Model Boats 2013-12

100

The World’s ’s of Models at Haydock Park Best-Seller! A Photo Gallery of the best of the best!

E E R F AN ! PLh £12.50 Wort

December 2013 Vol.63 No.757

Get on board www.modelboats.co.uk

First Class Monitor An outstanding steam powered model of USS Monterey

RAFA Aquarius Build this unusual Royal Air Force Auxiliary vessel using our complimentary plan

KIT REVIEW

Riva Aquarama kit

PLUS

modelLING group

Italian Job ! Building Amati’s classic

£4.35

New Products l Reviews l Readers’ Models

The

Model 17 Tremorvah Barton Tregolls Road, Truro Cornwall, TR1 1NN Mail order Only. Sorry no callers Phone line open Mon-Fri 9am- 1pm

Dockyard HMS Sheffield 1:200 full hull HMS Abdiel Light Cruiser 1;200 scale 635mm HMS Repulse. Battleship 1:300 scale 806mm Iowa 1:400 US Battleship 1942 680mm HMS Dreadnought 1:200 HMS Cambeltown 1;200 scale 470mm Normandie French Liner 1:400 scale Yamato. Japanese Battleship 1:400 685mm Grosdeutschland Superbattleship 1:400

£28.54 £28.54 £27.53 £26.52 £26.50 £25.95 £25.95 £23.95 £23.44

Hull and Plan Sets Tel UK: 01872 261755 Tel Int: +44 1872 261755

www.model-dockyard.com U.K Delivery Kits and Boat Hulls Add £9.00 Timber orders Add £6.00 Other Order value up to £50 Add £5.00 Other Order value Over £50 Add £9.00 Over £190 Free Delivery Free delivery does not apply to shipments weighing over 2 kilos, being sent to the Channel Islands or Northern Ireland, Scottish Islands, Scillies, or IOM. Delivery here will be charged at cost.

Orders are sent by 1st class post or UPS carrier. Large parcel deliveries to Scottish Highland and Islands, the Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly and Northern Ireland will be shipped by 3 day UPS carrier . Deliveries to Channel Islands will be shipped by Euro 48 service

We ship Worldwide too All prices correct at time of going to press but we reserve the right to supply at the prices ruling at the time of order despatch. E&OE

Amati Kits Dutch Royal Yacht in Bottle 1:300 95mm Egyptian Ship Sahure Dynasty 350mm Greek Bireme 480 BC 560mm Viking Ship Oseberg 1:50 440mm Mayflower 1620 1:60 scale 650mm Chinese Junk Scale 1:100 400mm Xebec.1753 720mm 1:60 New Bedford Whaleboat 1:16 550mm Riva Aquarama. With Transmission kit Endeavour J Class. Wood Hull 1:80 480mm Endeavour J Class 1:35 scale 1130mm

£46.93 £77.57 £77.57 £105.14 £174.59 £87.78 £155.95 £122.50 £509.57 £83.69 £259.95

Victory Models Kits Lady Nelson Cutter. 1:64 scale 530mm Granado. Bomb Ketch 1756 1:64 800mm HMS Fly. Swan Class Sloop. 1:64 800mm HMS Vanguard. 74 gun 3rd rate 1:72 1171mm HMS Pegasus Swan class sloop 1:64 800mm Mercury: 20 gun Brig 1820. 1:64 scale 860mm

£117.95 £261.95 £289.95 £684.95 £344.95 £354.95

Mamoli Kits Friesland 80 gun 2 Decker 1:75 775mm Mary Royal Yacht 1:54 scale 483mm Golden Hind 1:53 scale 496mm La Gloire 34 gun Frigate 1:90 840mm Hunter 12 gun Cutter 1797 1:72 440mm Rattlesnake Privateer 1779 1:64 697mm H.M.A.V Bounty 1787 1:64 610mm CSS Alabama. 1:120 694mm

£492.14 £179.18 £184.58 £287.18 £134.76 £222.62 £215.76 £206.92

Panart Kits H.M.S. Victory Nelson Flagship 1:78 1300mm Between Decks Gun Section 1:23 250mm sq. Open Whaler 1850 1:16 scale 615mm HMS Victory bow section1:78 scale San Felipe Spanish 3 Decker 1:75 960mm Armed Naval Pinnace 1800 Scale 1:16 620mm Royal Caroline 1749 Royal Yacht 1:47 830mm

£395.10 £99.00 £139.50 £179.95 £670.00 £139.50 £269.95

Caldercraft Display Kits Diana 38 Heavy Frigate 1794 1:64 1180mm £472.45 Cruiser.1797. 18 Gun Brig 1:67 scale 850mm £206.98 Snake 1797 18 Gun Sloop 1:67 scale 910mm £206.98 Mary Rose. Tudor warship 1510. 735mm 1:80 £260.98 Agamemnon 1781. 64 gun ship 1300mm £661.45 Endeavour. Bark 1768. 1:64 scale 725mm £245.65 Bounty. 1789. 1:64 scale 660mm £202.45 Sherbourne. 8 Gun R.N Cutter 1763. 500mm £75.55 HM Yacht Chatham 1741 1:64 scale 530mm £89.96 HM Mortar Vessel Convulsion. 1804 1:64 530mm£96.71 Victory 1781. Nelson's flagship 1:72 1385mm £746.98 Granado. Bomb Ketch 1756 1:64 scale 785mm £220.48 HM Brig Badger 1778 1:64 scale 600mm £177.12 HM Schooner Pickle 1778 1:64 scale 565mm £130.46

Caldercraft R/C Kits Joffre. 1916 Tyne Tug. £251.95 Imara. Twin Screw Berthing Tug £458.95 Resolve. Twin Screw Admiralty Tug £508.95 Amaranth. Motor Fifie £120.95 Milford star. Post war East Coast side trawler £228.95 Marie Felling single screw steam tug £395.95 North Light. Steam Clyde Puffer £251.95 SS Talacre. Single hatch Steam Coaster £251.95 H.M.T Sir Kay Round Table Class Minesweeper £294.95

Card Models SD14 general cargo ship 1:70 2133mm. £295.00 USS Missouri. 1:200 scale £61.24 GPM SMS Seydlitz 1:200 scale 1010mm £56.95 Queen Mary 2, 863mm 1:400 scale £53.06 Prince of Wales Battleship 1:200 scale £51.95 USS Lexington Aircraft carrier 1:200 scale £51.04 Tirpitz 1:200 scale Full hull 1260mm £49.99 Bismarck 1:200 scale Full hull 1250mm £48.98 Revenge 1588 600mm 1:96 scale £47.95 HMS Mercury 6th rate frigate 1779 1:96 scaler £44.95 Admiral Hipper, cruiser 1935 1:200 scale £40.81 HMS Enterprise 28 gun Frigate 1:96 scale £40.80 Graf Spee. Full hulled model at 1:200 scale £30.60 Lexington. American Brig 1:96 scale £30.59 HMS Endeavour. Captains Cook's Bark 1:96 £30.59 Santa Maria & Nina £30.59 H.M.S. Invincible. Battlecruiser 1907 1:250 £28.54

Victoria Steam Launch 1:12 scale 762mm £40.45 Pilot 40 . Pilot boat 698mm £50.45 Bluebird Of Chelsea . 1:24 scale 654mm £46.95 Forceful Paddle Tug . 1:48 1003mm £51.49 Guardsman Customs launch 1:32 scale 571mm £37.45 Burutu & Bajima Tug 1:50scale 768mm £47.45 Tyne Life Boat 1:12 scale 787mm £46.49 Smit Nederland Hull 558mm £42.45 Liverpool Lifeboat l 905mm 1:12 scale £91.50 RMAS Moorhen Hull 1:43 scale 740mm £51.45 Cervia, Thames Tug 1:48 scale 711mm £71.50 Brave Borderer 1:32 scale 914mm £86.50 HMS Warspite. Queen Elizabeth class £154.00 H.M.S. Devonshire. Cruiser 1504mm £134.00 H.M.S. Liverpool. Town class1409mm £120.00 H.M.S. Hood. Battlecruiser 2057mm £144.00

Deans Marine Kits 25ft Motor Boat 1:12 scale 690mm Compass Rose. Corvette1:96 673mm H.M.S. Solebay.Destroyer 1945 1210mm Robert E Peary Liberty Ship 1384mm MGB77. 71.6ft BPB 1:24 920mm 73ft Vosper Type 1 1:24 scale 965mm Bronnington. minesweeper 1:100 465mm MTB 488. B.P.C. 71.6 MTB 1:24 920mm RAF Crash Tender 1:24 scale 610mm Steam Yacht Medea 1904. 1:48 870mm Tradition. Seine net trawler 870mm 1:24 H.M.S. Cossack Destroyer 1938 1200mm

£175.95 £177.65 £306.33 £336.97 £243.01 £252.20 £107.18 £272.63 £113.31 £139.86 £360.92 £272.63

Plastic Kits Trumpeter Bismarck 1:200 scale £225.99 Italeri MTB77 72.5ft Vosper 1:35 632mm £99.99 Heller Le Soleil Royal 1:100 scale £149.95 Trumpeter USS Arizona 1941 1:200 £163.99 Trumpeter HMS Belfast 1942 1:200 £69.95 Trumpeter HMS Dreadnought 1907 1:350 £37.99 Academy Titanic 1:400 Ltd Edition £99.95 Revell Titanic 1:400 £51.05 Revell Flower Class Corvette 1:72 £119.00 Trumpeter HMS Repulse 1941 1:350 £100.06 Heller HMS Victory 1:100 scale £149.99 Trumpeter Queen Elizabeth 1:350 £69.99 Trumpeter USS Alabama 1:350 £79.99 Trumpeter HMS Hood (1941) 1:350 £91.89 Lindberg Sea Witch. Clipper 1:96 838mm £149.95 Lindberg PT 109 MTB 1:32 scale 749mm £149.95 LindbergBlue Devil Destroyer 1:125 910mm £99.95 Lindberg Air Force Rescue Boat 1:72 330mm £34.95 Lindberg Tuna Clipper 1:60 scale 368mm £49.95 Lindberg Atlantic Fishing Trawler 1:90 457mm £49.95 Lindberg Coast Guard Tug Boat 1:72 304mm £34.95 Academy HMS Warspite, Premium Edition £79.95 Revell Gato Class Submarine 1:72 £72.36 Trumpeter Admiral Hipper 1941 1:350 £69.95 Trumpeter Prinz Eugen 1945 1:350 £61.23 Airfix HMS Illustrious 1:350 £51.05 Trumpeter Graf Spee 1:350 £51.04 Trumpeter Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship £32.99 Trumpeter JohnBrown liberty ship 1:350 £30.62 Tamiya Yamato 1:350 scale £270.95 Tamiya HMS King George V 1:350 £49.99 Tamiya HMS Prince of Wales 1:350 £49.99 Tamiya Bismarck 1:350 717mm £61.99 Tamiya Tirptz 1:350 717mm £58.50 Academy Tirpitz 1:350 £28.00 Academy Graf Spee 1:350 £28.00

Plastic Kit Upgrades German AA Weapons WWII 1:350 £8.40 Naval figures 1:350 scale £7.20 Passenger ship crew figures 1:350 scale £8.40 Naval Crew Figures German WWII 1:350 £8.40 Etched lifebelts set 1:350 scale. £8.40 R.N Naval figures Far East 1:350 scale £8.40 Bismarck etched detail Tamiya Bismarck 1:350 £22.30 Tirpitz (designed to be used with Tamiya kits) £30.60 HMS Hood detail sheet pack 1:350 scale £30.60 Admiral Graf Spee etched sheet set 1:350 scale £24.99 HMS Repulse etch detail sheets 1:350 scale £19.50 Prinz Eugen etched set. 1:350 scale £22.30 HMS Repulse railings set 1:350 scale £19.50 Prinz Eugen etched railings set 1:350 scale £22.30 Prince of WaleS etch sheet pack 1:350 £20.60 HMS Dreadnought 1907 Etched detail 1/350 £19.50 HMS Dreadnought 1907 Railing Set 1/350 £14.99 Wooden deck for HMS Hood 1:350 scale £36.50 Wooden deck for Graf Spee1:350 scale £32.30 Wooden deck for HMS Repulse 1:350 scale £34.80 Wooden deck for Prinz Eugen 1:350 scale £34.80 Wooden deck for Tirpitz 1:350 scale £34.80 Wooden deck for Admiral Hipper 1:350 scale £34.80 DX Wooden deck & Railing for Bismarck 1:350 £37.99 Wooden deck for Bismarck 1:350 scale £31.50 Wooden deck for Tirpitz 1:350 scale £31.50 Wooden deck for KG5 1:350 scale £33.20 Wooden deck for Price of Wales 1:350 scale £33.20 DX Wooden deck & Railing for Warspite 1:350 £53.80 DX Wooden deck & Railing for Bismarck 1:200 £149.40 This is just a selection from Gold Medal, MK1 Design, Master and Eduard.

Quaycraft Boats 1:48 Scale 27ft Royal Navy Clinker Whaler 1:48 Scale 16ft Royal Navy 16 Clinker dinghy 1:32 Scale 16ft Clinker Ship s Lifeboat 1:96 Scale 25ft Motor cutter 1:96 Scale 27ft Whaler 85mm 1:96 26ft Lifeboat double ended 83mm 1:72 Motor cutter 2 cabins 109mm 1:48 scale. 22ft Lifeboat. double ended 1:32 Scale 14ft Clinker Dinghy 1:24 Scale 14ft Clinker Dinghy 1:48 Scale 18ft Clinker Lifeboat 1:72 Scale 16ft Clinker dinghy, 1:48 Scale 24ft Clinker Ship s Lifeboat 1:72 27ft Clinker whaler 115mm 1:96 Scale 20ft Motor boat 1:48 Scale 20ft Motor cutter 130mm

£19.91 £8.87 £16.32 £7.68 £7.31 £10.31 £19.08 £12.71 £14.15 £16.55 £11.27 £7.79 £16.32 £17.03 £6.47 £18.95

1:48 Scale 25ft Motor cutter 162mm £30.72 1:48 Scale 20ft transom sterned clinker lifeboat £12.23 This is just a selection of over 100 boats in various scales

R/C Boat Plans H.M.S Cossack Tribal class destroyer 38" £12.50 Lorraine: A really elegant 54in. motor yacht £17.50 Vosper R.T.T.L: 1:24 68ft. Vosper Rescue and Target Towing Launch £12.50 St Louis Belle 1:64 Mississippi stern-wheeler £12.50 T.B.D Cruiser Leader: 1:144 32in. Scout class £12.50 200 Series RAF Seaplane Tender: 1:12 950mm £12.50 Brave Borderer: A 36in Vosper patrol boat £12.50 H.M.S Ark Royal : 1:192 WW2 aircraft carrier £12.50 MFV Admiralty Trawler 1:40 scale 710mm £12.50 Enterprise: Northumbrian Coble 1:12 685mm £12.50 Tyne class Lifeboat 31in. 1:12 scale £12.50 HMS Kite: Ant Class Flatiron Gunboat 1:32 £12.50 H.M.S Kent : 1:96 scale early cruiser 58" £17.50 Miranda Edwardian steam Launch 42in £12.50 Valerie Anne Thames barge. 1120mm £16.85 Orca (Jaws) fishing boat featured in the film. £11.23 Boston Fury 1:48th 1960 East Coast Trawler £16.85 Fairey Huntsman:1:8 scale 1066mm £12.50 TID Tug The wartime tug 890mm . £11.23 Princess of the Lake Cruise Launch £11.23 HMS Inflexible Dreadnought 1890s.1100mm £16.85 Waverley paddle steamer 1365mm, £16.85 Tina Jane A 45ft stern trawler 560mm £11.23 Altair Auxillary gaff rigged schooner 1200mm £33.19 Rhum Islands Class Ferry, 500mm £9.19

John Lambert Plans The Royal Navy’s Standard 14 Ft Sailing Dinghy £14.10 Vosper 72ft 6in MTBs Nos 73-98 £14.10 71 ft 6 Inch British Power Boat. MTB 467 £37.86 The Quadruple 21in QR Mark VIII Torpedo Tubes £14.10 The 16 Ft Admiralty Pattern Trawler Boat £14.10 The Royal Navy's standard 27 Ft Whaler £37.86 Flower Class Corvette. HMS Nasturtium £14.10 United States Navy 2Omm Oerlikon. £14.10 The Twin 2Omm Oerlikon on Post War Mark 12 £14.10 The 3 Pdr Hotchkiss Gun £14.10

Harold Underhill Plans Cutty Sark Clipper Ship 698mm Marie Sophie of Falmouth 1033mm Lady of Avenel. Wood. 850mm 74-Gun Two-Decker (Circa 1813 1422mm Lady Daphne Thames Sailing Barge812mm 12-Gun Brig-of-War. Lines, 1187mm Cunard Liner Servia, 1:192 scale 850mm 40-Gun Frigate (Circa 1790 831mm Valerian. Brixham Trawler 1069mm. Diesel Ring Net Fishing Boat 615mm Three Brothers. Rye Fishing Smack. 797mm

£29.54 £44.41 £33.30 £77.71 £29.54 £55.51 £33.30 £66.61 £49.23 £29.53 £29.54

Static Display Kit Plans Chinese Junk, construction plans. Sovereign of the Seas, plans 1:78 1100mm HMS Fly Plan set Lady Nelson Cutter Plan Set HMS Bounty, construction plans French Xebec construction plans Vikingship, Osjberg, construction plans. Titanic Plans set Endeavour J Class Plans set Cutty Sark, construction plans, Scale 1:78. La Couronne, construction plans, Scale 1:98. Santa Maria, construction plans, Scale 1:50. French Xebec, construction plans, Scale 1:49. Thermopylae, construction plans, Scale 1:124. Mississippi Stern Wheeler plan 1:50 1050mm Pinta. construction plans 1:50 570mm Friesland (1:75) Drawings & Instructions H.M.S. Victory (1:90) Drawings & Instructions Yacht Mary (1:54) Drawings & Instructions Golden Hind (1:53) Drawings & Instructions Rattlesnake (1:64) Drawings & Instructions Royal Louis (1:90) Drawings & Instructions

£7.02 £16.18 £26.50 £8.86 £13.43 £10.99 £7.12 £48.84 £22.38 £31.00 £28.50 £14.95 £14.85 £14.85 £34.95 £14.85 £47.73 £64.09 £32.73 £32.73 £46.36 £62.73

This is just a selection of over 1000 plans available

R/C Equipment Hitec Optic 6 (2.4 GHz) combo £124.99 Viper Marine 75 £115.00 Hitec Optic 5 channel (2.4 GHz) combo £89.95 Mtroniks G2 Hydra15 combo £59.99 Hi Tech Zebra 4 Channel £56.12 Viper Marine 40 £53.22 Planet 5 Transmitter and Receiver Set £51.99 Hi Tech Ranger 2 Channel £49.95 FR30HX 30amp speed controller £47.14 Viper Marine SUB 10 6-12v £42.99 Viper Marine SUB 8 4.8-9.6v £42.50 Viper SSR 25amp Speed controller £39.99 15HVR 15amp speed controller £37.69 Viper Marine 25 £34.99 Viper Marine 25 Mirror £34.20 FR12VR 12amp speed controller BEC £33.86 Hi Tech Mega Arm Sail Winch 19.8kg/cm £30.99 Proportional Drum Sail Winch £30.63 Viper Marine 20 £28.99 Viper Marine 15 £22.99 Viper Micro Marine 10 £22.99 Viper Marine 15 Plug Play £22.99 Programmable mixing module £20.34 Waterproof mixing module (w-tail) £17.80 Waterproof mixing module £15.70 Mtroniks EP Multi charger £12.14 1300ma receiver nicad battery square £5.61 1300ma receiver nicad battery flat £5.61 Switch harness with charging lead £4.70 Full range of R/C installation equipment available

Miniature Steam Clyde Horiz Ready Assembled Steam Plant Clyde Vertical Ready Assembled Steam Plant Clyde Horizontal Self Assembly Steam Plant Clyde Vertical Self Assembly Steam Plant 4 inch Horizontal Boiler 3in Horizontal Boiler 3in Vertical Boiler Clyde Fully Assembled Clyde Fully Machined Kit for Self Assembly Tyne Vertical Self Assembly Engine Boiler Feed Pump 3/8"" Assembled" Refillable Gas Tank "ertical Refillable Gas Tank (1-1/2"" Dia) Ceramic Burner: for 3in boiler Vertical Refillable Gas Tank (1-1/4"" Dia)

£949.95 £949.95 £849.95 £849.95 £649.99 £575.99 £575.99 £444.00 £312.00 £199.50 £119.95 £94.99 £84.99 £74.99 £64.99

Exhaust Oil Trap (1-1/4”) Horizontal Boiler Mounting Tray Refillable Gas Tank Adaptor (Long) Refillable Gas Tank Adaptor (Standard)

£49.98 £39.95 £24.99 £21.99

Sound Modules Petrol/Diesel Engine with Horn Machine Gun Steam Engine Sound Whooper Fog Horn Ship Klaxon Sub Sonar Ping Sub Dive Alarm Air Horns Large Ship Horn Large Ship Steam Whistle Old Steam Whistle Tug Boat Air Horn Mtroniks Diesel Canal Boat Mtroniks Multicylinder Diesel

£43.40 £35.73 £43.40 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £59.99 £59.99

Motors Genesis Hydra50 combo Brushless Genesis Hydra30 combo Brushless Genesis Hydra15 combo Brushless Schottel drive unit 70mm dia prop Schottel drive unit 50mm dia prop Rudder-propeller drive: Schottel drive unit 40mm dia prop Deans Marine Navy Geared Maxi 6v 6v Geared motor 3 rpm Robbe Navy geared motor EF 76 - 6v Micro geared motor 50:1 Micro geared motor 150:1 Micro geared motor 300:1 EL653/16 low drain motor Deans Marine Kestrel 4.8 to 12volts 543/12 low drain motor for large props Speed 480 Motor 7.2v Deans Marine Kondor Deans Marine Kondor 2 543-24 low drain motor Deans Kyte Motor EL653/33 low drain motor Mabuchi Low Drain 545 Mabuchi 540 Mabuchi 480 motor 4.8 to 8.4v Mabuchi 400 Electronize 365/14 low drain

£109.99 £69.99 £59.99 £95.94 £76.48 £74.42 £62.71 £44.95 £34.83 £33.18 £22.18 £22.18 £22.18 £21.95 £19.28 £18.85 £18.75 £17.31 £17.31 £15.93 £11.18 £10.95 £9.96 £7.43 £7.00 £7.00 £5.56

Raboesch Propshafts Waterproof Prop Shaft M4 290mm Waterproof Propeller Shaft M4 290mm Waterproof Propeller Shaft M5 290mm Waterproof Propeller Shaft M4 450mm Waterproof Propeller Shaft M5 450mm Prop Shaft &support bracket M2 230mm Prop Shaft &support bracket M3 270mm Prop Shaft &support bracket M4 330mm

£25.29 £34.22 £34.32 £39.74 £39.74 £23.49 £25.29 £30.71

Rudder Assemblies Rudder assembly 33 long x 22mm wide £3.90 Rudder assembly 60 long x 41mm wide £5.36 Rudder assembly with tiller arm 45 x 35mm £4.54 Rudder assembly with tiller arm 55 x 45mm £4.54 Steerable Kort nozzle for props up to 35 mm Ø £18.33 Becker Rudder 43 x 38mm £20.42 Skeg and Rudder Assembly 68mm deep, 56mm £19.75 Rudder assembly with tiller arm 35 x 26mm £4.54 Boat rudder set: 45 mm Height: 40 £6.69 Boat rudder set: 32 mm Height: 25 mm £6.47 Boat rudder set: 36 mm Height: 50 mm £6.19 Boat rudder set: 36 mm Height: 70 mm £7.42 Rudder assembly 45 long x 30mm wide £4.80 Rudder assembly 53 long x 36mm wide £4.92 Rudder assembly 67 long x 44mm wide £5.36 Double Tiller Arm. Fits 3/16 or 5mm shaft £0.97

Raboesch Bow Thrusters Bow thruster unit with motor 14mm I/D Bow thruster unit with motor 16mm I/D Bow thruster unit with motor 19mm I/D Bow thruster unit with motor 22mm I/D Bow thruster unit with motor 25mm I/D Mini Bow thruster unit with motor 10mm I/D Bow thruster unit with motor 30mm I/D

£33.87 £33.87 £33.87 £38.39 £38.39 £27.10 £81.29

BECC Letters&Number sets 2A Arial Lettering 2 mm, 3A Arial Lettering 3 mm, 4A Arial Lettering 4 mm, 6A Arial Lettering 6 mm, 8A Arial Lettering 8 mm, 10A Arial Lettering 10 mm, 12A Arial Lettering 12 mm, 15A Arial Lettering 15 mm, 20A Arial Lettering 20 mm, 25A Arial Lettering 25 mm, 5A Arial Lettering 5 mm, Available in most colours

