Model Boats 2015-07

100 ON YOUR MARX! PACKED PAGES The best motors ever?

The World’s Best-Seller! July 2015 Vol.65 No.776

GET ON BOARD www.modelboats.co.uk

BEACHBABY A classic model

MODELLING GROUP

re-invented

PLAN NOW AVAILABLE

£4.95

READERS'

MODELS

PLASTIC MAGIC !

Full radio control conversion of 1: 400 scale KM Bismarck

Freelance built Pusher Tug model

NEW FROM SEA WATCH BOOKS NEW EL FRIGATE E H W E L D D THE PA

Introducing Gilbert (Gib) McArdle’s superb model of THE PADDLE WHEEL FRIGATE USS SUSQEHANNA

U

USS

a n n a h e  s Su 1847 A 1847 le

Gilbert McArd SeaWatchBooks

ns by rawings & Pla Text, Photos, D cArdle Gilbert (Gib) M

SS SUSQEHANNA was one of the great transition warships of the early 19th century. Using sail aand steam, she had full career in the n navy. She served as Admiral Mathew Pe Perry’s flagship on his historical trip to Japan and as part of the blockade fl fleet during the Civil War. W While Gib has built his model usin ing the plank on frame method, it co could also be built using plank on b bulkhead, or with lifts for a solid h hull. Plans for all of the frames are p provided along with a full set of temp plates for a plank on bulkhead build. T The ship is fully rigged and makes a b beautiful model at 1:96. 10 sheets of p plans are provided.

$70

Shipping $9 US $20 Canada $30 all other locations

LLC

F E AT U R E S „ Large 9”x12” format „ 112 pages in full color „ Case bound „ Dust jacket „ 10 sheets of plans in two colors at 1:96 scale

Order by phone or online.

SeaWatchBooks, llcɥɥƭɥ19 Sea Watch Place, Florence, OR 97439 ɥɥƭɥɥ[email protected] PHONE:

541-997-4439 FAX: 541-997-1282

SEAWATCHBOOKS.COM

The

Model

H.M.S. Cossack Destroyer 1938 1200mm £272.63 SS City of Truro 1:96 960mm £356.95 Yarra Twin Screw berthing tug 1:48 580mm £223.95 Snow Goose Broads Cruiser 1:24 scale 740mm £137.95 63ft Motor Anti-Sub Boat No33 1:24 812mm £198.08 Response. Steam Picket Boat 1:36 460mm £93.91

PO BOX 104 Redruth TR15 9BJ Mail order Only. Phone line open Mon-Fri 9am- 1pm Tel UK: 01209 861733 Tel Int: +44 1209 861733

www.model-dockyard.com U.K Delivery Kits and Boat Hulls Add £9.00 Timber orders Add £9.95 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 Santa Maria 1409 540mm Pinta 1409 450mm 1:65 scale Nina 370mm 1:65 scale 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

£44.95 £77.57 £77.57 £105.14 £174.59 £120.95 £89.95 £89.95 £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

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

Hull and Plan Sets Grand Banks Schooner 1193mm £87.50 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 1:19 scale 740mm £46.49 Smit Nederland Hull 558mm £42.45 St Louis Belle Mississippi Steamer 838mm £72.45 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

Plan & Material Packs Vosper MTB Hull Pack 670mm Higgins Hellcat CNC Pack 610mm HMS Temerity CNC Pack 890mm

£39.99 £44.99 £42.45

Deans Marine Kits LCM 1653 1:24 scale 710mm 25ft Motor Boat 1:12 scale 690mm Compass Rose. Corvette1:96 673mm H.M.S. Solebay.Destroyer 1945 1210mm 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 Steam Yacht Medea 1904. 1:48 870mm Tradition. Seine net trawler 870mm 1:24

Dockyard

£213.75 £175.95 £177.65 £306.33 £243.01 £252.20 £107.18 £272.63 £139.86 £360.92

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 Prince of Wales Battleship 1:200 scale £51.95 Tirpitz 1:200 scale Full hull 1260mm £49.99 Bismarck 1:200 scale Full hull 1250mm £48.98 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 HMS Sheffield 1:200 full hull £28.54 HMS Repulse. Battleship 1:300 scale 806mm £27.53 IHMS Dreadnought 1:200 £26.50 HMS Cambeltown 1;200 scale 470mm £25.95 Yamato. Japanese Battleship 1:400 685mm £23.95

Plastic Kits Trumpeter HMS Nelson 1:200 scale £206.95 Merit USS Hornet 1:200 scale £238.48 Tamiya IJN Yamato 1:350 717mm £270.95 Trumpeter USS Missouri 1:200 scale 1352mm £249.16 Trumpeter Bismarck 1941 1:200 scale 1265mm £203.95 Trumpeter USS Arizona BB-39 1941 1:200 £160.16 Lindberg PT 109 MTB 1:32 scale 749mm £149.95 Heller HMS Victory 1:100 scale £149.95 Heller Le Soleil Royal 1:100 scale £149.95 Lindberg Sea Witch. Clipper 1:96 scale 838mm £149.95 Revell Flower Class Corvette 1:72 850mm £107.10 Italeri MTB77 1:35 scale 632mm £99.99 Italeri PT109 Torpedo Boat 1:35 scale £99.95 Italeri MTB 74 Vosper St.Nazaire Raid 1:35 £99.99 Lindberg Blue Devil Destroyer 1:125 910mm £99.95 Trumpeter HMS Repulse 1941 1:350 £87.21 Trumpeter HMS Hood (1941) 1:350 £80.09 Trumpeter USS Alabama BB-60 1:350 £71.19 Trumpeter Prinz Eugen 1945 1:350 £64.96 Trumpeter HMS Queen Elizabeth 1943 1:350 £62.29 Trumpeter HMS Belfast 1942 563mm 1:350 £62.29 Trumpeter Graf Spee. 1:350 531mm £47.16 Trumpeter Admiral Hipper 1941 1:350 £62.26 Tamiya Bismarck 1:350 717mm £61.99 Revell Type VIIC U-Boat 1:72 £59.99 Tamiya Tirptz 1:350 717mm £58.50 Tamiya HMS King George V 1:350 £49.99 Tamiya HMS Prince of Wales 1:350 £49.99

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 & Etch for Hornet 1:200 £230.70 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 £192.80 DX Wooden deck & Etch for Missouri 1:200 £215.99 GLS Flower Class Deck & Fittings Set. 1:72 £99.99 GLS Flower Class Type `C' Bridge Set 1:72 £38.40 GLS Flower Class Corvette Depth Charge Set £39.38 This is just a selection from Gold Medal, MK1 Design, Master, Great Little Ships and Eduard.

R/C Boat Plans Miranda Edwardian steam launch 42in £12.50 Will Everard Thames Barge: 1:48 scale £17.50 Brave Borderer: 36in Vosper patrol boat, £12.50 Enterprise:Northumbrian Coble. 27in. £12.50 "Pilot 40 police/pilot launch 27½ £12.50 Inchcolm: Clyde puffer 24¾in. £12.50 Liverpool Lifeboat: 1:12 scale £12.50 200 Series RAF Seaplane Tender: 950mm l £12.50 H.M.S Ark Royal : A 1:192 scale model, 50in. £12.50 Vosper MTB : 26 1/4 inches £12.50 Steam Yacht Greta: 44in £17.50 Launch Out: 27½in., side and pair trawler, £17.50 P.S Totnes Castle paddle steamer 42½in. £12.50 Joffre:Tyne Tug30½in. £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 H.M.S Kent : 1:96 scale early cruiser 58" £17.50 Fairey Huntsman:1:8 scale 1066mm £12.50 Celia Jane:Thames Barge 1:24 scale. 50in. £22.50 Joffre:Tyne Tug 1:48 scale 30½in £12.50 Britannia 1893 . Royal racing yacht, 1:32nd £29.50 Pibroch A 1:50th scale Clyde Puffer, 400mm £17.50 Osprey Scottish wooden fishing boat,500mm £31.50 Altair gaff rigged schooner 1:32nd 1200mm £33.50 Princess High speed luxury motor yacht.1:24th £17.50 Constance Bowater paper freighter,1030mm £17.50 Boston Fury 1960 East Coast Trawler 1125mm £17.50 Waverley paddle steamer 1365mm, £17.50 Hoop Op Zegen Beamer trawler725mm £17.50 Louis Heloise 1:10th French Bautier.1025mm £23.50

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

£29.54 £44.41 £33.30 £77.71

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 Muirneag. Scottish Zulu- 1612mm Clyde Puffer Sealight, 588mm Leon. Wood Brigantine 514mm Iron Paddle Tug 1:48 scale 863mm This is just a selection of the range available.

£29.54 £55.51 £33.30 £66.61 £49.23 £29.53 £29.54 £66.61 £19.68 £59.07 £44.40

Static Display Kit Plans Greek Bireme 440mm construction plans. 560mm£7.12 Vikingship, construction plans. 1:50 440mm £7.12 Santa Maria planset 1:65 scale 540mm £8.85 Pinta planset 1:65 scale 450mm £8.14 Nina planset 1:65 scale 450mm £8.14 Mayflower, construction plans. Scale 1:60. £11.29 Sovereign of the Seas, plans 1:78 1100mm £16.18 HMS Prince, construction plans 750mm £20.04 San Felipe, construction plans. Length 950mm. £13.43 Chinese Junk, construction plans. 1:100 400mm £7.02 French Xebec construction plans 1:60 720mm £10.99 HMS Victory, construction plans 1:100 950mm £18.82 HMS Bounty, plans 1:60 720mm £13.43 New Bedford Whaler, plans. 1:16. 550mm. £12.72 Venetian Gondola, plans. Length 570mm. £5.90 Riva Aquarama plan set 1:10 scale 860mm £23.09 Endeavour Plan set 1:80 scale 480mm £8.85 Endeavour J Class Plans set 1:35 1130mm £22.38 Titanic Plans set 1:250 1070mm £48.83 Lady Nelson Cutter Plan Set 1:64 530mm £8.85 Granado Plan Set 1:64 800mm £16.79 HMS Fly Plan set 1:64 800mm £21.37 HMS Vanguard Plan set 1:72 1171 £40.49 HMS Pegasus plan set 1:64 800mm £21.37 Mercury plan set 1:64 860mm £25.13 Cutty Sark, construction plans, Scale 1:78. £31.00 This is just a selection of over 1000 plans available

R/C Equipment Hi Tech Lite 4 channel 2.4GHz Tx/Rx Combo £49.95 Hitec Optic 6 (2.4 GHz) combo £119.99 Hitec Optic 5 channel (2.4 GHz) combo £72.50 Viper Marine 40 amp speed controller £53.22 Planet 5 Transmitter and Receiver Set £54.99 FR30HX 30amp speed controller £47.14 15HVR 15amp speed controller £37.69 Viper Marine 25 amp speed controller £34.99 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 20amp speed controller £28.99 Viper Marine 15amp speed controller £22.99 Viper Micro Marine 10amp speed controller £22.99 Viper Marine 15 Plug Play speed controller £22.99 Programmable mixing module £20.34 Waterproof mixing module (w-tail) £17.80 Waterproof mixing module £15.70 Full range of R/C installation equipment available

Sound Modules Petrol/Diesel Engine with Horn Steam Engine Sound Whooper Fog Horn Ship Klaxon Air Horns Large Ship Horn Large Ship Steam Whistle Tug Boat Air Horn

£43.40 £43.40 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73 £35.73

Motors Schottel drive unit 70mm dia prop Schottel drive unit 50mm dia prop Schottel drive unit 40mm dia prop 543/12 low drain motor for large props Mabuchi Low Drain 545 Mabuchi 540 Mabuchi 480 motor 4.8 to 8.4v Mabuchi 400 Electronize 365/14 low drain Motor mount for MFA 800/850 Motors 385 Motor 6 to 15.0 Volt with mount 540 Motor 6 to 12.0 Volt with mount RX15 540 Motor 6 to 8.4v Volt RE800 Motor 12.0 Volt with mount RE850 Motor 12.0 Volt with mount Motor mount for 540/500.550 and 600 Motors MFA 540 Motor and 2.5:1 Gearbox 4.5 -15v MFA 540 Motor and 6:1 Gearbox 4.5 -15v MFA 385 Motor and 2.5:1 Gearbox 4.5 -15v 950 series 385 Motor and 6:1 Gearbox 4.5 -15v 951 series 951 Motor and Gearbox 298:1 6volt, 800/850 Belt Drive Reduction Unit 2.1:1

£95.94 £76.48 £62.71 £18.85 £9.96 £7.43 £7.00 £7.00 £5.56 £4.50 £6.56 £10.36 £35.95 £27.49 £27.49 £2.75 £19.33 £19.36 £17.56 £17.56 £9.00 £40.80

Raboesch Propshafts Propeller Shaft M4 270mm with 220mm tube Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 290mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 290mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 186mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 211mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 236mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 261mm Bronze Bearing Propeller Shaft M4 290mm Ballraced Propeller Shaft M4 290mm Ballraced Propeller Shaft M5 290mm Ballraced Propeller Shaft M4 450mm Ballraced Propeller Shaft M5 450mm Propeller Shaft with skeg M2 230mm Scale Propeller Shaft with skeg M3 270mm Scale Propeller Shaft with skeg M4 330mm

£15.36 £25.29 £25.29 £23.49 £23.49 £23.49 £23.49 £23.49 £34.22 £34.32 £39.74 £39.74 £23.49 £25.29 £30.71

Rudder Assemblies Rudder assembly 33 long x 22mm wide Rudder assembly 60 long x 41mm wide Rudder assembly with tiller arm 45 x 35mm Rudder assembly with tiller arm 55 x 45mm Steerable Kort nozzle for props up to 35 mm Ø Rudder assembly with tiller arm 35 x 26mm Boat rudder set: 45 mm Height: 40 Boat rudder set: 32 mm Height: 25 mm Boat rudder set: 36 mm Height: 70 mm Rudder assembly 45 long x 30mm wide Rudder assembly 53 long x 36mm wide Rudder assembly 67 long x 44mm wide Double Tiller Arm. Fits 3/16 or 5mm shaft

Raboesch Brass Propellers

£3.90 £5.36 £4.54 £4.54 £18.33 £4.54 £6.69 £6.47 £7.42 £4.80 £4.92 £5.36 £0.97

Brass Propeller (A Type) 20 -3 Blade-M4 £9.94 Brass Propeller (A Type) 25 -3 Blade-M4 £9.94 Brass Propeller (A Type) 30 -3 Blade-M4 £10.84 Brass Propeller (A Type) 35 -3 Blade-M4 £10.84 Brass Propeller (A Type) 40 -3 Blade-M4 £10.84 Brass Propeller (A Type) 45 -3 Blade-M4 £12.65 Brass Propeller (A Type) 50 -3 Blade-M4 £12.65 Brass Propeller (A Type) 55 -3 Blade-M4 £12.65 Brass Propeller (A Type) 60 -3 Blade-M5 £15.36 Brass Propeller (A Type) 65 -3 Blade-M5 £15.36 Brass Propeller (A Type) 65 -3 Blade-M4 £15.36 Brass Propeller (A Type) 70 -3 Blade-M5 £17.61 Brass Propeller (A Type) 75 -3 Blade-M5 £17.61 This is just a selection of a huge range of 3, 4 and 5 blades props in stock

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

Quaycraft Ship’s Boats QS77 1:72 scale 27 ft Clinker whaler 115mm £19.44 QR27 1:96 Scale 27ft Whaler 85mm £9.36 QL43 1:48 18ft Lifeboat Double End 114mm £14.88 QL37 1:32 16ft Clinker Double End 150mm £19.08 QR25 1:96 Scale 25ft Motor cutter 79mm £9.84 QD24 1:24 14ft Clinker Dinghy 178mm £20.28 QP16 1:48 16ft Royal Navy 16’ dinghy 100mm £11.04 QL53 1:48 20ft double end lifeboat 125mm £15.84 QS75 1:72 Motor cutter 109mm £20.88 QP27 1:48 27ft Royal Navy Whaler 172mm £22.32 QD34 1:32 14ft Clinker Dinghy Stern 123mm £17.76 QL59 1:48 . 22ft Lifeboat. double ended 140mm £16.56 QS70 1:72 16ft Clinker dinghy, 66mm £10.32 QN32 1:128 32ft Cutter clinker 75mm £7.08 QL36 1:32 16ft Clinker Transom Stern 150mm £19.08 QP12 1:48 12.5ft Clinker Dinghy.Stern 80mm £11.16 QD20 1:24 10ft Clinker Dinghy 123mm £17.88 QMB15 1:96 26ft Lifeboat double end 83mm £12.96 QB14 1:72 20ft clinker lifeboat 83mm £12.72 This is just a selection of over 100 boats available

Scalelink Etched Brass 11mm 3 rail stanchions & railing 840mm £10.20 1:96 R.N 3 rail stanchions and railing 11mm £10.20 1:128 scale vertical laddering £10.20 1:72 R.N pattern 3 rail stanchions and railing £10.20 1:192 R.N pattern 3 rail stanchions £10.20 Clarendon serif Letters 2.5, 3 and 5mm high £10.20 1:200 Angled step ladders with handrail £10.20 Vertical rung ladders 4.5mm & 5.5mm wide £12.00 1:128 Angled step companionway ladders £10.20 1:128 scale vertical laddering £10.20 5mm and 6mm wide Angled step ladders £10.20 6mm & 8mm vertical rung laddering £10.20 This is just a selection from the huge range available

1:24 scale Crew Figures Standing civilian crew member £8.12 Seated civilian crew figure wearing woollen hat £8.12 Standing R.N/Civilian officer with binoculars £8.12 Civilian crew member standing wearing beret £8.12 Civilian/R.N Officer wearing cap and pullover £8.12 R.N/Civilian wearing waterproof jacket £8.12 Standing civilian captain in sheepskin jacket £8.12 Seated ships captain wearing cap and pullover £8.12 Standing R.N/civilian officer in wet weather jacket £8.12 R.N/Civilian wearing waterproof jacket £8.12 R.N crew in dress uniform leaning on rail £8.12 Seated civilian crew member 1:24 scale £8.12 This is just a selection of the range available.

Rigging Thread Rigging Thread, 0.1mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.25mm Black (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.25mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.5mm Black (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.5mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.75mm Black (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 0.75mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 1mm Black (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 1.0mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 1.3mm Black (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 1.3mm Natural (10mtr) Rigging Thread, 1.7mm Natural (5mtr) Rigging Thread, 1.8mm Black (5mtr) Rigging Thread, 2.5mm Natural (2.5mtr) This is just a selection of the range available.

£1.64 £1.64 £1.64 £1.76 £1.76 £1.89 £1.89 £2.02 £2.02 £2.77 £2.33 £3.09 £4.16 £4.28

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

£0.34 £0.31 £0.35 £0.38 £0.41 £0.44 £0.47 £0.25

Lime Strip 1.5 x 1.5mm x approx 1 metre long £0.36 Lime Strip 1.5 x 10mm x approx 1 metre long £0.73 Lime Strip 1.5 x 2.0mm x approx 1 metre long £0.40 Lime Strip 1.5 x 3.0mm x approx 1 metre long £0.45 Lime Strip 1.5 x 4.0mm x approx 1 metre long £0.50 Lime Strip 1.5 x 5mm x approx 1 metre long £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 Lime Sheet 0.5mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £5.82 Lime Sheet 1mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £5.40 Lime Sheet 1.5mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £6.70 Lime Sheet 10mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £15.59 Lime Sheet 12mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £21.37 Lime Sheet 15mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £25.99 Lime Sheet 2mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £8.09 Lime Sheet 20mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £31.76 Lime Sheet 3mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £9.53 Lime Sheet 4mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £12.71 Lime Sheet 5mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £12.71 Lime Sheet 6mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £12.13 Lime Sheet 8mm thick x 100mm x 1 mtr £13.86 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

Books Plank on Frame Models. Volume Two £25.00 Plank on Frame Models. Volume One £20.00 Ship Modeling Simplified £14.95 Rigging Period Fore & Aft Craft £22.50 Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern £16.95 Card Modelling £22.95 Ship Modelling from Scratch £19.95 The 100 Gun Ship Victory £14.99 The Battleship Dreadnought £16.99 The Battleship Bismarck £16.99 The Battlecruiser Hood £14.99 Advanced Ship Modelling by Brian King: £16.95 Model Marine Steam £14.95 Scale Model Tugs £14.95 Historical Sailing Ships: Remote Controlled £14.95 Period Ship Kit Builders Manual £16.95 Model Ships Fittings £12.95 Model Submarine Technology £12.95 Painting Model Boats £12.95 Scale Model Steamboats £12.95 Making Model Boats with Styrene £12.95 Simply Model Submarines £12.95 The Model Tug Boat Book: £12.95 Scale Model Warships £12.95 Submarines. Models and their Originals £12.95 Scale Model Boats. Building & Operation £9.95 Radio Control In Model Boats £9.95 Introduction to Marine Modelling £9.95 Ship Modelling Solutions £9.95 Scratch Building Marine Models £9.95 Photoetching For The Plastic Ship Modeler £12.95 Super-detailing the Cutter Sherbourne £19.00 This is just a selection from our huges range of books.

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. 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 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 Wooden Clamping Pegs (3) Miniature hand plane

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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.65 Issue 776: July 2015

Published by MyTimeMedia Ltd Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF Phone: 0844 412 2262 From outside UK: +44 (0) 1689 869 840 www.modelboats.co.uk

contents Regular Features R

SUBSCRIPTIONS UK – New, Renewals & Enquiries Tel: +44(0)1858 438798 Email: [email protected] USA & CANADA – New, Renewals & Enquiries Tel: (001)-866-647-9191 REST OF WORLD – New, Renewals & Enquiries Tel: +44 (0) 1689 869896

6 C COMPASS 360 G General items, what’s on and d Footy Newst N

76 AROUND THE CLUBS Ribble MBC and the Solent Radio Controlled MBC are featured d

BACK ISSUES & BINDERS 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]

PRODUCTION Designer: Steve Stoner Illustrator: Grahame Chambers Retouching Manager: Brian Vickers Ad Production: Robin Gray

ACCOUNT MANAGER Ben Rayment: +44 1689 869 851 E-Mail: [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Kate Hall

26 RANGE FINDER Dave Wooley’s Worldwide e Review of Warships and Warship Modelling includes Part Two of the Photo File for HNLMS Van Amstel, plus the Deans Marine HMS Skirmisher project as well as the usual Mystery Picture teaser.

