Model Boats September 2013

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September 2013
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We report from Harrogate
H.M.S. Goliath-
Our new easy to
build Feature
Plan model
Engel 212A
Submarine
full kit
review
4
6
COMPASS 360
General items, whats on,
comment, the A Team
Boatyards Thames Cruise and
Goole MBC are featured
20
RANGE FINDER
Dave Wooleys regular
Warship column includes
a Norwegian mine
countermeasures vessel,
the Royal Navys latest
hydrographic launch Sapphire
and his Fleetscale HMS
Daring project
42
GALLERY
David Walter presents the RNLI
Lifeboat Collection at Chatham
50
FLOTSAM
& JETSAM
John Parker delves into the archives
and his personal attachment to
RMS Orsova
52
SCALE SAIL
Dave Petts shows how to easily
rig a model
56
BOILER ROOM
Richard Simpson demonstrates how to
make a simple part for a model boat
steam engine
62
READERS MODELS
HMS Sheffield from an MHS plan and
Benchijigua Express are featured
69
AROUND THE CLUBS
Guildford MYC and the Acorn Trophy
73
READERS FREE
CLASSIFIEDS
Your free private advertisements
74
BMPRS NEWS
Stewart Rae reports from Telford
contents
Vol.63 Issue 754: September 2013
Regulars
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EDITORIAL
Editor: Paul Freshney
PO BOX 9890, Brentwood, CM14 9EF
Email: editor@modelboats.co.uk
PRODUCTION
Design Manager: Siobhan Nolan
Designer: Richard Dyer
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All rights reserved ISSN 0140-2910
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Model Boats September 2013 www.modelboats.co.uk 5
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Bow piece
T
his issue includes a full kit review by John Parker
of the Alexander Engel U212A fully functioning
static diving radio controlled submarine, as well
as a major new Feature Plan presented by Glynn
Guest for HMS Goliath, a semi-scale radio controlled
model of an aircraft carrier. In addition, Brian Cook
describes his unique LARC, an unusual and very
large amphibious road vehicle that is also a fully
working model.
We also have show reports from Harrogate, Coalville
and Doncaster, that all had some excellent model boats
on display. Flotsam and Jetsam by John Parker is about
the ship on which he travelled to Australia when
emigrating from the UK some years ago, so having
great nostalgic interest for him.
The Gallery is by David Walter and is of the RNLI
Lifeboat Collection in the Historic Dockyard at
Chatham, always somewhere well worth a visit on a
spare day. Dave Wooley with Range Finder includes a
visit to a number of mine countermeasures vessels at
Liverpool. These are always popular model making
subjects because they can be built to quite a large
scale and still be a practical size for model boating.
Dave Petts looks at rigging and his methods of making
it easy for scale sail models in his mini-series.
So, I hope there is something for everyone here and
the Engel U212A submarine is a remarkable piece of
model engineering, that does just what it says on the
box and I should know, because I have got one as well.
So, a whole new and exciting dimension of model
boating for me as well!
Paul Freshney - Editor
10
TYPE 212A U-BOAT
John Parker builds the Alexander Engel KG submarine kit
28
HMS GOLIATH
Glynn Guest presents a new MyHobbyStore plan and
full building instructions for a radio controlled model
aircraft carrier
44
LARC
Brian Cook builds a 1:25 scale model of a Lighter,
Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo
54
NATIONAL MODEL
ENGINEERING AND
MODELLING EXHIBITION 2013
Dave Wooley goes to Harrogate
60
2013 NATIONAL
MODEL BOAT SHOW
Anthony Addams reports from this A Model World
sponsored event at Coalville
70
NORTHERN
MODEL SHOW 2013
Gareth Jones visits the annual Doncaster CADMA event,
now in its new venue
Special features
www.modelboats.co.uk Model Boats September 2013
Model Boats Subscriptions
COMPASS 360
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 editor@modelboats.co.uk
EDITORIAL CONTACT - Paul Freshney
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Kirklees
Model Boat Club
A nal reminder about their Naval Day
on Sunday 8th September, 1000hrs to
1600hrs, at Wilton Park, Bradford Road,
Birstall, Batley, WF17 8JH. Contact Stan
on tel: 0113 2675790 after 6 p.m. or
email: stan@kirkleesmodelboatclub.org.
uk for further information.
Fireboat Funday &
Vintage Model Boat Day
King Lear MBC will be hosting this event
on Sunday 8th September 2013. All
vintage model boaters (the boats not you!)
are most welcome for this informal and
fun event. The club have a jetty and
slipway for ease of access to the lake (with
good access for less able bodied boaters),
so please take your boats along for a sail.
There are 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. The club hope to have a BBQ
and hot drinks on the day. Further
information can be obtained from Graham
Taylor, tel: 01162 613959 or by email:
kinglearmbc@ntlworld.com. For the latest
information, please visit the clubs website:
www.kinglearmodelboatclub.co.uk.
Bury Metro Marine
Modelling Society
Their nal Open Day for 2013 is:
15th September 2013. Tug Day and
Bring & Buy, from 10am onwards for
members and visitors who would like to
sail/exhibit their tugs and sale anything
connected with marine modelling
Bury Metro MMS is a friendly and
active club with over 140 members. The
club water has ample free car parking,
excellent disabled access to the water
and clubhouse where refreshment
facilities are available. Although
members can sail seven days a week, the
clubhouse is open on Sundays and
Wednesdays from 9am till 1.30pm.
For more information on this event or
the club, please contact the secretary,
Graham Sleight, tel: 07897 340007,
email: graham.sleight946@btinternet.
com or the website:
http://bmmmsuk.yolasite.com/
Hudderseld Society of
Model Engineers
Just a reminder that will be holding a
Regatta and Open Day at their
Highelds base on Sunday 11th August
2013. Entry is free and there will be
some boats and trucks available for
visitors to try on the day. A further event
on Sunday 22nd September is for the
Vic Briggs & Frank Dyball Trophy.
The venue is just a short distance
from the Hudderseld ring road,
postcode HD1 5NG. From the A629
Hudderseld/Halifax road, turn into the
cobbled Highelds Road. Highelds is
the next turning on the left which
follows round to the car park. For
further details on any of these events,
please contact Mr. Richard Lyons,
HSME Secretary, tel: 07930 330450,
email: rlyons999@hotmail.com.
2013 International
Model Boat Show
A reminder that is at the Warwickshire
Exhibition Centre (near Leamington
Spa) from 9th to 11th November
2013. Over 3000 visitors are expected
to attend the event which is regarded as
one of the premier model boat shows in
the UK. The organisers are delighted
that Manx MBC, West Wales MBC,
Bournville MBC, Happy Hobby
Modellers and The Air Water Land
Model Group will be joining the other
returning favourite clubs for this years
show. For younger visitors there will be
a Childrens Hour at the poolside
between 1pm and 2pm on each day over
the weekend. More than 20 specialist
suppliers will be on hand with
everything from a single anchor to an
entire kit.
At Sundays show there will be a
special guest appearance by renowned
vintage starlet Kitten von Mew, who will
be singing a selection of wartime songs
in tribute to fallen servicemen and
women. The two minute silence will also
be marked as usual with a poignant
sailing display by the Surface Warship
Association.
Further information from:
www.modelboatshow.co.uk,
or tel: 01926 614101
The London Model
Engineering Exhibition
2014
Advance news that this three day event
will be held at Alexandra Palace,
London , N22 7AY from Friday 17th to
Sunday 19th January 2014. Exhibits
will include the full spectrum of
modelling, from traditional model
engineering, steam locomotives and
traction engines through to the more
modern gadgets and boys toys, plus
trucks, boats, aeroplanes and
helicopters. Over 55 of the UKs leading
specialist suppliers will also be at the
exhibition showcasing new products
and special promotions and giving
modellers the chance to see and buy
supplies all under one roof. Advance
tickets are available at a discount prior
to 5th January and full details of the
event can be seen on the website:
www.londonmodelengineering.co.uk.
Vikings in Kent!
Ramsgate Vikings MBC will be holding
their27th Show on Sunday 1st
September 2013 at The Boating Pool,
The Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent, 1000hrs
to 1600hrs. There is a caf on site as well
as toilet facilities and wheelchair access
to poolside. Last year saw just under 200
models on show and the club look
forward to another great day.
Canadian Event
The Confederation Marine Modellers
are holding their 50th Anniversary
Model Boat Show and Competition on
7/8th September at the Hamilton
Museum of Steam and Technology, 900
Woodward Avenue, Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada. This will be open to the public
for both days, with boats on display, and
running throughout both days in our
pond. Saturday is 1000hrs to 1700hrs
and Sunday is 1000hrs to 1600hrs.
There will also be a judged competition
for those modellers who choose to
participate. The club invite all to join
them and help celebrate their 50th year
as an organised club based in the
Hamilton/Burlington area of Ontario.
More information can be obtained from
Doug Grinyer, email: douggrinyer@
cogeco.ca, or from the clubs website:
www.cmmodellers.com.
St. Albans & District
MES Annual Exhibition
This year the exhibition will be at a new
venue, the Townsend C. of E. School,
High Oaks, St .Albans, AL3 6DR, on the
28/29th September from 1000hrs to
1700hrs. All the usual features will be
present, such as sensibly priced
refreshments, ample parking, free
Have-a-Go radio controlled model boats
and free steam train rides. Displays of
models by our own members and
visiting clubs will include steam
locomotives, boats, traction engines,
stationery engines, railway layouts,
trucks and Meccano models. Trade
stands and our club shop will have a
selection of tools materials and
bric-a-brac for sale. There will also be
an outdoor model ying display,
weather permitting. The RNLI will have
their range of goods for sale and will
rafe a model as usual.
Further information from:
www.stalbansmes.com.
THE WORLDS BEST-SELLER!
PLUS
September 2013
4.35
Flat-top
Giant
Silent
Hunter!
Super Models!
H.M.S. Goliath- Our new easy to build Feature Plan model
Engel 212A Submarine full kit review
MB754coverV2.indd 1
18/07/2013 14:14
Editors Note
Readers may not be aware that magazines like this are not put together the
week before they appear on the newsagents shelves or arrive through your
post box. Design and nal layout of the magazine commences six weeks before
the On Sale date and the magazine goes to the printers four weeks after the
start of this whole process. This magazine commenced design on Friday 21st
June and went to the printers on Friday 19th July, for its On Sale date of 2nd
August. Many of the articles have of course been prepared (edited) for the
magazine well before then, but there is much checking and rechecking
throughout the design period and even then mistakes still occur, but one can
only do ones best! For this September issue, Colin Bishop has progressed it
through the design and layout stage whilst I have been on holiday for three
weeks from 21st June and I therefore gratefully extend my thanks to him for all
his input on this issue together with Richard Dyer the dedicated magazine
designer. Colin has also dealt with all the incoming emails to myself as far as
practically possible, so a big Thank You to him for that as well.
Paul Freshney - July 2013
O
ur rst 2013 Open Day took place in June
at the Boat Hoist site on the Dutch River
Side in June. Last years event was held
in torrential rain, but this time the weather was
excellent with sunny skies and a light breeze.
Many visitors arrived from local clubs
including Hull, York, Bridlington, Vicar Water,
Grimsby and Kirklees and it was nice to see a
selection of different boats on the pond.
Andrew Pennock and Andrew Bailey did a
sterling job serving burgers, sausages and
chips: Chris Platt ran the bring & buy stall
and the clubs ladies provided refreshments
and ran the tombola, bottle and book stalls.
The Yorkshire Waterways Museum also had
a souvenir stall on our site and their Tom
Pudding tug Wheldale ran trips around the
docks during the day.
We had a steady stream of public visitors
from Goole and the surrounding area, and the
have a go boats were kept occupied for much
of the time, providing interest and
entertainment for their young operators who
might one day decide to take up model
boating as a result.
The club usually has two open days during
the year, the second being in August and a
night sail event in September. Visitors are
always welcome to our club events and details
can be found on the website:
www.goolemodelboatclub.co.uk.
Information supplied by Gareth Jones l
Model Boat Show
On Sunday 5th May there was a Model
Boat Show, hosted by A Team
Boatyard, at Beale Park, in
Pangbourne, Nr. Reading. This event,
primarily within the Beale Centre
itself, was supported by 22 model boat
clubs and eight traders without whom
the show would not have been the
success it was. Over 2000 members of
public came through the gates on the
day, so this was good publicity for the
hobby which reached a potential new
audience. It was a team effort by
everyone on the day, as long-time
model boat enthusiasts will remember
that this early-May event was once a
major event, that sadly declined, but is
now noticeably regenerating. The park
has lots to see and do for families,
good parking, and is not far from the
nearest M4 junction. A Team Boatyard
were congratulated on this extremely
well organised show and have been
asked to host the event again in 2014.
They would like to thank Beale Park
and the Mid-Thames MBC in
particular for all of their help and
support with the event. On the
evening of Sunday 5th May, their huge
HMS Daring model was transported
down to the Thames and launched
behind the escorting cabin cruiser,
ready to set sail next morning.
The Big Thames
Cruise 2013
Wow! A tremendous achievement by all
the ve crew on board the cabin
cruiser which successfully escorted the
16ft HMS Daring r/c model up, down
and back up the Thames over 14 days.
On the Monday (6th May), the A Team
Boatyard crew woke at 6am and Alan
Noble and Chris Bennett travelled to
BBC Radio Berkshire to be interviewed
live on air at 7.30am and then were
linked live to BBC Radio Oxford at
7.45am for another interview.
Debbie Noble, Barry Chapman and
Matt Beck stayed on board the 35ft
cabin cruiser The Caversham
Viscount together with supporters
Phil Abbott (Steamboat Phil) and his
partner Steph. With Alan and Chris
back on board and Phil and Steph
disembarked, we set sail at 9.50am and
The Big Thames Cruise had begun.
The aim was to travel 250 miles,
navigating via 88 locks up and down
the non-tidal section of the River
Thames, sailing from Beale Park to
Lechlade; Lechlade back to Beale
Park; Beale Park down to Teddington;
turning around at Teddington and
then back to Beale Park, the charitable
purpose being to raise as much money
as possible for The Royal British
Legion and The Royal National
Lifeboat Institution. The Waterways
technical ofcers and the staff at the
locks were 100% supportive in our
endeavours, so a big THANK YOU to
them as well.
HMS Daring looked fantastic on the
water and performed brilliantly for the
whole of the 250 mile voyage, only
suffering a couple of minor problems.
The voyage was completed back at Beale
Park and ahead of schedule on Friday
17th May at 12.15pm, so the team met all
their key objectives with considerable
sums raised for charity in the process.
In conclusion, a big THANK YOU
again to everyone for their support,
help and interest, before and during
the two week voyage, and the A Team
Boatyard are planning more charity
money raising events in the future.
For more information about this,
please see the website:
www.ateamboatyard.co.uk.
Debbie Noble - A Team Boatyard l
Goole MBC Open Day
A Team Boatyard
The A Team Boatyard Team who sailed HMS Daring along the Thames.
L to R: Chris Bennett, Alan Noble, Debbie Noble, Matt Beck and Barry Chapman.
The 16ft long model of HMS Daring
underway, with suitable sponsor stickers!
signals
Summerbreeze III built by Tom Pearce of York MBC. He is an honorary
member of Goole MBC as he can be relied upon to attend all our Open
Days, regardless of the weather!
Elizabeth Jones Springer tug in the guise of Mutiny on the Bounty.
www.modelboats.co.uk Model Boats September 2013 8
The October issue will be on sale 30th August 2013 MODEL BOATS get on board... www.modelboats.co.uk
THE WORLDS BEST-SELLER!
PLUS
September 2013
4.35
Flat-top
Giant
Silent
Hunter!
Super Models!
H.M.S. Goliath- Our new easy to
build Feature Plan model
Engel 212A Submarine full kit
review
MB754coverV2.indd 1
10/07/2013 09:55
See more about whats in Model Boats magazine month-to-month in forthcoming issues and see some of the articles you may have missed from
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There will be an included complimentary Glynn Guest FREE PLAN for HMS Tean, an easy to build
semi-scale frigate, and Part One (of two) of Phil Buttons conversion of the Graupner Glasgow
paddle tug kit into the John H Amos.
John H Amos
HMS Tean
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Amati Kits
Dutch Royal Yacht in Bottle 1:300 95mm 46.93
Egyptian Ship Sahure Dynasty 350mm 77.57
Greek Bireme 480 BC 560mm 77.57
Viking Ship Oseberg 1:50 440mm 105.14
Mayflower 1620 1:60 scale 650mm 174.59
Chinese Junk Scale 1:100 400mm 87.78
Xebec.1753 720mm 1:60 155.95
New Bedford Whaleboat 1:16 550mm 122.50
Riva Aquarama. With Transmission kit 509.57
Endeavour J Class. Wood Hull 1:80 480mm 83.69
Endeavour J Class 1:35 scale 1130mm 259.95
Victory Models Kits
Lady Nelson Cutter. 1:64 scale 530mm 117.95
Granado. Bomb Ketch 1756 1:64 800mm 261.95
HMS Fly. Swan Class Sloop. 1:64 800mm 289.95
HMS Vanguard. 74 gun 3rd rate 1:72 1171mm 684.95
HMS Pegasus Swan class sloop 1:64 800mm 344.95
Mercury: 20 gun Brig 1820. 1:64 scale 860mm 354.95
Mamoli Kits
Friesland 80 gun 2 Decker 1:75 775mm 492.14
Mary Royal Yacht 1:54 scale 483mm 179.18
Golden Hind 1:53 scale 496mm 184.58
La Gloire 34 gun Frigate 1:90 840mm 287.18
Hunter 12 gun Cutter 1797 1:72 440mm 134.76
Rattlesnake Privateer 1779 1:64 697mm 222.62
H.M.A.V Bounty 1787 1:64 610mm 215.76
CSS Alabama. 1:120 694mm 206.92
Panart Kits
H.M.S. Victory Nelson Flagship 1:78 1300mm 395.10
Between Decks Gun Section 1:23 250mm sq. 99.00
Open Whaler 1850 1:16 scale 615mm 139.50
HMS Victory bow section1:78 scale 179.95
San Felipe Spanish 3 Decker 1:75 960mm 670.00
Armed Naval Pinnace 1800 Scale 1:16 620mm 139.50
Royal Caroline 1749 Royal Yacht 1:47 830mm 269.95
Caldercraft Display Kits
Diana 38 Heavy Frigate 1794 1:64 1180mm 472.45
Cruiser.1797. 18 Gun Brig 1:67 scale 850mm 206.98
Snake 1797 18 Gun Sloop 1:67 scale 910mm 206.98
Mary Rose. Tudor warship 1510. 735mm 1:80 260.98
Agamemnon 1781. 64 gun ship 1300mm 661.45
Endeavour. Bark 1768. 1:64 scale 725mm 245.65
Bounty. 1789. 1:64 scale 660mm 202.45
Sherbourne. 8 Gun R.N Cutter 1763. 500mm 75.55
HM Yacht Chatham 1741 1:64 scale 530mm 89.96
HM Mortar Vessel Convulsion. 1804 1:64 530mm96.71
Victory 1781. Nelson's flagship 1:72 1385mm 746.98
Granado. Bomb Ketch 1756 1:64 scale 785mm 220.48
HM Brig Badger 1778 1:64 scale 600mm 177.12
HM Schooner Pickle 1778 1:64 scale 565mm 130.46
Caldercraft R/C Kits
Joffre. 1916 Tyne Tug. 251.95
Imara. Twin Screw Berthing Tug 458.95
Resolve. Twin Screw Admiralty Tug 508.95
Amaranth. Motor Fifie 120.95
Milford star. Post war East Coast side trawler 228.95
Marie Felling single screw steam tug 395.95
North Light. Steam Clyde Puffer 251.95
SS Talacre. Single hatch Steam Coaster 251.95
H.M.T Sir Kay Round Table Class Minesweeper 294.95
Card Models
SD14 general cargo ship 1:70 2133mm. 295.00
USS Missouri. 1:200 scale 61.24
GPM SMS Seydlitz 1:200 scale 1010mm 56.95
Queen Mary 2, 863mm 1:400 scale 53.06
Prince of Wales Battleship 1:200 scale 51.95
USS Lexington Aircraft carrier 1:200 scale 51.04
Tirpitz 1:200 scale Full hull 1260mm 49.99
Bismarck 1:200 scale Full hull 1250mm 48.98
Revenge 1588 600mm 1:96 scale 47.95
HMS Mercury 6th rate frigate 1779 1:96 scaler 44.95
Admiral Hipper, cruiser 1935 1:200 scale 40.81
HMS Enterprise 28 gun Frigate 1:96 scale 40.80
Graf Spee. Full hulled model at 1:200 scale 30.60
Lexington. American Brig 1:96 scale 30.59
HMS Endeavour. Captains Cook's Bark 1:96 30.59
Santa Maria & Nina 30.59
H.M.S. Invincible. Battlecruiser 1907 1:250 28.54
HMS Sheffield 1:200 full hull 28.54
HMS Abdiel Light Cruiser 1;200 scale 635mm 28.54
HMS Repulse. Battleship 1:300 scale 806mm 27.53
Iowa 1:400 US Battleship 1942 680mm 26.52
HMS Dreadnought 1:200 26.50
HMS Cambeltown 1;200 scale 470mm 25.95
Normandie French Liner 1:400 scale 25.95
Yamato. Japanese Battleship 1:400 scale 685mm
23.95
Grosdeutschland Superbattleship 1:400 23.44
Hull and Plan Sets
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 Hull only. 1:48 1003mm 51.49
Guardsman Customs launch 1:32 scale 571mm 37.45
Burutu & Bajima Tug 1:50scale 768mm 47.45
Tyne Life Boat 1:12 scale 787mm 46.49
Smit Nederland Hull 558mm 42.45
Liverpool Lifeboat l 905mm 1:12 scale 91.50
RMAS Moorhen Hull 1:43 scale 740mm 51.45
Cervia, Thames Tug 1:48 scale 711mm 71.50
Brave Borderer 1:32 scale 914mm 86.50
HMS Warspite. Queen Elizabeth class 127.66
H.M.S. Devonshire. Cruiser 1504mm 96.00
H.M.S. Liverpool. Town class1409mm 96.31
H.M.S. Hood. Battlecruiser 2057mm 137.87
H.M.S. Repulse. Battleship 1879mm 137.06
Deans Marine Kits
Compass Rose. Corvette1:96 673mm 177.65
H.M.S. Solebay.Destroyer 1945 1210mm 306.33
Robert E Peary Liberty Ship 1384mm 336.97
MGB77. 71.6ft BPB 1:24 920mm 243.01
73ft Vosper Type 1 1:24 scale 965mm 252.20
Bronnington. minesweeper 1:100 465mm 107.18
MTB 488. B.P.C. 71.6 MTB 1:24 920mm 272.63
RAF Crash Tender 1:24 scale 610mm 113.31
Steam Yacht Medea 1904. 1:48 870mm 139.86
Tradition. Seine net trawler 870mm 1:24 360.92
H.M.S. Cossack Destroyer 1938 1200mm 272.63
Plastic Kits
Trumpeter Bismarck 1:200 scale 225.99
Italeri MTB77 72.5ft Vosper 1:35 632mm 99.99
Heller Le Soleil Royal 1:100 scale 149.95
Trumpeter USS Arizona 1941 1:200 163.99
Trumpeter HMS Dreadnought 1907 1:350 37.99
Academy Titanic 1:400 Ltd Edition 99.95
Revell Titanic 1:400 51.05
Revell Flower Class Corvette 1:72 119.00
Trumpeter HMS Repulse 1941 1:350 100.06
Heller HMS Victory 1:100 scale 149.99
Trumpeter Queen Elizabeth 1:350 69.99
Trumpeter USS Alabama 1:350 79.99
Trumpeter HMS Hood (1941) 1:350 91.89
Academy HMS Warspite, Premium Edition 79.95
Revell Gato Class Submarine 1:72 72.36
Trumpeter Admiral Hipper 1941 1:350 69.95
Trumpeter Prinz Eugen 1945 1:350 61.23
Airfix HMS Illustrious 1:350 51.05
Trumpeter Graf Spee 1:350 51.04
Trumpeter Jeremiah O'Brien Liberty Ship 32.99
Trumpeter JohnBrown liberty ship 1:350 30.62
Tamiya Yamato 1:350 scale 270.95
Tamiya HMS King George V 1:350 49.99
Tamiya HMS Prince of Wales 1:350 49.99
Tamiya Bismarck 1:350 717mm 61.99
Tamiya Tirptz 1:350 717mm 58.50
Academy Tirpitz 1:350 28.00
Academy Graf Spee 1:350 28.00
Plastic Kit Upgrades
Lionroar HMS Repulse Super detail 1:350 98.57
Lionroar Arizona Super detail set 1:350 74.18
1:350-1:400 Naval Ship Decals 7.19
1:350 Bismarck and Tirpitz detail sheets 45.95
1:350 KG5 & Prince of Wales detail sheets 49.95
1:350 Naval Figures sheet of 100 4.95
1:350 Various ladders. 6.20
1:350 Quad Bofors and Oerlikon details 8.75
1:350 Doors, Hatches, & Life rings 6.20
1:350: 5,000 scale feet of U.S. Navy railing 20.55
1:350: Arizona Details sheets 43.97
1:350 WWII Liberty Ship Etched detail 43.99
1:350 Hood detail sheets 49.99
1:350 Hood extra detail sheet 25.83
1:350: Alabama Details sheets 49.99
1:350: USS San Francisco Details sheets 49.99
1:350 Repulse detail sheets 49.99
Wooden deck for HMS Hood 1:350 scale 36.50
Wooden deck for Graf Spee1:350 scale 32.30
Wooden deck for HMS Repulse 1:350 scale 34.80
Wooden deck for Prinz Eugen 1:350 scale 34.80
Wooden deck for Tirpitz 1:350 scale 34.80
Wooden deck for Admiral Hipper 1:350 scale 34.80
DX Wooden deck & Railing for Bismarck 1:350 37.99
Wooden deck for Bismarck 1:350 scale 31.50
Wooden deck for Tirpitz 1:350 scale 31.50
Wooden deck for KG5 1:350 scale 33.20
Wooden deck for Price of Wales 1:350 scale 33.20
DX Wooden deck & Railing for Warspite 1:350 53.80
DX Wooden deck & Railing for Bismarck 1:200 166.00
This is just a selection from Gold Medal, MK1 Design,
Master and Eduard.