£4.07 £4.59 £4.59 £4.59 £5.10 £5.10 £6.12 £7.14 £8.16 £10.20 £4.59

BECC Flags GB02 White Ensign, Size: AAA 10mm £3.05 GB02 White Ensign, Size: AA 15mm £3.05 GB02 White Ensign, Size: A 20mm £3.05 GB02 White Ensign, Size: B 25mm £3.05 GB02 White Ensign, Size: C 38mm £3.96 GB02 White Ensign, Size: D 50mm £3.96 GB02 White Ensign, Size: E 75mm £4.95 GB02 White Ensign, Size: F 100mm £5.97 GB02 White Ensign, Size: G 125mm £7.91 GB02 White Ensign, Size: H 150mm £9.91 Also available, Naval ensigns in red, Blue as well and National flags from most maritime nations

Timber Lime Strip 0.5mm x 2mm x 1000mm Lime Strip 0.6 x 10mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.6 x 3mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.6 x 4mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.6 x 5mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.6 x 6mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.5 x 7x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 0.6 x 8mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 1.5mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 10mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 2.0mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 3.0mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 4.0mm x approx 1 metre long Lime Strip 1.5 x 5mm x approx 1 metre long

£0.34 £0.31 £0.35 £0.38 £0.41 £0.44 £0.47 £0.25 £0.36 £0.73 £0.40 £0.45 £0.50 £0.55

Lime Strip 1.5 x 6mm x approx 1 metre long £0.58 Lime Strip 1.5 x 7mm x approx 1 metre long £0.61 Lime Strip 1.5 x 8mm x approx 1 metre long £0.65 Lime Strip 1 x 1mm x approx 1 metre long £0.36 Lime Strip 1 x 1.5mm x approx 1 metre long £0.36 Lime Strip 1 x 10mm x approx 1 metre long £0.55 Lime Strip 1 x 2mm x approx 1 metre long £0.37 Lime Strip 1 x 3mm x approx 1 metre long £0.38 Lime Strip 1 x 4mm x approx 1 metre long £0.39 Lime Strip 1 x 5mm x approx 1 metre long £0.45 Lime Strip 1 x 6mm x approx 1 metre long £0.50 Lime Strip 1 x 7mm x approx 1 metre long £0.51 Lime Strip 1 x 8mm x approx 1 metre long £0.53 This is just a selection of sizes. Other woods stocks include Walnut, Maple, Tanganykia, Beech, Pear, Balsa, Obechi

Admiralty Paints Available in 14ml flip top capped bottles in the following colours. Light Ivory, Red Ensign , Maroon Admiralty, Polished Bronze, Antique Bronze, Olive Green, Walnut Brown, Matt Flesh, Gold/Brass, Copper, Dull Black, Matt Black, Dull White, Matt White, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre, French Blue, Flat Matt Varnish, Matt Varnish Satin Matt Varnish £2.25 per colour

Admiralty Woodstain Available in 14ml eye dropper bottles in the following colours. Mahogany, Oak, Ebony, Walnut & Cherry £3.32 each

Books The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships IMerchant Ship Construction Thunderer. Building a Model Dreadnought RMS Titanic. A Modelmaker's Manual Rigging Period Ship Models Plank on Frame Models. Volume Two Plank on Frame Models. Volume One l Ship Modeling Simplified Rigging Period Fore & Aft Craft Masting & Rigging of Clipper Ship and Ocean Carrier Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern The Ship Model Builders Assistant. The Built up Ship Model. Puffer Ahoy The Ship Model Builders Handbook Card Modelling Ship Modelling from Scratch Flower Class Corvettes Advanced Ship Modelling by Brian King: Model Marine Steam HMS Victory Owners workshop manual Scale Model Tugs Historical Sailing Ships: Remote Controlled Period Ship Handbook. Vol One. Period Ship Kit Builders Manual Model Ships Fittings Model Submarine Technology Painting Model Boats Ship Modelling in Plastic Scale Model Steamboats Making Model Boats with Styrene Simply Model Submarines The Model Tug Boat Book: Scale Model Warships Submarines. Models and their Originals Making Ships in Bottles Scale Model Boats. Building & Operation Radio Control In Model Boats Introduction to Marine Modelling Ship Modelling Solutions Scratch Building Marine Models The Glassfibre Handbook by R.H Waring. Photoetching For The Plastic Ship Modeler Super-detailing the Cutter Sherbourne

£40.00 £28.00 £25.00 £25.00 £25.00 £25.00 £25.00 £14.95 £22.50 £22.00 £21.95 £20.95 £12.95 £20.00 £19.95 £20.95 £19.95 £16.99 £16.95 £14.95 £21.95 £14.95 £14.95 £16.95 £16.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £12.95 £11.95 £9.95 £9.95 £9.95 £9.95 £9.95 £9.95 £12.95 £19.00

Modelling Tools Mantua 12v Electric Fret saw 12v Mini Compressor Mantua Spar Lathe. 12V Mantua 12v Electric Planer Amati heavy duty Building cradle Building Slip Mantua 4 speed mains transformer Deluxe Modellers Tool Chest Amati Electric Plank Bender Rope Walk kit Strip Clamp. Master Cut. Bench Vice. Swann-Morton ACM Tool Set Planet, special work bench 20 piece twist drill set .3 to 1.6mm Amati Pin Pusher De-Luxe Pin Pusher Waterline marking tool A3 cutting mat Pounce Tool with 4 wheels Assorted grade Sanding Sticks (5) Shroud Making Jig Zona Fine Kerf Universal Razor Saw 32tpi Zona Medium Kerf Razor Saw 24tpi Zona Fine Kerf Universal Razor Saw 42tpi Zona Fine Kerf Universal Razor Saw 24tpi Zona Ultra Thin Kerf Razor Saw 52tpi Zona Ultra Thin Kerf Razor Saw 32tpi 8 piece twist drill set .5 to 2.0mm Rigging Tool Archimedean Hand Drill Pin Vice with collets for .01 to 3.0mm drill bits K&S Tube cutter Set of 3 G-Clamps with Magnetic Base Wooden Clamping Pegs (3) Miniature hand plane

£110.00 £105.00 £99.00 £79.00 £52.60 £54.95 £48.40 £38.95 £31.54 £37.13 £32.95 £19.64 £17.50 £22.61 £10.58 £13.23 £11.45 £9.07 £10.48 £11.18 £11.16 £10.94 £12.72 £9.39 £9.39 £9.39 £9.39 £8.34 £8.34 £7.38 £8.14 £6.74 £6.64 £6.50 £5.77 £5.75 £5.06

THE MODEL DOCKYARD CATALOGUE Our non illustrated catalogue contains a brief description and principal dimensions of over 12,000 product items that are available from our extensive range aimed and the the scale modeller. these include both static and R/C Kits, Plastic kits and upgrade parets; the largest range of boats fittings to be found anywhere, building materials, boat plans, boat hulls, props, couplings, motors, propshafts etc etc. Whether you interest lies in working radio control, display period ships or static kits, our catalogue has everything you will need, £3.00 plus £3.00 for UK Delivery

Vol.63 Issue 757: December 2013

Published by MyTimeMedia Ltd Hadlow House, 9 High Street, Green Street Green, Orpington, Kent BR6 6BG Phone: 0844 412 2262 From outside UK: +44 (0) 1689 869 840 www.modelboats.co.uk

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BACK ISSUES & BINDERS

contents Regulars 6 COMPASS 360 General items, what’s on, comment and MYA News

Tel: 0844 848 8822 From outside UK: +44 2476 322234 Email: [email protected] Online: www.myhobbystore.co.uk

EDITORIAL

Editor: Paul Freshney PO BOX 9890, Brentwood, CM14 9EF Email: [email protected]

46 BOILER ROOM

PRODUCTION

Design Manager: Siobhan Nolan Designer: Richard Dyer Illustrator: Grahame Chambers Retouching Manager: Brian Vickers Ad Production: Robin Gray

ADVERTISING

Senior Advertising Executive & Online Manager: Ben Rayment Email: [email protected] Tel: 0844 848 5240

MARKETING & SUBSCRIPTIONS Sarah Pradhan & Kate Scott

MANAGEMENT

30 RANGE FINDER

Dave Wooley’s Worldwide Review of Warships and Warship Modelling includes Part Two of the July 2013 National Warship Weekend report, Part 29 of his HMS Daring project where he discusses painting the model and the Mystery Picture returns

Head of Design & Production: Julie Miller Group Advertising Manager: Duncan Armstrong Chief Executive: Owen Davies Chairman: Peter Harkness

Richard Simpson discusses the Bar-Litre Rule

52 AROUND THE CLUBS Fast Electric racing in Essex and the John Barry Maritime Festival in Ireland are featured this month.

58 READERS’ MODELS

Dave Hallam puts an Impeller Pump into Egret

61 TEST BENCH

New items for the modeller

64 READERS’ FREE CLASSIFIEDS

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67 BMPR NEWS

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© MyTimeMedia Ltd. 2013 All rights reserved ISSN 0140-2910

Stewart Rae and Mark Wild report from Branston Water Park

The Publisher’s written consent must be obtained before any part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, including photocopiers, and information retrieval systems. All reasonable care is taken in the preparation of the magazine contents, but the publishers cannot be held legally responsible for errors in the contents of this magazine or for any loss however arising from such errors, including loss resulting from negligence of our staff. Reliance placed upon the contents of this magazine is at reader’s own risk. MODEL BOATS, ISSN 0140-2910, is published 13 times per year (twice in August) by MYTIMEMEDIA LTD, c/o USACAN Media Corp. at 123A Distribution Way Building H-1, Suite 104, Plattsburgh, NY 12901. Periodicals postage paid at Plattsburgh, N.Y. POSTMASTER: send address changes to MODEL BOATS, c/o Express Mag, P.O. BOX 2769, Plattsburgh, N.Y., U.S.A. 12901- 0239.

44 FLOTSAM & JETSAM

For plans, hulls, binders, books, back issues and many other products, please visit www.myhobbystore.co.uk or call +44 (0)844 848 8822 (phonelines open 9am - 5.30pm GMT) 4

John Parker looks at the Veron Vosper RTTL

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Model Boats December 2013

Special features

50 2013 USA - UK CHALLENGE REGATTA

Gareth Jones reports from this Trans-Atlantic model yachting event held at Gosport and Llandudno

Bow piece

T 10 USS MONTEREY BM-06

John Hollis constructs a unique model of this American Monitor

20 RIVA AQUARAMA Brian Roberts builds the Amati classic kit

38 THE 2013 MODEL BOAT CONVENTION Dave Wooley reports from Haydock Park

EE! FRA N PL

42 RAFA AQUARIUS

James Pottinger presents a Complimentary Plan worth £12.50 for this 1930’s Royal Air Force Auxiliary vessel

Model Boats December 2013

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his issue includes a major Feature Article for USS Monterey, an outstanding steam powered model of the American monitor which has been totally scratch built by John Hollis. In addition, we welcome back Brian Roberts who has built the classic Amati Riva Aquarama kit, but with some 21st Century improvements! The Complimentary Free Plan included in this issue is for RAFA Aquarius, a 1930’s Royal Air Force Auxiliary vessel, not uncommon when flying boats were amongst the aircraft used at that time and James Pottinger supplied this and the accompanying article. Something a bit different, that readers may not be aware of, is the bi-annual USA-UK Yachting Challenge, that began early in the 21st Century and in 2013 had races at Gosport and Llandudno, with Gareth Jones doing the reporting for us. One of the major annual model boating events is the Model Boat Convention, held at Haydock Park Racecourse in late-August each year and Dave Wooley has a comprehensive Photo Gallery on the centre pages of this magazine for the 24th event held in 2013. This is a show run by modellers, for modellers, and this year it had nearly 800 model boats on display with 67 entered in the various competition classes. This was also the year that the Russians came for the first time (after a five day journey by van across Europe!) with their outstanding static models which scooped a number of the top awards, and deservedly so. There were over 30 clubs and more than 20 traders on site over the two days, so a great advertisement for the hobby in the North West of the UK. We also have all our usual regular articles, including club reports from a fast electric race meeting in Essex and the Barry Maritime Festival in Ireland that is supported by our Irish readers. I hope there is something for everyone in this issue who has a passion for model boating and please don’t forget to visit our website and its Model Boats forum. In addition, Model Boats is now on Twitter and Facebook for those readers who use this social media. This is not quite the last issue before Christmas 2013, the January issue being on sale on the 17th December, but anyway for now, on behalf of myself, the magazine designer Richard Dyer and Colin Bishop who looks after the Model Boats Website and Forum for me, I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year and thank you for your support over the past twelve months. Paul Freshney - Editor

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signals

COMPASS 360 EDITORIAL CONTACT - Paul Freshney You can reach the Editor, Paul Freshney, on 01277 849927. The editorial postal address is: Model Boats, PO Box 9890, Brentwood, CM14 9EF. The email is [email protected]

PLANS SERVICE CONTACT - Call 0844 848 8822 The Plans Service is expanding all the time! Over 3000 plans for model builders of all persuasions, Aircraft, Boats, Locomotives, Traction Engines, Steam and IC Engines - we even do Woodworking plans. To purchase plans, please call 0844 848 8822 See and buy all of these at www.myhobbystore.com

Rob Walsh: The new 2013 IOM World Champion. Photo courtesy of Chloe G Photography.

2013 Model Engineer Exhibition

Rob Walsh - new 2013 IOM World Champion

A final reminder about this event, being held from 13th to 15th December at Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. The competition classes are judged to international standards, so if a model achieves a medal winning score, then it receives a medal regardless of how many others in the same class achieve a similar score. Further information from: www.modelengineershow.co.uk.

Obituary - Jim Wilson It is with great sadness, that I have to report the passing away of Jim Wilson in early-October 2013 after a long battle with ill-health. Jim, together his wife Dot and sons David and Andrew, was well-known on the regatta circuit and a regular supporter of his club at model boat shows. He was also an accomplished engineer, building numerous steam plants for his models. Not content with travelling the length and breadth of Britain, as a family they competed on behalf of the UK and the Model Power Boat Association internationally on more than one occasion and bringing back trophies as a result of their efforts. However, sadly his son David pre-deceased him. Both Jim and Dot were a few years ago awarded the top honour by the MPBA for services to this hobby and it was, everyone agreed, very well deserved. Jim will be sadly missed and our thoughts go to his wife Dot and son Andrew. Dave Allen - October 2013

Postscript - Southern Model Show This made a welcome return to Kent during the weekend of 14/15th September 2013, having been cancelled in 2012 at its previous venue. The event is now managed by a new organisation and was held at Headcorn Aerodrome near Maidstone and has now dropped the word ‘Aero’ in its title. The organisers have claimed 5000 through the gates over the two days and it was certainly very busy on the Sunday. John Elliott and I visited on that day and we have to say it was a very good show, with a strong model boating presence as well as r/c aeroplanes, helicopters, i.c off-road buggies, r/c tanks, trucks and diggers and trade support. The aerodrome is an active facility and occasionally the model flying area was closed to allow planes to take-off, and although entry to Model Show was £12 for adults, there was free entry to the adjacent museum. Models by Design and Mac’s Mouldings, together with Component Shop, will be well known to readers of

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this magazine, and the other 40 or so traders included most of those well-known in the model flying hobby, including wood suppliers such as SLEC and The Balsa Cabin. There were numerous model boat clubs using the large pool, and there was also a small ‘have a go’ pool. In particular, we noticed a new Orange 2.4GHz DSM2 6CH Programmable Transmitter with 10 model memory on sale for around £70. This is compatible with the generic Orange receivers (£4 upwards) that some of us use with existing Spektrum transmitters, so clearly the 2.4GHz DSM2 market is opening up. Who would have imagined a full computer Tx and Rx for under £80 as recently as three years ago? A check later online revealed that the transmitter could be had for as little as £43 from an internet only trader. A well organised event and well worth visiting when it is repeated in 2014 at the same venue, when perhaps some more model boat traders might consider supporting it? Paul Freshney - Editor

The recent International One Metre (IOM) World Championships were held at the Sdot Yam Sailing Club in Israel between 11th and 19th October 2013 and attracted an entry of 43 skippers from more than ten different countries. This class of yacht is the most popular radio sailing class in the world and has a great following. Racing is conducted under the same ISAF rules as used by full size yachts, adjusted to allow for the skipper not being on the boat! Great Britain was represented by five skippers and after registration and practice days, the competition got underway on the 13th October with Rob Walsh winning his seeding race and his first A fleet race. The rest of his week went well with some excellent results in the A fleet where he fought hard with Marko Matic of Croatia, but eventually Rob was crowned IOM World Champion after a dramatic last race in which one of the shrouds broke on his boat. Rob Walsh said: ‘We are very fortunate to have a great IOM fleet in the UK which is probably the

2014 Ship Modelling Championship of Russia Via a third party, I have received news that this is being held 11th to 13th April 2014 in Moscow. The only information I have is that British modellers are invited and if any are interested, they should email Vladimir at: [email protected] Paul Freshney - Editor

South West Association of Model Boat Clubs

As there were no nominations for the posts of the outgoing Chairman and Secretary, the Club Representatives present at the AGM in October 2013 voted unanimously to wind up the Association and this has been confirmed to us by the outgoing Chairman, Keith Hickman. The current officials remain in post for the winding-up process. This association was

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strongest in the world. Without competing against such a strong home fleet, winning at world level would probably not be possible. The best moment of this event has to be the Thursday and Friday when I was able to pull away from the Croatians. Then there was getting thrown in the water by the them and that’s when it hit me what I had achieved. My next challenge is to qualify for the IOM Europeans and RM World’s and hopefully do as well’. Keith Coxon, MYA Chairman, said: ‘Rob’s success follows that of Peter Stollery the previous World Champion, demonstrating the depth of talent that exists within Team GBR. Rob is always at the top of the fleet in all major UK events showing his talent and ability in all conditions. As a young man he is an inspiration to many aspiring model yacht racing skippers. Rob also puts much back into the sport acting as the International Officer on the Model Yachting Association Council’. For more information on getting into model yachting please visit: www.radiosailing.org.uk or Tim Long: [email protected]

an umbrella organisation for model boat clubs in the South West of the UK and all its associated clubs will be aware of this development. Clubs and associations of all sorts rely on volunteers to run them and if there are no such people forthcoming, inevitably a voluntary organisation must cease to function.

The London Model Engineering Exhibition 2014

A reminder that this three day event will be held at Alexandra Palace, London, N22 7AY, from Friday 17th to Sunday 19th Januar y 2014. Exhibits will include the full spectrum of modelling, from traditional model engineering, steam locomotives and traction engines through to the more modern gadgets and boy’s toys, plus trucks, boats, aeroplanes and helicopters. Over 55 of

Model Boats December 2013

There were 23 competitors, young and old, male and female.

2013 BOTTLE boat Championship ROGER STOLLERY reports

T

his event was held on the river Deben at Waldringfield Sailing Club on 6th October and it was a full day’s entertainment! Ten races provided a colourful spectacle for the family supporters, sailing being close to the shore in front of the clubhouse, the racing providing intense competition for both the young and old sailors. The Championship came to a nail-biting climax with a tie for first place separated from third by just one point! This colourful one design class is made from recycled materials creates close racing, however the skill of the sailors and the ability of the BOTTLE boat to beat the tide were needed on this day in the light and fluky westerly winds blowing over the clubhouse. The warm and sunny weather conditions were enjoyed by everyone and the contrast between large and small yachts enhanced the scene on this part of the River Deben. Once again, one third of the 23 boat fleet were juniors and racing was over a simple 250 metre ‘sausage’ course. There was a great deal of fun, with good sportsmanship as the inevitable collisions resulted in penalty turns which were carried out without hesitation or repeated hails from the observers, and as some of the competitors normally sail full-size dinghies, this was a nice cross-over between the two hobbies for them all.

Morning racing Racing started on the flood tide beating upriver. After a good start, Race 1 was won by a young Laser sailor, Tom Barton, from the experienced Punch sailor, Noel Fraser and the current champion, a Wayfarer sailor, Neil Collingridge. The keenness of competitors and the tide forced a general recall in Race 2 and in the restart previous champion, Punch sailor, Bernard Kufluk got away well to win followed by Tom and Noel. The PRO, Roger Stollery,

changed the course with a start against the tide. Neil’s course on the beat well into the tide gave him Race 3 ahead of Paul Morgan and Alan Viney. There was competition for sea room in Race 4 as a large seal popped up to investigate the strange shapes, including the dragon-like decoration on Noel’s leading boat! He was not caught by the chasing pack of Graham Viney, who had gradually improved during the morning and Bernard who finished in third place. The BOTTLE boat sailors then joined new Waldringfield SC members for a welcome break at the lunchtime BBQ. The lunchtime scores with one discard were very close with Noel, Tom and Bernard on 6, 8 and 9 points respectively.

Afternoon racing Refreshed by a good lunch, Graham Viney improved still further to take Race 5 in front of Laser sailor, Robert Norris and Bernard. The tide was on the turn for Race 6 and Paul overtook several boats by taking advantage of the tide changing first next to the shore and finished in third place behind Neil and Tom. The races had been taking about 10 minutes each until Race 7 when the gathering strength of the ebb tide and the complete lack of any gusts of wind were making progress upriver very difficult. Gordon Harris made good start, but was overtaken by a group of four boats, Dot Fraser, Graham, Bernard and George Barton, who all beat the tide and got round the leeward mark, whilst the rest of the fleet were going backwards towards Felixstowe! Once the leading four got round the windward mark they too were having difficulty in stemming the tide and eventually after nearly 40 minutes the race was abandoned in the interest of fairness, half the fleet having retired. After a 20 minute tea break, the wind started to fill in more from

the South and so the course was reset further upriver where there was more wind and three more races were sailed. In the re-run Race 7, Tom got his second win in front of Graham and the club Commodore, William Sudell. Robert Norris came to the front again in Race 8 to win from Graham and Neil. At this point, Graham had 21 points whilst Neil had 22 and Tom had 24, so the championship would be determined by the last race. Both the leading boats had a good start, but Neil rounded the leeward mark in front, with Graham chasing and maintained the advantage to win both the race and the championship. Their scores were tied, but this was resolved by count back, with Neil’s three firsts to Graham’s two. At the prize giving, PRO Roger Stollery thanked the Lake family and those behind the scenes in the club for providing the BBQ and John Smith and Robert Lake on the water for separating entangled competitors and keeping the course adjusted relative to the beach. Neil Collingridge, thanked Roger and his family team for running another good championship, despite the poor wind conditions. Tom Barton was delighted to win the Junior trophy, as this was his first complete radio sailing event. In addition to sailing well, Tom and his brother George are now licensed builders of the BOTTLE boat, with enquiries through the Waldringfield Boatyard Ltd. l

What a great backdrop to a day’s racing!

Results (first 10 only) 1st: Neil Collingridge 2nd: Graham Viney. 3rd: Tom Barton. 4th: Paul Morgan Guildford. 5th: Noel Fraser. 6th: Bernard Kufluk. 7th: William Sudell. 8th: Robert Norris. 9th: George Barton. 10th: Angus Collingridge.

the UK’s leading specialist suppliers will also be at the exhibition, giving modellers the chance to see and buy supplies from under one roof. Advance tickets are available at a discount prior to 5th January and full details of the event can be seen on the website: www.londonmodelengineering.co.uk.

Paddle Steamer Medway Queen

Readers may well remember this vessel which has been undergoing hull restoration at Bristol. She was towed out of the David Abel dry dock on 24th October and moored in the Floating Harbour nearby whilst awaiting, with her tug Christine, a calm weather window to start her long journey home back to Gillingham in Kent. Whilst at Bristol, her hull has been rebuilt so as to now enable her full restoration. l

PS Medway Queen ready for the voyage home.

Model Boats December 2013

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Next issue

The Model Boats January 2014 issue will be on sale on the 13th December 2013

VITT

IC PLASTIC MAG

Bond’s Lotus

Mayflower

A model of James Bond’s submersible Lotus is described ‘in-depth’ by Ashley Needham, someone well known to Model Boats’ Forum users. In addition, there is a full Kit Review by John Elliott of the Manfred Sievers’ water-jet powered VITT rigid inflatable boat and Dr. Marcus Rooks sets sail with a Plastic Magic radio controlled conversion of the Heller Mayflower kit! See more about what’s in Model Boats magazine month-to-month in forthcoming issues and see some of the articles you may have missed from past issues and subscription offers on our website: www.modelboats.co.uk We have a great range of subscription packages that you can choose from, including our new Print + Digital package which give subscribers 13 issues a year with 6 free plans, 13 digital editions to download and keep PLUS access to an Online Archive dating all the way back to January 2007. Don’t forget! The January 2014 issue will be published on 13th December 2013 price £4.35 – don’t miss it! Order your copy now! Or better still why not make it your first copy in a year’s subscription to Model Boats magazine? See our subscription offer on Page 28 in this issue…

If you can’t always find a copy of this magazine, help is at hand! Complete this form and hand in at your local store, they’ll arrange for a copy of 100 each issue to be reserved for you. FREE Some stores may PLAN ! First Class Monitor even be able to arrange for it to be delivered to your home. Just ask! ’s of Models at A Photo Ga

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December 2013 Vol.63 No.7 57

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Worth £12.50

RAFA Aqua rius

Build this unusual Royal Air For ce Auxiliar vessel usin y complimentg our ary plan

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An outsta steam pownding ered model of USS Monte rey

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Contents may be subject to change.

