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No.1 For Sail & Scale

March 2021

Vol.71 No.844

MO

DE

LL

IN

G G

RO

UP

£5.65

Magnificent projects showcased

We chat with Hornby's Darrell Burge about some exciting future releases

YOUR MODELS

COMING SOON...

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WINDJAMMER

Your chance to win this finely detailed new 1:72 scale World War I German U-Boat

Constructing & saling an historic beauty

FREE!AUDACITY

PLAN No: MM2157 No. OF SHEETS: 2 OF 2

BY GLYNN GUESTFirst published in

Model Boats March 2021

BOWPIECE

B1B

B1A

B2 & B3

BOWPIECE, BULKHEADS & TRANSOM

FROM 1/4” (6mm) BALSA SHEET

HULL SECTION AHEAD B1A

INTERNAL SIDE EDGING STRIPS

1/4” (6mm) SQ.

REINFORCEMENT

STRIPS

HULL BASESTRIPS

SHEET SLIDINTO SLOT HULL SIDES

BELOW SLOT

HULL SIDES

ABOVE SLOT

HULL BOTTOM

HULL SECTION AFT B2


1/2” (12mm) SQ. FRAME FITS INTO HULL

2mm LITE PLY FLIGHT DECK

HULL BASE STRIPS

HULL SIDES

HULL BOTTOM

B1A

B2

B3

TRANSOM ADDED

AFTER SIDES

INVERTED VIEW OF HULL

OVERSIZE SHEET SLID INTO SLOTS

IN HULL SIDES, GLUED & THEN

TRIMMED FLUSH

BOWPIECE

TRANSOM

CHAMFER EDGES TO MATCH HULL BOTTOM

& TOP EDGE OF HULL SIDES

HULL BOTTOM

6” x 1/4” (150 x 6mm) BALSA SHEET

HULL BASE STRIPS

1/2” x 1/4” (12 x 6mm) BALSA

LONGITUDINAL STRIP 34 1/4” (870mm) LONG

NOTE SPACE

FOR TRANSOM

HOLES FOR

RUDDER TUBES


1” x 1/4” (25 x 6mm) BALSA

HULL SIDES

2mm LITE PLY

SLOT

AUDACITYPLAN No: MM2157

No. OF SHEETS: 1 OF 2BY GLYNN GUEST

First published in


A FREELANCE SCALE MODEL BASED ON

A PROPOSED ‘HARRIER CARRIER’

SCALE APPROX. 1/144

SKETCH OF SUPERSTRUCTURE

SKETCH SHOWING GTDA

EXHAUSTS ON BOTH SIDES

SKETCH OF BOWS

SHOWING SKI JUMP

SKI JUMP FROM SCRAP BALSA/PLY

AA MISSILE

LAUNCHER

RADAR

CIWS

BOWPIECE

BALSA

LAMINATIONS

HARDWOOD BOW

REINFORCEMENT1/2” x 1/4” (12 x 6mm) BALSA

BASE STRIPS

1/4” (6mm) BALSA SHEET HULL BOTTOM

1” x 1/4” (25 x 6mm) INTERNAL SIDE EDGING STRIP

SUPERSTRUCTURE FROM BALSA/CARD

COUPLING

MOTOR

B1A

B2

B3

RUDDER

SERVO

8” (200mm) PROP TUBE

B1B

1/4” (6mm) SQ. REINFORCEMENT STRIPS

1/4” (6mm) SQ.

WATERLINE

RUDDER

TRANSOM

SEA HARRIER

SKI JUMP

DECK FROM 2mm LITE PLY

LYNX AUDACITY PLANS &BUILD INSTRUCTIONS

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The Boat Shed, Highcliffe Park, Ingham Cliff, Lincoln LN1 2YQ tel: 01522 730731 / 689209

6 A fond farewell to Model Boats’ former editor Paul FreshneyColin Bishop pays tribute

7 Compass 360The fantastic new Dave Metcalf

Boat Models’ 1:12 scale Liverpool

class lifeboat, plus Navarino Models

Brockley Combe and Revell Titanic

Prize Draw winners announced

12 MB Q&AThis month we chat to Hornby’s

Darrell Burge about some exciting

newly tooled models on the horizon

14 WIN Das Werk’s superb 1:72 scale WWI U-Boat kit Your chance to win and build

this truly striking display model

Vol.71 Issue 844: March 2021

contents

18 A wondrous WindjammerNev Wades talks us through the

construction and sailing of his

magnificent historic beauty, Parma

26 MSC ArcherPhil Button explains the

challenges presented and

the innovative solutions he came up

with in order to make changes to this

live steam tug

Published by MyTimeMedia Ltd., Suite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way,Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF.UK and Overseas:Tel: +44 (0) 1689 869 840www.modelboats.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS My Time Media Ltd., 3 Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 7BF.