MANAGEMENT Publisher: Julie Miller Commercial Sales Manager: Rhona Bolger E-Mail: [email protected] Tel: 01689 869891 Chief Executive: Owen Davies Chairman: Peter Harkness

40 HINTS AND TIPS Glynn Guest with some useful thoughts about avoiding unnecessary maintenance problems

78 READERS’ MODELS David Hipperson’s 60 year old models and Kevin Holmes motorised Midwest Models Skiff are featured

84 TEST BENCH New items for the modeller

87 READERS’ FREE CLASSIFIED Your free private advertisements

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www.facebook.com/modelboatsmag twitter.com/modelboatsmag © MyTimeMedia Ltd. 2014 All rights reserved ISSN 0140-2910 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 monthly with an additional issue in January by MYTIMEMEDIA Ltd, Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF, UK. The US annual subscription price is approximately 53.40GBP (equivalent to approximately 89USD). Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Model Boats, Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at CDS GLOBAL Ltd, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Market Harborough, Leicester, LE16 9EF. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

42 FLOTSAM & JETSAM On your Marx! John Parker O e examines at these remarkable m motors

5 50 G GALLERY Fraser Gray presents Valiant Fr iant

6 60 B BOILER ROOM R Richard Simpson discusses ses Maintenance Schedules M 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)

88 BMPRS NEWS Craig Dickson reports from the first 2015 race at Colwick Park, Nottingham

contents

10 FEATURE PLAN! BEACHBABY Ron Rees’ classic 1960’s style sports radio controlled model boat with full building instructions

Bow piece

Special Features es 36 PUSHER TUG

T

Andrew Cope’s Reader’s Model based on his own Springer tug design including an outline plan

52 KM BISMARCK Tony Dalton converts the 1:400 scale plastic kit to full radio control

72 HMS BOUNTY - PART THREE Dave Petts completes the mini-series for his radio controlled square-rigged model

64 RANGE FINDER SPECIAL PART FOUR Dave Wooley looks at the smaller warships of the Royal Navy from 1914 to 1919

Model Boats July 2015

his July issue has 100 pages instead of the usual 84, and it includes a new Feature Plan article for Beachbaby, a classic 1960’s style of model which has been designed by Ron Rees to be an easy to build radio control electric brushless motor powered launch. Andrew Cope makes a welcome return to these pages showing how he has easily constructed, from his own plan, a Pusher Tug based on the ever-popular Springer concept and Tony Dalton once again shows how to convert a small scale plastic kit model of KM Bismarck to full radio control. Also, Dave Petts’ completes his scale sail square-rigged radio control HMS Bounty mini-series. Remember the Marx motors that were once so popular because of their superb engineering? John Parker in his Flotsam & Jetsam column lists and photographs these electric brushed motors that were once the standard power unit in so many scale models. Dave Wooley, apart from his usual Range Finder including the super-detailing of a Deans Marine HMS Skirmisher, also has a further article on the warships of WW1, in this case the generally other not so well-known vessels including destroyers, submarines and monitors. In Readers’ Models, Dave Hipperson’s 60 year old models are featured as well as a Midwest Products Yacht Skiff being successfully motorised by Keith Holmes. We of course also have all the other usual regular articles including BMPRS News which is about the offshore model power boating scene, so I hope there is something for everyone here in these 100 pages. Paul Freshney - Editor

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Compass 360 Model Boats notice board for your news 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] Model Boats is Published by MyTimeMedia Ltd Enterprise House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF.

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.

people that welcome beginners and seasoned sailors alike. Our facilities are open 365 days a year and we hold regular meetings at the lake for competition and free sailing, including some Club 500 races. Social events are organised during the year with evening meetings throughout the winter months. The club uses the lake near Thoby Lodge (off Thoby Lane), Mountnessing, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 0TB, and it can be contacted for more information via their Secretary, John Elliott, tel: 07443419501, or Neil Martin, tel: 07812 836974. Email: [email protected] Website: http:// brentwoodmodelboatclub.weebly. com/about-us.html Information supplied by John Elliott

To purchase plans, please call 0844 848 8822 See and buy all of these at www.myhobbystore.com

Kirklees MBC On Sunday 2nd August this club is holding a Steam Convention with a Mountfleet Models Open Day at Wilton Park, Bradford Road, Batley, WF17 8JH, from 1000hrs to 1600hrs. Mountfleet Models will be in attendance with a competition for the best Mountfleet Model and best steam model. Free parking, refreshments, static and on the water displays plus boiler testing can be performed, but will need prior notification. If your steam engine doesn’t need testing a boiler test certificate will need to be shown if applicable. This event is open to all types of models, not only steam, except i.c. and high performance fast electric boats. Please contact Stan, tel: 01132 675790 for more information on boiler testing no later than two weeks before the event. Further information will be on our website: kirkleesmodelboatclub.weebly.com

Fireboat Fun Day & Vintage Model Boat Day 2015 King Lear MBC will be hosting this event on Sunday 6th September. All Vintage Model enthusiasts Boaters are most welcome for this informal and fun event. There is a jetty and slipway for ease of access to the lake, with

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ample parking and picnic facilities at Watermead Country Park, Leicestershire, LE7 1PD. There is a £2.50 entrance fee payable to an unmanned machine, so having the correct change is required. There are no catering facilities on site so bringing your own lunch is recommended. Further information from Graham Taylor, tel: 01162 613959. Email: [email protected] Website: www.kinglearmodelboatclub.co.uk.

The Ebridge Model Boat Club This is a new club being formed in Norfolk that uses the Mill Pond at Ebridge Mill, NR28 9NH, this being part of the North Walsham and Dirham Canal. The club has permission to sail all types of model boat, except i.c. powered types. For more information, John Albinson can be contacted on tel: 01692 548223 or email: [email protected]

Brentwood Model Boat Club (Scale) The Brentwood Model Boat Club (Scale) has recently formed as a separate scale model boat club with the Power Section of what was the Brentwood MY&PBC also doing likewise. The Scale Club is an active and friendly group of like-minded

King Lear MBC Open Sail Event This club will be hosting an Open Sail Event on Sunday 26th July 2015. All model boaters are most welcome for this informal and fun event. There is a jetty and slipway for ease of access to the lake so please take your boats along for a sail at Watermead Country Park, Leicestershire, LE7 1PD, where there are ample parking and picnic facilities. There is a £2.50 entrance fee payable to an unmanned machine, so having the correct change is required. The club hope to have a BBQ and hot drinks available on the day. All proceeds of the day will be donated to Prostrate Cancer Research in memory of one of their founder members, Terry Watson. Further information can be obtained from:

Ian Harrison, tel: 01162 677138. Email: [email protected]. Club website: www.kinglearmodelboatclub.co.uk.

Vintage Model Yacht Group On the 27th June 2015, they have the John Gale Memorial Day meeting at the Rick Pond in Hampton Court Park, especially arranged in conjunction with the Hampton Court M.Y.C. John sadly passed away on the 6th February 2015 and as a tribute to his many years of building some 150 wonderful yachts they are hoping to assemble as many John Gale built boats as possible with a proposed Grand Sail across the lake. This will also be an opportunity for everyone to appreciate many elegant designs and his top quality building. Further information from Martin Bandey, tel: 01489 781061 or 07768 074796.

Halcyon Days in June MB - Page 44 John Edwards has asked us, after publication, to mention that the on the water pictures were taken by John Wills of Scalewarship, something we are pleased to do.

RNLB Ann Letitia Russell We have received information that this lifeboat that started her service in 1939 at Fleetwood has now been found rotting in Lowestoft and a group of people from Fleetwood have formed a group, The Ann Letitia

Obituary - Peter Newton It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of one of our longstanding members, Peter Newton, who passed away on 9th March. Those of you who visited Balne Moor MBC will have met Peter when registering for competitions as he was the administrator and secretary of the club until his resignation at the recent AGM due to his failing health, previously serving the club in the capacity of treasurer. Peter was an active member for many years, initially at Featherstone, and more recently in the setting up and running of the club in its new guise and home at Balne Moor. He first became interested in model boating when his son Philip was about eleven as it was a pastime a father and son could enjoy together. Peter preferred the building of models to sailing them and Philip credited his success in junior competition to the quality of his dad’s construction. Peter leaves a widow, Hazel, and son, Peter. RIP - Peter Teresa Butler - Balne Moor MBC - May 2015

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Model Boats July 2015

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Russell Rescue Group, that is on Facebook and who plan to bring her back to Fleetwood for restoration. A donations site is being set up to pay off any outstanding fees. A kit of the lifeboat has been in existence for some years and we are sure anyone who owns this model would like to see the real craft. Jeff Jackson is Chairman of the Group. Information supplied by Christine Scott

Killingworth MY&MBC This club is having an Open Day on the 25th July 2015 from 1100hrs to 1600hrs. Visitors can have a trial sail an operate a selection of model boats. The venue is located north of Newcastle at Killingworth Lake, off West Bailey (nearest postcode NE12 6TN. Information supplied by Simon Robinson

Toys for Boys! Now in its sixth year, this is being held at Old Christ Church, Waterloo, Liverpool, on Saturday 8th (1000hrs to 1700hrs) & Sunday 9th August 2015 (1000hrs to 1600hrs). The venue is on the corner of the Alexandra and Waterloo road’s. Lots of model boats and all sorts of displays of ‘Toys for Boys’ including Meccano, model trains and boats, classic cars, vintage military vehicles, diecast models, planes etc. Admission is £2 for adults and 50p for children under 16 (under 5’s are free), but the youngsters must be accompanied. For more information, please contact John West on 01519 246143. Information supplied by Max Ferrie

2015 Videlo Globe Footy Open Roger Stollery reports rensham Pond Sailing Club hosted the third of the 2015 Footy Travellers Series on 26th April and gave the competitors 18 races in extremely cold northerly winds. The grey conditions did not put off the enthusiasm of the Footy boys, who enjoyed some very close and exciting racing over a short windward leeward course. The racing close to the control area was set against a background of the sailing club’s Laser and Enterprise dinghy fleets sailing at the far end of the pond. Middle size rigs were set to cope with the 8mph winds and steep waves that built up against the lee shore of the racing area.

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The races At the start of racing it looked as if the results would be dominated by Peter Shepherd sailing his narrow FAT BOY, as he won the first four races, against the chasing group of Peter Jackson, Charles Smith and David Wilkinson. However David, sailing his Swiss design, BREITHORN, got his boat going really well with a narrow balanced Una rig and won the next four races, with the chasing pack now including a newcomer to radio open racing, Frank Wood, sailing an ICE with a couple of third places. Peter Jackson sailing a new FAT BOY SLIM 2 came to the front to win Race 9 before letting Peter Shepherd win again to close the morning’s racing four points ahead of David. After lunch, the two Peters shared the wins in Races 11 and 12,

Conclusion

ABOVE: Footy racing is as exciting as with larger model r/c yachts.

before Peter Shepherd stamped his authority on the racing to win the next four races, being chased by Frank Wood and Peter Jackson, with four second places between them. The final two races were a battle between the yeo leading boats, with David reinforcing his challenge with a couple of first places. However this was not enough to stop Peter Shepherd retaining the Videlo Globe Trophy.

The boats The three leading boats all fitted into the Footy measuring box diagonally, so are a little longer than the axial measured boats, but the main reason for their success was the sailing experience of

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their skippers. David continues to experiment with his various Footy designs and on his BREITHORN has a very straightforward thin flat sheet fin made from 2mm thick carbon sheet with a simply rounded front edge and the minimum of faring at the back edge, which he informed us is theoretically the best shape to minimise drag at this small scale.

At the prize-giving, the PRO Roger Stollery and his Frensham team of John, Derek and Charles, were all thanked for putting on another good Footy Open Event, in spite of the freezing conditions. Frank Wood was delighted to win the novice prize presented by www. sailfootyuk.com for the best skipper not to have achieved a top three place in any of the Footy Traveller’s Series. Previously, he had only taken part in a few IOM club events and really loved the fact that racing was so close to the control area and that, ‘As the boats are so small and manoeuverable there was plenty of space to sail in and avoid collisions’.

Results 1st: 2nd: 3rd: 4th: 5th: 6th: 7th: 8th: 9th:

Peter Shepherd, Abington Park, FAT BOY David Wilkinson, Cotswold, BREITHORN Peter Jackson, Abington Park, FAT BOY SLIM Frank Wood, Frensham Pond, ICE Keith Parrott, Frensham Pond, ICE Charles Smith, Frensham Pond, ICE Bryan Stichbury, Frensham Pond, SUPABUG Graham Whitehead, Frensham Pond, ICE Peter Dunne, Guildford, SUPABUG

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Model Boats July 2015

ABOVE: The cold, but enthusiastic r/c model yachtsmen.

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Next issue The Model Boats August 2015 issue is on sale on the 3rd July 2015

Aboma

This includes a Free Plan for the classic tug Aboma, designed by James Pottinger, and a feature article on the work of Norman Ough by Alistair Roach

Norman Ough

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 August 2015 issue will be published on 3rd July 2015 price £4.75 – 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 18 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 each issue to be reserved for you. Some stores may even be able to arrange for it to be delivered to your home. Just ask!

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Model Boats July 2015

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Model Sailing & powered boats both electric and steam

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feature plan

Beachbaby Ron Rees’ classic 1960’s sports model boat

ack in the mid 1960’s, Sid Pickering who was a very active member of the Victoria Model Steam Boat Club in East London, designed and built a new straight runner and called it Beachcomber, a plan which is still available from MyHobbyStore, Plan No. MM926. It was loosely based on one of the sleek Oulton Broads cruisers of the late 1950’s and specifically designed around the 34cc JAP 2 stroke petrol engine popular at that time. The resulting design turned out to be a very powerful and popular model and quite a few were built and used with success. Being 52 inches long, this monster had grab handles as part of the bulkheads to lift it into and out of the water, and as a member of that club, I often had the dubious pleasure of catching one at full speed, not something to be envied. Today there are at least two of these old boats still doing sterling service in the hands of Keith Reynolds and Phil Odell at straight running regattas and these models can also sometimes be seen on the Victoria MSBC stand at shows. In the 1960’s, Cliff Bryant took the Beachcomber design and reduced it to about 41 inches long with a 14 inch beam, a reduction of 20% in size and called it Beachboy. The plans, that are not commercially available, show a slight reduction in the size and weight of the materials used in construction, reducing the overall weight rather more than the 20% reduction in size. I managed to buy an all wood straight running smaller version of the Beachcomber at a VMSBC auction some years ago. It is called Bacardi and was one of two built by Don and Arthur Reynolds and included a few different changes. I still have it, although it would need some work to get it back to operational use. Cliff’s smaller version of the Beachcomber (which may well have been built by Sid Pickering), was wrapped around a beautiful Gannet 15cc four stroke marine engine. Cliff’s superbly finished model had an amazing performance, bring fast, sporty and fun.

B

“

In the 1960’s, Cliff Bryant took the Beachcomber design and reduced it to about 41 inches long with a 14 inch beam, a reduction of 20% in size and called it Beachboy.

”

The birth of Beachbaby I looked again at Bacardi in late-2014 and decided that it had all the attributes we look for nowadays, being roomy, sleek, fast, stable and altogether a

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very handsome boat. Perhaps it would be a good winter project and rather conveniently I had found an original plan of its 52 inch predecessor, so set about with the ruler and notepad. The intention was to take the original design, reducing it to a more manageable size and modify the internal layout to take a small brushless motor. The Centre of Gravity (C of G) of the original allowed for the heavy Jap engine and this would be where the LiPo battery packs would now go, with the motor further forward and consequently a shallower propshaft angle. From experience, a shallower shaft angle has been found to greatly improve the ride attitude of a model when in fast straight line running. With modern technology, the rudder servo, receiver and speed controller could probably fit in the internal void at the stern and if kept low, then the cockpit floor could be extended to the stern providing some extra space for seating etc. The original design allowed for a full lift-off cabin top which could be retained, but some of the bulkheads (formers) could be reduced or even trimmed right out of the way. Just behind the main cabin back wall were a pair of dummy engine covers on the cockpit floor with louvred tops and these have been retained on Beachbaby. The 52 inch i.c. engined boat had no rear cabin, allowing the heat of the engine to escape, and air to get in! Likewise, the windows on the 52 inch Beachcomber were split halfway with their top halves open for air flow as well. Chine strips were shown on the original plans, but only as a very small sketch and could easily be missed. We now know that these strips greatly improve the performance of such a model, directing away spray, lifting the bows and not wasting power when trying to push all that water away. As far as I can remember, Cliff Bryant also fitted a dagger plate to the centreline of his hull. A hull like this has a tendency to slide, bounce or hop sideways when leaning over in a tight turn, making its handling uncomfortable and risking a flip-over. Early experiments on full-size high speed craft quickly percolated to us marine modellers and within months of seeing the first dagger plates we were trying them as well. If it didn’t work, and it was only a bit of 1/16 inch aluminium anyway, it could just be cut it off and the remnants filed flat to

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Model Boats July 2015

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the hull. So what did we end up with? Beachbaby was redrawn half-scale from the Beachcomber design to be 26 inches long and 7.5 inches beam. This size of model can easily be powered by a Black 2836 Turnigy 750kv motor or equivalent, running off paired 2.45 Amp 11.1v 3S LiPo batteries with a 30Ah speed controller. A 280mm long x 6mm o.d. propshaft tube with a 4mm shaft and a standard large rudder assembly somewhat cut down, completes the driveline.

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Hull materials? The plans and pictures show the largely Depron Foam method of construction, but there is no reason why wood should not be solely used instead. Wood is recommended for some parts anyway and that should be the case however you choose to build this model. If all wood, then bulkheads and formers can be 1/4 inch (6mm) balsawood and the skins of 1/32 plywood or similar. Some Lite-ply will also be handy. The cabin is of mainly thin plywood on the prototype, but do keep weight to a minimum please. The prototype hull was finished with two layers of 15 denier nylon from stockings/tights. This weave is much finer and easier to finish than that of thicker tights. Deluxe Materials Eze-Kote Laminating and Finishing Resin for balsa & foam models, sands well, is low odour and foam safe and was used on this model with the nylon tights.

(or Depron) because it is then a pain to remove the paper template and the card versions can be reused for another identical model if desired. Photo 2. The principal parts for the hull framework. The bulkheads (formers) are 6mm Depron sheet and the deck is from 3mm of the same. The keel is 3mm Lite Ply, with 6mm balsawood doublers either side of where the propshaft exits, which is also used for the weird vee shaped foredeck supports and there are eight lengths of 6 x 3mm pliable balsawood for the stringers.

Construction Transferring the drawn parts on to wood or Depron from the plan can be done in a number of ways. Pricking through the plan is one way, tracing is another or simply copying the relevant parts in A4 sections, using a domestic scanner/printer is feasible. You could even buy two plans and cut one up or have a copy made, but only for personal use and not resale! The whole sequence is being shown as if you were starting with just the plan. Photo 1. Templates taken from the plan were stuck to some stiff card with photo-mount spray, This is better than sticking them direct to the wood

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7 Builders who prefer wood to Depron must consider the grain direction as one way or another you will soon end up with narrow pieces of crossedgrain, which is weak. One way around this is to make each former out of three or four pieces keeping the grain lengthways on all the pieces. Small triangular braces of 1/32 inch plywood at each corner will greatly reinforce the joints and you can then have strength as well as lightness. Depron of course, has no grain direction and is in fact surprisingly strong when used for structures in this way, hence my preference for it. Make sure you accurately transfer all the position markings for the bulkheads on to the underside of the deck and the sides of the keel. Also accurately mark from the plan the angle and position of the propeller shaft on the keel piece and a centreline on each bulkhead.

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Photo 3. Glue on one side only of the keel piece, a propshaft doubler in the position marked and weight it, to keep it in the right place. While it is drying you can add the balsawood and foam thickening pieces where the servo cutout, rudder post and bow skins will go, leaving gaps for the formers and test those spaces using a piece of scrap 6mm foam. Deluxe Materials R/C Modellers Craft Glue was used for the nearly all the wood to foam and foam to foam joints, although there are one or two areas where a foam safe, odourless superglue is quicker and more convenient. Photo 4. When the propshaft doubler has dried, flip the keel piece over and carefully trim the plywood away as shown with a 6mm gap for the propshaft tube. Now add the second doubler and the other thickening pieces and weight it all down

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flat once again. At the same time glue two pieces of 6mm square balsa either side of the centreline on the transom allowing a 3mm gap for the end of the keel. This is not essential, but makes assembly easier later. Photo 5. The hull is built upside down and this picture shows the deck stuck down to the building board with bits of masking tape. Note, the tapes are between the former positions that are marked on the deck’s underside. The two vee shaped front deck supports as shown, can be glued and pinned in position. Make sure the gap between them matches the thickness of the keel’s plywood by testing the 6mm space with an offcut. At the same time, double-check that the side to side cutouts in the vee pieces line up properly by testing them with Bulkhead’s A and B. Photo 6. Bulkhead B has been eased into position on the keel and the centre slot in the latter may need to be elongated a little to get it in position. Once happy with the dry fit, glue permanently in place. This picture also shows rather nicely the keel thickening pieces. Photo 7. Once Bulkhead B is installed all the others can be positioned loosely in their slots. It might be best not to glue them just now, aligning

Photo 8. Now glue the bulkheads to the underside of the deck, with RC Modellers Glue and then fix them to the keel with ‘runny’ Foam Safe Superglue. Photo 9. Four of the 1/4 x 1/8th (6 x 3mm) balsawood strips are then fitted, glued and pinned along the deck/frame edges and chines. On the prototype, two of the balsawood strips had a slight twist in them, which because Depron is so light, tried to lift the whole framework clear of the building board. A heavy weight and turning one strip 180 degrees solved the problem. Photo 10. Once the glue had set, the pins were removed and second strips laminated over the first, held in place by small clips. Photo 11. The chine strips now got get the same treatment, but here you can also see the 1/8 inch (3mm) thick plywood motor mounting plate installed, under which there are a pair of 3/8 by 1/4 inch (10 x 6mm) spruce strips. These add strength to it, but also add some ‘meat’ for the motor mount screws to grip.

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Builders who prefer wood to Depron must consider the grain direction as one way or another you will soon end up with narrow pieces of crossed-grain, which is weak.

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them first whilst making any small adjustments required to the slots etc.

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Photo 12. The hull has been removed from the building board and is now the right side up. You may also spot the small plywood reinforcement at the stern for the rudder post, the screw spacing marked on the motor mount plate and the linings fitted around the deck cutout. Normally these would be proud of the deck by about 1/4 inch (6mm) as a coaming, but as the deck is to be planked and will therefore need to be sanded, it is easier without a coaming just now, this being added later. Photo 13. The chine and deck edge stringers exit the transom so after being sanded flush, another piece of 3mm Depron was fitted over the entire transom to made it look much neater.

Skinning the hull 3mm Depron was used on the prototype, but 1/32 inch plywood is a practical alternative. We don’t need anything thicker, because the entire hull will be laminated outside with the tights and Epoxy Kote finishing technique. Whether you use Depron or wood, the hull frame will need gentle sanding along the sides and bottom to maximise the skin gluing surfaces. Use a six or eight inch long flat faced block with the sandpaper fixed to one side for this task.

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Photo 14. Starting with the bottom skins, do these one at a time and hold them to the hull frame using pegs, until the glue dries. The pegs in the pictures are stainless steel with soft grip jaws, but wooden clothes pegs are an alternative. The odd pin here and there might also be needed. The joint where the two bottom pieces meet at the keel can be an overlap, sanded level with the other side or a bevelled centreline be cut down the middle of each piece with a butt joint. Since the whole thing will be covered with the tights and Epoxy Kote method, it is not essential for this to be perfect, but personally I have found that the overlap method is easier. Photo 15. Here, one of the hull sides is being fitted and the other is fitted in the same way. The joints at the chines and deck edge should then, with care, be smoothed using fine sandpaper wrapped around a block. Careful trimming at the bow is needed to achieve a good sharp joint between the side skins. The bow joint itself was made using foam-safe superglue and its activator, using finger pressure to keep it together until set, a matter of less than a minute. Any slight misalignment can be filled with an ultra lightweight foam filler such as the Red Devil Onetime Filler. It is perhaps better though to use fillers between applications of the finishing resin as some DIY or general fillers do not stick directly that well to Depron.

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Photo 16. A step backwards here, as this shows the Lite-ply battery trays before the hull’s second side skin had been added. The fact that they are not horizontal is not in practical terms a problem. Photo 17. A vertical view (port side hull skin still not added) showing the almost complete hull and the servo mounting rails. The servo cutout depicted on the plan is for a micro-servo to keep overall weight low and to be honest, Beachbaby does not

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On this model I wanted to plank the deck in keeping with the original design. In the 1960’s many boat builders enjoyed showing off the beauty and colour of wood

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need anything larger. Metal geared ball-raced micro-servos with a power loading of 2.5kg can be had online for barely £5.