Quaycraft Boats
1:48 Scale 27ft Royal Navy Clinker Whaler 19.91
1:48 Scale 16ft Royal Navy 16 Clinker dinghy 8.87
1:32 Scale 16ft Clinker Ship s Lifeboat 16.32
1:96 Scale 25ft Motor cutter 7.68
1:96 Scale 27ft Whaler 85mm 7.31
1:96 26ft Lifeboat double ended 83mm 10.31
1:72 Motor cutter 2 cabins 109mm 19.08
1:48 scale. 22ft Lifeboat. double ended 12.71
1:32 Scale 14ft Clinker Dinghy 14.15
1:24 Scale 14ft Clinker Dinghy 16.55
1:48 Scale 18ft Clinker Lifeboat 11.27
1:72 Scale 16ft Clinker dinghy, 7.79
1:48 Scale 24ft Clinker Ship s Lifeboat 16.32
1:72 27ft Clinker whaler 115mm 17.03
1:96 Scale 20ft Motor boat 6.47
1:48 Scale 20ft Motor cutter 130mm 18.95
1:48 Scale 25ft Motor cutter 162mm 30.72
1:48 Scale 20ft transom sterned clinker lifeboat 12.23
This is just a selection of over 100 boats in various scales
R/C Boat Plans
H.M.S Cossack Tribal class destroyer 38" 12.50
Lorraine: A really elegant 54in. motor yacht 17.50
Vosper R.T.T.L: 1:24 68ft. Vosper Rescue
and Target Towing Launch 12.50
St Louis Belle 1:64 Mississippi stern-wheeler 12.50
T.B.D Cruiser Leader: 1:144 32in. Scout class 12.50
200 Series RAF Seaplane Tender: 1:12 950mm12.50
Brave Borderer: A 36in Vosper patrol boat 12.50
H.M.S Ark Royal : 1:192 WW2 aircraft carrier 12.50
Tyne class Lifeboat 31in. 1:12 scale 12.50
HMS Kite: Ant Class Flatiron Gunboat 1:32 12.50
H.M.S Kent : 1:96 scale early cruiser 58" 17.50
Miranda Edwardian steam Launch 42in 12.50
Valerie Anne Thames barge. 1120mm 16.85
Orca (Jaws) fishing boat featured in the film. 11.23
Boston Fury 1:48th 1960 East Coast Trawler 16.85
TID Tug The wartime tug 890mm . 11.23
Princess of the Lake Cruise Launch 11.23
HMS Inflexible Dreadnought 1890s.1100mm 16.85
Waverley paddle steamer 1365mm, 16.85
Tina Jane A 45ft stern trawler 560mm 11.23
Altair Auxillary gaff rigged schooner 1200mm 33.19
Rhum Islands Class Ferry, 500mm 9.19
John Lambert Plans
The Royal Navys Standard 14 Ft Sailing Dinghy 14.10
Vosper 72ft 6in MTBs Nos 73-98 14.10
71 ft 6 Inch British Power Boat. MTB 467 37.86
The Quadruple 21in QR Mark VIII Torpedo Tubes 14.10
The 16 Ft Admiralty Pattern Trawler Boat 14.10
The Royal Navy's standard 27 Ft Whaler 37.86
Flower Class Corvette. HMS Nasturtium 14.10
United States Navy 2Omm Oerlikon. 14.10
The Twin 2Omm Oerlikon on Post War Mark 12 14.10
The 3 Pdr Hotchkiss Gun 14.10
Harold Underhill Plans
Cutty Sark Clipper Ship 698mm 29.54
Marie Sophie of Falmouth 1033mm 44.41
Lady of Avenel. Wood. 850mm 33.30
74-Gun Two-Decker (Circa 1813 1422mm 77.71
Lady Daphne Thames Sailing Barge812mm 29.54
12-Gun Brig-of-War. Lines, 1187mm 55.51
Cunard Liner Servia, 1:192 scale 850mm 33.30
40-Gun Frigate (Circa 1790 831mm 66.61
Valerian. Brixham Trawler 1069mm. 49.23
Diesel Ring Net Fishing Boat 615mm 29.53
Three Brothers. Rye Fishing Smack. 797mm 29.54
This is just a selection of over 1000 plans available
Static Display Kit Plans
Chinese Junk, construction plans. 11.24
Sovereign of the Seas, plans 1:78 1100mm 27.10
HMS Fly Plan set 26.50
Lady Nelson Cutter Plan Set 9.80
HMS Bounty, construction plans 21.71
French Xebec construction plans 11.24
Vikingship, Osjberg, construction plans. 11.24
Titanic Plans set 49.89
Endeavour J Class Plans set 25.28
Cutty Sark, construction plans, Scale 1:78. 31.00
La Couronne, construction plans, Scale 1:98. 28.50
Santa Maria, construction plans, Scale 1:50. 14.95
French Xebec, construction plans, Scale 1:49. 14.85
Thermopylae, construction plans, Scale 1:124. 14.85
Mississippi Stern Wheeler plan 1:50 1050mm 34.95
Pinta. construction plans 1:50 570mm 14.85
Friesland (1:75) Drawings & Instructions 47.73
H.M.S. Victory (1:90) Drawings & Instructions 64.09
Yacht Mary (1:54) Drawings & Instructions 32.73
Golden Hind (1:53) Drawings & Instructions 32.73
Rattlesnake (1:64) Drawings & Instructions 46.36
Royal Louis (1:90) Drawings & Instructions 62.73
R/C Equipment
Hitec Optic 6 (2.4 GHz) combo 124.99
Viper Marine 75 115.00
Hitec Optic 5 channel (2.4 GHz) combo 89.95
Mtroniks G2 Hydra15 combo 59.99
Hi Tech Zebra 4 Channel 56.12
Planet 5 Transmitter and Receiver Set 51.99
Hi Tech Ranger 2 Channel 49.95
FR30HX 30amp speed controller 47.14
Viper Marine SUB 10 6-12v 42.99
Viper Marine SUB 8 4.8-9.6v 42.50
Viper SSR 25amp Speed controller 39.99
15HVR 15amp speed controller 37.69
Viper Marine 25 Mirror 34.20
FR12VR 12amp speed controller BEC 33.86
Hi Tech MegaArm Sail Winch 19.8kg/cm 30.99
Proportional Drum Sail Winch 30.63
Viper Micro Marine 10 22.99
Viper Marine 15 Plug Play 22.99
Programmable mixing module 20.34
Waterproof mixing module (w-tail) 17.80
Waterproof mixing module 15.70
Mtroniks EP Multi charger 12.14
1300ma receiver nicad battery square 5.61
1300ma receiver nicad battery flat 5.61
Switch harness with charging lead 4.70
Full range of R/C installation equipment available
Miniature Steam
Clyde Horiz Ready Assembled Steam Plant 999.00
Clyde Vertical Ready Assembled Steam Plant 999.00
Clyde Horizontal Self Assembly Steam Plant 899.00
Clyde Vertical Self Assembly Steam Plant 899.00
4 inch Horizontal Boiler 649.99
3in Horizontal Boiler 575.99
3in Vertical Boiler 575.99
Clyde Fully Assembled 444.00
Clyde Fully Machined Kit for Self Assembly 312.00
Tyne Vertical Self Assembly Engine 199.50
Boiler Feed Pump 3/8"" Assembled" 119.95
Refillable Gas Tank 94.99
"ertical Refillable Gas Tank (1-1/2"" Dia) 84.99
Ceramic Burner: for 3in boiler 74.99
Vertical Refillable Gas Tank (1-1/4"" Dia) 64.99
Exhaust Oil Trap (1-1/4) 49.98
Horizontal Boiler Mounting Tray 39.95
Refillable Gas Tank Adaptor (Long) 24.99
Refillable Gas Tank Adaptor (Standard) 21.99
Sound Modules
Petrol/Diesel Engine with Horn 43.40
Machine Gun 35.73
Steam Engine Sound 43.40
Whooper 35.73
Fog Horn 35.73
Ship Klaxon 35.73
Sub Sonar Ping 35.73
Sub Dive Alarm 35.73
Air Horns 35.73
Large Ship Horn 35.73
Large Ship Steam Whistle 35.73
Old Steam Whistle 35.73
Tug Boat Air Horn 35.73
Mtroniks Diesel Canal Boat 59.99
Mtroniks Multicylinder Diesel 59.99
Motors
Voith-Schneider drive unit 157.08
Schottel drive unit 70mm dia prop 95.94
Schottel drive unit 79.42
Rudder-propeller drive: 74.42
Deans Marine Navy Geared Maxi 6v 44.95
MICRO T 05: Electric motor 42.00
Rudder-propeller drive Adaptor: 41.92
6v Geared motor 3 rpm 34.83
Robbe Navy geared motor EF 76 - 6v 33.18
900 Torque Motor 26.40
Speed 600 BB Turbo 12v 23.33
Micro geared motor 50:1 22.18
EL653/16 low drain motor 21.95
Deans Marine Kestrel 4.8 to 12volts 19.28
543/12 low drain motor for large props 18.85
Speed 480 Motor 7.2v 18.75
Deans Marine Kondor 17.31
Deans Marine Kondor 2 17.31
543-24 low drain motor 15.93
Deans Kyte Motor 11.18
EL653/33 low drain motor 10.95
Mabuchi Low Drain 545 9.96
Mabuchi 540 7.43
Mabuchi 480 motor 4.8 to 8.4v 7.00
Mabuchi 400 7.00
Electronize 365/14 low drain 5.56
Raboesch Propshafts
Waterproof Prop Shaft M4 290mm 25.29
Waterproof Propeller Shaft M4 290mm 34.22
Prop Shaft &support bracket M2 230mm 23.49
Rudder Assemblies
Rudder assembly 33 long x 22mm wide 3.90
Rudder assembly with tiller arm 45 x 35mm 4.54
Steerable Kort nozzle for props up to 35 mm 18.33
Becker Rudder 43 x 38mm 20.42
Skeg and Rudder Assembly 68mm deep, 56mm 19.75
Boat rudder set: 45 mm Height: 40 6.69
Boat rudder set: 32 mm Height: 25 mm 6.47
Double Tiller Arm. Fits 3/16 or 5mm shaft 0.97
Bow Thrusters
Bow thruster unit with motor 14mm I/D 33.87
Mini Bow thruster unit with motor 10mm I/D 27.10
BECC Letters&Number sets
2A Arial Lettering 2 mm, 4.07
Available in most colours
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 1 x 1mm x approx 1 metre long 0.32
Lime Strip 1 x 1.5mm x approx 1 metre long 0.32
This is just a selection of sizes. Other woods stocks include
Walnut, Maple, Tanganykia, Beech, Pear
Admiralty Paints & Woodstain
Ebony Colour Stain 14ml 3.32
Light Ivory Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Red Ensign Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Maroon Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Polished Bronze Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Antique Bronze Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Olive Green. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Walnut Brown. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Matt Flesh. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Gold/Brass. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Copper. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Metal Etch primer 14ml 3.73
Dull Black. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Matt Black Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Dull White. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Matt White. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Yellow Ochre. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Red Ochre. Admiralty paint 14ml tin 2.25
French Blue. Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Walnut Colour Stain 14ml 3.32
Flat Matt Varnish Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Matt Varnish Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Satin Matt Varnish Admiralty paint 14ml 2.25
Cherry Colour Stain 14ml 3.32
Oak Colour Stain 14ml 3.32
Mahogany Colour Stain 14ml 3.32
Books
The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships 40.00
IMerchant Ship Construction 28.00
Thunderer. Building a Model Dreadnought 25.00
RMS Titanic. A Modelmaker's Manual 25.00
Rigging Period Ship Models 25.00
Plank on Frame Models. Volume Two 25.00
Plank on Frame Models. Volume One l 25.00
Ship Modeling Simplified 14.95
Rigging Period Fore & Aft Craft 22.50
Masting & Rigging of Clipper Ship
and Ocean Carrier 22.00
Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern 21.95
The Ship Model Builders Assistant. 20.95
The Built up Ship Model. 12.95
Puffer Ahoy 20.00
The Ship Model Builders Handbook 19.95
Card Modelling 20.95
Ship Modelling from Scratch 19.95
Flower Class Corvettes 16.99
Advanced Ship Modelling by Brian King: 16.95
Model Marine Steam 14.95
HMS Victory Owners workshop manual 21.95
Scale Model Tugs 14.95
Historical Sailing Ships: Remote Controlled 14.95
Period Ship Handbook. Vol One. 16.95
Period Ship Kit Builders Manual 16.95
Model Ships Fittings 12.95
Model Submarine Technology 12.95
Painting Model Boats 12.95
Ship Modelling in Plastic 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
Making Ships in Bottles 11.95
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
The Glassfibre Handbook by R.H Waring. 9.95
Photoetching For The Plastic Ship Modeler 12.95
Super-detailing the Cutter Sherbourne 19.00
Modelling Tools
Mantua 12v Electric Fret saw 12v 110.00
Mini Compressor 105.00
Mantua Spar Lathe. 12V 99.00
Mantua 12v Electric Planer 79.00
Amati heavy duty Building cradle 49.95
Building Slip 54.95
Mantua 4 speed mains transformer 48.40
Deluxe Modellers Tool Chest 38.95
Amati Electric Plank Bender 36.71
Rope Walk kit 35.69
Strip Clamp. 32.95
Dremel MultiVise 32.73
Master Cut. 26.50
Bench Vice. 24.46
Swann-Morton ACM Tool Set 22.61
Planet, special work bench 15.50
20 piece twist drill set .3 to 1.6mm 13.23
Amati Pin Pusher De-Luxe 13.23
Pin Pusher 12.99
Waterline marking tool 12.97
A3 cutting mat 11.18
Pounce Tool with 4 wheels 10.95
Assorted grade Sanding Sticks (5) 10.94
Shroud Making Jig 10.72
Zona Fine Kerf Universal Razor Saw 32tpi 9.39
Zona Medium Kerf Razor Saw 24tpi 9.39
Zona Ultra Thin Kerf Razor Saw 52tpi 8.34
Zona Ultra Thin Kerf Razor Saw 32tpi 8.34
8 piece twist drill set .5 to 2.0mm 7.38
Rigging Tool 6.79
Archimedean Hand Drill 6.74
Pin Vice with collets for .01 to 3.0mm drill bits 6.64
K&S Tube cutter 6.50
Set of 3 G-Clamps with Magnetic Base 5.77
Wooden Clamping Pegs (3) 5.75
Miniature hand plane 5.06
THE MODEL DOCKYARD CATALOGUE
Our non illustrated catalogue contains a brief description and
principal dimensions of over 12,000 product items that are
available from our extensive range aimed and the the scale
modeller. these include both static and R/C Kits, Plastic kits
and upgrade parets; the largest range of boats fittings to be
found anywhere, building materials, boat plans, boat hulls,
props, couplings, motors, propshafts etc etc. Whether you
interest lies in working radio control, display period ships or
static kits, our catalogue has everything you will need,
1.00 plus 5.00 for UK Delivery
How complex is the build process and
what, if any, prior knowledge is assumed? Is
any special equipment required?
Is it true that you need nerves of steel to
command a model submarine?
Ill tr y and answer these questions as I
take you through the stages of building
and operating the Engel 212A and also
consider some of the features of its
full-size counterpart.
Kit contents and options
The kit arrived safely down under in
Australia in two boxes, about two and a half
weeks after placing my order via the Engel
website. I had chosen the most economical
delivery option and paid the export price as I
live outside the EU, but you may need to
factor in local import duty and taxes
depending on where you live. The
compartmented corrugated cardboard boxes
featured crumple zones around the
perimeter and there was no damage to the
well-wrapped parts inside, despite evidence of
one of the boxes having been dropped. In the
world of model submarines, complete kits are
a rare thing, but Engel kits are amongst the
most complete available.
The basic kit (Item No. 1599) consists of:
1) The various hull components and
fittings, including control surfaces and the
bayonet locking ring that will provide
access to the interior.
2) Brass rods and CNC-machined plastic
parts for the Tech-Rack (chassis) on which
most of the working parts are mounted.
3) The drive motor, shaft and propeller.
4) The all-important piston tank with its
associated control unit and pressure switch.
5) Lead ballast weights, hull markings,
general hardware (fasteners, linkages etc.)
and an instruction manual.
To complete the submarine,
you will also need:
6) A non-2.4GHz radio control outt with a
minimum of four dual axis channels.
7) The receiver and drive batteries, their
associated wiring and connectors.
8) The automatic conning tower
periscope/sensor mechanism, or scratch build
this yourself, either working or non-working.
9) A pitch controller/mixer unit for the X-tail.
The Engel DLx2 is to be recommended.
10) A 20 amp electronic speed controller for
the drive motor.
11) Two micro servos. Robbe Type FS 500 MG
are best as these t exactly.
12) A suitable stand.
Please note that 2.4GHz signals will not
penetrate water and cannot be used with
submarines, so a 27 or 40MHz r/c outt will be
required. Also needed will be epoxy and
cyanoacrylate adhesives, ller, paints, silicone
grease, solder, soldering iron and basic modelling
tools (knife, les, pliers, drills etc.). Everything is
available from Engel, except perhaps the tools,
but depending on your modelling skills, you may
decide to make or source some of the extra items
yourself. Subject to availability, you may be able
to purchase Item No. 1599-SETA, which is an
enhanced kit combining all the aforementioned
model items, apart from the Tx & Rx, tools and
consumables. The parts you see in the photos are
identical to the ones you would receive if you
ordered them from Engel.
T
he modern German HDW Type 212A
U-Boat, arguably the most advanced
non-nuclear submarine in the world, is the
subject of the Alexander Engel KG companys
newest addition to their range of model kits. To
1:70 scale, the model is a compact 800mm in
length and displaces just 4.9kg on the surface,
yet offers high performance, operational safety
and advanced features such as an X-tail with
electronic mixing of the control functions. Its
static diving ballast system consists of a single
500ml Engel piston tank.
This kits completeness, manageable size
and relative affordability, will I think have
many people without experience of model
submarines looking at it and wondering if it
could provide them with their introduction to
the world of three-dimensional movement
that exists below the surface of their favourite
sailing lake. Please refer to the Engel website:
www.engel-modellbau.de for current pricing.
In June 2013, the basic kit No. 1599 as listed
later, was 649 euros, but if you purchased all
the extras, but not the Tx and Rx, the price
becomes around 1075 euros, but that would
include the DLx2 pitch controller, esc,
batteries, servos, wiring, stand, periscope
unit, etc. Questions to be asked are:
JOHN PARKER builds the Alexander Engel KG submarine kit
Type 212A U-Boat
special feature
Above: The kit comes well packaged. Below: U212a kit principal resin parts.
Notes about the extra parts
There are some important caveats to consider if
you are thinking of sourcing these items yourself:
The conning tower automatic periscope/sensor
mechanism utilises the pressure present in the
hull when diving to retract the periscopes and
sensors via a small air actuator, and then allow
them to extend again on surfacing. It also serves
as an indicator of correct system functioning. Its
clever, but an expensive luxury option which you
could do without if you are prepared to make
your own non-retracting scale periscopes and
sensors. I also have found the operation of the
mechanism to not be completely reliable, it
tending to stick up or down, from time to time.
The drive battery consists of two ve-cell
sub-C packs of NiMH batteries connected in
series to provide 12 volts of 3500mA capacity.
You could make up these sets yourself or buy
them from another supplier and likewise the
receiver battery, which is a four-cell sub-C
pack providing 4.8 volts, 3000mA capacity. The
Engel DLx2 X-rudder control unit provides a
dual auto-pitch self-levelling function for the
four control surfaces as well as a mixing
function for rudder operation, travel limit for
the control surfaces and reverse sensing, so
that the submarine will also remain level when
travelling astern. I strongly recommend you
buy and t this Engel unit unless you really
know what youre doing!
special feature
The authors completed
model on its stand.
The servos t into slots in the Tech-Rack
bulkheads and Engel claim that only the Robbe
type FS 500 MG (No. RO8431) will suit. Its
possible you might nd alternatives that will t,
but they will need to be quality servos with an
output bearing and metal gears, so you may as
well buy the recommended type.
Engel sell suitable Robbe and Graupner
40MHz radio systems and the prices are very
competitive as far as I can tell, so that is also
something to consider. A system that includes
a electronic adjustments is also useful, if not
for this model but probably others later,
rather than having a basic version with only
servo reversing.
One other essential requirement of the
model submariner is a steely gaze, the kind
that says you wont be messed about with, as
you stand, transmitter in hand, and stare into a
lake that is apparently bereft of any model! Not
available from Engel, so this is something you
will just have to cultivate yourself with time!
U32 (from the
public domain).
Above left: The 500cc Engel Piston Tank. Above right: Some of the bagged parts.
Above: The Engel drive
and receiver batteries.
Above: The optional retractable
periscope/sensor unit.
gear goes, has a lid xed with screws and this
will require a 1.5mm drill bit for the tapping
holes and a small countersink bit for the
screw head recesses.
The piston tank is supplied pre-assembled
with its end bulkheads. Through these are
already tted, the various brass tubes that
pass below the tank carrying ballast water
and wiring to the section that is screwed to
the front of the tank assembly, will have to be
installed (which is easy). The front section
holds the drive batteries and is also tted with
the pressure switch, a safety device which
blows the piston tank and brings the
submarine to the surface should it ever reach
a depth of about 1.8 metres.
The CTS (Compact Tank Switch) controller
for the piston tank is pre-built on a small
circuit board which hangs off the tags of the
micro-switches on the rear of the piston tank.
These micro-switches are there to ensure that
the motor-driven screw jack that moves the
piston does not attempt to drive itself beyond
the ends of the tank. The sockets provided on
the circuit board for the micro-switch tags
need to be carefully opened up a little and the
tags themselves squeezed together until
parallel, for the circuit board to be tted
without excessive force. As the piston tank
lls, the screw jack extends from the rear of
the tank and clearance for this is provided
through the centre of all the stern sections.
12
Initial assembly
Building commences, as usual, with a
thorough reading of the 40 page instruction
manual and identication of all the parts
against the parts list. The packing list was in
German, a bit of a problem as I wouldnt know
my druckschalter (pressure switch) from my
fartenregler (speed controller), but
fortunately there was a second listing in
English, although differently arranged, in the
back of the instruction book. On the whole,
with the exception of one or two places that
may have suffered in translation, the
instructions are well written. All the many
smaller component parts are sealed in
plastic bags, grouped according to their
sub-assemblies, and I found I could conrm
they were all present and correct without
opening the bags. What follows is not a
detailed paraphrasing of the instructions
supplied, but an overview designed to let you
assess the kits quality and your ability to
build it and it does not necessarily follow the
build sequence as set out in the instructions.
Flat CNC-machined plastic parts have to be
assembled into box-like structures to house
the batteries and control electronics. Medium
viscosity cyano (superglue) is recommended
for this and it is a straightforward process as
long as you make absolutely certain you have
the correct part and it is the right way up, so
double check this against the assembly
drawings and pictures in the instructions. The
small tabs where the parts are attached to
their sheets are best removed with a small
le. The centre section box where the r/c
Long tapped brass rods are now used to
extend the chassis (Tech Rack as Engel calls
it) rearwards, where it picks up the servo
block, an assembly of circular plastic
bulkheads and brass spacers. The Robbe
servos already mentioned are sandwiched
between the two bulkheads using their end
tabs with no screw xing. To the rear of the
servo block is a shelf to support the speed
controller and any small type rated at 20 amps
or so should suit here. The Robbe Rookie 20
used and recommended by Engel has a nice
soft reverse action that is kinder to the drive
system when you call for emergency astern!
Wiring
As assembly continues, the electrical wiring
needs to be completed between the various
modules. Make no mistake, there is a lot of
wiring to be done with this kit, not because of
its complexity (all the complicated stuff is in
the electronics), but because the various
sections need to be able to unplug and
separate from each other if servicing or
upgrading is required. Various sized bullet
connectors, plastic housings and an MPX
connector for the main power socket are used
to facilitate this. You will need an 18 to 25
watts soldering iron and some patience to
complete all the connectors, which you must
double-check against the wiring diagram and
preferably test for shorts with a multimeter
before powering up, as reverse polarity could
destroy the electronics. A heat gun will be
handy for applying the heat-shrink tubing that
most of the connectors rely upon for
insulation, but you could get by with a gas
The completed Tech-Rack from the
underside. The small bore clear tube
on the side caries the receiver aerial.
Assembly progresses at the aft
end of the Tech-Rack. The Rookie
20 esc was later tted vertically
to the bulkhead.
Centre section
and servo block
assemblies that are
aft of the piston tank.
Motor (aft) end of
the piston tank with
CTS tted note the
central drive screw
and this is looking at it
from underneath.
Left: Battery compartment
tted to front of piston tank.
Right: Engel claim to have
made over 20,000 piston
tanks like this one.
www.modelboats.co.uk 13
It was the US Navy who rst showed the
superiority of the X-tail arrangement with the
Albacore Phase III experimental submarine in
1961, but they never adopted it on service
submarines because of the additional
complexity in the control system. Other
navies have adopted it so as to exploit the
advantages of better manoeuvrability (all
control surfaces contribute to the required
action), less risk of damage (an X-tail is
generally within the hulls height x width
envelope) plus greater safety, and this last
point is an interesting one.
Going deep and at speed, a submarine is in
a dead mans corner when a hydroplane that
jams in the down position can take it beyond
crush depth in seconds. With an X-tail, the
remaining three control surfaces can override
the jammed one; even two jammed
hydroplanes can be neutralised by the
remaining two.
A few points on the nal assembly of the
control linkages are in order here. The brass
push-pull rods must be bent to the drawing
provided, but the instructions then require
you to push the bent rod through the straight
bores of the rear bulkhead bushes from the
inside. To me this is odd, though Engel
conrmed the intent when I enquired. I found
it better to leave off the inner clevises and
insert the straight sections of the control rods
through the bulkhead bushes from the rear,
before gluing the bulkhead in place. This
method also enables you to get the
orientation of the inner clevises correct with
respect to the servo horns. Dont t the horns
until you have programmed the servos for
50% travel, as otherwise they will stall against
the bulkhead. Cutting down of the horn arms
is not required.
Language problems?
There are a few areas where the instructions
are unclear, if not incorrect, which I will
mention here. However, in case of confusion,
an email to Engel will bring a quick answer if
my experience is typical of the customer
service and they agreed that the English
instructions need to be re-written in parts.
First, at the Instruction 18.4, the manual
tells you to program your transmitter to limit
the servo travel to 50% due to the limited
travel available to the yokes in the tail cone.
This in fact wont work, because regardless of
the transmitter programming, a standard
pitch controller will command full travel if it
sees t to do so. The problem is addressed by
the pitch controller now being supplied, the
DLx2, which has the ability to itself be
ring or cigarette lighter. You will nd the EC3
style connectors are a very tight t in their
housings and may need to be pushed home
with pin punch or similar, with the housing
backed up against a rm surface.
If you dont buy the Engel wire and
connector set, you could source the
necessary silicone wiring and connectors
yourself, but the saving may not be much and
it is really reassuring to have all the correct
parts in a bag in front of you, exactly as they
are depicted in the instructions, when you do
this critical work. The wiring set includes a
charger lead which plugs into the main power
socket to charge the drive and receiver
batteries. Charging should of course be
performed with the Tech Rack holding the
batteries withdrawn from the front part of the
hull, as a heat build-up inside the enclosed
space could cause an unwanted problem.
Propulsion and control
Motive power is supplied by a 540 size
brushed motor, internally suppressed and
suitably wound to directly drive the six-bladed,
60mm diameter scimitar propeller. It does so
through a machined aluminium housing that
incorporates the driveshaft seal. Assembly is
straightforward, but remember to put some
grease on the seal and dont pull it over the
threaded end of the drive shaft as this could
damage it. The coupling is rigid and the shaft
is supported by a bearing tted within the tail
cone at it is outermost point. The motor
housing and penetrations for the control
linkages and ballast water are then tted to the
main rear bulkhead. Space in the tail cone is
very restricted, just as it is on full-size
submarines, and this makes assembly of the
control surface stub-shafts and yokes ddly. In
fact, the tight space only allows the control
surfaces to move over a limited arc, less than
normal servo travel, something I will come
back to later, but fear not, as the X-tail will still
provide good manoeuvrability. You will likely
need a small (3mm) rat-tail type of le to bring
the bores for the control surface stub shafts
into perfect alignment for free movement and I
recommend the use of a releasable thread
sealer for locking all critical threaded parts.
special feature
programmed to provide travel limited to 50%.
Only it (DLx2) needs to be programmed and
NOT the transmitter, and doing so is
straightforward via the neutral button on the
side of its housing (you hold it in, until you
see a sequence of six LED ashes).
Of the two connection leads between the
pitch controller and the receiver, I found I had
to plug the one with the white dot into
Channel One (pitch control) and the other
into Channel Two (rudder control). Your
transmitter does not need to be
programmable, but must have a servo reverse
function to get the movements correct. The
general operation of the X-tail and its servos
can be very confusing, at least at rst, so I
have summarised the movements in the
accompanying diagram and notes.
Instruction 7.1 contradicts 6.3
regarding the position of the receiver
battery, presumably because it is being
Drive assembly and
hull penetrations tted
to rear bulkhead.
This is glued into the
stern cone and is
the back end of the
air and water tight
compartment.
Drive components as an
exploded assembly.
The full-size
submarine builders
use dramatic views
like this to help sell
their products.
Below: X-tail control
linkages in the free-
ooding tail section and
yes, they work perfectly!
special feature
There are one or two items that are not
mentioned in the instructions at all. The large
O ring is of course tted to the bayonet tting
on the tail cone and the tiny n casting goes
on the top rear of the sail (conning tower).
Joining the Tech Rack
to the tail cone
Once the Tech Rack has been assembled and
tested for basic functionality it is mated to the
tail section. The four remaining long tapped
brass rods are rst tted to the latter and then
the rear bulkhead of the Tech Rack guided
over them as the rods get bolted to the
penultimate bulkhead. Simultaneously, the
motor wires need to be plugged together, the
exible tubes for ballast water and pressure
sensing threaded through their appropriate
holes and tted to the brass tubes running
under the piston tank, and the push-pull
control rods guided through their openings.
All this is ddly, but not difcult once you
have worked out a method that suits yourself.
I did have a bit of an issue when it came to
connecting up the control rods and had to
shorten one by about 5 or 6mm to allow the
movement required which wasnt easy with
the rod in-situ. The instructions call for the
two rods to be identical, but with the control
surfaces in the neutral position, the horn of
one yoke is some 5 to 6mm forward of the
other horn yoke, so to me the rods need to be
different lengths. I suggested a design
improvement to Engel here, namely to make
the extension/clevis assemblies longer and
the control rods shorter. This would then
allow some adjustment and remove the need
for the rods to be exactly the correct length.
Once this was sorted, I tted the clevises to
the forward ends of the control rods in their
correct orientation with the servo horns and
found there was smooth, slop-free movement
of the control surfaces.