UK – New, Renewals & EnquiriesTel: 0344 243 9023Email: [email protected] & CANADA – New, Renewals & EnquiriesTel: (001)-866-647-9191REST OF WORLD – New, Renewals & EnquiriesTel: +44 1604 828 748Email: [email protected]

CURRENT AND BACK ISSUESVisit: www.mags-uk.comTelephone: 01795 662976

EDITORIALEditor: Lindsey AmraniSuite 25, Eden House, Enterprise Way,Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF.Email: [email protected]

PRODUCTIONDesigner: Richard Dyer Illustrator: Grahame Chambers Retouching Manager: Brian Vickers Ad Production: Nik Harber

ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE Angela Price:Email: [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Kate Hall

MANAGEMENT Commercial Sales Manager: Rhona BolgerEmail: [email protected] Tel: 0204 522 8221 Chief Executive: Owen Davies

© MyTimeMedia Ltd. 2021

All rights reserved ISSN 0140-2910

The Publisher’s written consent must be obtained before any part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, including photocopiers, and information retrieval systems. All reasonable care is taken in the preparation of the magazine contents, but the publishers cannot be held legally responsible for errors in the contents of this magazine or for any loss however arising from such errors, including loss resulting from negligence of our staff. Reliance placed upon the contents of this magazine is at reader’s own risk.

Model Boats, ISSN 0140 - 2910, is published monthly by MyTimeMedia Ltd, Suite 25S, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 6HF, UK. The US annual subscription price is 89USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY 11256. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Model Boats, WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at DSB.net Ltd, 3 Queensbridge, The Lakes, Northampton, NN4 5DT. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

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4 Model Boats March 2021

5

WELCOME TO THE MARCH 2021 ISSUE OF MODEL BOATS....

I hope you are all managing to keep safe and well and that in that in some small way having a

hobby to fall back on is helping you maintain your sanity through what feels like an eternity of lock downs and restrictions. For me, the importance of hanging in there and continuing to abide by rules until the vaccine is rolled out was sharply underlined when over the Christmas holidays I received the dreadful news that former Model Boats Editor Paul Freshney had lost his life just weeks after having contracted the COVID virus. Paul should have had many happy years of retirement ahead of him and my heart goes out to his wife, Rose, and the rest of his family. Overleaf, you will find a touching tribute to him penned by long term contributor and one of his close personal friends, Colin Bishop. Although I didn’t know Paul as well as Colin, over the years as fellow editors we would often chat on the phone or exchange emails and he really was a truly lovely man: admirably pragmatic and super organised but also delightfully witty. Always genuinely supportive of others, on learning I’d been brought on board as editor of Model Boats, he immediately rang to wish me well and let me know I could call on him should I need and help and advice going forward. Knowing how much of himself he’d invested in the magazine over the years, and how much its continued success meant to him, he couldn’t have been more kind. But, then, I’m sure everyone who knew Paul will have fond memories of him, including, of course, our designer, Richard Dyer. So, it’s been with flag at half-mast we’ve completed this issue, ever conscious of trying to honour and live up to Paul’s exacting standards. As well as Glynn Guest’s splendid free plan and supporting feature, we’ve got loads of inspirational and informative feature length articles for you, along with some exciting industry announcements, reviews, a not to be missed prize draw courtesy of Das Werk and a truly salute worthy selection of completed projects the Your Models section. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to squeeze in any of your letters this month, but please keep them coming as we’ll be running as many as we can pack into the next edition.

Enjoy your read! Lindsey

FREE

PLAN

34 FREE PLAN & supporting featureGlynn Guest provides a comprehensive guide

to the build of his semi-scale (approx 1:144)

Harrier carrier Audacity

42 Box rattle reviewsIn the market for a new kit? Fellow modellers

Clive Barclay and Gary Radford lift the lid on

what you’ll get for your money

45 Selecting motors & propellersColin Bishop kicks off Part 1 with some helpful

explanatory advice

50 Boiler Room Richard Simpson begins a

three-parter that focuses on

a very useful and transferable

skill: soft soldering

54 SoobrazitelnyyDave Woolley continues his 1:72 scale build

of the new Russian multi-purpose

Soobrazitelnyy corvette

60 Servo sorceryReady for a little troubleshooting?

66 Your modelsWow, there’s some serious talent out there!

Check out the fabulous completed projects

showcased at this month’s launch party

71 Coming next month...Hungry for more? Here’s just a little taste of

what you can look forward to in the April issue

www.modelboats.co.uk Model Boats March 20216

In memorial

Paul took up model boating in the late

1970s, starting in multi racing where he

proved to be a dedicated competitor. The

arrival of Mark in 1980, however, made it

difficult to balance top class competition

demands with domestic responsibilities

and so something less time consuming was

called for. After flirting briefly with model cars

and then yachts he settled for scale model

boating, which offered a better balance

between family life and hobby interests. Scale

boating had its own competitions under the

auspices of the MPBA but was much less

pressurised than the multi scene.