Covering the hull On this model I wanted to plank the deck in keeping with the original design. In the 1960’s many boat builders enjoyed showing off the beauty and colour of wood and many models from this period had their woodwork varnished to a high standard. Sometimes getting a good bond between wood planking directly to Depron is not always assured and a preliminary application of some form of tissue, nylon stocking or fine glassfibre cloth with resin, both reinforces the foam and more importantly, vastly improves the adhesion of the wood planking to it all and of course you can now use a wide choice of adhesives since they don’t have to be foam safe. Photo 18. As to the tissue, well whilst lugging armfuls of plants around the local garden centre, I came across a product called Frostgard, a very thin woven membrane designed for covering flower beds and bushes during the colder months. You can buy Frostgard off the roll or in small packs, and examination reveals that it is probably a mixture of blown glassfibre and cotton strands, a bit like a thinner version of what you find in roofing felt. It is quite strong and an 8 x 2 metre roll was just £4.99, much cheaper than glassfibre matting and cloth. It was worth a try and so was purchased.

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22 Photo 19. This shows the Frostgard tissue being tried out on the deck, laminated with two coats of Deluxe Materials Eze-Kote and it is just purrfect(!) as it later enabled the deck planking to be glued with ‘normal’ cheap superglue. It sands just as well as the usual tights or stocking alternative with the Eze-Kote treatment and for £4.99 for 16 square metres, I have enough to last me a lifetime.

The tights or stocking treatment! Anyone who has read my previous articles will know that this method involves encasing the hull in one leg of a pair of tights (or a single stocking), pulling it tight over the hull and then laminating it into place with Eze-Kote. Photo 20. Here the hull is encased in the 15 denier leg from the pair of tights. The only difference here was that this hull was given two layers of this, the first being laminated with Eze-Kote, sanded and the second tights leg added with another resin coat. The additional weight is of no consequence and I wanted to know if the extra layer would make the hull even more robust. Photo 21. Perhaps not too clear, but this is the laminated hull after the double layer of 15 denier tights. At the time of writing in Spring 2015, the answer is yes, the extra layer has made the hull

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more robust, but unless you are in the habit of smashing your model into hard pond edges, then perhaps it is not necessary. Photo 22. After a rub down, the chine strips were added. These are 1/8 (3mm) square spruce which are nice and bendy. Tacked on every two inches (50mm) or so with medium grade superglue and then a bead of the same, but thin (runny) and allowed to flow down their lengths whilst holding the hull vertical. Two more coats of epoxy resin were then applied to seal the joints with a further rub down of the hull with very fine wet and dry sandpaper.

Deck Varnished wood for the deck and cabin would look right on this model, so that is what it has to be. To make this model a bit different, a piece of what I thought the Dutch called Rosewood (but I think is probably something unpronounceable from Africa) was pulled from the wood stock. Never throw good quality wood away as nowadays it is invariably expensive, that is if you can source it. Well, it looked like Rosewood, but had the grain structure of Ash and its splinters were evil and after a check with a Dutch relative it turned out to be what they call Wenge, but nevertheless still good enough for this project. This piece of Wenge was sliced into several 1/4

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To make this model a bit different, a piece of what I thought the Dutch called Rosewood (but I think is probably something unpronounceable from Africa) was pulled from the wood stock.

25 inch (6mm) thick pieces on the big saw and then these were cut into 1mm thick planks by 6mm wide on the modeller’s saw. For the lighter strips between the planks, a rotary paper cutter (the type that has a wheel that slides along a metal bar) was used to dissect a piece of 0.5mm thick Beech veneer into 3mm slices. Not quite what the paper cutter was intended for, but practical for this purpose. Photo 23. Before planking started, a 2 x 1.5mm thick Basswood simulation of the breast hook was fitted at the bows separated by a strip of Sapele (type of Mahogany) veneer. This was stuck down using Aliphatic Resin Wood Glue. Photo 24. The cutout in the deck for the cabin is straight sided and parallel, so this seemed like a good place to start the planking. As you can see, it started with a wide plank up against the straight edge and then worked outwards, leaving the stern and foredeck till last. To ensure the number of planks either side were equal, a short section of the laminated basswood

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Photo 25. This shows the deck after the veneer had been planed smooth using a small balsawood plane. A fairly coarse sanding with an electric palm sander and once smooth(ish) a finer grit sandpaper used by hand, completed the job. Ten coats of Ronseal acrylic clear gloss varnish were then applied with a 400 grade sanding between coats. Halfway through all this, a 1/4 x 1/8 inch (6 x 3mm) mahogany strip was added around the deck edge using medium superglue and this was also sanded and varnished together with the deck. The final task now, is to fit a thin coaming strip around the deck opening for the cabin to sit around. It sits proud of the deck by 1/4 inch (6mm) and is a strip of 1/2 inch (12mm) x 1/16 inch (1.5mm) plywood. It does later need some cutouts for the front cabin formers to fit over and through it.

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was temporarily fitted on the stern and which matched the foredeck. A strip of beech veneer was stood vertical between the planks and gluing was with medium superglue, finger pressure holding each one down until set.

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28 storage cabinets and seating looks much better, so that has been designed into the plan.

Cabin Photo 26. This shows the basic parts. Please note the positions of the formers marked on the inner faces of the sides and keep the window cut-outs for later use when making the window frames. The prototype used 2.5mm Lite-ply, but balsawood could be used and then laminated with veneer. The various supporting stringers are of spruce, but could also be balsawood. Photo 27. The cabin is assembled in-situ around the deck coaming with a spacer across its back. The rear of the sloping cabin sides should end up being 1/8 inch (3mm) higher than the top of the coaming at the stern. The original 52 inch i.c. engine powered model had a very small cockpit where the engine covers and the rear doorway were, and the rest was sheeted over. Since there is now the internal volume, a full length cockpit well including

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Photo 28. To make the cockpit look the part, a rear cabin wall was made to suit from 2.5mm Lite-ply. The coaming needs to slot inside the rear cabin assembly sides all round to keep water out and therefore the whole well (cockpit) is a sort of box hung inside of the cabin unit and spaced from its sides (there is a cutaway view of this on the plan). The floor was planked to match the deck. The seats and engine boxes are of 2.5mm Lite-ply, please use the plan for the exact dimensions, but you can vary them if you wish as it is after all your model. Photo 29. The engine cover louvres can be a pain to make, perhaps better if you can find something from the bits box that can be cannibalised, but those on the model are resin cast from a wood master and rubber mould as shown in this picture.

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Window frames Photo 30. This picture shows the sequence of making the window frames. Some 0.5mm Litho plate (a sort of thin aluminium sheet used by offset-litho printers) was to hand, but styrene or thin plywood could also be used. The outside shape is easy to cut with strong scissors and several methods and gadgets were tried to cut the inside edge using the waste pieces from the cabin panels that were mentioned earlier. Being quite a narrow-edged frame, the Litho plate would not co-operate at all and twisted and rolled into unimaginable shapes, but in the end a pair of nail scissors did the job quite well. The frames were rubbed and burnished flat with the back of a dessert spoon, before being polished with 400 grade wet and dry sandpaper. These were then glued to pieces of 0.75mm clear styrene sheet using a foam-safe superglue, which also does not fog or whiten the clear plastic. Each window unit was then cut to its external size and put aside until after the cabin was varnished.

Cabin roof Photo 31. The main cabin roof has quite a marked curved overhang at its front edge, a feature of the model and part of its character. It needs to match

Finishing the cabin Photo 32. Apart from spraying the engine cover vents silver, a 100% varnished wood look was chosen for all of it. The roof remained as light birch, but the rest of the cabin sides were veneered. If you are having trouble sourcing veneer, then check in woodworking magazines for the material as it can often be much cheaper than via model making outlets. The cabin ended up a bleached walnut colour, with the lockers trimmed with mahogany strip together with the tops of the cabin sides at the stern. The amount of detail you include in, around and on the cabin, is your choice and likewise for the deck and hull.

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The amount of detail you include in, around and on the cabin, is your choice and likewise for the deck and hull.

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the tops of the cabin sides, front and rear, but how to do it without ruining them? The solution is simple and that is to cover the top edges of the cabin with a clear plastic bag and then over it, laminate three layers of 1/32 inch (0.75mm) Miralyte Birch plywood, so that they are glued together in the curve needed. Once the glue has set and it was trimmed to shape whilst off the model followed by a couple of coats of Ronseal acrylic gloss varnish, it not only keeps its shape but looks quite pretty when finally glued over the cabin sides, front and rear bulkheads. This was easier than doing it all in-situ and avoided damaging the existing cabin sides etc.

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34 Photo 34. This shows the oiler tube soldered to a collet that will be slid over the propshaft tube from the inside of the hull.

Running gear and hull painting You will have already realised that the propshaft tube and rudder post were not installed until the hull was nearly complete and why? Well the simple answer is that it is easier to rub down a hull that does not have tubes sticking out of it. The plans show the driveline and the angle and clearance e of the motor plywood mount is designed for a 28mm diameter motor plus a 3mm allowance for height adjustment with a sheet rubber damper beneath the standard nylon 380 type of motor mount which suits most small brushless backplate mounted outrunner motors, leaving sufficient clearance to function, but do check your motor and installation before making it all permanent. The propshaft hole in the keel was opened-out until the outer tube slid though it into position inside the hull. A propeller of up to 36mm dia. has to be catered for, and a temporary external brace ensures this. There is quite a lot of propshaft tube that will be left unsupported outside the hull, so the plan shows a metal support just forward of the tube’s external end. An alternative is to insert a wedge of wood between the hull and the propshaft tube, epoxied in position once alignment is complete and accurate, Photo 33. With the propshaft now dry-aligned, it can be installed. If you want to fit a top bearing oiler, that has to be fitted after the tube is installed through the keel. The oiler hole can be drilled before installation. as in this picture, but the tube leading to it will have to be fitted later, because otherwise the propshaft tube will not pass though the keel from the outside, there being insufficient space and angle to insert it from the inside. Use a dummy aligner coupling to ensure the motor and propshaft are in alignment before gluing the propshaft in place. The forward screws of the motor mount may, depending on which one you are using, be just in front of the leading edge of the deck aperture. In that event, drill two 3mm holes in the deck directly above the mounting’s forward screw hole positions and use a long screwdriver to reach the securing screws. A piece of 3mm dowel or aluminium rod does not look out of place when fitted flush to the deck to cover the holes.

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The hull was masked and sprayed with three coats of Halfords primer-filler to build up a decent base coat

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Photo 35. This shows the tiller arm and stern installation. A standard large rudder with 12mm cut off the bottom of the blade was used, the rudder post tube being inserted through the keel as marked. The tiller arm is simply a piece of brass strip soldered to a collet with its hole opened out to match the rudder post. The linkages started life as bicycle spokes with ball and socket joints at the servo arm end, and the electrical contraption behind the rudder post? Photo 36. Needing to keep everything as low down as possible and having had problems with tight spaces in the past with battery leads going any way they liked, the practicable problem of keeping a Y-lead and the main power switch lead to the esc from getting in the way had to be solved. So, a sort of solid state assembly was made and fitted in the void behind the rudder. That shown here in this picture is the prototype, so is not the prettiest in the world, but it works really well and solves having a Spaghetti Junction of cables. Photo 37. This is of the underneath of this solid state board. The rest of the power installation is easy. The Alexander Engel Sub Commander brushless esc, which is around £25 inc. postage and packing from Germany, is small, waterproof and can be watercooled if you wish,

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35 having a 30 Amp capability and it comes set-up for full forward and reverse, unless you want to reprogramme it.

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Photo 38. This shows the complete interior of Beachbaby ready to go, with the pair of three cell 11.1v 2450mAH LiPo batteries and a Spektrum compatible receiver, all packed in foam. Photo 39. The hull was masked and sprayed with three coats of Halfords primer-filler to build up a decent base coat, then sanded with wet and dry 400 grade paper, used wet. Then two coats of Halfords white primer, with a light rub down before spraying the top half of the model with Car-Plan Beige 02. These are good value, but while they are an acrylic colour they seem to have a nitro-cellulose base, so have to be sprayed outside which can be difficult in the cold. The bottom of the hull was painted with a nice burgundy Red 08 from the same company.

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the plywood keel. Three small holes were drilled through the tab for extra gluing area and after chaindrilling a 1.5mm wide slot in the keel, the dagger plate was inserted and glued in place with epoxy adhesive.

Back to the water

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On the water Beachbaby was fitted with a Graupner two bladed 33mm S type hydroplane propeller (from Gliders UK). I was not sure how the 750kv motor would respond to different sized propellers and it went well on the first run. Opening up the throttle to about 50% Beachbaby fairly raced away, still stable and very responsive, Photo 40. A few high speed turns were tried which showed the hull’s tendency to skip and slide sideways across the water. There was no risk in this and it could be fun as the boat still went where you wanted it to go. The Dagger Plate had not yet been fitted, so now might not be a bad idea? At higher speeds it was also clear that the weight of the batteries would need to be moved further forward to bring the bows down. Anyway, after a good half hour run, neither the motor or the esc was even slightly warm and the battery consumption recorder revealed that another 30 minutes running time was possible.

Conclusions The model is very pretty and looks a treat in natural wood and old-timer colour scheme. Its performance is exciting and the trim tabs have further flattened the running profile. Not a drop of water inside the hull and the handling with the dagger plate has also improved it immensely, at both fast and slow speeds. You can add extra detail if you wish, but to me, it is a smaller version of those magnificent four and five long straight runners that were so prevalent post WW2 before radio control became affordable. Sid Pickering designed a great model boat, and I hope 50 years later in its half-size Beachbaby guise, this will continue to be a credit to him. Enjoy your hobby - Ron Rees

Plan for Beachbaby

Dagger plate Back in the workshop and this was made and inserted, Photo 41. Installing the dagger plate involved cutting away a bit of Bulkhead C and extending the battery trays forward. The dagger plate (as shown on the plan) is from a scrap piece of 1/16 inch (1.5mm) aluminium with a tab to slot into

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The following weekend, and with the batteries now two inches further forward, out again went Beachbaby. The nose-up attitude was reduced to a more reasonable angle of attack and the dagger plate really worked well, stopping the sideways bouncing altogether at speed and giving the model a ‘turning on a sixpence’ capability. You will notice in some of the on the water pictures that additional fixed trim tabs have been subsequently fitted to the transom.

The highly detailed full size plan No. MM2105 is available from MyHobbyStore Ltd and is priced at £12.50 + p/p as of July 2015. MyHobbyStore plans may be purchased online at www.Myhobbystore.com or please call: 0844 848 8822, 1000hrs to 1600hrs, Monday to Friday.

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Model Boats July 2015

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warship scale

Range Finder

Dave Wooley with his Worldwide Review of Warships and Warship Modelling

The recently refitted and modernised Dutch Karel Doorman class frigate HNLMS Van Amstel.

elcome once again to our regular sortie into the world of fighting ships and this month we have Part Two of the Photo File for HNLMS Van Amstel, plus continue with the Deans Marine HMS Skirmisher project as well as having the usual Mystery Picture teaser.

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Ship’s tour of HNLMS Van Amstel, Part Two

This is an all-weather, over-thehorizon, anti-ship missile with a nominal range of 80 nautical miles and is probably currently the most widely deployed weapon and system of its type.

”

In the June issue we concluded with the RIB’s adjacent to the funnel and we are now returning to this area, but slightly further aft. Photo 1 is a general picture focusing on the ship’s starboard side with the area aft of the funnel and forward of the hangar. The next picture, Photo 2, has a wealth of discernible detail such as the design of the watertight doors, ladders and railings, and on 01 Deck and just in the centre of the picture are the launch tubes for the Harpoon surface to surface missiles.

diameter missiles and their associated launching tubes have been installed on just about every type of warship from small fast attack boats to nuclear powered cruisers and submarines. The original 1965 development concept was for it to attack surfaced submarines, but Harpoon rapidly evolved into what it is today. Like the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates, HNLMS Van Amstel is fitted with eight launch tubes in two

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Harpoon anti-ship missile This is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile with a nominal range of 80 nautical miles and is probably currently the most widely deployed weapon and system of its type. Harpoon was first developed more than 50 years ago with the contract for production then awarded to McDonnell Douglas Astronautics and it first entered service in 1975. Since then, over 6000 of the 457cm long x 37cm

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four tube arrangements sited on fixed port and starboard launch trajectories, Photo 3. The exhaust gas from the tube when a missile is launched is directed over the side of the ship, whereas on the RN frigates it is deflected into a horizontal box structure and then blown clear of the ship. The Harpoon missile is initially powered on launching by a booster rocket motor then after separation, a turbo jet powers the missile to the

target at Mach 0.85. Guidance in the post-launch phase uses an inertial navigation system and when nearing the target, the on-board seeker radar locks on to the target and performs various evasive manoeuvres whilst also having electronic counter measures to overcome those being deployed by the target. As an addendum to this, by 2016, missiles such as Harpoon may well become obsolete as the first viable electromagnetic railgun is being mounted on a US Navy Spearhead class Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) as part of a program, which includes BAE Systems, to develop the artillery of the future. These guns are capable of firing a round five times faster than a missile with no need for an explosive warhead as the resulting impact using kinetic energy on any target will be instant and totally destructive. Such rounds are of course impervious to electronic counter measures and the current range is believed to be up to 110 nautical miles. Anyway this is for the future, but goes to show the current pace of military technological development.

Refuelling and torpedo tubes

3 Photo 1. A general amidships starboard side view of HNLMS Van Amstel. Photo 2. The area on 01 deck starboard side between aft of the funnel uptake with the Harpoon missile tubes and the front of the hangar. Photo 3. Harpoon is an anti-ship surface to surface missile that is launched from these eight tubes and no re-loads are carried. Photo 4. On the port side amidships is a refueling receiver nozzle, ringed in blue, and the fixed torpedo tubes facing forward are ringed in red.

Moving to the main deck, in Photo 4 is a view of part of the port side and this highlights the refuelling receiver nozzle (ringed in blue) and the location of the fixed torpedo tubes (ringed in red). The refuelling receiver nozzle and pipework is typical of that used on many modern warships for when large quantities of fuel are transferred

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7 Photo 5. Secured by a pelican clip is the fuel receiving nozzle.

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Photo 6. A pair of the fixed 324mm Mk. 32 MOD 9 torpedo tubes for the MOD 5 ASW torpedoes. Photo 7. Mounted vertically are sixteen Mk. 48 MOD 1 surface to air missile launch tubes. Photo 8. Each vertical tube houses a single RIM7M NATO Sea Sparrow surface to air missile and these are the angled exhaust gas outlets. Photo 9. The large Thales LW-08 early warning radar. Photo 10. A clear picture of the Goalkeeper close in weapon system. Note the cover over the Gatling barrels.

in a relatively short time using a hose and probe suspended from a jackstay between the two vessels and Photo 5 is a close-up of the stowed fuel receiving nozzle.

Goalkeeper Close in Weapon System (CIWS)

Torpedo tubes

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HNLMS Van Amstel is fitted with two x two Mk. 32 342mm torpedo tubes located in fixed positions, port and starboard, on the main deck facing forward and angled outwards, Photo 6. The torpedo carried is the Mk. 46, designed as an active homing lightweight weapon principally for anti-submarine use, but it can also be used against surface targets. Its operating depth is between 20 and 1500 feet, but the latest MOD 5 version can also operate in very shallow water. Development commenced 60 years ago, but the Mk. 46 is still considered to be the NATO standard lightweight torpedo and it can be launched from ships, helicopters, aeroplanes and other military hardware.

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Mk. 48 vertical launch surface to air missile system This is for the 3.66m long solid fuel rocket powered RIM-7M Sea Sparrow missile and on this ship it is in a 16 cell vertical launch configuration adjacent to the hangar on the port side. There are no re-loads carried, Photo 7. During launch, the missile exhaust gas is expelled from the bottom of the tube and directed outwards at an angle, Photo 8. The latest Sea Sparrow variant is the RIM-162 version and it has the ability to defeat high performance electronic countercounter measures equipped anti-ship missiles.

LW-08 early warning radar On top of the hangar is mounted the stabilised D Band early warning radar LW-08. This is a high

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performance radar capable of handling up to 64 tracks at speeds of Mach 5 out to a distance of 140nm and up to 85000ft, Photo 9.

Mounted on the rear of the hangar roof to starboard, is a single Goalkeeper CIWS. This has a Gatling type of 30mm gun with a rate of fire of 4200 rounds per minute and a maximum range of 2000 metres. The search and tracking radars are separate, so the system can detect new targets whilst engaging an existing one. The system also incorporates anti-clutter and electronic counter measures devices. Reaction time from detection to engagement is 5.5 seconds and it can detect targets out to a range of 16 nautical miles and has the capability of tracking 30 targets and then engaging the four most urgent, Photo 10.

Hangar This looks small when viewed from aft as in Photo 11, yet this perception is changed when viewing its interior as it can comfortably accommodate a Lynx Mk. 8 helicopter. The helicopter of choice has changed in recent years to the larger NH90, but there have been ongoing teething problems since its introduction in 2007. The inside of the hangar can be seen here in detail, Photo 12.

Flight deck The flight deck is quite large and surrounding its edge is crash barrier netting with three stanchions to an individual section. These are all movable with the centre stanchion having a hydraulic lever for moving the barrier section up or down, Photo 13. Over to starboard, and close to the deck edge, is

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warship scale Photo 11. Looking forward at the hangar shutter. Photo 12. The interior of the hangar. At its inside top and on either side, are the tracks for the mobile hoist. At the innermost forward end at deck level, and only just visible, are the winches which haul the helicopter into the hangar. Photo 13. The flight deck crash barriers can be hydraulically lowered and raised. Photo 14. There is a flush deck mounted hatch leading down to the working space beneath the flight deck. Photo 15. The launching frame and cradle for the towed variable depth sonar array.

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a hatch leading into the working void below and please note the type of tie-down used on the flight deck, Photo 14.

Towed array Below the flight deck and right aft is the working space accommodating the drum for paying out the Thales Anaconda DSBV 61 very low frequency passive towed array sonar. This array is fitted with a module of 50 hydrophones, all towed on 1000m of cable, and included in it is a torpedo warning device, Photo 15.

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Photo 16. Starboard side aft and looking forward.

ability to respond to any threat large or small, close at hand, or over the horizon . It was interesting from a model making perspective to have a first hand a look at just some of the alterations to the appearance of this ship, these pictures hopefully providing a useful resource. My thanks to the commanding officer and ship’s company of NNLMS Van Amstel for their help and assistance during my visit.

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Conclusion We conclude our tour of HNLMS Van Amstel with a view from the starboard side aft whilst looking forward, Photo 16, and it’s worth noting just how large the side openings are in the aft section of this warship. Although only two vessels of the Karl Doorman class remain in service with the Dutch Navy they are now, after having major refits, able to maintain a high level of combat readiness and the

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Photo 17. A contemporary picture of HMS Skirmisher and please note the height of the foremast. Photo 18. To create the main body section of each steam pipe, 2mm o.d. copper tube is being used. Photo 19. A copper flange, as shown on the drawing, was used to create a securing point to the funnel uptakes. Photo 20. Each of the forward facing steam pipes has been temporarily fitted into place. Photo 21. An access platform from brass etched strip and styrene has been created around the steam pipe on the first funnel.

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HMS Skirmisher - Part Nine Photo 17 is a rare picture of the full-size HMS Skirmisher from the early part of the 20th Century, just in case you have forgotten which model we are building, all based on the Deans Marine kit and please note just how tall the foremast is on this scout cruiser, something we covered last month. In this issue we will be doing some detail work on the funnels and fitting the bilge keels.