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special feature

JOHN HOLLIS describes his unique American Monitor

USS Monterey BM-06 T

he second USS Monterey was laid down by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco on 20th December 1889 and launched at a cost of $2.065m on 28th April 1891, being commissioned on 13th February 1893. She was finally decommissioned on the 27th August 1921 and subsequently scrapped. USS Monterey was designed to enhance the US Navy Pacific Squadron, being assigned to harbour defence and operated out of Mare Island Navy Yard. She was initially designed to have one 16 inch gun, one 12 inch gun and a 15 inch pneumatic gun. However, she was finally fitted with two 12 inch breech loading guns in the forward turret and two 10 inch in the aft turret. The principal secondary armament consisted of six 6pdrs contained within the central section of the ship. The vessel could also reduce its freeboard to just a few inches by flooding large water ballast tanks, so as to present a smaller target during action. Displacing 4084 tons, she was 261ft long with a beam of 59ft, a draft of 14ft and a design speed of 14 knots. During her first five years of service, she undertook manoeuvres on the West Coast going down the Californian and Oregon coasts or even to Washington for target practice. From April to August 1895 she sailed to Callao in Peru via Acapulco, Mazatlan and Panama. In June 1898 she steamed with (and was towed) by the collier Brutus, 7000 miles to the Philippines to counter a threat from the

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Spanish following the Battle of Manila Bay. In doing so she was one of only two monitors, the other being the USS Monadnock, to make such a voyage across the Pacific. The vessel arrived mainly as a show of force for the final assault on Manila, as negotiations indicated that the city would surrender anyway. In the event, the city did surrender, effectively ending the war in the Philippines, this being part of the Spanish American War, which formally ended with the Treaty of Paris in December 1898. USS Monterey continued to serve in that region following the outbreak of the Philippine-American War in February 1899. With two gunboats, USS Charleston and USS Concord, she spent five days in Subic Bay destroying a large gun at the head of the bay. In April 1900 she sailed to China and was fitted with new boilers in Hong Kong then becoming the station ship at Shanghai. She was decommissioned in December 1904 and later went through a period of being in reserve whilst placed in ‘ordinary’ until December 1917, when she was towed to Pearl Harbour to act as station ship. She served at the submarine base until being finally decommissioned from active service in August 1921 before being scrapped in Oakland, California. Monitors had the advantage of being relatively cheap to build and so appealed to the politicians of the day and in addition, their

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large guns provided a theoretical substantial defence to the harbours to which they were assigned. Their low profile provided a minimal target for an enemy to aim at, and reduced the need for extensive defensive armoured plating. The vessels were however poor sea boats, due to their low freeboard. They had little reserve buoyancy, in some cases only 20% compared with a ‘standard’ vessel’s 80%. Although designed as floating gun platforms, in any sea they would pitch and roll making it very difficult to aim their guns with any degree of accuracy. Their small on-board bunkering facilities also resulted in them being towed on any normal length of voyage, or constantly having to stop to refuel.

The model Plans were sourced from The Maryland Silver Company based in Craigsville in the USA at a very modest cost. Whilst there were no lines plans available, there were sufficient cross sections and deck plans to enable the hull shape to be determined. Unfortunately, there were many conflicts between the various plans, especially the general arrangement plan and the detailed cross sectional plans. One, dated 1890, shows the turrets with sloping sides, a fighting top with two 1pdrs and no boat deck, all of which gives an indication how the vessel evolved throughout the design stage. Fortunately, a

Model Boats December 2013

special feature

1 Above: A contemporary photograph of the full size vessel shows some useful bow detail.

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trimmed to its final shape and form, two blocks were screwed to the inside base of it so it could be turned upside down and clamped to a ‘Workmate’ as you can see in the photographs. Using card formers cut to the shape of five of the cross sections on the plans, the rough plug was planed and sanded to the correct shape and profile of the hull, Photo 3. Once the right shape had finally been attained, the hull shell plating was added by gluing on thin card strips as in Photo 4. Three coats of red oxide spray paint were later applied to seal the card plates. Since I wanted to create a mould from this wooden hull (the plug), a vertical strip of card was placed along the stem, keel and stern post which would allow the subsequent mould to be made in two half-sections, without which it would have

search on the Internet revealed a number of good photographs, two of the vessel alongside a dock being particularly useful, and these were used as a basis for the model. (Please see web address at the end of this article.)

The hull The model has been built to a scale of 1:48, resulting in the hull being 1.65 metres (65 inches) long and 0.35 metres (13.8 inches) wide. The model hull is of fibreglass, having being cast from a wooden former (plug) used to make a mould. This wooden plug was made principally from sections of 20mm planks. From the plans, the hull shape was drawn on to these planks, but in sections, and a bandsaw used to cut them to shape. These sections were glued together to form a hollow crudely shaped hull as in Photos 1 and 2. As you can see, by being made of sections, maximum economical use of the wood planks could be made rather than trying to cut out a complete hull section in one piece. This would have used a lot more material and would have also been very, very heavy! To allow the plug to be

Model Boats December 2013

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special feature

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been impossible to remove this plated wood master from the plug, Photo 5. This male master ‘plug’ was now ready to create a fibreglass female mould. Okay, not quite as simple as that, but I am sure you get the idea. Six coats of car polish were applied to the ‘plated and painted’ plug, each application being given a good polish and finally a blue release agent (a form of PVA) was applied to the polish and ‘fence’ by sponge (please see Photo 5 again). This can be quite frustrating as the polished surface stops the release agent from covering well and it has to be constantly smoothed out to ensure there are no drips which will spoil the subsequent mould. Once the release agent had dried, a gel coat was applied to one half of the mould

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followed by a coat of resin with fibreglass tissue which, being ver y flexible goes into ever y contour of the hull shape, Photo 6. Two layers of fibreglass mat well soaked with resin were then applied, Photo 7. The same operation was done for the second half and then ever ything left for a week to cure and here it is always easy to tell, because the mould will change colour to green when it has properly and thoroughly cured. Holes for screws were drilled along the ver tical dividing line between the two female mould halves. Screwdrivers, chisels and various other tools were then inser ted between the fibreglass mould and wood plug, to carefully prise the two apar t without damaging it all. Some of the card came of f onto the fibreglass mould, Photo 8, but this was easily washed of f. The mould was fundamentally sound, but any small blemishes were filled before the two halves were screwed back together and the whole process of polishing the inside of the mould with six coats of car wax and an application of blue release agent was now repeated, Photo 9.

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The actual hull moulding was finally made in the same way as the female mould by applying a gel coat, fibreglass resin plus tissue coat and two fibreglass plus resin and mat coats, Photo 10. After a week curing (yet again!), the hull was snapped out of the female mould to be a relatively light, but very strong basis for the rest of the model. Weight is not a problem with this model, so I could build ‘heavy’.

Fitting out the hull, main deck and planking

Three strips of 1mm ply were stuck to the top inside edge of the hull with glassfibre resin to provide a ledge for the wooden deck. Holes were cut for the propeller shafts which were then fitted together with brass ‘A’ frames which were soft soldered onto the propeller shafts and pinned and glued with resin to the hull. The rudder shaft was added together with the rudder, the latter being a wooden blade pinned and glued to a brass rod coming through the rudder shaft and supported at the bottom by a brass bearing screwed and glued to a rebate cut in the keel. I had decided to power the model using two Stour Valley Steam (SVS) Snipe steam engines, so two drip trays were made from some U-shaped brass section over which the engines could be mounted. This allowed any oil to be collected under the engines rather than it

running through the hull and it also allows the engines to be easily removed for possible use in other models. The gas supply is held under what would become the forward turret, the boiler under the main superstructure and access to the servos and engines is gained from beneath the rear turret. The steam pipes from the boiler to the engines are around 18 inches long and these were well lagged, by wrapping thick string around them, as any heat loss over such a distance would severely affect the smooth operation of the engines. All the radio equipment is mounted as high and as far away as possible from the boiler and engines. Unfortunately, with the hull having such a low freeboard this has resulted in the addition of 60lbs (27.2kg!) of additional ballast, in the form of lead blocks, to bring the hull down to it’s waterline. So, as you can see, the model is no lightweight! A framework of deck beams with allowances for the various hatches was glued to the deck edge strips inside the hull top edge and then covered with a 1/64 inch sheet of ply to act as the base for the deck beams. The decks have been planked with boxwood using thick black paper to represent the caulking. Sheets 4mm thick were cut from a block of boxwood and black paper glued to one side. Each sheet was then cut into 4mm planks, thus ending up with planks 4mm x 4mm with one side ‘caulked’ in black paper. Planking started from the centre line of the deck working outwards and lines were drawn across the

sub-deck where the planks would join. These planks were also joggled into margin planks where necessary and the whole deck then sanded smooth. To remove any black paper dust that had been ground into the deck during sanding, a Stanley knife blade was scraped over the deck. An unusual feature of the deck are the huge number of piercings indicated on the plans. After consulting with a number of people with greater experience than myself of this type of vessel, and examining photographs of other vessels of the period, we concluded that they were deck lights. These were therefore made from pieces of brass tube forming the rim with acetate rod representing the glass. The holes in the deck were drilled undersize and then carefully reamed out with a tapered reamer to prevent the edges of the hole from splintering, or the drill ‘chewing’ the end grain of the plank. Photos 11 and 12 show the general internal layout and deck. I am sorry I forgot to take any pictures of the framework being installed in the hull, but in these last pictures, the deck lights and coal scuttles are very visible.

Superstructure 13

All the deckhouses and main superstructure block are made from marine ply of varying thicknesses, dependent on whether a flat surface is being represented, Photo 13, or a curve such as the sides of the turrets and

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their barbettes, all supported by a wooden framework of some sort, Photo 14. The boat deck has been covered in litho plate marked with a dressmaker’s wheel to represent the rivets, seen here in Photo 15 as the overlay locating tabs, the folded plate was stuck using superglue to become an acceptably rigid structure, Photo 16. The funnel was also made from marine ply over a wooden former and was also sheathed in litho plate, but the half-round top was carved from wood. The exhaust from the boiler, both gases and steam from the engines and safety valve are channelled through a copper pipe inside the funnel. There is actually no forced ventilation into the hull of this model, Photo 17.

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Mast 18

to the right of the picture. Litho plate was also used to make the three companionways as they have a curve to their top edges. Again, the dressmaker’s wheel was used to add the effect of rivets and by the use of

The bottom part of the mast was formed from brass tube with brass fittings soft soldered on to represent the ladder rungs, top mast supports and gooseneck fittings. The bottom of the observation top was turned from wood, 1/64 inch ply sides were added and a wire mesh floor added as in Photo 18. A wire pushed up inside the mast acts as the radio aerial.

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The larger ship’s boats hulls were formed from plastic sheet melted over a wooden former and then fitted-out with plasticard ribs and stringers, plus wooden thwarts. The whalers and dinghy are made as plank on frame models using 1/64 inch marine ply over a wooden former and then fitted out with lime wood, Photos 19 and 20.

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Weapons and fittings The main armament barrels were turned from 22mm diameter aluminium rod, and brass (please see Photo 14 again), whilst the rest of the metal fittings have also largely been made from brass. As there are a fair number of bollards and fairleads, these were each cast in white metal from moulds, the original ‘masters’ being made from brass. Using Lego as a wall, the originals were half buried in plasticine in the bottom of the mould, Photo 21, with two sticks which would allow the two halves to be subsequently joined together, a larger stick which would form the pouring slot and a small stick which would provide the breather hole. Two part moulding compound was painted on to the brass originals, Photo 22, to reduce the chance of air bubbles forming on the fittings and then the remainder was poured over the top of it all and allowed to cure. The Lego wall (box) was then removed, the plasticine removed from the base of the mould together with the two vertical locating sticks and some release agent applied to the half mould. The Lego walls were re-erected with the half mould now placed in the bottom of the box so formed, and the top half of the mould was added by pouring more of the compound into the box. When this was cured, the box was ‘broken-down’, the two halves of the mould separated, the original brass bollards and fairleads removed together with the sticks inserted for the pouring and the breather holes. With this two, part mould back together, casting could commence, but when I first tried pouring the molten white metal into

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the mould. the castings were ver y pitted, almost resembling pewter tankards. However, I discovered that by brushing Strand BLR2 Filler Powder (a fine white powder) around the mould a barrier is created between the metal and the rubber and the castings produced were then perfectly smooth, Photo 23. The other fittings were fabricated from a mixture of brass, Perspex, plasticard (styrene) and copper pipe. As examples, Photo 24 is of the winch on the covered deck and Photo 25 is of the parts for the smallest guns together with a completed version and Photo 26 is of the assembled 6 pounder secondary armament.

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Railings 28

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The stanchions are from 1mm brass rod with a 0.5mm hole drilled through each length in two places for the rails. To ensure these were all the same distance apart, and to reduce the number of broken drills, a jig was made. Using a piece of steel rod, a 1mm hole was drilled down its length. A flat was made down one side of the rod and two 0.5mm holes drilled through the flat and through the 1mm hole in the middle of the rod, Photo 27. 1mm brass rod could then be fed into the steel rod and drilled with a 0.5mm drill, As the steel supported the drill and as long as a drop of oil was applied before attempting to drill the brass rod, the 100+ stanchions could be now quite easily made, Photo 28. The stanchions around the wheelhouse are slightly different in that they have a ball at the point where the rails cross, so for these 1.5mm brass rod was used. This rod was turned down in the lathe using some fine swiss files and the holes for the rails then added as for the other stanchions. Having a jig makes the task so much easier.

waterline as well as on all the metal fittings to act as a key for the top coat of satin black, white or Sahara Beige, Photo 31. The decks were given several coats of matt varnish rubbed down initially with fine sandpaper and for the last coat, wire wool was used, which gives a good finish to virtually anything.

Ladders These were made using a jig made from aluminium, Photo 29. This picture shows how the jig was constructed and how it holds 1mm boxwood strips (cut off a larger block using a bandsaw). The side pieces are slid into the horizontal part of the jig and a hacksaw makes the initial cut into the wood. By placing 0.5mm metal shims into the bottom of the vertical slots, the saw cannot cut all the way through the wood. A swiss file then finishes off the cut to the right width. By moving the wood along so that a piece of wood can lock it into place before the next saw cut is made, all the cuts in the vertical pieces can be made the same distance apart so when the treads are inserted, the gap between them is the same.

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The flag This was made from tracing linen, which after being well washed to remove the starch in the material, provides a very fine linen cloth which can be painted without the colour leaching. Internet research led to the correct number of stars and stripes for the period. The design was drawn onto the linen in pencil and red and blue Setacolor was used to colour in the stripes and blue corner block, the white stars being added at the end, Photo 30.

Painting For painting any model, I try to use car spray paint aerosols whenever possible, as there is no mess, the quality is consistent and they are very easy to use albeit not as cheap as they used to be. Red oxide was used below the

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On the water The model steams well with a reasonable speed, Photos 32 and 33. As with most models with two propellers, but only one rudder, steering is better achieved through the speed and direction of the engines which makes independent control of them essential as the rudder is relatively ineffective, not being in the direct thrust from the propeller(s).

Conclusion This is a relatively brief description of this warship and the model’s construction. I have tried to make it clear that there is nothing remarkable in building such a model, provided you have all the data to hand and approach the project in a methodical and patient way. For example, making the stanchions all exactly the same is quite easy once the master tool is made, which actually only required basic lathe working skills as described by Richard Simpson in his Steam Basics column. The model was of course built over a number of years, but is of an unusual prototype and was therefore a most satisfying construction project. l (Acknowledgment - some of the pictures published with this article are by H. Kohler)

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Useful photograph resources?

The main site for these is: http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/monterey.htm.

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kit review

Riva Aquarama BRIAN ROBERTS builds an Amati classic kit 2

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’ve often marvelled at the sight of beautiful, sleek and very expensive speed boats gracing the shores of southern France, and I must admit to having feelings of more than just a trace of envy. After a little research I discovered that a number of these beautiful craft were built by the

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Italian company called Riva, and they went under the name of Aquarama. Production of them ceased in about 1973, but refurbished ones can be acquired for up to $500000, not surprisingly somewhat out of my price range! However, the Italian company of Amati have been producing high class 1:10 scale kits of this beautiful boat for some time now at a more affordable price of about £350. I quickly decided that this was for me, so one was ordered from Hobbies, website: www.alwayshobbies.com, seemingly quite expensive for a boat kit, but having read several favourable reviews I considered it to be reasonable value for money. The kit is intended as a static model which can be converted to radio control, so a motor and transmission kit are also available for a further £160, but as the motors in this package are brushed, I decided against it as I had a brushless powerplant in mind for this model. The kit was ordered at 3pm one afternoon and it arrived at 2pm the following day! There were no shipping charges, so all credit to the supplier for an excellent service. It came in the form of two large, heavy and stout boxes, one inside the other, and I wondered why so much weight could be attributed to one relatively small boat? You cannot have too much packing and this is was what it was all about.

What’s in the box? Well, the question was soon answered, as apart from the outer box itself being quite heavy there were a large number of laser-cut ply sheets in varying thicknesses which contributed considerably to the weight, Photo 1. Then there were a quantity of chromed brass items, a number of nickel silver(?) metal sheets and the lime and

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mahogany strip to plank the hull. So, with other assorted items in the box, the weight was all accounted for and there was one thing for certain, with all that timber I was looking forward to having a really strong hull.

Making a start It’s usual to build a stand to support the hull as the first task, but as this was to be a plank on frame model the stand would come later, once a profile of the hull had been established. As already mentioned, there were a number of laser-cut ply sheets (including some in a mahogany colour which I suspect were really of Sapele), none of which were identified by numbers. However, there are five full-size plans in the kit showing all the part numbers, so the first job was to identify them and number each item accordingly. I should mention at this stage that there is a complete parts list of the whole kit in Italian, a sheet of instructions in French, and a dual language manual of instructions in Italian and English! It’s a pity that there wasn’t a complete parts list in English, as I think it’s a bit late in the day for me to start taking Italian lessons. The first job was to lay the keel which consisted of two lengths of ply which were butt jointed together and secured with Evo-Stik waterproof glue, further secured by an additional piece of ply each side of the join, Photo 2. Before assembly I noted with some consternation that the two sections were slightly warped, but I decided to join them anyway and attempt to straighten the whole section out afterwards. So it was with some relief I discovered that after putting the frame together the whole keel was perfectly straight with no trace of warp. Don’t ask, as I’ve no idea why!

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anticipated that access to all parts of the interior of the hull with a paintbrush would be difficult as construction progressed. So it was important to waterproof the tricky and awkward to get at bits as I went along. I used a standard clear varnish for this job bought from the local DIY store. This varnish would also be used at a later stage inside the hull when the first layer of planking was laid. For the exterior of the hull a high quality varnish, which goes under the name of ‘Le Tonkinois Marine No.1’, a French product and not cheap at £12 for 500cc, was the proposed final finish. It is worth every penny in my opinion as it goes on smoothly with no brush marks, is odourless and dries fairly quickly to give a beautiful glossy finish. As you would expect, several coats will be needed with a light application of wet and dry sanding between each coat.

Fitting-out the basic bow cabin and cockpit

The bow section interior is lined with three mahogany sheets which would have been impossible to access once assembled, so they were given four coats of varnish each first, and then fitted. Each side of the open cockpit is also lined with four mahogany sheets so this had the same treatment before assembly,

Assembly of the hull frame

Provided the instructions are followed in the order specified, the hull frame fits together perfectly, Photos 3 and 4. A word of caution though, care had to be taken to ensure that everything fitted snugly together, otherwise if anything was out of line by even a few millimetres, it would be difficult to correct as the build progressed. The transom was a little more complex with a number of formers which would form the base of its curved planking, Photo 5. I decided at this point to apply a couple of coats of varnish to the frame for two reasons. First, as the interior of the boat would be completely open to the elements when tearing around the lake, some form of waterproofing for the wooden frame was required, and second, I

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Photo 6. Following the instructions (unusual for me) the next job was to fix the cabin seats in position after covering them with the supplied ‘leather-like’ (plastic) material, box in the forward cabin, glue the foot supports located at the cabin entrance and cover them with the same material. The cockpit floor was treated in the same way and glued in position, Photo 7. I’ve read about other builders of this model experiencing difficulties in successfully gluing the so-called leather-like material to plywood, and I must admit that the results in the pictures that I’ve seen, look very unsightly with a lumpy finish which is the result of using contact adhesive spread all over the surface of the plastic which causes it to wrinkle before applying it to the wood. With this in mind, it seemed obvious that if the plastic is stretched over the part in question and glued only on the underside out of sight, the problem would be solved, and so it

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was. The only tricky items that I encountered were the two seat supports, (which incidentally were lowered by 10mm as they seemed rather high) but I got around this by wrapping the material tightly around all four sides and gluing with superglue where the two edges met. There was no wrinkling at the join and I made sure that it was positioned on each side

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of the seat supports and would therefore be hidden from view when they were fixed in position, Photo 8.

Motors and rudders I had declined the purchase of the additional transmission kit, so two working rudders were needed and as there don’t appear to be any commercially available in this particular shape, they had to be fabricated. This was easily solved by purchasing two large brass rudders, outlining the required shape on them with the aid of one of the plastic static versions out of the kit and cutting accordingly with a pair of snips. A little filing and polishing and the job was done, Photo 9. While I was at it a made a couple of skegs out of some brass tube and sheet to support the propshaft tubes as the ones supplied were only suitable for the static model. Suitable holes were then drilled in the frame, the rudders were loosely fitted, checked for correct positioning and then removed for installation later during the project. The rudder servo, a Futaba S3003 was also fitted temporarily at this stage, Photo 10. Installation of two Keda 860KV outrunner brushless motors in their support framework was the next step, Photo 11, which turned out to be very convenient because the unit could then be loosely fitted into the hull, Photo 12, which enabled the propshafts to be lined up correctly prior to a permanent fix later. To Amati’s credit, the creation of the hull frame with the preformed laser cut parts was so accurate that very little adjustment was needed.

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No, its not a car! Two headlight openings are built into either side of the bow of the boat and I thought it would be a good idea to have them as working lights with the aid of a couple of LED’s. Battery consumption would be low, their life would be long (hopefully) and as they run fairly cool, there would be no problems with them getting wet when the boat was underway. The bulb holders were lined with kitchen foil, the LED’s glued in

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position, and then fitted onto their positions in the hull, Photo 13. Sufficient lengths of wire and suitable resistors to reach the power source and switch were soldered onto the LED’s and with that done the next stage of construction was the hull planking.

First planking I was looking forward to this stage because at last the lovely curved lines of the hull would be evident and I just hoped that I could do it justice! It’s done in two stages; the first layer is made up with 6 x 1.5mm strips of lime and the second with 8 x 1.5mm strips of mahogany. I knew the job wouldn’t be easy, particularly under the sweeping sections under the bow, but I thought ‘here goes anyway’! Before the planking could commence, any sharp edges on the frame had to be removed and a Dremel power tool with a rotary sanding attachment, used with care, was very useful. The initial strips were laid according to the instructions, all quite straightforward really, Photo 14, and the

rest were completed without too much difficulty. Each strip was held in place with the aid of small steel nails until the glue had set, Photo 15, but the downside with this procedure is that if any of the waterproof glue comes into contact with the nails a dark stain shows on the lime. It doesn’t really matter at this stage because there will be a further application of mahogany later. ‘Won’t the mahogany stain as well’, I hear you ask? ‘No’ is the answer and all will be revealed later, as I had a cunning plan! As expected, the sweeping curve under the bow was a bit tricky, the key thing here was to let the strips run freely without trying to force them into position and fill in the resulting gaps with scrap pieces of which there were plenty at this stage. A couple of coats of varnish were then applied to the inside of the hull and I was thankful I’d varnished the rest of the interior earlier as space to poke a brush around was getting a little limited. So at last, with the first layer of planking in place it was looking more like a speedboat, Photo 16. The frame for the

rear removable hatch was assembled and sheeted with thin ply together with the upper parts of the hull, Photo 17, and with the foredeck suitably planked Photo 18, before I turned my attention to the transom.

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Transom 20

Before the first layer of horizontal planking could commence, two pieces of thin plywood were fixed to the lower part of the transom followed by a couple of thick pre-cut pieces of mahogany, Photo 19. The mahogany pieces were shaped later to follow the smooth lines of the hull. There’s quite a curvature on the transom and because of its short length I anticipated that getting the strips to remain in position whilst the glue was setting could have been a problem. However, the ‘nail and glue’ job as per the rest of the hull worked a treat, Photo 20. It has been mentioned in the past by other builders of this model that the transom parts are ill-fitting and needed trimming to fit satisfactorily. I didn’t find this a problem as all the parts went together perfectly, so I can only assume that if there was a problem it has since been rectified by Amati.