It was during the mid 1980s that I first

became aware of Paul, both from judging his

work at the Model Engineer Exhibition (MEX)

and reading his articles in Model Boats. Our

paths also crossed occasionally on the scale

regatta circuit, where he was usually very

successful both in the steering competitions

and the static judging. He entered some of his

best work in the MEX and always impressed

the judges with his meticulous craftsmanship

and in particular his expertise in painting

and finishing. In one MEX report I referred to

him a “The Airbrush Wizard”. Paul was able

to build equally well with kits, semi kits and

totally from scratch and won many first place

Colin Bishop pays tribute…

Paul was brought up in the 1950s when,

as older readers will know, times could

be tough. He was born in London, before

his parents then moved to Eastbourne where

he spent most of his youth. On leaving school

he tried a variety of jobs, including a short stint

in the RAF, but would go on to spend most of

his working life in the pharmaceutical industry.

This involved a return to the Capital, where

he was initially employed as a salesman for a

wholesaler. Later, in the 1990s, he retrained and

became a dispensing technician, serving the

NHS in a hospital pharmacy at Romford, Essex.

In 1978 Paul married Rose, a teacher, and the

couple had a son, Mark, and a daughter, Sara.

Mark now works in international finance, while

Sara is a West Country GP. In recent years three

grandchildren came along from both sides of

the family: Reuben, Harriet and Imogen.

Paul Freshney 1952–2020

Mersey class lifeboat from Sievers kit.

Paul with Rose on a Cunard cruise.

“One of his most endearing

characteristics was a rapier

sharp wit…”

awards in these categories. The first of his

models I remember was the semi kit HMS

Cleopatra in 1986, but this was followed by

many more, with the scratchbuilt gunboat

HMS Kite and Monitor HMS M15 being

outstanding examples.

In 2007 Model Boats Editor John Cundell

retired after 30 years and Paul, with his

extensive model boating, writing and

organisational skills, was ideally qualified for

the job. His appointment followed my early

retirement, when I was looking for some part

time work to give me a bit of a focus. As I knew

him fairly well by then I congratulated him on

becoming editor and our discussions resulted

in me taking on some aspects of his new job

that he was keen to shed, thus enabling him

to concentrate on the key editorial functions.

These included acting as website editor and

forum moderator. The arrangement worked

out well for both of us and the icing on the

cake for him was that I was able to deputise

while he was on leave so that he and Rose

were able to commence their much loved

programme of cruising holidays. Previously

the production schedule had prevented him

taking much more than a week off at a time.

Once in the editor’s chair Paul soon got a

grip on his new responsibilities. He set himself

very high standards and expected those he

came into contact with to do the same. This

did sometimes result in friction and trodden on

toes when people didn’t meet his expectations.

He was, however, always supportive of those

who were doing their best and provided a lot of

help and encouragement to new contributors in

presenting their material. I think he was probably

the most organised person I have ever met; he

would have copy for the Autumn Winter Special

issues in preparation many months in advance.

During his ten years as editor, his priority

was always to focus on what he saw as the

mainstream elements of model boating – those

that attracted the greatest readership and thus

ensured that the magazine remained healthily

solvent. This did mean that some of the more

niche areas fell by the wayside and there was

always a shortage of correspondents willing to

write about the more competitive areas of the

hobby such as power boating and yachting,

despite his open invitation to those able to do

so. His previous background in sales made

him very conscious of the fragile commercial

environment in which hobbyist magazines exist

and he always took a keen interest in circulation

figures and revenue income.

One of his most endearing characteristics

was a rapier wit, which he could employ both

publicly and privately in such a deadpan way

he would have you in stitches. Not always

politically correct but always on the mark!

After ten years at the helm, in 2017 he

decided that it was time to retire so that

he and Rose could expand their travelling

plans, which they did successfully for the

next couple of years until the virus struck.

Retirement also provided the opportunity

to refurbish his workshop and get back into

modelling again, which had been partially

put on hold during his editorial years. From

2017 onwards a string of new boats emerged

from the workshop and he spent many happy

hours testing and running them at the Fishers

Green MBC with his club mates. He was also

active at national level, serving as President

of The Model Boat Convention held annually

at Haydock Park.

Paul and Rose had many plans for the

future, including spending more time with the

grandchildren. He was also looking forward

to a new project he had planned for 2021, a

Fairmile B motor launch. Alas, as a result of

this dreadful pandemic, these things are not to

be. Paul will, however, be remembered not just

as an excellent editor of this magazine and

a top class scale modeller by model boaters

worldwide but also as a good friend to so

many of us in the model boating community,

on whose behalf I would like to extend deepest

condolences to Rose and the family.

I will miss him very much. l

In memorial

ABOVE LEFT: MPBA Scale Finals 2007. ABOVE RIGHT: Paul with Glynn Guest at a Model Boat Convention.

