Members Blogs
1 Post
3 Followers
17 Likes
Bits and pieces β¦or better name PT-174
I am not sure where to start or how to best present all this other than taking a break from my efforts to scratch build a WWII minesweeper trawler off an old Robbie hull of the Wontan β¦(sp?) . Going over the same grounds as others have done and needing a breather I converted the 1/35 scale PT 596 by Italeri to a fair representation of PT 174 .This involved cutting cabin and other modifications that would have been easier if I had the PT 109 kit β¦but it was an enjoyable build and even better runner. I owe much to the experience I got from building and later correcting my errors in the placement of the Vosperβs running gear. Even tho they are a joy to run at the pond , my corrections to trim make them that much more a pleasure.
BW3
2 months ago
Recent Posts
π¬ Re: Second Sea trials β¦.
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I now have two S- boats, both are fitted and trimmed out where they are great running boats with many operational features due to their very good hull design for load capacityβ¦They are enjoyable to run and are well received at the pond or club meets. I have been asked to build a third S-boat and Dock and recreate the surrender at Felixstoweβ¦.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π CV-8 Hornet update
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: 1/350 scale USS Massachusetts, and CV-8 USS Hornet
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I happen to have two 1/200 scale Trumpeter kits in my stash , Bismarck and HMS Rodney , β¦but a follow club member has set the bar high with his rendition of a very high functioning Bismarckβ¦
https://youtu.be/oFcnckUHBA4?si=qZGImW8uf6wioArJ |
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: 1/350 scale USS Massachusetts, and CV-8 USS Hornet
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
The Club has a Facebook page β¦and is based out of Sharon Ma. , but our members number close to 40-45 from all over New England . I have visited SpareTime Hobby Shop and will miss their closing . I have several other kits and projects in need of repair / restorationβ¦so it becomes more of an issue of $$$ than time these days . Your DE 1040 is looking great ,one of our members , Eric, is the owner of Homeport Model Ships , Peabody Ma. β¦ his work is exceptional
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π 1/350 scale USS Massachusetts, and CV-8 USS Hornet
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Bits and pieces β¦or better name PT-174
2 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Update
7 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I am not the videographer, Eric the owner of Homeport Ship Modelers in Peabody Ma. is the one who filmed this and has it also posted on his Facebook. He and his crew are professional master builders in my humble opinion and well worth a look at the web site . In the background you can see one of his Arleigh Burke Class out on sea trials .
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Update
7 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
At a recent Marine Modelers of New England steering meet one of the club members took this video of my poor Vosper #78 β¦she is not trimmed out to my liking and may some day be revisited to correct what I feel is a bit bow heavy . This has been posted on Face Book at the Homeport Ship Modelers web site with may likes β¦
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: 1st outing
7 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Looking good can hardly wait to see her trimmed out and under wayβ¦Thank You for posting your build .
BillG.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: The end is in sight?
7 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
She is looking awesome, π and very inspiring for me to start my own kit but current situation does not allow me the pleasure of such a long term detailed project. I have foolishly started my first semi scratch build and already have had to many distractions. I will soon start the build blog , but for now am very much excited to see you fine efforts having a great first sea trial and many happy smooth outs after β¦ Again Thank You
BillG.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Smoke and mirrors
7 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Enjoying your posts and hope that things are progressing easyβ¦looking forward to more of this great build , Thank You β¦..
Bill G.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Success!
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Well it was a struggle, but I have gotten S91 to operationalβ¦there is still details to be added as in weathering and paint β¦but I am happy with the over all build .
I ended up removing one of the three motors due to weight concerns and better use of the space it would give as to both operations and maintenance. I may revisit the motors and ESCβs due to having to dial back via the transmitter to 20% of full power , any more it starts to get very unmanageable and unstable.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Bad Day at sea trial and shake down β¦.
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I am not sure but it looks like It was a number of factors , from not enough ventilation, to not enough big enough Amperage of the ESCβs β¦along with the possibility of the props not correctly matched to the motor size β¦my solution has been larger ESCβs β¦85 Amp vs. 45 Amp β¦motors are rated at 40 Amps β¦but no spike/ peak data availableβ¦I have added Fans to the ESCβs and opened the deck for better air flow. Given The larger ESCβs , I removed one motor and ESC β¦to save weight and to gain space for wiring and air flow β¦This still gives me 1/3 more power over my first EBoat build of a S100 , see Blog β¦2- 2218 kv motors vs 3 1100 kv motors .