Mounting the esc (electronic speed
controller) vertically on the rear bulkhead,
rather than horizontally on its rear facing
shelf, provided more room for the motor
wires in the tail cone. The esc connection lead
to the receiver was still just long enough once
threaded through the hole in the bottom of
the bulkheads and up through the gap
between the centre section box and the
abutting bulkhead.
Hull components
Preparing these is very pleasant work as they
appear to be made of cast polyurethane resin
and glue well with normal epoxy adhesive.
The main xed ballast, which is two pieces of
formed lead, needs to be glued into the
forward hull and offset 1mm to port when
looking from the rear. Here is a great
indication of the testing that has gone into the
kit, as who else would be so condent as to
tell you the ballast needs to be 1mm to the
left? An easy way to get this right was to drill
two 2mm holes on the centreline of the keel,
press t two short pieces of 2mm brass rod
into the holes, and glue the rst (left-side)
piece of lead up against these. When the
epoxy has hardened, remove the rods and
glue the second piece of lead up against the
rst. This will guarantee the offset and keep
everything aligned and parallel. Make sure
the holes are then properly lled from outside
the hull.
There are a bilge and side keels to be tted
to the hull and mine needed a little lling with
epoxy/micro balloons. The aft piece of deck
casing is permanently attached to the tail
viewed from the opposite direction, so I
conrm that the receiver battery goes on
the starboard side. Instruction 6.11 was I
found to be ambiguous and it nearly led to
me making a mistake. By soldering the
connector in accordance to CT-3.5
connector formerly tted they dont mean
solder it the same way as the former
connector, but solder it such that it can mate
with the former connector.
Finally, you may nd a small ferrite ring
that isnt mentioned in the instructions, left
over after construction. It is being supplied
to cure a mysterious instability problem that
has occurred on some 212s. I include the
photo supplied by Engel from the revised
German manual showing how the ring is to
be positioned on the front bulkhead with the
druckschalter leads looped through it. If
youve been paying attention, you would
know by now that the druckschalter is the
pressure switch! In my case, this still didnt
work as there was still the interference/
stability glitch that showed up as an
intermittent operation of the piston tank near
the fully retracted (empty) end, despite the
ferrite ring. Engel quickly came back with
the suggestion to try the ferrite ring at the
other end of the pressure switch wires, just
before they plug into the CTS, and this cured
the problem completely.
Hull preparation,
showing tting of rst
half of main ballast into
the hulls front section.
Below: The completed
hull and Tech-Rack
prior to nal assembly.
Above: Ferrite ring
tting, from the German
instruction book.
Above right: The DLx2
pitch controller and
receiver in the
Tech-Rack, now joined
to tail cone section.
Model Boats September 2013 15
matt. I was tempted to go with a very light
grey instead, for reasons of visibility in the
lake I use, which itself looks a fairly close
approximation to a mix of 80% leather brown
and 20% anthracite grey! But in the end I put
my trust in Engel, and painted the model the
correct colour. If you buy two tinlets of the
brown and one of the grey and mix 80/20,
youll have plenty of paint to airbrush the
model with some left over for later touch-ups.
Unless you have an ideal clear moss-lined
mountain lake to use, youre bound to need
paint for touch-ups and it probably isnt worth
doing the paintwork to exhibition standard. I
attempted a little circumferential shading of
the pressure hull with black undercoating, but
it may be too subtle to show in the photos.
The hull markings are dry transfer
lettering (a bit like Letraset) and I confess I
made a complete mess of the tiny depth
markings. There are no clear instructions as
to where the several strips go and the
humidity of the day may have contributed to
a tendency for the numbers to remain
adhered to their carrier paper. When I
attempted to re-apply them they were out of
alignment. They are barely visible in photos
of the full-size submarine, so I wasnt too
worried about leaving them off. I used an
overall coat of clear satin varnish from a
spray can to protect the sail markings and
provide a practical washable nish.
Final checks
With the model painted and batteries charged,
checks are made for function of the various
systems and hull integrity and the domestic
bath is a good place for this. Please note that
there is really no need for you to get in it at the
same time, as you might get the transmitter wet!
The models systems are powered up by
inserting the main power plug into its socket in
the centre section (alternatively the charger
lead is inserted here to recharge both receiver
and power batteries). Apply suitable grease to
the main O-ring and close up the hull. Operation
of the model depends upon the hull being
completely air-tight and not just water-tight. If
there is an air leak it will be detected by the
pressure switch, which will then disable the
dive function. A slow leak will cause this
to happen only after a period of
time. This was the case with
my model and I was at a loss to nd the leak as
there were no visible bubbles, until I had the
sealed hull on the bench and heard it blowing a
faint raspberry at me. I traced the sound to one
of the rubber control rod bellows, which was
allowing pressurised air to escape around its
tting, and silenced that problem with sealant.
If all is well, the model can then be given its
nal trim state, tting the two small pieces of
lead supplied and moving them around until
the model is level fore and aft and side to side.
Exercise the ballast system by sending the
model on its rst short dives to the bottom of
the bathtub. The whirring of the piston tank
gears will be quite audible from outside and
you will note that a full cycle of the tank only
cone. Engels method of clearing the air from
this is via a led notch in its aftermost
extremity which would not have worked in
my case as there was no clearance from the
hull at this point. So I drilled two small holes
in the top of the deck casing at the rearmost
point where there was clearance. Please note
that it is standard practice when a full-size
submarine dives, to pitch the boat up and
down a few degrees to clear any trapped air
from the spaces under the deck casing. The
main deck casing is removable, tted to two
saddles on the top of the hull via two small
countersunk screws. You will need a small
countersink bit for this, which doesnt get a
mention in Engels list of required tools.
Bayonet rings
The gluing of these bayonet locking ring
components to their respective front and rear
hull parts is absolutely critical and youll want
(and need) to take every possible care with
this. Imagine if you got it wrong, and the
parts locked home with the whole tail cone
and ns out of alignment with the rest of the
boat, so do check and re-check. Especially
check that the bayonet ring is fully locked
home when you glue up the front section and
dont turn it backwards whilst you set up the
parts. Checking for t after everything had
cured, I found that a little nessing of the
joint line could be effected by sanding the
outside hull contours at any points where
they were higher than their mating part. This
might involve re-scribing any engraved lines.
I found that the deck casings didnt quite line
up perfectly, the front piece having spread
too wide, so I fashioned an aluminium piece
to glue under it and hold the sides in to
match the rear casing.
Periscope mechanism
If you are using this automatic mechanism, it
is simply held in place by the through shaft of
the sail (conning tower) hydroplanes and
derives the pressure needed for it to operate
through a length of silicone tubing plugged
onto a small brass tube penetrating the top of
the hull. Chamfering of the edges of the sail
openings and the base of the scope assembly
may be needed to ensure reliable operation;
the assembly is extended by springs and
retracted when positive hull pressure, created
by the piston tank taking in water to dive,
causes the actuator piston to push the
assembly downward. I have not yet tted the
running light lenses to the sail of my model
as I intend to investigate the tting of LED
lights in due course. These would derive their
power either from button cells stowed under
the deck casing, or a plug-in lead exiting the
tail cone.
Finishing
For painting the hull which is one colour all
over, Engel recommend a mix of 80% leather
brown (Revell colour No. 84) and 20%
anthracite grey (Revell colour No. 9), both
special feature
The completed model
on the Engel stand.
Above: Down scopes
(navigation light
glazing not yet tted)!
Up scopes!
Hull components with ballast, rear bulkhead and bayonet ring tted.
independent of the surface for two weeks at a
time, but mind you, do not attempt this with
your model!
Undersea trials
When driving a submarine for the rst time,
you soon become conscious that whilst you
still have two sticks under your thumbs, they
each have an effect in two directions, not just
one. More processing power (i.e. thinking) is
required until everything becomes semi-
automatic. The diagram should help readers
understand how the X-tail works. Control is on
the RH dual axis stick of the transmitter with
pitch, that is bows down or up controlled by
the vertical control axis (much like the
joystick on an aeroplane), and turning to port
and starboard by the horizontal axis. The left
hand dual axis stick has forward and reverse
throttle on its vertical axis (with centre as
neutral) and the horizontal stick controls the
ballast tank. At neutral nothing happens, but if
moved to the left then it should expel water
and surface (if not already surfaced) and
moving it to the right should suck in water, or
in other words, the submarine should then
slowly submerge! Toggling the stick enables a
buoyancy balance to be achieved and the
model perhaps held at periscope depth. In
other words, the control channel for the piston
pump is merely switching it on or off, and
reversing it as need be. For that reason, some
enthusiasts prefer to have the piston tank
transmitter control on a proportional slider
switch (with a neutral).
The inertia of even a small submarine like
the 212 is also a factor and you need to learn
to anticipate the average motion of the model,
relax a little and not chase the controls too
much. Its a challenge, which makes model
submarining all the more interesting and is
the price to pay for the ability to move in three
dimensions. Just think of those poor surface
skimmers (we can call them targets now) that
must be content with turning right or turning
left, and dont forget the steely gaze!
A static dive close to shore, or preferably
the edge of a large swimming pool, should
conrm the correct operation of your ballast
system. Rock the model rst to expel any
trapped air under the deck casing, then ood
the tank. With just a single piston tank, there
is a shift in centre of gravity that will cause
the model to initially dive nose-down and then
level off as the tank gets fuller. If you have
tted the retractable scopes, they will slide
takes a few seconds. After a quick conrmation
that the motor and control surfaces are
working properly, there is little else to do but
check the radio for range and make a small
offering to Neptune, God of the Sea.
The 212s shape might at rst seem blobby
and unsophisticated, but it is in fact highly
rened and optimised for underwater travel as
a true submarine, unlike the WW2 era
submersible which spent most of its time on the
surface. The spindle stern and single propeller
provide the best possible propulsive efciency,
but were difcult for navies of the world to
accept at rst because of the loss of redundancy
they entailed. The sail (conning tower) is
blended into the hull to improve its stealth
characteristics. All unnecessary excrescences
have been removed and necessary ones made
retractable to reduce drag and a large capacity
storage battery accounting for up to 25% of the
boats displacement is tted for long
underwater range, augmented by a snorkel
system and most advanced of all, an AIP (Air
Independent Propulsion) system consisting of
fuel cells producing electrical power through
the consumption of hydrogen and oxygen
stored outside the pressure hull. The 212 has
demonstrated its ability to stay deep and
Above: The basic transmitter stick and servo movements. 1: All controls at neutral (straight and level). 2: Pitch up: RH stick back (both servos turn anti-clockwise).
3: Pitch down: RH stick forward (both servos turn clockwise). 4: Turn right: RH stick to right (upper servo turns clockwise, lower servo turns anti-clockwise, i.e. both
push rearwards). 5: Turn left: RH stick to left (upper servo turns anti-clockwise, lower servo turns clockwise, i.e. both pull forwards). 6: Pitch up & turn right: RH stick
back & to right. 7: Pitch up & turn left: RH stick back & to left. 8: Pitch down & turn right: RH stick forward & to right. 9: Pitch down & turn left: RH stick forward & to left.
1 2 3
5 6 4
Above the diving
sequence:
1: Descending through
750 millimetres.
2: 1200 millimetres
and all is well.
3: 1400 millimetres,
sounder shows
250mm under the keel.
4: Now blowing a little
ballast to slow the
descent and bring the
boat level.
5: Approaching the
bottom at 1650
millimetres depth.
6: The Engel U212A
has landed!
(Thanks to Don
Matthews for his help
getting these photos)
1 2
6
3
7
4
8
5
9
special feature
special feature
(conning tower) and then swirling over its
top. At this point, stop taking on ballast, step
up the speed a little and y the model
dynamically with the hydroplanes.
It really comes alive now as the model is
fast and will turn quite tightly, provided you
have some speed on. Since the control
surfaces are not in the slipstream of the
propeller, manoeuvrability diminishes with
falling speed. Keeping the throttle open may
allow you to steer around an obstacle which
you would hit if you throttled back. Are
nerves of steel required? At times yes, but
stainless steel ones are better!
Fine adjustment of the ballast will achieve
neutral, or near-neutral buoyancy, where only
ne movements of the controls are required
to change depth. If you have difculty
maintaining level travel, you can try adjusting
the pitch controller. The setting is very
sensitive and only small adjustments should
be made each time and tested by trial and
error. The model will porpoise badly if the
gain is turned up too high. Finally, if you feel
you would like ner control of the ballast
system, there are upgrade options available
from Engel that will provide proportional
control of the tank where you essentially
dial-in the exact amount of ballast required
instead of having to judge it by observing the
models behaviour.
Conclusion
A lot of thought has gone into the design of
the Engel Type 212A kit. Its component parts
are high quality, backed by a spares service
and complete to the last stainless steel socket
head locking screw. Its on-board systems will
automatically bring the model to the surface
should it ever dive too deep or pass out of
radio range and not allow it to dive at all if
there is a hull leak or the battery voltage has
fallen to a critical level. Success is all but
guaranteed to the modeller in possession of a
little experience and a basic tool kit, if they are
prepared to follow the instructions and work
methodically, checking as they go. Although
largely an assembly task, completion of the
model results in a genuine feeling of pride and
satisfaction through handling of the well-
engineered parts and learning about the
mysterious systems of a model submarine.
The pay-off is a compact high-performance
static-diving model submarine, and a little of
the aura that surrounds those hardy souls who
volunteer for the Silent Service. l
down just as the model dips below the surface
and provide a visual indication that all is
working as it should. Expelling a little ballast
will make for a gentler touchdown on the
bottom and level the boat if like mine, you
have it ballasted slightly tail-down. If you now
turn the transmitter off to simulate loss of
radio contact, the model will blow ballast and
return to the surface.
Bringing the model up again lets you explore
the surface running characteristics and just like
a full-size modern submarine, these are not very
good. The hull is shaped for the underwater
environment and tends to ounder on the
surface, anything other than a slow speed
causing a bow wave to bulge up, pushing the
nose down, aerating the propeller and making it
difcult to hold a course. This is not your
preferred mode of travel, but you need to
practise it for launching and retrieval. Flooding
down a little will give the propeller more bite.
Now all you have to do is combine the two
modes you have practised to achieve true
underwater travel. Heading out into a clear
area, start to ood the ballast and you will be
treated to the magical sight of your model
relinquishing its bonds with the surface, the
waves building around the front of the sail
About to slip into its
true element.
Commencing to dive.
The model in surface trim and proceeding at a slow speed.
F EATURES
246 pages
350+ color photos
Cloth bound
Dust jacket
Large 8x10 format
N
ewly translated from the Dutch version, Ab Hoving takes you through the modeling exhibits in
the newly restored Navy Model Room of The Netherlands national treasure, the Rijksmuseum.
Ab spent 29 years as head model maker and restorer of this collection and he has picked some of
his favorites to show in text and over 350 color photos. Come and see the treasures selected for you
from one of the worlds great maritime historians and model maker.
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From the newly
restored Navy
Model Room of
The Netherlands
national treasure,
the Rijksmuseum.

Assurance: WWII Tug 1/43rd 1108mm............................ 315.00
Tamar Class Lifeboat: 1/16th 1000mm............................. 367.00
Shamrock: M160 Fast Patrol Boat 1/24th 685mm........ 119.00
Sentinel: 34m Island Class cutter 1/40th 940mm............. 213.00
Drumbeat of Devon: Fisheries Protection 1/24th 915mm 219.00
Maggie M: Shelter Deck Trawler, 1/32nd 850mm.......... 239.00
Tsekoa II: Buoy Maintenance vessel 1/32nd 845mm....... 199.00
10 Hatch Coaster: Europa-type coaster 1:50th 1005mm. 254.00
4 Hatch Coaster: Europa-type coaster 1:50th 1005mm.. 254.00
Wyeforce: Harbour Tug1/24th scale 840mm................... 219.00
Dutch Courage: General Tug 1/32, 870mm..................... 249 00
Vielstroom: Buoy-Layer :1:40th 960mm........................ 233.00
Post War Envoy: Envoy Class Tug 1:48th 1108 mm...... 315.00
Admiralty: Envoy: Class Tug 1:48th 1108 mm... 366.00
Aziz: Anchor Handling Tug 1:50th 1105mm.................. 284.00
Our Lass II 21.5m twin-rig trawler......................................274.73

Joffre: Tyne Tug 1:48th 775mm ....................................... 232.23
North Light: Weston isle coaster 1:32nd 660mm ........... 232.39
Marie Felling: Crown Colony Tug 1:32nd 1105mm....... 368.34
S.S Talacre: Single Hatch Coaster 1:48th 863mm........... 232.36
Cumbrae :Clyde Pilot 1:32nd 864mm............................ 247.96
Sir Kay: Table Class minesweeper 1:48th 933mm....... 266.36
Imara :Tug Crown Colony Tug 1:32nd 1105mm........... 431.91
Brannaren: Coastal tanker 1:48th : 1067mm.................... 277.36
Milford Star: Steam Trawler 1:48th 933mm.................... 212.57
Alte Liebe: Harbour tug 1:25: 984mm............................. 260.81
Schaarhorn: Steam yacht 1:35 Length: 1140mm.............. 311.55
Resolve: Salvage Tug 1:48th 1165mm............................ 472.00
Amaranth: Herring Drifter : 1:40th 600mm...................... 101.79
Thunder Tiger Sea Dragon Racing Yacht 993mm.... 179.00
Laser :1/4 Scale Laser Yacht Inc with bag & radio.......... 413.00
Graupner True Blue: Bermudian Rig.............................. 144.99

Robbe Atlantis, Wishbone Schooner, 1:20, 1730mm....... 439.00
Robbe Windstar, 1Mt class inc Std Rig (Sail)................... 338.99
Aquacraft Vela One Meter sailboat .....................................410.39
Thunder Tiger Vouger II 1Mt .............................................149.99
ProBoat Westward RTS Return to base motor 69Cm ....... 139.60
ProBoat Serenity 1Mt Ep RTR 914 mm..............................245.99

Tipo Riva Aquarama 1970 1:10th . 850mm .................. 352.50
HMS TitanicScale 1:250 .1070mm................................... 375.00
Ferrari Arno X1 RacerScale 1:8 . 790mm......................... 332.00
Dorade modern yacht. Scale 1:20 . 856mm....................... 276.98
The Schooner Endeavour POF 1:80 .480mm................... 9.99
The Schooner Endeavour Pre Made Hull 1:80 . 480mm.. 89.99
Rainbow Pre Built Hull Version 1:80 . 480mm............... 89.99
Rainbow Plank on Frame Kit 1:80 . 480mm.................... 89.99
Enterprise America's Cup 1930 1:80 . 460 mm................. 89.99
Shamrock V 1:80 . 440mm................................................ 89.99
Ranger America's Cup Defender 1:80 . 470mm............... 89.99
Columbia 1958 Us Cup 12 Mt Class 1:35 . 68mm............ 130.99
Constellation 1946 Us Cup 12 Mt Class1:35 . 600mm .... 130.99
Schooner Endeavour America's Cup1:35 . 1150mm........ 270.00
Robert E. Lee 1:50 . 600mm.............................................. 266.99
H.M.S. Bounty 1:60th . 720mm......................................... 225.99
New Bedford whaleboat 1:16th .550mm........................ 128.99
Bluenose 1:100 .540mm .................................................... 96.00
Pirate Ship 1:60 .780mm ................................................... 88.04
Mayflower 1:60 .650mm................................................... 165.36
Sciabecco 1:60 .720mm..................................................... 133.06
Chinese Pirate Junk 1:100 400mm..................................... 81.19
Viking Long Boat Oseberg 1:50 440mm.......................... 106.99
H.M.S Pegasus 1776 Sixth Rate Swan Class 1:64th .........349.00
HMS Vanguard Ship Of The Line 1/64th 1171mm ......... 694.00
HM Cutter Lady Nelson 1:64, 530mm, 1/19c 10 gun........ 124.95
HM Bomb Vessel Granada, 1:64, 800mm..... 268.90
HMS Fly, 6th rate Swan Class Sloop, 1:64th 810mm........ 291.00

H.M.S Victory: Ship Of The Line 1:72 1385mm............ 709.00
HM Brig Badger: Brig 1:64 600mm .............................. 161.00
H.M.A.V. Bounty : 1:64 660mm .................................... 157.99
HM Revenue Cutter Sherbourne, 1:64, 500mm....... 72.61
HMS Mars: 1781 Armed Brig, 1:64, 790mm... 183.68
HM Mortar Vessel Convulsion: 1:64, 600mm.......... 91.00
HMS Agamemnon, 1781 3rd Rate, 64 gun, 1:64 52"...... 615.00
HM Brig Supply, 1759, 675mm, 1:64 sc...... 135.50
HMS Cruiser, 1797, 18 gun brig. 1:64, 850mm.... 193.57
HMS Snake, 1797, 18 gun Sloop, 1:64, 910mm....... 194.57
HMS Diana, 38 gun heavy frigate, 1180mm..... 442.19
Mary Rose, 1545, 1:80, 730mm.... 241.17
HM Bark Endeavour, (Cooks) 1:64, 725 x 275mm.... 208.06
HMS Jalouse, 1794 ex French 18 gun brig 1:64 815mm 204.99
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In this, the rst of a two part feature, we will
take a brief photo tour of the Royal Norwegian
Navys HNoMS Hinny, M343. It has been
some time since I had a chance to get aboard a
mine hunting warship, and now there were six
in Liverpool! In the second part next month,
we will have a close look at advanced remote
controlled mine hunting devices and briey
explore the other vessels. The Royal Navy
element of the group was in fact the
hydrographic survey vessel HMS Echo with
her brand new survey launch, Sapphire.
Unlike any other vessel of the NATO
group, HNoMS Hinny was the only
catamaran type, designed around a rigid
sidewall air cushion with a hull made from
composite GRP, reducing signicantly the
vessels magnetic signature. She was laid
down at the Kvaerner Mandal Shipyard on
Norways west coast and entered service
with the Royal Norwegian Navy on the 8th
September 1995. HNoMS Hinny is one of
the Oksy/Alta class, consisting of eight
vessels with either minesweeper or
minehunter roles and this vessel is in the
latter category. The 375 ton, 52 x 13.55 metre
composite hull is capable of 40 knots and in
order to reduce the hulls magnetic and
acoustic signature, all the machinery is
located on the main deck. Propulsion is
provided by two MTU diesels powering
water jets with two additional units
generating power for the lift fans as the
vessel has hovercraft features. There is also
an air jet vane bow thruster. Photo 1 is of
her entering the Mersey and tted as she is,
the warship has a good cruising speed and a
high degree of manoeuvrability.
I was not able to view the mine hunting
equipment carried by HNoMS Hinny as
this was housed in a closed onboard hangar
and the vessel was also moored outboard of
another warship which made access difcult,
but much of the equipment is common to
NATO ships and will be discussed in Part
Two next month. However, she is equipped
with two Pluto remotely operated mine
disposal vehicles tted with TV cameras,
sonar and electrical thrusters. These are
launched by two hydraulically operated
cranes mounted aft on either beam and each
Pluto is connected to the mother ship by an
umbilical line when deployed. Apart from the
mine hunting sonar devices, there is
Minesniper, a two metre long bre optic
tethered submersible capable of disposing of
seabed mines using either a shaped charge
or a semi-armour piercing warhead. For
self-defence, HNoMS Hinny is tted with
the French Sinbad Mistral missile launcher
system and two 20mm Rheinmetall guns,
plus two 12.7mm machine guns.
Ships tour
Looking towards the bow, the rubber skirt
is clearly visible just above the water line
and also the unusual hull shape. The major
advantage of this design for a mine
countermeasures vessel is survivability.
The technical data quotes a figure of 60%
less shock load from an underwater
explosion in comparison to a conventional
design, Photo 2. Moving in a bit closer, we
2
1
DAVE WOOLEY with his Worldwide Review
of Warships and Warship Modelling
Range
finder
warship scale
W
elcome once again to our regular
sortie into the world of ghting ships.
This month we have a brief Photo
Tour of an unusual Norwegian mine
countermeasures warship during its recent
visit to the UK as part of a NATO group. We
also have a close look at the RN latest
hydrographic launch Sapphire, plus Part 25 of
the Fleetscale 1:72 scale HMS Daring and the
usual Mystery Picture.
HNoMS Hinny M343
In early April 2013 a otilla of mine
countermeasures vessels visited the UK and
Liverpool in particular. They were part of a
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures
Group that comprised warships and support
vessels from the UK, Germany, Belgium,
Netherlands, Poland and Norway. I was
privileged to be given access to these ships.
Photo 1. HNoMS Hinny
is a rigid sidewall air
cushion craft.
Photo 2. On the
rounded bow of
HNoMS Hinny at
water level, is a
rubber skirt.
get a better idea of the bluff shape of the bow
and the minimal anchor handling
arrangements, Photo 3.
Air defence
On the forward deck we can gain a really good
idea of the general layout and the Sinbad SAM
(Surface to Air Missile) launcher, Photo 4.
This is a simple type, not unlike the old RN Sea
Cat system. Mistral missiles, tted with infra
3 4
warship scale
5
6
7
and ultraviolet seeking sensors, 3kg warhead
and laser proximity fuses are hand loaded and
then launched. The Mistral missile has a range
of 4km and a maximum speed of Mach 2.6.
The launcher mounting bears some
similarities to the Russian SA-N-5 or Strella
system. On HNoMS Hinny, the mounting is
raised above deck level and as you can see, it
is a compact unit, ideally suited to small
warships, Photo 5.
Superstructure and bridge
Moving a bit further aft we arrive at the main
superstructure. What is surprising, is just how
spacious the bridge is, with its 360 degree
visibility, a distinct advantage when mine
hunting and deploying submersibles from the
stern, Photos 6 and 7. Some years ago, in
this column, there was a tour of a Norwegian
Skjold class missile fast patrol boat, a stealth
design air cushion vessel. Both designs share
similar features such as the catamaran hull
form and both types of vessel are built at
Mandal. Notably, the Combat Fleets reference
book comments that, This hull design limits
rolling to two or three degrees in Sea State 3,
which is remarkable.
The mast on HNoMS Hinny is
an open lattice type supporting
navigation lights, radars and
various communications arrays,
but it possesses no radar cross
section stealth limiting
features, Photo 8.
Photo 5. The small
lightweight twin
Sinbad launcher is for
the fast and nimble
Mistral SAM missile.
Photo 6. The
forward part of
the superstructure
showing some sloping
sections.
Photo 7. The bridge
has all round vision
and nothing much to
obscure views for 360
degrees.
Photo 8. The
mast is of a lattice
type, functional in
appearance, but more
than adequate for the
warships role.
Photo 3. The GRP hull
design limits the roll in
a Sea State 3 to two
to three degrees.
Photo 4. HNoMS
Hinny possesses
relatively few low
radar cross section
stealth features.
Model Boats September 2013
8
From aft of the bridge, we can see here the
all-round view that it enables, Photo 9.
Amidships, we can see the housings around
the main machinery spaces on the main deck
and as mentioned before, this location
reduces the vessels acoustic and magnetic
signature, Photos 10 and 11.
Continuing aft on the main deck to the area
behind the exhaust uptakes, two inatable boats
are normally stowed, Photo 12. The quarter
deck has two 1.5 ton seven metre folding
hydraulic cranes for deploying the
Pluto mine disposal vehicles
Photo 13, and to conclude
this brief tour, we have a
view looking directly
towards the vessels
transom, Photo 14.
9
warship scale
10 11
14
13 12
Photo 9. Here we
are actually looking
forward.
Photo10. To reduce
the ships acoustic
and magnetic
signature, the
machinery spaces
are all installed on the
main deck.
Photo 11. Part of the
exhaust system for
the MTU diesels.
Photo12. Looking
down at the rear of
the main deck. The
warship also carries a
fully tted two person
decompression
chamber.
Photo 13. There are
two hydraulic cranes
on the quarterdeck.
Photo 14. A view from
aft, looking forward.
Sapphire
This is the Royal Navys new small survey
launch, and was being carried by HMS Echo.
You may wonder why a hydrographic survey
ship should be part of a mine
countermeasures force, but the reason is that
HMS Echo does of course possess state-of-art
sonar and seabed mapping equipment. I was
not surprised to hear from my guide aboard
the Belgium minehunter BNS Bellis, that one
of the busiest areas for mine hunting is still
the North Sea, with discarded munitions
dating from WW1 and WW2.
