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    Blog
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Just a small introduction, I am a retired engineer, trained as a toolmaker and practiced this in various forms for 20 plus years before going into Lecturing in engineering for 13 years then finally working on development of NVQs and VRQs for an Engineering Awarding Body. As far as My model making experience I did a little as a youngster helping my dad to build the 36 inch Crash tender and then doing some model aircraft but that was 50 years ago. I then became hooked on building a kit car which has occupied me for many years changing things and maintaining it as a recreational vehicle. This brings me up to date and instead of restoring a classic car I decided to get back to model making and this is the start of the 46 Crash Tender. So here we go Out of the box and the contents checked off, a minor anomaly on the parts numbering but soon sorted by VMW. I have spent some time in kitting out a new work station in what used to be my office until I retired. I now have two workshops one upstairs and one in the basement. How good is that? One of the of the first things was to construct a substantial building board that would give a perfectly flat base and a grid that could ensure bulkheads are square to the keel an parallel with each other also the same aspects in the vertical axis. I lined out the base board with parallel lines spaced at 25 mm and then from the centre-line at 90 degrees I marked the bulkhead positions.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Enclosing the controls.
    Hi Doug. The SLEC version of the Police launch is similar in design but it's only 26" in length, they bought up the Vintage Model Boat Company a while ago so that's possibly a reason for the confusion as the names are quite similar. The
    vintage model works
    version has been re-designed by Colin Smith, the son of the original designer Phil Smith, and has be re-scaled to a full 36" in length and thus is more able to accommodate modern running gear, and has the potential for much more detailing as I have done on my build. Hi Boatshed. The boat is nearing completion and looking pretty ship shape now 😁. I'm unsure why the VMW boat kits are not priced on their website either πŸ€” and I would encourage you to contact Mike Cummings to find out more about the VMW range. All the best guys. Rob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Thanks Rob, will do.
    5 years ago by Boat660
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Hi Russell I assume that you are referring to bending the stringers and skins? There's no need to be worried, the ply skins respond very well to heating with a hot air gun (electric paint stripper) and the obeche stringers, if well steamed, bend fairly easily too. Scratch that itch and buy the kit, you won't regret it. Robbob.😁
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Holy SMOKE !! Video, Tin Can Madness
    BTW: I grew up with valves (or bottles as we Brits also call 'em) as well. I still have a box of several vintage 'bottles' in the cellar, many of them new still in the original boxes. if you ever run out of triodes, pentodes or tetrodes give me a buzz! Think I still have some pristine EL80s - collectors items these days - lots of Oomph 😁 My next non-model boat electronic project is a pair of digital clocks in 'Art Deco' cases, using bottle decade counters. The forerunners of the fluorescent tubes and then the LED clocks, but much more funπŸ˜‰. About forty years ago I spent a year or so servicing and calibrating the radiation monitors around UK nuke power plants using these decade counters. One cosmic radiation click = one jump in the base counter and so on. Never ever saw anything above the basic cosmic radiation background count which is always there. A remnant of the 'Big Bang'. 😲 Funny where an interest in electronics and radio can getcha 😁 Look forward to your chimney experiment reportπŸ‘ My destroyer has two funnels but I found that the little railway smokers were not man enough to feed two funnels via a branched tube. But two working in parallel off the one RC channel did the trick. Regarding the chimney effect; Works well at rest or at low speeds, but I also found that instead of a fan some traditional air vent scoops mounted forward of the smoker augmented the effect well at higher speeds. And my long thin destroyer with 2 x 540s on 12V made a lot of 'speed boats' look silly 😁 Have fun, ciao, Doug 😎
    5 years ago by RNinMunich
    Response
    Motor, mount & prop-shaft.