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Second planking

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The procedure for this stage was much the same as that for the first layer of limewood, but care must be taken with the application because nothing was going on top of it to hide any mistakes. As before, the mahogany strips had to be held down while the glue cured, so this is where I deviated from the instructions and put my ‘cunning plan’ into operation. Instead of using the small steel pins as supplied, some of brass wire were inserted with the aid of an Amati Pin Pusher. These pins were much thinner than the steel versions, so they left a much smaller hole in the timber when removed and because they

were brass there would be no problem with staining if they come into contact with any excess glue, Photo 21. The holes were easily eliminated afterwards by the old trick of putting a tiny amount of glue on each hole, spreading it in with a finger then sanding, thus an instant invisible repair! Again, the strips under the sweeping curve of the bow were allowed to run freely Photo 22, and the resulting gaps filled with offcuts, Photo 23, as attempting to twist the strips to follow the curve of the hull would have ended in disaster with unsightly humps appearing everywhere. You will note that in Photo 22 some of the strips are too short and don’t reach the end of the bow which was a big disappointment when the price and general quality of the kit was taken into consideration. The offending strips were extended with some scrap wood and it was hoped that all would be hidden once the metal bow protector was attached. Instructions for joining and finishing the point where the planking joins the forward deck are non-existent, so I had to use a combination of common sense and modeller’s licence, the important thing to remember being to keep everything smooth and flowing. All that remained now regarding the planking was the transom which was completed with the aid of brass pins, Photo 24, as well as the forward deck.

Stand This was now necessary, so it was off to the local DIY store for a suitable piece of timber for the base and with the help of an old shelf and some spare strips of carpet the stand was soon assembled, Photo 25. It was never my intention to build a ‘posh’ stand, but one which was going to get a lot of use and no doubt some knocks at the lakeside. I may build a more appropriate stand at some later date for display purposes.

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Completing the hull upper parts

Before work on the foredeck commenced, the mahogany laminated sheets were applied to the top of the hull and it’s worth noting that if this thin sheeting is sanded too hard, the yellow centre core is revealed which is not a desirable colour against mahogany. The foredeck is made up with alternative strips of thin mahogany and even thinner lime wood, and due to the curvature of the initial outer strips I used superglue to make an instant bond with the deck, but not my fingers! This was a better alternative than holding the strips in place while regular Evo-Stik bonded. I continued with the instant(!) superglue to finish the deck and any that oozed out between the strips was soon disposed of with a little light sanding. The saxboards (outer fairings on edge of deck) were also added at this stage and sanded to shape, Photo 26. The rear removable hatch had the same treatment as the foredeck with the alternating strips of mahogany and lime, Photo 27.

Bow protector I thought it prudent at this stage, before varnishing the hull, to assemble and temporarily fit the metal bow protector piece which consists of two pieces of pre-formed shiny metal. As the instruction manual is completely devoid of any instructions, or even a mention of the bow protector, a little head-scratching was required. After a series of mishaps, or to put it another way - trial and error - I came up with the idea of pinning the two metal pieces in position and soldering them together in-situ, Photo 28. Ordinary soft solder with a hot iron was used as I wanted the solder to flow quickly before the mahogany timber was damaged. This worked fine, with no scorching of the woodwork and the bow piece unit was removed from the hull, filed, polished and put on one side until required later. I think the metal is nickel silver as it certainly wasn’t stainless steel because it was easily cut and the solder took to it with no problems.

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Assembly of motors and connecting the headlights

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The motors, which were already fixed to their frame, were re-introduced into the hull and the assembly firmly glued in position, Photo 29. The switch and batteries for the headlights were also fitted into the hull. I’d been considering for some time how to operate the headlights and the idea came to me over the Christmas period. My wife and I spent Christmas day at our daughter’s house and on the festive table were a string of coloured lights powered by two AA batteries in a box complete with switch. Ah-ha, brilliant I thought! So, a set of lights was purchased after the holiday for £1.25, the battery box was snipped off and connected to the headlight wires and the job was complete. This unit sits nicely between the motor couplings (please see Photo 29 again), with everything secured by Velcro tape.

Temporary fitting of propshafts and rudders

With the motors and couplings now installed, it was time to connect the propshafts to them, but first, suitable slots had to be made in the hull to enable the shafts to exit. As the motors were already angled in their framework it was a fairly simple matter to determine where to make the slots just by following a straight line from the couplings to the exit point in the hull. The holes were ‘started’, by drilling two or three holes in line and finishing off with a round file. The propshafts (by Raboesch) had to be shortened by about 30mm. They were then fitted temporarily in position with their skegs just to check that everything lined up correctly, which it did as in Photo 30. The four holes shown, are to take the Graupner inlet/outlets for watercooling of the electronic speed controllers. The rudder servo was fitted permanently and connected to the rudder posts which were briefly fitted before their removal, together with the propshafts themselves, before varnishing commenced.

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Varnishing Having got to this stage of construction, the next major job was the sanding of the hull, followed by yet more sanding until all parts were like the proverbial baby’s bottom. This couldn’t be rushed, as it was vital at this stage to get a completely smooth finish prior to varnishing. I anticipated that about ten coats would be needed, after which all the running gear, chromed parts, dashboard dials and windscreen etc. would be fitted. As mentioned before, the varnish was from Le Tonkinois (Marine No.1) which was applied neat with a one inch high quality brush and at least

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24 hours was allowed between each coat. After each application, there was a light rub down with fine grade wet and dry sandpaper, cleaned off with a damp cloth followed by a gentle wipe with Halford’s Paint Preparation Tissues. Rubbing down with wet and dry was important for two reasons: First, to smooth out any imperfections caused by dust etc. and second, due to the composition of the varnish, if further coats are applied without ‘flatting’ the surface, it forms globules which are obviously undesirable. So the first coat was applied and the hull colour just sprang to life as the mahogany was transformed from a dull light brown colour to a rich vibrant brown which would only get better as more varnish was added. A couple of

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weeks and ten coats later the varnishing was complete. To be truthful, four were enough to get a good finish and the remainder just added depth to the finish. The Le Tonkinois Marine No.1 varnish certainly did what it said on the tin, being odourless, leaving no brush marks and drying to a high gloss finish and I was well pleased with the result, Photo 31. Five coats of white Humbrol enamel were then applied to the sides and under the forepart of the hull with a light rubbing down between each coat and I must admit it seems like an odd configuration to me, but this is how it is on the full size boat. When all was dry it was finished off with a blue waterline stripe which was supplied with the kit in the form of self-adhesive backed tape, Photo 32.

Installation of the running gear

Having lined up the propshafts previously, it was a simple matter to reinstall them and permanently fix in the hull with epoxy adhesive. The rudders were also fixed in position with the addition of an O ring at the base of each post and some light grease on the shafts. This combination is pretty well guaranteed to prevent any ingress of water into the hull. The skegs were slid over the propshaft tubes, epoxied in position and two 40mm, three bladed Raboesch brass props were screwed on and firmly attached with a locking nut, Photo 33. The rudder servo, which was already in position, was connected to the rudder posts, a bit fiddly as my hands aren’t the smallest, but we got there in the end! The watercooling units were epoxied in position, suitable plastic tubing was attached and connected to the two esc’s. The Futaba receiver was held in place with Velcro and as high as possible in the hull away from any possible dampness. Now that everything was in place in the hull, all that

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remained was the wiring which was fairly simple even for a non-technical person like myself! The choice of battery was a NiMH 7.2v 5000mAh from the Component Shop which sits very neatly in its dedicated place in the hull, Photo 34. With a little trepidation, my Futaba 2.4Ghz transmitter was switched on followed by the receiver in the boat, the left hand stick was moved gently forward and the motors responded smoothly. No problem with the rudders either as they responded perfectly as well, so far so good! So all that there remained now was the part I’d been looking forward to since the start of the build, the addition of all those shiny bits and pieces to accentuate the sleek lines of the model.

The end is in sight……….. However, before the chromed brass fittings were attached to the model, the cockpit was finished off with a very detailed instrument panel, steering wheel and the high class, readymade seats. The front ones are velcroed to their supports, Photo 35, and were made removable to gain access to the motors if need be. The rear one and its backrest were a little too wide, so they were ‘doctored’ accordingly and can also be taken out if required. A white padded strip was glued around the edge of the cockpit and a similar one around the rear section which is used for sunbathing and access to the engines on the full-size boat. On the model three readymade elongated removable cushions are provided which fit neatly on this rear section, similarly providing access to the interior of the hull. Now that the cockpit interior was complete, all that remained was the addition of the on-deck padding surrounding the cockpit, the shiny bits and last but not least, the windscreen. Amati have excelled themselves

Model Boats December 2013

kit review 39

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here, because this robust unit is of a very high standard coming ready shaped, glazed and with a chrome edging all around. There are three short pins attached to the base so it was just a question of locating their positions on the deck, drilling the holes and dropping the screen into position, Photo 36. The bow protector and nose (musetto) were screwed in place with the aid of some tiny screws, each only 4mm long. Yes, not good for big hands like mine, but they look fabulous when in place, Photo 37. The remaining cleats and chrome plated hardware were epoxied into place and the model was complete except for one thing, a ‘human’ to drive it. After a fruitless search on the Internet and numerous charity shops. I managed to acquire one from my granddaughter. I think it’s 1:12 scale and not 1:10, but no matter, it looks the part, Photo 38, which is also of the complete model. I must mention at this point that there are four exhausts on each side of the boat and one was missing from the kit, so I told Always Hobbies who in turn told Amati and I had a replacement a couple of days later direct from Italy. That’s what I call service!

inside, it was evident that one of the Huco couplings wasn’t rotating smoothly. On closer examination, I noticed that one of the bolts on the motor mounts was minus its nut and as a consequence the motor was quite loose. So the nut was reattached, tightened and a little Loctite applied to it and its partners and we were in business again. The motors ran smoothly with no vibration and so back on the lake again to put her through her paces. (Brian is using brushless outrunner motors. With these, the backplate is secured and the casing including the motor output shaft rotates. So, if not properly secured, the output shaft may vibrate - Editor) She was out again for about five minutes on half throttle, Photo 39, and then in for a quick check; motors cool, esc’s cool and not a trace of water in the hull, so all now looking good! Then she was out again for about ten minutes, from tootling about up to full throttle

and then back in for a check. A different story this time, cool motors and esc’s again, but quite a lot of water in the aft part of the hull and I realised the answer straight away, as at flat-out speeds, sharp turns are to be avoided like the plague. There are no coamings or any form of watertight sealing due to the very nature of the boat’s construction and on a high speed turn a lot of the water thrown up by the bow finds its way onto the sunbathing area amidships and seeps into the hull.

Conclusion A most enjoyable build, definitely not for the beginner, but without too many problems. A bit of head scratching and common sense were required at times, but all in all it’s a lovely kit and all credit to Amati for it, but one final thought to any potential builders and that is, ‘no sharp turns at high speed! l

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On the water As I hadn’t tested the boat on the domestic indoor facility (AKA the bath) it was with a little trepidation that I immersed her into the water at the Gresford Sailing Club where I operate my models, but no worries as she floated nicely down to her waterline. The throttle was eased gently forward and away she went, but with an ominous sounding rattle from the motors. So back she came and straight on to the stand. The motors were run slowly and having a good look

Model Boats December 2013

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warship scale

Range Above: Part of the tented enclosure at Richmond Park.

finder

DAVE WOOLEY with his Worldwide Review of Warships and Warship Modelling 1

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Photo 2. This functioning LST normally forms part of the Belgian D-Day diorama.

Photo 1. The Belgian modellers from MBV Hofstade are best known for their huge D-Day dioramas at Intermodellbau each year in Germany.

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elcome once again to our regular sortie into the world of fighting ships and this month we have Part Two of the July 2013 National Warship Weekend report, an event held in Glasgow’s Richmond

National Warship Weekend Part Two

In Part One in November MB we covered the on the water aspects of this event and now we are looking at the models on static display. For the first time the Belgian D-Day Model Group (BMV Hofstade), a group of modellers from Belgium who are well known for their fine D-Day displays at Intermodellbau in Germany each April, brought to this event not just their models, but a continental flavour to the proceedings which was certainly appreciated by everyone, Photo 1! Apart from the models featured last month, they brought a superb model of LST 292. The original was built at American Bridge and had a displacement of 1625 tons and carried eight 40mm guns. Powered by diesel motors on two shafts, the ship could maintain just over 11 knots when fully laden. The class were equipped with davits for LCM’s (Landing Craft Mechanised) and were designed for ocean going transport, but also capable of landing tanks or vehicles over beaches, Photo 2. Although 1:72 scale is becoming popular for classes of warships up to destroyer size, 1:96 still remains a practical option for others, and this exceptionally fine model of the USS Missouri, Photo 3, to 1:96 scale has been built by Andrew Grant.

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Photo 3. USS Missouri BB63 is a truly impressive model at 1:96 scale.

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Park, plus Part 29 of the HMS Daring project discussing painting the model and the Mystery Picture returns.

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Model Boats December 2013

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warship scale

Fleetscale recently announced the introduction into their range of 1:72 scale hulls and fittings, the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers. These large US Navy vessels are amongst the most capable afloat and as a bonus for modern warships they really do appeal to the eye. For some time now, Steve Houston of the Scottish Model Warship Association, a prolific builder of modern warships, has been working on a model of the Flight 2a Type USS Winston S. Churchill of this class, Photo 4. The model is not yet finished, but already looking fantastic. The weather in July 2013 was very kind indeed and we were blessed by calm sunny days, however the sun at that time of year can be uncompromising, so gazebo cover was welcomed by visitors and modellers alike, Photo 5.

Trade support One of the advantages of events such as this, is that you get a chance to chat to the traders and one of the new and innovative manufacturers fast making a name for himself, is Steve Pickering of Chylds Hall Model Shipyard. Steve is now producing several of his models of early torpedo boat destroyers in semi-kit form as well as a lovely twin funnel vac-formed 56ft steam picket boat and his latest project is an Imperial Russian Navy torpedo gunboat c1890, Photo 6. I mentioned ‘innovative’ and I was shown one of the new accessories developed by him to improve shaft lubrication. This is a first time I have seen a remote stern tube lubrication kit and it went on sale for the first time here and Steve had no problem selling his initial stock, Photo 7.

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On the slipway? I have always been impressed by those modellers that are prepared to show their model in various stages of construction, as this conveys very much the methods adopted to build a model. One such example was this scratch built WW2 destroyer using plank on frame construction for the hull, Photo 8.

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8 Photo 4. 1:72 scale is becoming standard for models like this guided missile destroyer USS Winston S Churchill. Photo 5. Warships and more warships! Photo 6. Steve Pickering with his latest project, an Imperial Russian Navy torpedo boat. Photo 7. From Chylds Hall Model Shipyard comes this remote stern tube lubricator kit, a unique and innovative solution what can be problem in small spaces. Photo 8. Incomplete models, especially those that show the method of construction, can convey more information than the completed model.

Model Boats December 2013

warship scale

Photo 9. Unpainted and scratch built, this four barrel Flakvierling uses a combination of sheet styrene and metal.

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Photo 10. This 1:96 scale HMS Illustrious uses foamboard for its flight deck.

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Photo 12. Garry Mills has adapted a Mountfleet Britannia hull to create a model of the armed trawler FY918, The Three Kings, and the new machine guns are noteworthy. Photo 13. Garry Mills presented his fine example of HMS Leopard, a Type 41 frigate of the 1950’s. Much of the superstructure uses photo etched items which lend themselves well to producing crisp edges. Photo 14. The Type 42 destroyer is still a popular subject, particularly HMS Glasgow seen here at 1:72 scale.

Another was this scratch built Flakvierling weapon fitted to a German S-boat, Photo 9. As popular as ever are the RN Invincible class aircraft carriers and this 1:96 scale HMS Illustrious, also built by Andrew Grant, makes use of composite sheet styrene (foam board) for the main deck which seems to be unaffected by temperature and exposure to direct sunlight. Like styrene, this material retains the value of a surface that is ready to be painted without much preparation, Photo 10. I cannot overstate the value of seeing models in their unpainted incomplete condition as these convey far more information to a prospective boat builder than a completed model. So, here is another example of a different approach to the same subject, but with a wooden deck, Photo 11, and it’s worth noting that the model forward of it is yet another Arleigh Burke destroyer, but to 1:96 scale.

Photo 11. Another Invincible class carrier that uses a more traditional approach to the construction of its flight deck.

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And more models……..

Touched on last month was the armed trawler The Three Kings FY918, built by Garry Mills using a Mountfleet Britannia hull and fittings.

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14

This is a really interesting conversion with the two twin machine guns on a platform forward of the bridge, Photo 12. Garry has also built this superb model of HMS Leopard, a Type 41 frigate to 1:72 scale. This model oozes fine detail, particularly the wood strip around the deck edge and stanchions, Photo 13. How he has managed to glue it all in place without the adhesive being visible is a mystery to me. One of the 1:72 scale RN Type 42 destroyers to catch my eye, was this project by Bill MacOwen of his version of HMS Glasgow, sporting the identification band down the funnel and side of the hull to distinguish it from the Argentinian equivalent warships, Photo 14. Steven Houston is also building (where does he get the time?) a superb 1:72 scale model of one of the three new Australian Navy Hobart class destroyers. HMAS Hobart is to enter service in 2016, HMAS Brisbane in March 2017 and HMAS Sydney in 2019. The class will be using the fixed phased array SPY Aegis system currently fitted to the American Arleigh Burke class of destroyer. The design of the ships are based on the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán class, also known as the F100 type. Much of the electronic, radar surveillance, illuminating and targeting systems are of US origin and the 48 vertical launch missile silo uses the Mk.41 Sea Sparrow and Tomahawk cruise missile systems. This model is based on a GRP hull with the

15

superstructure being scratch built, Photo 15. The GRP hull was designed by Alan Pew of APS in Australia and originally for the specialist professional firm making display models for the full-size shipbuilders. In the November 2013 issue of MB, I showed an on the water picture of a 1:96 model of the pre-dreadnought HMS Lord Nelson built by David Hamilton of the Edinburgh MBC and I mentioned there would follow several detail pictures of this interesting and seldom modelled warship. David mentioned to me in conversation that he built the model some years ago and it was then passed to a new owner, but eventually it arrived back with him, although requiring some refurbishment which has now been completed. HMS Lord Nelson was actually completed a year after HMS Dreadnought, but was still considered to be, together with her sister ship HMS Agamemnon, as the last of the pre-dreadnoughts. HMS Lord Nelson was designed with a mixed armament comprising four 12 inch main guns in two turrets, one forward and one aft, and a secondary battery of ten 9.2 inch guns, set as four twin turrets and two single mountings, Photo 16. Douglas Kinloch has an interest in unusual Japanese warships particularly those that supported float planes, so his latest subject is the formidable I-400 class submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy and it is a scratch built working model to a scale of 1:144. Three of these were built and in service 1944 to 1945. The model aircraft were sourced in Japan as Douglas is a regular visitor to that country. The I-400 type is remarkable and not just in its size of 6560 tons, so were the largest

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warship scale

Photo 15. An almost completed model of an, as yet to enter service, Australian Hobart class guided missile destroyer.

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Photo 16. HMS Lord Nelson had a mixed armament and was powered by triple expansion engines. The warship actually entered service some time after HMS Dreadnought, but was correctly described as a pre-dreadnought.

submarines ever built until the advent of the nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines in the 1960’s, and they were actually aircraft carriers having a hangar and catapult. Their purpose, as very long range submarines, was to be able to attack for example, the Panama Canal. For this purpose they could carry three Aichi M6A1 Seiran float planes each capable of carrying a torpedo or a single 800lb bomb. Although no such attack was ever made, the I-400’s were all the more impressive in having an advanced radar for air and surface

search. Even more extraordinary for the time, their outer hulls were covered by an anechoic coating to reduce the sonar signature and with the German manufactured snorkel device, they could remain submerged for long periods and Photo 17 is of Douglas (suitably dressed) and his model.

Conclusion Over the years, one of my greatest delights has being able to converse and talk about models of all types with like minded modellers from different parts of the world. Having the Belgian group attending really did give the event an international flavour and I hope that the organisers can build upon what they have achieved and perhaps more of our modelling friends from Europe will make the trip in the future. The weekend was blessed by fine weather and the event concentrates more on participation rather than an over-emphasis on competition. Events like these don’t happen spontaneously and they require people on the ground to make things work and here in Glasgow there is a core of enthusiasts who with others, volunteer their time to erect the facilities and provide refreshments and clear up at the end of the event. It is these people that really do make things happen and Photo 18 shows the 2013 organising team from the Scottish Model Warship Association. Watch out for the 2014 dates when you really can’t do better than enjoying the two days of model warships. Photo 17. IJN enthusiast Douglas Kinloch with his latest model of the Japanese WW2 long range submarine aircraft carrier I-400 type of vessel. Photo 18. Without dedicate volunteers such as the Scottish Model Warship Association members and the host club at Glasgow Richmond Park, a successful event such as this would not exist.

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warship scale

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construction job I had forgotten was the slightly raised deck edge as in Photo 20 on the full-size HMS Daring. So, out with the styrene strip again and 1.5mm x 0.5mm Evergreen strip did the job on the model, all carefully superglued in place, Photo 21. Back to painting now!

Photo 19. Most of the detailed and small fittings have been removed and the superstructure and hull has been given a light primer coat to highlight all the surface defects and blemishes.

Airbrushing the hull and superstructure

Photo 20. The forecastle deck edge on Daring has a slightly raised edge to it and that cannot be ignored at 1:72 scale. Photo 21. The raised deck edge is reproduced using Evergreen Strip No.122, 1mm x 0.5mm.

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1:72 scale HMS Daring Type 45 destroyer - Part 29

This month sees a departure from what has been a fairly lengthy construction project, to discussing airbrushing the model. I always view painting, or in this case airbrushing, as the make or break part of any project, as this will determine the final appearance of the model. There are three distinct methods that can be applied to produce the final finish; brush painting or spraying (using an airbrush or aerosol cans) or a combination of both. Brush painting is easier, usually requiring far less masking off of specific areas of the model, but the usual problem of dust and brush marks is forever present. So a Photo 22. Still a blemish on the starboard side amidships, but we are getting there! Photo 23. After the second colour coat is dry, a gentle ‘buffing’ using the very finest grades of Micro Finishing Cloth from Albion Alloys is a very useful means of improving the paint surface and removing those irritating minor blemishes and dust deposits, but without the need to apply a further coat of paint.

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combination of airbrushing and brush painting will be utilised here. Airbrushing is an acquired skill, but in the right environment (not on the dining room table!), super results can be achieved, but remember, an airbrush cannot spray around corners nor is it ‘man enough’ to spray a 15 foot long model boat hull quickly enough, so bear in mind the limitations of the tool.

Preparation With a model of any sort, the key word is ‘preparation’ and paint, particularly in the thinly applied spray coats, will not hide faults or blemishes. The aim however, is to use as few coats of paint as possible for colour coverage and this is most evident with stanchions and railings, where too much paint, particularly if applied by brush, can thicken these items noticeably. HMS Daring was shown in November 2013 MB with some parts of the model having been painted and other unpainted. The first task was to remove all of the small fittings and put them in marked trays or containers ready to be painted separately, but not forgetting where they would each go! The hull and superstructure can always be given a single light ‘dusting coat’ of paint, which immediately has the effect of highlighting any flaws and those annoying blemishes that often go unnoticed, Photo 19. For dealing with small flaws and blemishes, Green Putty filler which is cellulose based and sets hard, is my preferred choice as within about 10 minutes of application it can be sanded. Minor hiccup here! One

The superstructure was removed and work could begin on airbrushing the hull. The actual task of airbrushing was fairly straightforward and the colour? Well, White Ensign Models (WEM) Modern RN Grey paint is about the best match you can get. WEM produce really good matches to original colours, but the paint only comes in small 14ml tinlets which can be pricey. Also, unlike Humbrol paints, it is advisable not to add any thinners, as this tends to separate from the enamel and the finish can look more like ‘pebble dashed’ than a smooth painted surface, so you don’t want to waste any as you will be using it neat from the tinlet. Leaving this conundrum on one side, the WEM paint needs to be well mixed before use, but once the process was underway and the air pressure to the airbrush set correctly (for which a compressor with a air tank reservoir is best), HMS Daring soon had its first real coat of paint, Photo 22. White Ensign models have a website: www.whiteensignmodels.com if you want to see all the products they can supply. To improve the quality of the overall finish of the model I have for many years now, used flour paper between the paint coats. This is ultra-fine grade and you can achieve excellent results, as well as eliminating the odd paint run or blemish, often without recourse to yet another paint application. However, Albion Alloys now produce a small sponge pad with an assortment of very fine abrasive sheets, some of which are finer even than flour paper, Photo 23. Like most enamel based paints, it is recommended that you leave it for 12 hours, or even more for WEM paints, before applying a further colour coat and/or sanding, Photo 24. It is sometimes thought that large scale models such as those of 1:72 to 1:24 scale are easier to build than say 1:200 or 1:144 models, yet the larger the scale, the more minor detail can be exposed and the same logic can apply to the painted surfaces. So mistakes can be more noticeable, the larger the model. On large expanses of the hull and superstructure, I have found that a very gentle ‘buffing’, with

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Photo 24. The micro cloths come with a sponge applicator which has proved to be very useful and unlike actually sanding the painted surface, the micro cloths seem to nicely blend the painted surface.

