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๐ฌ Re: USS Eastwind 1/48th scale
5 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

Leading Seaman)
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A superior project with great attention to detail. Also the paint job is pretty good too๐! Can you describe the amount of hours spent on it's building, reference material, weight, etc. I've viewed a number of model WIND CLASS breakers but your's is the best. I see you are located in Maine, spent three years maintaining buoys along the states rugged coast, from Eastport to Portland.
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๐ USS READY PGM-87
8 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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๐ฌ my Monster Mersey
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Super restoration work, it's a keeper!
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๐ฌ The Robert
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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I like your paint scheme, a classic. (I also like the colorful orange scheme too). Nice work!
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๐ฌ us coast guard
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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The RNLI built 13 of these(under license) as the Waveney class, starting in the early 1960's. When the boats got to be "long in the tooth" they found home ports in different countries around the globe that were starting up new life saving organizations. Some of the boats are 50 years old.
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๐ฌ Mary Ann hepworth
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Beautiful wood work on the life boat, outstanding!!
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๐ฌ finished
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Thanks for the update and photos, great job! By the way, how difficult is it to "handle " this boat, does it take two (or more) people to lift and move?
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๐ฌ Monster Mersey
9 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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You're to be commended for saving this model, it's unique and a nice original build. To have it lost to neglect would have been a shame. Bravo to you sir! ๐
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๐ฌ 52' Coast Guard Lifeboat
12 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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August 2-4, 2013 there will be a lifeboat reunion for Coast Guards that served in the Northwest stations. Cape Disappointment CG station is hosting part of the festivities. To answer your question, all four 52' MLB's have been up graded and modernized, there are no plans to replace them. in addition, two privately owned 44'MLB's are scheduled to be present at the re union. The 52's are referred to as "the Four Aces".
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๐ฌ 52' Coast Guard Lifeboat
12 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Wow, what a great looking boat, classic lines like a 1957 Chevy Impala (or for our British cousins, a 1963 Jaguar XKE, they never look old ๐ )
I'm glad to see you completed it, I wish you posted some close ups so I can compare it with my "Triumph"....the old "52's" have it all over the new 47's, and your model looks realistic underway ๐
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๐ฌ The Scout
12 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

Leading Seaman)
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Superior looking boat, the RNLI paint scheme is an eye catcher, it transforms the typical USCG 44' MLB into another boat.
I especially like the crewmen, nothing looks sillier than an open coxswain station boat model with no one at the helm.
Beautiful job, I bet it runs great. ๐
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๐ฌ USCG 52' MLB Triumph
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Daniel
I sent you a personal email re: plans.
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๐ฌ USCG 52' MLB Triumph
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Thanks Ian for the nice compliment.
I find all lifeboats, no matter what country, present a noble looking appearence and accomplish a great mission. its really enjoyable seeing all the life saving craft on these pages and marveling at the incredible workmanship.
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๐ฌ Eric f.plaxton
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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It's a beauty, I always found the RNLI paint scheme to be an eye catcher, very nice work!
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๐ฌ Chatham Lifeboat CG-36500
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

Leading Seaman)
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Hello Ian
I find balsa an inexpensive and flexible material to work with. I use Elmer's yellow carpenters glue to fasten the strips to the frames, held in place with "T" pins until dry.
As to the waterproofing the hull...I brush apply a coat of resin "wash" to the hull's exterior(AND interior) after all the planking is in place. I thin the resin with lacquer thinner so it will be absorbed into the balsa wood grain. When dry I apply a second coat unthinned to the hull. I find it strengthens the hull with out applying the fiberglass cloth. When dry I wet sand the hull until I'm satisfied with the finish, then I use rattlecan(spray) automobile primer to prime the hull. On a larger model, say anything over 36 inches, perhaps the cloth would be additional strength to a balsa hull, many R/C ship builders use both resin and cloth.
Thank you for the kind words, good luck in your project.
Mike
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๐ USCG 52' MLB Triumph
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

Leading Seaman)
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This model was scratch built from US Coast Guard plans. The boat is constructed of balsa wood and the hull coated with fiberglass resin. All the deck gear is scratchbuilt from brass, the propellers, led's and figures are the only commercial parts. Scaled at 3/4=1 foot the model measures 42 inches in length.
It's powered by a Pittman 12 volt motor and controlled by a 4 channel radio. Working features are running and spot light, siren with flashing blue light, sweeping radar antenna and deck lights. Built in 1985 the model the lifeboat is accurate in appearence for that time period.(The prototype has been modified since).
The actual lifeboat is attached the the Coast Guard's Motor Lifeboat School at Cape Disappointment and is one of four boats of this class.
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๐ USCGC CAMPBELL WMEC 909
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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๐ฌ HMS Avenger type 21 frigate
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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Outstanding piece of model building. As a plus it's an unusual subject, not typical of what most folk build. it's too bad these pictures aren't larger, your detail work is exceptional.
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๐ USAF 94' Crash Boat
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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This is a 40" long model of a gas powered Berkley Company kit of a US Air Force crash boat from 1955. The plank on frame kit was in production for about 10 years and was meant to be powered by a model airplane gas motor with a single shaft. it depicts an experimental 50 knot rescue boat (painted in a peace time color scheme) during service with the USAF. if successfull it would have been put into production designed to be a replacement rescue craft for all Air Force 65' crash boats. Unfortunately for the crash boat program the Air Force lost interest as helicopters were become a reliable way of rescueing downed pilots along the coast. The prototype and a sister boat were scrapped, as was the entire program.
The model was given to me to be restored(top picture) for the son of a retired USAF veteran that was a crash boat crewman. The model was built in 1957 and had been run a few times on a tether line, R/C was pretty expensive back in the day. I stripped the hull, filled in all the cracks and rebuilt the mast. I added a small boat, davit, liferaft, coxswain station, spray shield and deck hardware among other things. Actually all the owner wanted was a paint job, he was very happy with it's new appearencep! Although I fiberglassed the wooden hull and made it watertight, the owner doesn't plan to run it, just a memorial to his dad's service. I really enjoyed working on this "rare bird".
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๐ฌ Chatham Lifeboat CG-36500
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

Leading Seaman)
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Lynn
thanks for the kind words. I built the 36500 in 1987, it's held up pretty well these past 25 years. You didn't mention if you are building the Dumas kit or scratchbuilding. A tip...all the 36' mlb's had a copper bottom. The few models I've seen of a 36' most builders fail to apply it to their model.One way to represent this is to glue a strip of wood on the hull, feather sand the strip's bottom edge in to the hull and when you prime and paint the hull it looks like it has a sheet of copper plating. The second photo shows the line, it runs under the side rub rails up to the bow. Good luck, hope you post some photos of your boat...
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๐ Chatham Lifeboat CG-36500
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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๐ Bamfield Lifeboat
13 years ago by
๐บ๐ธ rustypiston (

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