Funnel detailing

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Most warships of this period were fitted with steam pipes from the boilers which tracked up the front, and sometimes the rear, of the funnel uptakes. It was necessary to fit these first before any other work could be undertaken and to the forward funnel in particular. To replicate these pipes, 2mm copper tube sourced from Albion Alloys is the right diameter and can be easily worked. The first task was to cut a fixing band, also of copper to be a slip-fit over the pipe and a lower fixing band was formed from 1mm styrene sheet, Photo 18. A length of 0.5mm brass wire was soldered to the upper copper fixing band and would be later cut to a suitable length and inserted into the funnel to hold the pipe in place, Photo 19. Only the third funnel uptake has a pipe fitted both to its forward and rear faces, the first and second funnels just having a single pipe at their front’s and Photo 20 is a picture looking aft at the three funnels. Incidentally these steam pipes should continue down, through and into their respective lower base flanges and deck casings. With a steam pipe fitted to the forward funnel, work could commence developing the platform which surrounds it. This is formed from 0.5mm brass wire with flat strips of etched brass from Scale Link (which comes in various widths), cut and

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Photo 22. Preparing the material for the two steam horns. Photo 23. Using a needle file to form the bell mouth of a steam horn. Photo 24. A small piece of styrene rod is inserted into the steam horn. 0Photo 25. The steam horns are very small, but nevertheless are a distinct feature of this 1:96 scale model. Photo 26. The prepared steam horns, pipework and platforms. Photo 27. Each steam horn has been temporarily located in place on the forward funnel.

27 placed along the edge of the brass wire creating a grated platform as in Photo 21. Strips of Evergreen 1.5mm width styrene were added to the surround, to which will later be added guard rails and a ladder.

Steam horns Sited on either side of the forward funnel are two steam horns which were made using 2mm o.d. aluminium tube to create the horn itself, 1.5 x 2.5mm Evergreen No. 155 box section and 1.6mm diameter Evergreen No. 222 styrene rod, Photo 22. Taking the aluminium tube, a bell mouth is formed using a needle file by gently rotating it whilst pressing the side of the tool outwards against the inside of the tube, Photo 23. As the thin aluminium tube is malleable, the bell mouth then easily forms. With the shape of the horn created, any burrs can be removed and a length of 1.6mm styrene rod inserted into the end of the tube, Photo 24.

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Once fixed, the styrene rod was cut to 2mm length and taking the Evergreen No. 155 styrene box section, the rear of the horn cut to 3mm in length. A short piece of 1.6mm styrene rod was then added to the underside of the box section and once the glue had set, it was cut to the desired length, Photo 25. The 14ml tin of Humbrol paint gives you an idea of just how small are these fittings. Two small platforms with their pipework, on to which will be fitted the horns, were made using 0.5mm brass rod and 1mm styrene sheet for the platform. The brass rod is shaped with a double bend so as to extend it to the end of the platform, Photo 26. The bottom of this rod slides into a 0.75mm o.d. brass tube fixed and rising up from the base of the funnel. All the fittings were not fixed in place permanently just yet, but Photo 27 gives you an idea of progress thus far and as they say; ‘it’s the little things that make a difference’!

warship scale

Photo 28. Further external pipework is fitted (believed to be the galley chimney) as per photographs and the drawing. Photo 29. A simple and effective method of preparing the bilge keels.

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Galley chimney Fitted directly from the deck funnel casing into the funnel is a length of pipework. It’s unclear on the drawing as to the purpose of this, but the galley is close-by, indicating perhaps a link between the two? The pipework is from 2.5mm of brass tube angled and soldered onto a 3.5mm tube which in turn is fed into a baseplate as in Photo 28. A ladder, safety rails and the funnel stays have yet to be added, but that is enough for now.

Bilge keels A bit late for these you may ask? I had left them until now, because I wanted to see the model looking like HMS Skirmisher which would then be motivation enough to keep on building. The bilge keels are fixed at or just above the turn of the bilge and are straightforward to make and fit, but on this GRP hull their positions are not indicated. However, the drawing does clearly show their locations, so all that was required was to transfer the relative positions to the hull. The usual method that I adopt for these enables a really strong fit and requires very little disturbance to the hull, save a number of fixing holes. The first task was to measure the length of the port and starboard bilge keels (445mm) and their width (7mm). The choice of material for the bilge keels was 1mm marine plywood. Notches were cut into the strips of plywood to allow 1mm brass rods

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to slot into place with a small strip of 0.5mm marine plywood then epoxied over these slots and the now captive rod within. The number of rod inserts can vary, but four or five was sufficient for these 445mm long versions, Photo 29. Using the drawing, the position of the bilge keels was marked on the hull giving the slightly curved shape. A bilge keel was offered up to the line on the hull and where the brass rod intersected with that line, a 1mm hole was drilled. To avoid the possibility of splintering a GRP surface, use a pin vice and mark the hull with initially a fine drill bit and then cover the spot with electrical tape. Now ‘thumbover’ the tape until the indent reappears and then at slow speed properly drill your hole. With all the holes prepared, a bilge keel is now ready to be fitted into place, Photo 30. With the brass rods now through and within the hull, their inner ends can be permanently fixed using epoxy adhesive. Once this was fully cured, the exteriors of the bilge keels were sanded to receive a coating of filler, Photo 31. Fine filler, such as Isopon P38 is as good as any and should be applied with a flat spatula. The actual bilge keel shape should be a wedge when looking at it head-on, and that is what were aiming for here. The sanding and filling process is simple, relatively quick, and the final result before painting can be seen in Photo 32. In the August 2015 issue, we will be concentrating on the skylights and other vents.

Answer to the June 2015 Mystery Picture The clue was: A cat that never changed. This of course made reference to the name of the ship, as the cat was HMS Lion C34 and unlike her sister ships HMS Tiger C20 and HMS Blake C99, she was never converted into a helicopter cruiser. HMS Lion, with her sisters had the distinction of being the last all gun cruisers to be completed for the Royal Navy during their very long gestation period. Originally laid down during WW2 as one of the Minotaur class of conventionally armed six inch gun cruisers, HMS Lion was launched as HMS Defence from Scott’s of the Clyde on the 2nd August 1944. Work was soon discontinued and all three ships laid up until it was decided in 1951 by the Admiralty to complete the cruisers to a different design, with HMS Lion being then completed by Swan Hunter at Wallsend . The new design called for two fully automatic Mk. 26 dual purpose twin six inch gun turrets (one

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Photo 30. Brass rods will secure each bilge keel to the GRP hull. Photo 31. Sanding a plywood bilge keel core piece in preparation for filling and final shaping with filler. Photo 32. A completed bilge keel.

30 forward and one aft) and six 3 inch 70 calibre Mk. 6 dual purpose guns in three twin turrets, one of which was in B position forward of the bridge and the other two aft on either beam. Radar included the advanced (mid-1950’s) Type 960 for air warning, Type 992 for surface search and for height finding, the Type 277Q was installed. Fire control was with the then new MRS 3 directors and Type 903 radar. The six inch Vickers Mk. 26 guns had the remarkably high rate of fire of 20 rounds per minute and were considered to be the best medium calibre gun ever fitted to any Royal Navy cruiser, their rate of fire compensating for lack of barrel numbers. HMS Lion was powered by a four propshafts driven from geared steam turbines developing 80000shp with four Admiralty three drum boilers. At 11700 tons, the 555ft 6in long by 64ft beam HMS Lion could reach 31 knots, but 15 knots cruising was more normal when in service use. However, by the start of the 1960’s it was becoming rapidly evident that the days of the big gun cruiser were drawing to a close and in 1964 HMS Lion was put into reserve at Devonport, but HM Ships Tiger and Blake were listed for conversion into helicopter cruisers. This was because of the need to get as many ‘decks’ to sea from which anti-submarine helicopters could operate, neutralising the perceived submarine threat, this now being seen as a top defence priority. HMS Blake was converted at Portsmouth between 1965 and 1969, and HMS

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Tiger likewise at Devonport between 1968 and 1972. The laid-up HMS Lion provided the vital spare parts for both of these ships before being scrapped by Thomas Ward and Sons Shipbreaking Ltd. of Inverkeithing in 1975. Models of any of these three ships are rarely seen, but they were the ‘last hurrah’ of the big gun cruiser, so perhaps building one of them is a project well worth considering.

This month’s mystery picture The clue is: A navigation error with deadly consequences and as a further clue, look at the forward gun arrangement.

References and acknowledgements HNLMS Van Amstel ref: Naval Institutes Guide to Combat Fleets 15th Edition, pages 493 and 494. Harpoon ref: Naval Institutes Guide to Naval Weapons Systems, page 255. Goalkeeper CIWS ref: Naval Weapons Systems, pages 440 and 441. LW-08 early warning radar ref: Naval Radar by Norman Freidman, page 213. Mk. 32 Torpedo ref: Naval Weapons Systems. page 696. Thales DSBV 61 Anaconda Sonar ref: Naval Weapons Systems, page 581. HMS Lion C34 refs: Conway’s All the Worlds Fighting Ships, page 504. Cruisers of the Royal and Commonwealth Navies by Douglas Morris, pages 245 to 248. My thanks to the Captain and Ship’s Company of HNLMS Van Amstel for their help and assistance during my visit. My gratitude to the Royal Navy North Western Region for their help and assistance.

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readers’ models special

Pusher Tug Andrew Cope’s scratch built Springer model

m not claiming to know a whole lot about tugs and in truth I do n’t know the strict difference between a Pusher Tug and a Springer Tug, but I do enjoy scratch building models and this has to be about the easiest of the type to build. This variety of tug appears to be very popular and having built and sailed two of them, I can really see their attraction as it’s a cheap robust model that can shove a barge or football around the pond with

I’

Barely a long evening’s work with a sharp knife and PVA glue.

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no fear of damage to itself. These model tugs are always fun to sail on their own, or you can challenge your club-mates to a pushing or pulling competition for a bit of fun.

Kits There are plastic vac-formed and wooden kits available for this type of model, but I reckon you can build one for half the price of a kit and achieve twice the quality if you are prepared to source your own materials and build from a simple plan. The level of detail and total cost is down to you, but the real attraction is that it is a cheap and quick-to-build robust model boat that you won’t mind bashing into things, as after all it is really just a glorified wooden box. BELOW: When making handrails etc. the best template is the model itself. Kling film will protect the hull and deck to some extent from any ‘escaped’ glue or solder when making railings.

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ABOVE: Rudder, propshaft and propeller are all ‘off the shelf’ items.

ABOVE: Two fugs were eventually built and this is one of them.

A plan? We all need a plan and you can’t really do without this, so I just sat down with a piece of plain paper one evening and sketched the outline, largely guessing and scaling the dimensions from pictures of such models found on the Internet. This in due course became a reasonably sized model that is 450 x 250mm (18 x 10 inches), plenty big enough without becoming so large that you need half a ton of lead to ballast it, but trust me, you will still need a surprisingly large amount of weight to sink this design of hull down to its waterline. Whether by luck or judgement, this homegrown plan produced a hull that performs very well indeed, as long as one get’s as much angular throw as possible on the rudder. It will then practically turn on the spot if you get that just right. The plan is ABOVE: The motor and batteries are well forward.

LEFT: Painting: A few coats of sanding sealer, sanded between applications, and standard Humbrol paints made it all ship-shake in no time at all.

BELOW: Under the rear hatch are the receiver, rudder servo and its associated linkages.

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ABOVE: A bit of decoration using BECC lettering and warning stickers brighten the models up.

reproduced, gratis, in this magazine and you can either have it enlarged or just take the written measurements from the plan and transfer them to your pieces of wood. The plan doesn’t include every component or detail of the superstructure and fittings, but if you are able to cut and glue together the parts as shown, I’m confident that you’ll be so close to final completion that you’ll be motivated to finish it all as quickly as possible.

ABOVE: Finito! Springer Pusher tug Triumph is ready to go. Hang on - there are two them!

Materials There are plenty of options for these, but I used 4mm Birch plywood for the deck and hull sides and virtually everything else was 2mm ply or balsawood. 2mm plywood easily bends to the shape of the hull bottom to create the distinctive shape and standard PVA wood glue is easy enough to use, being a perfectly adequate adhesive for the job in hand.

Driveline

Triumph doing what it is good at namely pushing a barge.

A Johnson 600 brushed motor and 5 inch propshaft tube with a 6.5 inch shaft driving a 35mm brass propeller, together with a standard pre-fabricated large brass rudder proved ideal for the running gear. Battery and electronic speed controller (esc) choices are of course endless, but a cheap 1:10 scale buggy esc from that well known internet auction website and two sealed lead acid house intruder alarm batteries provide the power source. These batteries sit nicely either side of the propshaft adding to the ballast. However, some additional pieces of lead-flashing were still needed for this, as the hull is one big box that is also quite difficult to sink, as it so happens.

Conclusion Hopefully the captioned pictures tell the key elements of the construction story and I hope someone will be inspired enough to use the plan, suitably enlarged to whatever size they desire. Mind you, has anyone built a miniature version yet? A short video of the construction and the finished models are on YouTube, please search for Buxton Model Boat Club, Videos 37 and 38, or please visit my club’s website: www.buxtonmodelboatclub. co.uk, which has all the relevant club information and contacts. The club operates on the Pavilion Gardens Pond on Thursdays and Sundays (0900hrs to 1200hrs), set within the Victorian Gardens in the Spa Town of Buxton in the Peak District, Derbyshire. Enjoy your hobby - Andy Cope.

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Model Boats July 2015

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scale musings

Mooring Post

Why oh Why? eing an engineer seemed to give my wife and daughters the idea that I could always manage to fix anything that broke in the home. h Over the years this has involved working on o many different types of domestic items with a quite q respectable number being restored to life. Failures F were not always a dead loss, since when dismantled d they could often produce a few items with w potential for use in my model making activities, things t like wires, switches and small motors coming immediately to mind. But one thing that greatly annoyed me was when the reason for these failures was due to a minor problem that ought never to have been present to start with. This is when I would think, ‘Why oh Why didn’t the designer/manufacturer see this problem in the first place’? Which was usually followed by; ‘And then I would not be tired, angry, sweaty and covered in dirt’. These feelings have also occurred when building a model boat. I would not be honest if I did not admit that my own designs have frequently generated these thoughts during their construction when the original idea was found to be woefully ‘out of whack’ with reality. Luckily, I start building from a draught plan which is amended where needs be during construction and if the thing works, a proper plan can be drawn up based on the successful model. This seems to be much better than trying to produce the perfect plan before starting to build. I’m afraid that quite a few kits have also generated these thoughts during their construction. Would you believe a kit where the hull was spilt lengthways but on attempting to join the two halves, one was found to be longer than the other! Then there is the not unknown experience of discovering that if you follow the prescribed assembly sequence, access to a vital part is not possible. Having said this, the quality of kit parts and instructions can be excellent when the designer

B

Gl Glynn G Guestt with ith advice and tips for modellers

Here you can see the two holes I has to add in the semi-bulkhead so that the motor could be changed (the screwdriver is lying in the battery compartment).

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and manufacturer have clearly worked through all the potential problems. All these thoughts came to mind when I decided to outfit a model boat for our grandson. Something combining the looks that would appeal to a young boy, but not be too demanding to sail, was needed. Likewise it had to be tough and reliable, whilst still being straightforward enough for our son-in-law to maintain, thus not needing granddad to be on permanent call. Fortunately, a wooden model which had been built from a kit was to hand and looked suitable. It was outfitted with a powerful 600 type of can motor and had as a result much too fast a performance for a young boy and the simple answer was to replace this motor with a milder one. ‘No problem’, was my first reaction as the kit had used a plastic moulding that held the motor in place on the inner end of the propeller shaft tube. Just a couple of screws to take out, slacken off the coupling, swop the motors, then retighten the screws, or so I thought as the model was taken out of storage. Alas, the model had been designed with the battery box installed just behind the motor mount and so had very limited access to the two securing screws. After some head scratching, the easiest solution was to drill two holes in the battery box so that a screwdriver could reach the screw heads. With care this could be done and the motors swopped over with no further trauma. I have to suspect that when producing this kit, no one thought about this problem. So, the moral has to be when building any model, whether from a kit, plans or an original design, keep checking for potential problems. I wouldn’t want to go quite so far as Henrik Ibsen did in ‘An Enemy of the People’ when he wrote, ‘It is better to never to trust anybody’. Perhaps it is wiser to realise that perfection is something reserved for the Gods………

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history

RIGHT: Early Monoperms displaying clear, orange and grey housings.

ABOVE: Standard and WG Microperms, loco version of the Nanoperm and (foreground) the rare Uniperm.

Flotsam & Jetsam

ABOVE: Sub-Drive inboard/outboard.

John Parker delves into the archives

28: On your Marx oward the end of 1961, a new range nge of model motors made by the German rman company, R. Marx-Luder Elektrotechnische Fabrik, first came to the attention of model makers. Small and light, they came in brightlycoloured boxes and had plastic cases that looked a little fragile and not at all like the heavy, built up open construction of the English Taycol motors that were popular at the time. They were in fact finely engineered, precision-tooled motors that represented a far more modern approach than that of the Taycol’s. Using permanent magnets throughout and with sizes and gearbox options to suit almost every conceivable application, they were set to become for twenty years or more, the new ‘gold standard’ in model motors. Model Maker magazine, Model Boats predecessor, reported on the early Marx motor range in their October 1961 issue, six models having been received for review by Ron Warring in his Motor Test series. In increasing order of size, these were the Microperm, Milliperm, Monoperm, Indoperm, Decaperm and Hectoperm. A clever choice of names that conveyed both the permanent magnet design of the motors and an indication of their relative size and power. More used to reporting on cruder model motors, Ron

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was clearly impressed, noting that tha h t they he h e we were; erre; e ‘Very well designed and extremely well made … overall efficiency appears very good … should prove extremely reliable in service’, observations that were borne out in service.

Design and specifications The design of these first generation Marx motors differs from the more familiar ones of later production. Their plastic moulded cases evolved through clear, orange and light grey finishes, with a black metal shroud whose twisted lugs held in place a further black metal right-angle piece that served as the mounting bracket. Armatures were 3-pole, running inside a permanent ring magnet. The motors are most conveniently defined by their basic diameter and power rating, which were as follows: Microperm: Milliperm: Indoperm: Monoperm: Monoperm Super: Decaperm: Hectoperm:

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17mm diameter, 2 watts. 21mm diameter, 3 watts. 26mm diameter, 4 watts. 30mm diameter, 6 watts. 30mm diameter, 10 watts. 40mm diameter, 25 watts. 50mm diameter, 50 watts.

Model Boats July 2015

history

RIGHT: Early orange Hectoperm with Monoperm Super for comparison.

ABOVE: Marx advertisement, August 1973 Model Boats.

(Note: If these quoted power ratings seem low, they refer to net output power at the shaft, not the input power quoted by most manufacturers.) There was also the Nanoperm, with a flattened circular case of 16mm diameter, 2 watts, and the Uniperm, unusual amongst Marx motors in having two rectangular field magnets rather than a ring magnet. This had a rectangular case 36 x 35 x 24mm with a forward-off-reverse switch and a 3 watt rating. Both the Indoperm and Uniperm appear to have been dropped from the range at an early date.

Range development This was just the beginning for Marx as their range continued to expand to include both specialist applications and gearing options that made their motors more universal. Marine modellers in particular were to benefit from this product development. The Bongo marine power unit, for example, was an inboard/outboard drive unit using two sets of right-angle gearing and a Monoperm

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More used to reporting on cruder model motors, Ron was clearly impressed, noting that they were; ‘Very well designed and extremely well made … overall efficiency appears very good

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Model Boats July 2015

(Bongo 1) or Monoperm Super (Bongo II) motor. Its three-bladed propeller was fitted with a shroud and could be swivelled through 360 degrees. The Neptun Super outboard looked very conventional, but differed from most of its opposition in providing quite a good power output with little power lost in the nylon drive gearing, the drive shaft being stainless steel and motive power being provided by a Monoperm motor. Both these products had appeared before 1962 came to a close, with the Bongo I priced at 39/6 (39 shillings and sixpence pre-decimal currency, equivalent to around £38.40 today): the Bongo II at 45/- (£43.76 today) and the Neptun Super at 26/9 (£26 today). Over the years, Marx used at least three different methods of designating the different models and their voltage ratings, which can easily lead to confusion today. Initially, a number suffix was applied to the model name, which gave the approximate RPM per volt achieved and thereby the intended voltage. The early Indoperm, Decaperm and Hectoperm, for example, had the suffix 1000 and were quoted as 3 to 12 volt motors with a 6

history

volt nominal rating. Most of the other models came in different versions for different voltages. The Microperm, for example, came in the 6000 version for 1 to 4 volts and the 2000 version for 3 to 12 volts.

Distribution Marx motors were distributed in the UK by Ripmax Models and Accessories Ltd and their August 1963 Model Maker advertisement shows a revised designation system. Five versions of the Nanoperm are listed as the EM28 and EM28WG for 1 to 4 volts and EM29, EM29WG and EM29WGL for 3 to 12 volts. In this context, WG indicated 16:1 worm gearing, the motor having an integral driven crossshaft for model car applications, and WGL was the equivalent model locomotive version, fitted with flanged wheels. The Microperm (EM30/EM31), Milliperm (EM35/EM36) and Monoperm (EM40/ EM41) were similarly offered in low/high voltage versions; the Microperm offered a WG version for cars, and all three offered a G version with a straight-drive gearbox offering a choice of 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 16:1 and 32:1 ratios, though I don’t how the alternative ratios were selected on these early geared motors. The EM45 Decaperm and EM46 Hectoperm were listed only as ungeared 3 to 12 volt motors. A third and more easily understood system was introduced in 1967. Now all motors were being produced in just 6 volt and 12 volt versions, except for the Monoperm, which also offered a 4.5 volt model, and the different types were identified by a four-digit reference number; for example 2401, 2402 and 2403 for the 6, 12 and 4.5 volt Monoperms, respectively.

Design changes With their motors finding a ready market, Marx started to introduce improvements to their construction around this time. Most noticeable was a change to the housing design which saw a metal sleeve with plastic end caps and a plastic mounting foot replace the original two-part metal design. The plastic end caps were held in place by tiny roll pins, a much neater arrangement which did away with the ugly twisted lugs. Bearing and brush gear design was also refined over time. All the Marx motors had commendable efficiency figures, ranging from some 45% for the sub-miniature models on low voltage to 75% for the 12 volt version of the Hectoperm. Geared motors took an important step forward when Marx announced their Richard drive units in 1964, named after the company’s founder. These consisted of a Monoperm (Richard I) or Monoperm Super (Richard II) drive motor fitted with a six speed gearbox whose 3:1, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 32:1 or 60:1 ratio could be selected by means of a rotary selector ring with the motor stationary or driving. ‘The system is ingenious and well worked out’ wrote Ron Warring in his test review for the November 1964 issue of Model Maker. He did caution though that the non-selected gears were still idling and would cause some loss of efficiency. The prices quoted were 45/- for the Richard I, 52/6 for the Richard II and 25/- for the stand-alone

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gearbox, gearbo rb x, the equivalent of £41, £48 and £23 today. The T Richard was joined by the Mini-Richard Mini-Richard, with a Milliperm motor, in 1965, and a slightly modified version of the Richard was adopted by Meccano Ltd and sold as their Power Drive Unit.

ABOVE: Later geared Hectoperm and Decaperm.

1968 Marx announced ‘New Specials’ in 1968, being versions of the Microperm, Milliperm and Monoperm Super fitted with 5-pole instead of the usual 3-pole armatures, and improved brush gear. ‘Special’ thus referred to a motor with a 5-pole armature, whereas ‘Super’ referred to a higher-powered version of the standard motor; both features were combined in the case of the Monoperm Super Special. Later, when 5-pole armatures were standardised across the range, use of the suffix ‘Special’ was dropped. A late model Monoperm is therefore, for example, the equivalent of an early model Monoperm Special. At some stage, a neat forward-off-reverse switch became a standard fitting on the end case of the Monoperms and from late-1969, this was available as a separate plug-on unit. The Decaperm Special Geared first appeared in a May 1969 Model Boats advertisement. This had the newer style of motor construction and a plastic moulded end housing that incorporated 2.75:1 gearing to a second, lower, output shaft.

