Nerys, your LST is really looking good. You did a fine job of taming that Deans kit. Really and truly looking forward to her finished up. You’re gonna need some tanks. Hey!! You could ship it over here and Errol and I can invade Oklahoma🤣🤣.
Seriously..,glad you’re feeling better, and I really like your LST.
Cash

Nerys, hang in there, you have a lot of people pulling for you😊

Larry, I have a habit of just hitting the brass with StayBrite flux, the soldering it together. Probably if hadn’t been so cold in the garage I’d done a neater job😂.
I never knew about cleaning the brass with alcohol, thanks for the tip!!
Cash

Martin, I’ll miss you sir. Hopefully you’ll find your way back here again.

Nerys, I truly hope you get better. I enjoy your posts, and your quick wit. You take care of yourself young lady.
Cash

Had a stroke when I was 50, over the worst in 4 days, affected my speech center. Keep an eye on him, look for any drooping of the face, slurred speech, etc. I wish a speedy recovery for him.
Cash

Hi y’all. The winter storm we had apparently put our dealership behind, so it has been decreed from on high that we are working Sunday😠 sine the dealership was without power the first of the week, I did my best to keep the house, the girls and the cats warm. My wife agreed that today was a “daddy” day, so I took advantage and got some more done on the PT.
The aft Oerlikon gun is built up from metal castings and brass wire and tube. Only real spot that was really challenging was soldering on the shoulder supports so that they lined up. There’s supposed to be a cast metal crank handle for the gun, but my kit had 2 ships wheels, so I modified one into a crank. I added 2 screws to help hold the assembly in place on the hatch, got the holes a little too close to the base so the scre heads wouldn’t sit quite flush, so I Coates them with a little thick ca...I’ll add a little filler later and call it a rough weld😂
I also soldered up the aft guard that sits just fwd of the gun, and built up the ammo boxes using legos instead of the pine blocks that comes in the kit...just because I could.😀
A couple of stanchions, the smoke generator and a few cleats and she’s ready for paint!!
Cash

Got a bit more done before the storm hit. I did the vents and gas caps, the fwd vents are used as is, the rearwar are lengthened with a bit of plastic tube and supported by a dowel glued inside..it extends from the tube about 1/4 inch and is glued into holes drilled in the deck. I did a dry fit of the cabin and torpedoes to see how she’s going to look.rear gun and few other details and it’s time for paint!!

Ian, just read about what’s going on with you. I pray you get better soon, you’re in our thoughts and prayers.

Hi y’all. It’s been a bit, but I’m still plugging away. Between work, life and the weather I’ve been a bit too tired to do much, and as of now we are looking at 3-8 inches of snow, freezing drizzle and lows tomorrow in the single digits...which means my little ceramic space heater is doing good to take the edge off the chill in the garage. However, I’ve been able to make and install the hatches on the PT. These are simple parts made up of 1 and 2 mm abs and pvc sheet, handles are brass wire and the hinges are cut and sanded 1x4 mm strip abs. I have them built up and installed. I also built up a floor for radio and battery install.
Cash

I grew up building f/f and u/c models, and the names that stand out from the readings of my youth are Walter Musciano, Bill Winter and Vic Smeed. I did not know till a decade ago that Smeed was also a boat modeler, and just recently found out that Musciano dabbled in boats too. One of my favorite sci-fi authors is Keith Laumer, and he also penned a few model aircraft plans. I’m going to have to find some of Vic Smeed boat plans...

She’s looking good!!! Haven’t read all your posts yet, but I’m very impressed with your lighting work and fittings. Keep it up!!

🤕I had a bit of time this morning so I did More work on the torpedo tubes. I’ll keep it short, but I added the mounts, clamps and details, and started the manifolds, and got 1 tube assembled. The aft of the tube has a plate to which 8 pieces of plastic rod are glued to. These are cut to 1/4 inch, I found it stair to cut a little long and trim in situ after the glue had dried hard. I think I may have found another error, however. There is a wood “clamp” that is glued to the tube and mount, it wraps over the tube. The plans and instructions call for it to be glued to the aft mount. In the RCGroups build log, I noticed the builder glued it to the front mount as this makes it easier to mount the manifold. I had already mounted the clamps as per the plans and instructions, so it is what it is. I did relive a spot on the clamp so the manifold would sit on the tube properly.
Cash