The big advantage of a launch such as
Sapphire, which is only 9m long and displaces 9
tons, is its capability. Although small, the water
jet powered Sapphire can virtually double the
sonar capability of her much larger parent
vessel, HMS Echo, H87, Photo 15. This
column recently had a full two part Photo File in
May and June MB 2013, for HMS Enterprise, a
sister ship. Sapphire is able to survey very
shallow coastal waters that are well out of the
reach of ocean-going survey vessels. I was really
pleased to get this series of pictures as Sapphire
would make an interesting model in its own
right, being based on a typical RIB hull form and
would not present too many constructional
difculties, Photos 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
15
19
20
16
warship scale
17
18
Photo 17. There is an
amazing amount of
equipment packed
into a hull 9 metres
long and which
includes a multi-beam
echo sounder, single
beam echo sounder
and side scan sonar.
Photo 18. A crew
of four can be
accommodated and
Sapphire has the
advantage of using
the main engines to
power two generator
units to produce a
240v supply.
Photo 19. Two
Hamilton water jet
propulsion units give
Sapphire a speed of
15 knots.
Photo 20. A close-up
of the water jet units.
Photo 15. HMS Echo was part of the NATO
mine hunting group on this occasion. Whilst
not designed specically to hunt mines,
the type of equipment, technology and
expertise carried, make both HM Ships
Echo and Enterprise a valuable asset in
identifying mines that may still be buried
within the sea oor.
Photo16. Sapphire is capable of survey work
in shallow channels and coastal waters.
warship scale
24
1:72 scale HMS Daring
Type 45 destroyer - Part 26
Flight Deck Edge Barriers
Last month involved work on and around the
ight deck and the hangar front panels. We
now continue with the method adopted, and
materials used, to make and assemble the
ight deck edge barriers and netting. On HMS
Daring, there are two slightly different types of
barrier. The stanchions have a vertical upright
of box section bar with a round horizontal bar
top and bottom, but some units have another
at bar at the foot of the barrier, that mounts
illumination lights, Photo 21.
Creating the barriers
Each barrier unit consists of eight parts, but
nine if including the lighting bar, plus the
netting. At present, there is no photo etch
available that would be suitable for this
model. So, no choice here but to make each
entire unit from scratch and once again my
thoughts turned to combining styrene section
with brass. You might think that styrene
would be too weak a material to be
considered for the stanchions, but the nal
results proved the opposite.
For those following this project from
inception two years ago, they may recall the
internal work of the hangar. For that, a
method was evolved to make and assemble
the safety rails around the internal raised
walkway gallery. With some modication, the
same jig that formed those stanchions was
used now, to prepare the stanchions for each
ight deck edge barrier unit. Evergreen
Styrene, Part No. 142, 1 x 1mm square
section tube matched the scale reasonably
well. Drilling through the styrene box section
for 0.45mm brass wire using the slightly
modied jig, ensured that each and every one
was identical, the only real modication
required being the spacing of the horizontal
bar holes. For this, a small strip of litho plate,
with pre-drilled holes ensured that the drill of
the pin vice hit the right spot every time,
Photo 22. The height of each stanchion was
also pre-determined and as the stanchion was
drilled and moved along, it was cut to size
Photo 23. In all sixty stanchions were
prepared, 50 as two bar and ten with the at
light bar tting. Please note that this light
strip was nally tted after painting.
The horizontal round bars consist of two
0.45mm brass wire pieces, cut slightly longer
than required. Also, the U hinge seating into
which each stanchion ts was formed from
Evergreen Styrene U Section Channel, Part
No. 261, 1.5mm wide, Photo 24.

Assembly
To add strength during assembly, the top of
each stanchion is slightly longer than that
nally required and they will all be trimmed
later. To ensure that each barrier, when
assembled is identical, a small jig was
developed that held the basic frame in place
whilst thin superglue was bonding the
stanchions and rails together, Photo 25, and
as the Meerkat says, Simmmmple!
Once the glue had set hard, the frames
could be lifted from the jig and paired up with
the U section pieces which form the hinge for
each stanchion and the baseplates which t
directly to the deck, Photo 26.
With the basic framework of each barrier
section prepared, the next task was to t the
U pieces to the feet of each stanchion.
However, its worth remembering that the
barriers when vertical are not at actually at
ninety degrees to the deck, but instead incline
slightly inboard by about ve degrees. To
ensure that angle is constant, another jig was
made which enabled each stanchion to be
tted into its U seat and maintain the ve
degree angle, Photo 27. As it so happened,
23
21
22
24
26
25
27
Photo 21. HMS Daring
is tted with fold down
net covered barriers
around the edge of
her ight deck.
Photo 22. A simple jig is made to ensure consistency when drilling the holes in the styrene box
section pieces that will form the vertical sections of each barrier.
Photo 25. The jig used during assembly of the barrier framework to
ensure symmetry and consistency of size.
Photo 26. Just some of the deck edge barrier frames prepared with
their feet and base plates.
Photo 27. A jig ensured that the inboard angle of 5 degrees was
constant from one frame to the next.
Photo 23. The same
jig for drilling out
the holes for the
horizontal bars also
provides consistency
for the length of each
stanchion.
Photo 24. The parts
that form the basic
framework for the deck
edge barriers.
warship scale
the entire set of 30 frames was assembled in
about 30 minutes, Photo 28, with a further
half hour required to t the 60 U pieces to the
feet of each stanchion.
Fitting the barrier frames to the deck
Each unit is surprisingly strong and work
could now begin locating each barrier to the
deck edge. At this stage, positioning just
involved resting the barrier in place and
marking its position. Later, location pins
would be added to ensure not just a rm t,
but to avoid possible seepage of adhesive
when tting to the nished deck surface. I am
a great believer in having deck ttings
properly located with small pins (pieces of
thin brass rod), rather than just relying on a
blob of glue between the deck and tting. The
barriers will only be tted permanently, once
the ight deck surface is airbrushed with RN
Deck Grey, Photo 29.
As mentioned earlier, ten of the barrier units
are tted with a horizontal at lighting box
section. This additional strip was formed from
Evergreen Styrene strip, Part No. 124, 0.5 x 2mm,
Photo 30. I guess for the more enterprising
modeller there is the option of tting working
lights, but here they are non-functional. As per
full-size, the at light bar is secured to two
additional strips set inboard of the stanchions and
just below the lower rails, Photo 31. The light
bar was then tted to those strips and the top of
the stanchion trimmed to size, Photo 32. With
the crash barrier frames all prepared, there
remains the task of xing points. A small pin of
0.33mm brass wire was tted into the centre of
the underside of each base plate using a marking
jig to ensure continuity. The same jig was used to
transfer the precise location of the pin holes to
the deck edge. A pin vice was then used to
carefully drill into the deck thus reducing any
chance of misalignment, Photo 33. Marking and
drilling for each barrier location, whilst not
difcult, requires patience and care, but the
result is worth the effort. Before removing the
barriers for storage and airbrushing, it is
29
28
30
31
32
33
34
Photo 28. Although the
assembly of the frames
is relatively quick, the
top of each frame has
yet to be trimmed and
rounded-off.
Photo 29. With all the
barrier frames made,
they were temporarily
tted along the deck
edge and the position
of each noted.
Photo 30. A number
of the barrier frames
have a ight deck
illumination board
tted below their
bottom rails.
Photo 31. Following
the example of the
full-size original, the
light tting mounting
board is secured
to two strips tted
inboard of each
stanchion.
Photo 32. The
illumination board is
tted parallel with the
lower bar.
Photo 33. Providing
the xing points into
the deck for each
barrier could be a real
problem. Once again,
a simple jig ensured
that the location of
the xing points in the
bases of the frame
stanchions were
accurately transferred
to the deck.
Photo 34. All the crash
barriers are now
tted, but not xed.
important that the location of each is referenced
by numbering them in order of location as to
port, starboard and transom, etc. A simple task
ensuring that what comes out goes back in the
same place, Photo 34. The only thing missing
now is the netting
warship scale
36
Mediterranean. Unlike her British
contemporaries such as HMS Inexible,
Lepanto was built of iron and steel covered
with wood and sheathed with zinc. However,
she had a rather uneventful career, also
serving for short periods as a training, depot
and auxiliary vessel, until being sold out of
service for scrap in March 1915.
This months Mystery
Picture, Photo 39
The clue is: This ship takes its name from a
famous admiral.
References and
acknowledgements
HNoMS Hinny ref: Combat Fleets of the
World 15th Edition, pages 516 & 517.
Sinbad SAM launcher ref: World Naval
Weapons Systems (Naval Institute),
pages 398 & 399.
Battle of Lepanto ref: The Oxford
Companion to Ships and the Sea,
pages 475 & 476.
Lepanto ref: All the Worlds Fighting Ships
1860 to 1905 by Conway, pages 341 & 342
My continuing thanks to the Commanding
Ofcer and Ships Company of HMS Daring
for their help and assistance during my visits
and the Naval Regional Ofce, Liverpool. l
35
37
Photo 35. Preparation
of the three bar
railings and gates
close to the rear edge
of the hangar.
Photo 36. The
assembly of the short
lengths of three bar
railing and gates is
similar to that of the
deck edge folding
barriers.
Photo 37. A useful
marking board for the
barrier netting.
Photo 38. The rst
sample of netting
tted to a frame.
See text for more
information.
Photo 39. This
months Mystery
Picture. The clue is:
This ship takes its
name from a
famous admiral.
Three bar stanchion
At the hangar end of the deck edge, to both
port and starboard, are sets of three bar
stanchions which act as deck edge gates.
Their method of construction follows the
same pattern as for the ight deck barriers,
Photo 35, but with a centre horizontal bar
added and four L brackets tted to the
inboard sides of the stanchions on which rest
the gates. The two lengths of three bar rail
can be seen here tted into place and like the
crash barriers, securing pins are tted into
the underside of the baseplates, Photo 36.
Netting
I bet you were wondering when I would get to
this! Whilst the selection of a suitable material
to represent netting remains on-going at the
time of writing, there is an adhesive-backed
reinforcing tape which seems to give quite an
authentic appearance and is readily available
from most builders merchants. A reel of
50mm wide jointing tape costs about 5.
I have used this material on a number of
models for the deck landing nets as used on
Soviet warships, but getting the spacing
reasonably correct for the crash barriers at
1:72 scale required a little lateral thinking.
One aspect of the netting on modern RN
warships and HMS Daring in particular, is
that it is secured to the vertical and
horizontal frame of the barrier and at 1:72
scale this becomes very apparent. After
some experimenting, there was little
alternative, to making an inevitable jig.
I measured the internal dimensions
of each frame and marked these on
a sheet of styrene, making
allowance around the edge for
enough material to fold around the
barrier framework (please see
Photo 21 again for full-size).
The only problem with this
builders merchant material is the
size of the netting. To get the
scale to match, it became
necessary to double up the net,
adjusting the run of the material
to reduce the size of each square
as in Photo 37. Eventually the right adjustment
was arrived at, which best represents the netting
as used on HMS Daring. The clear advantage of
this material, is that it is exible and close to the
shade of white used on the full-size crash
barriers, Photo 38.
Next month, we will discuss another(!)
simple jig to help t a line of watertight doors,
plus rene the detail around the bridge.
Answer to the August
Mystery Picture
The clue was: The ship that bears the name
of a famous naval battle.
I would hazard a guess and say most of you
regular Mystery Picture fans deciphered the
clue and named the ship, so well done to those
who got it right. Whether you correctly
guessed it, or not, the answer was the Italian
Navy (RM) Italia class battleship Lepanto. The
clue made reference to a famous naval battle,
and Lepanto was one of those pivotal naval
engagements during the 16th Century that had
an impact way beyond the meeting of two great
eets and the result really did shape the future
of Europe. The battle was prompted by the
Ottoman capture of Cyprus and in response, in
1571 a combined eet of 200 ships, mostly
galleys from Venice and Spain, faced and
destroyed the larger Ottoman eet of just
under 300 warships. It is said that the Ottoman
eet human losses exceeded 20000 men.
The Italian battleship Lepanto (together
with her sister ship Italia), was to the design
of Benedetto Brin and laid down on the 4th
November 1876. She was to receive four huge
17 inch 27 calibre guns as her main
armament; a secondary battery of eight 6
inch 32 calibre guns; four 4.7inch 32 calibre
guns and four 14 inch torpedo tubes, all in a
hull 409 feet long by 73ft 4 inches beam, with
a displacement of 15649 tons.
Italia was completed rst in October 1885,
followed by Lepanto in 1887. Both were
considered, with their exceptional maximum
speed for the time of 18.4 knots, as the largest
and fastest warships aoat. They were
markedly different from the design
philosophy of other navies including that of
the Royal Navy. For example, Lepanto had the
ability to adopt a role as an armoured troop
transport capable of moving some 10000 men
(an entire infantry division), across the
38
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PRINT SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS
feature plan
allowed me to build perfectly practical
destroyers with a length of around 30 inches
(75cm) yet at the same scale, cruisers are not
over large. Mind you, a battleship model
would be at the upper limit for convenient
single person operation and I also think my
wife is not yet ready for such a thing to appear
in our home!
There are quite a few model aircraft kits
produced in 1:144 scale and this
encouraged me to build a couple of aircraft
carrier models. Both were based on the
smaller Escort types built during WW2 and
which produced handy sized models, Sultan
in MB December 1977 and Bodega Bay in
MB June 2003. Both models were satisfying
to build and sail, but I always had a
hankering after one of the large fleet
carriers, but they seemed to be a shade too
big for modelling comfort. Fortunately the
Royal Navy started building the Colossus
and Majestic classes of light fleet carrier
during WW2. They were smaller than the
Fleet carriers but in 1:144 scale they would
produce a model about 4ft (1.2m) long with
a weight of 12lbs (5.5kg). This size was
right and their appearance was just what I
wanted, so was it time to start building?
Colossus Class - history
Before WW2, the Royal Navy had embarked
upon building large aircraft carriers which could
operate in eet actions. Because of the
anticipated attacks by aircraft, these carriers
were designed to include extensive armour, the
ight decks being proof against 500 pound
armour piercing bombs. A price was paid for this
protection in that the number of aircraft carried
was less than similar unarmoured vessels.
The wisdom of such armoured carriers was
debatable and the contemporary approach of the
US Navy was to design for the maximum
number of aircraft at the expense of such
protection. When battle eets began to ght
beyond the range of heavy guns, the more
aircraft you could launch became a dominant
factor. However, the British armoured deck was
viewed favourably by the US Navy in the latter
stages of the Pacic War. Successful kamikaze
attacks tended to produce a minor delay in
operations as the debris was removed from
these armoured ight decks, whereas the US
carriers could, and did, suffer serious damage.
Large eet type carriers are expensive to
build and operate and both the Royal and US
Navies needed as much ight deck acreage as
possible during WW2. This was provided to
some extent by the building of escort carriers
(CVEs). These started out as basic
conversions of merchant vessels with a cut
down superstructure over which a simple
ight deck was added. Their value was rapidly
proven when added to Atlantic convoys and a
purpose built CVE programme was started.
Commercial hulls and machinery were still
used but aircraft capacity and facilities could
be improved over the original conversions.
Perhaps the ultimate expression of the escort
carrier was the American Casablanca class,
fty ships being commissioned in a period of
twelve months!
Whilst lling a vital gap in naval operations,
CVEs were limited by their commercial
rather than naval design. Their speed, whilst
adequate for escort duties, could not match
eet units and protection against enemy
attack was minimal. Despite these limitations,
they could and did prove their value in eet
actions such as the ghting off Samar in
October 1944.
The US Navy supplemented its aircraft
carrier forces by converting cruisers from the
Cleveland class to make the Independence
class. This was not altogether a satisfactory
solution as the cruiser hull and machinery
gave adequate speed and range, but the slim
GLYNN GUEST presents a stand-off
scale model based on the Royal Navy
Colossus light eet aircraft carriers
H.M.S.
Goliath
M
odels based on aircraft carriers always
attract attention whenever they are
sailed, yet they remain something of a
rarity on most sailing waters. One problem
could be that they tend to produce large
models when built to the popular warship scale
of 1:96, but building down to a smaller and
more convenient size can produce a model that
has stability and handling problems. Small
scales also tend to make the details delicate, or
if robust enough for everyday operation, then
rather basic if not coarse.
The thought of having to make enough
aircraft of the appropriate type to cover the
ight deck can be another off-putting
prospect. The aircraft also need to be built to
a consistent standard and the use of plastic
kits is an obvious way to go. Suitable metal
kits may be available, but adding lumps of
metal well above the waterline of any scale
r/c model is something best left to the very
optimistic amongst us!
One difculty with plastic kits is that the
popular scale of 1:72, which could supply
virtually all suitable naval aircraft, would
make for a monster of a model. Not
impossible, but hardly the thing to slip into
the back of a car for a quick bit of sailing fun.
You could of course build the model to a
convenient size and cover its deck with
aircraft kits of a larger scale. Ive seen this
done and quite frankly it looks silly no matter
how well the model has been built.
Thinking about it, my rst model warships
were built at around 1:144 scale (one inch =
12 feet), which was a remarkable piece of
luck. This was driven by the need to keep the
dimensions of a model destroyer within the
size of standard balsa sheets and it has
feature plan
hull restricted the ight deck and hangar
space. As a result they could offer no more of
an offensive punch than the CVEs, but their
greater speed allowed them to integrate easily
with other Fleet units.
The Royal Navy found itself in a similar
position in 1941, needing more carriers but
nding the CVE to be too limited in speed
and aircraft capacity to provide adequate air
cover for eet operations. After considering
the possibility of converting existing vessels,
it was decided to build an aircraft carrier that
had the appearance and facilities of the larger
eet carriers, but built with a hull to
mercantile standards. This would allow
speedy and economical construction in
merchant shipyards as opposed to the
dedicated naval yards.
No armour was used in the hull
construction, but it was extensively
sub-divided. However, no longitudinal
subdivision was used, so any ooding would
cause the hull to settle rather than list, the
loss of HMS Ark Royal being uppermost in
the designers thoughts. A speed of 25 knots
was deemed sufcient and this allowed a
modest machinery installation of 40,000shp.
The armament was limited to light weapons
for close range defence. Sixteen vessels were
ordered, but the last six were altered to a
modied design which would allow the
operation of heavier aircraft. These were
called the Majestic class and their
construction was halted at the end of WW2.
The rst vessels to complete were en-route
for the Pacic War when hostilities nished
and thus they saw no action in this conict.
The Royal Navy quickly recognised their
strengths, as being smaller than the
armoured eet carriers they could carry a
similar number of aircraft, but were much
more economical to run and crew. As a result
they continued to serve and saw action in
Malaya, Korea and Suez. Two were converted
to maintenance carriers (Perseus and
Pioneer) whilst under construction and
HMS Triumph was modied into a heavy
repair ship in 1964.
The value of these vessels was not lost on
others and they proved popular with
Commonwealth and other navies. To keep
pace with developments in aircraft
performance, some vessels were altered to
include angled decks, steam catapults and
improved electronics. So, this model offers
quite a bit of scope for modifying to suit
personal tastes.
Whats in a name?
The name of my model is ctitious, but
hopefully appropriate. The reason for this is
that I have been unable to acquire a reliable
and detailed set of plans for any of the
Colossus and Majestic class. Warships are
notorious for having numerous differences
between nominally identical vessels of the
same class. This is compounded with
subsequent alterations and additions in
service, especially if they pass to new owners.
I rst became interested in building a
model based on the Colossus class after
purchasing a copy of Scale Model Warships
edited by John Bowen (ISBN: 085177170X).
This book was published way back in 1978
and is an excellent guide to building all types
of warship model, if the standards illustrated
do not intimidate you that is. It contained part
of a plan for the French Arromanches
(ex-HMS Colossus) which although at a small
scale, contained almost enough detail for a
model to be started.
The rub was, almost enough detail as
something always seemed to be missing when
I tried to draught out a model plan. Thus, the
project was put to one side, other models being
built but always keeping my eyes open for any
H.M.S. Goliath
A stand-off scale model built to an approximate scale of 1:144.
This gives a model length of approx 49 inches (1.25m) length and a
beam of 6 inches (150mm). The operating weight is around 12
pounds (5.5kg). Construction is from balsa, Liteply, plywood and
some hardwood strip. The prototype was powered by a single 55
turn rock-crawler motor with a 6v 10Ah sealed lead acid battery.
Using a two bladed 40mm diameter plastic propeller, a top speed of
about 4 ft/sec (1.22 m/s) was achieved. This model is suitable for
those with some model boat building experience.
Plan MM2084, priced at 12.50 + p/p on two sheets is now
available from MyHobbyStore.
extra information
on the Colossus
class. Over the years,
any suitable articles
and photographs were
taken out of magazines and
added to a growing folder.
Roger Chesneaus book, Aircraft
Carriers of the World published in 1992
(ISBN: 1860198759) almost started me
building as it contained many valuable
photographs. One pleasantly surprising item
was obtained from the Australian Department
of Defence, this being a side and plan view
drawing of HMAS Sydney (ex HMS Terrible),
but there still was not enough material to base
a model on any one vessel. Well that was my
excuse whilst I occupied myself with other
displacement activities.
The nal thing that got me started on this
project that had been on hold for more than
thirty years was another book. A copy of
HMS Glory 1945-1961, by Neil McCart
(published by Maritime Books) was seen
purely by chance in a discount bookshop.
This book was an excellent description of this
vessels history along with numerous handy
photographs and conrmed to me that the
model ought to be based on one operating
during the Korean War.
As the model was not based on one specic
vessel in the Colossus and Majestic class, a
ctitious name had to be chosen. Looking
through my copy of E.H.H. Archibalds The
Metal Fighting Ship (ISBN: 0713705515), which
covers the Royal Navy 1860 to 1970, I found that
many of the aircraft carrier names had been
previously used on pre-dreadnought battleships.
Out of the names that had not been reused
were Goliath and Hannibal. Both appeared
suitable for this model, with the former
being favoured.
Design
With a at ight deck and
limited superstructure,
aircraft carriers might
seem easier to model than
most other warships. In fact they
do pose their own problems in
maintaining hull strength whilst
providing good access to the internal
items. I will confess to an aversion to trying
to work through small openings and
positively abhor the thought of installing
anything that will become inaccessible in the
completed model.
After a few sketches, it seemed like the
best idea was to make most of the ight deck
removable. This would give excellent access
to the inside the model whilst allowing the
deck with its delicate aircraft and other
details to placed safely to one side. This is a
pragmatic approach as Ive found that most of
the damage to the smaller ttings on scale
models happens whenever Im carrying out
maintenance in the workshop, rather than
when sailing the model.
My usual construction method for
displacement hulls seemed suitable. This
involves building the hull from the bottom up,
using a at balsa base to which the bulkheads
and sides are added. This method cannot
always capture the full size hull shape,
especially underwater, but it is a quick and
accurate method of building. A model with
such a hull has good sailing performance and
the appearance on the water is not
compromised which is good enough for me.
A calculation suggested that the nal
model would have a weight of around 12lbs
(5.5kg). This was not excessive for this
method of hull construction, but some
thought was still needed. A hull base using
3/8 inch (9mm) thick balsa sheet would be
okay, provided a medium density grade was
used. The hull sides, which in smaller models
can be made from thinner balsa sheets,
needed something stronger and 2mm thick
Liteply looked ideal. This material is easy to
cut accurately with a sharp blade and is
exible enough for the required bending,
plus is obtainable in sheets large enough to
cut the sides out in one piece.
The large deck opening looked to be a
potential weak point. Gluing a substantial timber
strip around the inside of the opening would
prevent failure and also help to secure the
removable deck section. The engineers maxim
of, If its stiff enough then its probably strong
enough, was being used at this point!
Ive always had a suspicion that most scale
models receive their greatest stresses during
launching and recovery operations. This usually
involves supporting the whole weight of the
model at one or two points whilst performing
some sort of acrobatics on the landing stage. It
is not unknown to see and possibly hear some
models protesting at this treatment, so I like to
ensure mine can cope with any extreme form of
sagging and hogging.
How to form the marked are of the bows
had not been decided at this stage. I had the
idea that the Liteply sides might be
persuaded to bend into the desired shape.
This proved to be false and an alternative
method had to be devised part way through
the hulls construction. For this reason you
might spot the odd difference between the
plans and some construction photographs.
Again another engineering maxim is, If you
wait until all the problems are sorted out on
paper, youll never build anything.
Materials
Long time modellers will probably have some
materials already in stock and are probably
willing to make substitutions/alterations in
construction to match. So I will just list the
basic materials that you might have to buy to
get started on this model.
Wood required
Balsa
3 sheets 3/8 x 3 inches (9 x 75mm)
1 sheet 1/4 x 4 inches (6 x 100mm)
6 strips 1/4 inch (6mm) square
Liteply
1 sheet 4 x 2 feet (1.2 x 0.6m) x 2mm thick
Plywood
1 sheet 4 x 1 foot (1.2 x 0.3m)
x 1.5 mm thick
Hardwood
2 strips 1/2 inch (12mm)
square x 5 feet (1.8m) long
2 strips 1/2 x 1/4 inch (12 x 6mm)
x 5 feet (1.8m) long
The balsa sheets need to be of a medium
grade, not too light or too heavy. The sheet edges
should be cut straight and square as they have to
be glued together. Some extra balsa will probably
be needed when building up the bow, stern and
superstructure blocks.
All the balsa and ply parts were cut using a
modelling knife. Using new blades, changing
whenever they fail to cut cleanly, a steel rule and
a cutting mat on a rm at surface seems to
work well for me, but hardwood is of course best
cut with a suitable saw.
Wooden parts need gluing together and the
standard wood PVA glues are more than
adequate. Well I say more than adequate, but this
assumes that the joints are good tting, sufcient
glue is applied, the joints are supported whilst
drying and perhaps most important, left alone
until fully set. I tend to be sceptical of what the
glue manufacturers claim. If it says that the joints
can be handled after 30 minutes Id rather leave
them for a couple of hours or better still,
overnight. This might seem cautious, but does
anyone really want their partially built model to
undergo spontaneous disassembly?
PVA glues are not usually fully waterproof,
although some claim to be water resistant.
This should not be a drawback when building
a model boat as we take great pains to seal
the outside of our creations and apply
numerous coats of paint. I also leave my
models opened up after every sailing session
to thoroughly dry out inside, if need be.
Hull construction
This will be described in a series of stages since
the key to success is often just doing things in
the right order. You might wish to do things in a
different sequence which is ne, provided it
does not create difculties for you later.
1) The Hull Base is made by joining two
sheets of 3/8 inch (9mm) thick balsa along
their edges. To ensure they remain at whilst
the glue sets, you can hold them down on a
at surface with suitable weights. To prevent
the glue sticking to the surface I placed some
thin styrene sheet under the balsa.
It makes sense to also make the Rear
Bottom Piece, which runs from Bulkhead 4 to
the transom, at the same time. A single sheet of
3/8 inch (9mm) balsa is cut at its midpoint and
the two halves joined in the same fashion as the
Hull Base. Leave until the glue has fully set!
2) The two Hull Sides are cut from the
sheet of Liteply. To ensure that they are
identical, the rst one can be used as a
template for the second side, Photo 1.
(Note: This picture shows the original bow
area shape rather than that I found to be
1
Colossus and Majestic class aircraft carriers
RN Name Fate
Colossus France-Arromanches 1948
Perseus Scrapped 1958
Glory Scrapped 1961
Pioneer Scrapped 1954
Ocean Scrapped 1962
Theseus Scrapped 1962
Triumph Heavy Repair Ship
Venerable Holland: Karel Doorman 1948
Argentina: 25th de Mayo 1969
Vengeance Australia 1953-55
Brazil: Minas Gerais 1960
Warrior Canada 1946-48
Argentina: Independencia 1959
Hercules India: Vikrant 1957
Leviathan Not completed - Scrapped 1968
Magnicent Canada - 1948
Majestic Australia - Melbourne 1955
Powerful Canada - Bonaventure 1952
Terrible Australia - Sydney 1949
feature plan
Model Boats www.modelboats.co.uk
feature plan
31
necessary to use later. The plan shows the
exact right shape to cut from the Liteply, but
the principle is the same)
3) The Base Frame, to which the bulkheads
and sides are glued, is made from balsa strips.
The longitudinal strips must be 31.5 inches
(800mm) long so they will match the hull sides
from the bows to Bulkhead 4, Photo 2.
Note the scarf joints needed at the position of
Bulkhead 1 and in the bows, Photos 3 and 4.
4) The four Bulkheads are of identical
rectangular shape with cutouts in the bottom
corners for the Base Frame strips. Bulkhead
4 requires a hole for the propeller shaft tube
which is best made at this time. The position
of this hole needs to match your intended
motor and its method of mounting. The
bulkheads are glued to the hull base and
frame, checking that they are square to the
base, Photo 5. It is a good idea to pin the
bulkheads in place to ensure no movement
occurs whilst the glue sets.