    Hi Dave. The boat won't be finished in time for the show but it will be there anyway. The kit is made by
    vintage model works
    not VMB See here: http://www.vintagemodelworks.co.uk/?page_id=18 Go right to the bottom of the page. They've not got around to doing a full description yet....I expect soon though. Give Mike Cummings a call for more details. Rob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    aeronaut classic
    have you got ant pictures of the build of her or a picture of her finished> I bought one of these back in September from Hobbies in Raveningham. I have got 3/4's of the way through the build. I am very disappointed with the model. The side stringers are 1/16th thick and the bottom skin doesn't fit. That is 1/8th of an inch too short. I have had to buy more ply to make a new pair of bottom skins. I have decided to leave the finishing of the model now until after Christmas. I think it's a poorly made model, they cut corners on the thin wood they have supplied to build it with. I saw a picture of one that was built a few years back and the construction was far better. I feel it was a waste of money, I would have been better buying the Sea Hornet from the
    vintage model works
    for an extra Β£18. I personally wouldn't recommend the Aeronaut Classic to anyone to buy.
    5 years ago by BOATSHED
    Response
    Tow hook assembly
    Hi Mark - Steve? its Michael building the boat, the castings come in the kit from
    vintage model works
    , there are two pieces to the tow hook and with some work can make a nice assembly for the boat. The scale is 1:12 all the best Michael
    5 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    Upper & Lower Chines
    Hi Doug. All credit due to Phil Smith and his original design for that actually... Hi rolfman2000 I hope SWMBO is good to her word as I happen to know that the kit is now available to buy from
    vintage model works
    πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘ I'm told the price is Β£185.00 + P&P and there's also an optional stand/carrying box which is CNC cut to the hull profile for an additional Β£10.00 That sounds a bit of a bargain too. Contact Mike Cummings at VMW for more information: http://www.vintagemodelworks.co.uk/ I'm hoping to have the boat in an advanced state of completion in time for the London Model Engineering Exhibition at 'Ally Pally' in January 2019. It will be on the St.Albans & District Model Engineering Society club stand alongside my RAF Crash Tender. Rob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    Constructing 'The Box'
    Phil Smith, the original designer of the Thames River Police Launch, based the construction on a rigid box structure around which bulkhead formers are fixed to give the hull it’s shape, a design feature of many of the Veron kits. In the
    vintage model works
    kit all the components of this box are laser cut and require no additional trimming before assembly, I have used Titebond 2 aliphatic glue throughout the construction as it bonds wood very firmly and dries quickly too. I started by joining the edges of the two sheets of balsa that form the base of the box, these were held firmly together with some scrap wood and weighted down on the cutting mat and left to dry. Meanwhile the box sides were similarly glued together taking care that the two pieces that form each box side are in perfect alignment using the laser etched vertical lines that mark the bulkhead former positions, these were also wedged together and weighted while the glue set. Once the bottom and sides are dry the ends can be added to complete the box construction, a try-square was used to check the box for accuracy and everything was held together with some β€˜push pins’ while the glue set. As this box forms the foundation of the hull it’s essential that there’s no twist or anything out of square. This was all done in one evening, clearly the assembly of this kit could be completed quite rapidly if you really wanted too!
    5 years ago by robbob
    Response
    36'' Thames River Police Launch by Robbob
    Rookeysailor. The kit is, I understand, due for release by
    vintage model works
    any time now. I think that they are awaiting some of the white metal fittings from the manufacturer that are included in the kit. RE: price, probably best to contact Mike Cummings at VMW to confirm the above and the pricing. rolfman2000. I'm afraid you'll still need to carve the bow, but I bet you can get a better result than uncle Cyril now! I hope you enjoy my blog. Robbob.
    5 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Crash Tender davit info...