I like her!! Looking forward to a video.😀

Thanks Martin!! To be honest, somdays I feel like a “sprung “ chicken😂

So...today was my birthday..I turned 60. I’m officially older than dirt. I splurged a bit, had saved up a bit and bought a new kit and radio, plus took the day off. I went out this morning, paid my property taxes👎😭, went to the grocery store, and then about 11 am set about to build the torpedo tubes. The tubes are built up from hardwood dowels that are just shy of an inch in diameter, some sticky back paper, die cut parts and assorted smaller bits. The first thing done is to shorten the dowels to the proper length. Then, the sticky back paper is cut in varying widths for the tube straps, then the mounts are built. Not really that hard just slow tedious work. I got all 4 tubes cut and strapped, and built all 8 mounts and called it a day. There’s a bit more to do, plus there’s 4 thin ply parts that wrap over the top of the tubes. It’s suggested to soak them in water and then wrap around the tube, or something similar and let dry overnight, that way theyll be formed to fit. I used the cut off from the tube body and used zip ties to secure them as they dry? I then shut down my shop, and made myself a dinner of “Spamen”, a James May recipe from his book “Oh Cook”. I substituted Panko crumbs for the crushed cornflakes, made the spam, ramen, and tossed the ramen with stir fried bok choy and onions. It was good!!
Cash

That’s okay Fleet, it was late when I read the post and I read it as Commander. 😁

Thanks Fleet. I will strive to execute my duties faithfully and honorably.🙂

Martin has a good idea. I’ve used CA before in lieu of solder on some railings, long as they are not in a position to be stressed or under tension they hold up well, and paint or clear coat seals the joint.

Hi Peter. You’re Düsseldorf is coming along nicely!! I’ve always wanted one, it seems a daunting task to fit that boat out with pumps, lights, etc but you’re doing a nice job. You’re railings look spot on, and I agree with you on the Tamiya paints. The rattle cans are pricey, but they cover well, and dry quickly. Like you, I have a FrSky transmitter, a Taranis Qx7, it has a multi protocol module installed that I purchased off RCgroups a few months back, works well. I’ve never used the Sbus, might try that. However, I turn 60 this Monday, and saved up a bit for a new boat kit and radio. I picked up the Radiomaster 16s with the Hall gimbals. I’ve booted it up and played around with it, uses OpenTX as its operating system. I’m accustomed to OpenTX, but it’s set up a little different than the Taranis, so my buddy JP is coming over to guide me thru transferring my models from the Taranis to the Radiomaster. JP knows OpenTX inside and out, so we shouldn’t have any issues. I’ll give more info once we’re done, if you like.
Cash

Hi Ian, sorry for the late reply. Dumas kits have a weird reputation here in the US. The materials they use are good, but the older kits did have some rough die cutting. A lot of their kits are laser cut now, and the fittings seem to be getting better. This kit is pretty well made and thought out, and the diagrams are helpful.
Cash

Hi Ian..I’ve them a while, they’re sturdy and comfortable to use. I think I’ve had them for 15 years or so, maybe longer.
Cash

Hi Griss. It’s a good kit, there is a fair bit of work involved as it is a Dumas kit, and there’s more going on then first appears. Bear in mind it does not come with rudder, stuffing box/shaft or motor, you can buy that as a separate kit from Dumas or do what I did and supply your own. The hull is molded well, and the laser cut parts and fittings are of good quality.
Cash

Hi y’all. Got the cabin for the Higgins mostly done. I added the mast, antenna, throttles, handrail and other details. I gave it a ligh coat of primer, which helps me find any gaps that need filling, and lo and behold there was a gap between the starlord gun turret and the aft locker that Errol could fit thru😂..so I filled that and set the cabin aside.
Then it was time for the gun turret guns, the twin .50 brownings that occupy the turrets either side of the cabin. The guns are built from cast metal fittings and brass tube and rod. One word about the fittings. The are not the usual soft whit metal fittings like you see in Deans kits, but they are cleanly cast with very little flashing and the are HARD. My usual drill bits just barely scratched the surface, so I had to go out and buy some cobalt bits. That did the trick! An hour or so later I had 2 guns assembled and ready to paint. I still have to build the torpedo tubes, aft gun, and assorted deck details.
Cash