5) The Hull Sides are glued to the
bulkheads and the Hull Base and Frame
between them. Take care to position the rst
side correctly so that the bottom edge sweeps
upwards beyond Bulkhead 4, Photo 6.
The second side can then be added taking
care that its position mirrors that of the rst
side, Photo 7. This is another point in the
models construction when it is vital that the
glued joints have fully set before doing
anything else.
6) The Bow Section is made by pulling the
lower parts of the hull sides together so they
can be glued to the hull base and frame.
The acute bend required at
Bulkhead 1 can
be assisted by
lightly, and I do
mean lightly, scoring the
outer layer of the Liteply. A little
glue rubbed into the shallow
cracks thus formed ought to
restore any lost strength. I did
nd the sides reluctant to t rmly
against the Base Frame from the
bows to Bulkhead 1. After a moments
thought, some scrap wooden strips were
cut to apply pressure on this joint using a G
clamp, Photo 8. Because of the angle between
these strips, notches had to be cut so the clamp
would not slip out of position.
The strips were removed and glue applied to
the base and frame area where the sides were
to be joined to and the inside of the side sheets
where they met at the bows. The sides are then
pulled together and held in place with the strips
and the G clamp. A small triangular packing
piece was inserted between the two sides. This
is shown on the plans, but not on any of the
photographs. An extra clamp will be needed to
ensure that this packing piece does not force
the lower part of the bow joint apart.
3
8 7
5
6
2
4
feature plan
7) The internal strips that reinforce the
Deck Opening are tted next. They need
cutting to length such that they are 1/4 inch
(6mm) short at the stern, to allow for the
Transom to be tted. They should also run
about 3 inches (75mm) ahead of Bulkhead 1.
This will produce the correct shape to the
hull sides and also allow an access opening
into the bow area when the deck is removed.
The two strips should rest on the top edges
of the bulkheads and lay 1/16 inch (1.5 mm)
below the top edge of the hull sides. This is to
enable the detachable ight deck to t within
the hull sides. If the strips are not in this
position then trim or pack at the bulkheads as
appropriate. Lots of clamps and pegs should
keep the two strips secure whilst the glue
sets, Photo 9.
8) Two reinforcing strips are glued between
the ends of the side strips. These must also lie
just below the top edge of the hull sides. The
strip across the stern can be held in place
using a light elastic band, Photo 10, to hold
everything together.
9) The upper edge of the hull sides that had
been bent inwards to form the bows needed
strengthening with strips. These have to be
cut and shaped to enable them to t in place
and make a good glued joint. A cut and try
method, probably involving several cut and
tries, is the best way to achieve this. Clamps
were used to hold the strips whilst the glue
set, Photo 11.
10) The Transom was glued between the
hull sides, its top edge in line with the top of
the hull sides. The sides were carefully bent
into the gentle curve matching the transom
sides with the use of elastic bands and a
clamp used to keep it against the reinforcing
strip, Photo 12.
11) The Bow was begun by gluing the Bow
Piece to the bow packing piece previously
glued between the hull sides and the hull
sides. Some sanding was needed to ensure
that these parts made good contact and so
produced sound glue joints. A little extra
support was made by gluing the triangular
support to the Bow Piece and the top of the
reinforcing strips. A few pins and an elastic
band managed to keep everything in place
whilst the glue set, Photo 13.
12) To ease the next stage, some of the
excess material was trimmed away from the
hull base, care being taken not to remove too
much! The pronounced are in the bows was
produced by gluing thin pieces of plywood
between the vertical hull sides and that which
formed the edge of the ight deck, Photo 14.
The actual shape of these pieces is best found
by cutting out a pattern from thin card, the
aim being to have a little excess material at
the bows and along the top edge.
I was tempted to actually use card for this
area, but found some 1mm thick plywood
which would accommodate the complex
bending required. Numerous pins and one
large clamp (actually the connecting clip from
an old car battery charger), held things in
place whilst the glue set.
If you are not happy with this method then
alternatives could be to use planking strips to
form this shape or laminations of balsa which
can be carved and sanded to shape.
13) The thought that the bows of a model
boat are usually the region that suffers most
in collisions, made me add a little extra
reinforcement. This took the form of strips of
fabric ribbon, soaked in glue and pressed
over the internal surfaces of these joints.
14) The excess plywood was trimmed and
sanded away as shown in Photo 15. After
this the bow shape was built up by gluing
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9
13
15
14
feature plan
18
21
19
22
20
laminations of balsa
in place. To ease
subsequent
shaping, these
laminations were
cut to the
approximate nal
shape, Photo 16. A
strip of hardwood was
also glued to the bows to
give a useful bit of protection
to a potentially vulnerable area.
15) The bow shaping is started by
blending the curved are into the balsa,
Photo 17. Rolling sandpaper around a
suitable cylinder is a good way to ensure that
the correct shape is produced.
16) The Rear Hull Bottom needs the
edge that butts up against the hull base
chamfering to make a good joint before
gluing in place, Photo 18. The inside of the
bottom to side joint was reinforced with strips
of 1/4 inch (6mm) square balsa running from
Bulkhead 4 to the transom.
17) In the same fashion as the bows, the
stern is built up from laminations of balsa
sheet, Photo 19. After the glue had dried,
they were sanded to blend in with the hull
shape, Photo 20.
19) The hull base and side joints were
rounded. Please see the cross-section on the
plans for the desired shape. I nd that a small
razor plane is just right for this job and
prevents any accidents that carving with a
blade coarsely used might create. The nal
stage is sanding the external surfaces of the
hull. Square sanding blocks are ideal for the
at and convex surfaces and for the concave
areas, the cylinder of abrasive paper again,
but dont overdo it!
Inevitably some defects appear during
sanding. Large cracks and gaps can be lled
with pieces of glue coated balsa and then
sanded back when dry. Smaller defects I tend
to treat with a tube of ready mixed ne
surface domestic ller. This is easy to apply,
quick drying and sands well, Photo 21.
20) The sides of the hull sheets were
given a little extra stif fening by gluing a
couple of vertical strips of 1/4 inch (6mm)
square balsa between each bulkhead and
this just about brings us to the end of the
basic hull construction.
Propulsion
The full size vessels had twin
propshafts and it was
tempting to go down this
route. Independent motor
control, via a transmitters
elevon mixing or other method,
can produce a very
manoeuvrable model. If you use
this method then Id recommend
something like two RE 385 type motors
with a six volt supply, but I opted for a simple
single screw drive line. This, with a suitable
sized rudder behind the propeller, has always
produced good handling and performance in
my models. Should low speed manoeuvring be
found lacking, then the addition of a bow
thruster (very non-scale in this model!) could
be considered.
A 9 inch (23cm) long propshaft tube was
glued into the hull after making a suitable
hole in the rear bottom piece. The tube must
pass through Bulkhead 4 and be angled to
produce sufcient clearance under the hull
for the propeller that you plan to use. If
unsure about propeller size, then do allow for
something like 45 to 50mm in diameter.
Epoxy was used to secure the tube, so it was
rst cleaned to remove any grease and then
lightly abraded with a coarse le where the
glue was to be applied. This ensures that the
epoxy will properly grip the metal tube. It is
also a good idea to use a slower setting type
of glue which tends to give a stronger bond.
A 500 type of motor was to be installed
using a commercial plastic mounting bracket.
To get the motor and propshaft in line, a
triangular wedge of balsa was tted under the
mounting bracket. The wedge was adjusted
to exact shape by sanding, until the motor
and propeller shafts were aligned. A simple
alignment tool was made from a length of
ballpoint pen casing into which plastic tubes,
to match the outside diameters of the motor
and propeller shafts were tted, Photo 22.
Steering
The rudder could be a commercial item or
made up from materials to hand. Thin metal
sheet, litho plate or the aluminium used in drink
cans is suitable for a scratch built rudder. This
was bent, cut to shape and epoxied around a
steel shaft and the plans show the shape
16 17
23
24
needed. A plastic tube, upon which the shaft was
a close sliding t, was glued into the hull bottom
at the position shown on the plans, Photo 23.
This tube has to extend slightly beyond the
bottom so that the rudder can move freely
without fouling the hull.
It is worth pointing out that the rudder shaft
and tube were tted perpendicular to the hull
bottom sheet. This allows the rudder servo to sit
on the bottom sheet and keeps the linkages
square for smooth and even operation. It also
maintains the small gap between the top of the
rudder and hull bottom with absolutely no risk
of touching the hull.
The rudder servo was simply secured
between two blocks of balsa glued just ahead
of the rudder shaft, Photo 24. The blocks
were shaped so as to allow the servo to slide
into place. A double servo to tiller arm
linkage was used as this produces a very
positive connection with no chance of it going
over centre and jamming at extreme angles.
By using two wire links, this also maintains
control if one side fails.
Trial run
If possible, it has always seemed sensible to
give a new scale model a test sail as soon as
the hull was completed. Should any problems
with general performance and handling
become apparent, then one can sort them out
without having to undo a lot of detail work. If
the hull turns out be impossible to sail, then
you have avoided wasting a lot of time and
effort completing it. Fortunately this has
never happened to me, but I do not want to
tempt fate.
Test sailing a bare hull can also restore any
agging spirits. The thought of all the work
needed to complete a model at this point can
sometimes be disheartening, but knowing
that the hull sails well is usually enough to
keep you at the workbench.
The hull will require waterproong before
sailing. Experienced modellers will have their
own favoured methods which can include
domestic wood primer and epoxy coating. Ive
tended to stick with cellulose dope when
sealing balsa and ply surfaces. It is quick
drying and by using initially thinned coats it
penetrates into the wood to create a strong
bond. This bonding is further enhanced as
each coat has a tendency to soften and
dissolve into the previous coat with little
chance of it aking off. Against dope is the
smell of its solvent and the fact that it can ruin
clothes if you are messy. Thus, doping is
denitely a job for outdoors and old clothes!
The model had two coats of thinned dope,
50:50 mixed with cellulose thinners, sanding
between each to remove the surface fuzz. A
coat of neat dope followed, again with light
sanding. At this stage the wood grain will
probably still be evident and this can be tackled
in a couple of ways. Further coats of neat dope
and sanding will ll the grain, but it might be
take some time to achieve a smooth ready for
painting surface. Things can be speeded up by
using cellulose sanding sealer. Commercial
sealer can be bought or you can make your own
up by mixing suitable ller powder into some
dope, talcum powder being ideal. The powder
tends to thicken the dope so a little thinners can
be added to restore uidity if necessary.
Another way to hide the wood grain is to glue
lightweight tissue over the surface with dope as
the adhesive, which can have the effect of
limiting any impact damage to balsa structures.
The tissue is applied in convenient sizes,
perhaps nothing over 12 inches (30cm) long. A
spot of dope is placed in the centre of the area
the tissue is to cover; the tissue laid over it and
then pressed into place with the brush. By
working a brush loaded with dope out from the
centre of the tissue, it ought to become rmly
bonded to the hull. If any creases or air pockets
appear then the tissue can be easily peeled back
whilst wet and re-laid.
The simple shape of this hull lends itself to
applying the tissue rst to the bottom, then
the sides. Adjacent pieces of tissue should be
overlapped and the bilge curve of the hull
might require the tissue to be slit before it
lies correctly. As the hull sides above the
waterline on the prototype were to be covered
with thin card to simulate the full size plating
effect, I just applied tissue up to about 1 inch
(25mm) above the waterline.
The driveline and rudder were reinstalled
together with the receiver and electronic
speed controller (esc) wedged behind
Bulkhead 4 using some foam plastic. A 6v
10Ah SLA battery was placed between
Bulkheads 2 and 3. Ballasting trials in the
garden pond were needed to get the nal trim
correct and gave the model an all up weight
close to the expected 12lbs (5.5 kg). The
weather was bright and calm which is always
a good omen for test sailings.
Cautiously operating the transmitter sticks,
as having no deck meant any accidents could
be disastrous, the models sailing
characteristics were explored. No handling
problems were encountered and the model
was soon being sailed in a vigorous and most
un-scale like fashion. I had tted a mild 540
motor but even with the smallest propeller of
30mm diameter the model seemed a tad
overpowered. The top speed was not in any
way dangerous, but the massive bow wave,
which the ared bows kept in check, looked a
shade too silly for me. This was a minor
problem as I had an alternative motor in
mind, nor does the skipper have to sail his
model at-out all the time!
Hull sides
Up to this point Id avoided making any
decision about the cut-outs in the hull sides.
These are an obvious feature of the full size
vessels and cannot be omitted on any model.
The simplest way to add them would be to
paint them on to the hull sides. A little artistic
shading rather than a plain black hole could
produce a very realistic effect, but then the
builder will always know they are not real!
So, I bit the bullet and cut out these holes
after rst drawing their positions on the hull
sides, Photo 25. This proved not to be such
a daunting task, provided a new sharp blade
was used in the modelling knife along with
several light cuts rather than one brutal
effort, Photo 26. The openings across the
transom were initially made by cutting a
25
26
feature plan
Model Boats September 2013 www.modelboats.co.uk
feature plan
35
Decks
The ight deck sections were made from
1/16 inch (1.5 mm) plywood, this material
being light, strong and capable of producing a
good nish, as a wood grain pattern on what
ought to be a steel surface would look out of
place. If you use an alternative material, then
ensure that it can t within the edges of the
hull sides.
The removable section of the deck from
Bulkhead 1 to the transom, is secured to
the hull by a plug made from 1/2 x 1/4
inch (12 x 6mm) hardwood strip that fits
within the reinforcing strip around the
inside of this opening. The best way to
ensure a good fit is to actually build the
plug inside the opening, but two
precautions are necessary. First, do not get
the plug stuck to the hull and second, mark
the plug to ensure it can be refitted
correctly into the hull. Transverse strips
are need every 5 to 6 inches (125 to
150mm) to maintain the plugs shape and
support the deck.
The ight deck was cut slightly oversize,
remembering to allow for the extension at the
Island position and the plug stuck (the right
way around of course!) to the plywood deck
underside. This was all left weighted down on
a at surface until the glue had fully set.
The deck was of fered to the hull by
sliding in the plug on its underside into
the opening. If the plug sticks, then a little
local sanding can be applied, the aim being
for a smooth but secure fitting. The excess
around the deck edges needs to be
removed until it just fits inside the edge of
the hull sides, Photo 32. The part of the
deck which extends around the island will
require the hull sides trimming down to the
level of the internal reinforcing strip before
the deck fits. The fixed section of the deck
in the bows was trimmed to shape in a
28
27
trough right across the balsa block. The side
openings were cut out individually. Two
careful saw cuts followed by a little chiselling
produced the desired effect, Photo 27.
To provide some depth to these cut-outs, a
balsa strip oor was added to the inside of the
hull, Photo 28. The bare wood surface at
these openings was sealed with coats of dope
after which an inner wall of plastic sheet could
be glued into place, Photo 29. Using styrene
sheet avoided any need to seal this difcult to
reach surface.
The stern trough was lined with piece of
card which had been bent into a matching U
shape then sealed with dope. Three pieces of
Liteply were then cut and glued into the
trough to create the desired hull openings,
Photo 30. Some ller and several coats of
dope restored the surface.
I had decided to plate the hull sides above
the waterline with thin longitudinal strips of
card. A width of about 5/8 inch (15mm) with
an overlap of 1/8 inch (3mm) seemed to be a
good match with the full size vessels. A
contact adhesive, such as Evo-Stik, can
produce an excellent bond between card and
wood surfaces sealed with cellulose dope. I
usually start at the stern waterline and work
forwards and upwards. A triangular strip was
needed at the waterline in the bow section to
allow these strips to comfortably follow the
ared surfaces, Photo 31.
The highly curved surfaces at the bow and
stern were not covered with card on the
prototype. The cut-outs in the hull sides had now
been covered over with card, but their positions
clearly marked. This allowed them to be opened
up with just a little careful knife work.
29
30
31 32
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feature plan
37
Some balsa sheet was cut to the
approximate outline of each deck level then
clamped together, but without any glue,
Photo 35. This allowed the nal shaping to
produce a consistent outline to each piece.
The clamps were removed and the desired
deck levels, with their platforms, cut from
Liteply then added between the balsa pieces
and glued back together, Photo 36.
To produce a good surface on the balsa, light
card was glued around the Island. This required
some careful cutting, but along with the card
edging to the platforms, was well worth the
effort, Photo 37. The funnel was shaped from
balsa and also covered with card. A few coats of
dope, again with light sanding between coats,
sealed these surfaces. A little extra detail was
added to the top of the funnel and Island
superstructure using wire and pieces cut from
33
similar fashion. The edges of deck were
supported by strips of balsa glued to the
hull sides 1/16 inch (1.5mm) below the top
of the hull sides, Photo 33.
A couple of coats of thinned dope were
applied to the deck sections and hull sides,
lightly sanding after each. This starts the
sealing process and also offers some
protection whilst working on the model. Any
gaps in the card plating must be closed,
otherwise water will penetrate.
Sponsons
The anti-aircraft guns were mounted on
sponsons around the hull sides below the
level of the ight deck. These were made by
laminating spare pieces of balsa then cutting
to the appropriate shape. For a nish to match
the hull sides, the external surfaces were
covered with thin card before applying two
thinned coats of dope as previously.
The hull was tilted on to one side to aid the
gluing of the sponsons. Care was needed to
ensure that they were square to the hull
sides. The sponson under the island deck
extension could have been added at this
stage, but I opted to wait until later. This
allowed me to ensure that it would be
correctly positioned in relation to the island.
When secure, card edging strips were glued
around each sponson, Photo 34. I had
noticed that the hull openings for the ships
boats appear to have small extensions at deck
level which were suggested by wood strips.
The hull above the waterline and the ight
decks were all sealed with a couple of coats of
neat dope. Again light sanding between each
coat ought to produce a smooth surface ideal
for nal painting.
Island
Some aircraft carriers have (and had) very
complex and elaborate Island structures.
Fortunately, the Colossus class has a
relatively modest but characteristically Royal
Navy style of Island. Even so, its shape
caused a little head scratching before I
gured out how to make it.
The problem was the curved sections at the
front and rear, with a couple of cutouts at
deck level, plus the platforms that extended
out of it. Building it up level by level, which is
my usual method, would have needed a lot of
care to maintain the correct appearance. The
answer was found in the garage workshop in
the form of two G clamps.
34
35
36
37
feature plan
38
38
plastic sheet, nothing exactly accurate, but it
avoids that empty look, Photo 38.
The two masts on the island also gave me a
little trouble as photographs of various
vessels taken at different times showed
numerous additions and alterations. In the
end I settled for something I could make and
would look reasonable. To produce a robust,
but not too heavy looking structure, the masts
were made by soldering together brass tube
and wire. By using simple jigs, in my case no
more than pins pushed into some soft board,
the parts can be kept in the right position
during soldering, Photo 39. You might
prefer to use epoxy or superglue to assemble
a mast, but I cannot comment on how durable
it would then be.
The platforms on the masts were cut from
plastic sheet, Photo 40. With the addition of
small aerials, boxes, etc., the nal masts had
the desired appearance and have so far
withstood all my accidental strength tests!
Installing the island
and masts
For ease of storage, many of my models
feature detachable masts. With this model it
seemed better to secure the masts to the
Island and make the whole thing removable,
but how to do it in an easy but secure way?
After a little thought, the idea came to make
the Island into a simple plug-on item. Two
lengths of dowel were glued into holes
carefully drilled into the sponson that was
glued to the hull sides beneath the island. I
say carefully, as the dowels need to be vertical
and you need to stop drilling before you drill
through the sponson!
Two holes, slightly larger in diameter than
the dowels, were drilled through the deck so
the dowels could pass cleanly through them.
Finally, two holes to match the dowels were
drilled into the bottom of the island block.
Gaining access inside the hull is now just a
matter of lifting the island off the two dowels
and then lifting the deck plug unit out of the
hull opening. Everything seems more than
secure for the rigours of sailing and the only
precaution is not to place the island anywhere
that I might tread on it!
Painting
This can be carried out at any suitable stage
in a models construction. Some people like to
complete the model and then start painting.
This can lead to some tricky painting around
items, especially if sharp lines are needed
between adjacent colours. Likewise, some
prefer to paint small ttings before securing
them to the model. There really is no one
perfect way to paint a model, just use the
method that suits you best.
The model was painted in a simple scheme
of dark grey decks, a lighter grey
superstructure and hull sides, with black
below the waterline. The all black undersides
might seem a little strange, but it does
improve the models appearance when sailing.
Matt paint was used on the decks, but gloss
elsewhere. This was done for practicality,
since gloss paints can resist the inevitable
scuffs and scrapes better than matt. After a
few sessions of sailing, most gloss paints will
lose their shine and become more realistic. If
that is too long for you then a light dusting
with a clear satin spray could be applied.
The white ight deck markings can be
painted using masking tape to create sharp
edges, but on the prototype the deck
markings were made using some white
self-adhesive plastic lm. A little care is
needed to ensure the lm is well bonded to
the surface, but the nal result looks far
better than I could achieve with a paint brush.
Aircraft
As stated earlier, one advantage of building an
aircraft carrier to 1:144 scale is the availability
of commercial plastic kits to match. Quite a
few different types appeared on the Colossus
and Majestic class ight decks. Probably the
ones you might nd more readily are the
American types such as the Grumman Hellcat
and Avenger, plus the Vought Corsair. In
Royal Navy service these types would only be
appropriate for the last stages of WW2 and
the immediate postwar period.
Supermarine Seares were carried which
suggests that Spitre kits could be used.
However, the Seares were the later versions
which featured bubble canopies and any
plastic kits might require extensive
modications.
Fairey Barracudas and Fireys are also
possible types, but at this scale you will have
difculty in nding kits. I think there are
some resin (as opposed to injection moulded)
kits, but they are likely to be expensive.
For the Korean War period which I wanted
to represent, the ight deck had to include
Hawker Sea Furies, again not available as a
plastic kit. However, the Fury was developed
from Hawkers Tempest ghter, for which
Minicraft/Academy do make a 1:144 kit. Over
the years I have made the habit of buying
these kits whenever I saw them on a model
shop shelves. To match the Fury, these
Tempest kits need the wingspan reducing
slightly, the n reshaping a little and a
substantial change to the nose. The Tempest
featured a liquid cooled engine and four
bladed propellers, whereas the Sea Fury had
a radial engine and ve blades. This would
not have been a major obstacle, my having
performed more drastic modications on
39
40
feature plan
39
plastic kits in the past. It was however another
chore that must have acted to delay building
this carrier model somewhat!
By one of those amazing occurrences that
seem to happen just before starting to build, I
was idly looking through Internet sites. The
HobbyLink Japan site is occasionally viewed
to see what new plastic kits are being
introduced. Lo and behold, there was a
Sea Fury kit in 1:144 scale, It was in the
F-toys Wing Kit Collection 6 and perfect
except for a couple of things. These kits are
marketed as trading kits and sold in batches
of three different types, although they are
related. In this case the Sea Fury was mixed
in with Vought Corsairs and Douglas
Skyraiders, all carrier born types. They are
sold in randomly packed boxes of ten and you
do not know what types you will get! Just to
add to the excitement there are three or more
marking variants of each type, again with no
indication of which you will be getting.
Having thought for a moment, it looked like
10 Sea Fury aircraft would make a good
looking ight deck. To get this number,
assuming an average mixture in each box of
ten kits, I would have to buy three boxes. Any
models that were in wrong markings (these
kits coming prepainted) would simply have to
be repainted. The order was sent off and
despite it having to travel halfway around the
world, three boxes arrived promptly.
They were opened and I had beaten the
odds with 11 Sea Fury kits! Only three were
in the desired RN colours, the others being
early RN, Dutch, Australian and would you
believe it, Cuban! A production line was set up
to build and paint (where required), the
models, Photo 41. A small hole was drilled
through the wing centre section so that a
length of thin brass wire could be secured.
This was to provide a convenient way to
secure the model during building and
painting. By tting the wire through a hole in
the ight deck, then bending the wire over
and adding a spot of glue, the aircraft could
be held securely, but discreetly.
These kits make for impressive little
models despite their modest size, Photo 42.
The amount of detail, together with the drop
tanks and underwing rockets would do
justice to a model twice their size.
Experimenting with the positioning of the
Sea Furies on the deck revealed that a few
more aircraft were needed. This gave me the
excuse to build three Corsairs in US Marine
markings. I gured that a little RN and USN
cross-decking would not be an unreasonable
thing to see in this period.
Crew
In a warship model at this scale I would not
normally bother with any visible crew.
However on a carrier model, a ight deck
covered with aircraft and devoid of any crew
just looks plain wrong, so a mixture of pilots
and deck crew were needed.
In the absence of any commercial gures
made for such a location, suitable alternatives
were found in the world of model railways.
My previous aircraft carrier had used some
plastic gures made for N Gauge by Model
Scene (Ref Nos 5156 and 5157). The local
hobby shop they were purchased from had
closed, but searching the Internet located
some in the Buffers Model Railway shop, who
promptly dispatched my order. These two
sets contained 20 each of railway staff and
passengers respectively. With a little
modication and painting you can produce an
appropriate crew for the model, Photo 43.
Some gures were also added to the Island
as photographs showed the crew observing
ight deck operations from there. The gures
were secured to the model with Copydex, a
latex based adhesive. It dries clear and holds
the gures rmly, yet they can be removed
for repositioning without damage to the
gure or the painted deck.
Armament
This was limited to close range weapons and I
opted for the all-40mm outt installed in later
vessels. Again, a production line was set up to
make the fteen single mounts needed,
Photo 44. They were made from plastic
(styrene) card and strip together with pins
and tubing. At this scale it is enough to
suggest the shape of the weapon rather than
indulge in the ne detailed work that
becomes invisible at any modest distance.
Five twin 40mm mounts were also required
on this model which were also made in the
same way.
I opted to spray paint these small items to
avoid tedious work with a paintbrush. A can
of grey primer was used which was a close,
but not perfect, match to the grey hull colour.
This might seem to be poor practice, but
slight differences in shades are rarely obvious
and can some what surprisingly actually add
to the appearance of a model.
One tip is to start making twice as many of
these small repetitive items than you need. Any
mistakes can be discarded as you build them
41 42
43
44
plumbing. By wrapping the solder around a
wooden former, which had been shaped to
match the inside of the raft, a row of identical
rings could be made, Photo 48.
The rings were cut free, pressed at, then
stuck onto plastic sheet. The excess plastic
was cut away, any gaps lled and sprayed
grey. Like the guns, more rafts were made
than needed and the best ones used.
Internal Installation
The trial run of the bare hull had shown no
handling problems save that the model did
seem a shade overpowered with the installed
540 motor. The answer to this problem was
fortunately to hand in the form of a 55 turn
rock crawler motor and my initial testing of
this motor was described in the March 2012
issue. These rock crawler motors are for use
in r/c vehicles which are intended for
climbing over rough terrain. As such, their
motors have more armature windings than
usual to give them modest speeds, but with
adequate torque. They looked ideal for a scale
model and this was a chance to try one out.
The r/c gear was tted into the
compartment aft of Bulkhead 4. The receiver
and esc being secured into cutouts made into a
block of foam plastic wedged behind the
bulkhead. The drive battery, a 6v 10Ah SLA
48
45
46
47
without having to start from the beginning
again. If you end up with more than you need,
then the best can be used on the model with the
others going in the spares box for future
projects. I say best, but it might be better to
select items that are compatible, as nothing
seems to stand out more than nominally
identical parts which have visible differences.
Final soldering
The last items to fabricate for this model
involved soldering again. The jib of the crane
mounted aft of the island has to be robust, but
without looking unrealistically heavy. The best
way Ive found to do this is solder these types
of item is by using brass wire held in a jig,
Photo 45. These cranes appear to have been
one of the least photographed items on the
full-size vessels. This meant that when building
the base and details on the crane, I had to fall
back on the cranes built for previous models.
The end result looks reasonably convincing
without any claims for accuracy.
The Jumbo, a mobile crane used to clear ight
deck accidents, gave me similar problems. It was
often visible in photographs, but never in any
detail. In the end it was deduced that the crane
jib was supported on a wheeled A frame type of
structure with items tted within the framework.
This called for another bout of soldering in a
suitable jig, Photo 46.
The bare soldered items usually look
anything but neat, Photo 47. Some careful
work with ne les can remove any excess
solder, but care is needed not to fracture the
joints, but after a coat or two of paint they can
look more than smart enough. The crane was
painted light grey ,but a dull yellow seemed
more appropriate for the Jumbo.
The nal use of solder was to make some
realistic looking but very impractical life rafts.
Some twenty one rafts were required around
the hull and island. I used to struggle to make
life rafts from plastic tubes which were a devil
to shape without producing unwanted kinks.