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warship scale

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27 these Albion Alloys products, can make a significant difference to the finished surface, but this is really a matter for you the reader to develop your own techniques with which you are comfortable.

Photo 25. Marking the position for the boot topping required a slightly different approach from the usual 90 degree set square and pencil approach. Here the stretched Kreinik fine thread can be seen on the starboard side of the bows.

Anti-fouling and boot topping

Photo 26. A side view of the hull. Using a stretched thread was a new procedure for me, but it worked very well as it so happened.

Preparation On previous models the preparation for marking out the line of the anti-fouling and boot topping has been the relatively straightforward task of placing the hull on a flat and level surface and using a 90 degree set square, with a pencil attached at the appropriate height and marking the demarcation line along the length of the hull. On HMS Daring, the top of the boot topping does not run parallel to the keel, so a modified method was required. There are three precise reference points along the sides of the hull which determine the position of the top edge of the boot topping. These are: The lower part of the anchor hawse pipe on the starboard side (only); on the transom slightly above the spoiler and just above the bilge keels on the sides at their widest points. A stretched fine Kreinik thread was taped initially to these reference points to mark the relevant position, Photo 25. I chose to adopt what was done on the full-size vessel and take the top of the boot topping as the datum line, so the line when viewed across the hull it is straight but appears to be following its shear when viewed side on, Photo 26. With the top of the boot topping determined, a pencil mark was made at intervals along the length of the line. Once marked, the line was removed and low tack Tamiya masking tape applied in one long length, following the pencil marks, Photo 27. With the tape in place, the entire area of the hull above the line can be covered over using conventional low-tack masking tape of the Tamiya variety. The reason for this, is to avoid the probability that conventional tape might damage the freshly painted surface underneath.

Airbrushing the anti-fouling and boot topping

Although the line is in fact the top of the boot topping, the entire area below will be airbrushed Humbrol No.73 Wine Red. Prior to that and to ensure that the top edge will show a fine black line, the edge of the tape was painted black along its entire length to seal the tape/hull join and ensure that no

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Photo 28. Humbrol No.73 Wine Red was the colour airbrushed, using 20% thinners by volume, over the lower hull to the level of the top of the boot topping. Photo 29. With the Wine Red dry, the lower line for the boot topping was positioned. Photo 30. Pencil marks were made at intervals behind the line.

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Wine Red would appear above the black boot topping to be applied later. This is an old dodge, but it does mean you don’t have to mask the model twice. Once dry, the Humbrol No.73 Wine Red, mixed with 20% thinners by volume, was applied, Photo 28. Once dry, attention shifted to the black boot topping. The option was to mark the position

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Model Boats December 2013

Photo 27. A pencil mark having been made at intervals along the stretched line, it was then removed and Tamiya low-tack tape applied.

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of its bottom ledge using either the traditional set-square and pencil method or use the stretched Kreinik line again, as was indeed the case, Photo 29. With the line in place the method for marking was much the same as before, Photo 30. Applying the low-tack tape was once again, also exactly as previously, Photo 31. The area bellow the lower line was now masked off and covered, Photo 32. You will notice that I have used newspaper, as the days of newsprint rubbing off on everything seem to have now gone, but do check please before using it. Otherwise brown paper or silver kitchen foil, as Paul Freshney now favours,

Photo 31. Low-tack tape was applied to the hull to correspond with the pencil marks for the bottom of the boot topping. Photo 32. Black as a colour permeates everywhere when being sprayed, so through masking and covering of already painted areas is essential.

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warship scale

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will do the job equally well. Humbrol Matt Black, also thinned 20%, was the chosen colour for the boot topping, Photo 33. With the airbrushing complete (at least on the hull), the masking tape could be removed and I would always recommend doing this whilst the paint has started to dry, but is still not suitable for normal handling, Photo 34. To conclude on this airbrushing theme, Photo 35 is looking along the hull which hasn’t turned out too badly as it so happens. In the next issue we will discuss the method used for airbrushing the black panels on parts of the superstructure.

Next project? 34

As the work on MS Daring is coming to a close, thoughts have increasingly been turning to the next project. I briefly touched on this a year or so ago, but at that time work on a comprehensive set of drawings remained incomplete. The Russian corvette

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Soobrazitelny is the second of the Project 20380 Stereguschiy class which adopts new features in stealth technology, but the vessels retain the rare visual appeal that prompted me to explore the viability of acquiring a set of drawings for the warship. Thanks to retired naval architect Peter Brown, such a set has been produced and thanks also to Jonathan Evans from Canada, a GRP hull has been made from a ‘plug’ created using those drawings. There are many interesting features built into the relatively small hull which it is hoped will be shown during the course of construction. That said, it also surprised me that so much photographic material is available on the Internet and elsewhere, which in part prompted me to put this project to the top of the ‘to do’ list. Anyway, for now, I have for you a picture of Soobrazitelny, the second ship of the class, Photo 36.

This month’s Mystery Picture, Photo 37

The clue is: A trail blazer of an experiment, or an abject failure?

References and acknowledgements

I-400 submarine ref: Japanese Warships of WW2 by A J Watts, pages 202 to 205. LSTs and LCMs ref: Allied Landing Craft of WW2, Naval Institute Press HMS Lord Nelson ref: Warships of World War One by H M Lee Fleming, page 9. My continuing thanks to the Captain and Ship’s Company of HMS Daring for their help and assistance during my visits. Also my appreciation to the Naval Regional Office for their continuing support. My thanks to Bill Clarke for his Mystery Picture. l

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The schooner Bluenose has a very special place in the history of navigation and yachting. Built to fish off the Newfoundland coast, the ship soon turned out to be such a fast sailer that she won all the great classical regattas along the USA’s Eastern coast 67cm (H) x 76cm (L) x 14cm (W) Build Complexity: Advanced Beginner

This shrimp cutter is a typical cutter from the 1960’s used for catching shrimp off the German, Dutch and Danish coasts. 23.6cm (H) x 36.3cm (L) x 10.7cm (W) Build Complexity: Beginner

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On March 21, 1780, the young Marquis de La Fayette embarked on board the Hermione, to fight alongside the American insurgents fighting for independence. 60.5cm (H) x 74.5cm (L) x 33cm (W) Build Complexity: Medium Not suitable for R/C

The titanic was designed to carry 32 lifeboats but was only carrying 20 boats when it sank, to add to the tragedy, many of these boats were launched half empty. 5.5cm (H) x 28.5cm (L) x 9.5cm (W) Build Complexity: Beginner Not suitable for R/C

In the late nineteenth century, the struggle between sailboats and steamships was fierce. In a desperate effort not to be defeated, the British shipyards built the Scottish Maid. This sailboat was characterised by a thin and sharp bow (known by the name of Aberdeen) and a large sail. 46cm (H) x 67cm (L) x 24cm (W) Build Complexity: Medium Not suitable for R/C

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show report Inset left: HMS Warspite held the attention of Commodore Baum and Dr. Nicholas Jedynakiewicz for some considerable time. Below: The skipper of Puffin Billy 2!

Above: Colin Vass and his truly awe-inspiring model of HMS Warspite took top honours at the 2013 Model Boat Convention.

The 2013 Model

DAVE WOOLEY reports from Haydock Park

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his is now one of the longest running events of its type, not just in the UK but in Europe. It has built up a good reputation for its efficient organisation and the facilities, but above all is well regarded for the quality and ingenuity of the club displays

Above: Runcorn & District Scale Model Boats won the award for best themed club stand. Inset right: The interior of the steam launch Allanna - outstanding workmanship.

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together with good and varied trade support, plus of course the supreme excellence of the competition entries. For the first time since the UK held the Naviga European Championships of 1975, a UK event attracted visitors and competitors from the Russian Federation of Ship Modelling Sport, and what fantastic and outstanding models they brought with them.

Haydock Park is just off the M6, south of Manchester and it has free parking, excellent personal facilities and the show is held in the mostly carpeted exhibition centre which has a wood-panelled entrance area from which the various rooms used for this 24th Model Boat Convention, could be accessed. Thirty clubs, some individual exhibitors and more than 20 traders supported the event, including Colin Vass with his remarkable 1:72 scale HMS Warspite.

show report

Above: Ray Scrivens presented his superb example of HM Royal Yacht Britannia. Above right: Vladimir Churilin and Maxim Titov of the Federation of Ship Modelling Sport of Russia with Natchez. Left: Well, it looks quite possible that Kirklees MBC member Garry Dyson has found a revolutionary method of propulsion that will make brushless motors technology of the past!

Above: Every part of the Natchez model is made from wood, even the rigging and stays!

Boat Convention The event

The Guest of Honour for this year’s event was Commodore Dickie Baum RN, Naval Regional Commander Northern England and he officially opened the Convention. He was accompanied by the Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside, Dr. Nicholas Jedynakiewicz, and both were welcomed by the President of the Convention Committee, who is Paul Freshney, Editor of this magazine. It is worth mentioning that the event is organised and run by modellers for modellers and is non-profit making, any surpluses going to charity. The Secretary of the Committee is Jean Barlow, and where we would we be without her sterling efforts year-on-year? The theme for 2013 was Pleasure Craft and one of the ideas of having a theme, is that the supporting clubs incorporate the theme within their displays. There were nearly 800 models on display at this 2013 Convention, and I think you would hard put to find that number elsewhere in the UK at a similar event. Notably on that subject, there were a pair of superbly built models of modern styled powerboat craft by Ian Povey, including all the lavish internal detailing. Ian had scratch built both models using his own GRP mouldings, with a little inspiration from those seen at Intermodellbau in Germany. Another (unusual) Below: Bill Richardson is a real ambassador for our hobby, seen here demonstrating traditional methods of building model ships.

Model Boats December 2013

model was a concept design by Derrick Jones from the Bury Metro Club, built entirely from balsawood, with a wave piercing stem and a not easy to achieve, perfect white surface finish. There were also more traditional powerboats reminiscent of sports cruisers of the 1950’s. There is a rise in interest in these craft with vendors such as the Vintage Model Boat Company doing a brisk trade over the two days. There were many other models following the theme of the event and amongst them was an evocative model of the King George V, a much loved passenger turbine steamer built by William Denny in 1926 and displayed on the Scottish Model Warship Association stand. Yes, they don’t just build warships! Alan Taylor on the Southport MBC stand had a lovely steam model based on the Borkum hull, but including extras such as a tea urn and small tool chest and over on the St. Helens MBC stand was an aptly named steam launch, Puffin Billy 2.

Trade support For 2013 there were 22 traders with a vast selection of products to satisfy even the most demanding of modellers. These traders included, amongst others: Adrian’s Figures (ex-George Turner Models); Michael McGinn’s wide selection of small calibre naval guns and fittings at various scales; Macs Mouldings with yet more fishing boat fittings including figures and new for 2013, Chylds Hall Model Shipyard run by Steve Pickering, who is well known for his late-Victorian era torpedo boat models.

www.modelboats.co.uk

Above: The Vintage Model Boat Company did a roaring trade in their retro 1950’s and 1960’s kits. Right: A futuristic concept for a pleasure craft designed and scratch built in balsa by Derek Jones of the Bury Metro Marine Modelling Society.

Below: Ships in bottles are part of the Naviga World Championship classes and this is a fine example of the art. It is the 26 gun Goto Predestinatsia built by Dimitri Kulichenk of the Federation of Ship Modelling Sport of Russia.

show report

The Russians! They came and they conquered with their remarkable models. The Imperial Russian torpedo boat Oslyabya is superbly built by Maxim Titov in a style once popular with shipyards and their clients.

Paul Freshney (right), President of the Model Boat Convention with Commodore Baum at the closing ceremony and prize giving. Behind the Commodore is Jean Barlow, Secretary of the Convention, and to his right is Debbie Lowndes, daughter of Captain Woodhall, the last master of the QE2 and Guest of Honour in 2002, but who has sadly now passed away.

Above: What a good idea! A model boat stand kit to suit various sizes of models from Scale Hobbies.

place in each class, so Colin Vass made it a clean sweep for himself, with his 1:72 scale HMS Warspite achieving First in the category and the President’s Award. However, the Robin Woodall Memorial Trophy for the Best in Show Award, selected by the exhibitors, went to Vladimir Churilin of the Russian Federation of Ship Modelling Sport with his magnificent model of the American side-wheel river steamer, Natchez. For those that were unable to attend the Convention I would like to comment on this particular model. Each and every item, including the stays and rigging, was made from wood and all the figures were hand carved, each with their own facial features and expression. The Russian team also entered some model ships in bottles which are a regular feature of Naviga events, but are seldom seen in the UK. Another extraordinary fine model, that of a small Russian torpedo boat, was constructed in a style more reminiscent of how museum models were presented, with bare metal such as brass being used throughout, but left unpainted. Semi Scratch Built Models First place was taken by Ray Scrivens with his well-known model of the HM Royal Yacht Britannia. This model looks better every time one views it, as more and more detail is noticed. Kit Built Models Vladimir Makarichev took first with his incredibly well finished model of HMS Dreadnought at 1:700 scale and second with his 1:700 scale model of the Imperial Russian armoured cruiser Rurik. The original Rurik was completed in 1909 and was not built in Russia, but at Vickers, Barrow in Furness, and the vessel was considered to be the finest armoured cruiser afloat at the time.

Other awards

An astonishing amount of detail on this 1:700 scale model of HMS Dreadnought by Vladimir Makarichev.

Competition The entry was the highest it has ever been at 67, up from 45 in 2012. and the quality was outstanding. Judging is by a panel of well respected model boat builders led by Dave Abbott, himself a Gold Medal winner at the Model Engineer Exhibition. Scratch Built Models It is difficult to single out any one model as nine achieved very high scores and deservedly so, but at the Convention there is only a first

40

Best Mountfleet Model was won by Joe Lilly with his model Lady Patricia. The Diorama award went to Mark Hawkins with his model, aptly named ‘Prepping the Shag Bat’. The Junior award went to Ian Holms of Kirklees MBC with his model of USS Melvin. It’s always good to see junior participation and especially when they are as keen as Ian to do their very best. Best Tug in Show was awarded to Alexander Bogdanov (from Russia) and his ASD tug 3111 Smit Loire. In addition to the foregoing, there were as always, awards for the best model on each club stand, a nice way of rewarding the members of the clubs who do so much to support this annual event.

www.modelboats.co.uk

The Russians came! Having a discussion with them (they all spoke reasonable English), I asked what had prompted them to make such a long five day journey by van to the UK. The answer was that they wanted to know more about ship-modelling in the UK by having direct participation in such a prestigious event. They have long respected the skills of UK modellers in the building of model ships and have often wondered why we as a maritime nation, having a strong model shipbuilding tradition, don’t participate in the Naviga European and World Naviga Championships for scale model boats. The group included the Chairman of the Federation of Ship Modelling Sport of Russia who wanted to see firsthand how we in the UK promote the hobby, which in Russia and Eastern Europe is regarded as a sport. Many years ago I was directly involved with Naviga as a regular participant in competition and in establishing some of the rules of classification. From that position I can understand why they wished to know more, as they see modelling, first and foremost, as a sport or contest with a winner, something perhaps we in the UK tend not now do. The main impression the Russians went away with was the sheer size of this 24th Model Boat Convention and the understanding that it is but one of a number in the UK. In Russia, as in the USA, travel distances can be a deterrent for potential participants and maybe the organisers, hence perhaps fewer events. Our Russian guests cer tainly depar ted the UK with a better understanding of what British model boating is about, and in many ways that is ver y much our style of doing things, putting the enjoyment of displaying and sailing first, and competition modelling second.

Conclusion Once again the Model Boat Convention hit a high note and probably the highest ever. Its organisation is efficient and the volunteer supporters work very hard at making the event ‘work’. 2014 will be the 25th Convention in the series and no doubt will be an even greater success. The Model Boat Convention website is: www.modelboatconvention.co.uk and will be held on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August 2014. Contact details are on the website and I understand already a significant number of clubs and traders have rebooked for 2014. (Acknowledgement: A big THANK YOU to Dave Abbott for supplying many of the pictures you see here.) l

Model Boats December 2013

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EE! FRA N

RAFA Aquarius, possibly when new.

PL

RAFA Aquarius JAMES POTTINGER presents a Free Plan for a Royal Air Force Auxiliary vessel

Above: A somewhat blurry view, but this time from aft. In view of the actions of the man on top of the wheelhouse it would appear that she is having her compass adjusted. This shows the wooden planked extensions at sides of the boat deck, also curved tops on the washrooms at the break of the forecastle.

42

I

have long been keen to draw a model plan for this ship since noting in my collection a small general arrangement drawing in a shipping magazine which was published at the time of her construction. She was launched on 14th February 1934 by W.Y. Yarwood & Sons Ltd at Northwich in Cheshire as a Royal Air Force Auxiliary ship and fully equipped as a floating workshop, being built generally on the lines of a traditional steam coaster of that period, albeit with extensive accommodation and communication aerials etc. as befitted her service requirements. Her role was as an aircraft support tender, presumably to support flying boats on deployment. Of interest is the fact that on behalf of the Air Ministry, T.E. Lawrence, better known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, was one of three staff detailed to spend three weeks at Northwich

overseeing her final fitting out by the shipyard. To readers familiar with that area of the UK. it may be of interest to note that they stayed at the then Crown and Anchor Hotel, 33 High Street, Northwich, which is now occupied by a bank I believe. Final trials took place on the River Mersey between 28th March and 1st April of 1934. Following their successful conclusion, she steamed to H. M. Naval Base Devonport in Plymouth, where the ship embarked supplies and special equipment before leaving on 26th May 1934 for the 9000 mile voyage to Singapore.

Further accommodation on the main deck consisted of two twin berth cabins and a mess room with a bath(!) and toilet for RAF officers. The local native crew of eight were housed in the forecastle. Exposed doors and window casings were of teak fitted with mosquito screens and the internal furniture was of mahogany. All the exposed decks were provided with double sun awnings and side curtain facilities. The vessel also had a complete set of sails! Cost to construct her in 1934 was £12000, barely the price of a Ford Fiesta nowadays!

General information

Length: 115 feet Beam: 22 feet 6 inches Gross tons 296 Net tons 107 At a scale of 1:50, this means the model will be 27.6 inches long. However you could scale it up, for a larger working model.

RAFA Aquarius was constructed under Lloyd’s Register special survey to Class AI and to the requirements of the Board of Trade. She also complied with the Factory Act and met the requirements of the International Load Line Convention for service abroad. The steelwork throughout was of British manufacture, and the scantlings were generally in excess of Lloyd’s Register. Accommodation for RAF officers and other ranks was provided on the raised quarter deck with the engineer’s accommodation aft. The navigating officer’s accommodation was arranged in an extension of the navigating bridge deckhouse immediately over the lower deckhouse which also comprised a navigating bridge with a chart room and the captain’s cabin on the starboard side plus two officer’s cabins and a mess room on the port side.

Principal dimensions

Subsequent history Details of this are sparse, but sadly there was no happy ending as in the confused situation following the advance of the Japanese forces and the fall of Singapore she was apparently bound for Darwin in Northern Australia with around 70 persons onboard, but reportedly sunk around the 14th February 1942 near the Tjibea Islands, north of Banka just off the south east coast of Sumatra. Only three persons survived the sinking, but sadly they perished later, possibly as prisoners or war. This melancholy statistic was a loss which was the greatest associated with any Yarwood built ship.

A model? This is an opportunity to build a model of essentially a traditional steam coaster, but with a difference. The plan is drawn and presented to a scale of 1:50. However, if enlarged (or the measurements scaled-up) to 1:40 scale, the model becomes 34.5 inches long and if further enlarged to 1:32 scale it becomes 43.125 inches long, so the choice is yours. Unfortunately I have been unable to source any other photos than those published here, but hopefully these will give some flavour of this handsome ship, which was lost in waters and a region far removed from her birthplace at Northwich in the UK.

www.modelboats.co.uk

Model Boats December 2013

free plan

The steam capstan with horizontal drive as fitted at the stern.

Above: A typical steam winch as fitted to RAFA Aquarius, but here at Herd & Mackenzie. Left: How radial davits work is not always understood. This diagram shows how they rotate and why.

position ensure that the hook is directly above the dinghy. The wheelhouse windows are set into wooden frames in the steel deckhouse. It would appear in one of the photographs that there is an additional drum water tank mounted just behind the mast at the rear of the boat deck, similar to that fitted on top of the wheelhouse, although this was not shown on the original plans. Perhaps it was fitted for the vessel’s service in the tropics? RAFA Aquarius was equipped with a comprehensive outfit of receiving and sending radio aerials and also awning supports above the forecastle and deckhouse aft, but some of these have been omitted from the plan for clarity. In summary, this is a model for those with some experience of building model ships, but all the essential data is included for creating an accurate replica of a ship a little bit different from the usual traditional steam coaster.

Above: A typical steam cargo winch as fitted on the fore deck.

Colour scheme Basically all grey apart from the wood planking, window frames and doors. The grey would appear to be a standard Admiralty Grey of the period. The top of the funnel is black. l

Below: A similar civilian vessel from the same shipyard, but with another level on top of the main deckhouse.

As noted already, the hull configuration and lines are similar to steam coasters of the interwar 1930’s period, the final outfit however being appropriate for her specific service duties. A point to notice in the construction of the model hull is the flat section of knuckle around the counter and extending slightly forward of Hull Section 2. The areas of planked deck are as shown, with a steel deck above the engine casing and the extensions under the lifeboats have open wood planking. The crew’s washrooms on the forecastle have radiused tops on the outer edges as indicated on Section B-B on Sheet One of the plan. To handle the planing type of dinghy stowed on the hatch cover, an additional set of hoists is fitted halfway along the derrick, which when lowered to the correct lifting

Model Boats December 2013

www.modelboats.co.uk

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history

Flotsam

&Jetsam

JOHN PARKER delves into the archives

9: Veron Vosper RTTL

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he December issue of Model Maker, Model Boats’ predecessor, was always eagerly awaited as it was the ‘Bumper Christmas Issue’, and December 1958 was no exception. It cost an extra sixpence on top of the usual two shillings, but came with the bonus of a free plan for a 34 inch (864mm) 1:24 scale model of the new 68 foot RAF Vosper Rescue Target Towing Launch (RTTL). The craft had only recently entered service with the RAF Marine Branch as a replacement for the ‘Hant’s and Dorset’s’ and in its Mark IA version was powered by vintage Napier Sea

Top left: Model Maker ‘Bumper Christmas Issue’ for December 1958. Top right: Tie-in Ripmax fittings advertisement from the back cover. Right: Artwork taken from the kit box.

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Lion engines. This inadequate installation was due to delays with the intended Rolls Royce Sea Griffon engines and provided only a bare 24 knots maximum speed. That increased to 38 knots when two Sea Griffons were retrofitted to the craft in 1959, after which they were known as Mark 1B’s. The boat depicted in Model Maker’s article (and accompanying drawing) was number 2753, one of the interim Sea Lion powered boats, and lacked the raised engine deckhouse of the converted Mark 1B’s and production Griffon-powered Mark II’s, numbered from 2756. The Sea Griffon provided 1700hp at 2750 rpm and gave the craft a cruising speed of 32 to 36 knots, making the RTTL the flagship of the RAF fleet. The popularity of Model Maker’s drawing no doubt influenced Model Aircraft (Bournemouth) Ltd to produce a kit version of the RTTL under their Veron brand name. Designed by Phil Smith, Veron’s long-time prolific designer of model aircraft and model boat kits, it was for a smaller 28 inch (711mm) model, to be powered by a watercooled diesel engine of up to 1cc such as the Albion Dart, Merlin Spitfire or E.D. Bee. Even a 6v electric motor such as the Taycol Target or Torpedo was possible. Said to be ideal for lightweight radio control, the kit appeared in time for the 1959 Christmas season at a price of 63 shillings (Three pounds and three shillings) which is £3.15p today, rather less than the price of this magazine! Although it is always difficult to make such comparisons, I would say this is

www.modelboats.co.uk

the equivalent of around £58 to £60 in today’s money, but it represented a greater proportion of the weekly wage in 1959. Over one third, for an average worker on say £12 a week. The kit was very popular and sold in large numbers, being included in Veron’s advertisements well into the 1970’s and I certainly had no great difficulty in obtaining an unmade example of the kit. This carries the original Australian price tag of $48.95, suggesting that it is of 1970’s vintage, although I paid rather more than that for it, around $100 as I recall. Opening the lid of the box reveals a tightly packed arrangement of sheet balsa and ply, some plain, some die cut and printed; lengths of strip wood including a heavy piece for the keel; balsa and hardwood blocks; a two-bladed plastic propeller and a bag of fittings, topped by a plan and building instructions showing a photo of 2749, one of the early boats. My kit also has a brass stern tube, but this was probably added by the previous owner as the instructions state that the stern tube was, ‘purposely omitted from this kit to permit the builder to fit the propulsion unit of his choice’. The differing stern tubes recommended for the varying power plants, diesel or electric, were all 8 inches (200mm) long with 8.5 inch (216mm) shafts of appropriate grade and end threads. Instead of being built around a frame formed by the bulkheads, keel and longitudinal members, Veron used a ‘basic box’

Model Boats December 2013

history

Left: The contents of the kit.