BELOW: HMS Bicester his last scratch built model. RIGHT: Monitor HMS M15. Totally scratch built.

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Signals

Model Boats March 2021 www.modelboats.co.uk

A 1:12 scale kit from which an

accurate scale replica of a

Liverpool class twin screw

motor lifeboat can be built (either

as a static display model or as a

working R/C boat if you chose to

equip it as such) is now available

from Dave Metcalf Boat Models.

Plans for the model, representing

the craft when launched in 1954,

were produced from the original

yard drawings, and numerous

photos of O/No. 927 Grace Darling

(originally stationed at North

Sunderland and now preserved in

the RNLI Museum at the Historic

Dockyard in Chatham) were also

referenced. Modellers, however,

will be able to use this kit to create

any of the other twin screw motor

lifeboats in the class (for those

wishing to explore the options,

Wikipedia provides a full listing).

The kit builds a model measuring

38 inches (990 mm) in length, with

an 11½-inch (290mm) beam.

Compass 360 Our hobby-related news round-up

Club 500 SlipwayWe’ve been asked to help clear up a misunderstanding circulating

within the model boat community. While Model Slipway (Yorkshire)

did cease trading following the retirement of its owners last

September, Club 500, the company that purchased the Club 500

Fun Boat moulds and manufacturing rights, remains very much

open for business and can be contacted via its website at

www.club500slipway.com , by telephone on 01902 746905

or via email at [email protected].

Following an absolutely

massive response to

the Navarino Models’

Brockley Combe Prize Draw

featured in our December

2020/January 2021 issue, we

can now announce the lucky

winner as: Mr D. Leddy of

Chertsey, Surrey.

We can also reveal the

winner of the Revell Titanic

Prize Draw which featured in

All of the parts included have

been designed and prepared

so that the model can be easily

assembled using hand tools and

with the potential for the average

modeller to achieve a museum

quality finish.

A very comprehensive manual,

location indicated parts list and

advice on the paints, stains and

varnish required for finishing are

also provided.

The kit is priced at £540

plus p&p (UK p&p will be £10

– details of Highlands, Islands

and overseas delivery costs can

be provided on request) and an

optional DVD featuring dozens

of high-definition photos taken

during the construction of the

prototype, and indeed of the

model as finished, can also be

ordered.

Dave Metcalf tells us: “This is

a complex kit to manufacture, so

while we do look to hold stock at

all times, there is the possibility of

delivery delay. Please, therefore,

ask your readers to check

anticipated ETA with us when

placing an order and also to note

that we can only accept payment

by cheque (allow five days for

clearance) or bank transfer”. l

11

GOT TO HAVE IT?For more details turn to page 70 or alternatively call 01920 438373

or email [email protected] to order

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

that same issue: Mr J. McGrath of Abingdon, Northampton.

Congratulations to you both.

Your prizes will be winging their

way to you shortly. l

If you have a news story for these pages, please contact the Editor, Lindsey Amrani, via e-mail at [email protected] Alternatively, pick up the phone and call 01689 869840

Liverpool Class Lifeboat

Shooting the breeze

12

Q For the sake of our readers,

can I begin, Darrell, by

asking you to explain a little

bit about your role at Hornby…

A Though not one for titles,

mine Is Head of Brand –

for Airfix, Corgi and

Humbrol. My role involves

working with the different internal

teams to build ranges that both

satisfy our customers and meet

the needs of the business from

a sales and profit point of view.

We also put the multi-channel

marketing campaigns together.

Q Just announced in

the 2021 Corgi line

are two new

Queen Elizabeth-class

aircraft carriers: the

HMS Queen Elizabeth

(RO8) and the

HMS Prince of Wales

(RO9). Anyone with

an interest in Royal

Navy vessels will

be aware of their

development and

significance but

for those who

are not, can tell

us a little more

about them and explain,

in brief, their importance…

A Well, in the Corgi range

the ship category has

been dormant for quite

a few years now, so I’ve been

looking for an opportunity to

re-enter this collectors’ area

and introduce some new

customers to the brand.

By introducing these two new

models we wil be making

a statement and showing

collectors how serious we are

about this category.

Q The vessels are being

modelled to 1:1250 scale

so how much in the way

of detail can we expect, and,

as they’re not, like many other

ships built to this scale, waterline

models, how will they be

presented for display?

A At this scale we’ll be able

to include some really

nice hull and deck detail.

The lifts will be modelled in

‘operational position’ on both

of the ships but the aircraft

included and their positioning

on the decks will differ. Another

benefit of 1:1250 scale is that

the models will be easy to

display in terms of space

required and they won’t be

overly heavy either.

Q Tooling up for a new

diecast model is extremely

expensive and so in order

for manufacturers to see a return

on their investment consideration

usually has to be given to further

outings in different guises,

liveries/schemes, colours, etc,

after that first release. So, with

these carriers being such unique

vessels, how do you plan to make

them pay their way?