It then dawned upon me that solder would
bend easily with no risk of kinking. Our local
hardware store supplied a roll of suitable
solder which was intended for domestic
feature plan
type was placed between Bulkheads 2 and 3. It
was held in place with some stiff foam plastic,
rm enough to prevent movement whilst
sailing, but still easy to remove, Photo 49.
A quick ballasting session in the garden
pond had the trim sorted. The nal operating
weight was about 12lbs (5.5kg). All the ballast
was rmly held in place, as loose moveable
ballast can sink a model boat!
Sailing
The value of the early bare hull sailing tests,
apart from knowing it is then worthwhile
completing the model, is that the basic
characteristics of the model are known before
the proper maiden voyage. In this case,
Goliath could be moved away from the bank
side with total condence that nothing nasty
was likely to happen.
The model was using the rudder as shown
on the plans with a total movement of about
40 degrees either way. As soon as the model
was moving ahead, the rudder had control of
the steering. The tightest turning circle,
something you ought to establish as soon as
possible (in other words, before you need to
know it to get out of trouble!), was found to be
about 10 feet (3m) diameter.
The throttle response proved to be very
smooth with the 55 turn crawler motor. After
a little experimentation with propellers, a 40
mm diameter two bladed plastic prop was felt
to be best. This gave a top speed of about four
ft/sec (1.2 m/s) which might be a shade over
the dynamic scale, i.e. producing the same
wave pattern top speed for these vessels, but
the model felt quite comfortable. Checking
the current drawn with this combination of
motor and propeller revealed a modest value
of about 3 Amps giving an equally modest
input power of 18 Watts. I found this a little
surprising as the power loading of the model
was 1.5 Watts per pound (3.3 Watts per
kilogram), and is usually associated with a
modest sailing performance. Checking with
the limited information I had on this motor
suggested that it was operating close to its
maximum efciency which might explain
Goliaths lively sailing characteristics.
It was noted that the model had a large
heeling angle when turning tightly at full
speed. This is not a sign of any instability
and is a perfectly natural response. In fact if
you watch a film of a modern super carrier
executing a full speed, full rudder turn, it
all looks very alarming. One hopes the
captain gives the crew plenty of warning
before putting the helm over. I am pleased
to say that so far none of my crew have
been lost overboard...........
Astern steering is possible once the model
is moving. The trick with many models is to
nd the best astern speed at which the
rudder is effective without the model
becoming uncontrollable. With Goliath, I
could actually sail astern at full power and still
steer the model, but it looks silly and this
ought to be reserved only for emergencies.
One delightful feature of the model is that
when turning into wind, several of the aircraft
propellers start to spin. This has proven
amusing for spectators, but Ive yet to have
one ask if they can take-off!
Conclusion
Although this model has taken some three
decades between the rst germ of an idea and
the completed item, it has proven worthwhile.
In fact, Im rather glad that this model was not
started as soon as I saw the plans back in
1978. The intervening thirty years have given
me the skills and experience to overcome
problems that might have stumped a younger
me, plus I would not have been able to use
the recent Sea Fury kits which really enhance
the models appearance.
Sailing this model is a pleasure for both its
appearance and handling. It greatly benets
from sailing with compatible warship models
of the same scale and something like a
destroyer on plane guard duty would be ideal.
Even by itself, Goliath is a surprisingly
colourful for a warship with all that ight deck
activity to catch the eye.
I did wonder about tting a discreet bow
thruster. However, the handling is so good that
one is not really needed. In fact this model is one
of those that you should be able to sail smoothly
with little conscious effort for most of the time.
Rather like riding a bike: Put most of the
operation on autopilot so you can relax, but still
be aware of what is happening around you. l
49
feature plan
This unique collection
of seventeen historic
lifeboats is housed
inside the 1848 Victorian
Covered Slip at Chatham
Historic Dockyard in Kent.
RNLI Lifeboat Collection
GALLERY
By David Walter
Left: RNLB James Leath is a 42ft Norfolk
& Suffolk type pulling and sailing lifeboat
dating from 1910 to 1935.
Below: RNLB Susan Ashley is a 41ft Watson
twin screw motor cabin lifeboat dating
from 1948 to 1979 designed for slipway and
beach launching.
RNLB Helen Blake is a 28ft Harbour type lifeboat dating from 1939 to 1959.
Above: RNLB The Will and Fanny Kirby is a 35ft Oakley Mk.1 twin screw lifeboat dating from 1963 to 1993.
Above: RNLB North
Foreland (Civil Service
No.11) dating from 1951
to 1981, was stationed at
Margate for 27 years.
Right: RNLB J. G. Graves
of Shefeld is a 37ft Oakley
MK1 Twin screw lifeboat
dating from 1958 to 1993.
Above: RNLB St. Paul is a 38ft Norfolk & Suffolk pulling type dating from 1897 to 1931.
special feature
44
3
2
W
hilst visiting Portsmouth some years
ago I caught sight of two very large
wheeled vehicles on waste ground
some distance from the dual carriageway
yover on which I was travelling. Having
mentioned these vehicles to a friend, he looked
on the internet and informed me that they
were American amphibious landing craft,
originally designated BARC (Barge,
Amphibious Resupply, Cargo), but then
changed to LARC (Lighter, Amphibious,
Resupply, Cargo). Photo 1 compares a
DUKW with this machine and the close-up of
the tyre also gives you an idea of its size. These
machines were truly amphibious as Photo 2
shows and Photo 3 is of one of them
disembarking a smaller amphibious vehicle!
A further visit to Portsmouth provided an
opportunity to try to get a closer look at the
machines. They were stored at the time of
writing in what used to be Pounds Scrapyard
which was now empty apart from the two
BARCs (LARCs). Entry to the site is not
permitted, probably because of
contamination, and as they are far from the
access road they are difcult to photograph.
As far as I could ascertain at that time, they
could not be moved into the water due to
their poor state and more to the point, the
presence of a motorway built between the
vehicles and the Sound! Removal by road was
BRIAN COOK
builds a 1:25 scale model
of a Lighter, Amphibious,
Resupply, Cargo
1
L ARC
4
5
7
not possible due to their huge size and width,
so perhaps on-site dismantling is the only
option? It seems that their future was (and is)
still very uncertain at the time of writing, so
why not a model to keep the memory alive? I
dont know how long the vehicles have been
at Portsmouth, but machines of this type were
rst tested in 1952 and they served in
Vietnam with the last remaining in service
until 2001. At least three different companies
in America were involved in their
construction and the rst versions had the
control cabin at the bow end, although it was
moved to the stern after the rst twenty had
been produced. With the control cabin at the
bow it was difcult for the driver to see to the
rear of the craft, so moving it to the stern and
with verbal assistance from another crew
member at the bow, this enabled overall
better viewing when entering the surf for
beach landings via the bow ramp. Apparently,
at times it helped if the ramp was partially
lowered and the bilge water pumps activated
to keep it all above water, but I am not sure
why. I guess, being a cross between a
conventional landing craft and a DUKW
created all sorts of water integrity problems.
As you can see, these were truly massive
machines from the 1950s.
Technical information
Length 68.8ft (2100cm)
Height 21.3ft (650cm)
Width 26.7ft (813.cm)
Wheelbase 28.5ft (868.6cm)
Wheels Four 10.5ft (3.2 metre) diameter
Propellers (2) 4.0ft (121.9cm) diameter
Total weight 100 tons
Batteries 24 volt
Rudders Two
Engines Four 265hp GMC diesels
Each engine drove one wheel, but two
engines were coupled together by gearboxes
to provide the power to each propeller.
Other components included two air
compressors used for tyre ination whilst on
the move, an automatic three speed
transmission with twelve gear boxes, eight
hydraulic pumps and two dynamos! All four
wheels could steer independently and could
crab to the left or right by about 30 degrees.
Speed in water:
Forwards:
Empty 7.5 mph
Load of 60 tons 7 mph
Load of 100 tons 6.5 mph
Speed on land:
Forwards:
Empty 20 mph
Load of 60 tons 14 mph
Reverse:
Turning circle 75ft (23m)
Climbable gradient 60 degrees
A typical payload could consist of:
100 tons of cargo or 200 persons
60 tons of cargo and 120 persons
The greatest known embarked load was 130 tons
Photo 4 is of an LARC embarking a crawler
crane, which just goes to show the load and
weight carrying capacity of these monsters. It
is difcult to imagine what the fuel
consumption of this massive machine might
have been and perhaps if in production now in
the 21st century, they would be nuclear
powered. For your interest, Photo 5 is a view
from the stern mounted cab of one of these
machines which also gives an idea of their
sheer bulk. I am sorry that these pictures are
relatively poor quality as nding decent high
resolution pictures of the original craft has
proved to be a bit of a challenge.
The basic model
All my scratch built models to date have been
1:10 scale, but on calculating the length at this
scale, the model would have measured just
under 7ft (210cm) long, so a bit too large to t
into a car and probably too heavy for a person
of my mature years to manage either! As a
compromise, the scale was reduced to 1:25,
creating a model of 31.5ins (79cm) length
which is more manageable, Photos 6 and 7.
It is truly amphibious although there are
some mechanical compromises. The full-size
special feature
6
46
Wheels
A complete nished complete tyre and hub is
shown in Photo 10. Each tyre has an inner
tube that is actually of solid wood, shaped to
retain the tyre shape and these were turned
by a woodworker friend. The inner and outer
wheel centres were turned from aluminium to
t the well of the tyre wall, the inner piece
being a simple disc shape whilst the visible
outer piece was turned to the correct prole.
A steel disc matching the diameter of a wheel
centre was marked and drilled for all of the
wheel studs and bolts. Then it was placed on
the outer aluminium wheel centre as a
template and matching holes drilled through
it into the aluminium. Small lengths of
hexagonal rod of varying diameters were
then glued into the holes to replicate the
wheel retaining studs and bolts. This disc was
then remounted on the lathe chuck and all
the studs and bolts turned down to an equal
length. Remember, that on large vehicles it is
common to have the wheel hub in two parts,
an inner and outer, and these are then bolted
together to hold the tyre and then the whole
thing is bolted to the transmission drive hub.
The tyres were glued to their wood inner
tubes, each of which have two small ballraces,
one at each side, for the axle to rotate within.
These axles are threaded at their outer ends
so that when the whole assembly is
sandwiched between the two aluminium
wheel discs gripping the wood inner tube and
tyre, a nut can be tightened on the threaded
part, thus rmly gripping all the parts
together. Shafts for each pair of wheels were
made to correspond to the function required,
e.g. steering or driven. Modellers licence
came to the fore here as I felt that it was
beyond my capabilities to construct all four
wheels to individually drive and steer, like the
full-size version, so as a compromise, the rear
pair steer and the front pair drive, front wheel
drive being common for modern cars, but not
rear wheel steering!
Steerable wheels
The wheel shafts are 8mm diameter and the
steering wheel axles, which are relatively
short, are xed by grub screws into a block of
aluminium which in turn has another shaft
xed by grub screws at right angles to the
axle rising vertically to allow a steering arm
to be connected at the top. The vertical shaft
is held in a square section piece of nylon,
drilled to accommodate the shaft with bronze
bushes top and bottom to act as bearings. The
lower bush also takes the upward thrust of
the wheel. These nylon sections are bolted to
the outside of the inner hold, thus providing a
positive location for the wheel assembly, but
there is no spring suspension built into the
models road wheel mechanics. One Futaba
servo moves each steering arm on top of the
wheel and mounting assembly, these being
connected to the steering function output of
the receiver by a Y lead. Photo 11 is of the
9
8
9a
10
11
special feature
version was laid-out as in
Photo 8 and in many ways the
model mimics this design.
Construction started with the hull and
basically there is an inner hold and an outer
skin, with the wheels, motors and transmission
units contained within the void between the two
as in Photo 9, which shows the starboard side
internally geared Decaperm that is normally
attached to the starboard propshaft end pulley
by a belt, further reducing the output speed.
The motor to the right of this picture is the
geared MFA motor that drives the forward
starboard wheel. At this time, ribbed belt and
pulley drive was intended for connecting the
motors to the driven wheels (port and
starboard), but this was subsequently changed
to chain and sprocket drive.
I often use aluminium to construct my
models as the material is reasonably light,
strong and easy to work with. It is fortunate
that I am able to use a local engineering
company who will supply, cut, bend and weld
the material if necessary, hence its use in this
model. Also of course, if welded (or glued
with the correct adhesive) into a shoebox
shape or similar, then it is waterproof without
any further sealing.
The inner hold section is of 7mm
aluminium sheet bent to a channel shape that
has the necessary strength to also be a solid
mounting for the drive motors, wheel axles
and shafts. At the rear of the inner hold, its
oor is bent upwards to form a end backplate
and to this is bolted another section
containing the winch, rudder mechanisms
and other electrical components.
The outer skin is of 1.5mm aluminium sheet
and a major concern was, as already mentioned,
the need to have everything watertight, so all
the joints are bolted and sealed with exible
Geocel The WORKS Wet or Dry Surface
Sealant & Adhesive. Further details about this
excellent, but specialist, product can be found
on the website: www.geocel.co.uk.
It was at this point that modellers artistic
licence came into play as I already had four
tyres from another project that would sufce
for this model, so the tread pattern is not
truly correct, but they are the right diameter
for the model scale and cost outlay is always
something of prime concern nowadays.
Port Decaperm with belt in position.
starboard (rear) steerable wheel and Photo 12
is a top view at the same time of the stern area
showing the linkages.
As the steering wheel axles and mountings
are on the outside of the hold, it allows the
propeller shafts to be mounted between these
steering wheels, Photo 13. This picture shows
the slightly tortuous route of the propshafts
from the Decaperm geared motors installed
between the wheels outside the centre hold unit,
with their pulley/belt drive connection (please
see Photo 9 again for reference). This picture
also shows the mounting blocks for the
steerable stub axles. The propellers are installed
just behind the inner hold with standard
universal joints connecting them to conventional
propshafts that are connected to another
universal joint driven by an aluminium pulley
from the geared Decaperm motors. Aluminium
blocks clamp each propshaft tube to the
underneath of the hold. Round rubber belts
(from car oil lter element seals) drive the
pulleys at a 2:1 reduction from the motors which
are themselves reduction geared 2.5:1. To
protect the propellers and rudders, two alloy
rods are bolted to the base of the hold and are
held at the rear by brackets as can be seen in
this last underneath view. The vacant void
beneath the hold and the hull base was also
lled with foam to reduce the area that could ll
with water in the event of leakage and prevent
the ultimate disaster - an unwanted sinking!
Behind the propellers are two rudders which are
connected to a Futaba servo contained within
the section at the rear of the hold in a
conventional rudder arm/linkage method. Why
is all like this?
Well, between the hold and the hull bottom
there is vertical space of 30mm, which is just
enough room to accommodate the propshafts
and the forward driven axle supports, but not
both in the same area. If the rear wheels were
driven, rather than the front pair, installation of
the propshafts and their couplings would be
much more difcult, as the driven axle extends
inboard from each wheel underneath the hold,
so that is why the steering wheels are at the
rear and the driven wheels are at the front.
Finally, on the matter of steering, having rear
wheel steering means that of course the model
drives a bit differently from normal with the
back end moving outwards to complete a turn,
rather than directly following the front end.
Driven wheels
The driving wheels are pinned to their axles with
standard roll pins and these are recessed into
the wooden inner tube to give a positive xing.
On the axle, two Meccano gears engage to
produce a right angle vertical drive. The axle
runs underneath the hold, but is cut away in the
centre, making both wheels independent and
these are held in a block of nylon with bronze
bushes which is bolted to the base of the hold at
the forward end.
Each vertical driven shaft is similar to the
steering shaft conguration, both of which
terminate below the upper deck between the
inner hold and outer skin. Drive to these shafts
(port and starboard) is by chain with the sprocket
sizes dictated by available space. Mechanical
chain tensioners are now also tted. The motors
are MFI with 11:1 reduction, which were in the
spares box and these are independently speed
controlled to further assist with on-land steering.
As the motors are mounted vertically, their lower
ends are very close to the base of the hull so any
water entering the space will cause an expensive
malfunction. To keep the motors dry, empty
sauce containers (clean of course!) extend
halfway up the motors and emergency pumps are
installed on the backs of the forward wheel
arches. Photo 14 is view of the nal motor
installation with a chain and sprocket drive to
the port side front driven wheel.
12
14
13
special feature
Stern area
An 810:1 reduction MFI motor/gearbox unit
drives the winch via a 6mm chain and
sprockets, with the actual winch drum turned
from aluminium bar stock and the whole
assembly is bolted to the rear of the hold with
the motor sitting underneath the winch,
Photo 15. This last picture also shows the
layout of the rest of the stern area.
The outside corners of the rear hull section
are blocks of hardwood, shaped for the hulls
outside, and cut away on their insides to
retain the sealed lead acid batteries (weight is
not a problem!), that sit between the blocks
and rear wheel arches.
The wheel arches, front and rear, are of
7mm aluminium sheet put through a set of
rollers to achieve the correct curvature.
Notably, the arch material was cut wider than
required, allowing 10mm on each side of each
arch to be cut back to the arch width so as to
form lugs, which were then bent at right
angles away from the wheel space. Each of
these lugs was drilled for small countersunk
bolts to allow the arch to be bolted both to the
inner hold and the outer skin, thus increasing
overall hull rigidity. A wooden framework also
supports the outer skin which has removable
deck cover pieces on its top face. The blocks
at the stern were recessed on their extreme
outer edges so that the at aluminium outer
skin would sit ush when screwed into them
and likewise for the bow block pieces.
Loading ramp
This is constructed from 4mm aluminium
sheet for its outer skin, to which a piece of
7-ply plywood was screwed and glued. The top
edge of the plywood was tapered and the
aluminium bent to t so that when the ramp is
lowered, it is ush with the ground, Photo 16.
How to effect a watertight seal at the ramp,
the lower edge of which is xed to the main
hold by hinges and screws proved something
of a challenge. However, having considered
many materials and methods, I settled on a
piece of waterproof fabric of the type used to
line cosmetic wash bags. The fabric is
sandwiched between the plywood and
aluminium on the ramp with the other side
sandwiched between the hold and the nal
plywood lining of the hold. This prevents
leaks at the base of the ramp and the sides
close on to DIY rubber door draught excluder
material glued to another recess in the bow
blocks. Also at each side, the lower corners of
the ramp have soft rubber blocks tted into
them to complete the seal.
Two smaller MFA motors with 500:1
geared reduction are mounted to the bow
blocks. Each of these has a small reel (turned
from aluminium) mounted on the driveshaft
and supported by a small bracket. High
breaking-strain shing line leaves the reel,
passes through a hole in the blocks over a
sheave and then fastens to loops on the ramp
so enabling the ramp to be raised and lowered,
but slowly! Obviously, both motors are wired
together and operated by a single electronic
switch unit connected to the receiver.
Electronics
Photo 17 is a schematic diagram of the
electronics. As you can see, the rudder and
wheel steering servos (port and starboard) are
all on the same channel and move together,
being connected by Y leads. Power to the two
electronic speed controllers (escs), servos and
receiver is by battery elimination circuit
(BEC). Each of the speed controllers operates
either the port, or the starboard, motor for
wheeled and propeller driven movement. A
relay switching box enables the power to be
directed to the relevant drive motor, this being
operated by a fth receiver channel.
Two shelves in the rear section support the
electronic speed controllers and all the other
electrical components. The bow and stern lights
work from a simple on/off switch just next to the
main power switch in this section, Photo 18.
16
17
15
18
48
22
Detail work and nishing off
Across the face of the transom are four grilles
for expelling the hot air from the engine and
transmission system. These were cut from
the cooling plates from an old refrigerator and
are simply screwed to the stern section,
Photo 19. As they have no direct access to
the inside of the hull, integrity of the
watertight compartment is not compromised.
Any heat generated by the electrics in the
void between the inner hold and outer hull
sheathing is minimal and should escape
around the edges of the deck cover sections,
but if it proves to be a problem in due course,
then grills could be tted later.
The drivers cabin, port rear, is constructed
from thin plywood and plastic with clear
acrylic for the windows, Photo 20. Its
internal ttings are made from bits and
pieces from the scrap box, but are copied
from photographs of the original cab interior
(please see Photo 5 again). The space
between the inner hold and the outer skin
which houses the drive units is covered on
the top by removable sections of plywood to
allow access, albeit very limited. Another
removable cover piece protects the rear
compartment which houses the electronics
and two 6 volt batteries. The sealed lead acid
batteries, one at each side, are positioned at
a slight angle so that the steering servos
could t in as this was the only suitable
place to allow the steering rods to connect to
the rear wheels.
The guard rails and ladders were made to
t and the hold is lined throughout with very
thin plywood, giving a good base for painting,
but more important, hiding all the screw and
bolt heads.
Painting was by brush as the model is
rather bulky for spraying by airbrush and
in any event, the originals were usually
hand-painted anyway. Humbrol No. 117
matt enamel is the overall green colour
used, with non-slip adhesive tape applied to
the plywood hold floor to mimic the
original with thin strips of plastic pinned
and glued for added grip on the ramp.
A radio-controlled tank, that can drive of f,
finishes the model albeit perhaps not
pro-typical for the time period in question.
Conclusion
It does pretty much what you would expect in
that it drives on land by wheels, Photo 21, and
operates on water by propellers, Photo 22, all
under radio control. You have the best of
both worlds, in that if the lake is frozen
your journey is not wasted! Driving into
the water and then powering away is a
crowd-puller and the model has proven to
be suf ficiently robust and watertight for
regular use at the pond.
Yes, it is not quite pro-typical in the way
it functions, but it does what was intended
and is an unusual alternative to the more
common DUKW. In many ways, I guess the
much smaller British Army Stalwart had a
similar role in moving cargo, but of course
did not have the bow ramp. So the LARC
19
20
21
special feature
was a cross between a conventional landing
craft and a DUKW and is relatively unique
in that respect, although smaller versions
doing much the same thing were produced.
The sheer size of the LARC is what makes
it so dif ferent and when you consider that
roads were much narrower in the 1950s
than they are now, driving one of these
from a training area to the sea would have
been a real challenge. l
between perpendiculars) and maximum
breadth of 28.5 metres. In its original colour
scheme of a corn-coloured hull, white topsides
and green boot topping and name, it wasnt a
bad looking ship either, although Ive always
thought the extremities of the superstructure
would have benetted from more curvature.
Its most controversial feature was the lack of a
traditional mast, the apparent multiple masts
being in fact kingposts. According to the
Sydney Morning Herald, this caused the
master, Captain Whiteld, some bother when
he arrived in Sydney as he had nowhere to
hang the Cock o the Sea Golden Cockerel
trophy that the fastest ship on the route was
entitled to append to its mast! It also meant
that the steaming lights had to be tted to the
forward kingpost and the top of the funnel.
Settling into service with the Orient line,
the Orsova made three return voyages to
Australia before heading off from Sydney
across the Pacic to San Francisco in 1955.
Honolulu was reached in 89 hours, setting a
new record at 23.39 knots. Later that year,
T
he Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
ran the following item in its edition for
20th April 1954:
NEW LINER IN SYDNEY
The new Orient liner Orsova, the fastest
passenger ship on the England to Australia
route, arrived in Sydney yesterday on her
maiden voyage from Great Britain. The 29000
ton liner made an impressive picture as it
glided through the Heads shortly after dawn.
Ferries and other harbour craft gave it a noisy
welcome as tugs pulled it to its berth at No.
13 Pyrmont (passenger liner wharf). The
Orsova, which cost 7,500,000 to build, has a
distinctive Welsh hat funnel specially
designed to keep the deck clear of smut.
Its perhaps as well to explain here that the
smut referred to black particles of soot
settling from the ships funnel and not any
form of indecent activity! The aerodynamics
of the Welsh or stove-pipe funnel hat were
designed to deect the exhaust up and over
the rear of the ship.
At its launch on 14th May 1953, the Orsova
was the largest passenger ship ever built by
Vickers Armstrongs Ltd at Barrow, with an
intended 31800 tons load displacement. Its
all-welded hull was driven by twin screws
powered by Parsons geared turbines of 34000
service shaft horsepower (shp), on which it
achieved a service speed of 22.75 knots. In its
trials, it made just over 26 knots on its
maximum power of 42500shp, making it, as
the newspaper said, the fastest ship on the
England to Australia run. The journey still
took over a month, although Orsova had left
London for her maiden voyage on 17th
March. The name Orsova came from a small
town on the Danube, whose notorious rapids,
known as the Iron Gate, provided a motif for
the ships badge. It was the second Orient
liner to be so named, the rst having served
from 1909 to 1936.
Orsovas design was more evolutionary than
revolutionary. It didnt have the innovation of
Harland and Wolffs later Canberra, with its
twin funnels at the stern and troublesome
turbo-electric drive, but was said to be the rst
liner to have an all-welded hull and its interior
made extensive use of plastic nishes. Overall
length was 220.3 metres (203.6 metres
Flotsam
&
Jetsam
JOHN PARKER delves into the archives
6: The R.M.S. Orsova
history
A postcard of Orsova in her original colour scheme.
A bookmark souvenir
from the Orsova.
This advertisement featuring the Orsova appeared in an American magazine.
haul jet airliners were beginning to impact on
the ocean liners traditional revenue stream.
Orsova returned to its makers in 1960 for a
major ret which included the installation of air
conditioning and the exhaust from this was
tted to the centre of the hulls stern plating.
This was also the year in which the Orient Line
merged with P&O to form P&O Orient Lines,
although it was some years before the Orsova
received her new all-white colour scheme.
Cruises were becoming ever more important
and a further ret in 1972 made the ship more
suited to this task. Her nal voyage to Australia
came in 1973, after which a world cruise was
planned to depart from Southampton in 1974,
Orsova completed Orients rst round the
world voyage. A slight mishap occurred in
1956 when she ran aground in Port Phillip
Bay, Melbourne. Many of Orsovas early
passengers were economic migrants eeing
Europe. There was accommodation for 681
First Class passengers and 813 Tourist Class
over eight decks, with a crew of between 620
and 645. For the UK to Australia trip, that
meant, apart from the ships running costs,
Orient had to pay the wages of at least 620
crew members for ve weeks in order to
deliver around 1500 passengers, having fed
and provided for over 2100 souls in the
process. It is therefore no wonder that long-
but it was not to be. Such were the bookings for
the cruise that a larger ship was needed and the
Canberra, then facing an uncertain future with
the scrapyard looming large, took the place of
the Orsova. It was left to the Orsova to make its
own nal voyage, a one-way trip, to a Taiwanese
ship breaker in 1974. Two of her sister ships, the
Orcades (1948) and the Oronsay (1951)
succumbed to the breakers torch at around the
same time, whilst the larger and faster Oriana
(1960) was retired in 1986, and the Canberra,
after serving as a troop ship in the Falklands
War, was scrapped in 1997.
The Orsova is of course, most famous for one
thing it brought me to Australia in 1961! l
history
Orsova in her later
all-white colour scheme.
52
For the horizontal foot ropes, Photo 2, a
smaller diameter cord looks much better, which
is threaded through a needle and is then literally
then stitched through each of the vertical
shrouds. To secure, a dab of Hi-Tack all purpose
glue as in Photo 3, is more than adequate for
security. This adhesive is used by dressmakers
and is water resistant and in ve years not a
single foot rope has come adrift. This glue can
be obtained in many haberdashery shops as
well as the Hobbycraft chain of stores. Once
completed, the shroud can be removed from the
template and attached at the top of the mast
using a small U-shaped bracket made from
brass rod, its legs being fed through the
whipped eyes already prepared.
At the deck gunnel end, the shrouds are
usually attached to the hull using a pair of
Photo 1 shows the template with (in this
case) three shrouds with their attached
deadeyes already attached, if you get my
meaning! Note how a shroud cord passes
round the circumference of a deadeye and the
cord is then secured to itself by whipping
rather than just a simple knot. Depending on
the scale of the model, whipping usually
looks much better than just a knot, if you
have the patience to do it. The deadeyes are
each held in place on the template by a pin
though one of their holes and at the upper
end, the shroud cords are clamped by a small
piece of pinned wood. It is also best to leave
some surplus cord at the upper end of each
shroud at this stage as it is easy to cut to
length later, but much harder to lengthen a
cord that is too short!
I
have never really had any interest in any
form of purely static model, as for example
I believe that a model aeroplane should
actually be able to y, so you will appreciate
that these articles are all aimed at functional
craft as opposed to static display models. For
this reason. the rigging is kept to a bare
minimum on these functional models, but
there is still enough visually to keep the
casual observer happy. So, yes there are
shrouds, backstays, forestays and the all
other rigging necessary for a practical scale
sail model, but not absolutely everything as
per the full-size ship. So for example, there
may only be three shrouds rather than four,
but the model still looks more than realistic
enough for all but the most avid shroud and
foot rope counter!