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Model Boats July 2015 2014

history

BELOW: Z-Drive inboard/outboard with demountable Monoperm Super

LEFT: Later style construction displayed by the Monoperm, Monoperm Super and Milliperm Special.

LEFT: Mini-Pile, Pile and Maxi-Pile units.

LEFT: Richard and MiniRichard with 6-stage variable gearing.

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Model Boats July 2015

BELOW: Neptun outboard.

history

RIGHT: Spare parts and accessories.

BELOW: Duoperm 30N motor less its mounting pedestal.

BELOW: Specification sheet for the Monoperm Super.

Both output shafts, direct and geared, were at the same end in this early version, as they were on the Hectoperm Special Geared that appeared in October 1970 with 2:1 gearing. The prices of these in 1970 were 73/6 (£52.80 today) for the Decaperm and 105/- (£75.45 today) for the Hectoperm, not cheap, but they quickly became the ideal choice for marine propulsion of large scale models. By around 1975, the tooling of these motors was revised to have the output p shafts at opposite pp ends as one of

the photos shows, and the ungeared versions were withdrawn, it being possible to remove the motor from its geared pedestal and use it as a stand-alone unit if desired.

1973 Yet further innovation continued to come from Marx-Luder with the announcement of their Pile gearboxes in early 1973. These were a set of four epicyclic gear modules (3:1, 4:1, 5:1 and 6:1 ratio) that could be used singly or stacked together on the end of a motor in different combinations to achieve no less than fifteen different ratios from 3:1 to 360:1. If you didn’t need to change the ratio whilst in operation, these were a better option than the Richard units as there were no redundant gears absorbing power. The Pile gearboxes were made in three sizes to suit the Milliperm (Mini-Pile), Monoperm (Pile), Decaperm and Hectoperm (Maxi-Pile) motors, supplied either with the appropriate motor or, in the case of the smaller units, available separately. The Z-Drive also appeared in 1973, a transom mounted inboard/outboard with a Monoperm Special motor driving through two sets of rightangle gearing to allow both rake adjustment and 360 degree swivelling of the three bladed propeller. A neat feature was the spring loaded engage and turn fitting which allowed the motor to be removed from the transmission without the use of any tools. The original Bongo inboard/outboard was updated in 1979 to become the Sub-Drive with the new style of Monoperm Super motor. Intended to be mounted in the bottom of the boat’s hull, this was in effect a powered or ‘turbine’ rudder, steerable through 360 degrees and with a propeller shroud to increase the thrust. Marx also produced a motor for Graupner from about this time, it had a basic diameter of 35mm and Graupner sold it as their 6-volt Jumbo 2000 and 12-volt Jumbo 2000F with fixed gearbox.

Quality? One of the joys of buying a Marx motor was that you knew it was built to a published specification, and that spare parts and accessories would be available if required. The latter included

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Model Boats July 2015

history

replacement brushes, alternative terminals, suppression filters, switches, drive universals (Cardan joints) and so on. It soon became necessary for Marx to issue a catalogue to make sense of it all. The copy I have is the 40-page H10 edition c1977 and hard to find now, but well worth the effort if you are interested in these products. The catalogue includes electric flight accessories, chargers, mini drills, electric starters and so on, as well as installation drawings and performance graphs for the Marx motors. I am including three of these with this article, for the popular Monoperm Super, Decaperm and Hectoperm models. By the mid-1970’s, Marx thus had just about all bases covered, except for the emerging demand for higher-powered motors driven by the new quick-charge nickel cadmium batteries. The Duoperm, appearing in 1979, was their initial response to this. Still built along the lines of the existing Marx motors, it had a basic diameter of 35mm, but extended, ventilated end caps for the heavier duty bearings and brush gear. The Duoperm 30N had a 20 watt rating and the longer Duoperm 60N a 40 watt rating; both were available in 6-volt and 12-volt versions, with the 60N also available with a concentric 4:1 gearbox. The demand for high power motors, increasingly being met by low cost motors from the Japanese Mabuchi company and its subsidiaries, called for yet further development, culminating in the most powerful motors to emerge from Marx, the GT-300 and GT-500 series, with power ratings of 300 and 500 watts and basic diameters of 40mm and 56mm respectively. Achieving this required the use of 11-pole armatures, neodymium rare earth magnets and other advanced features. Five versions of the

Model Boats July 2015

ABOVE: Specification sheet for the geared Decaperm.

GT-300 were available covering 9.6 to 28 volts, and four of the GT-500 covering 8.4 to 33.6 volts.

ABOVE: Specification sheet for the geared Hectoperm.

Conclusion By the 1990’s, the Marx stars were fading and I can only guess at the reasons. Certainly they would include increasing competition from Asia and the ever-escalating cost of the Marx motors, probably compounded by unfavourable currency exchange rates. When the price of a geared Hectoperm exceeded $300 Australian in the late 1990’s, its purchase became a serious proposition indeed, particularly if your model needed two of them, and people were looking elsewhere. In recent years, the geared Decaperm and Hectoperm models were still listed as available from Krick Modelltechnik, but I understand that this is no longer the case now, except for any remaining stock. The Marx story is one of continuous innovation and quality, and I for one am sorry to see them go. Brushless motors are now able to perform many of the tasks that once required a geared motor and at lesser cost, but there is no replacement for specialised products such as the Marx inboard/ outboard units. If there is a consolation, it is that I have never come across an old Marx motor, even a fifty-year old one, that required anything more than a couple of drops of oil on its bearings to be put straight back into service again.

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The Marx story is one of continuous innovation and quality, and I for one am sorry to see them go. Brushless motors are now able to perform many of the tasks that once required a geared motor and at lesser cost

”

(Colin Bishop prepared this article for publication during my absence in early-2015 - Editor)

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GALLERY by Fraser Gray

HMC Valiant his is a UK Border Agency customs cutter. She was built by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands and is one of four 42 metre (138ft) cutters formerly operated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, but since 2008 they have all been operated by the UK Border Agency. She has a 7 metre (23ft) rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that can be launched from the stern slipway and is also fitted with a 2000 litre (440 Imp gallons) per minute fire fighting system for dealing with fires on other vessels. Her Majesty’s Cutter (HMC) Valiant is one of four similar vessels, the others being HMC Seeker, Searcher and Vigilant. A model of HMC Valiant would be a bit different from the usual grey warships and a nice project. Model Slipway currently offer a full kit of HMC Sentinel, a 34m Island Class cutter that was also operated by the UK Border Agency, but decommissioned in 2013 leaving the four other larger and newer craft in service. All information from the public domain

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Principal particulars Builder: Commissioned: Class and type: Length: Beam: Draught: Installed power: Propulsion: Max. speed: Range: Endurance: Complement: Boats:

Damen Group, Netherlands 2004 42m Customs Cutter 42.80 metres 7.11 metres 2.52 metres 4176 kW (5,600hp) Two Caterpillar 3516B DI-TA Elec 26 knots 1750nm at 12 knots 14 days 12 One 7 metre RIB One 3.8m rescue boat

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Model Boats July 2015

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Model Boats July 2015

plastic magic

PL ASTIC

MAGIC

CONVERSIO N!

1

KM Bismarck Tony Dalton converts the 1:400 scale plastic kit to full radio control was keen to try and obtain a low cost 1:400 scale plastic model kit of the Bismarck to accompany the model of HMS Hood featured in Model Boats, November 2013. One day a friend presented me with such a kit that had been part assembled, but in a bit of a mess it has to be said. Anyway, a few facts first.

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KM Bismarck history

KM Bismarck displaced 41700 tons and 50300 tons fully loaded, having an overall length of 823ft 6ins, beam of 118ft 1in and a maximum draft of 32ft 6ins. The vessel was Germany’s largest warship and displaced more than any other European battleship,

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The ship was ordered under the name Ersatz Hannover (Hannover replacement), as a replacement for the old pre-dreadnought SMS Hannover. The contract was awarded to the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg where the keel was laid on 1st July 1936. The battleship was launched on the 14th February 1939 and during the elaborate ceremony, she was christened by Dorothee von Löwenfeld, granddaughter of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship’s namesake and Adolf Hitler made the christening speech. Fitting-out followed the launch, during which time the original straight stem was replaced with a raked Atlantic bow similar to the Scharnhorst class of battleship. KM Bismarck displaced 41700 tons and 50300 tons fully loaded, having an overall length of 823ft 6ins, beam of 118ft 1in and a maximum draft of 32ft 6ins. The vessel was Germany’s largest warship and displaced more than any other European battleship, with the exception of the later HMS Vanguard. KM Bismarck was powered

by three Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines with twelve oil-fired Wagner superheated boilers, all of which developed a total of 150170 shaft horsepower producing a maximum speed of 30 knots (34.53 mph) during speed trials and the battleship had a cruising range of 8870 nautical miles at 19 knots. Armament was eight 38cm (15in) guns arranged in four twin turrets; two forward, ‘Anton’ and ‘Bruno’ and two aft, ‘Caesar’ and ‘Dora’. Secondary armament consisted of twelve 15cm (5.9in) guns, sixteen 10.5cm (4.1in) guns, sixteen 3.7cm (1.5in) guns and twelve 2cm (0.79in) anti-aircraft guns. KM Bismarck also carried four Arado reconnaissance floatplanes and Photo 1 shows the battleship in 1940 and the remainder of her story is well documented.

Getting started The kit, Kangnam Model No. 18000, is produced in Korea and Photo 2 shows the box, and Photo 3 shows all the parts, some of which had been already assembled together with the instructions. Here there was a bit of a conundrum as the instructions say 1:350 scale and the box 1:400! Anyway, the kit comprises a one piece moulded hull; the main deck in three sections; four moulded frames containing all the small parts; a small motor and a gearbox. Also supplied were three propeller shafts and running tubes, these items not being part of the kit. Some parts had already been part-assembled, but it was all doable. The kit was checked and found to be reasonably well detailed, although most of the instructions are in Korean with only a small amount in English. A further check in the instructions revealed incorrect references to a number of the parts. The motor and gearbox had been fitted into the hull, the latter, Photo 4, having a single input shaft and two output shafts, which were contra-rotating. However, all the propellers were right handed which could make life a little tricky, but as three small separate motors were now planned for installation, this was not a problem. As designed, the kit would have the two outer shafts rotating from the twin output

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Model Boats July 2015

plastic magic

gearbox, the centre propeller being fixed. The motor and gearbox were now removed from the hull, together with the moulded battery compartment, in order to create a clean inner hull, Photo 5. Then the previously assembled A-frames were also removed and discarded, and the single centre propeller that had been glued into position at an odd angle was also carefully removed and fettled so it could be re-used.

New running gear Attention now turned to the propshafts and rudder assemblies. The port and starboard propeller shafts had already been assembled to their propellers and on inspection appeared to be satisfactory. The centre propeller, having been removed from the hull, needed to be carefully drilled and tapped through its axis in order to fit and bond it to the third propeller shaft. The single supplied running tube was discarded and three new ones were made using 2.5mm diameter brass tube, which fitted snugly over the 2mm diameter stainless steel propeller shafts. The three propellers were later hand-painted in a bronze colour. The new rudder shafts were made from brass rod, threaded each end 12BA, and the moulded rudder blades then had their plastic shafts removed. These blades were mounted in a machine vice and drilled and tapped 12BA to accept the new rudder shafts which were then screwed into the blades and bonded into position. The tiller arms are from brass bar and all these parts can be seen in Photo 6. The running shafts entry points into the hull were carefully drilled 2.5mm to accept the tubes, a round

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Supplier Data Electric motors: Speed controller: Batteries: Micro servo: Eze Kote: LED’s: Wood decking:

Precision Microdrives 112-001 Component Shop/Action type P78R Condor Component Shop – AA Size 1100mAH NiMH Servo Shop EMAX ES2951 Deluxe Materials eBay - Size 0804 White Ensign Models – Artwox AW10026

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10 Swiss file being used to open out the holes to allow a small amount of lateral movement of them. As mentioned previously, the original moulded A-frames had to be discarded, so new parts were made by turning two bushes to fit around the propeller shafts, these being drilled to accept 1.5mm brass rods which were soldered into the holes to form the new A frames. Once completed, the hull was drilled to accept their supporting rods, Photo 7. Solid brass couplings to join the motors to the propshafts were as good as any and these were made from brass bar drilled 0.8mm at one end (to match the motor shafts) and tapped M2 at the other to fit the propshafts. The brackets for supporting the motors were made from styrene sheet, the port and starboard ones being profiled to match the internal shape of the hull. The running tubes and A-frames were assembled into the hull and a 2mm diameter shaft (pointed at one end) inserted through the A-frames and up through the running tubes. The motor brackets were placed into position within the hull and the

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pointed shaft was moved up to each motor bracket in turn to mark the centre point for the motor mounting. These brackets were then removed and drilled to clear the motor shaft bearing bush, together with two M1.6 clearance holes for the mounting screws. Each motor had its solid coupling bonded to the output shaft and in order to ensure concentricity between the coupling and shaft, the motor housing was fitted into the main chuck of a lathe and its coupling into the tailstock chuck. A small quantity of thick superglue was added to the motor shaft and the tailstock was then adjusted to slide the coupling into position over the motor shaft, it then being left to fully cure for 24 hours. This operation was then repeated for the other two motors and couplings. With the couplings bonded to the motor shafts, the completed motor assemblies were mounted on to their respective motor brackets using 5mm long M1.6 cap head screws. With the A-frames, running tubes and shafts fitted into the hull, the motors were placed into position within the hull and joined to the propshafts. Following a final check on the positioning of them all, a small amount of superglue was applied to the A-frames and running tubes to temporarily secure them in position. Final bonding was with fillets of Milliput for these, but the motor brackets were bonded to the hull using Contacta Professional Adhesive and in addition, corner gussets were added to increase their rigidity. The moulded rudder tubes were drilled to accept the new brass tubes which were then inserted and bonded into position, followed by having the rudder assemblies fitted into them and this completed installation can be seen in Photo 8. It should be mentioned that the motors and propshafts were continually tested throughout all of this, to ensure everything would turn freely. The propshafts and rudder assemblies were now removed and stored safely for late re-installation. A new stand was needed and made from MDF and softwood, its mating edges to the hull being lined with green felt, Photo 9.

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Decks and superstructure On this model it was intended to fit the three sections of the main deck with small 12BA brass cheese head screws in order to make them removable as required. To do this, a stringer of 3 x 2mm rectangular styrene strips was glued around the inside top edges of the hull. It soon became clear that the hull sides had closed together a bit and to insert the deck sections, they had to be sprung apart. This problem was cured by adding some cross braces into the hull to force the sides apart so that the deck sections could just drop into place, Photo 10.

Control systems It was intended to use the same control system as used in the HMS Hood model, but in the interests of design evolution some changes were made. The HMS Hood system runs from six AA rechargeable cells giving a nominal 7.2v of power which supplies a voltage regulator that reduces the power to 5v making it suitable for the receiver and esc. However this is still too high for the motors which have a maximum supply of 3v. This can be overcome on the transmitter by using the variable ‘throw’ function on the required channel to reduce servo (and therefore esc) output to 60%. However, the new evolved system has a second voltage regulator to generate three volts for the motors when used in conjunction with the Action P78 esc. This regulator has provision for using a separate supply for the motors with in addition, a magnetic main On/Off power switch, typically used in submarine models. A schematic diagram of the new system can be seen in Photo 11. The Action P78 esc was mounted on a printed circuit

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board (pcb) that had solder pads cut into the copper laminate to aid termination of all the wiring. The 3 and 5 volt regulator circuit was built in-house on a homemade pcb as was the electronic switch to control the superstructure lighting, all three items being shown in Photo 12. The next step was to construct a ‘nest-cell’ arrangement to fit inside the hull to house all the components of the control system in accordance with the drawing shown in Photo 13. This unit was assembled from 1.5mm styrene and when the glue had thoroughly set, it was lightly sanded and trimmed to fit snugly inside the hull, Photo 14, before being bonded into position after which the electronic systems could now be fitted. The six AA size batteries were connected to produce two sets of three. Small strips of copper foil were soldered to the terminals of each set and long lengths of thin silicone wire coupled the two sets together as well as connecting the power supply to the regulator pcb. Each set of three batteries was placed along the sides of the hull. The regulators, receiver, electronic switch, esc and magnetic switch (mounted on the cross member towards the bow) were then all wired together and positioned in their respective compartments within the hull’s ‘nest-cell’ and the complete wired system is shown in Photo 15. Everything was then tested to ensure its satisfactory operation.

plastic magic

Decks Now it was time to pay attention to these and as they were going to be covered in a laminate of wooden planking it was necessary to machine away all of the detailed moulding. Each deck section was first scanned on the domestic printer/scanner to have a copy of the dimensions and then all of the moulded deck fittings except for the main gun barbettes on the fore and aft decks were machined away. The decks were then fitted to the hull and held in place with masking tape. The top outer edges of them were marked where securing screws would be positioned and drilled and tapped 12BA, then removed and the holes increased to a 12BA clearance. The decks were then refitted to the hull and secured in place using 12BA cheese head screws.

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Painting The hull was now ready for this and it was initially given three coats of Eze-Kote to seal and fill any small surface blemishes. This is a laminating and finishing resin that dries clear and hard. Once the third coat was fully dry, the surface was sanded using fine wet and dry paper. This process had to be repeated a number of times around the stern and where the propeller shafts and rudders had been fitted, as coarse sanding was initially needed to profile and then ‘fine-finish’ the Milliput filler to start to create the decent overall hull external finish. Openings in the deck were now masked and the entire hull sprayed with Halfords aerosol grey primer, repeated three times with gentle smoothing between applications. The upper part of the hull was then masked to leave the section below the waterline, which was sprayed with Halfords Red Oxide primer to represent the anti-fouling. After a couple of days to let this paint harden, it was masked again so as to add the narrow black boot topping. This masking was then duly removed and the hull masked yet again for the camouflage side stripes to be added, before the whole thing was sprayed with clear satin acrylic varnish to seal it all. Photo 16 shows the finished hull with the decks devoid of detail, except for the turret barbettes and their associated superstructure units.

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Wooden decks Next stage was to fit these and you may remember that the three deck sections were scanned earlier, so that exact copies of the deck profiles could be printed. These scans were trimmed to size, including the deck and gun mounting cutouts, and they then became the templates for cutting out the Artwox wooden decking which had been supplied in sheets. Each prepared piece was offered to its moulded deck and trimmed around the cutouts for a tight fit, This type of wood decking comes with its own self adhesive backing, but in time it can still peel off a bit, probably due to heat, expansion and contraction. So, small amounts of superglue around the perimeters of the deck pieces ensure a secure long-term placement. There was sufficient detail on the scan enabling the breakwaters, bollards, deck lockers and capstans etc. to be made and installed. The completed fore

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There was sufficient detail on the scan enabling the breakwaters, bollards, deck lockers and capstans etc. to be made and installed.

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and aft decks are shown in Photo 17. Applying the wood laminate to the model’s centre deck section was a little more difficult as the shape of it had to follow the contours of the lower superstructure which curved around the smaller gun mountings. This was where the scanned deck copy really became useful as it was possible to print templates for both the port and starboard sides and trim these to fit tightly into place on the moulded deck prior to cutting the wood laminate to size. After fitting these, new gun mountings were made and fitted into position to replace those machined away earlier. The completed wooden decks can now be seen in Photo 18.

Armament Attention now turned to the 38cm and 15cm guns that had been previously assembled with far too

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much glue and with their barrels at odd angles. With the large 38cm guns it was possible to cut away the moulding on which the barrels pivoted, remove them and make good. New trunnions had to be made, together with mounting pads, but at least they now looked okay. With the smaller 15cm guns, it was just possible to remove their barrels and make some new mounting plates from styrene and all the refurbished guns and associated parts can be seen in Photo 19 and in Photo 20 they are all complete and painted..

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Superstructure Each section of this was removed from its carrier sprue, cleaned and painted. The Arado float planes had the same treatment, but there are no canopies or propellers supplied for them, so the former were made from some clear scrap sprue carved to shape and glued to the fuselage. The three bladed propellers have been made from small strips of thin styrene positioned and glued together at their inner tips, and then painted black, Photo 21. All the superstructure parts were painted prior to having the remaining wood laminates fitted, Photo 22. LED navigation lights were added to the bridge wings using surface mount type 0804 LEDs (this means that they measure 0.08 x 0.04 inches) with single strand wires (0.007 inch dia.) soldered to each side of their bodies. These wires terminate on a small printed board inside the bridge moulding, Photo 23, where the starboard side LED can just be seen tucked in the corner of the bridge arm. It was now time to add the laminated wood decking to the upper superstructure platforms, using the same process as for the main decks with scanned templates to cut to size, as in Photo 24. Once duly prepared and trimmed to fit, Photo 25 is of all these superstructure parts.

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29 It was now time to start building-up the superstructure and this can be seen in Photo 26. A hole was drilled in the base of the central deck part to allow the wires from the port and starboard navigation lights to pass through and be terminated on to the resistor board, Photo 27.

More lights? 30 0

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A stern light would normally be fitted, but this would be very susceptible to being knocked off, plus it would mean a pair of wires being routed through the hull to the resistor printed board. So a bit of modeller’s licence was used and its ‘0804’ LED was mounted on the rear face of the mainmast, with fine wires run down each side of the mast and out through the bottom of the deck to be terminated on a mini pcb, Photo 28.

Finishing off The remainder of the fittings were assembled, painted and fitted as necessary, to complete the superstructure units, Photo 29, and I think you will agree that the laminated wooden deck effect is well worthwhile. The final tasks were the anchors and their chains. The anchors were missing from the kit so were made from scratch. To do this, Tee sections were cut from styrene which were then machined, filed and sanded to shape to produce the two anchors, which were then painted black, Photo 30.

Conclusion In Photo 31 we have the completed model which as it so happens looks very realistic with the

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So, a great companion for HMS Hood and not a bad model at all when sailing on our pond.

33 laminated wood decks and now it was off for a bath test , Photo 32. The final test was at the St Albans Model Engineering Exhibition of September 2014, Photo 33, where we have KM Bismarck and HMS Hood rather closer together than ever envisaged, but nevertheless a handsome pair of warships. The final picture is of KM Bismarck on Wardown Park Lake, Luton, Photo 34. So, a great companion for HMS Hood and not a bad model at all when sailing on our pond. I am never to sure what to do with the Swastika as some say don’t put I on and others say that it is just a model and is therefore not offensive. I sort of compromised with just a cross on the masthead flag, but included it on the decks. Enjoy your hobby - Tony Dalton

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steam basics

Boiler Room Part Fifty Five: Maintenance Schedule

Richard Simpson’s series on model steam plants aving worked on ships for ninety percent of my working life as a Marine Engineer, I have been involved with many ‘real life’ Maintenance Schedules, from very basic large blackboards on a control room bulkhead based purely on calendar time to the latest modern computer driven Condition Based Monitoring Systems. All maintenance systems however share a common goal that has not changed since they were first thought up many years ago and this is to simply prevent breakdowns, it really is no more complex than that. They all vary in their effectiveness and complexity, but they all are there for the simple purpose of maintaining a piece of equipment in a condition that will reduce the risk of failure to a minimum. It would be easy to dismiss such systems as having no value whatsoever to the model steam driven boats we operate, but don’t we all really want to avoid the plant breaking down? Especially if you consider the implications of the stranded model sat in the middle of the pond with the boiler burner going at full ‘chat’ and the safety valve lifted and you have no way of retrieving it. Because of this, I think a very basic Maintenance Schedule is actually very useful for us in the model steam boat environment and it is well worth putting a bit of thought into how we might want to put one together.