Sketches from the instructions, showing ‘basic box’ construction.

construction that they claimed to be their innovation. Basically this is a rectangular balsa tub to hold the running gear, which then has the outer parts of the bulkheads, the chine members and the keel added to form a rigid framework ready to have its edges sanded to accept the hull panelling (skins). You would be unlikely to scratch build using this method, for the double inner-and-outer construction increases weight through redundant structure and creates inaccessible pockets between the two. For a kit though I can see definite advantages, as the inner box effectively removes the need for a building board, keeping the die cut parts that form the hull contours in correct alignment and reducing the number of full-length components to fit in the packaging. It could perhaps also be argued that it made the model ‘unsinkable’ on the principal of compartmentisation. Veron’s instructions, taking the sketched construction sequence in combination with the written notes, are quite friendly and easy to follow. Like most kits of the time, the compound curvature of the hull has been eliminated so that single curvature die cut ply sheets may be used to skin the hull where the more difficult method of planking would otherwise be required. A legitimate concession, given the intended market of inexperienced modellers, but one that robs

Model Boats December 2013

the model of some of the character of the full-size boat with its concave flared bow sections. Another criticism would be that the hull panels are not full length; each side of the model requires three panels for covering and each bottom half requires two panels, a total of eleven separate panels, including the transom, to provide potential leaks or bumps in the finished model. Similarly, the ply chine pieces and keel have to be assembled from shorter ‘fit the box’ pieces. It is clear that the manufacturer really envisaged diesel as the power source, despite the mention of electric motors, for at that time only such an engine would provide reliable planning performance and the generally heavy construction designed to withstand the rigours of diesel starting and running would penalise an electric model. An external keel no less than 3/8 inches (10mm) thick, identified as hard balsa on the plan but actually hardwood in my kit, has to be slotted for the stern tube and provided with a v-groove on its top edge for fitting to the outside of the hull. This would not be easy for a beginner to do and the instructions warn: ‘The prototype boat has no keel, but it is vitally necessary on the model to prevent yawing’. Perhaps this was only discovered during final testing, which would explain why the keel was

www.modelboats.co.uk

supplied very much as an ‘add-on’ rather than being integrated with the kit’s structure. Many kits of the time provided no fittings at all, so the bag of plastic deck fittings, which are quite well shaped, would have been welcome, along with the brass rudder. The type of vessel provided plenty of scope for further detail beyond what was provided. I certainly won’t be building my kit of the RTTL as it is worth more as a collector’s item. It might be worth dusting off a copy of the drawing though (Vosper RTTL MM530 in the MyHobbyStore plans listing). Built with LitePly frames, balsa skinning (consider reinstating the double curvature) and fibreglass cladding, it would be very light and have a sprightly performance with two modern small brushless motors masquerading as those Rolls Royce Sea Griffons. l

Veron advertisement for the RTTL, December 1959.

45

steam basics

Boiler Room Part Thirty Six: The Bar-Litre Rule

RICHARD SIMPSON’s series on model steam plants

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ne thing that seems to cause more confusion than anything else amongst model steam enthusiasts is the bar-litre requirement of the ‘Green Book’ set of rules. Consequently I think it is worth looking at in a bit more detail and examining a few examples to help you get a better idea of where your own boiler might sit as regards

this requirement. It is worth noting that the bar-litre criterion is only relevant to the ‘Green Book’ set of regulations. If your club or the event you are attending is covered by the Model Power Boat Association (MPBA), then they do not have such a differentiating factor and all boilers are considered equal.

Definition So what does Bar-Litre mean? Basically it is nothing more than a product, i.e. multiplied together, of two numbers which represent two size related aspects of a boiler. One is its capacity, or the internal volume, and the other is its working pressure. Looking at those two aspects a bit closer, the capacity is the total internal volume available for holding water. The easiest way of determining this is to fill the boiler completely with water then pour it out into a measuring jug. The internal volume must be completely filled, with no air and right to the top of the boiler shell. This is then effectively the most accurate method of determining the internal volume as it automatically takes into account cross tubes and braces etc. For the sake of the bar-litre number, this volume must, not really surprisingly, be quoted in litres. Consequently a boiler that holds 500ml of water has a capacity of 0.5 litres and a boiler that holds 750ml has a capacity of 0.75 litres. If you want to work in traditional units and only have an imperial measuring jug then a boiler than holds three quarters of a pint would be a 0.43 litre capacity boiler. The next bit is the working pressure and this seems to regularly cause issue in discussions. The working pressure is determined by the physical aspects of your boiler and it has nothing to do with what pressure you want to operate it at, what you want to set the safety valve at, or even how fast the engine needs to go. It is determined by the dimensions of the boiler and is set in stone from the day it is manufactured. This is why if you make your own you should use a proven plan, which will quote the working pressure on the plan. If you make your boiler exactly to the plan,

1

Photo 1. A typical manufacturer’s boiler certificate, this one as supplied by Maccsteam. This includes an identification number that will match the number engraved on the boiler, dimensions and/or capacity and the working pressure. Thus, everything you need to determine your bar-litre number. Photo 2. The beautiful range of horizontal boilers from Maccsteam range from two and a half inch to a substantial six inch and should cover most model steam boating requirements.

46

the quoted working pressure can be considered as applicable to your boiler. If you change any of the dimensions then it will no longer apply and you will then have to go through the whole process of determining the working pressure by calculation. A boiler inspector must see this information to be sure of just what the working pressure it should be. A manufactured boiler should be supplied with a certificate that should state an identification number, the dimensions or capacity and the working pressure on it so there is no doubt and again this should be produced for the examiner who is checking the boiler, Photo 1. Working pressure must be quoted in ‘bar’, which is the SI unit of pressure and the only unit that can be used to determine the bar-litre number. So if now we have a boiler with a quoted working pressure we can determine the bar-litre number. For the ‘traditional’ fans, 14.7psi is the same as one bar so you would have to convert a working pressure quoted in psi to bar. For example a working pressure of 45psi would equate to: 45 divided by 14.7 = 3.06 bar. For most purposes using 15 rather than 14.7 is close enough, so in this example just now, you have a 3 bar boiler.

The product So now we have two numbers; the capacity in litres and the working pressure in bar. All we now do is multiply them together. A boiler of 0.5 litres capacity with a working pressure of 4.0 bar would be: 0.5 x 4.0 = 2.0 or be known as a 2 bar-litre boiler. Similarly a boiler of capacity 0.75 litres and a working pressure of 5.2 bar would be: 0.75 x 5.2 = 3.9 or be known as a 3.9 bar-litre boiler. From this you can see that the first boiler has a lower bar-litre figure than 3, so it is not required to have periodic hydraulic pressure tests. However the second boiler is above 3, so is required to be periodically hydraulically pressure tested. Don’t forget that all boilers must have an initial pressure test when manufactured as the three bar-litre rule only identifies those that do not require further hydraulic pressure testing.

Examples Let’s now have a look at what that means to us as modellers and the best illustration I can think of is to look at the beautiful range of boilers produced by Mike Abbot at Maccsteam in Cheshire. He makes a range of horizontal boilers suitable for model boat applications from a two and a half inch boiler to a six inch boiler, so it is easy to compare just what falls above or below the 3 bar-litre limit, Photo 2. This then of course determines which boilers require periodic hydraulic pressure testing as well as annual steam testing and which only require annual steam testing.

2

www.modelboats.co.uk

Model Boats December 2013

steam basics 4

3

Photo 3. At two and a half inches diameter, the smallest boiler in the range has a bar-litre number of 1.16. This will power a small launch and being slim, it would suit a narrow hull.

2.5 inch boiler, Photo 3. This boiler has a capacity of 0.29 litres and a stated working pressure of 4.0 bar:

Photo 4. The three and a half inch boiler would comfortably power a small hull up to around four feet long, so more often than not plenty adequate for standard sized models. Very careful measurement of the capacity might just result in a bar-litre number very slightly below 3.

0.29 x 4.0 = 1.16 bar-litres This is below three so consequently this boiler only requires an annual steam test. 3.5 inch boiler, Photo 4. This boiler has a capacity of 0.75 litres and a stated working pressure of 4.0 bar: 0.75 x 4.0 = 3 bar-litres This is right on the nose of the limit and the Green Book states that small boilers are below 3 bar-litres and other boilers are 3 bar-litres up to and including 1100 bar-litres. Consequently, 3 bar-litre boilers require periodic hydraulic pressure testing. 6.0 inch boiler, Photo 5. At the top of the range, this boiler has a capacity of 2.5 litres and a stated working pressure of 5.5 bar: 2.5 x 5.5 = 13.75 bar-litres Not surprisingly this is well above the 3 barlitre limit and therefore requires periodic hydraulic pressure testing as well as annual steam tests. Now, just to compare with another couple of commonly found boilers: Hemmens Ribbersdale Horizontal Boiler, Photo 6.

Finally, the three inch boiler from Miniature Steam that is supplied with the Clyde engine, Photo 7.

5

The boiler has a capacity of 0.55 litres and a stated working pressure of 4.0 bar. 0.55 x 4.0 = 2.2 bar-litres Again, this boiler is well below the limit for automatic testing.

Conclusion I hope this has helped in some way to clear the air a bit and assist those who have not fully understood the testing requirements for a boiler. The bar-litre figure is key to knowing what you need to do and everyone should know what this figure is for their own boilers. Please don’t forget that by joining a club which has a miniature steam boiler examiner will make things much easier and invariably he (or she) will be only too glad to help point newcomers in the right direction. l

Photo 5. The largest six inches diameter boiler would power a large hull up to around six feet long or a smaller deep draught tug hull with twin engines. Note the twin burners and the ends of the stays to maintain the shape of the shell under pressure. Photo 6. The Hemmens’ Ribbersdale boiler is a popular choice for models up to around four feet long and is below the 3 bar-litre requirement. Being fairly slim, makes it suitable for hulls with slightly less width or those with available length and the modeller wants a bit more room down the sides. Photo 7. The Miniature Steam Clyde plant uses a three inch boiler that comes out as 2.2 bar-litres. This is a very neat and compact unit and is perfect for models such as the Krick Victoria or Borkum.

Pictures by kind permission of Mike Abbot at Maccsteam.

This boiler has a capacity of 0.5 litres and a working pressure of 5.3 bar: 0.5 x 5.3 = 2.65 bar-litres

7

This boiler therefore falls below the 3 bar-litre limit and so does not require periodic hydraulic pressure testing.

6

Useful contacts:

Name Email

Telephone

Maccsteam:

[email protected]

+44 (0)1625 619784

Hemmens:

[email protected]

+44 (0)1757 289664

Miniature Steam:

[email protected]

+44 (0)1905 776073

47

Newly Translated! Text and photos by Donald Dressel

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From the newly restored Navy Model Room of The Netherlands national treasure, the Rijksmuseum.

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ewly translated from the Dutch version, Ab Hoving takes you through the modeling exhibits in the newly restored Navy Model Room of The Netherlands national treasure, the Rijksmuseum. Ab spent 29 years as head model maker and restorer of this collection and he has picked some of his favorites to show in text and over 350 color photos. Come and see the treasures selected for you from one of the world’s great maritime historians and model maker.

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special feature

2013 USA - UK Challenge Regatta GARETH JONES reports

T Top: A picture of the Llandudno boating lake in the 1920’s, courtesy of Kim Holland.

Right: The start of one of the races.

Below: One of the USA team 36R yachts; note the unusual sail plan, reflecting the open nature of the class.

Inset: Two potential model yachting champions of the future perhaps? Russell and Tom Wyeth inspect their father’s yacht after de-rigging.

he USA-UK Challenge Regatta originated during a visit to London in 2001 by a group of model yachting enthusiasts from the United States. It is now a regular biennial event, held alternately in the UK and USA, and is an informal and friendly competition for vane steered model yachts. Initially the event was based on the Marblehead class, which originated in the USA in the 1930’s and is still popular today. Essentially a Marblehead is 50 inches long and has a maximum sail area of 800 square inches and legend has it that this was the biggest sized model that could be fitted on the back seat of an American car of that era. The cost of transporting these models across the Atlantic meant that participant’s expenses were high and in subsequent years the Challenge Regatta basis was changed to the 36 Restricted class. At that time, there were very few 36R class yachts in use in the United States, but the Americans set to work enthusiastically and built up a competitive fleet in the two years leading up to the 2003 event. The 36R is now a popular class in the

San Francisco and San Diego area. Like the Marblehead, the 36R is a very open class; essentially the hull must fit in a box, now 37 x 11 x 9 inches, but beyond that, pretty well anything goes with no restrictions on weight or sail area. The UK coordinator of the Challenge Regatta is Graham Reeves, a long time member of Bournville MYC and a vane sailing enthusiast. This year’s event was held in the UK, with races at Gosport on 8/9th June and at Llandudno, on which this report is mainly based, on the 15/16th June. The USA visitors also sailed at Hampton Court in the mid-week period and there were a number of social events held alongside the sailing.

The competition

This is run on an informal basis, though nominally to MYA vane sailing rules. The yachts are raced in pairs with a skipper and mate for each yacht to redirect it and if necessary adjust the sail or vane settings if it should come ashore before reaching the finishing line. The winner of a windward ‘board’ gets three points and two points for the downwind board. Ideally, all the yachts in each team should race all the yachts in the opposing team in both directions along the lake. In this year’s regatta there were 24 yachts competing at Gosport and 28 at Llandudno. To even up the team sizes, some of the UK skippers were given temporary US citizenship! The trophy goes to the team with the greatest number of points and this year, the UK came out on top with a total of 931 from four days of racing compared with the USA total of 465. As you will appreciate from my earlier comment, I was only able to visit Llandudno for the second leg of the event, hence this report concentrates on that venue.

Llandudno The weather conditions in Llandudno provided some challenging conditions for competitors with a stiff breeze from the north west on Saturday and slightly less strong winds on the Sunday morning, falling to a light and variable wind direction in the afternoon. However, despite an initially poor

50

Model Boats December 2013

A picture of the Llandudno boating lake in 2013, taken from the same position by Kim Holland.

special feature

Occasional collisions are inevitable, with the skippers, as in this case, trying to remedy the problem with their turning poles.

forecast, it stayed dry and Sunday was pleasantly warm. Competitor’s yachts were of varied design and age, ranging from modern state of the art carbon-fibre hulls and winged keels, to vintage models approaching 80 years old. Brian King from the Isle of Man had the oldest model at Llandudno, originating in 1935, steered by Braine Gear rather than the more modern vane system and still using its original sails. Considerable practice and experience is required to set the vane steering and sail rigging to achieve the best race performance. However, despite the skill of the crews, the vagaries of wind strength and direction introduce a degree of chance into the outcome of the races. Each skipper needs a mate on the other side of the pond should the yacht come ashore there. Perhaps for these reasons, vane sailing tends to be friendlier, more cooperative and less intensely competitive than radio controlled sailing. The winner of the earlier Gosport weekend was Jacque Cook who narrowly beat Graham Wyeth into second place by just two points. At Llandudno, Graham Wyeth was again narrowly beaten into second place, but this time by his son Shaun, although Graham came out on top of the competition overall, achieving 81.7% of the maximum possible score for the races in which he participated. The Wyeth family were heavily involved in the event with Shaun’s eldest son Lewis crewing for his grandfather Graham and his younger sons, Russell and Tom, crewing for their father. The prizes were presented late on Sunday afternoon by Audrey Andrews, whose father had been a member of the Llandudno Model Yacht Club in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Modesty prevents me telling you how old she is, but she did say that she had fallen into the boating lake in Llandudno before any of the competitors had been born! The lake is on the West Shore, a very picturesque setting at the foot of the Great Orme and was an excellent choice for the

Model Boats December 2013

second leg of this year’s event. Much of the credit for local organisation goes to Gareth Morgan who had liaised with the local council and prompted them to clear the accumulated sand from the bottom of the lake and pressure wash the swan poo away from its perimeter. The event had been opened by the Mayor of Llandudno on the Saturday morning and attracted a lot of publicity and interest among the local population and visitors.

Two well matched yachts, on course down the middle of the lake.

The venue This lake had been the subject of some controversy in recent years when the council planned to put a monument to Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, on a new artificial island in the middle of lake. Local and national model boating and yachting enthusiasts and organisations protested and eventually the proposal was withdrawn. There is now a plan to form a new Llandudno Model Yacht Club based at the site, which should help to preserve its future use for sailing models of all kinds. The club will initially be informally linked to Colwyn Bay Model Boat Club and if you are interested in joining, please contact Alan Woodward, tel; 01745 339277 or email: [email protected].

Conclusion The 2013 USA-UK Challenge Regatta was a great success. The aim of the event is for the participants to enjoy themselves, have fun, make new friends or meet up with old ones and sail vane steered model yachts in new and interesting locations and that was certainly achieved. The next round will be held in San Francisco and San Diego on the West Coast of the USA in September 2015. If you are interested in participating, start practising with a vane steered 36R class yacht and contact Graham Reeves at: [email protected]. l

www.modelboats.co.uk

Above: The overall winner was Graham Wyeth who holds his trophy, alongside Graham Reeves and Audrey Andrews. Left: The American skipper Mike Stobbe displays a memorial plaque presented to all the competitors.

51

around the clubs

Fred Crampton’s L.E. Macha, built from Revell kit of HMS Snowberry, is seen here on the pool which was inside the marquee. The pool and the activity on it attracted a lot of appositive attention from the general public.

John Barry Maritime Festival FRED CRAMPTON reports from County Wexford Murt Cloney’s beautiful pilot cutter.

T

his was held on Wexford’s Quay in The Republic of Ireland and John Barry? Well, he was the father of the American Navy and was born in Co. Wexford. The festival was the brain child of local RNLI volunteers and was such a success in 2012 that it was repeated in 2013. Model boating is part of the whole event and in 2013 it is estimated 40000 visitors came into Wexford for the festival. The model boat exhibition was in a dedicated 24 x 15 metre marquee which included a seven metre square pool. Modellers came from all over Ireland and we were very pleased to welcome Reg Woodcock

Above: Reg Woodcock brought his large collection of lifeboats.

Above: Dave Moss and Murt Cloney discussing the fishing boat.

Above: Robin Davies’ Bluebird models are very fast when on the water. Right: A Solent lifeboat passing Tusker Lighthouse on the indoor pool. StenaLine kindly sponsored the event.

52

Dave Moss’s superb lifeboat and its haulage trailer and tractor unit.

Fred Crampton’s model of the Kilmore Quay lifeboat Mary Margaret.

Jerry O’Sullivan’s model of the Irish coastguard cutter Faire.

and David Moss from the UK with their superb lifeboats. StenaLine assisted with sponsorship and travel arrangements which was much appreciated. During the two days of the festival, model boats were operated

almost continuously on the indoor pool, and outside along the quayside there were a Severn lifeboat, a customs cutter, an RN patrol boat and numerous fishing vessels. So, a great weekend for everyone, when we were

able as model boat enthusiasts to put our hobby positively in front of the general public, which can be no bad thing. Fred Crampton, Tusker Marine Modellers, Ireland. l

I want to take it home!

Electra DAVE WIGGINS reports from Althorne, July 2013

F

ollowing on from my brief report in the MB August 2013 issue the Editor asked for more comprehensive material, but this time with more close-ups and technical data and a bit less of the aerobatics. Consequently, I arranged with Electra (a fast electric racing club) and with my good friend Stephen Hart (great thanks to him for all his help), to attend the July 21st competition held at Althorne Lake in Essex.

The day dawned cloudy and cool, but soon turned into a ‘hotty’ once the cloud cleared away after lunch. Mono hull classes raced were Mini Eco and Eco Expert, followed by Mini Mono, Mono One and Two. Hydroplane classes raced were Hydro 1 and 2 plus Mini Hydro. Competitors, including a keen team of young London based Lithuanians, raced 40 plus boats and it was a very busy day’s racing. Photo 1 shows the winners at the end of the

Althorne July 2013: Class Winners Mini Mono (4 entries) Mini Eco (2 entries) Mini Hydro (3 entries) Mono 1 (7 entries) Mono 2 (10 entries) Eco ‘Expert’ (6 entries) Hydro 1 (4 entries) Hydro 2 (4 entries)

Trevor Goodinson Stephen Hart Brian Woolcott David Parker Stephen Hart Mantas Uksas (Lithuania) Lee Heath Peter Lockhart

1

53

around the clubs

2

3

is a chap with similar interests to my own as I noticed as he was using a rebuilt, 2.4GHz updated, Skyleader Clubman transmitter from the 1970’s.

The racing

day and Photo 2 is of Stephen Hart in workshop mechanic mode busy repairing a boat for Mark Shipman. Electra’s Martin Harvey assisted by club chairman Trevor Goodinson presented the prizes and the latter

It was a bit sad to see the low level of interest in the Mini classes as they are the least expensive way into serious fast electric racing, but by far the best supported were Mono 1 and 2 (both prop riders) and the established and popular Eco-Expert (submerged drive). Model boating of any type usually requires a rescue boat and Photo 3 is of the this vital service being performed, a duty that was carried out by one of those not racing in a particular class. This picture also shows that the lake has a high ‘soft’ reed bank and so is ideal should a model run amok, as damage should be minimised, nor should the boat leave the water.

4

The boats

Photo 4 is of the attractive, colour coordinated and hi-tech racing fleet of Mark Shipman. Following on from that comment, I’m not sure if I ought to use the term ‘low-tech’, but I was surprised and very pleased as a dedicated ‘woody’ myself, to see the number of hand built plywood hulls in use, especially in the hydroplane classes, Photo 5. These boats weren’t necessarily any slower than the expensive GRP and carbon fibre craft. Photo 6 is of an especially attractive colour scheme on a boat spotted in the pits - clearly its owner likes Smarties! Steve Hart’s Kukorelli built boat, Photo 7, is a Rainbow-1 Eco-Standard class hull. This hull has a Lehner motor powered by a 3S LiPo (11.1v), battery supply. The holes in the port side of the deck are part of the automatic self-righting facility built into the hull. Basically if up-ended, this compartment floods and the boat self-rights and as it speeds on its way, the water within exits via a self-bailing device in the transom. As mentioned earlier, the hydroplanes were often built of wood and Photo 8 is of the motor in the Hydro 2 boat of Paul Heath. This is built from an American Zipkits offering and is of ply construction being powered by a German designed, but Chinese built, Leopard 3 phase/AC electric inrunner motor rated at 1800kv (the output shaft rotates at 1800rpm per volt), powered

7

5

8

6

54

9

10

around the clubs

11

by a ‘6S’ (22.2v) LiPo batter y pack, all controlled by an American Castle Creations Ice 200 Amp rated model aircraft speed controller, Photo 9. And what happens when it all goes wrong? Well, Photo 10 is of this phenomenally powerful and ver y fast hydroplane upside down and please note the dagger plate! There was one other notable incident during the day when one of the Eco boats caught fire when out on the lake. I was told that this is very rare and highly unusual, the most likely cause being an exceptional power drain on the battery in an enclosed space on what was a very hot day. For your interest, Photo 11, is the computer ‘screen-grab’ of the telemetry information that Castle Creations speed controllers generate in graph form for analysis and all this is a bit like Formula 1 motor racing I am inclined to think. Remember as well, that an average domestic house does not usually consume 200 Amps in one go, so the power in these models is not something to be lightly regarded. Photo 12 shows another of the large, red, watercooled Leopard motors, this time fitted in Steve Hart’s borrowed Mono 2 class hull. Finally, to wrap this all up is a picture, Photo 13, of a race underway. Mishaps were rare on the day and a good day’s racing was had by all.

