Very impressive.
I agree with Martin, it would be great if you could add additional details.
Thanks. Peter.😀

I like Hobbyking but I must agree, UK and EU (for now at least) only. I ordered a few things on the Global region with mixed results. Most were ok with no additional costs, right up until I ordered a small pump. I had a letter saying that before delivery I had to pay £12 for customs and £8 to the post office for extra inconvenience. Not again...I think.😠

Looks interesting.
What are the completed measurements.

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Well Martin. I will let you into a little secret. The swearing is mandatory on my builds, as long as the good lady is not listening. Unfortunately, she has really good hearing. More telling offs for me!!

That is one superb collection.
Really nice.

Did a little work on the Dusseldorf, It`s been a while. I fitted the Anchor winch assembly into the hull. I tried it first and the 1:400 geared motor gives a good representation of speed. I then fixed in the remaining electronics platforms. Things are starting to look a little better now. I then drilled holes and slotted with files the water drainage for the deck. I must admit I was dreading this but I am happy to say that the results are good.
I know that a lot of people do not agree with me but I find painting of certain parts much easier before assembly. I have primed the hull and deck pieces and will finish painting before I assemble. I used this method on the Pilot boat and was fairly successful. The one area I did have a glue accident, I covered with a no scripted life raft container. I will take more care when applying glue this time.
I have started to finish paint the deck pieces which I hope to fit soon.

I quickly made the hull splitting tools today but whilst doing them, I tried to ask myself why the marking tool. If you align the two ends when setting the hull on the board, why have a line to follow when the whole idea of the splitting tool holder is to ensure a straight cut. I made one and will use it anyway.
I think I will split the hull at my factory during next week. There is much more room there and no wife to stop me doing the usual swearing.😁

This looks a very interesting project.
Looking good.

The last thing to do before completing the hull was to cut all of the vent slots on the underside. I used various sized drills and chain drilled the larger slots and filed them to shape. There is still a lot of shaping by file to do but I am going to leave this for later when I am sure they will be easier to get at.
I finally took the plunge and fixed the bow and stern assemblies to the main hull section. I used ordinary solvent cement which does create a strong bond, but will reinforce the joints with Stabilit once they become visible again. The next stage was to glue on the three main deck parts. It was a bit of a struggle to line them up exactly but In did the best I could. When gluing, care had to be taken to avoid contact at the front and rear segments so that a clean separation can be achieved when splitting the hull.
Next job was to do the vertical cuts at the separation lines. I used my Dremel with a saw blade as usual. These cuts will form the end points for the main cuts.
The next job for me is, as mentioned above, to split the hull. This is quite a tricky operation and requires a couple of special devices to be made. I am lucky enough to have all the machines required to make these at my disposal. I have started by cutting up the necessary pieces of wood. I will explain all on the next update when I have completed the separation.
Thanks for reading.
Peter.

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Sounds like you need a new drill Ed. Mine takes around 1 hour to fully charge.
The build is coming along nicely. Just a quick question though.
How many nozzles do you have at the moment😁
Peter.

That looks tricky Ed.

Looking really nice. I am making a Robbe kit with a similar cabin structure. I have found this part to be tricky. I have had the most difficulty in placing the masks over the windows.
The paint job looks really good.😊

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Looking good Ed.

Super stand Mike. That would look good on a display shelf. (With a boat on it of course).😊

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Hi Martin.
A `how to` guide is a brilliant idea. Your skills have no boundaries.
Ship builder.
Doctor.
Surgeon.
Decorator.
Electronics and computing wiz.
Teacher.

Have I missed anything?

Looking forward to seeing the painted finished item.😊

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Martines!😊

At the moment I still have my factory Mike but not for too much longer. I will retire in the next few years and will have to do everything on bench machines. Looking forward to it really.😊

You've done a great job Ron. That looks really nice.
Really like the transfers. They look much better than those supplied.

Photo sorting would be really helpful. This sorting that happens now seems to pick the most boring picture as the post header.

What a super idea. Perhaps new members in a few years time.
Nice thing for you to be doing too Colin.😀

Good to hear you finished the build Ron. Do you have any pictures that you can post.
I enjoyed this project and was delighted with the outcome. I am now attempting a submarine conversion from a Revell kit and a much larger fire boat called the Dusseldorf.
Looking forward to your pictures if you have some.
Peter.😊

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The last few weeks have been taken up by trying to complete the fore and aft sections so that I can complete the first part of the build and have a completed hull. At the end of the last update, I mentioned that I had broken the dive planes in half. I checked the rigidity of the remaining stub and decided it had enough strength to stay. I prepared a 15mm length of 5mm brass tube which nicely fitted over the remaining lugs. I glued a piece of 4mm diameter aluminium rod inside so that I could drill a small hole in the middle to hold the control arm. I then glued the whole assembly together and had a nice strong dive plane again. I then filed out the bearing surfaces in the main sections to accommodate the larger shafts.
I finished of the whole assembly with control arms and proceeded to fit the prop shafts and the rear bearing assemblies. This took a fair bit of fiddling and reshaping of the angled hole through the hull but finally, after a few hours, I was happy with the results. I held the assemblies in place with elastic bands and then, when happy, used Stabilit Express glue to fix and fill. I make sure that I am fairly generous with the glue so that when I tidy it up, there are no holes left behind. I glued around the prop shaft assemblies on the inside as well and got a little bit of glue on the dive plane control arm. Whilst wiping this off, Disaster number 2. The control rod came out of its hole in the dive plane. This hole is 2mm diameter but 8” down inside of the aft section. Time for ebay. I found a pair of 11” long nosed pliers for £4.50. I bought immediately.
Today I decided to finish of the prop shafts by removing the excess glue. To do this I used small full round files, 240 grit wet and dry for roughing and 600 grit for finishing. This took a couple of hours but I am pleased with the results.
Now for the repair. I used the extra long nosed pliers and tried to find the hole whilst looking up the torpedo tube. Very difficult. I then noticed that if I shined a bright LED light into the section and looked at the side, the light showed right through the side wall of the model and the control arm pin could be seen as a shadow. With this, I managed to push the rod back into place. Phew!! I will have to think of a way I can get a little fluid super glue onto the rod without gluing the dive plane rigid.
My attention has now moved to the bow section. I have decided not to add retractable bow planes as this requires a lot of work for very little gain. I have, however, decided to fix the lift mechanisms in such a way that I can add retractable units at a later date. I hope for the next update I can complete this section and complete the hull section ready for splitting.
The WTC is still under construction but I am getting help from Doug (Mr Fleet Admiral SIR) for the electronics to get it to do what I want it to do. The next ballast unit test might also feature in the next update.
Thanks for reading.
Peter.😀

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Very nice build. The windlass looks superb.😊

Glad to hear you are better Colin.😊

Not a bad price but the base board is not included. They look good though.😊

Hi Doug.
I am using a 3s lipo. I was only making a comment about 7.4v. I have now purchased two 6volt valves the same design as before.

They look really nice boats. Basic skills?? I don`t think so. Very nice.

I use the Stabilit Express for most of the joints that need good strength and to be totally water tight. It is a really reliable glue. It is quite difficult to get in the UK also. I get mine from Germany.
Peter.😊

Is it RC Martin?😁