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Letβs try again β¦.
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Bad Day at sea trial and shake down β¦.
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I am still not sure what/ why I had this failure , but I am correcting many possibles , , 1. Not enough ventilation, and possible heat build up .
2. Not enough over spec in matching an ESC to the brushless motor ,,ESC 45 amps , Motor 40 Amp β¦
3. Component failure in the ESC , β¦
4. To large , or to great of pitch of the props for the motors , β¦S100 has 3 discontinued brushed motors and ESC βs and ran well from day 1 ..bought over 6 years ago , otherwise I would have bought the same set up again .
My current efforts are focused on more ventilation, and a larger ESC at 85 Amp , as such , I am removing the center motor and only powering with two counter rotational props of the outer shafts .along with a prop change in the future if needed. In the mean time I wait for the electronics to finish drying out for so far they all work after being dunked to put out the flaming ESC , the deck did get some damage from the flameβ¦but fixable β¦the addition of floatation on the removable hatch over the motors and ESC βs took a large part of the flame damage before the deck hatch and Hull did .
The removal of the center Motor and itβs ESC will lighten the load and give me space to better run the wiring , β¦.I feel the major mistake I made was not taking into full account the peak or spike loads.
BillG.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Bad Day at sea trial and shake down β¦.
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
The good news is my S100 and the Two Vospers ran with out issues, so with recharged batteries I look forward to the next meet sailing meetβ¦.
The S91 not so well β¦.I am lucky that with quick action it appears the damage is easily fixed ,like all things mechanical , time and money β¦and most importantly education and learning β¦The photo says it all β¦.π
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Near disaster
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Sorry to hear of this , glad that the damage has been repaired.
I have Rodney in my build stack and look forward to your build and any insights , I happened to see a YouTube build of the Bismarck by Bruce Murray and his use of stepper motors and their use as gun training β¦.inspirers me to learn how to do that . Thank You for posting your build , and hope that things go easier and you have an enjoyable build and future sailing .
BillG.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Progress
9 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Well with help from the local Hobby shop that is more into RC cars and off road I was able to learn what I should have remembered from my youth and education and work experienceβ¦..We are close this is a bench test just before a sea trial π€. Must have missed a button or two on this post β¦will keep trying to get the video to work or maybe I have fixed it time will tell ..
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Lucky ,,,,but Good? β¦.
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Still donβt know why but at this point I am just taking it as a near miss, I went to the only source I have locally for information about Brushless motors , ESCβs and Lipo battery packs . It is primarily RC Cars , Trucks and Off road buggiesβ¦..very very little in the way of boating , understandable as to the limited ponds and water ways that have access, itβs even the same for full size boating at least for fresh water ,,,Salt water well thatβs always been $$$$$.
Still donβt understand what was done , rewired everything the same way I had it in the boat back at the apartment, β¦.except it all worked β¦.No factory smoke releasedβ¦.Motors and speed control worked as it should β¦now a day later , and everything back in the boat , I and ready for finial trim and sea trials , β¦.
π€. I just done know ..but I will take it β¦the next club meet is in July β¦and my fleet will be in top form and will be out on the water β¦
Be Safe and Smooth sailing
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Vosper after action reports
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I agree , I really liked these conversion builds ,unlike the S91 project that has a displacement type hull , these plane hulls require a light touch I feel so have been given a small brushless helicopter motor I felt it was a good fit and I am happy with the out come and their performance. As long as I have done my part β¦.lol.
Your Vosper puts my feeble efforts to shame that is a fine looking model. Very Nice !!
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Vosper after action reports
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Well not checking before rushing off to the meet was my major mistake , my St Nazaire special , had a collet set screw that missed thread lock resulting in the loose prop shaft . I also found a few mounts that had not been glued in place well enough so fixed a possible future failure,β¦.she is now ready to run .