Heaths R/C Models) for all their help with this. I understand Stephen Hart was due to represent Britain at the Naviga World Championships in Belgium shortly after this July event, so hopefully he will do a report on that in due course. Electra races fast electric model power boats on lakes throughout the South East. At each regatta, in the Summer racing season, class winners are awarded trophies and all competitors earn points towards an annual Drivers Championship. Electra is the longest established fast electric model boat club in the UK and is affiliated to the Model Power Boat Association (MPBA) which is affiliated to Naviga. Their club website is: www.electrafying.com. l

12

13

Conclusion I extend my thanks to Trevor Goodinson (who supplied some of the pictures), Mark Shipman and the committee of the Electra club, Stephen Hart and to Paul Heath (of

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Model Boats December 2013

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Raider Atlantis..............£18.95 Normandie.....................£25.95 RMS Mauretania..........£18.95 Send your order with cheque/PO/credit card details to Marcle Models (MB5), Turnagain, Finch Lane, Amersham, Bucks. HP7 9NE, England Tel/fax 01494-765910 (24 hrs.) www.marcle.co.uk Prices include worldwide P&P - overseas airmail surcharge £7 per order. Send £4.50 (overseas £6.50 surface, £8.00 airmail) for our illustrated catalogue. *14-day “NO QUIBBLE” MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE (*if returned in a saleable condition) Book “Card Modelling Basic & Advanced Techniques” - £16.95, Overseas surface mail£20.95, airmail £23.95

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Impeller Pump and Egret DAVE HALLAM’s idea is put into practice

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have an impeller pump, Photo 1, and wondered if it could be used instead of the water jet devices commonly found in our hobby, but making a steerable outlet jet for it always put me off the idea. It all came to me though when I saw Glynn Guest’s article on Vectored Thrust which showed a directional nozzle (January 2011 MB, Page 31, Figure 11) and that diagram is reproduced here directly from that article. In Photo 2, we are now looking at the proposed unit sideways, in other words through the hull and you can see that the operating directional mechanism for the outlet nozzle is by a servo, here with its output arm replaced by a gear driving a shaft that would, through more gears, turn it to port and starboard. The servo and nozzle both have 50 tooth gears; the shaft connecting them has a 10 tooth gear at the top but a 20 tooth gear at the bottom, which gives an overall gear ratio of 2:1. So with this arrangement, a 45-0-45 degree servo movement, becomes a 90-0-90 degree nozzle movement. In practice, the design had to be amended as you will see later, but the principle is still the same. The impeller pump is actually a fan designed to blow air, the motor being of a high efficiency ironless rotor type, but not strong enough to pump water, so it was changed for an Expo Tools 385 type. To fit it over the bearing housing, three spacers were made from 2mm plasticard (styrene), Photo 3, and these created a gap for a seal behind the motor plate. However, I could not find an O-ring to fit inside properly as the examples that I possessed, either gripped the motor shaft so tightly that the motor could not turn, or were so loose they

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readers’ models Testing

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The pump produced a water jet of over 600mm length with the 385 motor on 12 volts, but it did draw over 10 amps, Photo 5! This motor was rated at 4 amps, so this high current was the result of the motor being overloaded, i.e. the motor wanted to run at 10000rpm, but the pump should actually run at rather less rpm. To slow the motor’s speed, the battery voltage was reduced to 7.2 volts and the motor then only drew 2.5 amps, meaning that with a 3.7Ah capacity main drive battery, the running time could be getting on for two hours.

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did not seal at all. Therefore, one was made by filling the gap with silicone sealer (bath sealant). The shaft had a drop of oil put on it as a release agent so that after the gap was filled and the sealant left a couple of days to harden, the shaft would still run free, Photo 4, and any excess sealant was simply cut off. The impeller

blade unit was glued directly to the motor shaft with epoxy adhesive and then the whole pump assembled with bath sealant around the edge of the motor plate and all screwed together. Thus, hopefully the motor could drive the impeller blade unit, without water leaking from the housing into the hull.

For simplicity I did not want to scratch build, but could not readily locate a 100% flat bottomed GRP hull as they all have some sort of slight vee. Also, the hull had to be large like a tug. However, the tug Egret, Photo 6, (MHS Plan No. MM1417) seemed to be ideal for this type of propulsion system. As only one propulsion unit was going to be used in this experimental model, the plan was reduced by 33.3% to about 1:48 scale, giving a hull approximately 465 x 165mm (18 x 6.5 inches) in size.

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Assembly

I am not going to tell you how to build the model as this was done in May to August 1988 MB issues by Dave Metcalf, but here are the principal modifications in the reduced-size version. Styrene sheet construction was used and the bow, deck, transom and rear bottom of the hull are from 2mm styrene sheet card and the sides are 1mm thick, all glued together with Plastic Weld, Photo 7. The raised part is the stern section and the black stripes on the top deck are double-sided tape that was used as the hull was actually

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constructed upside down initially, with the decks temporarily held down flat whilst gluing the stern and forward sections together, before adding the hull sides and transom etc. Instead of cutting triangular corner pieces to reinforce the side/deck/ bottom joints, 12 ‘L’ shaped rib-like supports were made as you can see in Photo 8, and these keep the deck sides and bottom all square, These ribs were 20mm wide and start at the deck & bow intersection, then cover the main and rear bottom areas, ending at the rear deck and transom. After the sides were added, the bottom piece(s) were finally fitted. Once dry, the hull was turned the right way up and additional supports also fixed internally to the hull’s interior.

Pump installation Copper 22mm pipe fittings were used for the fixed impeller pipework, Photo 9, all soldered together and then glued to the pump housing. The rear of the hull had a 20mm hole cut in it with a 20mm diameter cutter, this opening then being filed to fit the pipe as closely as possible. The pipework was then fitted into the hull which was also marked and drilled for the inlet, this time using a 25mm diameter cutter. The pipework was now glued into the hull using plenty of slow-setting epoxy adhesive, taking care to fill any gaps. The outlet 90 degree pipe bend fixed part, had a groove cut in it to take a circlip, which is actually a circular key ring cut in half. The solder groove in the elbow (nozzle) moveable bit, is not deep enough for a circlip so it had to be cut deeper. For this, a ‘back to front’ pipe cutter, had two arms with bearings fitted on it to support the elbow whilst a third arm with a cutting wheel on its end fitted just inside the elbow and could ‘roll’ around the inside, deepening the solder groove whilst pressure was applied to this arm, thus deepening the groove. The circlip was then placed in the groove in the moveable nozzle, smeared in silicone grease, and pushed onto

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the fixed outlet until it all locked in place, but now rotating freely and my not forgetting to fit the movement gear before installation, as once clipped together the device is pretty much permanent!

Steering A box was made to support the rudder shaft with a 2mm thick top piece to take the movement shaft and an idler gear as in Photo 10. The servo could not be positioned as originally intended (please refer back to Photo 2) directly over the steerable nozzle, so it was positioned mid-way along the hull and an arm used to move the nozzle via the gears as shown. So now you can see that the servo arm linkage moves the large gear, which is offset to one side of the thrust line, this gear engaging with an idler gear on a shaft running though the hull bottom, with another gear then engaging outside the hull onto the moveable outlet nozzle gear, Photo 11.

On the water Vectored thrust in this form does create a powerful and very manoeuverable tug model, although you do get some strange looks when you spin it on the spot! Running a little faster than scale speed is not a bad thing and there is plenty of power to do what she was intended for, and that was pushing barges as in Photo 12. Final finishing of the model however will have to wait as ‘the boss’ has just bought some wallpaper for the living room, if you understand what I mean.

Conclusion On the downside, the open inlet to the impeller pump does tend to pick up weed and debris and you cannot reverse the motor to blow this flotsam away, but it is easy to pick the bits out of the tube if needs be. You could fit this kind of nozzle to a standard water jet unit if space allows and have a very manoeuverable model boat, but this model demonstrates that a simple ‘air’ impeller unit can be successfully modified and function well. By increasing the nozzle’s movement arc to 180 degrees with different gearing, the model could then be sailed in reverse, but this is something to be thought about for the future. Would I do it again? Well yes, as this test platform has shown the idea works, is reliable in operation and inexpensive, not requiring any unusual parts, the only difficult bit perhaps being deepening the solder groove in the outlet nozzle to take the circlip. l

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Bench test

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News from Fleetscale

1:72 scale USN Arleigh Burke Destroyer Flight IIA Hull

Model Boats looks at new products

This new GRP hull is 217.54cm long and is slightly longer then the Flight I/II hull, the IIA being extended to allow for a helicopter hangar. The hull features: Bow anchor recess, bow anchor guide-way, bilge keels marked, propshaft/faring marks, A-struts marked, rudder post positions marked. The hull moulding is left smooth to allow the modeller to build any Flight IIA at any period of its career and it will build DDG79 through to DDG122. Sufficient detail has been placed on the hull that a modeller can super-detail the rudder area of this model for static use or for propelled use. Fleetscale is intending making additional hull detail parts and plans in the future. Price is £169.95, available from: Fleetscale, Westward Mouldings Ltd, The New Factory, Greenhill, Delaware Road, Gunnislake, Cornwall, PL18 9AS, United Kingdom, TEL: +44 (0) 1822 832120. Email: contactus @ fleetscale.com.

ATTENTION - MANUFACTURERS & DISTRIBUTORS l These pages are open to you - your shop window to bring to the attention of our thousands of readers, new products - kits, books, videos, engines, R/C gear, motors, anything that could be of interest to model boat builders. Send your information initially to Model Boats Test Bench, PO Box 9890, Brentwood, CM14 9EF - or ring the Editor on 01277 849927 for more details. You cannot afford to miss this opportunity!

Atomic Flash Ready to run Racing Boat We received a sample of this model distributed by J. Perkins (Distribution) Ltd. It is 350mm long by 88mm beam and 70mm high. Included in the box are a 2.4GHz two channel pistol grip transmitter, a 7.4v 700mAh Li-ion battery, 240v mains charger, a spare propeller and stand. The model is available in red and blue, and the transmitter requires six AA dry cells and also included is a rubber nose cap which helps protect the bows of the model. Pre-installed in the hull is the motor, receiver, esc and rudder servo, so it is just a matter of charging it and off you go. There are some novel features such as ‘Safe Propeller Arming’. The propeller will not turn until the boat is in the water and if the boat capsizes it can be turned upright by using the radio which has a good range of up to around 100 metres and the model can reach speeds of up to 20kph (apparently equivalent to 360kph scale speed!) with its powerful brushed fan cooled motor. The two channel radio provides proportional steering and forward speed together with a slow

reverse, all with adjustable trims. The battery charges in less than an hour and when tested on the Brentwood MBC lake it gave just under 10 minutes playing time. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance as once in the water it took off like a rocket, so does need a reasonably sized lake to get the best out of it. I managed to turn it over after a tight turn, but it flipped back upright with a quick blast in reverse and then forward throttle as explained in the instruction booklet. Recommended retail price is £39.99 and it is great value for money and fun to operate. Spare parts are also listed in the instructions should you need them. At the price, you can easily have a number in the club for racing and the ability to self-right is extremely useful. More information is available from: www.jperkinsdistribution.co.uk. There is also a video on You Tube: www.youtube. com/watch?v=2uxWFeV_-CA Review by John Elliott

Atomic Flash - What you get for £39.99.

Iwata TRN2 Airbrush

This is a new airbrush, a sample of which has been supplied to us by The Airbrush Company based in West Sussex. It is operated by a dual action pistol type of trigger, which offers simple and ergonomic operation. This is a quite different approach to having the air and paint control operated from a forefinger operated multi-purpose lever conventionally placed on top of an airbrush. The first squeeze of the pistol trigger turns on the air and then as you pull back further, it starts to

engage with paint control needle and gradually introduces the fluid to the nozzle. The maximum spray pattern can be preset with a control knob at the rear end of the handle and with its 0.5mm nozzle and matching needle, this will give a spray pattern of from 0.5mm to 38mm diameter. The needle seal packing is of PTFE which should give a smooth operation and long life. This seal makes the airbrush especially suitable for spraying solvents and it thus has an advantage over other brands of airbrush sometimes fitted with rubber O-rings. This Iwata TRN2 airbrush has also been designed to operate at low air pressures, which should minimise overspray and give precise control for detail work. Included in the kit are two metal gravity fed cups with lids, of 7 and 14ml volume respectively, a 28ml ABS type of suction bottle with an extension bar connector and a spanner. The airbrush was tested using an acrylic paint diluted with its recommended thinners.

Model Boats December 2013

On the first test when connected to an Iwata Studio Series Smart Jet Pro compressor, which does not have an air reservoir, the air pressure was set to 25 to 30psi and the results were excellent with the trigger operation being easy and precise. When connected to a larger air compressor and the air pressure further increased, it still worked well but there was no real advantage, so the airbrush should in practice function okay with

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any small compressor. In practice, when using the tool in its gravity fed mode, less air pressure will be needed, but when sucking from the 28ml bottle, then more is required. In this respect, the Iwata TRN2 airbrush is an extremely versatile tool as you have the best of both worlds. The Iwata TRN2 airbrush kit retails for around £130 and full details can be found from: The Airbrush Company in West Sussex, tel: 01903 767800, or please visit their website: www.airbrushes.com. Review by John Elliott

The Iwata TRN2 Airbrush comes with arrange of accessories.

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LCM 6 New kit from Deans Marine This kit is to a scale of 1:24, giving a model length of 710mm with a beam of 185mm. The prototypes were 56 feet long by 14 feet beam and could carry 80 troops or 34 tons of cargo, such as a

Sherman tank. The LCM 6 was basically the same as the LCM 3, but 6 feet longer. The kit consists of a GRP hull with full rubbing strip detail, computer generated laser-cut 1 & 1.5mm high impact plastic parts for the tank deck and superstructure, with engraved detail representing weld marks etc. A complete set of fittings cast in light alloy and resin is included, plus the propshafts, rudders and tiller arms.

A comprehensive instruction manual is included with a full size plan and recommendations on how to make the bow door operate. The model can carry a 1:24 scale r/c tank (not included). Introductory price is £195 + p/p, only available from Deans Marine, Conquest Drove Farcet Fen, Peterborough, PE7 3DH, England. Tel: +44 (0)1733 244166, website: www.deansmarine.co.uk. l

Gorilla Glue Model Boats have received a sample of Gorilla Glue and Superglue from the Gorilla Glue Company. This is an American company based in Cincinnati who has launched their products in the UK. This Gorilla Glue was first discovered being used in Indonesia on teak furniture. Gorilla Glue is marketed as: ‘For the toughest jobs on Planet Earth and bonds materials other adhesives simply can’t’. The glue expands to three or four times its size during curing, is 100% waterproof and temperature resistant. The glue is applied to one surface with the other dampened before they are clamped together. It sets in one to two hours, but is best left overnight for

best results. Other adhesives in the range are a: Superglue (cyanoacrylate), a wood glue and epoxy adhesive. I tried the sample of the Gorilla Glue on the aerofoil of my Club 500 boat and it gave a good bond, plastic to plastic. Prices? The Gorilla Glue is listed at £5.49, but can be bought online from internet traders for around £3.50 for 60ml and larger volumes are available. The Superglue pictured sells for around £3, but less per cc if buying in bottles. For more information and stockists of the whole range, please visit the website: www.gorillaglue.com or just Google ‘ Gorilla Glues’. Product review by John Elliott

Albion Alloys Sanding Needles Recently received are these very useful sanding needles that are coated with a slightly abrasive surface of various grades. Unlike flat ‘nail file’ style sticks with an abrasive surface usually just on the large flat areas, here the entire pointed needle is coated in this way. With the pointed tip, you have a really useful precision tool that can get into areas and spaces that only such a shape can do. An obvious example would be reaming out portholes or forming the rounded inner edge of the corners of window frames. The needles are colour coated to ensure that you get the appropriate grade of needle when required. These, and their other useful tools, can be found at: www.albionalloys.co.uk or selected retailers. Review by Dave Wooley

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On a Sea of Glass – The Life and Loss of the RMS Titanic Written by Tad Finch, J. Kent Layton & Bill Wormstedt. Hardback, 448 pages, 255 x 184mm, over 300 photographs, illustrations and diagrams mostly in black & white, with some in colour. ISBN: 978-1-4456-1437-3. Price £40.00. Published by Amberley Publishing Ltd. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. Over the last century, dozens of books have been written about the infamous events of the Titanic’s life and loss. Thus many of you, when reading this review, will inevitably pose the question: Why another book? Hasn’t everything about the Titanic been told already? The answer to that question is a resolute: No. On the night of 14/15 April 1912, this brand new, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at that time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 managed to reach New York safely and other 1496 either drowned or froze to death in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. That tremendous death toll means that there are enormous gaps in the historical record of what happened on that fateful night. That incomplete picture is all there is to reconstruct the chain of events. Additionally, there are now no living survivors to interview for fresh thoughts and input. In this book the authors, Titanic experts, Tad Finch, J Kent Layton & Bill Wormstedt, successfully attempt to fill in the gaps and bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship’s design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely seen accounts of the sinking. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia and the aftermath of the sinking. Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force as a direct result of recommendations made by the Board of Trade enquiry into the loss of the ship. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for everyone on board. This definitive work is profusely illustrated with maps, diagrams and rare archive photographs, which include many unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her. This is a visual feast for ship modellers, Titanic buffs and general readers alike. Book Review by John Deamer

German Luxury Ocean Liners: From Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse to AIDAstella Written by Nils Schwerdtner. Hardback, 348 pages, 255 x 184mm, over 300 photographs and illustrations mostly in black & white with some in colour. ISBN: 978-1-4456-0474-9. Price £40.00, published by Amberley Publishing Ltd., The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. From the 1890’s the German shipping lines had begun to build large, fast and luxurious liners. It had started when Kaiser Wilhelm II had visited the Spithead Review and had been transported on the White Star Line’s Teutonic and had mentioned that Germany must have ships like this. The first ‘four stacker’, Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, named after his grandfather the German Reich’s first Emperor, made her maiden voyage to New York in September 1897. Each of the ships that followed were faster and more magnificent than the one before. Introducing the Ritz Carlton restaurants aboard ships as well as other luxuries, the German liners of the early 1900’s were soon winning the Blue Riband from British shipping lines. Each year a new German triumph would emerge from the shipyards of Bremerhaven and Hamburg and it took almost a decade for the British, Cunard and White Star lines to catch up. Even as the Titanic was sinking, Germany’s Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) was building a huge ship at the Stettin Vulcan yard in Hamburg, which was a full 12000 tons larger. The ship was named Imperator when it was launched the following week. World War One stifled the German merchant marine and postwar many ships were taken by the Allies as repatriation, the Vaterland went to US Lines, Bismarck to Cunard and Imperator went to White Star and were renamed Leviathan, Berengaria and Majestic respectively. The 1930’s, heyday of the transatlantic route, saw the triumph of German liners like the Bremen and Europa, however the postWW2 years brought a decline of the world’s passenger fleet. Germany was not exempt, but a new breed of cruise ships, many built by Meyer Werft, soon saw the German cruise industry established. In this highly illustrated book, Nils Schwerdtner, one of Germany’s foremost nautical authors, looks at the growth of the German passenger fleet, the important HAPAG (Hamburg America Line) and NLD (North German Lloyd Line), as well as the growth of German cruise companies like Transocean Tours, VEB Deutsche Seereederei Rostock (DSR) to AIDA Cruises, and their ships from the 1950’s to the AIDAstella which

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entered service in 2013. A thoroughly recommended read for ship modellers, maritime historians and enthusiasts with an interest in German passenger liners and cruise ships. Book Review by John Deamer

The Edwardian Superliners – A Trio of Trios

Written by J. Kent Layton. Hardback, 448 pages, 255 x 180mm, over 700 photographs, drawings and illustrations mostly in black & white, with some in colour. ISBN: 978-1-4456-1438-0. Price £40.00, published by Amberley Publishing Ltd. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. As the twentieth century got underway, the competition between the three greatest passenger lines in the history of the North Atlantic produced three trios of wonder ships. From Cunard Line came the Lusitania, Mauritania and Aquitania. From the White Star Line came the Olympic, the infamous Titanic, and the Britannic. From the Hamburg-America Line came the Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck. In this book the author and maritime historian, J. Kent Layton tells the story of these superliners which were conceived during the Edwardian era, that period of history named in honour of King Edward VII of Great Britain, the world power of the time, from January 1901 to May 1910. These nine ships certainly had their share of luck, good and bad. Although she served nearly eight years before being sunk by a German torpedo, Lusitania’s peacetime career has largely been forgotten. Mauritania went on to become a living legend, frequently beating her sister in speed and popularity before the war and went on to hold the Blue Riband for a remarkable twenty-two years. Aquitania’s career was rudely interrupted when war broke out, yet she went on to endure two world wars and to steam some three million miles. Olympic had a remarkable career spanning nearly a quarter of a century in peace and war and she was a living example of what her sisters failed to be. The infamous Titanic of course never completed her maiden voyage. Although Britannic’s completion was delayed by the war, she enjoyed a short, but successful, career as a hospital ship before foundering in the Aegean after she hit a mine. Although none of the three German liners were lost at sea, their careers were far from what their creator Albert Ballin, the enterprising genius behind HAPAG (Hamburg-America Line), intended for them. Imperator barely saw a year’s service before the First World War, and that was interrupted by the need to modify defects brought to light after she entered service. Vaterland’s service was even shorter, for she only entered service a fortnight before the Aquitania arrived on

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the scene. After the war they were requisitioned by the Allies; Vaterland became the aptly named Leviathan of the United States Lines, while Imperator went to serve Cunard before being renamed as Berengaria. The third ship, Bismarck, lay unfinished and neglected during the war, and even after the war her completion was delayed, she only entering service as White Star’s Majestic in 1922. All three ships saw their lives brought to a close by the depression of the 1930’s, although Majestic got a brief reprieve when she became the naval training ship HMS Caledonian. Her destruction by fire shortly after the start of the Second World War was the final stroke of bad luck. Superbly written and highly illustrated with many images previously unpublished, the Edwardian Superliners is essential reading for ship modellers, maritime historians and enthusiasts with in an interest in these iconic ships from this golden age of transatlantic travel. Book Review by John Deamer

Building a Miniature Navy Board Model

Written by Philip Reed. Softback, 144 pages, 247 x 187mm, over 400 colour photographs and black & white line drawings. ISBN: 978-1-84832-186-1. Price (RRP) £16.99. Published by Seaforth Publishing, an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Limited, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS, tel: 01226 734222, website: www.seaforthpublishing.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. This step-by-step manual tackles what, for many, is regarded as the ultimate expression of the ship model maker’s art, the Navy Board model. These beautiful seventeenth and early eighteenth century ship models are well represented in the major maritime museums on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in private collections, but they are beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest. Here, the author, Philip Reed, one of the world’s leading professional model makers, deals with the construction of a miniature 1:192 scale model of the Royal George of 1715, in which all the conventions of Navy Board framing and planking are demonstrated. There are over 400 photographs and line drawings depicting every stage of construction. Methods of hull and deck framing, internal and external planking, the construction of the complex stern with its array of galleries, doors and windows, are all covered; and the rendering of the multitude of decorative carvings on the figurehead, stern and broadside is also demonstrated. A section showing, amongst others, the author’s model of the Syren explains how the techniques used to frame the Royal George can be adopted for ships of a later date, using single and double frames closer to full-size practice. This is an invaluable manual from which any model maker can draw on the lifetime’s experience of one of the world’s leading exponents of miniature shipbuilding. This book is a must-have for both the amateur or professional ship model builder’s library. Book review by John Deamer

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Selling or buying? You can place a FREE readers’ advertisement here. Simply fill in the coupon printed on the next page and send it to us at Model Boats, Marketplace Free Readers’ Advertisements, P.O. Box 9890, Brentwood, Essex, CM14 9EF

Sales The Isle of Man Steam Packet – Through Time Thames Shipping - In the 1960s and 1970s Written by Campbell McCutcheon. Softback, 128 pages, 235 x 167mm, over 260 black & white photographs. ISBN: 978-1-84868-285-6, price £12.99. Published by Amberley Publishing Ltd. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. At one time, London had one of the largest dock systems in the world, and certainly one of the busiest. From Gravesend and Tilbury all the way to the Pool of London, the sides of the river were crowded with ships. There were also large dock systems, Tilbury Docks, The Royal Docks, West India Docks and Surrey Commercial Docks, all full of oceangoing ships loading and unloading their cargos. There were also passenger ships as well as numerous coasters feeding the power stations that served London. In this highly illustrated work, the author, Campbell McCutcheon, uses a collection of photographs all taken by one person, to show the docks, wharves and the river as it was from 1960 to 1980, teaming with ships from Blue Star Line, Ben Line, British India Steam Navigation Company, Clan Line, Ellerman Line and P&O, to name but a few, together with navy vessels as well as foreign ships, ferries, cruise ships, tugs, tankers and sailing barges. With nostalgic views of the Pool of London, ships being repaired in the numerous dr y docks, all of the docks and some of the creeks, the book sets out to show the River Thames and its docks at the peak of their importance before the long decline from 1970 onwards and the wholesale redevelopment of London Dockland and the banks of the River Thames. Having served a marine engineering apprenticeship in the London Docks for Lamport and Holt Line in the 1960s, this book brought back many happy memories for me personally, of docks that are now no longer in existence and ships that are long gone and never to return. Whether you’re a ship modeller or an enthusiast, this interesting book will certainly make a welcome addition to your maritime book shelf. Book Review by John Deamer