    Hi Martin. I have a drawing that shows the davit but not in very much detail πŸ€”. It is designed to be swapped between attachment points on both port or starboard sides ( hence 'portable' davit) and when not required it is stowed in the centre deck with the ends locating in some sort of retaining points on the deck and then (presumably) secured to the wall of the cabin. I added some detail to the white metal casting that came with my
    vintage model works
    kit and also modified it to swivel on a removable fixing bracket. See my build blog for more detail on how I made mine. https://model-boats.com/builds/view/23951 Good luck with the restoration. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Response
    raf 93 and 94as mentioned earlier boat 93 was purchased from internet built in the late fifties by
    Both great looking models. Where did you get your little men for the boat ? For my ninth birthday (1959) my parents bought me a 34" Crash Tender and my father (RIP) and I built it over several months and for Christmas that year they bought me an ED HUnter 3.46cc engine. As you said R/C back then was too expensive. We used to go out with it to the nearest pond it was about a mile and a half walk and use it there. Blackheath pond south London. it was either do a straight line to each other and then round in circles until it run out of fuel and the wait until it drifted back in with the breeze. When we built it my dad used to bring home old tea chests broken down in pieces and would use a fret saw to out out more pieces to build a second one at the same time. He said this was so that we didn't do anything incorrectly to the original one. That other one was given to my younger brother and they bought a Taycol Standard and put that in it for him. They were great fun in all we built seven of them 6 were out of tea chests and old orange boxes. He gave them away, I know one of them went to our milkman one to a work mate if his can't remember where the others went. When I left home when I was 20 I left mine there and I never found out where that one went. I have a 46" from the
    vintage model works
    hop people and a 34" that I purchased in 1994 on the 50th anniversary when they made a limited run 50 of them, in my shed still in the boxes unmade. I drew round all the parts onto paper and on the Epson printer/scanner I reduced the parts and have built a smaller one I think she is 28 inches long. it is virtually all balsa wood the only parts that are not are the side stringers they are Obeeche strips and the two bottom skins where I done a second skin of 1/64th ply to strengthen it in case of any mishaps on the pond edges. I have not finished that one yet. She did have a trial run on water but due to a too larger 4 bladed prop and too big rudder and maybe the wrong motor she was a bit of a disaster I lost heart for a while after that. I had a bit of a mental brake down due to a serious work problem and gave up on her. That was about 6 years ago now and she is sitting on top of a cupboard in the living room . I will get round to finishing her one day, now I'm retired and back to good mental health.
    6 years ago by BOATSHED
    Response
    Cabin roof mechanism
    I still have a 34" Raf crash tender still unbuilt that I bought back in 1994 when they released a run of 50 on the 50th anniversary of the model in the Model Boats magazine. I also have a Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    sitting in my shed. One day I will get around to building them Along with restoring my Sea Hornet, Sea Commander, Sea Queen and my Huntsman along with several other boats, including an MFA Spearfish and a Stratos interceptor, Hydrofibre Pipedream both of which were the same company just that they had a change of name. Along with at least 3 others. I will do them sometime.
    6 years ago by BOATSHED
    Forum
    THE VOSPER 46'' CRASH TENDER KIT BY
    vintage model works
    Thanks mturpin013 Looking at robbob,s blog build all the time. Great source of info. Vosper21.
    6 years ago by VOSPER21
    Forum
    THE VOSPER 46'' CRASH TENDER KIT BY
    vintage model works
    Currently building this kit but would like to fit it with twin props. Does anyone have the hull measurements for the prop shafts exits and the rudders.
    6 years ago by VOSPER21
    Forum
    THE VOSPER 46'' CRASH TENDER KIT BY
    vintage model works
    Welcome aboard Vosper21, again I have no experience of twin shafts but I am currently building the same boat and am just off the starting blocks in my blog as it does take time (the actual build is further on), but blogs are invaluable to other builders, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. My blog is usually on the first page of entries as its an active one (The Vosper 46" RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    by M Turpin013) Michael PS have a look at robbob,s blog build its brilliant
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Forum
    THE VOSPER 46'' CRASH TENDER KIT BY
    vintage model works
    Thanks robbob for the info. Will await further input from other members. Will look at doing a Build blog later when the assembly looks a bit more presentable, this is my first attempt at building a boat so lots of info gathering. Vosper21
    6 years ago by VOSPER21
    Forum
    THE VOSPER 46'' CRASH TENDER KIT BY
    vintage model works
    Hi Vosper21 Welcome to the forum. I put a single motor, shaft and rudder in my fireboat so I don't have any first hand experience of a twin drive system but I would think that the shafts should exit the hull at the same points as the single shaft but equidistant from the keel. Similarly the rudders should be directly behind each prop. There are members on this site that have done a twin drive system on the 46" model that can offer more informed guidance, hopefully they will chip in with some good advice. Over to you chaps ! Please consider doing a build blog to document your progress. Good luck with the build. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    1/72nd version of the RAF by Airfix.