A The plan Is that rather than

being released as limited

editions – which just wouldn’t

be sensible as both of these new

vessels are expected to remain

in Royal Navy service for the next

half a century or so – the models

will simply remain available within

the range. As the ships’ crews

constantly change, that should

keep sales ticking over. There

will also be ‘Specials’ produced

at certain times during the lives/

careers of these ships, which

could include detail/modifications

or perhaps see the models

presented in specially dedicated

commemorative boxes/packaging.

Q Having long followed

the Corgi brand, I was

delighted but, I must say,

surprised to see these new

carriers announced. Are you

simply testing the water, or is the

plan that these two models will

launch an entire new series?

This month we’re chatting with Hornby’s Darrell Burge about some exciting newly tooled releases scheduled for later this year…

MB Q&AOn the horizon…

ABOVE: A diecast first shot from the new tooling for HMS Queen Elizabeth.

BELOW: A 3-D printed prototype like the one shown below allows the designer to check dimensions, scale thicknesses and various other aspects of a model’s

construction during the development process of new tooling.

13

Shooting the breeze

A I’m pleased we‘ve already

delighted you. That’s

a good start. At this

stage we’re watching the

pre-orders and general feedback

very closely but, yes, provided

all goes well, the intention is to

expand on the theme. These

mighty carriers don’t operate

independently, so there are

numerous candidates, serving

both in defence and support

roles, to chose from

Q I know back in 2014 Airfix

was commissioned to make

a one-off 1:350 scale model

of HMS Queen Elizabeth, expertly

put together by Dave Coventry,

which was then displayed on

board for visitors to the ship, so

I am assuming this is how you

were able to gain access to all

the material your Research &

Development team needed to

create the CAD [Computer Aided

Design] files for the Corgi models.

For the kit builders amongst

our readership, then, I must ask

whether Airfix kits are also planned

for general release? If so, can you

disclose whether work is already

underway and whether that same

scale has been decided upon?

Likewise, as there’s been no new

tooling for model ships/boats in the

Airfix range for a while now, can

you hint at any other exciting new

tooling in the pipeline that Model

Boats readers can look forward to?

A Yes, Dave produced a

marvellous ship back

in 2014. But in 2019 he

began further updates and

improvements and in the

November of that year we took

his model of the Queen Elizabeth

with us to the Scale Model

World show to gauge opinion

and Interest. We referenced

Dave’s model a lot during the

QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS

Q If you were writing an autobiography and had to

give each chapter a name, what would the one that

included 2020 be called?

A Annus horribilis turned Into annus opportunus!

Q If you were forced to participate in karaoke, which song would

you choose to ace or slaughter?

A Dream, dream, dream

Q Name something that loads of people are obsessed with but

that you just don’t get the point of?

A Mrs Browns Boys!

Q Name the charity you’d nominate to receive any winnings if you

were a celebrity game show contestant?

A Models for Heroes

Q If I could grant you the adventure of a lifetime, what would it be?

A A road trip criss-crossing all parts of Australia.

initial stages of development,

but of course our R&D team also

worked from photographs and

using various other material to

create these 1:1250 scale Corgi

diecast versions.

When considering larger-scale

Airfix versions,1:350 would be

the ideal as this would allow us

to incorporate a level of detail

(even to the aircraft) that would

satisfy even the most discerning

of modellers. However, due to the

top secret nature of these new

vessels, the shipbuilder would

be able to offer us little in the

way of help, so certain aspects,

such as the under the waterline

detailing, would most likely

have to be based on educated

guesswork. Clearly it’s issues like

these we’ll have to ponder before

committing to such a huge

investment. So for now I guess all

I can say is, watch this space! l

LEFT: An early deco sample of the 1 : 1250 scale diecast model of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth scheduled

for release within the Corgi range later this year.

BELOW: A colour artwork profile of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

ABOVE & BELOW: Early mock-ups for the new aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and

sister ship HMS Prince of Wales.

This month we’re able to offer you the opportunity

to win Das Werk’s newly tooled 1:72 scale plastic

kit for S.M. U-9 (Ref. DW72001) featuring:

* 164 parts of accurate shape and dimension;

* Highly detailed surfaces with realistic rivet details;

* Optional sail railings, with fine details on both sides;

* The option to model open or closed hatches and torpedo doors;

* Name plaques for all four submarines in this class

(U-9, U-10, U-11 and U-12);

* Optional upper rudders and optional masts;

* A positionable exhaust stack;

* Turnbuckles for advanced modellers;

* A display stand.


WIN!

PRIZE DRAW COURTESY OF DAS WERK

DAS WERK’S NEW 1:72 SCALE WORLD WAR 1 U-BOAT KIT!

RRP €99!

On completion, the model will display at 804mm long

and 150mm high, with an 83mm beam.