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Written by Ian Collard. Softback, 96 pages, 235 x 165mm, 200 photographs and illustrations in black & white and colour. ISBN: 978-1-4456-1428-1. Price £14.99, published by Amberley Publishing Ltd. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. In 2010, the world’s oldest steamship line celebrated its 180th anniversary. For 183 years, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (IOMSP) has been the lifeline to the island, providing passenger and freight services for the island. Almost into the twentieth century, the ships were primarily paddle steamers with names like Benmy-Chree, Mona’s Isle, Prince of Wales, King Orry and Queen Victoria, but screw driven steamers like Douglas, Manxman, Viking and Tynwald eventually took over. Many of the replacement vessels during the history of the service have the same names as previous ships in the fleet. The ships saw service in both wars with Snaefell and King Orry being requisitioned by the Admiralty in WW1 and IOMSP vessels carried about one in fourteen of all the soldiers rescued from Dunkirk in WW2. After that war into the 1950’s to 1960’s, the Isle of Man became a popular holiday destination again and in 1962 to cope with the ever increasing numbers of touring motorists holidaying on the island and the thousands of motorcyclists attending the famous TT races every year, Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) ferries were introduced and by the late 1990’s fast catamarans like the Seacat Isle of Man and Manannan were being used, offering a huge increase in speed of transit. After numerous changes of ownership, the IOMSP is now owned by a consortium of Portuguese investment banks, but continues to dominate the Irish Sea routes to the Isle of Man, despite competition from air transport. In this fascinating and highly illustrated book, the author Ian Collard, who has written many books on the Mersey and its ships, tells us the story of the Isle of Man Steam Packet through time. This is an ideal book for maritime historians or model boat builders who are currently building, or contemplate building, a model of an Isle of Man ferry or freighter. Book Review by John Deamer

The Tweed to the Northern Isles – The Fishing Industry through Time

Written by Mike Smylie. Softback, 96 pages, 235 x 166mm, over 200 photographs in black & white and colour. ISBN: 978-1-4456-1447-2. Price £14.99. Published by Amberley Publishing Ltd. The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP, tel: 01453 847800, website: www.amberley-books.com. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. Since Britain joined the European Economic Community in the mid-1970’s the fishing industr y along our coasts has been under pressure from overfishing which has inevitably resulted in a serious decline in commercial fishing. Many of the smaller villages on Scotland’s East Coast are now tourist hotspots and with its resurgence the industr y is now concentrated in ports such as Eyemouth, Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Ler wick. In this new book, which is the first in a series of a six volumes that will culminate in a complete picture of the fishing industry of Britain and Ireland, Mike Smylie takes us on a tour from the Tweed to the Northern Isles. He explains the various methods used for catching fish which have evolved over the years including line fishing, creels for catching lobsters and crabs, salmon netting, herring drifting and trawling for prawns etc. There are also a chapters on ‘Fishing Boats’, from the early, simple open boats, often built by the fishermen themselves, through the ‘Scaffies’ and the ‘Fifies’, the ‘Zulus’ and the Motorised Fishing Vessels (MVF) to the giant modern pelagic trawlers of today, and ‘Fisher Folk’, whereas fishing methods and fishing boats are the tools of the fisherman, it’s the social history of the fisher folk themselves that in some ways is the true story of fishing. This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the fishing industr y has changed and developed over the last centur y. From the quaint fishing villages of Fife to the abandoned herring stations of Orkney and Shetland, the industr y is illustrated by the contrast between the old and the new images. A truly must read for both model boat builders and enthusiasts alike. Book Review by John Deamer

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AEROKITS SEA HORNET, built & fitted out, but requires painting - offers? Also, HMML Wavemaster 1952 cabin cruiser scratch built and Aerokits Sea Queen, both ready to sail - offers? Mr. A Haydock, tel: 01253 697569 (Blackpool). PRINZ EUGEN Graupner ARTR limited edition model. Never sailed, as new from box with triple propshafts, 57 inches long, £650 ono. Barry McCready, tel: 01227 361909 (Herne Bay, Kent). ROSEGARTH Mobile Marine Models tug, 36 x 10 inches, with 12v motor, Mtroniks esc, two 12v batteries, 2.4GHz r/c and servo, built in 2013, £400. Mr. D. Lane, tel: 01773 603707 (Alfreton, Derbyshire). LADY BEALE slipper launch from Deans Marine kit. New and just built with r/c, battery and charger, £140. Also, Dragon Fly airboat with r/c, battery & charger, £70; Robbe Marauder with r/c & lights, £60. Mr. B . Newport, tel: 01189 788595 (Wokingham, Berkshire). BISMARCK 48th model. All wood, 75% complete, first class detail, all parts and plans available to complete to high standard. Age and poor eyesight forces sale. Offers? A. Hewett, tel: 01404 871275 (Colyton, Devon). LIGHTER for towing, a modified Mountfleet kit. Quality build, part exposed hold with mixed adjustable cargo payload. Used to illustrate talks on weathering techniques, £130. Photos if required. Trevor Cracknell, tel: 01691 649673 (Powys, Welshpool area). MOORCOCK TUG, large! With working radar, smoke and rudder servo, but no r/c or esc. £195 ovno, Mr. P.D. Dyer, tel: 01202 690130 or 07971 808166 (Wimborne, Dorset). SANTA MARIA, Amati plank on frame kit, 1:65 scale, length 54cm. Brand new, still in sealed box, £90. Chris Page, tel: 01635 865363 or 07787 598796 (Thatcham, Berkshire). MOVING HOUSE! Selling r/c equipment; Viper 10 and 20 esc’s, assorted batteries, servos, Acoms 2.4Ghz, Ripmax Pro Peak charger, £100 the lot, buyer collects. P. Walters, tel: 07778 585363 (Hailsham, E. Sussex). RARE KYOSHO WAVEMASTER tunnel hull, original spec’, good condition with no damage, working 550 motor powered outboard, all in original box. Ideal for brushless conversion project? Includes 2 channel Futaba r/c. £80, buyer collects, or p/p at cost. B. Johnston, tel: 01406 425151 (Lincolnshire). TRENT CLASS Model Slipway lifeboat kit. Unmade and intact in original box. £200. Peter Carlo, tel: 01255 821088 (St. Osyth, Essex).

MARKETPLACE FREE READERS’ ADVERTISEMENTS crows nest KINGS BRITANNIA 45 inches long 1:32 GRP hull. Completed planked & varnished deck, sail, rudder servos fitted. One metre bulb & fin fitted, part-made cabins, mast, spars, drawings, £159, buyer collects. Ted Tedacdi, tel: 01452 610403 (Hucclecote, Gloucester).

DEEP VEE CHALLENGER with Zenoah 29cc petrol engine plus servos. Only run three times, vgc & very fast. Needs Tx & Rx, £300. Also, Surge Crusher catamaran, CY 26cc petrol engine & servos. No marks on hull, £299. No job, hence sale. Luciano Pini, tel: 07956 372441 (Chigwell, Essex).

USS FRANK KNOX DD472 Gearing class destroyer kit by Dragon. Boxed, surplus to requirements, scale 1:350, complete, superb detail & of high quality plastic. £25, buyer collects. F.N. Bolton, tel: 01273 505200 (Brighton).

MULTIPLEX PROFI 3030 Nine Channel Tx, 99 model memory, brand new, boxed unused with seven channel 35MHZ synthesized receiver and seven channel two servo ‘brick’. Would convert to 2.4GHZ. £125, p/p £15. Richard Wademan, tel: 01535 663187 (W. Yorks’).

GRAUPNER RUBIN motorised sailing sloop, 1140mm long, full set of plans and instructions, Nylet sail bag, three channel Robbe/Futaba 40MHz r/c, plus display stand. Ready to go, £425. Jim Forrester, tel: 07503 157102 (Bournemouth, Dorset).

MTB, all electric with r/c, transport box and spares, £400 ono. HMS Ark Royal aircraft carrier, electric lifts, radar, anchors, transport box and spares, £600 ono. Mr. D. Rockliffe, tel: 01270 505421 (Crewe).

JOTIKA HMS DIANA, 38 gun frigate with 2000 copper plates on hull bottom. 2000 hours work. Model displayed at major UK Midlands and North West shows. £650. Mick Knowles, tel: 01283 268861 (Swadlincote, Derbyshire).

GRAUPNER STEAM ENGINE, Pt. No. 1940, condenser tank, oil trap, gas tank, gas filler valve and Solent hull and plan, £400 the lot, buyer collects. William Perry, tel: 01343 208681 (Elgin, Moray).

BILLINGS SMIT ROTTERDAM tug. Only just started, but long term illness enforces sale. £150 ono. Mr. Rob’ Firth, tel: 01329 220789 (Fareham, Hants.).

MICRO- MAGIC sailing yacht. 21 inches long, as new, complete with r/c and ready to sail. Illness forces sale, buyer collects, £120. D.P. Leach, tel: 01934 516804 (Weston super Mare).

Wants

PLANS and/or photographs of Plumgarth or Avongarth tugs please. Any details welcome, reasonable price paid. John Harford, tel: 01650 531226 (Powys). GRAUPNER GLASGOW paddle tug kit, or assembled. Mr. M. Manning, tel: 01749 939573 (Wells, Somerset). PLANS for original Aerokits Solent class lifeboat c1970 please. Either to borrow or purchase. All reasonable costs will be met. Brian Brown, tel: 02085 312503 (South Chingford, London E4).

GRAUPNER POLLUX tugs, either made up or unmade kits, to add to the Ribble MBC’s tug football team please. Reasonable prices paid, please contact Phil Scales, tel: 01772 629363 (Preston). P.S. JUNO plans please. She was a passenger ferry on the Clyde. Reasonable price paid. Mr. N. Cadwallader, tel: 07624 482909 (Port Erin). KIT of Queen Elizabeth, sister ship to old Queen Mary. Derek Hacking, tel: 01204 63251 (St. Helens).

GRP hulls suitable for the plans listed below are available once again: MM1275: Revive MM609: Brave Borderer MM826: St Louis Belle MM567: Cervia

MM909: Top Sail Schooner MM962: Grand Banks Schooner MM1448: Liverpool lifeboat MM1482: Kingston Peridot

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MB Vol 63 No 757

ON SALE NOW! Includes FREE set of Lynx drawings This Special Edition magazine brings you two major construction projects complete with plans, detailed instructions, photographs and construction information as well as several other interesting projects including a hand shaper with drawings and a small vertical engine. The projects are suitable for both the beginner and expert model engineer and are reprinted from the pages of Model Engineer magazine.

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propwash

BMPRS News Website: www.bmprs.co.uk STEWART RAE (AKA SCOOP) and MARK WILD with a report from Branston

Editor’s Note Sadly this is the last BMPRS report that Stewart wrote before he passed away in September 2013 and it has been prepared for Model Boats with some assistance from Mark Wild. It is intended that reports and information about the activities of this Society will continue to appear in this magazine and indeed Stewart was very pleased to hear in late-August that membership of BMPRS had

T

his report is from the Branston II meeting of late-June 2013. The day was overcast with a stiff 20mph South East breeze greeting our arrival at one of the larger racing circuits that the BMPRS are fortunate enough to be able to use. The resident club representatives of Peter Dimberline and Alan Crowdon were on hand with their usual friendly welcome. They also crewed the rescue boat, so a big Thank You to them! It became increasingly urgent to get the first set of racing heats recorded and in the bag as it were, since expectation of heavy showers and increasingly high wind speeds were reported for the afternoon. As it was, it was impossible to erect the usual gazebos to protect the race control and lap-scorers, so Mark Wild backed his Volkswagen transporter up to the water’s edge and slid open its side door. At least within the vehicle, the lap scorers could function in the dry! So with Mark Wild in charge as Officer of the Day and Madelyn Reid at race control and lap-scoring with myself (Scoop) overseeing proceedings, racing got underway at 1000hrs. Race order was T1, C and D classes combined and then AA, D, A, T2 and B classes. The reason for the C and D classes being combined was a rather large entry for the big petrol engine powered boats, so a couple of the D class boats were selected to race with the glow motor powered C class craft. As always, nothing ever goes to plan and with drop-outs on the day, the make-up of the heats had to be amended yet again! A 20 minute heat with a one minute mill time was the race programme for the day. The conditions were still deteriorating and ‘weather watch’ were the buzz words, and a decision was made to have a driver’s meeting at lunchtime and decide then whether to run a second heat in the afternoon. As it turned

Model Boats December 2013

A rather wet Kurt Cave (in black tee shirt) trying to get his boat back on the water.

now reached 100, a big step in its development as the group only came into existence in late-2010 with just 20 members. So this last report of Stewart’s is in part a tribute to his energy and determination as the Public Relation Officer of the BMPRS which races offshore style i.c, powered models on lakes in the mid-part of the UK. Paul Freshney - Editor - October 2013

out later in the day whilst we were having lunch, the rain clouds moved in and basically wrote off the rest of the day’s proceedings anyway, leaving us all nowhere to go but home. So how did the racing go considering the weather conditions?

AA class Mike Barnes with his MDS 28 Sea Spirit II romped to first place with 40 uninterrupted laps and there was some success for Andy Rennie’s AM Challenger 43 with an onboard OPS 21 taking 34 laps for second. New member David Hough popped up in third spot with 33 laps from his Go 28 powered Pursuit. It is always a nice feeling to pick up a podium place in your first race, so well done David! Ian Searles’ Challenger 43 Pro required a final adjustment to his OPS 21 engine for 20 laps and fourth place. Fifth and sixth were taken by Sha Simon with her Cavalier/Go 28 and Graham Stanley with his LRB/Picco 21 respectively.

AA83: Junior racer Luke Bramwell’s boat proved it could handle the rough water, until the engine’s conrod broke.

A class Craig Dickson’s 45 laps was more than enough for a runaway first place with his ASP 46 powered Crusader III. Nine year old Kian Searle driving another ASP 46 Crusader III popped in 36 laps for his well deserved second place. Third place required just the three laps from Kurt Cave’s Mach 46 Cougar and one lap was all that Luke Bramwell’s SC40 Sea Spirit II could manage after the engine’s conrod snapped following a collision with Craig Dickson, leaving him in fourth place.

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A128: A slight mishap by junior racer Kian Searle, but he soon had his boat back up and running to take second place. Note the repairs to the hull’s bottom as a result of previous racing ‘incidents’.

67

propwash

Peter and Alan did a splendid job in the rescue boat. Those who crew the rescue boat at all our meetings earn our eternal gratitude, and more!

Newcomers to BMPRS, Daz Elson and his son Boyd (one of our junior members), look a little bit wet and cold.

AA11: Andy Rennie managed to keep his boat going to take second place in its class.

AA4: Mike Barnes’ AA class boat almost skipped its way to yet another win!

Above: No 7: In T1 class Kurt Cave’s GPL tunnel hull powered by an OPS21 outboard, showed what it was capable of on the water as the conditions worsened. Left: Between the rain showers, Ian Searle was giving the two juniors Luke and Kian some tips. Below: D78: New BMPRs member Ken Dodd’s D class Phantom has proved to be well built and very stable with the boat taking third place in its class.

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Model Boats December 2013

propwash B class With just three boats entered, everyone would go home with a podium position. First place was taken by Garry Dickson’s Webra 61 Challenger 48 Pro with 49 laps. The Australian designed White Pointer running an ASP 61 Nitro took second with 43 laps for Mark Beesley, and in third place, Andy Rennie with his CMB 67 powered Warhawk clocked up 36 laps.

C class Again, every entrant scored a podium finish and there were three different hulls all using a CMB tuned glow fuel powered engines. Mark Beesley’s Aeromarine CMB 91R scored 46 laps to come first and Ian Searle’s CMB 90 Magnum popped in as second with just 21 laps on the score sheet. Andy Uttley’s CMB 91RS powered Waverider Arrow had to retire when its flexi-shaft snapped, but he had still managed seven laps for third spot.

D class Equal first place went to a count back score of 56.1 laps each. This occurred when two of the D class boats ran in the combined C &D class heat and one of them took the win with a count back of one! The same thing then happened in the 100% D Class race, namely a win and a count back of one again! So unusually, there were two first place podiums for Mike Barnes’ Gizmo 28.5 powered Patriot and Garry Dickson with his Miami 55 powered by a Zen 31 engine followed by Ken’ Dodd (that’s not a mistake!) with his Phantom powered Zen 26 on 40 laps for third place. Kurt Cave with his KRC 29 Sigma had a few returns to the pits to clear water ingress into the engine, but managed 32 laps on the score sheet and was fourth. Kevin Alcock’s Gizmo 30 Patriot returned for fuel and steering adjustments and completed only 14 laps for fifth place.

Above: The Dickson brothers laughing off the weather conditions, although perhaps this picture was posed! Below: No. 44: Garry Dickson’s unlimited T2 catamaran is taking it easy in the rough conditions. Better safe than sorry!

T1 class This was the first of the two tunnel(T) catamaran hull classes. Kurt Cave was the only entry, so he was easily first with just six laps recorded by his Thunder Tiger 21 outboard powered GPL tunnel hull. I’m really looking forward to some other members starting to compete in this class and then maybe, just maybe, Kurt can come second!

T2 class These catamarans have much larger engines than the T1 class. Mark Wild’s Arrow 26 Aeromarine Avenger and Garry Dickson’s Sikk 25 Thunderbolt were playing cat and mouse all heat. Mark eventually took the win with 29 laps with Garry just one lap behind for second spot. This is just the nice close racing we like to see in the BMPRS. Some say its an unlucky Number 13 , but not in Kurt Cave’s case, as this is how many laps his Zen 26 powered Conquest 43 required for third place.

Conclusion Garry Dickson and Mike Barnes took the Highest Laps of the Day with both on 56.1 laps and Mike’s combined two race total of 70 laps was good enough for the Branston Trophy and Ken’ Dodd left with the Best Boat Trophy for his Zen 26 powered D class Phantom 145. The driver’s meeting in at the lunch break did indeed take place due to the weather now deteriorating rather quickly. The decision to abandon any further racing was correct and the results were checked and confirmed. We seem to have been affected by the weather again this year, but that is how it goes in some years. Cheers - Scoop l

Model Boats December 2013

Letter from the acting Chairman of the BMPRS

Stewart Rae (aka Scoop): 3rd June 1955 to 2nd September 2013 It is with great sadness that I am writing this as not only has this Society lost a cofounder, but we have also lost one of the greatest ambassadors for our hobby and a good friend to me and all in the BMPRS.

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In all the time that I have known Stewart (Scoop), he always tried to put model boating first. Over the years he had been involved with many different types of model, from sail to fast electric and then to offshore model powerboats - where he found his true home. Scoop became a co-founder of the BMPRS at Hardingstone Village Hall on Sunday 11th April 2010. He was very proud of this achievement, as I am, to have been part of that small group of just 20 members. Since then in three short years, using his drive and determination to promote BMPRS wherever possible, Scoop helped us grow from a group of 20 to now nearly 100. On behalf of all our members and as acting Chairman, I would like to wish his wife Jackie, daughters Madelyn and Nicola and the rest of the family, our most sincere condolences on their loss. Mark Wild - Acting Chairman

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MAIL ORDER ONLY FREE UK SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER £150 WE STOCK A WIDE RANGE OF RADIO CONTROL AND STATIC DISPLAY KITS, FITTINGS, TOOLS & PLANS. SECURE ONLINE SHOPPING AND MAIL ORDER SERVICE HM Brig Supply HM Cutter Sherborne HM Gunboat William HM Mortar Vessel Convulsion HM Schooner Ballahoo HM Schooner Pickle HM Yacht Chatham HMAV Bounty HMS Agamemnon HMS Cruiser HMS Diana HMS Jalouse HMS Mars HMS Snake HMS Victory Mary Rose

£134.95 £71.95 £167.95 £89.95 £59.95 £124.95 £83.95 £184.95 £588.95 £193.96 £440.95 £204.95 £183.00 £193.96 £709.50 £242.00

Constructo Kits Albatros America Schooner Cutty Sark HMS Bounty HMS Victory Le Pourquoi-Pas Louise Mayflower Robert E Lee USS Constitution 1:82

£76.94 £99.73 £179.54 £176.11 £331.73 £189.98 £82.07 £176.11 £167.57 £297.53

Corel Kits Berlin HM Endeavour HMS Bellona HMS Neptune HMS Resolution HMS Unicorn HMS Victory HMS Victory Cross Section Prince William Ranger Reale de France Scotland Wasa

£336.00 £196.00 £302.00 £265.00 £170.00 £206.00 £317.00 £100.00 £335.00 £66.00 £543.00 £66.00 £405.00

Dumas static kits, RC available Ace racing Sloop Chinese Junk Chris Craft 1930 24” Runabout Chris Craft 1938 27” Triple cockpit Gondola Viking Ship

£29.99 £19.99 £53.99 £53.99 £17.99 £19.99

Euromodel Como Kits Ajax 18th Century European Frigate 1:72 Scale Derfflinger 17th Century Felucca 1:66 Scale Falmouth 18th Century “East India” La Renommee 18th Cen Frigate 1:70 Scale Lyde 18th Century Schooner 1:70 Scale

£518.95 £260.95 £594.94 £602.95 £296.95

Hobby Engine - Ready to run models Flash Speed boat 1:25

£94.99

Snake 1:20 Viper S Small

£256.49 £94.99

Joysway - Ready to run models Magic Cat 2.4 Magic Vee Sea Drifter EP Brushless Caribbean Yacht 1:46 Dragon Force Yacht Explorer Yacht Focus 1 meter yacht

£47.50 £47.50 £360.00 £52.00 £148.99 £148.99 £218.99

Krick Kits Alexandra Steam Launch inc Fittings Anna Steam Launch Borkum Steam Launch inc Fittings Felix Lisa M Gulnara U-Boat Victoria Steam Launch inc Fittings

£300.00 £100.00 £339.00 £88.93 £104.95 £271.99 £326.95 £355.00 £110.00 £202.00 £180.00 £173.00 £211.00 £115.00 £156.00 £256.00 £305.00 £126.00 £260.00 £300.00 £283.00 £173.00

Mantua Kits Amerigo Vespucci Armed Swedish Gunboat Astrolabe. French Sloop 1812 Bruma Open Cruiser Yacht 1:43 Golden Star HM Endeavour Bark 1768 1:60 HMS Victory 1:200 Scale HMS Victory 1:98 Mercator Mincio Le Superbe

San Marcos (Galleon) Santisima Trinidad Santissima Section Ulises London Tram Dennis Bus Type B Stephensons Rocket

£296.00 £140.00 £197.00 £165.00 £77.00 £156.00 £103.00 £283.00 £145.00 £94.00 £322.00

£670.00 £329.00 £132.00 £389.00 £173.00 £130.00 £583.00 £265.00

Pro Boat - Ready to Run £170.00 £139.50

Robbe Kits Dolly Harbour Launch 1:20 - New Version Dusseldorf 1:25 Almost Ready to Run Magin One Black Race edition Magin Two Paula IV Sylt Police Boat Rapido 600

129.95 £374.95 £189.98 £190.00 £165.00 £549.95 £139.99

Sergal Kits Cutty Sark HMS Bounty HMS Peregrine HMS President Light Frigate HMS Racehorse Mississippi 1870 Soleil Royale 1669 Sovereign of the Seas Thermopylae Wasa

£358.00 £174.00 £182.00 £77.00 £77.00 £356.00 £710.00 £710.00 £77.00 £710.00

Thunder Tiger ETNZ 1M Racing Yacht Naulantia 1M Yacht Team china 1M yacht Desperado Jr. ARTR Catamaran Outlaw JR OBL Power boat Combo

Occre Kits Albatros £79.00 Apostol Felipe (Galleon) £216.00 Bounty with Cutaway Hull Section 1:45 Scale £257.00 Cazador Xebec £180.00 Diana (Frigate) £216.00 Dos Amigos Brigantine Schooner 1:53 Scale £106.00 Gorch Foch £320.00 Nuestra Senora del Pilar 1:46 Scale £450.00 Mississippi Paddle Steamer £180.00

£215.00 £358.00 £115.00 £195.00 £105.00 £95.00 £72.00

Panart Kits Amerigo Vespucci 1:84 Anteo Harbour Tug Armed Naval Pinnace HMS Victory 1:78 Scale HMS Victory Bow Section Section Deck San Felipe The Royal Caroline Impulse 26 Westward 18 Sailboat

Mamoli Kits Blackbeard Pirate Ship CSS Alabama Golden Hind HMS Beagle 1:64 HMS Bounty 1:64 Scale HMS Endeavour 1:100 Scale HMS Portsmouth 1:64 HMS Prince HMS Surprise HMS Swift HMS Victory 1:150 Scale L’Orenoque Roter Lowe Valiant

AEROKITS, AERONAUT, AMATI, BILLING BOATS, CALDERCRAFT, DUMAS, COREL, GRAUPNER, PANART, KRICK, MAMOLI, MANTUA, OCCRE, ROBBE, SERGAL

£219.95 £149.99 £219.95 £119.99 £165.95

Victory Models HM Granado HMS Fly HMS Pegasus HMS Vanguard Lady Nelson Mercury Russian Brig

£261.95 £289.00 £344.00 £684.00 £117.95 £354.00

Plastic model also available in:

Airfix, Revell, Trumpeter and many more!!

ALL THE HARDWARE, BUILDING MATERIALS AND RC EQUIPMENT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE MPLETE Y YOUR OUR M MODEL ODEL

Visit the website for our full range of kits:

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk k email: [email protected]

All prices correct at time of going to press