    6 years ago by Ronald
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    I really like your work done on this boat. How did you go about building it from scratch? By scratch, does this mean making all the parts? I built the 1/72 Airfix kit painting it like you have here. I like that you have also included the side hatch where the wounded could be transported on stretchers. I will send some photos of my kit, but I β€˜d enjoy seeing more of this boat you made. Best regards, Ron
    6 years ago by Ronald
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Dear Modellers and builders of the
    vintage model works
    kit series. You will find my earlier pictures and various writings on the original earlier postings by me in OZ of my still some 30/plus years Crash Boat in which I wore out several I/C motors and my girl still runs in Salt Water at the local LAKE ILLAWARRA in New South Wales and you are somewhat fortunate with ready made fittings. I did not ever know of the "page" ( wish I had a copy ) on your wall of the rear well of fire hose details and fittings , wow what a bonus, as a colonial had several years till Peter Dimberline and I had contact and he helped me to authenticate my vessel. The ESSENTIAL secret of the Crash Boat is the spray rails. So many look toy in the videos and TOOOOOOO fast . The spray rails are doubled at width protruding from the hull and lesser at the point of "rise of the wood " towards the upper bow point. The depth is not too critical at a bit of about an eighth of an inch thickness or a bit thinner for the whole length as you do not want to see a "thick log ", rather again it is the width rather than depth. I know I have written on this before on this webb site in the past. The turns thus on the go become when starting on and STAY more on the go are more flatter rather like a full sized hull which has a planing/ flatter hull turn to the flatness of the water than a typical poorly behaving model boat hull which invariably heels TOOOO much and somewhat digging in , (in turns). The HARD CHINE hull design was meant to not only rise to a comfortable plane attitude but ALSO to turn without that annoying behaviour of "digging in" when it should still perform and exhibit that hard chine design attitude when in a turn . "Digging in" equals water resistance AGAINST the hull and loss of performance and loss of plane attitude and against wave resistance when the hull designers team is trying to maintain hard chine performance in the forward turning direction. I harp on this point that this hull design is one to respect . The older I get the more I expect of all my model machines that I am lucky to see on computers, as we certainly have more need to respect the masters, the likes of Peter Du Cane and T E Lawrence and Hubert Scott Payne of Vospers and Thornycroft and The British Power Boat Company and ELCO and Higgins, all of whom I have researched so much over my life and I have been to the memorial of Lawrence in the desert in Wadi Rum. I try to do it right. Regards to all builders Lyle. My mates and I have to run in 2 to 3 inch chop at times, such is the Lake Channel ! My wife has reminded me that some of my fleet do seem to have BLACK hulls and I only would build one model boat, when I bought the Aerobats Crash Boat home, the pictures are of some of my scratch built fleet.
    6 years ago by Lyle
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Coming along nicely Michael πŸ‘. Tip. When continuing with the build blog use the 'Post New Build Update' (yellow button) at the top of your blog when adding a new update rather than 'replying' to your own posting, which is what I think you are doing. You can then give the update a title /description of your progress. The webmaster 'Fireboat' (aka Stephen) may be able to fix your postings before you post any more. Meanwhile keep up the good work😁. Rob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Let the build begin, first job is to cut all the keel components out and trim any pips. I found the most accurate method of marking the position of the bulkheads on the central keel was to lay the cabin sides on the keel and transfer the positions of the already cut slots in the cabin sides onto the keel. The keel was then supported with four 90 degree angle brackets, Starting with the K1 pair they are clamped in position up against B1 then drilled through with 1.8 mm drill, and a 2 mm brass pin pushed home, this was repeated inserting each bulkhead along the whole keel ensuring the bulkheads would fit after the keel components were epoxied. The brass pins are then removed, each pair are epoxied and once again the pins pushed back right through this ensures accurate positioning. As I worked along each section the assembly was clamped. Note the two angle brackets holding the keel square at bulkhead B1
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Blog
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Keel base The first puzzle was the aspect of the keel base with the first bulkhead position for B1 and the fact that they are not square and actually at 88.9 degrees This made me question as to whether the keel should lay flat on the base or the bulkhead should be in the vertical plane when fitted. This could result in a small error of the vertical B1 or a 10mm error in the keel having to be raised by 10mm at the point where the prop-shaft emerges. A quick call Michael Cummings at VMW confirmed this should be a 90 degrees not 89 degrees. Therefore the keel lays flat as I thought it should and there would be a small gap between B1 and its vertical face. Michael Cummings said he would look into this.