Commissioned as the first vessel in its class, SM U9

(Seiner Majestät U-Boot), was launched in February

1910. This double hulled U-Boat measured 57.38 metres

long, 6 metres wide, had a draft of 3.13 metres and a

displacement of 493 tons above and 611 tons under

water. It could dive to a maximum of 50 metres in about

50–90 seconds.

It was powered by 1000 HP petroleum motors on the

surface and by 1160 HP electric motors while submerged,

facilitating a speed 14.2 knots above water and 8.1 knots

under water. Armament consisted of six torpedoes, which

could be fired through two bow and two stern tubes.

Remarkably, during World War I U-9 destroyed five

warships (no other boat was attributed with sinking more

warships than this during the conflict) and 13 merchant

ships. Surrendered to the British at end of the war in

1918, she was subsequently scrapped in Morecambe,

Lancashire in 1919.

14

15

During the course of Das Werk’s in-depth research and

development for this kit, two divers were employed to measure and

photograph the wreckage of SM U-12, a vessel of the same type

located on the seabed at a depth of around 50 metres approximately

25 kilometers off the Scottish coast. The information that surfaced,

along with lots of the archive material sourced on U-9 and its

missions, is shared in a fascinating illustrated 100-page paperback

book that’s included free with the first edition of Das Werk’s U-9 kit.

HOW TO ENTER

All you have to do to be entered in this fabulous prize draw is complete

the entry form below and return it to us at:

Das Werk U-9 Prize Draw

Model Boats

MyTimeMedia Ltd

Suite 25, Eden House

Enterprise Way

Edenbridge

Kent TN8 6HF

before the closing date: March 12, 2020.


PRIZE DRAW COURTESY OF DAS WERK

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Entry is open to all UK residents with a permanent UK

address, with the exception of employees (and their families)

of MyTimeMedia Ltd, its printers and agents, and any other

companies associated with the competition. All entrants

must be aged 18 or over. Only one entry per household is

permissible. No responsibility can be accepted for entries

lost, damaged or delayed in the post. Winners will be notified

by post. Prizes are not transferable to another individual

and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The

promoters reserve the right to amend or alter the terms of

the competitions. The winner will be chosen from all correct

entries received by the closing date specified. Please note

that data will be managed in compliance with GDPR law.

Our privacy policy can be found at www.mytimemedia.co.uk/

privacy. The decision of the judges is final and

no correspondence will be entered into.

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

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DAS WERK U-9 PRIZE DRAW

Das Werk

To explore the entire Das Werk range,

visit https://www.das-werk-models.com

GOT TO HAVE IT?

Orders for this kit can be now be placed via the

website of Das Werk’s UK distributor Albion Hobbies

(https://www.albionhobbies.com) or through

Das Werk’s own web shop at

https://www.modellbau-koenig.de/en

Designed, developed and produced in the UKDesigned, developed and produced in the UK

Recent Releases - Two kits designed specifically for beginners, but with enough detail to satisfy the more experienced.�e 80 Foot sailing Zulu Lady Isabella and the 70 Foot Fifie Lady Eleanor. Both kits come with step by step full colour instruction manuals, supplemented by plans to guide you through every stage of the build. Laser cut wood parts and second planking is in high quality pear wood, with each having a fully detailed laser engraved and pre cut deck. A brass photo etched sheet with smaller details is also included.

HM Brig Sloop Flirt - 1782Scale - 1:64

Length overall - 656mm

Width overall - 230mm

Height overall - 492mm

Price - VM/05 Flirt– £282

Price - VM/05/MS - Master Shipwright Flirt– £450

The 80Foot Zulu Lady Isabella

Scale - 1:64




Price - VM/03 Lady Isabella – £158.00

VM/03/Sail set for Lady Isabella (3 SAILS) £36.00

To order, please visit our website at:www.vanguardmodels.co.uk

Vanguard Models70B High Street

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Tel - 01594 824610Email - [email protected]

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add £6.50 for UPS deliveryOrders by phone are now accepted

VM/18F/C 18 Foot Cutter (86mm Long) £19.50 (+£3.50 P&P)

VM/22FY 22 Foot Yawl (107mm Long) £25 (+£3.50 P&P)

VM/24FL 24 Foot Launch (114mm Long) £26.50 (+£3.50 P&P)

VM/28FP 28 Foot Pinnace (134mm Long) £29.50 (+£3.50 P&P)

The 70 Foot Fifie Lady Eleanor

Scale - 1:64




Price - VM/04 Lady Eleanor– £142.00

VM/04/Sail set for Lady Eleanor (2 SAILS) £28.00Now available - We now have a selection of details boat kits which included laser cut parts

including pear wood and photo etched brass.Four are available now, with another five kits arriving very soon

Our latest main kit development is in progress and should be available around June 2021

©Vanguard Models Kits are

Designed, developed and made

in the UK

by Chris Watton

Our latest release, in stock now, is the royal yacht built for The Duchess of Kingston (1778)�is kit has been developed using the original plans, and developed to be as easy to build as it can be, while keeping every detail possible. To achieve this, there are almost 20 separate laser cut sheets, 9 of which are in solid pear wood (Second planking is also pear wood), and 5 photo etched brass sheets. �e stern decoration and figurehead are in fine cast resin, and the kit comes with a second stand in acetate, complete with laser engraved nameplate. �e decks are also laser engraved and cut in maple veneer.�e 81 page full colour instruction manual is the most comprehensive yet, along with 13 full size plan sheets which include all masting and rigging drawings.All of the area at and above deck level is pre-cut, it is only the area below this that requires planking - even the main wales are pre-cut.