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Photo 1. A large syringe full of steam oil is probably the quickest way to top up the lubricator. Waiting for the oil to pour out of a bottle, especially on a cold day can be a bit mind numbing. Photo 2. Small cheap digital kitchen scales are a perfect means to keeping an eye on gas bottle contents. This way you can use part-empty bottles to raise steam at the pondside and them change them to more full cans to reduce the cooling effect whilst actually sailing the model.

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Record keeping How you keep records of your maintenance is entirely up to you, with computer based spreadsheets at one end of the scale and simple charts on the wall of your workshop at the other. Some may keep a notebook or journal and some may come up with such a well thought out schedule that the intervals themselves trigger an action and the modeller remains happy that it has been done and does not even require recording. Whatever you do, it doesn’t matter as long as you come up with a schedule of actions at appropriate intervals that makes sure you keep your model working reliably for many years. I have been toying with the idea for a few years now of making a more formal system as the number of steam models I possess increases and I lose track of just what has been done to which one at what time. Above all, it has to be easy to do and how you plan your system is the only way to ensure this. If it is not easy, you will soon forget it and it all becomes a bit of a waste of time. When I get my new workshop up and running, it is my intention to have a simple white board on the wall of the garage with models down one side and intervals across the top and as I unload the models from the car the board gets updated. If I start to think of things I have to go and get, such as diaries or anything computer based, I know it is going to get omitted so a white board next to the car seems to be about as simple as one can get.

Interval scales The first thing we might wantt to consider is the interval scale we want to use,, i.e. do we base it on time, running hours of the model, odel, a combination of both, or even some other form orm of interval? For me with something we use as s fairly infrequently as a model boat, I tend to think nk of mine in terms of ‘Sailings’ or ‘Outings’ on the water. This is certainly not perfect as everyone will be of a different duration, but it will be more consistent onsistent than calendar based maintenance and running hours is getting far too involved to track rack for a model boat. I use ‘Sailings’ and usually ally clock up two or three on a Sunday morning, g, which should give me around one to one and a half hours, so I can get a fair idea of what cycles I want to consider for the various tasks. Once you have decided on your interval scale, we can then start art to put together a list of tasks we might want to o perform before we slot them into a system with a suitable interval. It is interesting to consider that almost most all of us will have some form of time based Maintenance intenance Schedule in place without even realising g it as we are all required to have an annual steam eam test conducted

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on our plant, irrespective of whether you need boiler pressure testing done as well, again on a time based schedule.

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Suggested tasks and intervals One of the most basic requirements of a maintenance system is that it should be flexible. For instance, if you open something up and find it is in perfect condition you could consider leaving it a bit longer next time. Conversely, if you open it up and find it needs serious work, then you might need to reduce the interval, but you should be able to adjust the interval until you are happy that you are doing things at the right time. Consequently there is no right or wrong for any action as they will all vary depending on a huge number of variables. It is up to you to determine a suitable interval to start with and then modify your system as you gain experience. You may well find that something you need to do to one model after ten sailings may need to be done every sailing for a different model. Here is a very simple basis for a model boat maintenance system that you might want to consider using as a starting point for your own. This is based on my own experiences of different engine and boiler ttypes, but is certainly not universal and is offered o only as a basis for your own planning. As written earlier, I use an interval of ‘Sailings’ on which the plan is based.

The plan pla Before ev every sailing: ● Empty th the separator tank. ● Top up tthe boiler with water. ● Fill the e engine lubricator with oil and remove the condensate, condensate Photo 1. ● Remove and weigh the gas tank to ensure there is enough gas g for the next outing, Photo 2. ● Complet Complete a visual check of the propeller and rudder for ffouling. ● Check b bilges and empty as required. ● Complet Complete radio check of battery power and servo operation. ● Complet Complete full function check of the model under steam on the t bank, Photo 3. After every eve pond visit: ● Wipe dow down and clean the steam plant in the model. ● Check th the engine for free rotation with the

Before every pond visit: ● Check model battery power levels and charge or replace as necessary. ● Power up the radio and model and check all electrical functions. ● Top up the boiler water level. ● Empty the separator. ● Top up the engine lubricator and remove the condensate.

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Photo 3. It is surprising that sometimes modellers do not go through a full function check before putting the model on the water. Not just a nudge ahead and astern, but give it a good run to get the steam flowing and start to get things warmed-up. This is also an opportunity to check that everything works and that there are no leaks or any other concerns.

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How you keep records of your maintenance is entirely up to you, with computer based spreadsheets at one end of the scale and simple charts on the wall of your workshop at the other.

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Photo 4. I make a point of filling the boiler through the sight glass occasionally to actually clean the glass and prove it is working correctly. A big syringe through the top nut does the job perfectly. I have been caught out once and that was more than enough!

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control valve open and check for compression with it closed. ● Check for play or backlash in the propeller shaft and the rudder. ● Power-up the radio and check for smooth operation of all servos linkages and controls. ● Check the sight glass is clear by removing the top cap and blowing water through it with a syringe, Photo 4. ● Disconnect the gas tank or bottle and remove the valve from the tank if a disposable tank is being used. ● Lubricate the external engine surfaces and manually rotate to distribute the oil.

steam basics

After every four pond visits (or monthly with the model in regular operation): ● All of the foregoing post visit items, plus the following: follow ●S Separate any metal to metal sealing faces such as a oscillator control valves and oscillator port faces wipe clean and lubricate with fresh steam oil, Photo 5. ● Top up the stern tube with oil either via the oiling tube or by removing the propshaft and an filling. ●C Check the propeller is tight on the shaft. ● Che Check the propeller shaft is free in the stern tube bearings. bearin ● Ste Steam the boiler and check for any leaks with the engine engin in operation. ● Lift the safety valve and check the lifting pressure, press adjust if necessary.

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Photo 5. This engine has been taken apart on the bench just to show the faces in question. The right hand cylinder has been removed to show the port faces, but normally you would simply lift the cylinder slightly off the engine frame and drop oil on to this face to ensure a thorough lubrication of both landings.

Annually Annu with the model in regular operation: op ●T The trigger for this can easily be the Annual Steam Ste Test, but if the boat has only been used us very infrequently you could do this biannually. an This is when counting the sailings may m be useful. All of the above items plus the following: fo ● Remove the plant from the model and thoroughly t clean out the hull and internal surfaces. s ● Remove the engine from the plant and disassemble. d Thoroughly clean and degrease all a parts and inspect for signs of wear. Check for f freedom of movement, condition of any springs s such as those holding the cylinders to the th port faces on a Cheddar engine or those holding h the control valve discs together, Photo Ph 6. Check all seals and O-rings and replace rep as required, Photo 7. ●R Reassemble the engine using fresh steam oil on all a running surfaces. Leave gland nuts finger tight on o piston rods and valve rods. ● If ta tap water or anything of a less quality such as pond water is used in the boiler, remove the boiler, flush it out with hot water and fill it with vinegar or water with a descaling tablet. Some recommend heating it, but I really do not think that is necessary

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Photo 6. A typical stripped oscillator control valve. If the rubbing faces are worn, we may need to consider lapping them, but if they were not leaking anyway a clean up and a coat of fresh steam oil should keep them in good condition. Always check the spring is good and there are no cracks.

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7 Photo 7. An oscillator cylinder stripped down for inspection. The gland is still in place, which you might decide to leave in place if it isn’t leaking but I prefer to catch things before they happen so I have a look at the ‘O’ ring and replace it if the surface it looking flat or if it is getting hard. The piston ‘O’ ring will possibly need changing for the same reason.

Photo 8. Two very common safety valves. The top one is an old Cheddar type that has to be removed from the model to strip down and adjust. It can be a lengthy process to get it perfectly set. The lower one is a common after-market type available from many suppliers nowadays. The valve is a ball bearing on a brass seat, which can get dirty if it hasn’t lifted for a long time. A good clean and a close inspection of the ball is required.

unless the descaling tablet instructions indicate that you should. After a couple of hours, remove the vinegar or water and flush it through with hot tap water, preferably for some time to flush out any remaining deposits. ● Remove the sight glass top nut and flush through the sight glass with a syringe and hot water. Check the sight glass operation with a partly filled boiler. ● Make a small mark on the safety valve adjustment nut, disassemble the valve, clean it and degrease it and check the landing surfaces. If it is a metal to metal valve cone landing, it may need lapping with some liquid metal polish. Grease any threads and reassemble, adjusting to the mark you make prior to disassembly, Photo 8. ● Reassemble everything on the workbench and steam up the plant. Run the engine and slowly tighten any gland nuts to ensure their minimum tightness with no leaks. Lift the safety valve and check the lifting pressure and adjust if necessary,

8 Photo 9. The safety valve mentioned in Photo 8 can be easily set in place by inserting a pair of tweezers into the vent holes in the adjusting disc. After it is set, hold the disc and tighten the lock nut.

Photo 9. Attend to any leaks that you may find. ● Replace the plant in the model and steam up again, paying attention to any fittings and pipe work that were not included in the bench test.

Conclusion Phew! I am sure that most steam modellers will look at all this and think ‘why bother with steam’? I would suggest though that most of us do the majority of all this anyway on an ad-hoc basis, but is also how simple things can get missed or forgotten. You may decide to do nothing more than a simple check list for the annual service, but at the end of the day if we have done nothing more than just think about a planned maintenance system we have taken a big step towards improving the reliability of our models and there is then no reason why a well looked after steam model should not be handed down through generations, Photo 10.

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Photo 10. A steam plant should last a lifetime if looked after carefully, so the idea of some sort of maintenance schedule is well worth considering as you don’t want the model to be unreliable and you certainly don’t want it to break down.

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warship scale

Range Finder Special

Warships of the Royal Navy Part Four 1914 to 1919: War and Transition

his is the fourth and last instalment, the first and second being published in the May 2014 and September 2014 issues of MB, with Part Three in May 2015. In Parts One and Two, a brief mention was made of the types of destroyers in use prior to 1914 and it is interesting to note not so much the huge wartime construction programs, but how the pace of development increased throughout the four years of WW1.

T By Dave Wooley

Destroyers and anti-submarine craft Basically the destroyer types were denoted by the alphabet, from the A class of the 1890’s known as turtle backs, through to the S ,V & W classes and the large powerfully armed Thornycroft and Admiralty type leaders of 1918 and 1919, and HMS Campbell is a good example of this, Photo 1. The original A, B, C and D’s displaced no more than 400 tons, carried a single 12pdr, five x 6pdrs and two x 18 inch torpedo tubes, but by 1917 a large number of V & W destroyers were entering service. Like the later HMS Campbell, these were the culmination

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of wartime development, displacing 1339 tons, 312ft long and 29ft 6ins beam. Armament was three 4 inch, one 3 inch anti-aircraft and no less than six 21 inch torpedo tubes in a two by three arrangement, and they were and capable of over 34 knots. Destroyers such as HMS Vendetta, Photo 2, were in constant use in the later stages of WW1, escorting the Grand Fleet and dealing with German light forces in the North Sea and off the South Coast ports. They were also employed in minelaying and anti-submarine duties. Photo 3 is of some of the incredible detail on a builder’s model of HMS Vendetta. Such a model would win numerous awards even now nearly 100 years later and is a tribute to the craftsmen of that time. It is the antisubmarine task that was probably most significant, in that the only arm of the German Navy that could perhaps have altered the course of WW1 was the U-boat.

Anti-submarine warfare in WW1 After the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915, Germany applied what became known as ‘Prize

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It is the anti-submarine task that was probably most significant, in that the only arm of the German Navy that could perhaps have altered the course of WW1 was the U-boat.

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Photo 2. A builder’s model (Fairfield’s Shipyard) of HMS Vendetta, a typical V & W class destroyer of 1917, seen here on display in the former Glasgow Transport Museum’s Clyde Room.

Photo 1. Although HMS Swift of 1907 was at over 2200 tons the largest destroyer built until the late 1930’s, the V & W Admiralty Type leaders such as HMS Campbell came close. They were better armed and with their geared steam turbines could at a push make 38 knots, two knots more than HMS Swift.

Photo 3. The fine detail on this builder’s model of HMS Vendetta from the early part of the 20th Century is a credit to the craftsmen of the time who did not have the tools, glues and materials we have nowadays. The range finder can be seen on the bridge and the signalling semaphore on the bridge wing.

Rules’ which had the effect of limiting the tonnage of ships sunk to around 400000 tons per month, which was actually insufficient to knock Great Britain out of the war. To achieve this would require 600000 tons sunk per month and only unrestricted submarine warfare could offer the prospect of perhaps defeating Great Britain. However, on the 1st February 1917, orders were then given to recommence unrestricted German submarine warfare, which until the closing days of WW1 posed the most serious threat to Great Britain by their being ever greater numbers of U-boats at sea. The German Navy were quick to see the potential of this relatively new weapon for blockade purposes and development was incredibly rapid following the U-1 of 1906, a mere 238 tons with a 400hp petrol engine and a single 17.1 inch bow torpedo tube. By the time of the entry of the USA into WW1 in April 1917, much larger boats such as the U-cruiser and the 1000 ton U-93 class were entering service. These were designed for long range cruising of over 4000 miles and were fitted with six 19.7 inch torpedo tubes, four at the bow and two at the stern. In June of 1917 there were 61 U-boats at sea

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Photo 4. Between 1915 and 1917, specialist anti-submarine vessels were built such as the fast and nimble steam turbine powered P class boats fitted with a single 4 inch gun in a raised position forward of the bridge.

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5 Photo 5. A superb builder’s model of a P class boat showing the fine lines designed for speed and the reinforced stem for ramming.

Photo 6. The 1200 ton Flower class sloops of WW1 such as HMS Snapdragon were designed initially for minesweeping and were armed with either two 4 inch or two 12pdr guns.

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Before the introduction of the convoy system in 1917, U-boat and surface raiders could often operate with impunity, sinking their prey on the surface by gunfire.

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at one time, although to achieve this required at least 200 operational boats, but the U-boat of WW1 whilst able to mount an attack on an individual ship or a convoy, was very vulnerable to counter-attack. U-boats could remain submerged for only about five and half hours, making them vulnerable to the destroyer escorts or the fast and manoeuverable P-type boats which used hydrophones and depth charges, Photo 4. These depth charges at just 14ft proximity could destroy or severely disable a submerged submarine. The P boats other advantage was their specially reinforced bow which could, and was, used effectively for ramming. A breakdown of the various methods used in 1918 to destroy the 59 U-boats of that year reveals that the following means were used: Ramming: Gunfire : Sweep: Depth Charge: Torpedo: Mines:

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Unlike the Flower class corvette of WW2, the primary purpose of the 72 twin funnelled 1200 ton Flower class sloops in WW1 was fleet (ocean) minesweeping. However in the early stages of the anti-submarine campaign, 39 were converted to Q-ships, fitted with concealed guns in order to tempt a U-boat to the surface on the premise that sinking a ship with gunfire was preferable to using the precious torpedoes. Q-ships disguised as merchantmen were either used as lone vessels or from 1917 were integrated into convoys. Unfortunately the success of this was limited, but a good example of them is the Arabis class sloop HMS Snapdragon, Photo 6, and the builder’s model of HMS Lupin, Photo 7.

Camouflage

Photo 5 is of a very nice builder’s model of a P class boat. These models are often now the only 3D reference we have of long-scrapped warships and should be treasured for future generations.

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Flower class sloops

Before the introduction of the convoy system in 1917, U-boat and surface raiders could often operate with impunity, sinking their prey on the surface by gunfire. The convoy system with escorts made it difficult, as it forced the U-boat to attack from below the surface. It was found that painting ships in a dazzle or splinter fashion using bold geometric patterns and in bright contrasting

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Model Boats July 2015

warship scale

colours, when introduced in June 1917 could make it difficult to determine both the bearing and speed of the target for an attacking surface warship or submarine. There were other schemes such as counter shading and disruptive low visibility, both designed to confuse attackers at differing ranges. A good example of this is the 1:48 scale builder’s model of War Drake, a Type A standard cargo vessel of 1918, now in the Riverside Museum Glasgow, Photo 8. A further example of the type of camouflage used during WW1 is this superb painting of the liner RMS Mauritania by renowned marine artist Burnet Poole, currently on display in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Photo 9.

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Photo 8. War Drake was a standard cargo vessel of WW1 that was painted in a rather unusual camouflage scheme. Photo 9. A good colour example of wartime splinter camouflage is this painting, now at the Merseyside Maritime Museum of the ocean liner RMS Mauritania during one of her Atlantic crossings, painted by the accomplished maritime artist Burnett Poole.

HMS M1 - Submersible Dreadnought Admiral Fisher was inspired by the capabilities of the big gun, hence his Baltic Project and he also noted the potential of the submarine, so the idea of combining the two as a war-winning weapon was irresistible. Thus on 5th August 1915 the concept of the Submersible Dreadnought was born when he envisaged a large submarine capable of carrying a single 12 inch gun. Although Admiral Fisher had left his command before the project could get underway. the then Director of Naval Construction, Eustace Tennyson d’Eyncourt, drove the project forward using and modifying the large steam driven design of the 2500 ton K class to construct three boats; HM Submarines M1, M2 and M3, which were diesel-electric powered. The 12 inch gun was regarded as an ideal weapon for striking a land target at 18 miles range and was also considered to be a cheaper option for use on seaborne targets than the torpedo. HMS M1 was ready for sea on 10th March 1918 and considering its relatively large size as a

submarine of 305ft length and the weight of the gun, the 1950 ton boat handled well in dives and on the surface, Photo 10. The submarine became fully operational in June 1918 and used the so-called ‘Dip-Chick’ method to fire its 12 inch gun. This procedure required that the barrel was brought six feet above the surface at a twenty degree elevation; the muzzle door was opened; the gun fired; muzzle door closed and the boat could then slide back beneath the waves. It was possible to fire the gun in this manner on a flat trajectory using a specially adapted periscope. The gun had a limited traverse of ten degrees on either beam of the boat’s centre line, but if water remained in the barrel after the muzzle doors were closed, then the barrel would be blown off when the next round was fired! Photo 11 is of a cutaway model showing the gun, its mounting, magazine and the wardroom just forward of it all. Life aboard for the crew of 65 was reasonable and even the wardroom was fitted out like those aboard larger surface warships as you can

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Photo 10. Admiral Fisher’s extraordinary submarine HMS M1 was principally designed for shore bombardment and mounted a 12 inch Mark IX gun firing an 850lb shell. The submarine could also attack surface warships using its gun rather than torpedoes. Photo 11. Seen at the Science Museum in London was this model of the internal arrangements of HMS M1 and in particular, its 12 inch gun mounting and shell room.

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Photo 7. A superb example of a Flower class sloop and its detail. This builder’s model of HMS Lupin is now on display at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, which replaced the previous Museum of Transport.

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just see in this last picture. Although HMS M1 was never used in anger during WW1, there was a plan for the submarine to pass through the Dardanelles and then shell Constantinople (Istanbul), but this was shelved at the last minute owing to the dangers of negotiating the mine barrage. HMS M1 was lost in a collision with the Swedish freighter Vidar on 12th November 1925.

monitors had substantial torpedo bulges, but were grossly underpowered, achieving barely 8 knots and even with their two propshafts were very difficult to manoeuvre. Eventually the 18 inch gun was removed and installed with another, as part of the defence arrangements for the strategically important Singapore, something that proved useless when Japanese forces overran the city in early-1942. The popular misconception is that the guns (including 15 inch), faced the wrong way and were therefore of no defensive value. In fact they could be traversed, but were largely supplied with armour piercing shells rather than high explosive, which would have been more effective against the enemy troop formations.

Monitors

Developments from 1918

The usefulness of the shallow draught monitor was well tested on the 11th July 1915 after a protracted effort by a number of warships, including three Town class six inch gunned light cruisers, failed to destroy the troublesome German light cruiser SMS Konigsberg holed up in the Rufiji River, 120 miles south of Dar-es-Salam in German East Africa (now Tanzania). Eventually the shallow draught six inch gunned monitors HMS Mersey and Severn, with the help of naval aircraft correcting the fall of shot, finished off the German light cruiser. Specialist smaller Monitors such as HMS M33 (now a preserved museum ship in Portsmouth) were also employed against the Ottoman Turkish forts during the failed Dardanelles campaign. Many of the larger monitors mounted two or more large calibre guns. For example the 6670 ton diesel powered Marshal class were fitted with two 15 inch and a secondary armament of eight 4 inch, as were the Erebus class. The Lord Clive class used old pre-dreadnought 12 inch turrets, but in 1918 HMS General Wolfe was fitted with the single 18 inch gun originally intended for HMS Furious. This was mounted in a fixed position, pointing to starboard on her quarterdeck. Photo 12 is a port side view of HMS General Wolfe, the back of the open 18 inch turret being the large square structure behind the funnel. These 335 feet long

War tends to accelerate development and never more so than in the Royal Navy. The 1916 Emergency War Program initiated the construction of what were the finest light cruisers of the period, namely the 5280 ton Ceres C class, 450 feet long by 43 feet 6 inches beam. They were oil fired with geared steam turbines developing 40000shp and capable of 29 knots. Armament consisted of five 6 inch and departing from earlier designs, the second six inch gun was sited in B position forward of the bridge in a super-firing position over and above the A turret. Thus, ahead fire was doubled and the bridge was also sited further aft reducing the tendency for the bows to be awash in a head-on sea. A good example of the class is HMS Curacoa, Photo 13. She was launched at Pembroke Dockyard in Wales on the 5th April 1917, completing on the 18th February 1918. She served as flagship with the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron, Harwich Force 1918 to 1919, but was mined in the Baltic during April 1919. She served with distinction in the earlier part of WW2, until accidently rammed and sunk by the RMS Queen Mary on the 2nd October 1942.

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Photo 13. HMS Curacoa was of the Ceres class, which were considered the best light cruisers to be built during WW1 and many served through WW2 with distinction.

Photo 14. A classic picture of HMS Hood showing her elegant lines and the beauty of this warship.

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HMS Hood Although completed on 5th March 1920 and slightly outside of the 1919 limit of this series of articles, it is worth noting that initial design work on HMS Hood commenced in November 1915 and in the intervening period, the design underwent no less than six reviews. HMS Hood was to be part of the Admiral class, the others being Anson, Howe and Rodney, but was the only one completed. According to R. A. Burt in his book, British Battleships 1919 to 1939, HMS Hood was not so much a pure battlecruiser but a combination of the features of a battlecruiser with those of the fast battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class which embodied the lessons of Dogger Bank and Jutland as far as

warship scale

design constraints allowed, particularly in respect of increased armour protection on the belt, deck and magazines. Improvements were also made to anti-flash measures and isolation and flooding of the magazines. As mentioned previously, these features relating to the magazines were originally incorporated into the Russian armoured cruiser Rurik 2 back in 1909, a warship which was built in the United Kingdom. HMS Hood, Photo 14, had graceful lines whilst the hull had a continuous flare outwards from waterline to deck level along its length. As Burt states, the flare was not an aesthetic addition to improve appearance, but a design feature to augment protection by offering abnormal angles of impact to projectiles. The battlecruiser was launched on 22nd August 1918 and when completed on 5th March 1920 displaced 45200 tons, which was 10200 tons more than HMS Tiger of 35000 tons, then the heaviest warship in service with the Royal Navy. Photo 15 is a diagrammatic view of the amidships section of HMS Hood. At 860 feet 7 inches long and 95 feet beam, with a main armament of eight 15 inch guns and a secondary battery of twelve 5.5 inch, HMS Hood was to remain the largest warship ever built until the completion of the Japanese super-battleship IJN Yamato in December 1941. Being perhaps one of the best known of RN warships, there are a number of excellent models in existence, including this one, Photo 16, which is in the Glasgow Riverside Museum collection.