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Thanks for your support robbob. You have set the standard for this model and given me something to work towards, plus having read your blog front to back and back to front you have given some really valuable tips I've even printed your blog book (after some issues with Adobe and page orientation) its now my reference book Many thanks Michael
    6 years ago by mturpin013
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Hi mturpin013. As javro says, welcome to the 'mad hatters' forum 🀠. A great choice of model for your return to model makingπŸ‘. You will find the VMW kit is well thought out and uses good quality materials, the building instructions are a little lacking in some detail in places but judging by your qualifications you will clearly have very little difficulty building this kit to a high standard. I'll be following your build blog with great interest 😁. Robbob.
    6 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The Vosper 46” RAF Crash Tender Kit By
    vintage model works
    Hi Mate and welcome to the forum, (mad as hatters!!!) I have built the 46" and before you get to far in you need to decide if your having single or twin motors, and rudders, that way you dont fall foul of bulkheads, and shaft mountings, mine has Graupner 700bb motors on 3s lipos, but i am up-grading them to brushless soon, have the new ESC,s and the motors are on order. Great model to build and sail, attracts a lot of attention. Mark
    6 years ago by jarvo
    Forum
    Propulsion Hegi Revell Fairplay V tug model
    I recently bought a on Ebay 'stranded' vintage harbourtug which will be fully rebuild. (I actually bought a NOS hull, and old - but good build - superstructure and all the deckgear & fittings. Except for some essential parts... There's no kortnozzle/rudder and propellor. I would like to know what size of nozzle and propdiameter I should mount. Originally it was designed with a steering nozzle/rudder, but the only item which comes close is the fixed nozzle as used on the Robbe Happy Hunter salvage tug model.(which has twin nozzles) That nozzle would be fixed with a seperate rudder for steering. What would you advise? What alternatives are available? (Making a proper nozzle myself which actually works and looks to scale is out of the question.) Attached three photos: one showing original (steering nozzle) and teh other with this Happy Hunter fixed nozzle, and te drawing showing the design.
    7 years ago by Radiosailor
    Blog
    Display stand and transport case.
    In preparation for the first public showing of my boat I have made a new display stand that looks a bit prettier than the first one I made. It’s designed to be more in proportion to the boat and to give a better view of the hull and I have included some model-boats.com stickers that are available in the site shop and also some
    vintage model works
    logos kindly supplied by Mike Cummings at VMW πŸ‘ As a finishing touch I have ordered an engraved brass plate giving some details of the original craft. I also found a wheeled flight case on eBay that the boat fits into perfectly without any adjustment to the existing foamed interior but I will have to re-make the mast to allow it to fold down for safety, not bad for Β£50 😁 The new stand fits into the base of the flight case but the boat also sits on some foam blocks for added support.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    The electrics, drive & radio
    Hi Rookysailor I have indeed included all of the filling points on the deck, there are various for oil, fuel & fuel sounding (dipstick?), foam and fresh water. Fortunately I have a drawing, courtesy of Mike at
    vintage model works
    , that details them all. Rob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    The suction hoses – part 1.