All laser cutting now done in-house

HM Cutter Alert 1777

Scale - 1:64




Price - VM/01 HM Cutter Alert– £221.50

VM/01/PB/ Optional machined pear wood block &

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HM Brig Sloop Speedy

Lord Cochran’s Command

Scale - 1:64




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VM/02 HMS Speedy– £286.50

VM/02/MS Master Shipwright Edition (Boxwood) - £465.

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Scale - 1:64




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VM/06/PB/ Optional machined pear wood block &

deadeye set £35.00

UK Postage - £6.50

18

Someone once said that sailing ships were

man’s most beautiful industrial creation.

I couldn’t agree more and take great

pleasure in building and sailing models of

them. As modellers, we all have our favourites,

and Parma is mine…

She was built at Port Glasgow in 1902, as

Arrow, for the Anglo-American Oil Company.

Her builders were A. Roger & Co, and she was

made for the Case Oil trade, between New

York and the Far East. Case Oil (kerosene) was

used to power all the oil lamps in use from

Saigon to New Zealand in the days before

widespread electrification. Supplied in large

cans, packed two to a case, transportation

didn’t need to be particularly speedy and a

large sailing ship therefore proved ideal for

this bulky cargo. Arrow was one of the last

such ships built specifically for this purpose,

continuing her duties until 1908. She was then

bought by the Laeisz company of Hamburg,

who changed her name to Parma and

Tall ship modelling

Nev Wade talks us through not only the build of his astoundingly beautiful model of Parma but also explains the basics of how to sail one of these magnificent square riggers…

A wondrous Windjammer

ABOVE: This is Arrow, leaving Hong Kong, in her Case Oil days. BELOW: Nearly 30 years later, in 1932, this is Parma, shortening sail off Mariehamn in the Aland Islands, her Baltic home port at the time of the Grain Races.

s

“At around 3000Ts of ship

and with a capacity of 5300Ts,

Parma really was the epitome

of a big windjammer”

used her for the carriage of general cargo

outward to the ports of the west coast of

South America, where she’d take on cargos

of nitrates for the return trip to Germany. She

sailed out and back around Cape Horn, deep

loaded both ways, from 1908 to 1914, until

she was interned during World War 1, fully

loaded with nitrate, at Iquique in Chile. She

remained there until 1920 when, awarded to

the UK as war reparations, she was sailed

back to Europe.

The British, however, had no use for her

and Laeisz bought her back, to help rebuild

its fleet of nitrate carriers. Once again, she

served this, the hardest of trades, well, until

worldwide economic depression forced her

lay-up in 1930. It was at this point that she

was acquired by a consortium including

Reuben de Cloux, one of the most famous

windjammer masters, and the sailor/author

Alan Villiers. They pressed her into service

in the last ever trade for big sailing ships,

the carriage of grain from South Australia

to Europe and it was during this period she

participated in the Grain Races, making the

fastest ever passage home to Europe (83

days) in 1933.

Sadly, in 1936, accidental contact with a

dock wall in Glasgow resulted in damage

that proved uneconomic to repair, and she

ended up being sent to the shipbreakers. A

real loss as, at around 3000Ts of ship and with

a capacity of 5300Ts, Parma really was the

epitome of a big windjammer – and that’s the

reason she’s my favourite.

Construction

I made the model from Harold Underhill plans.

The hull is of conventional plank-on-frame

construction, but it does differ from the norm

in a number of key ways... I made the decision

long ago to use removable sailing keels on my

model square-riggers. The keels are heavy

(in this case 8.2kgs), so it’s more convenient

to carry them to the water in a rucksack and

there attach them prior to sailing. Rather than

having the full weight required inside the hull,

therefore, the hull has a strengthened ‘kelson’,

an interior keel, and a bottom is fitted with

wooden blocks to accommodate three keel

attachment bolts.

My sailing keel is an aluminium plate

attached to these keel bolts, with torpedo

shaped lead strips attached to the plate.

Besides providing the necessary weight

to float Parma to an almost fully loaded

waterline, this plate allows the model to better

‘grip’ the water, which is important when

sailing to windward.

Real sailing ships’ rudders were on the

small side, mainly because they were

operated manually, with no mechanical

assistance. On a model, however, such

Tall ship modellingLEFT: Nev’s model of Parma serves as a reminder of why windjammers are such beautiful ships to behold.