Conclusion Considering the enormous changes that were initiated in the design of warships from the lateVictorian period to the end of WW1, there were two developments that stand out, namely the submarine and the aircraft carrier. These continue to influence the Royal Navy in the 21st Century, and the navies of other nations.

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15 Regarding aircraft carriers, nothing illustrates these changes more than a direct transition from one form of warship into a completely different type. HMS Furious was the first complete metamorphosis of one type into another and was followed by HM Ships Courageous and Glorious. All three were designed as part of Fisher’s Baltic Project, an amphibious invasion of the Baltic Coast of Germany which actually never came to fruition. HMS Courageous and HMS Glorious were completed, like HMS Furious, as large light cruisers, but unlike the latter mounted four 15 inch guns in twin turrets and joined the Grand Fleet on their completion in December 1916. I thought it would be fitting to close this article showing the 1:48 scale model that it is said was used as part of the reconstruction program of HMS Glorious into an aircraft carrier at Devonport Naval Dockyard from February 1924 to February 1930, Photo 17. I hope you have enjoyed these articles spread over 2014 and 2015. The beginning of the 20th Century is more than 100 years ago now, but we are fortunate that we have photographs, models and proper documentary records nowadays from that era. If all this inspires some readers to have a go at building the warships of the early-20th Century, then I am satisfied, as modern 21st Century warships can often appear quite bland in comparison to those of the naval fleets of that time, when the Royal Navy was the largest in the world. Photo 16. HMS Hood was to be one of four in the Admiral class, this builder’s model after undergoing a spell of conservation, is now a centrepiece display at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow.

Photo 15. An interesting schematic drawing produced soon after HMS Hood was completed. Normal elevation of the 15 inch gun main armament at the time was about 20 degrees, but 30 degrees was built-in to the design for greater range.

References and acknowledgements Warship Illustrated Number 7: British Destroyers of WW1 by R. A. Burt. Naval Camouflage 1914-1945, by David Williams. Warship Profile 19: HMS Hood,1916 to 1941. British Submarines of WW1 by Paul J. Kemp. Outlines: M class submarines by Martin H. Brice. Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to the present, by Roger Chesneau. Merseyside Maritime Museum. The Riverside Museum Glasgow.

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Photo 17. At the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre is this 1:48 scale model of the large light cruiser HMS Glorious said to have been used as part of the reconstruction of the ship from 1924 to 1930.

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special feature

Dave Petts’ new scale sail model

HMS Bounty n Parts One and Two we discussed some of the specific features relating to a fully functioning r/c square-rigger model. We also referred back to some previous articles in this magazine, because there is little point in repeating what has already been adequately covered. Here in this last part, we are just touching on a couple of other features of the model and perhaps more importantly, the unique sailing characteristics of a square-rigged model.

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Cannons?

Photo 1. The test rig for remotely firing a Party Popper.

With any new model project, it is nice to incorporate something new and different and for HMS Bounty it was four firing cannons. Now, I shall say straight away, that what I did is not really to be recommended, but it involved using Party Poppers which can be readily purchased and provide much enjoyment at parties if used safely, but they are definitely not intended for use in models of this type. However, suffice to say that a test rig was made to see if a Party Popper could be safely fired mechanically rather than by hand and Photo 1 shows that test rig.

PART THREE

The wooden shaft had the Party Popper activation pull-thread wrapped around it and the motor was started. As the motor shaft rotated, so it pulled taught the cord of the Party Popper and there was the resulting bang, but without direct physical human intervention. So, in other words, a Party Popper can be fired remotely without risk to oneself. A party popper should never be dismantled and it must remembered that explosives, however small can be dangerous when mishandled, which is why they have the warnings on the wrappers. The key point though is that the ‘bang’ does not actually have to come out of the cannon itself. A ‘bang’ and perhaps a puff of smoke from the model is the only sound effect required. I also appreciate that with the range and types of sound effect modules in the marketplace nowadays, it is quite feasible to simulate the sound of cannon fire to a reasonable degree without going down the Party Popper route, and many will prefer to do that. The cannons themselves were simply made from just three pieces of brass tubing that slide within one another and to be honest, apart from a very close examination, they are a decent enough stand-off representation, Photo 2. The ‘bang’ is caused by a Party Popper being remotely fired from a safe place on deck. This results in the noise and perhaps, more important, a puff of smoke. It is of course just a single use device, but the workshop tests proved it could be done. Probably though, on balance using a decent electronic sound effect module will have much the same effect without all the hassle, but still without the puff of smoke.

On/Off switches

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If you need to switch on and off an accessory, there are commercial latching and non-latching switches, both electronic and mechanical in the marketplace, but Photo 3 shows a simple alternative where the servo output arm pushes a toggle switch on and off. The circuit to which the toggle switch is connected, could be for operating lights, winches and sails etc. or even switching power supplies, but anyway, now back to HMS Bounty.

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special feature

Diagram A Buzzing the Bank - for and

Diagram B Buzzing the bank, first pass.

aft rigged model.

Wind on to Pond Side = Lee Shore

Wind on to Pond Side = Lee Shore

Diagram C

Sailing characteristics

Buzzing the bank, second pass.

Avoiding the Lee Shore With any model or indeed full-size ship, the risk of becoming trapped on a Lee Shore must be avoided at all costs. To explain, a Lee Shore is when the wind blows from the water on to the land and inhibits the turning away by the ship. Many full-size ships have become wrecks as a result of being blown on to rocks when their engines have failed or sailing vessel captains have failed, or were unable, to keep their ships well out to sea. To clarify the problem, the following diagrams are broadly speaking entitled ‘Buzzing the Bank’ something we all like to do in order to show our models at their best when on the water.

Diagram A This illustrates how relatively easy it is to buzz the bank when sailing close to the wind with a yacht or a fore and aft rigged schooner. This is because if the model has speed, it is possible to cut the bow across the wind and on to another tack. Now if you sail the same course with a squarerigger and attempt to turn away in the same way as a schooner, the moment those square sails kiss (and that’s all they have to do) the wind, the model will come to an abrupt stop on the water followed by reverse and then a collision with the pond’s bank. There will be nothing that you will be able to do about it, unless you have a concealed motor and propeller to get you out of trouble. Thus, to buzz the bank with a square rigger it is necessary to appreciate that this type of vessel sails best down-wind. Using this fact as the basis for buzzing the bank, it is essential to select a course similar to those used by those sea captains of yesteryear which will get the model well out into the pond and up-wind.

Diagram B This shows how the model can be turned away and allowed to run effectively sideways before the wind until it nears the bank when it can be turned to sail parallel to the pond side and finally turned away to the safety of the open water, all in essence with a following wind. Factually, this would have been the only way that a sailing ship captain would have been able to get his full-size ship into harbour, should the wind be coming from ahead. Now the intriguing aspect while all this is going

Photo 2. The cannons are just three pieces of tube slide within one another. Photo 3. A servo can be used to operate a toggle switch.

Diagram C This is ‘Buzzing the bank a second time’ and indicates how the model can be brought about to buzz the bank again, and how the sail positions are changed to assist in this figure of eight manoeuvre.

Conclusion In practical terms this is the latest in an evolving series of radio controlled scale sail models that started over six years ago with the conversion to radio control of the small Billings Colin Archer model. They have all been challenge, and even more so to get working properly, but have been a dimension of the hobby I didn’t really know existed when I began back in the 1990’s with a conventional GRP electric powered scale model kit from Metcalf Mouldings. There are some general detail pictures of the model included overleaf at the end, hopefully as an inspiration to readers to have a go at something a bit different. This has all been largely self-taught and a step learning curve, but that is what our hobby is all about if we want to progress and every task is quite easy, when broken down into smaller elements. Good luck - Dave Petts

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on is that you will have to change the angles of the sails and also from one side to the other, in order to maximise control and speed. Initially this will take a little thought and practice, but once you have the hang of it all, it becomes very rewarding as you will now be literally sailing your model and that is what it is all about.

GALLERY of HMS Bounty by Dave Petts

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around the clubs

Ribble Model Boat Phil Scales updates Model Boats readers

ur club was set up in 1997 by Tony Kent and Barry Taylor to cover the Preston, Leyland and Ribble Valley areas, bearing in mind Preston’s illustrious history as a major sea port. The club has been going successfully ever since with Tony now a life member. We have an active membership of around 30 with a wide variety of interests from scale craft to submarines and sailing boat models. There are regular technical meetings on the second Monday of each month held at the RAFA Club in Leyland, which cover a broad range of subjects, modelling topics, technical matters and we also have guest speakers. At least twice a year we have a ‘Bring a Model Night’ when members bring and present their latest project for discussion. These are very social nights when members can swap ideas and seek advice or just talk about model boats.

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Sailing facility This is at a large ornamental pond at the rear of the Catholic Church on Broadfield Drive, Leyland (Sat-Nav, PR25 1NB). There is ample free parking and the adjacent Catholic social club provides toilet facilities, food and drink, and a bar. The water is clear and not too deep, around 24 inches (600mm) on average, with enough room for most boats and submarines, but a bit restrictive for large sail craft and fast electric models. The usual meeting times are from lunchtime on each Sunday, 52 weeks of the year, and we have now organised a Wednesday evening sailing session from April to October. An annual Regatta BELOW: Tugs are popular within the club.

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ABOVE: The pond is set in really nice surroundings and is more than large enough for scale model boats and submarines, being 24 inches deep.

and Fun Day is held each year and in 2015 it was on Saturday 16th May. This is held outdoors at the pond as well as indoors within the adjacent social club facility. At the pond we have a rescue dinghy and two large model towing tankers for our growing number of tug enthusiasts and probably it is the only model boating lake in the country to have a statue of The Madonna in its centre. As a club we attend a number of shows each

RIGHT: The Ribble MBC stand at the Haydock Park Model Boat Convention.

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Model Boats July 2015

around the clubs

Club year, including the Ellesmere Port Spring Show, Haydock Model Boat Convention, Blackpool Show, Leyland Model Show with some members attending other events as individuals. We are also twinned with the Malta Model Boat Club. Ribble MBC is perhaps best known for its now famous footballing tugs, when up to 12 Graupner Pollux tugs play violent football on a two team basis with no particular rules except to score with the ball, which is actually a polystyrene cross. The action can be viewed on YouTube, please search for ‘Manx V Ribble Tug Football’. We are always open to a challenge from any other club who would like to take us on with similar tug models.

Joining us? We welcome new members who are provided with a guide to the comprehensive club facilities and they are also appointed a ‘Welcome Mentor’ from the existing membership to advise and support as needs be. Membership is a very modest £15pa. If anyone would like to join us or come and see what we do, then please contact the Chairman, Phil Scales, tel: 01772 629363, or the Secretary, Gerry Cox, tel: 01772 614604. The club has an extensive website: http://ribblemodelboatclub.co.uk. Information supplied by Phil Scales

n Saturday 14th March, the Solent Radio Controlled Model Boat Club filled the Methodist Church Hall in Highcliffe-on-Sea, Dorset, with scale models for its annual exhibition in aid of the RNLI. A wide range of model types were displayed, from scratch built to ready-to-run, sail, electric, steam, and even oars for propulsion. TV screens showed slide shows and movies of the models in action on the club’s home waters at Setley Pond in the New Forest and visitors could even experience being on board a tea clipper as it tacked ‘rail-under’ across the pond. The event was organised in collaboration with the Highcliffe Branch of the RNLI , the exhibition having been held since the early 1990’s. This year donations on the door, plus sales of homemade cakes, books and RNLI souvenirs raised £830.

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The 2015 Highcliffe-on-Sea Exhibition

The club The Solent RCMBC does not have a clubhouse so this event also provides its club members with an opportunity to exchange modelling tips and ideas in a more sheltered environment than at the pond in early spring. The club has two sections. A Sailing Section which uses the water for racing yachts normally on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10am to 12 noon. The Scale Section meet on Thursdays and Sundays from about 9am throughout the year, weather permitting. Please note that i.c. powered and fast electric racing models are not allowed on Setley Pond by the Forestry Commission. For more information, the Scale Section Captain is: David McNair-Taylor, tel: 07887 967887. or please check the club’s website: www.srcmbc.org.uk Information supplied by Peter Taylor

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BELOW: The Methodist Church Hall was filled with models and more than £800 was raised for the RNLI.

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Solent RC Model Boat Club

readers’ models

LEFT AND RIGHT: The 60 year old Wave Master.

BELOW LEFT: The Wave Master with its rear hatch removed showing the balsawood racks in which the Venner Silver Zinc cells fitted and in front is the 27v ex. Gov. AC Delco motor.

Dave Hipperson’s 60 Wave Master and Sea Princess rediscovered

his shouldn’t have happened, as I do model aeroplanes and had strayed down the magazine aisle in my local and very large Tesco store thinking, erroneously as it turned out, that I might find the new edition of the recently revived Aero Modeller magazine, but I found March 2015 Model Boats instead and recognised the model on the cover, so duly parted with some money.

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When I was young… What is that fascination that grips us when we see a detailed and finely crafted model boat on the open water? This March 2015 MB magazine was filled with such imagery, all stuff that I thought had been left behind as it was what had intrigued me about model boats when much younger and it had inspired my father to build some proper model powerboats. We were living in South London then and adjacent to Black Heath, which was a fine venue for flying small aeroplanes and also for sailing

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model boats on the ponds, the most popular and best tended being the Prince of Wales Pond, and it’s still there today. We visited mostly when it was too windy to fly and the pond saw all sorts of activities. Invariably the power was provided by i.c. engines and some were quite large. Smoke, the smell and noise was my recollection of it all, with free running and tethered round-the-pole stuff that was really impressive on the day. This was 1955 and we, or rather my father, observed that in general people seemed to be having trouble starting their engines. As Ron Rees observed in the March 2015 issue there was ‘a lot of standing in water wearing waders and struggling with cords’. Those big brass flywheels should have made starting and running these watercooled wonders so much easier, but actually they didn’t seem to. My brother, four years older than me, was however undeterred and dad built a Wave Master with a watercooled E.D. Racer in it.

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readers’ models

ABOVE: The Sea Princess, or Sea Witch as we knew it then.

LEFT: The Sea Princess with its hatches removed. That’s a genuine E.D. reed receiver and note the massive actuator (servo) to control the rudder. The half hidden item far bottom left is the horn. Top, next to the receiver’s lid is the searchlight and on the hatch, one switch is for the radio gear and the other is for the motor.

RIGHT: Further forward in Sea Princess. The motor was surmounted with a small box with frames above in which the Venner cells resided. There didn’t seem to be any concern regarding keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible in those days. If I remember correctly, the windows had a celluloid covering.

year old models Wave Master This has a sensible hard chine hull and 3:1 aspect ratio, that is to say a 36 inches long hull and the best part of 12 inches beam. The Wave Master planed and went like a rocket, but only when we could the engine to start. My father was not very much impressed by all this and he visualised something better, as he wanted a high speed electrically driven boat, so was well ahead of his time on this one. He had a fascination with the ex-government shops on the Tottenham Court Road in London. These were the shops that decades later, turned their attention and enthusiasm to the world of electronics, HiFi and computers. However in the 1950’s, ‘ex-government’ meant just that, as you could buy a fully functioning bombsight from a Lancaster if you were so inclined, but dad bought electric motors, mostly 24/27 volt types which must have had something to do with the war effort, but I never figured out exactly what. Some of them

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In the 1950’s, ‘ex-government’ meant just that, as you could buy a fully functioning bombsight from a Lancaster if you were so inclined

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were used to power small machines which were becoming increasingly part of his cottage industry manufacturing business located on the top floor of our three storey Victorian terraced house in Brockley, but he also had his eye on using them in model boats. The problem with electric motors, is that they require batteries and in the mid-1950’s, their technology was not what it is today. To get the power needed, would require something of the weight of a motor car battery, and maybe two, so far too heavy for a high speed planing hull, but then something happened. Venner announced their tiny Silver Zinc 1.5 volt cells from which you could draw a (for then) colossal number of amps for a reasonable time without their suffering terminal damage, but we would need a good few for a decent operating session. The motors he chose were 24/27 volts, so at least 18 cells were needed at a Guinea (£1.05) each. The motors were inexpensive, being relatively

readers’ models BELOW: The Sea Princess motor is revealed when the battery racks are removed.

BELOW: Some idea of the size of the Venner cell racks with the 1.5 inch diameter propeller. The shorter rack was probably for an additional battery to power the horn and searchlight.

ABOVE: The powerplant for both models. I have no idea from what they came - perhaps a scrapped Lancaster bomber? ABOVE RIGHT: The label confirms 27 volts, 1.5 amps, 4oz/ins torque and 5400rpm maximum. How does that compare with today’s brushed motors?

cheap ex. government types, but the batteries cost around £20, a lot of money at that time. To put this into perspective if you earned that much in a week in the mid-1950’s, then you were doing very nicely and a high-end family car (such as a Sunbeam Talbot 90 Mk. 2) cost a maximum of £1000. Anyway, Dad converted the Wave Master to 27 volt electric drive with the huge bank of Venner Silver Zincs cells in it. The boat was placed in the water, switched on, and off it went very fast, much to the consternation of the diesel and glow engine brigade. We had to be pretty nimble if it was going straight across the pond as it got to other side very quickly and probably too fast, as it needed someone to be waiting for it before launching.

Radio control and Sea Princess The next logical step had to be radio control except nobody had invented it yet - well, actually yes, but it was still very much in its infancy. After the success of the Wave Master my father was building the Sea Princess (or Sea Witch as we knew it then). It had the same motive power and yet more batteries, plus the addition of an E.D. radio (reed) control system. The transmitter was a great big maroon coloured crackle enamelled box with the obligatory three foot aerial and some sort of hand control box with buttons. The receiver in the boat allowed control of the rudder, On/Off motor, horn and the searchlight. You can imagine the effect this

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had on the not inconsiderable throng that used to gather pondside on a Summer evening in those days. To ‘show off’, we usually sailed well into dusk and finished with a searchlight rescue mission for models that had got stuck in the middle of the pond once the wind had died. Occasionally we rescued one of ours, because after limited success with the horrid yellow speedboat that Jetex created for its Type 50 motor, we had built a rather nifty skiff from balsawood which was very lightweight and had a proper stepped hull. The pond was never really calm until just before dark, when the wind would drop to nothing and the skiff’s speed was colossal, usually hitting the far bank well before we could get to it. It was a change from sailing slow displacement hulled models, but if the skiff hit the smallest of ripples halfway across, then it flipped and the jet motor was extinguished with a fizz, but with the electrically driven boat, it could be retrieved by pushing it to the bank.

2015 And the proof of all this? I have still got the models and they are shown exactly as they are now, freshly recovered from the loft of the same house when I was a boy, their having been up there for 60 years or so. Yes, perhaps just a bit of nostalgia, but what is in your loft that has been long forgotten? David Hipperson - March 2015

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Model Boats July 2015

readers’ models

ABOVE: Ready to go

Midwest Products Yacht Skiff

Keith Holmes motorises this static rowing boat kit

his is a Midwest Products model of a yacht skiff that has been modified by Keith to operate with a 6v motor and radio control, as in Keith’s opinion there is no point in having a model sitting on the mantelpiece, since all boats and ships are meant to move.

T

is a very fine dust-making material, so a mask is essential when sanding the wood. Each part is laser-cut and of good quality and accuracy, the individual pieces being glued together using normal waterproof adhesive. Keith comments that there is even some wood carving involved when making the oars. The one piece sides and two piece hull

BELOW: What’s in the Midwest box.

Driveline and radio control To enable the skiff to function, a micro-electronic speed controller, 2.4GHz receiver and four AA batteries were installed under the enlarged stern seat with the drive motor hidden under a dummy engine cover near the bows. It wouldn’t fit amidships because of the long propshaft that is fitted at a very shallow angle for the 20mm brass propeller. The rudder is handmade and turns with the arm of the skipper, all via the micro-servo output by the transom.

The kit The Midwest Products Company of Indiana, USA, certainly know how to put together an instruction booklet in Keith’s opinion, as the detailing of each construction stage is spot-on and broken down into simple stages. The kit is of course American and they still use imperial inches which is nice for those who prefer the pre-decimal age. The skiff is 17 1/4 inches long and 6 3/4 inches beam and is to a scale of 1:6. The hull is mostly made from Basswood which

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Model Boats July 2015

show report

ABOVE: The basic hull is easy to build.

ABOVE: Looking from the bows aft.

Conclusion Keith has found this model to be a nice change from the more usual r/c scale models and in his opinion, this Midwest product is excellent value and of good quality. This kit has the Product No. 947 and a UK retail price of around £60.

RIGHT: The transom area of the skiff, within which are the batteries, rudder servo and receiver.

were sealed using a resin application, sanded when dry, and then varnished with the insides painted to choice. The floorboards are glued in place and then 3mm long knob headed pins have been inserted to simulate their retaining bolts and the kit comes complete with some white metal rowlocks.

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ONLINE!

(Keith is Commodore of Buxton MBC who operate on the Pavilion Gardens Pond on Thursdays and Sundays (0900hrs to 1200hrs), set within the Victorian Gardens in the Spa Town of Buxton in the Peak District, Derbyshire, website: www.buxtonmodelboatclub.co.uk)

Model Boats Magazine is now only a click away! You can find us online at...

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Website content includes: ● A Gallery which features photo albums of models, including some under construction by Model Boats readers and being updated as they progress. ● A Forum that has sections for: Beginners, General, R/C and Accessories, Static, Kits, Scratch build, Steam, Vintage, Events and Chat. ● A Features area that has sections for: Build Features, Kit and Product Reviews, Hints, Tips and Technical, Show and Regatta Reports and General Interest Articles on Model Boating. ● A Link to www.myhobbystore.com which has over 3000 0 plans available and numerous modelling items, books and kits. These can all be purchased online.

82

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Model Boats July 2015

Ship modeling

Tools and Supplies

Serving machine All-in-one machine that can:

More details and more tools and supplies on

ShipWorkshop.com

• serve ropes • make beckets • strop blocks • make eye-splices • lay seizings • make stay mouse (diamond knot) • and do other jobs where one rope is to be wound round the other

Available options: Power Option for automation of process "Endless rope" Attachment for working with “endless” ropes

crows nest

Test Bench

Model Boats looks at new products

Bristol Tugs in Colour (Volume 1) Written by Bernard McCall. Softback, 64 pages, 235 x 157mm, over 80 colour photographs. ISBN: 978-1-902953-70-1. Published by

The Naval Flank of the Western Front The German MarineKorps Flandern 1914-1918 Written by Mark D. Karau. Softback 276 pages, 235 x 157mm, 33 black & white photographs, diagrams and maps ISBN: 978-1-84832-231-8, 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. The German MarineKorps Flandern, formed in 1914, was based in the Belgian ports along

Warship 2015 Edited by John Jordan. Hardback, 208 pages, 27 x 21cm with numerous B&W drawings and photographs. ISBN: 9781844862764, published on 4th June 2015 by Conway, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK, tel: +44 (0)20 7631 5600, website: www.bloomsbury.com. RRP is £40 though the usual retail outlets, but it is available direct at a discount online. Warship 2015 is devoted to the design, development and

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Attention - Manufacturers & ● 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!