    One of the distinctive features of the RAF fire boats are the suction hoses in the rear well of the boat, and they were something that I was keen to reproduce with some accuracy. They have been very successfully modelled by others and there are some fine examples of their construction on this site and consequently a wealth of tips and ideas on how to make them and I have shamelessly taken the best of them to make my own. The key elements are, of course, the fitting at the hose ends which probably would have been originally made of cast bronze or brass and machined and jointed to couple together to form the complete hose. To replicate this in anything other than brass would not be doing justice to the model, and as you may be aware, I have a brother who is also a skilled model maker, and he has a lathe and has previously made some excellent brass fitting for me. I started by studying the few photographs of the boat and some drawings supplied to me by Mike Cumming at
    vintage model works
    and I made up some engineering drawings, one for each fitting, and emailed them off to my brother. I also ordered some 15mm brass bar to be delivered to him for the fittings and once he had approved my drawings, set about machining the parts. A while later the parts duly arrived in the post and they were excellently made exactly as my drawings and so I then set about adding some more detail to them. I only have one set of these fittings so I can’t afford to make any mistakes and ruin them 😱 The most challenging fitting to be tackled was the suction pickup into which I wanted to inset some stainless steel filter mesh, so I carefully measured and marked off the areas of metal that needed to be removed. With the piece in the drill vice I cut a series of holes which were gradually enlarged, and then the remaining metal removed with files to form the square apertures. The collar of the fitting was then drilled to take some short brass rod β€˜handles’ which were soft soldered in place and then filed to length. The stainless steel mesh was cut to fit inside the fitting with the join concealed behind part of the brass. The circular end cap was made by pressing the mesh into a piece of brass tube the same diameter as the inside of the fitting using a piece of brass bar as a mandrel. After thoroughly cleaning the fitting with some wire wool the mesh filter pieces were finally epoxied in place. That’s the most difficult piece out of the way, much to my relief. One down, four to go 😁
    7 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    The tow hook stays.
    The tow hook stays brace the tow hook by tying the tow hook deck to the keel to transfer the load when the boat is towing a seaplane and is a simple structure on the full size boat but as scale feature is quite tricky to reproduce. It also has to be made to allow the rear well deck to be removed for access to the rudder servo etc. so this took a bit of thinking about how to make it easily removable.πŸ€” As my brass working skills seem to be improving I decided to make this in brass for strength and durability. Mike Cummings at
    vintage model works
    had previously very generously supplied me with a set of drawings which included the tow hook detail and these were of great help in the making process.πŸ‘πŸ˜Š First I marked out the fixing plate on some 22 gauge brass and cut and filed it to the correct shape and then two pieces of 6mm brass tube cut to the correct angle where they meets the plate. After some measurement and geometric juggling the cockpit deck was marked with the positions of the holes that the bracing stays pass through and I used my brass β€˜cookie cutter’ to make two neat holes through the decking planks for the flanges that the stays pass through but in this case the tubes will finish just below deck level to allow it to be removed. These flanges were made from some 14swg brass plate, filed to a circular shape and with the centre hole pierced and filed to an angle for the tube to pass through with a small clearance gap to allow them to hinge on the two brass pins that I drilled and inserted into the flanges. This hinging feature allows the towing stay assembly to hinge back slightly to aid removal. I drilled the upper ends of the tubes where they meet the fixing plate to take two brass pins that will hold the parts securely in place while soldering and two temporary brass bracing pieces were then soft soldered to the tubes to hold them at the correct angles and separation. All the parts were thoroughly cleaned and assembled and silver soldered together and then the soft soldered braces were removed and the whole assembly cleaned up with abrasive and wire wool. Two false bolt heads were soft soldered to the plate to add a finishing detail, the centre fixing is a cap head threaded screw that fixes the assembly to the cockpit bulkhead. I sprayed two light coats of etch primed and when dry brush painted the whole piece with two coats of β€˜gun metal’ grey. Happily the part sits perfectly in place on the deck and hinges back easily as intended so that removal and re-fitting is simple…unlike the process involved in conceiving and making the part πŸ€“
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Novice Build:
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    I built mine a couple of years ago. The wood is good quality and the metal fittings dont take much cleaning up. My fireboat runs of a brushless motor running of lipos batteries and performs well. I used auto paints regards the finish. and very pleased with it. It performs a good as my 49" Perkasa which runs of two brushless motors with the lipos wired in series.