Shrouds
The method described here has proven to be
effective and durable over the last ve years and
at the time of writing still shows no sign of wear
and tear on one of my older scale sail models.
With the mast (s) in place on the model,
the distance from the gunnel to the correct
securing position higher on the mast needs to
be measured. This length is then marked on a
piece of card, such as that from the inside of a
redundant cereal box. Next, measure the
spacing between each ratline on the gunnel
and mark this on to the card. Draw lines
connecting the gunnel positions to the upper
mast securing position and representing the
number of shrouds required. We should now
have a basic template which should then be
mounted on a suitable piece of wood and
covered with baking paper to act as a non-
stick backing. Drawing pins are as good a way
as any, for holding down the baking paper.
For the vertical shroud ropes, a thicker and
pre-stretched cord should be selected. This is
best soaked in warm water, weighted and left
to dry overnight before use, This pre-
stretching should prevent the shrouds going
slack in the future.
2
1
Part 5: Rigging
Scale Sail
DAVE PETTS
Mini-Series
billowing sails
3
deadeyes, one of which is already attached to
each shroud. This task requires some dexterity,
but if you gauge the height of the upper deadeye,
threading between it and the lower deadeye is
straightforward enough as in Photo 4. Aim for
just a slight tension on this cord and there will
usually be a gap of about one inch between
the two deadeyes, although it could be more
or less depending on the scale of the model.
Please note that the two middle holes on the
deadeyes are always the furthest apart.
Photo 5 is a close-up of the shrouds/ratlines
on the Grand Banks Schooner.
To make the bowsprit netting, the
principles are the same as for the shrouds
and ratlines, Photo 6. Again, please note that
the foot ropes are just threaded through the
main cords and secured with a small blob of
the Hi-Tack adhesive with no knots required.
These foot ropes are never taut, which makes
it all a bit easier.
In the next issue we shall cover the
elements of sail making. l
6 5
4
billowing sails
T
his event has run annually for over 20
years now and has built a reputation for
excellence in model engineering and
general model making, particularly ship
modelling. It is however, rst and foremost a
model engineering show, but if like me you
have a wider interest in our model making
hobby as a whole, then seeing the quality of
the locomotive builds, jet engines, a powered
miniature motor cycle and all the other
outstanding examples of the hobby, then you
cant help but appreciate the skill and
endeavour of the modellers who build these
superb creations. The venue has three large
halls, one of which is given over entirely to the
trade, offering all forms of machine tools and
supplies; the second is a mix of both trade and
model exhibits whilst the third is entirely
exhibits, with at least a third of that hall
dedicated to model boat clubs, societies and
the competition models. There are decent
reasonably priced refreshments on site and the
usual personal facilities and plenty of parking.
The show runs over three days and many
thousands visit the event from around the UK.
Competition models
The marine competition entry, whilst
relatively modest, was of a high standard, this
year as in 2012. One of the top award winners
was John Hollis with his impressive model of
Queen Victorias Royal Yacht Alberta and he
had also displayed his earlier model of the
Imperial Russian Royal Yacht Livadia on the
Ship Modelling Society stand. Another top
award winner was Les Jones, best known for
National Model Engineering and
Modelling Exhibition 2013
DAVE WOOLEY reports from Harrogate
show report
Above & inset left: Queen Victorias Royal
Yacht Alberta is built by John Hollis and
has superb detail work.
Lots to see at
Harrogate, 2013.
Right: Paul Behan with
his model of a Russian
Zubr class hovercraft -
and it all works!
Conclusion
This event has a large model boating input,
although being primarily model engineering
orientated. It is however well worth a visit,
Harrogate being within easy reach of York
his early rowing pulling lifeboat models, who
presented his model of the rst Holyhead
RNLI lifeboat.
A particularly ne model of the composite
clipper Torrens built by Graham Cutler was
close behind these two, the hulls copper
sheathing being very impressive. Roy
Whitton also had a second place award with
his M.V. Balmoral, as well as Chris Behan
with his 1:50 scale Russian Zubr (NATO
designation - Pomornik) class hovercraft. Not
only was this model well detailed, but it is also
fully functioning. Not all the models entered
were based on real ships and an example of
this was a 1.5 metre long model of a Concept
Trimaran aircraft carrier, complete with air
group and working landing aids, which
generated a considerable amount of interest.
Other models
and club stands
Its always a pleasure to have a good look at
the models on the club stands and there were
so many that were really impressive. A good
example was Brian Youngs model of the S.S.
Baroda c1914, that oozed period charm.
There were a number of excellent examples
of a perennial favourite, Blue Bird of Chelsea,
as well as live steam models. One of the
notable model engineering exhibits was an
outstanding 1:10 scale model of a fully
working gearbox, shaft and variable pitch
propeller. There were a number of model boat
clubs at the event, who put on displays that
promoted our particular hobby and some
individual modellers, including Paul Bannon
with his 1:144 scale 1960s version of HMS
Hermes with its numerous working features.
Trade
As mentioned earlier, the majority of the
traders were catering for the model
engineers, but there was much on those
stands of value to us as model boat builders.
Well known to us were SHG Models,
Component Shop and Mounteet Models. In
the case of Mounteet, it was nice to see them
recovering from the re which destroyed
much of the hardware used to produce their
range of kits.
The simulator
At one end of the model aircraft display was a
large screen on to which was projected a
model ying simulator program. I have never
own an r/c aircraft, so the experience was
fascinating and yes, I took off okay, did some
aerobatics, but crashed on landing! The mark
of a good pilot is that the number of takeoffs
always equals the number of landings..
and Leeds should families wish to include the
show in weekend break. My thanks to the
organizers, Lew and Gavin Rex, plus the
Harrogate team for all their efforts to put on,
as always, a good event. l
Above: A nely
crafted model of the
composite clipper
Torrens.
Left: Les Jones was
exhibiting his model
of the rst Holyhead
Lifeboat that served
from 1829 until 1858.
Scale is 1:12.
Below left: Paul
Bannons scratch built
multi-functioning 1:144
scale HMS Hermes.
Below: A bit different -
a concept model.
show report
steam basics
56
Boiler Room
Part Thirty Three: Basic Lathe Work - Making a Part
1 2
RICHARD SIMPSONs series on model steam plants
H
aving now looked at the basic aspects
of the lathe, how they work and then
thought through the planning of how
we are going to make a part, I thought it
might be time to put it all together and
actually cut some metal. So this month, I
am going to go through the process that we
planned in the last issue and actually see
what the stages look like in real life on the
lathe. Just to give you an idea of what is
achievable, the part I made for this article
took about 20 minutes to make, which just
goes to show that this is not a lengthy and
dif ficult thing to do, but is something that
is well within the reach of any modeller
with a small hobby lathe.
The particular bush I made was not to a
specific drawing as I simply wanted to show
the process and it is slightly larger than the
normal boiler bush that you may want to
make, which was for no other reason than
to make photography a bit easier.
of the bush as shown in Photo 1. Notice
what a good surface finish can be achieved
with good tool shape and condition, even
when the cut is made by hand. The trick is
a nice steady slow movement from the free
end of the piece to the end of the cut, not
taking too much of f and turning the chuck
at the right speed.
Next we are going to run the tool across
the face to true the face up as in Photo 2.
If you have the tool set at the correct
height, you should be left with a very fine
pin of metal protruding from the face in the
centre, which should be easily removed by
your finger. If your tool is too high, then
you may have experienced chattering or
noise from the tool and scuf fing of the
surface. If it is too low, you will end up with
a larger diameter pin that is dif ficult to
remove. When this cut was completed, the
pin broke away by hand.
The next process simply combines the
first two operations into a single process.
We are going to turn the diameter down to
the smaller diameter and then face the
inside of the boss flange, Photo 3. If the
tool is well designed, it should also cut on
the back face as you extract the tool from
the finished diameter, but if not, you might
need to run across the face from the
outside in. Here you need to take care of
not just the diameter, but also the facing
operation, so you have two measurements
to consider. Lubrication of the cutting tool
for these small parts is not always
essential, but equally can do no harm.
Having done the turning for now, we are
going to move on to using the tail stock. A
chuck has been fitted to the tapered socket
and a suitably sized tapping drill for the
thread to be cut has been put into it. The
speed for the drilling operation will almost
certainly need to be increased to ensure a
clean cut. The tailstock is released from
the bed and slid along until the drill bit is
close to the job. Then the tailstock is
locked to the bed and the drill slowly fed
into the work by turning the handle on the
tailstock. If you are cutting a deep hole, the
drill may need removing once or twice to
The first stage of the process is to get
yourself set up and bearing in mind the
plan we discussed last month; just what
size material you will need; whether it can
be supported at one end only, or whether it
needs supporting from the tailstock as well;
and finally what tool type and shape you
are going to need. For this job I ground a
blank piece of high carbon tool steel and
mounted it in the tool post at a slight angle
which would enable me to cut across the
diameter as well as across the end face
without having to move the tool. The tool
must be set at the correct height as was
discussed a couple of months ago and the
job set up in the chuck. Ensure all the
safety precautions are in place such as
wearing goggles, removing loose items of
clothing, having the lighting set up and of
course, turn on the lathe!
The first cut then is simply to turn down
the outside diameter to the large diameter
3
Photo 1. The simplest
of all lathe procedures
is turning externally
down to a given size.
With the right tool
shape and sharpness
and correct turning
speed, even when
hand turning very
good surface nishes
can be achieved.
Photo 2. Probably
the second most
straightforward
operation will be the
facing cut. Here the
tool height is critical to
a successful cut and
again the nish with a
manual operation can
still be very good.
Photo 3. Combining
the two operations
gives you the
opportunity to check
two dimensions at the
same time. Here we
need to pay attention
to the size of the
smaller diameter as
well as the position of
the nished face.
clear the swarf, taking great care not to
wind the chuck back so far as to release it
from the taper again Photo 4! In this case
we need to ensure that we drill deep enough
to allow the tap itself to cut deep enough to
ensure a full thread has been cut right
through the job. If you dont drill deep
enough and the tap bottoms before the full
diameter thread is cut right the way through,
anything you will try to screw into the thread
in the future may be too tight and dont forget
that lubrication of the drill bit will keep it
cooler and make the cutting and swarf exit
from the drill hole easier.
The next part of the process is one of those
little procedures that you pick up over the
years that make life so much easier and are as
a result of the thinking and planning that you
put into a job. You may think that the easiest
way to tap a hole is to put the job into a bench
vice and turn the tap down it with a tap
wrench. If you think of the set-up you have
though, then you already have a means of
holding the tap as well as a means of rotating
the piece. In this case, the tap is going to be
held in the tailstock chuck and we are going
to rotate the chuck by hand as in Photo 5.
The rst task is to switch off the lathe AND
turn off the mains power and just in case you
missed that, switch off the lathe AND isolate
the mains power. This is a hand operation and
so it would be extremely dangerous if the lathe
was to turn under power suddenly. With the
lathe isolated, bring the tailstock up to the job
until the tap is located in the hole and slowly
rotate the chuck by hand. As you rotate the
chuck the tap will be drawn into the hole and
cut the thread while remaining perfectly
concentric with the hole. Dont forget to
ensure that the tailstock lock isnt on!
Finally we are back to a turning operation and
we are going to nish off with a parting cut,
Photo 6. The parting tool can either be used to
part at a set point to give you a nished size, or
more frequently, we part slightly oversize then
rotate the nished part and re-chuck it to nish
off the face to size. This has the downside of
possibly marking the diameter with the chuck,
so if the surface nish is important to the part
you might want to consider parting the piece off
to the nished size.
So, nally we have our own home made
boiler mounting boss, Photo 7. Basic lathe
skills can help you achieve this and many
other simple to make parts which can be a
huge source of satisfaction to a modeller. It
also enables you to make those one-off parts
that you would never be able to purchase, but
that can make your model that bit more
individual to you. l
Website content includes:
l A Gallery which features photo albums of models,
including some under construction by Model Boats
readers and being updated as they progress.
l A Forum that has sections for:
Beginners, General, R/C and Accessories, Static, Kits,
Scratch build, Steam, Vintage, Events and Chat.
l 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.
l 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.
Model Boats Magazine is now only a
click away! You can find us online at...
M
O
D
EL B
O
ATS
O
N
L
IN
E
!
4
5
6
7
steam basics
Photo 6. The nal
turning operation is
parting the piece of
the bar stock. The
parting tool needs to
be correctly ground to
ensure a good clean
cut and again the
speed of rotation
is important.
Photo 4. The key to a successful drilling operation is always the condition of the drill tip.
Worn or badly ground tips will run off-centre, overheat, clog with swarf and ultimately quite
possibly break. Always use a good quality HSS drill bit and if in doubt, use a brand new one.
Photo 5. Do not do this unless the lathe is completely secured and unable to turn under
power. Preferably remove the plug from the socket if it is tted. Then make the most use of
the set-up you have created and ensure yourself a clean, neat and concentric tapped hole.
Photo 7. Something to
be proud off, a nished
homemade item ready
to be tted to your
plant somewhere.
You cant beat the
feeling of being able
to say, I made that,
from scratch.
Tony Greens Steam Models with his miniature
steam engines starting from just 19, apparently
also very popular with Swedish school children!
With a range of marine, traction and stationery
engines, plus loads of accessories, there was
something for everyone interested in this
branch of our hobby.
Macs Mouldings has an unbelievable
array of fish boxes, seagulls, and even
more to bring any model to life. Many of
our other well known UK traders supported
the show and the popular Bring and Buy
stall attracted much attention with many
items changing hands.
Tony Olliff
A nice feature of this show is the informal
judging of models in relatively loose
categories, with a ceremony on the second
day to distribute the attractive engraved glass
plaques to the winners. Star of the show was
Tony Olliff with his superb semi-scratch
RNLB Enid Follett. He also won the scratch
build category with his small Hayling Island
fast aoat lifeboat that started life as a broom
N
ow in its second year, this event is
sponsored by Mark Williams of A Model
World. He could not do it without the
support of individual model boaters and the
attending clubs, so a big THANK YOU to
them all. This show, held in April in the
Midlands area of the UK, is a nice opener to
the summer boating season and is held in a
leisure centre which has a decent-sized
modern hall, good catering and convenient
adjacent parking.
Trade support
It was nice to have Adrian Clutterbuck with his
Adrians Marine Figures, which used to be the
range marketed by GT Models. New to me was
The 2013 National
Model Boat Show
ANTHONY ADDAMS reports from Coalville, Leicestershire
show report
Above: Adrian
Clutterbucks Adrians
Marine Figures.
Right: Chris Lloyds
RMS Titanic and
Ocean Explorer.
Above left: The Bring and Buy stall is in the foreground of this picture. Above right: This Yellow Peril tug with its methylated spirit powered
Pop-Pop engine can tow four barges.
show report
61
handle! Tony also had some rather nice
dioramas of helicopter rescues featuring RN
and RAF helicopters, not that unsurprising
really as Tony served with the Fleet Air Arm.
Notable models
There were numerous models of note and too
many to list all of them here, but amongst
them was Altair by Mike Hill, a 52 inch long
model of a 1931 yacht. Also, Aeki was a
superb small model of a 1953 auxiliary
trading ketch conversion, fully scratch built
by Jeff Bowering. Not only is the detailing
really authentic, but the cabins are fully
furnished. Motorised and radio controlled,
the model sails well, but for this weekend it
was displayed within a diorama using a laser
cut glass sea over a sandy seabed.
John Mathieson had the classic Rau
whaling ship from a Graupner kit, a model we
dont see very often now as whaling has gone
out of fashion. Christopher Lloyd had come
along with his RMS Titanic and Ocean
Explorer. Both of these large models, were
built from scratch by Chris and were leaders
in their competition categories.
Other notable models included a hovercraft
from Roy Smart as well as his RMAS
Forceful, a naval paddle tug. Mike Astle
brought along his 1:350 scale, 10 inch long
HMS Amethyst and Moira Hawkins (of the
Hawkins clan) displayed a Soviet Frunzyaka,
a coastal defence vessel of the Cold War era,
as well as her
evocative French
shing boat.
Tugs and
kids
projects
Ron Smith displayed
some examples of simple
models to get children started
on model boat construction.
These were made out of redundant plastic
bottles, elastic bands and other recycled
materials with a simple battery fan powering
these models. Also, his Yellow Peril tug with
its methylated spirit powered Pop-Pop engine
can tow four barges apparently
Conclusion
If you missed the show, I hope the models
pictured here will demonstrate the great variety
of models displayed and the ambience of the
event. It is the clubs and their members who turn
out in the early hours, often travelling long
distances with cumbersome models, together
with the trade fraternity on whom we rely, who
make these events what they are. There were
many other great models and traders not
mentioned here, but it was an event well worth
visiting and thanks to Mark Williams for
sponsoring it all. I understand it is intended the
event will be repeated in 2014 in the Spring, so
watch for the advertisements in this magazine. l
Aeki is a superb model of a 1953 auxiliary trading ketch and is totally scratch built by Jeff Bowering.
Macs Mouldings ttings are all over this trawler cat!
Inset left: Tony Greens
Steam Models.
Below: Tony Olliff
has been a lifeboat
enthusiast for more
years than I care to
remember!
Left: Ron Smith had
some examples of
simple models to get
children started on
model boat construction.
Above: Moira Hawkins
French open clinker built
shing boat.
A
Model Boats Plan Features Special
magazine edition was bought for me as
a possible spur to a new retirement
activity. It included free plans for HMS
Shefeld, designed by Glynn Guest as a
simple easy to build model for radio control.
One of my young grandsons is very
interested in ships, particularly battleships
so I decided to build HMS Shefeld in order
that we we could sail her together.
Coincidently, the ship was built at the yard in
which I worked as apprentice and then later
as a craftsman and shipwright, so adding
much personal interest. As the model was
primarily for my two eight year-old
grandsons, the intention was to build for
sailing, with an overall impression of the ship
rather than a scale accurate model with lots of
ne detail. Being a novice to model building
and radio control, my only knowledge was
from reading introductory books, so it was
going to be a little bit of a challenge!
Model construction
The plan instructions are well written and
easy to follow. I quickly shaped and
constructed the hull with its internal
bulkheads and stif feners producing the
basic main component of the model.
Research often quoted the use of fibreglass
and resin on balsa wood ship models to
improve strength and water-tightness. A
lightweight and fine fibreglass cloth and
Eze-Kote laminating resin were easily
obtained. The cloth was applied to the hull
and impregnated with several coats of the
resin, lightly sanded between applications,
to produce a thin, but tough hull exterior.
Resin was also used on the inside of the
hull, to create a waterproof inner coating
and prevent any water seeping into the
balsa via that route, although I note that
Glynn usually leaves the insides of his
models bare.
When modelling time was limited, ttings
such as the funnels, gun turrets or boats etc.
were shaped from solid or fabricated balsa
and likewise resin coated. I did deviate from
the plan instructions where Glynn suggests
using card to plate the turrets and also to
form the funnels.
The main deck and superstructure were built
as per the instructions, with the wind deector
detail in front of the bridge windows being
approximated by ling solid balsa to shape
rather than manufacturing numerous small
brackets and adding the deectors. Once again I
chose not to use an overlay of card as suggested
in the instructions for the superstructure, but
coated each item with resin.
J
ohn retired in 2011 aged 65 after 50
years of working. John had little
knowledge or experience in building a
radio controlled ship model and HMS
Shefeld is the rst r/c model to be built
and sailed by him.
He was interested in building a simple
limited detail model, giving a reasonable
impression of a large warship for sailing
with his grandsons, rather than an elaborate
nely detailed model for competition or
static display. John had trained as a
shipwright and has extensive experience of
ship design, manufacturing and building of
a wide variety of merchant and naval
vessels, which is of considerable help now
when building ship models.
His daughters are always looking for
interesting retirement activities for him
and they bought a copy of the
Model Boats Plan Features Special and
encouraged him to have a go, particularly
to benet his grandsons.
The success of the HMS Shefeld model,
with relatively little effort or time, has
sparked his interest in more ship modelling.
John is particularly interested in unusual
ships such as SS Miltiades, as featured in
the Special Edition of Model Boats. He is
therefore seeking plans, but if not sourced
will use his full-size ship design skills to
draw a simplied model plan of a similar
hull form and use the magazine
photographs to derive sufcient
superstructure and arrangement layout to
complete the model plan to the requisite
level of detail he prefers for a sailing,
rather than showing model.
Mind you, he intends to raise the
standard with this next model! l
John Martin - Prole
readers models
HMS Shefeld
JOHN MARTIN describes his model
Above: The authors
completed model.
Right: The constructed
parts were laid out
frequently to monitor
progress and provide
encouragement for
further endeavours!
The main deck was split into two removable
sections as instructed and both sections were a
tight t and easily removable from the hull, for
access to the ballast, motor, battery and r/c.
Propulsion, steering
and radio
For propulsion, a 545 type of motor is
recommended and this, plus a steel motor
mount, suitable propshaft, exible coupling
and a 30mm propeller were purchased to
complete the propulsion system. Being new
to radio control modelling, I then discovered I
also needed a speed controller and an
electronic version was chosen. Fitting the
propshaft was a concern as how could the
motor be aligned reasonably accurately, but
be adjustable until actually correct and the
epoxy glue set? A string along the centreline
of the model provided a reference for the
propshaft alignment. Putting the motor and
its balsa wedge alongside the hull, then
setting the angle of shaft as close to
horizontal as possible gave the approximate
positions for drilling the hull and bulkhead.
These holes were drilled oversize to ensure
accurate alignment could be achieved. The
propshaft was connected to the motor, now in
the hull, and alignment nely adjusted using
the centreline string and sighting of the shaft
angle. Once as correct as it could be, small
wedges were used to hold the propshaft in
position when applying the epoxy glue.
A commercial rudder was bought and a
balsa skin added to it to obtain the necessary
rudder size and shape for the model. This
fabricated rudder was also strengthened with
breglass and resin. Drilling for the rudder
post was straightforward, once again with a
slightly oversize and countersunk hole to
allow for the epoxy, and the rudder shaft itself
was trimmed to the correct length otherwise
it would foul the deck. The rudder servo is
standard, supported on transverse blocks of
balsa and attached to the commercial tiller
arm with two rods to form a robust closed
loop arrangement.
For r/c, a 2.4Ghz system was chosen, of
which the receiver is very small and
lightweight with a short aerial. The receiver
and speed controller were housed in separate
compartments in the hull each side of a
bulkhead to ensure they were not exposed
unnecessarily to water ingress. A 7.2v
3600mAh at battery pack provides the
power, which is located low in the model for
stability.
Finishing off
The hull, with its operational items installed,
was tested in the bath. It was trimmed, but
had a minimum draft as my lack of modelling
knowledge was such that I had not
considered the possible need for ballast! As
lead was short, small pieces of broken
agstone from the garden were used, shaped
to t inside the hull under the forward
removable superstructure and wrapped in
waterproof tape. Redundant lead shing
weights were used at the stern end to get a
reasonable waterline depth and acceptable
overall trim.
All the gun turrets are shaped from solid balsa
and the barrels for the twin four-inch gun
readers models
KIS (Keep It Simple). The rudder linkages, and please note the lead shing weights as ballast.
In this picture you can also just see the resin that has oozed over the top port edge of the hull.
The initial forward ballast was of broken-up agstone from the garden,
all wrapped in waterproof tape.
A standard 7.2v sub-C battery pack keeps the centre of gravity as
low as possible. Glynns simple box construction means that there is
plenty of room inside the model.
Above: The propshaft aligned with the motor which is installed on
balsa wedge.
Inset below: Balsa wood, nished with resin, enlarged the commercial
off the shelf rudder.
mounts are cut from small nails. The pom-pom
gun barrels are shortened panel pins, but
leaving the heads to replicate their outer ends.
Barrels for the main gun turrets were made
from a selection of brass tube and plastic rod.
Rangenders, searchlight platforms and other
ttings on the plan were all carved or fabricated
from balsa. Davits for the whalers are just bent
nails with the boats carved from balsa.
The masts are styrene rods connected
together with rubber ttings from an old stunt
kite, so yes, not a true representation of the
original vessel, but sufcient for a reasonable
effect when sailing. One of the grandsons
positioned and glued all the guns, boats,
rangenders etc. onto the model, he being
very pleased to be involved in our model.
Painting is in accordance with the plan
instructions and produced an acceptable
looking model of a warship. The completed
model to be truthful, has minimum detail, but
does give the visual impression of being a
powerful warship which is what the project
was all about, apart from providing pleasure
for my grandsons.
On the water
The model was launched and tested on the
local boating pond with great success, an
eight year-old grandson gingerly sailing it
away from the jetty for the rst time. Other
than a couple of unintentional collisions with
the aforementioned jetty, we had about an
hour of sailing without major incident. The
model is very responsive, easy to sail and
impressive at speed on a long straight run.
Turning at speed gives an alarming list,
which can also be the case on a real warship,
so we quickly learned to slow down for
sensible turning.
When sailing the model, people frequently
stop to chat and ask about it. They are quite
often surprised when I tell them it is made
from scratch using Free Plans from Model
Boats. Giving children a try at controlling the
model always brings a smile to their faces and
a demand for their father to go home and
build something similar!
Conclusion
This is my rst remote controlled model ship
which has been interesting and fun to build
and sail. With good quality plans and
instructions, and a little patience and time, a
model can be built with minimum model
making knowledge and as a retirement
activity I highly recommend it. Indoors on
wet days for building; outside on ne days for
sailing! However, beware, as it is addictive!
I am already planning the next model, an
attractive historic cargo/passenger liner from
the 1900s when steam was very much
replacing sail and nally, a big THANK YOU
to Glynn for his giving me the inspiration and
courage to have a go at something new.
All Photographs taken by author and his wife. l
readers models
A happy grandson as he brings the model
safely home at the end of the sailing session.
Above left: Simple masts were made from a redundant kite.
Not true scale, but they do the business!
Above right: Ready to go! You can see that there is plenty of space
inside the model.
Right: End of a turn during rst sailing trial.
The simple stand also acts as a convenient model transport device.
My eight year-old grandson positioned the guns and boats etc.
She has a trimaran hull conguration, Photos
2 and 3, and is the second longest vessel in the
world of this type. Benchijigua Express is 417ft
long with a main central hull unit, in which are
tted four diesel/electric 8200kW power units in
two engine rooms and their associated external
water-jets. At the extreme edges of her 100ft
beam are two smaller hulls which are about one
third the length of the centre hull. The single
vehicle and two passenger decks are congured
to cover much of the three main user areas.
Interestingly, Austal and General Dynamics
based the hull design of the more recent US
Navy Independence class Littoral Combat Ship
on this Benchijigua Express design.
The model plan
This is to a scale of 1:160, producing a model
of 32 inches length, which is a handy size, but
of course the beam is 7.5 inches. It is not a
true 100% scale model, being propelled by
conventional motor/propshaft drivetrains
with the propellers running in Kort nozzles
(ducts), but this was easier and less expensive
than installing proprietary water-jet units.
A drawing is always essential when building
a unique model and this was no exception. The
model drawing, as in Photo 4, was prepared
from a publicity brochure, so yes, as simple as
just that! All that had to be done was to scan
the brochure picture, enlarged to the desired
T
his unique and very fast ferry, Photo 1,
was built by Austal of Western Australia
in 2003 and is currently operated by
Fred Olsen Express. She can transport a
maximum of 1290 passengers and 123 cars,
plus has 450 metres of truck lane (which can
also be used for cars) between the Canary
Islands, Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro and
La Palma, at speeds of up to 42 knots in most
sea conditions.
Benchijigua Express
DAVID HEAPS describes
his model of this very high
speed trimaran ferry
1
2
3
4
readers models
size, print and then develop it to create a nal
drawing for what would hopefully be a practical
and buoyant model. Some guesswork was
involved and it was speedily realised that the
hull construction needed to be lightweight.
Construction
In summary, the model is built from balsa wood
with the ribs and formers being of composites of
thin balsa and polystyrene sheet, all glued
together with PVA glue.
Hull construction was therefore relatively
simple, the basic framework being cut and
assembled upside down as in Photos 5 and 6.
Dense polystyrene blocks were shaped and
glued into/between the wooden framework to
create the complex shapes at the front ends of
the side outer hulls and around the propshaft
tunnels on the main central section. The at and
nearly at areas were all skinned with 1/16 inch
(1.5mm) balsa wood sheet, Photo 7, whilst
3/16 inch (4.5mm) sheet was used for the at
bottom section.