She’s coming along nicely Nerys..keep soldiering on! BTW, I used CA, Stabilit and epoxy when I built my Dean PBR, I scuffed the plastic at each joint.
Cash

Video added

North Texas Model Shipwrights at Josey Ranch 17JAN21

▶️

Here’s a few pics from today’s run at Josey Ranch. It was a little cool (48 degrees Fahrenheit) but we had fun!!
Video to follow.
Cash

Hi y’all, I’ll keep this short. I built the final superstructure for the cabin assembly, they are made from laser cut thin ply and 1/8 stripwood, then handrails are made up and glued in place. Then, it’s...time..to..assemble the cabin. The cabin is located on the hull. The aft 1/4 inch of the cabin lays over the hatch, from what I understand the hatch is slid forward under the cabins aft edge and pressed into place. Anyway, once I had my cabin in place I drew location lines on the hull, reset the cabin and taped the fwd edge down..this allowed me to lift the cabin up and place wax paper between it and the deck without losing alignment. I then had to glue the turrets to the cabin, and the lockers to the turrets. I would love to say that everything fit perfectly, but not quite. In fact, once you have it all tacked together with CA, the instructions quite clearly state to “fill any ugly gaps” I had a couple😂
Anyway, it looks pretty decent, once I finish sand and primer she’ll look better and be ready for some details and paint. Then it’s off to the guns and torpedos..
Cash

Hi y’all. Well, the next step in the construction of the cabin assembly is the gun turrets. They are cut from supplied pvc pipe, and the bottoms are sanded at an angle so they lean towards the bow a bit. This compensates for the slightly bow high attitude the boat has, especially under power.
The turrets look deceptively simple, which means they’re actually a pain in the rump. Let me explain...
The turrets are cut and sanded , marked port and starboard, then 2 rings of plywood are glued on top. Simple, easy-peasy. Then the fun begins.
You see, there’s tiny triangular supports under the rings glued to the rings and the pipe. Now, there’s a template to mark the turret..oh look, it’s not one support in order, they are in PAIRS!! Now, it’s my boat, I could have left them off, most people wouldn’t miss them. But I would know, and I suspect some, if not most of y’all would catch it too.
So..I hemmed and hawed and tried to think of an easier way to do this, then I had it. Instead of trying to cut matching triangular parts from .5 mm sheet, I decided to cut rectangular pieces, glue them in place, then cut and sand them to shape where they sit. It worked!! They’re not perfect, but good, I’m happy with the result. The tubes are then drilled for railings that will be installed later, and the gun mounts, which I bent, glued in place and soldered.
That’s all I have done this morning, took me about 4 hours to get from pvc pipe to gun turrets. I might be able to do a bit tomorrow, if I do I’ll post it that evening.
Cash

Early on in the epidemic there wasn’t a mask mandate, but social distancing (I really hate that term, btw), was being enforced in most public places. The grocery store I go to limited the amount of people in at one time, and had 6 foot markers on the floors. I really think that went a long way to slow the spread of Covid...however...there’s no shortage of idiocy over here either. I was in said store, before the mask mandate. I didn’t have a mask on, but I kept my distance from people, 6 feet or more. I was in line at the deli when a gentleman, wearing a mask, leaned in to grab an item and got maybe a foot in front of my face. He excused himself, but if my eyes were Bofors guns he’d be done. Jesus it’s easy!! Keep your distance, wear a mask when needs be, get the ##$$!!! shot!!
Look. I am conservative. I voted for Trump, I’m Baptist, a Christian, only thing I don’t have is a firearm in the house or I’d hit the Trifecta that some people on the left rail about. My best friend on the planet is liberal, looks like an old hippy, drives a Prius and plays the hammer dulcimer. He and I agree on more than we disagree with, and we both have come to the conclusion that the lack of common sense prevailing on the planet is shocking. What galls me is how both sides blame the other for the pandemic, and the stupid, ignorant bull**** that gets spouted such as microchips in the vaccine, etc “I’m not getting the shot because the left/right wants me too”!!! Rubbish.
Sorry for the rant, been a little stressed, just wanted to let y’all know I’m with you. I pray to God that all of you and yours keep safe, that the vaccine gets in circulation quickly, and that we as a planet start healing..and talking.
I’m going to go post a bit on my build blog, then I’m gonna fire up World of Tanks Blitz, get in my IS2 and give some poor soul in a Panzer a bad night🤣
G’night y’all.