    7 years ago by andyhynes
    Blog
    The Hull Markings
    The paint on the hull has sufficiently hardened and needs a couple of coats of clear lacquer to protect it but before that happens I need to apply the hull markings. The waterslide decal set that was supplied with my kit was probably at least 5 years old when I bought the kit on eBay and they had deteriorated so badly that when I put the large β€˜FIRE’ lettering panel in some warm water it fragmented and clearly was not usable. I called Mike Cummings at
    vintage model works
    and explained my dilemma and he very generously agreed to supply me with a replacement set, and in addition a set of the recently available printed vinyl letters and markings that they now produce. I decided to use the vinyl set as a quick test piece with the waterslide set revealed that the white ink is not solid and therefore not completely opaque. Furthermore I could not eliminate the β€˜silvering’ effect that happens on waterslide decals despite using various lotions and potions such as Humbrol Decalfix and Microsol/Microset solutions. A test piece with the vinyl lettering sheet was far more successful and when over-lacquered on the test piece the results were very acceptable. Starting with the large FIRE lettering I cut a paper template the same size as the complete word and fixed this with low tack masking tape on the hull, this paper was then outlined in more masking tape to form a window and the vertical spacing of the letters transferred to this to keep the correct spacing. Vertical strips of tape were then used as positioning guides for the letters which were individually cut and placed so that I could eliminate all but the solid white letters and give them a hard edge. Feeling very pleased with myself I removed the masking tape guides and realised to my horror that I had set the baseline of the letters far too close to the waterline and the vertical proportions were completely wrong ….disaster 😱 Feeling ashamed that I could make such a basic error I abandoned the lettering and called Mike at VMW and described my foolish error, no problem he said, I’ll send you another vinyl sheet and also some additional drawing that were missing from my kit that would help with detail finishing. My second attempt with the new vinyl sheet employed the same process but I was careful to measure, mark and check the positions (several times!) before starting. The roundel and numerals positions at the bow and the stern were carefully measured and marked using the supplied drawings and masking tape β€˜guides’ used to fix their positions before application. Lastly the roman numerals that span the waterline at the bow and stern were marked, cut and individually applied. I also took the opportunity to fix in place a couple of modified 6mm portholes to replicate the aft cockpit drain outlets, in the photo is the β€˜94’ waterslide decal which I later removed and replaced with vinyl when I could not eliminate the β€˜silvering’ problem. A big Thank You to Mike Cummings at
    vintage model works
    for replacing the lettering sheets TWICE! and for the extra drawings, I call that exceptional after sales service !. Cheers Mike πŸ‘πŸ‘ .
    7 years ago by robbob
    Forum
    Rediscovering my old hobby.
    Rewind…. When I first started my build blog I described my visit to the London Model Engineer exhibition in January 2016 and that my enthusiasm for model making was re-kindled. It was as a result of seeing a crash tender model on the Blackheath MPBC stand and getting into conversation with the owner of the boat. He went on to inform me that kits were still being made for them and he gave me the names of a couple of companies to look at. His valuable information led to some further research on the subject and finding various sites including this one which I immediately registered with, and I subsequently bought a
    vintage model works
    46" RAF crash tender kit and embarked on my rediscovered hobby. Fast forward…. I attended the same exhibition this January and was delighted to see the same chap on his club stand and I took the opportunity to remind him of our previous meeting and discussion and to thank him for his advice and recommendations. He looked at some of the photographs of my boat that I had on my camera and he was very complimentary on my building efforts. That chap is Phil Abbott, otherwise known to his friends as Steamboat Phil, and I would like to give him the credit for re-igniting my model making interest. Thanks Phil, I hope you are following and enjoying my build blog. Robbob
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Very nice, cant wait to see the finished project. I recently built a model of a fire boat that I operate. I built the one I did from scratch as well. it being my first model I could have surly benefited reading your post prior to building mine. I put post of mine on this site about 4 years ago. Would like to start a new project looking for something like your tender. My project was an outboard which mad it difficult to find motors to use. Next time it will probably be an inboard. Best wishes. JD Thomas
    7 years ago by jd
    Response
    Novice Build:
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Thanks mate.
    7 years ago by justintime2001
    Response
    Novice Build:
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Hi justintime2001 Congratulations on the new arrival. πŸ˜€ I spent quite a lot of time studying the drawings and instructions, and researching materials and techniques long before I started construction. There is such a wealth of information, and many far more experienced constructors on this site than me, from whom I took a lot of inspiration. And I'm certain they will be very happy to chip in. Don't rush it, take your time and don't be afraid to ask. Bon voyage. Robbob.