Bernard McCall, Coastal Shipping Publications, 400 Nore Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 8EZ. Tel: +44(0)1275 84617, e-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.coastalshipping. co.uk, price (RRP) £9.95. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. This is the first volume of a two volume set, written and published by the well-known maritime author Bernard McCall, in which he’s included photographs of tugs that have visited ports in the Bristol area during the last 50 years. Not only the tugs used for ship handling operated by companies like C J King and Cory/Wiljsmuller/

Svitzer, also showing their various liveries at different stages of their careers, but tugs which called on perhaps just one occasion with a special tow or as part of a civil engineering project. The photographs in this Volume One are divided into three undefined sections. It begins with early tugs of C J King, then moves on to the larger tugs that have worked the ports and port approaches of the Bristol Channel. In the final section we see the tugs at work. Within each section the tugs are featured in date order of construction, but this sequence is broken to allow the reader to see the same tug in different

liveries. The captions for each photograph gives us some insight into the specification and history of the tug, including the power output of the engine(s) (in bhp), the propulsion type and ‘bollard pull’ (in tonnes), together with where it was built and who it was built for, when it was launched, as well as changes in ownership, current location, or in the case of older tugs, their final disposition. This extremely interesting and informative little book is reasonably priced and a ‘must have’ for model boat builders and tug enthusiasts alike. Book Review by John Deamer

what became the extreme right of the German Western Front, thereby extending the German naval threat to the eastern side of the English Channel and spawning the spectre of enemy ships only 70 miles from the English coast. Running out of Bruges, Zeebrugge and Ostend, destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines were tasked with carrying out naval guerrilla warfare, Kleinkreig, against the Royal Navy, mounting submarine operations against merchant shipping and protecting their own flank against Allied invasion and air attack. The original plan for the MarineKorps Flandern was formulated by Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz in 1914, when head of the German Naval Office and architect of the German Battle

fleet,. It’s amazing to think some 30000 officers and men served in German naval vessels as well as coastal batteries, as airmen and infantry in Flanders, commanded by Admiral Ludwig von Schrder, making up the German MarineKorps Flandern between 1914 and 1918. In this significant and insightful book, the author Mark Karau describes, using many previously unseen photographs and original German documents, all these operations, as well as the British response, and in doing so tells the story of a lethal and hard-fought theatre curiously neglected by First World War historians. This book would make interesting reading for ship model makers, maritime historians and enthusiasts who would like further information

on this little known aspect of German naval warfare during World War One. Book Review by John Deamer

service history of the world’s combat ships. Featuring a broad range of articles from a select panel of distinguished international contributors, this latest volume combines original research, new book reviews, warship notes, an image gallery and much more to

maintain the impressive standards of scholarship and research from the field of warship history. This 37th edition features the usual range of diverse articles including: The Battleships of the Patrie Class; Post-WW2 Weapons in the Royal Navy; The Tragedy of the Submarine Mariotte (k (known as the Toothbrush) and D Developments in Modern Carrier A Aviation. Contributors to Warship 20 2015 include Michele Cosentino, P Peter Marland, Hans Lengerer and A Aidan Dodson. This annual is one of those bo books that is handy to have,

because of its included breath of interesting warship related articles. Of particular interest to British readers will be the in-depth analysis of the new UK Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, compared to the American Gerald Ford CVN and America, plus the Indian Vikrant that is also under construction. This is one of those books that is essential for those readers who have an interest in naval affairs, both new and old, and there is much information that has real value to model makers. Book Review by Paul Freshney

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Model Boats July 2015

crows nest

The E-Boat Threat Written by Bryan Cooper. Hardback, 138 pages, 240 x 165mm, over 50 black & white photographs, diagrams and maps. ISBN: 978-1-47382-7837. Price (RRP) £19.99, published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd, , 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2AS. Tel: 01226 734222, website: www. pen-and-sword.co.uk. Available direct from the publisher or through the usual retail outlets. One of the major lessons of World War Two was the importance of coastal waters. It was not widely recognised beforehand just how vital the control of such waters would become, both defending essential convoys as well as attacking those of the enemy and paving the way for amphibious landings.

While land based aircraft could carry out offshore operations by day and destroyers and cruisers patrolled deeper waters, the ideal craft for use in coastal waters were motor boats armed

MODEL BOATS

with torpedoes and light guns. However, with the exception of Italy none of the major powers had more than a handful of these boats operational at the outbreak of this war. From a small beginning, large fleets of highly manoeuverable motor torpedo boats were built, particularly in Britain, Germany and the USA. They operated mainly at night, because they were small enough to penetrate minefields and creep unseen to an enemy’s coast line, and fast enough to escape after firing their torpedoes. They fought in every major theatre of war, but the first real threat came in the North Sea and English Channel from German E-boats crossing to attack Britain’s vital coastal convoys. Ranged against them in the ‘Battle of the Little Ships’ were British MTB’s and MGB’s and later, American

PT boats. They often fought at close quarters, more than any other kind of warship, in a unique conflict that lasted right to the end of the war. In this new book, the author Bryan Cooper, describes the development of these deadly little craft, the training of their crews, who were usually volunteers, methods of defence and the gradual evolution of tactics in the light of wartime experience. Coastal defence vessels and E-boats in particular have always been a popular subject for model boat builders and enthusiasts and if, like me, you count yourself among that number, this book would make a welcome addition to your maritime bookshelf. Book Review by John Deamer

Model Boats Magazine is now only a click away! You can find us online at...

ONLINE! www.modelboats.co.uk

Website content includes:

● A Gallery which features photo albums of models, including some under construction by Model Boats readers and being updated as they progress. ● A Forum that has sections for: Beginners, General, R/C and Accessories, Static, Kits, Scratch build, Steam, Vintage, Events and Chat. ● A Features area that has sections for: Build Features, Kit and Product Reviews, Hints, Tips and Technical, Show and Regatta Reports and General Interest Articles on Model Boating. ● A Link to www.myhobbystore.com which has over 3000 plans available and numerous modelling items, books and kits. These can all be purchased online.

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Model Boats July 2015

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MB Vol 65 No 776

propwash

In conditions as rough as this, it can be a challenge to see your own boat. (Photo courtesy of Judith Beesley)

BMPRS News Website: www.bmprs.co.uk he time had arrived for our first exciting race of this new 2015 Race Season, at the excellent Colwick Country Park. With a sectioned-off area allowing us to park and prepare the boats, it was great to see our members arrive nice and early to be greeted by the Nottingham MBC who always make us feel so welcome. They again kindly provided the rescue boat, PA sound system and crowd control barriers. The first race of any season is especially exciting because one does not really know what to expect. Will there be new boats, new members racing for the first time, or returning members having perhaps had a break from racing? Also irrespective of the racing, the first event of 2015 gives the opportunity to catch-up, with lots of chatting between members

T Craig Dickson with a report from Colwick Park, Nottingham

who have not met face to face since 2014, so much conversation was enjoyed. We enjoyed all of this, which made the day an absolute delight and success, and with 37 boats entered we were set for a cracking good day’s racing.

Drivers Meeting Called at 10am by Mark Wild who once again kindly acted as OOD (Officer of The Day), he ran though the usual important points in terms of the key health and safety considerations. Mark drew our attention to the A class, because on this occasion, perhaps for the first time ever, it featured three female racers and three male racers, resulting in much banter. The four corner race buoys already positioned on the lake were considered to be in just the right places, so with a thumbs-up from the competitors, it was ready to get the racing started of two 15 minute race heats in each class with morning and afternoon heats, the total laps scored being the final positions of the day. So what were the highlights?

AA class

Mike Barnes’ A class Challenger interior, the OPS engine failing on start-up.

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In this, the smallest engined class and with seven boats entered, the striking aspect for me was how fast these boats ran, despite having to cope with the very choppy water conditions. Although they kept the rescue boat busy with several spectacular flips, all in all this proved to be a very closely fought battle. With 42 laps in total, Robin Butler having had a sabbatical break from racing with us in 2014, returned with a vengeance to win first place with his Hyper 21 powered Sea Spirit. His experience

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Model Boats July 2015

propwash

B9: The Apache of Malcolm Pratt on its way to a class win.

ABOVE: Engine start up of the combined C and D classes race.

LEFT: Sometimes a big spanner is needed.

RIGHT: B167: Best Boat of the Day winner was this craft by Mark Beesley, but with a somewhat unconventional boat stand.

and consistent 21 laps per heat secured a well deserved win. Junior member Kian Searle achieved a close second place racing his Picco powered Challenger 43 (new for this season) with 40 laps in total. Kian’s Challenger spun out at Buoy 4 nearly losing its hatch and stopping, requiring rescue and costing him a few vital laps, but still an excellent result from this junior member. Mark Wild took a brief break from his OOD duties and enjoyed his first race in ages, his CMB 21 powered Lizard gaining 36 laps for third place. Though perhaps an innocuous looking boat, Mark’s Lizard really packs a punch and it was very exciting to watch as it was leaping around all over the lake and yet mainly stayed upright. Bob Cheshire and Mark Beesley both had disappointing results in this class as they had trouble getting their engines started, ending up with totals of just eight and five laps respectively.

A77: The A class winning Crusader 3 of Sally Dickson. (Photo courtesy of Judith Beesley)

D class boats D8 and D18 racing head to head.

A class As already mentioned, six boats were entered with three female and three male competitors and three of these were Junior members, so a great mix of talent. For my wife Sally, this was her first ever race having previously had only about an hour of practice at the controls of her new boat and with zero practice amongst other boats and around the four buoys. So, it was a nerve-wracking prospect for both her (and me watching), whilst my brother Garry pitted for her and gave some experienced guidance as racing got underway, and the end result? First place with 47 laps in total went to Sally racing her SC46 powered Crusader 3. Having said that, Heat 2 for Sally nearly scuppered her chances of a win, because on the pit straight she encountered the rescue boat and some wildlife which had to be avoided at all costs. So, a

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Model Boats July 2015

propwash

ABOVE: C127: Ian Searle’s very lively C class Makara.

BELOW: Mike Barnes (rear of boat) and Steve Abbott doing rescue boat duties.

sharp turn to port sent the boat up the bank, but thankfully with no damage done and it was soon back on the race circuit. Irrespective of this, her first place achievement deserves much credit, so well done Sally. Junior member Kian Searle’s CMB powered Challenger 48, achieved 43 laps in total which gave him another well deserved second place. Kian’s second heat lap score of 30 in this class was outstanding, with some excellent driving and the boat running really well. Third place with 28 laps in total went to Sally Butler racing her SC40 powered Cavalier. It was great to see Sally back racing with us after a break in 2014. Junior racer Amelia Cheshire was really quite unlucky in this class because the hatch of her Crusader 3 came off, it being dragged in the water needing a recovery and engine restart. However the 16 laps scored gave her a very respectable fourth place and what happened to Mike Barnes? Well, on firing-up his (new for this season) OPS 45 powered Challenger, it stopped with an ominous sounding ping, that horrible noise which suggests that something has failed inside the engine which indeed was that the conrod had snapped, causing irreparable internal damage, so on this occasion for Mike it was a zero lap score. Luke who also normally does well in this class had to settle for zero laps with engine running issues. He had done a pre-race engine swap the day before and perhaps not allowed enough time for testing.

B class

BELOW: Kevin Alcock’s D class Patriot pounding the waves!

90

Four boats were entered in this class including the CMB 67 powered Apache of Malcolm Pratt. This well-built boat once again served him really well, gaining an impressive 65 laps in total for first place. Andy Rennie’s CMB 67 powered Warhawk gave

a good account of itself to clock up 59 laps for second place. Andy, our BMPRS Treasurer, didn’t get to race much last season, so it was great to see him back on form and racing again. Third place in this class with 27 laps in total went to Garry Dickson racing his West 52 powered Challenger. In Heat One it went like a bat out of hell, however loving the speed and excitement, Garry was a bit over-ambitious on the throttle lever in the choppy conditions, paying the price with three flips needing three rescues and re-starts. In Heat Two, the boat kept stopping after half a lap and was retired early, perhaps with water contamination in its fuel tank? In fourth place with just one lap scored, was Mark Beesley. His new (an un-named boat) was however sufficiently well presented that it won him Best Boat of the Day award.

C class Although this largest of the mono hulled nitro fuel powered classes only had three entries, all these boats were wickedly quick, leading to some spectacular racing. Because of the large number of entries in the D class, prior to the event Mark Wild wisely decided to split the D Class with some of those boats running with these three C class craft, but all scored independently. After Heat One, Mike Gelson’s CMB powered Stratos had a 10 lap lead over Harry Stuart who at this point was in second place. However, Harry’s OPS 90 powered Warhawk fought back in the second heat ending up with 53 laps in total for a well deserved win. Although Mike’s Stratos was flying around the course in the second heat, the very choppy conditions resulted in his boat stopping quite a few times, costing valuable laps although

Model Boats July 2015

propwash

ABOVE: D44: The D class winning Saturn of Garry Dickson.

RIGHT: The proud Nottingham winners.

BMPRS Nottingham 1 Results - 19th April 2015

LEFT: D class race action! (Photo courtesy of Judith Beesley)

with 45 laps, Mike gained a well earned second place. In third place with 30 laps in total was Ian Searle racing his CMB powered Makara. Ian’s boats are always impressively fast as was his Makara on this occasion. So why did he only gain third place? At the start of Heat One, Ian’s failsafe check discovered that the carburettor throttle arm was stuck solid and by the time it was freed, the first heat was nearly over. However, he did recover in the second heat despite a flip-over and some stops to achieve 30 laps in total.

D class This fabulously popular S.I. (Spark Ignition) mono hull class featured ten competitors, which ensured some really furious race action, including those who raced with the C class boats. Highest total laps of the day and winner of the D class was Garry Dickson with his MPM 31 powered Saturn achieving a blistering total of 88 laps. The impressively quick and stable Gizmo 30 powered Phantom of Mike Durant reached 72 laps for second place and Kevin Alcock’s Patriot achieved consistent scores in both heats, with a 67 lap total for third place, even though some mechanical issues with the engine’s throttle arm, led to lower scores than otherwise might have been and the upset of the day in this class? Not a good day for Mike Barnes, having already blown-up the engine in his A class boat. In this D class, at the half way point just after Heat One, his race proven Patriot was in the lead with a staggering 56 laps, but at the start of the second heat, to his horror he realised that the engine bearings had failed. He wisely decided to retire the

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No.

Hull

Engine

Heat 1 Heat 2 Total

10 128 5 29 11 16 176

Sea Spirit Challenger 43 MHZ Lizard Cavalier Challenger 43 Challenger 43 Cavalier

Hyper 21 Picco 21 CMB 21RS OS 21 CMB 21 Novarossi 21 OS 21o/b

21 21 16 21 24 4 0

21 19 20 11 0 4 5

42 40 36 32 24 8 5

77 128 12 98 6 4

Crusader 3 Challenger 48 Cavalier Crusader 3 Sea Spirit Challenger 43

SC 46 CMB 45HR SC40 ASP 46 Irvine 40 OPS 45

25 13 13 1 0 0

22 30 15 15 0 0

47 43 28 16 0 0

9 11 44 176

Apache 50 Warhawk Challenger 48 Unknown

CMB 67 CMB 67 West 52 ASP 61

33 24 21 0

32 35 6 1

65 59 27 1

133 36 127

Warhawk Stratos Makara

OPS 90 sq. head CMB 91 RS EVO CMB 90

21 31 7

32 14 23

53 45 30

44 8 75 9 4 133 18 176 127 108

Saturn Phantom 145 Patriot Patriot Patriot Woody Phantom Apache Phantom Apache

MPM 31 Gizmo 30 Gizmo 30 Not known Zen 28.5 Bitsa 26 Zen 30 Zen 26 RCMK RCMK

51 39 32 26 56 5 9 17 1 3

37 33 35 31 0 30 23 11 16 9

88 72 67 57 56 35 32 28 17 12

X-Cat 38

SC46

1

0

1

Mercury CAT Conquest F1 1320GP Conquest 43 Skippy Sport

MPM 31 CMB 91RS RCMK 26 RCMK K30 RCMK 27 Tiger King

37 19 13 10 9 2

31 28 9 0 0 0

68 47 22 10 9 2

6 44 9 176 29 75 133

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Model Boats July 2015

Name AA class 1 Robin Butler 2 Kian Searle 3 Mark Wild 4 Graham Stanley 5 Andy Rennie 6 Bob Cheshire 7 Mark Beesley A class 1 Sally Dickson 2 Kian Searle 3 Sally Butler 4 Amelia Cheshire 5 Luke Bramwell 6 Mike Barnes B class 1 Malcolm Pratt 2 Andy Rennie 3 Garry Dickson 4 Mark Beesley C class 1 Harry Stuart 2 Mike Gelson 3 Ian Searle D class 1 Garry Dickson 2 Mike Durant 3 Kevin Alcock 4 Malcolm Pratt 5 Mike Barnes 6 Harry Stuart 7 Steve Abbott 8 Mark Beesley 9 Ian Searle 10 Ron Willets Cat T1 class 1 Luke Bramwell Cat 2 class 1 Garry Dickson 2 Malcolm Pratt 3 Mark Beesley 4 Graham Stanley 5 Kevin Alcock 6 Harry Stuart

propwash

maximum championship points for making the effort, but this proved to be more challenging than expected with all eyes on him alone with his transmitter! The SC 46 powered X-Cat 38 kept stopping and/or stalling between Buoys 2 and 3. Thankfully at attempt number four, he got the lap required and was rightly greeted with a big round of applause from us all. ABOVE: The big catamarans battling it out. (Photo courtesy of Judith Beesley)

BELOW: No. 29: The new F1 cat by Graham Stanley (Cat T2 class).

boat immediately to avoid wrecking the engine. Such is the unpredictable nature of these races and Mike will be back no doubt with both engines fixed for the next race meeting. The great thing about this class was that each and every boat at least scored some laps. Ron Willets only had 12 laps in total, racing his superbly presented Apache, but he had a few bumps, scrapes and flips, but that is all part of the racing experience and learning curve. Ian Searle’s Phantom didn’t do much better with 17 laps for ninth place. The boat stopped early in Heat One and he had a number of mechanical issues to resolve, including dislodged radio linkages and loose engine bolts. Though fixed for Heat Two, a collision with Ron Willets’ boat did not help.

Catamaran T1 Class With only one entry in this class, Junior member Luke Bramwell needed to achieve just one lap around the course to secure first place and

Catamaran T2 class This big catamaran class with large nitro and SI engines enjoyed a good turnout of six competitors. Excitingly, this race featured three boats not seen previously, but how would they perform on the day bearing in mind the very choppy water conditions? Garry Dickson’s MPM powered Mercury achieved yet another win with 68 laps in total. His cautious approach to driving to the conditions paid off with good consistent lap scores in both heats and not a single stoppage throughout. The CMB Nitro powered catamaran of Malcolm Pratt gained 47 laps in total for second place, his experience and previous successes always making him a contender to be respected. Third place with 22 laps in total went to Mark Beesley racing his RCMK powered Conquest, new for this race season. Mark was pretty much runningin this boat, so in future events we will expect it to settle in and deliver better results once fine-tuned.

MEMBER M

PROFILE Mark Wild

ark is our BMPRS Health and Safety Coordinator and co-founder of the BMPRS who has been a very active member since the day the Society was formed. Now aged 41, he has given massive amounts of time and energy to our society and has proved to be a superb event manager with a natural talent for managing people. It was time to ask Mark a few questions to reveal a bit more about him:

What is your daytime occupation? I am an electrician by trade, a profession that I entered soon after leaving school, but since then I have worked in the cable and satellite media industry holding various positions from engineering roles to various managerial roles. ABOVE: Great to see Mark Wild racing again - Andy Rennie right of picture.

What other hobby interests do you have? Model radio control cars and planes have always given me a lot of fun and satisfaction in addition to the boats, when time allows. I used to play the Tuba in a local brass band for a number of years starting at the age of four and stopping in my late-20’s. I may return to this soon, because due to a shortage of players in local bands I have recently been asked to help out.

ABOVE: Mark Wild, as always enjoying the day.

When did you first get into racing model powerboats and how did it progress? My first ever r/c power boat was put together in 2006, an Express Craft Thunderbolt powered by a Zenoah 26 Spark Ignition engine and I quickly got

92

the bug due to the speed and excitement of this boat. Having joined another model power boating association, myself, Danny Bell and the late Stewart Rae decided to break away from that association and we became co-founders of the BMPRS. We wanted something more local and more suited to us and like-minded individuals. My son Luke, has subsequently been racing with us in the A class over these last couple of years and he absolutely loves it and of course, I get massive personal satisfaction when he does well.

What types or class of boat do you prefer to run and why? Any that are petrol really, because with nitro engines I find that they can be so difficult and

www.modelboats.co.uk

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propwash

What about the other two new T2 Cats’? Harry Stuart’s new Tiger King powered Skippy Hydro, built from fibreglass reinforced timber, was a very exciting boat to see and delivered a lively performance on the water, but he only scored two laps, although we will no doubt be seeing more from his boat in the future. Graham Stanley’s new F1 1320GP Cat was, as he explained. purchased as a nearly ready to run boat. Graham had upgraded it in many respects to handle the power of the RCMK petrol engine. Heat Two of this class however found a weakness in the set-up, because the stub-shaft section of the flexi drive unit broke. losing the propeller and its connection. The brass stuffing tube with the broken flexi-shaft revving inside of it also disintegrated in the whole unfortunate episode, but Graham still managed 10 laps in total from the first heat for fourth place and no doubt he will be looking at these mechanical issues prior to the next race.

Conclusion This opening 2015 event had a good turnout and proved to be a superb day enjoyed by all which is exactly what we aim to achieve. It featured a fair share of boats with various mechanical issues on the day, but that is all part of the challenge and thankfully all the boats went home largely intact.

twitchy to set-up correctly. If I had to choose a favourite class, for me it would be the T2 Cat class, the big catamarans running a spark ignition petrol engine.

What was your most satisfying win ever? To be honest I am not sure. You see when I enter a race, winning is not the main thing in my mind, because seeing others enjoy themselves is the key aspect that makes my day, whether I win or come last. If my efforts helping run the society deliver the all-round enjoyment, that is good enough for me!

On race days, what aspects might you like best or dislike the most? Occasionally members will take things too seriously due to the competitive nature of this hobby and get upset when things don’t go to plan. However as I

Forthcoming Nottingham Special Weekend Event This is being held on 11th & 12th July as we have been given special permission to use the superb lake for both a Saturday and Sunday. The scheduled championship race is to be run on Sunday 12th July and the Saturday before is to be a Fun Day whereby members can run and display their boats of all types throughout the day. We are also expecting to see the local model flying club in action, with their spectacular i.c. powered seaplanes, so this has the ingredients for something really special. At the time of going to press, full details have yet to be finalised, so please check our website for the latest updates.

ABOVE: D9: The well presented Patriot of Malcolm Pratt.

BELOW: D18: Steve Abbott’s splendid Phantom in action. (Photo courtesy of Judith Beesley)

Final note This concludes my first race report of this new season, and I much look forward to updating you all in due course in future issues of MB. Cheers for now - Craig

always pledge, the aim of the game is enjoyment of the hobby and to have a great day out, which thankfully the majority do. The one thing I love about our race days, is that members in the main tend to be very willing to muck-in and help out when needed.

Would you have any tips for potential new members thinking of joining us? Just come along and don’t be afraid to talk to us, because we were all new at some point. Most important, enjoy yourself because if you keep it in your mind that it is not the winning or even finishing a race that counts, but the taking part and having a catch-up with old friends. This ensures a good day at the races. One other thing don’t forget your coffee flask and butties, otherwise I am sure you will end up eating somebody else’s when you realise it’s lunchtime, just like me.

ABOVE: The Mark Wild look says it all! This engine, actually belonging to Mike Barnes, is truly broken.

LEFT: Mark Wild’s green Lizard (AA5) literally flying in the AA class.

▲

93

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