stage 💭 Whilst working on this it was suggested to me by a family member that perhaps the
    searchlight
    could be engineered to be a working feature? I had always intended to build a high power LED into the
    searchlight
    controlled by a R/C switch, but could it be possible to make it rotate as well? I decided to take time out to research a practical means to do this as it would be quite a nice feature and also a good excuse to upgrade my choice of R/C system from 4 channel to 6 channel for not much more outlay 😀
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Sealing & painting the inside.
    Hi don6398 Yes I have , the wiring loom and switch panels are all assembled, tested and ready to install. I have included in-line power meters to log voltage and current, all the lighting is LED switched by the transmitter including an operational
    searchlight
    that rotates by radio control. I planned, designed and built all that weeks ago. Keep watching the blog and you will see.. 😀 Robbob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Media
    Tsekoa
    Enjoyed making this superb kit from model slipway. Having to cut out the polystyrene sheets proved to be no problem. With 2 motors and bow thruster, thought it would be good for the steering competitions, but its a bit wide in the beam for our rather tight course. Working
    searchlight
    and rotating radar.
    8 years ago by manyboats


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