My standard Vosper , had the suspected grease issue , along with a collet that was to tight running against the end of the prop shaft tube , this added drag and heated the motor which resulted in the bridge deck to start to melt . Not realizing that my deck fitted that close to my motor mount as it heated an melted it then contracted the motor adding more drag ,..more heat β¦.this also explains the change in sound during its short run as told to me by my son. Final failure was the motor ripping out of it mounting and binding the works up β¦.
I have fixed all the issues found ,hopefully this will help others too not make my mistakes and let the enthusiasm over ride better judgement and practiceβ¦
Back in the water!
Bill G.
P.S.
Still evaluating the S91β¦.π
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Update : Found and joined a club and my poor efforts are still showing β¦
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Hoped to get an early start to this new to me Marine Modelers club based in Boston Mass. but members from all over the state and near by. β¦Well I loaded up my Two Vospers , check out their build blog , β¦and the still on going old lindberg Blue Devil Fletcher class destroyer and arrived two hours after the start time , took a quick look at some fine scale models and the paperwork to become a member . After answering many interested questions as to my builds and the models I had brought I sent out my St. Nazaire Vosper β¦.Only to run it into the biggest patch of weeds and have my driveshaft failπ€¦ββοΈ. So had the pleasure of one of the members wade out and retrieve my wreck β¦.Ok β¦Things happen no biggie will just send the other Vosper out β¦Handed the model and controller to my son and he took her out β¦for about 3 minutes only to have it go dead in the water β¦with a locked Prop Shaft β¦.πππ have yet to open the hull up to see why β¦but have a feeling the home made prop shaft did not get enough grease and not checking it in my rush to this event only put frosting on my cake as the new guy. ππ€¦ββοΈ. Good news is I had Video of my runs from last year and the over all results is that several members are ordering kits to convert . A good day!
Back to the bench and repairs β¦ππ
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Project S91 update
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
No .. I think the cat sabotaged me β¦..they are like that most likely due to not working on my trawler β¦π€
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Major Set Back β¦
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I foolishly got info about a local club is have a meet, so with lack of sleep I started to rush to get S91 at least water operational β¦.was working on trim and final electrical/ electronics bench test still not sure what went wrong β¦.but plugged in main battery and smoke β¦.Have confirmed all 3 ESCβs are toast β¦still need to check radio receiver and sound board , and motorsβ¦.πππππππ$$$$$
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Project S91 update
10 months ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Update β¦on S91 projectβ¦
1 year ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
I found Model Sounds inc. online , they have a wide selection of sounds and for a small fee can customize your sounds and has the option to purchase software to make your own customized sounds . Their system can be optimized to be removable and placed in different models. I have found them to be very helpful and worth the consideration when choosing to add a sound system .
Bill G.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Update β¦on S91 projectβ¦
1 year ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Well things are progressing slow , life does that at times , tho a bit of procrastination can be made if honest β¦lol ..I have done more detailed work and finalizing things as to hull access , and component mounting/ locations β¦one thing I have added that was not on my original build plan is a sound board and LED muzzle flash .
I am very excited to get this in and see and hear it on the water . My only regret is where I am adding muzzle flash to the 40mm Bofors in the stern that I have reto fitted the LED . I feel if I had installed it at its build time I could have run the fine wiring better , but we do the best we can . What is nice is that the sound board has proportional Throttle Diesel engines, 20 mm bust , 40 mm Bofors bust and Torpedo launch ,with warning siren ,β¦as an added feature the LED out puts for the engineβs exhaust, and the weapons are synchronized to the sound of each , so you can have exhaust flash , and muzzle flash when the sound for each is activated.
Hope all are well , Good Building and Best to All
Bill. G.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π¬ Re: Schnell Boat
1 year ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Looks like it will be both an enjoyable rebuild and sail β¦Best to you
Bill G.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Free Christmas Prize Draw!
1 year ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Thank You for an enjoyable event , may the New Year be safe and many hours of good sailing β¦
Bill G .
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received
π Free Christmas Prize Draw!
1 year ago by
πΊπΈ BW3 (
Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)
Flag
Thank You , very enjoyable activityβ¦Wish You all a Happy New Year , β¦.
Be Safe .
Bill G.
▲
β©β©
No likes yet
This member will receive 1 point
for every like received