A few words about using polystyrene
blocks in a hull wont be amiss. You have to
be careful, because some types of this
expanded foam rapidly melt when certain
adhesives or llers are applied, so please do
test on a scrap piece before applying glue or a
resin based ller. To circumvent this possible
problem and to protect the shaped
polystyrene blocks, they were coated in
standard domestic Polylla, which was lightly
sanded to a smooth nish and then given
three coats of emulsion paint, lightly sanding
after each coat. This could then be safely
covered with lightweight glassbre cloth and
resin which tends to be cheaper than the
epoxy resins much favoured by
aeromodellers. The quality of the nal hull
nish is up to the builder, but in this case,
because the hull had to be as lightweight as
possible, the sheeted balsa sections were not
treated to the breglass cloth and resin
application. Okay, perhaps not perfectly
smooth, but after two seasons of use, the hull
is still sound. Photo 8 is of the bottom of the
hull (a little bit grubby now!), but still
perfectly serviceable after two years of use.
The upperworks are also from block and
sheet balsa and cover a large opening in the
deck which allows good access to the motors,
speed controller, steering servo, receiver and
battery, Photo 9. The red diecast London
bus and lorry, which are about to scale and
are at the stern on the vehicle deck, give an
idea of the scale of the ferry. Obviously on the
full size vessel the vehicle deck occupies the
whole hull.
Propulsion and steering
The full size craft has two large central water jet
units with a smaller steerable unit on either side.
These two smaller jets also provide the reverse
thrust when needed. For simplicity, this model
is driven by two 380 type brushed motors,
Photo 10 connected to the propellers running
in xed Kort nozzle style ducts. Steering is by
5
6
8
9
10
7
readers models
25ft RN Motorboat
This is a new kit to a scale of 1:12,
making a model 690mm long and
210mm beam. These boats were
common on many post WW2 RN
warships. There were wide variations
in detail and this kit lends itself to
being modelled as an exact replica of
the full-size boat on a specic warship.
The kit is based on a GRP hull with
the clinker planking moulded on its
surface. The deck and cabin assembly
is laser cut from 1.5 & 1mm hi-impact
plastic sheet. A full set of ttings in
cast alloy, resin and brass is included,
together with a set of decals and
nameplates and the window frames
are cut from vinyl aluminium style
sheet. The propshaft and propeller
are included, plus the usual full-size
plan and instructions. Introductory
price is 145.
Please see Deans Marine
advertisement for contact details.
small rudders set in the ow from these nozzles,
Photo 11. The propellers rotate in opposite
directions and are coupled directly to the motors
with no gearboxes. A 7.2 volt battery is located
further forward, the radio is 2.4GHz, and a
single 15 amp Mtroniks esc provides the
necessary control for the motors. The rudders
are connected to the rudder servo output arm
by a length of exible control wire restrained in
a short length of copper tubing to turn the
motion through 90 degrees.
In the light of operational experience, there
were some further adjustments made, including
enlarging the port rudder as in Photo 12.
Finishing off
As you can see from Photo 13, the
superstructure is very simple and is of block and
strip balsa wood. The logos were computer
generated by using screen grabs and scans
from the promotional brochure, and then
printed on to a clear special self adhesive lm.
The black windows are just cut from standard
stick-a-trim type of self-adhesive trim that you
can purchase from BECC Flags and others.
On the water and conclusion
The model has good speed and is stable, but
tight turns are not that wonderful, but there
again you would expect that bearing in mind
the at-sided trimaran hull.
As a project, it was a challenge with a
dif ference, but demonstrates that a
workable model can be created from
photographs and a basic drawing in a
promotional brochure. I am happy with it
as it does what I want and is a bit dif ferent
from the usual model seen on a Sunday.
Good luck with your modelling -
David Heaps. l
News from Deans Marine
13
11 12
14
readers models
THE SAILING FRIGATE
ROBERT GARDINER
This book is the first of a series which will
take selections of the best models from the
National Maritime Museum in Greenwich to
tell the story of specific ship types in this
case, the evolution of the cruising ship under
sail.
246 x 186 mm, 128pp,
130 colour illustrations,
ISBN: 9781848321601, 25.00 20.00
X.1: THE ROYAL NAVYS
MYSTERY SUBMARINE
ROGER BRANFILL-COOK
This book explores the historical
background to submarine cruisers, the
personalities involved in X.1s design
and service, the ships chequered career,
and her political demise.
246 x 186 mm, 192pp,
180 illustrations,
ISBN: 9781848321618, 25.00 20.00
Buy your books online today at: www.seaforthpublishing.com
Or Telephone: 01226 734222 (Quote: 241023)
ALSO AVAILABLE IN WATERSTONES AND MANY OTHER HIGH
STREET BOOKSHOPS
Maritime book proposals are always welcome:
Info@seaforthpublishing.com
Results (rst 10 only)
1st, Roy Stevens; 2nd, Hugh McAdoo; 3rd, Darin Ballington;
4th, John Arundel; 5th, Martin Crysell;
6th, John Taylor Dartmouth; 7th, John Shorrock;
8th, Trevor Jenkins; 9th, Alf Reynolds; 10th, Alan Viney.
G
uildford MYC hosted the 2013 Acorn
Trophy GAMES 5, the Metropolitan &
Southern District Marblehead ranking
event at its Abbey Meads, Chertsey, Surrey,
venue. There were 15 entries in what was
considered to be the rst summer weekend!
Sixteen races were run in warm sunshine
with light winds in a basically northerly
direction, an ideal wind direction to allow a
long windward/leeward course, parallel to the
control area. The 700m long, two lap course
with a windward spreader and leeward gate,
took on average 17 minutes and still gave
reasonable time for lunch and coffee breaks.
There were seven individual race winners, so
no one dominated the event, but Roy Stevens
was the most consistent with a series of good
places and ve wins, so he regained the
Acorn Trophy that he won two years ago.
Racing
This started in a steady 4 to 6 mph northerly
breeze and John Arundell, with his powerful
Starkers design led the eet to the windward
marks, but had misread the course board and
did not round them correctly, letting Hugh
McAdoo into the lead to win Race 1 and then
go on to also win Race 2. Darin Ballington,
who had been runner-up in both these early
races made no mistake in Race 3, winning
from Alf Reynolds and Martin Crysell. John
Arundell made it to the front in Race 4 after
overtaking Mark Mortimore, who held the
lead for most of the race with his Roar Edge.
Roy Stevens, who had made a mediocre
start, showed his form to beat John Arundell
into second place in Race 5. John then had a
battle with Alf and sailed a very good nal
off-wind leg on the left hand side of the course
in more wind to win Race 6. The wind was by
this time not as steady, with odd gusts from a
more westerly direction and much lighter,
leaving patches of calm in the centre of the
course. The stronger gusts bunched up the
eet on the off-wind legs and in Race 7 at the
rst gate rounding there was a minor pileup,
as a result of doubt about last-minute overlaps
claimed over a series of already overlapped
boats. Roy Stevens was already leading ahead
of the main body of the eet and pulled away to
win from Martin and Hugh. The Race Ofcer,
Roger Stollery, stopped the racing in this
patchy wind for lunch and the results with one
discard gave the lead to Hugh, with an equal
score of 16 points with Darin and Roy third
with 24 points.
During the lunch break there was a healthy
discussion about the new Marblehead
website: http://marbleheadsailing.wordpress.
com/, which is being set up to help promote
the class and provide information to those
who have not yet experienced the design
freedom and performance of these fantastic
Formula 1 type r/c boats.
After lunch
Suitably refreshed, John Arundell returned to
form to win Race 8 from Roy and Hugh. Race
9 was very slow, as the wind was very patchy
and it took 22 minutes, but was won by John
Taylor, who had driven up from Plymouth for
the day and during the morning had several
disappointing results with technical problems.
However his new swing rigged Pixel design
was now going well and made up for the
disappointment by not only winning Race 9,
but also nishing second to Roy in Race 10.
The wind became more NNW, blowing a bit
more over the left shoulder and favoured
those who chose to go to windward up the
right hand side of the course in the stronger
breeze on the leeward side of the lake.
It was Martin Crysell who took advantage
of this to win Race 11 from Hugh and Roy.
Trevor Jenkins got the best start in Race 12
and led to the rst mark, but was eventually
overtaken by Darin, who went on to win. Phil
Holliday, new to radio sailing, had borrowed
Roger Stollerys Crazy Tube Free and was on
a big learning curve initially, with 9th as his
best result. However in Race 13 he decided to
start late on port and whilst others continued
on starboard into the calmer air he gained a
big advantage in the stronger winds and
rounded the windward mark in the lead. The
power of his swing rig extended his lead
downwind and he managed to cover the
chasing boats to win the race. He was
absolutely delighted! John Taylor was also
delighted in Race 14 with another win from
John Arundell and John Shorrock. He was
third in Race 15 behind Trevor Jenkins and
the winner, Roy Stevens, who made no
mistake in the nal Race 16, to win that as
well and make sure that he could take the
Acorn Trophy home.
It was good to see ve new competitors
come to this event at Guildfords Abbey
Meads Lake and also to see nine clubs
represented with nine different designs, all of
them showing that they could reach the front
of the eet at some point during the event.
The prizewinners thanked the Guildford club
and Roger for organising a good days racing.
He in turn thanked Keith Parrott of the
Frensham Pond MYG who had kindly
volunteered to be the assistant race ofcer. l
around the clubs
MYA
News
ROGER STOLLERY reports
from the 2013 Acorn
Trophy GAMES 5 event
Above: The runner-up, Hugh McAdoo
No. 116 makes a good start at the near end.
Right: 2013 Acorn Trophy winner,
Roy Stevens No. 54 starts well at the far end.
The eet is running
before the wind!
T
his years event was held in the sports
hall of the Doncaster Deaf Trust,
adjacent to Doncaster Racecourse.
Sixteen traders attended the show and there
were 17 clubs (or individuals) displaying their
models. It was organised by Bryan Smith and
the Conisbrough & District Modelling
Association. The hall was well organised with
what is becoming the common layout of
traders around the perimeter and the club
stands in the centre. In contrast to the aircraft
museum (the previous venue), there was less
clutter and access was better. Lighting levels
in the hall were a bit low, but once your eyes
adjusted to the conditions inside it was quite
Northern Model Boat Show - 2013
Gareth Jones reports
show report
A general view of the exhibition hall, but unfortunately the reinforcing wires in the windows were an optical nuisance.
Right: The Balne Moor
stand showing their
great interest in tugs
and tugging.
Above left: A scratch built model of the steam tug Cruiser, built by Mick Astle. Above right: Lady Wooes, part of the display of 17 boats by Alan Norwood and
Don Blackband, and the stand was named Last of the Summer Wine by Bryan Smith, the organiser of the show!
easy to see the detail on the models, but
photography was sometimes difcult.
There was ample free car parking and cars
could be temporarily parked close to the doors
for the unloading of models and the traders
stock. There was a large inatable pond just
outside, covered by a gazebo. Upstairs there was
an excellent caf providing a good range of hot
and cold food at very reasonable prices.
The models
The standard of models on display was very
high and although some stands were a bit
cramped for space it was nice to see that
modellers had provided supporting information
for their models, including the research and
techniques used to build them and in some
cases the special tooling used during
construction. The competition judges were Tom
Gorman and Peter Riches and the winner of the
Best Stand Award was Kirklees MBC with a
very well laid out and lit display. The builder of
the Best Boat in Show was Roy Whitton of Balne
Moor MBC with his model of the MV Balmoral.
It was nice to see that CADMA had made a
conscious effort to support young modellers and
there were six trophies presented in that
category with the top prize going to Adam
Holmes of Kirklees MBC.
Traders
Very much the usual culprits whom we have
come to expect at these events. Notably, it
was nice to see Mounteet Models getting
going again after their re and J Class Hulls is
a relatively new supplier, showing some really
nice GRP mouldings and kits.
Clubs
These were very much clubs drawn from the
Yorkshire area with one or two newish names
including Hull Castaways and Last of the
Summer Wine! In conclusion, Bryan Smith
organises this show very well, with plenty to
look at, some unusual modelling subjects to be
seen, and a big enough selection of traders to
provide most of the things you might want to
include in your model or workshop. Next years
show is likely to be held at the same venue and
will no doubt be well worth a visit. Watch the
modelling press for more information! l
show report
Above: Models by
Design now produce
their Wildcat catamaran
workboat in a smaller
size, seen here with its
big brother.
An unusual subject for a model and built to an impressively large scale. The New York tug
Dolly B, built by Lloyd Bennett of Hull MBC.
A very neatly engineered steam launch on the Vicar Water MBC stand.
The Surface Warship Association can always be relied upon to display an impressive range
of grey ships.
Roy Whitton from Balne Moor MBC took the trophy for Best Boat in
Show with his model of the MV Balmoral.
Tony Smith from Goole MBC, demonstrating his model of Titanic on the
outside pool.
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propwash
74
BMPRS
News
Website: www.bmprs.co.uk
Stewart Rae (Scoop)
reports from Telford
A
sunny start greeted us at Telford, but
keeping an eye on the weather forecast
in the week leading up to the race I was
prompted to give the chairman of Telford
MBC Giles Ponting a quick phone call to ask
if the giant marquee could be erected as
showers were forecast for race day! Its very
handy and most welcoming as it gives a large
dry protected area for race control,
lapcounters etc.
Mark Wild took on the role of OOD whilst I
stood in when Mark was racing.
The members taking part chose two twenty
minute heats with one minute mill times, the
new T1 & T2 Cat classes running ten minute
heats. Overall I had 40 odd boats booked in
for racing, but as occasionally happens not all
of them turned up for various reasons.
AA class
Three different types of hull were entered
running three types of engine, two Sea Spirit
IIs, a BMR Proto and an Orange Box using a
Hyper 21, MDS 21 & 28 and a Mach 26.
Robin Butlers Sea Spirit II powered by a
Hyper 21 saw its way clear to rst place with a
two heat total of 68 laps, following him into
second spot was Russell Stephens MDS 21
powered Orange Box with 43 laps. Third and
fourth places were separated by just two laps,
third spot being claimed by lady driver Sha
Simon with her Mach 26 powered BMR Proto
against Mike Barnes MDS 28 Sea Spirit II
with all drivers faring better in the morning
session heats as opposed to the afternoon.
A class
A Crusader III/ASP 46, Sea Spirit II/SC 40,
Couger/MDS 40, Cavalier/Irvine 40 and a
Challenger 48 CMB 40 were the boats after
the points in this class. Top of the list was
young Kian Searles Crusader III with a
combined two heat total of 58 laps, just three
in front of Luke Bramwells Sea Spirit II for
second place overall. It seems these two
youngsters are having a good season thus far.
Kurt Caves Cougar/MDS 40 posted 42 laps
for third spot whilst fourth and fth were
claimed by Sally Butlers Cavalier and Russell
Stephens Challenger 48 with 37 and 34
respectively but both these boats had a DNS
(did not start) in the afternoon session.
B class
Three CMB 67s and a Webra 61 were the
powerplants aboard the B class boats
consisting of an Apache 50, Challenger 48,
Warhawk and Magnum. A good strong 93 laps
saw Malcolm Pratts Apache take an easy rst
place with 93 laps overall from the two
sessions. 70 laps took Garry Dicksons
Challenger/Webra 61 into second with a
combined total of 70, not far behind for third
place, Andy Rennies Warhawk posted 66 laps
and a further few laps back Sally Butler took
last place with her Magnum taking a 44/6 split.
C class
A mixed bag from the C class entries, with
various problems in both heats producing
lower than expected scores from these, the
Sha Simon with her
AA class Proto 28.
The Butler Pit.
most powerful of the nitro powered boats.
Andy Uttleys Arrow 57/CMB 91 RS managed
a 30/26 split to take the honours followed by
Ian Searles Makara CMB 90, again another of
the boats to have a problem during the
afternoon session. In Heat One, Bernard
Holders Magnum had a collision with Buoy
One which knocked his engine out of
alignment, so it was out for the rest of the day.
By now a few complaints of sighting issues
around this buoy were starting to reach the
OOD, so a decision was made to give a wider
berth when passing it and rescue would resite
it at race end!
D class
Another class where several of the entries
fared much better in Heat One than the
afternoon session!
Mike Barnes Patriot/Gizmo 28.5 had a
good blast around the circuit to take 99 laps for
rst place; mind you he was kept on his toes
by Garry Dicksons Miami 55/Zen 31 taking
94 laps from the two heats and a well deserved
second spot from this much improving boat.
Paul Woolacotts Apache/Alro 29 laid claim to
third with 88 laps and 70 laps saw Malcolm
Pratts Sigma/Zen 30.5 arrive at the nishing
post in fourth overall. Mike Durrants
Phantom took a 55/0 split from the two heats
giving him fth place with 51 laps being
enough for Mark Wilds Sigma Arrow 26 for
sixth spot. Six laps further back found Kurt
Caves Sigma KRC 29 plying for seventh and
close on his tail was Andy Uttleys Phantom
Arrow 31 wih 45 laps and an eighth place. Up
in ninth spot Kevin Alcock had a DNS in heat
one but his Gizmo 30 powered Patriot posted
41 laps in heat two for a couple of
championship points for a possible discard at
season end (not all scores count towards the
championships, only the drivers best six).
Darren Elsons RCMK 29.5 Titan had a DNS
in heat one but took the last of the points by
nishing in tenth with 15 laps. Mick Jones
Lancer 55 powered by a QD Pioneer took
one lap from heat one and a DNS in heat
two due to a heavily damaged hatch cover.
BMPRS rules state a boat may carry on
with hatch cover damage with the
agreement of the OOD, but in this case
Mick decided he didnt want any further
damage to occur, so withdrew.
T1 class
An easy one here, Kurt Cave, a stroll round
the lake with his T/T 21 o/b GPL Tunnel
taking the win with just the one lap required
there being no other entries!
24 laps, Kurt Caves Conquest 43/KRC 29
23 laps and 21 laps for Darren Elsons
Thunderbolt for fourth, fth and sixth places
respectively. Kevin Alcocks Conquest 43
RCMK 25.4 took the nal place with 6 laps
from heat one and a DNS from two.
So what do a few of the drivers have to say
about their race days?
Mike Barnes
Even though Id won D class the engine
suffered with a bent crankshaft in Heat One
T2 class
The more powerful of the T classes with a
mixture of Nitro and Petrol powered craft.
Mark Wilds Avenger Cat with an Arrow 26
on board posted 47 laps for the top spot, he
wasnt going to run it, but I bet he was glad he
did in the end! Malcolm Pratts CMB 91 RS Cat
crossed the nish line in second having posted
39 laps in total from the two heats. Paul
Woolacotts 28 laps from his Alro 29 powered
Cyclone Cat was good for third. Garry
Dicksons Navicraft Thunderbolt Sikk 25 took
propwash
Above: Robin Butlers
Sea Spirit II under
power.
Below: left: Mark Wild
with his T2 class
winning Avenger Cat.
Below right: A perfect
launch for Andy
Rennies Warhawk.
A T2 class Cat.
Mike Barnes and his Patriot.
propwash
Telford Winners
which caused the front seal to pop out but not
enough to stop the engine, the seal was
replaced with no adverse effects in Heat Two.
My AA class boat, a Sea Spirit II, suffered
from a broken prop, bent rudder and loose
propshaft after a collision with marker Buoy 4
in the morning, lunch time repairs found it
back on the water in the afternoon heat.
Above: Down from Manchester area, two Sea Spirits with their owners Mike Barnes
and Luke Bramwell.
Above: Kurt Caves
Conquest Cat and
Sigma.
Kurt Cave with
his Sigma.
Kian Searle with his ASP
powered Crusader III.
77

Name No Hull Engine Heat 1 Heat 2 Total
AA Class Laps Laps Laps
1 Robin Butler 10 Sea Spirit II Hyper 21 38 30 68
2 Russell Stephens 89 Orange Box MDS 21 24 19 43
3 Sha Simon 60 BMP Proto 26 Mach 26 22 8 30
4 Mike Barnes 4 Sea Spirit II MDS 28 16 12 28
A Class
1 Kian Searle 128 Crusader III ASP 46 42 16 58
2 Luke Bramwell 83 Sea Spirit II SC 40 29 26 55
3 Kurt Cave 7 Cougar MDS 40 14 28 42
4 Sally Butler 12 Cavalier Irvine 40 37 0 37
5 Russell Stephens 89 Challenger 48 CMB 40 34 0 34
B Class
1 Malcolm Pratt 9 Apache 50 CMB 67 54 39 93
2 Garry Dickson 44 Challenger 48 Webra 61 42 28 70
3 Andy Rennie 11 Warhawk CMB 67 38 28 66
4 Sally Butler 12 Magnum CMB 67 44 6 50
C Class
1 Andy Uttley 22 Arrow 57 CMB 91 RS 30 26 56
2 Ian Searle 127 Makara CMB 90 42 4 46
3 Bernard Holder 86 Magnum CMB 90 4 0 4
D Class
1 Mike Barnes 4 Patriot Gizmo 28.5 62 37 99
2 Garry Dickson 44 Miammi 55 Zen 31 52 42 94
3 Paul Woolacott 80 Apache Alro 29 51 37 88
4 Malcolm Pratt 9 Sigma Zen 30.5 46 24 70
5 Mike Durant 8 Phantom Gizmo 24 57 0 55
6 Mark Wild 5 Sigma Arrow 26 16 35 51
7 Kurt Cave 7 Sigma KRC 29 13 33 46
8 Andy Uttley 22 Phantom Arrow 31 45 0 45
9 Kevin Alcock 75 Patriot Gizmo 30 0 41 41
10 Darren Elson 73 Titan RCMK 29.5 15 0 15
11 Mick Jones 59 Lancer 55 QD Pioneer 1 0 1
Class T1
1 Kurt Cave 7 GPL Tunnel T/T 21 O/B 1 0 1
Class T2
1 Mark Wild 5 Avenger Arrow 26 20 27 47
2 Malcolm Pratt 9 Cat CMB 91 RS 27 12 39
3 Paul Woolacott 80 Cyclone Alro 29 7 21 28
4 Garry Dickson 44 Navicraft Sikk 25 9 17 24
5 Kurt Cave 7 Conquest 43 KRC 29 23 0 23
6 Darren Elson 73 Thunderbolt RCMK 29.5 23 0 21
7 Kevin Alcock 75 Conquest 43 RCMK 25.4 6 0 6
Best Boat: D89 Apache: Paul Woolacott
Highest laps of the day: 99 Mike Barnes D Class
BMPRS AA-Class T2 Results Telford 12th May 2013
Race venues and host clubs
Please see our website for the forthcoming 2013 events.
We are grateful to the clubs who allow us to use their facilities.
Branston www.burtonmodelboatclub.org.uk/
Kingsbury www.kwpmbc.co.uk/
Leicester www.kinglearmodelboatclub.co.uk
Nottingham ww.nottinghammodelboatclub.freehostia.com/
Stevenage www.sites.googie.com/site/stevenagemodelboats/
Telford www.telfordmodelboatclub.co.uk
Useful Websites
www.bmprs.co.uk Offshore style powerboat racing society
www.prestwich.ndirect.co.uk for just about everything you need
www.iansboats.co.uk mainly multi boats but has useful stuff for offshore
www.modeltechnics.com Nitro racing fuel, glow plugs etc.
www.justengines.unseen.org 2 & 4 stroke engines, spares etc.
www.arrowmodeIsport.com 29cc petrol Arrow billet engine and engine tuning
www.cfsnet.co.uk Fibreglass products
www.modelboatbits.com as it says - model boat bits
www.waveridermouldings.zoomshare.com Fibreglass hulls
www.maplin.co.uk
www.prop-shop.co.uk Excellent, very good quality props
www.howesmodels.co.uk Keenly priced radio equipment plus much more
wwwjotika-ltd.com Importer of Aero Marine hulls and hardware
Email Graham at laylayland@aol.com for info on the GPL1000 (A class) hull
Email david.hough11@hotmail.co.uk Bespoke engineering, marinised heads etc.
Email kurtcave@googlemail.com for quality petrol engine tuning
Andy Rennie
I had a bit of hatch cover damage aboard my
Warhawk, but a bit of Gaffer tape soon had it
repaired good enough to carry on racing.
Garry Dickson
I went home with two damaged boats after
collisions. My wife spotted the rst one when
we were packing the boats in the car for the
journey home, a rather large hole in the
Miami 55 with similar sized debris inside the
hull which looked suspiciously like parts
missing from Andy Uttleys hull!!!! My Cat
also suffered minor damage after another
boat rolled over it when it bounced off an
awkward wave. Never mind, I consider boat
maintenance as part and parcel of racing. A
bit of ller, rub down and respray will soon
have them sorted for the next race day.
Ian Searles Makara clipped a marker buoy,
the collision causing a glitch in the rudder servo
which eventually burnt out. It also suffered from
having its prop bent. Son Kian was out part way
through heat two with prop shaft damage after a
collision but not before enough laps had been
secured for the heat win.
Sally Butlers Magnum found its way past
the nish line with an unexplained hole in its
hull whilst her Cavalier returned with a
snapped skeg and half a prop
A few of the drivers also suffered from two
lap penalties for either getting a tad too close
to the rescue or failing to slow down enough.
BMPRS very much appreciate all the help
from the Telford MBC and especially the
rescue crew Giles Ponting, Jonathan
Nightingale and Stuart Bird. Thanks also to
lapscorers Sue and Sally Butler and Madelyn
Reid and OOD Mark Wild.
Catch you next month with a report from
Kingsbury, cheers Scoop l
Andy Rennies Warhawk.
Garry Dickson with his T2
class Thunderbolt.
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Krick Kits
Alexandra Steam Launch inc Fittings 300.00
Anna Steam Launch 100.00
Borkum Steam Launch inc Fittings 339.00
Felix 88.93
Lisa M 104.95
Gulnara 271.99
U-Boat 326.95
Victoria Steam Launch inc Fittings 355.00
Mamoli Kits
Blackbeard Pirate Ship 111.95
CSS Alabama 202.00
Golden Hind 180.00
HMS Beagle 1:64 173.00
HMS Bounty 1:64 Scale 211.00
HMS Endeavour 1:100 Scale 115.00
HMS Portsmouth 1:64 156.00
HMS Prince 256.00
HMS Surprise 305.00
HMS Swift 126.00
HMS Victory 1:150 Scale 260.00
LOrenoque 300.00
Roter Lowe 283.33
Valiant 173.00
Mantua Kits
Amerigo Vespucci 296.00
Armed Swedish Gunboat 140.00
Astrolabe. French Sloop 1812 197.00
Bruma Open Cruiser Yacht 1:43 165.00
Golden Star 77.00
HM Endeavour Bark 1768 1:60 156.00
HMS Victory 1:98 283.00
Mercator 145.00
Mincio 94.00
Le Superbe 322.00
Occre Kits
Albatros 79.00
Apostol Felipe (Galleon) 216.00
Cazador Xebec 180.00
Diana (Frigate) 216.00
Gorch Foch 320.00
Mississippi Paddle Steamer 180.00
San Marcos (Galleon) 215.00
Santisima Trinidad 358.00
Santissima Section 115.00
Ulises 195.00
London Tram 105.00
Dennis Bus Type B 95.00
Stephensons Rocket 72.00
Panart Kits
Amerigo Vespucci 1:84 670.00
Anteo Harbour Tug 329.00
Armed Naval Pinnace 132.00
HMS Victory Bow Section 173.00
Section Deck 130.00
San Felipe 583.00
The Royal Caroline 265.00
Pro Boat Ready to Run
Impulse 26 170.00
Westward 18 Sailboat 139.50
Robbe Kits
Dolly Harbour Launch 1:20 - New Version 129.95
Estelle 299.99
Le Courageux 340.00
Magin One Black Race edition 189.98
Magin Two 190.00
Sylt Police Boat 559.99
Windstar 239.99
Sergal Kits
Cutty Sark 358.00
HMS Bounty 174.00
HMS Peregrine 182.00
HMS President Light Frigate 77.00
HMS Racehorse 77.00
Mississippi 1870 356.00
Soleil Royale 1669 710.00
Sovereign of the Seas 710.00
Thermopylae 77.00
Wasa 710.00
Thunder Tiger
ETNZ 1M Racing Yacht 219.95
Naulantia 1M Yacht 149.99
Team china 1M yacht 219.95
Desperado Jr. ARTR Catamaran 119.99
Outlaw JR OBL Power boat Combo 165.95
Victory Models
HM Granado 261.95
HMS Fly 289.00
HMS Pegasus 344.00
HMS Vanguard 684.00
Lady Nelson 117.95
Mercury Russian Brig 354.00
Plastic Model Kits
Academy, Airx, Dragon, Easy Model,
Heller, Iterleri, Minicraft,
RB Model Upgrade Parts, Revell,
Smer, Tamiya, Trumpeter.
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Model Boats September 2013

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