    7 years ago by robbob
    Response
    Novice Build:
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Thank you Edward. Head scratching started as soon as I opened the box LOL
    7 years ago by justintime2001
    Response
    Novice Build:
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Good luck! You will have hours of fun! Be prepared for some head scratching and remember there are experienced builders on this site who are only too willing to advise. Edward
    7 years ago by cenbeth
    Guestbook
    Guestbook Post
    Hi all, I joined the forum a day or so ago and have found it to be very useful. I have recently ordered myself a
    vintage model works
    46" RAF Crash Tender. it's my first boat but I have built a few aircraft over the years so hope that will help me. I have already gained some useful tips from the build blogs etc. and I'm sure I will be asking for lots of help and advice, thanks everyone, Ian.
    8 years ago by justintime2001
    Response
    Gunwhale stringers.
    Hi Boatshed. The motor is a Turnigy SK3 4250 controlled by a 90A boat ESC by Hobbyking, batteries are 2 x 9.6v 500mAh in series. This is a recommended combination by
    vintage model works
    . incidentally the motor in my original 34" crash tender was a Taycol Supermarine. I would thoroughly recommend a brushless motor and a boat ESC to give you the reversing function. Fortunately there is a wealth of useful information about brushless motors on this site and I'm sure that someone more knowledgeable than me can advise you on the most suitable motor/ESC/battery combination for your boat. Mine has yet to have it's maiden voyage so I can't report on the performance but I'm quite confident that it will be a lot quicker than the one I built all those years ago ! Rob.
    8 years ago by robbob
    Blog
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Happy that keel and bulkheads fit square and true so they can now all be glued and pinned using the 30 minute epoxy. I have decided to chamfer the keel parts particularly at the bow, parts K2, K3 and the chine formers, to the approximate angles where required before assembly as it's easier to do at this stage while they are off the keel and they can be lightly trimmed and shaped to their final angles later. Once all the false rebates are fitted to the keel it is slotted into the jig and the bulkheads glued and assembled on the keel, the metal brackets ensure that it's all kept true and square. Brass pins in pre drilled holes and lots of clamps hold the parts firmly while the epoxy sets. The Cabin sides are dry fitted to lock everything in place.
    8 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Vinegar etc is fine once dried out and allows for quite sharp bends Steaming also is good if steamed long enough. However V cuts are very good too .Good luck with the build it looks good so far . John
    8 years ago by onetenor
    Blog
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Glue, pins and sanding sealer at the ready. I have put the 'vee' cuts in the cabin sides to allow for the sharp bends and also where the wheelhouse window needs to bend to meet the roof, the rear cockpit sides have also been glued to the rear of the cabin sides. The propshaft slot has been cut, the false keels will also be pinned to the main keel with 15mm brass panel pins.
    8 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Hi onetenor. Good suggestions but... steaming works extremely well for gentle curves and I have used this method very successfully to form the hull skins and strakes. In this case the cabin sides need to bend quite sharply in a couple of places on each side so the 'vee' cuts allows the wood to do this without the fibres of the outer ply tearing or the ply snapping. Not sure that I'd want to dunk the wood in vinegar or ammonia though 😯 Thanks. Robbob
    8 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Most woods including ply bend better when soaked ( vinegar or ammonia is better than water ) but water is ok and is a bit better when hot.Steaming works even better
    8 years ago by onetenor
    Blog
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Dry fitted all the keel parts and bulkheads and transom, the jig has supports at the front and rear to secure the bow and transom in perfect alignment and metal 'L' bracket to keep the bulkheads vertical and square. The cabin sides lock everything in place but will require some shallow cuts on the inner surfaces to bend properly without breaking. I'll be using Titebond 11 and Zpoxy 30 minute epoxy as recommended, adhesives have come a long way since my last boat build when mixing 'Cascamite' up to the right consistency was a bit of a pain as I recall. When the propshaft arrives I can cut the keel to accommodate it and start glueing and clamping it all together. I have bought lots of clamps to hold the bits while the glue dries, it seems you can't have too many of those !
    8 years ago by robbob
    Response
    vintage model works
    46'' RAF Crash Tender
    Hi Robbob Thanks for answering my question, I way just curious about how the parts are cut out.
    8 years ago by figtree7nts


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