RIGHT: Parma becalmed in the Atlantic, c.1932/33.

19Model Boats March 2021

“The hull is of conventional

plank-on-frame construction,

but it does differ from the norm in

a number of key ways...”

RIGHT: The vastly oversized rudder.

BELOW: The hull of Nev’s model almost complete.


Tall ship modelling

a rudder wouldn’t offer a quick enough

response in going about or avoiding other

boats being sailed in close proximity, so I

made my rudder about ten times oversize.

Having crafted the hull, complete with

the above mentioned peculiarities, I then

moved on to the installation of the radio and

electrical gear (which I’ll expand upon further

as you read on) all of which was attached to

wooden battens fastened into the hull.

After all the electrics had been installed,

I stepped the lower masts (simple dowel)

into blocks on the kelson, using ‘thwarts’ set

across the hull to locate them at deck level.

These ‘thwarts’ also provide deck support

and a place into which to set the fairleads

which carry the braces up the masts (again,

something I will elaborate on in due course). I

use ‘false decks’, made of very thin ply, to start

deck installation and it was these that I fitted

next. They were cut to be a close fit with the

sides of the hull and the masts, and into them

were cut the hatch openings, through which I

would later gain access to the electrics. After

gluing them in place and fitting the hatch

coamings I sealed all around the deck with

decorators’ caulk, the first stage in making

the decks completely watertight.

With the ‘false decks’ in and sealed, I

planked the decks, using 8 x 2mm limewood

strip. I ran resin all around the edges of the The sail arm servos, for the yards on the fore and main masts.

ABOVE: The trim trial at Tynemouth lake.

INSET RIGHT: The 8.2kg removable sailing keel fitted.

The ‘ring bolts’ (below), and belaying pins in their pin rail. Shrouds and backstays fasten to ring bolts,

running rigging to belaying pins.

21Model Boats March 2021 www.modelboats.co.uk

Tall ship modellings

deck; the idea being that the caulk would fill

all the gaps and the resin would solidify on

top. After all that had gone off, I varnished

the decks, the last stage of water-proofing

process. A water test followed, with the hull

being laid right over, thereby dipping each

edge of the deck under water. If any leaks

had been found, the leak proofing would have

needed re-doing until the test was passed.

Fortunately, that did not prove to be the case.

Finishing the decks consisted of making

and fitting hatch covers and deckhouses,

followed by installation of the preparations for

the ship’s rigging: ‘ring bolts’ in the scuppers

and pin rails on the bulwarks. The ‘ring bolts’

are the attachment points for the ‘standing

rigging’ (which supports the masts) and these

were simply fashioned from bent wire. The

pin rails house the belaying pins to which the

‘running rigging’ (which did the controlling

aloft on the real ship) is attached and these

were made from thin ply and glued halfway

up the bulwarks.

In essence, that was the hull complete, now

it was time to go aloft. I made the upper masts

(topmasts and topgallant masts) from simple

dowel and fastened them to the lower masts

using doublings, as in the real ship. The next

task was to make and fit all the spars that

carry the sails. These were all cut and shaped

from simple dowel, just like the masts, and

were each fitted with pivots made from bent

brass wire. The yards, which carry the ‘square’

sails (those set across the hull), had their bent

wire fitted centrally, while the spanker ‘boom’

and ‘gaff’ (top and bottom of the small fore

and aft sail on the aftermost mast) had theirs

glued into their inboard ends.

Each spar was then attached to its mast

by fastening short pieces of brass tube at the

appropriate places, using brass strip bolted

around the masts to secure it. The bent brass

wire was then inserted into the tube, to allow

each spar to pivot, allowing the spanker to

be hauled in and out and the yards to swing

about their masts. It’s worth noting here

that it’s vital that the bend in the wire is long

enough to set the yards about 15mm forward

of their masts. This allows the yards to swing

right ‘round’ the masts – the importance of

which we’ll come to shortly.

Sails

The sails were cut from kite material to

patterns taken from the sail plan, with

sufficient extra allowed for the sewing of good

hems. In addition, the three ‘course’ sails,

those at the bottom of each square-rigged

mast, had a piece of stiff brass wire sewn into

the hems, down each side and across the

bottom. These sails have no yard below them

ABOVE: The arrangement of one pair of braces, for a course (lowest square sail) on one mast. BELOW: The stiff wire, sewn into a course. Also shown is the ‘endless sheet’, which holds the sail back, into the wind, when the yard is braced to any angle.

RIGHT: The start of fitting the ‘false decks’. Note the thwarts supporting the deck and locating the masts. The lines tied to the masts are the braces.


Tall ship modelling

and thus no support, so the wire enables them

to take the wind from ahead without wrapping

themselves around the masts. This permits

them to play their part in ‘tacking’ (which I shall

explain in more detail as we progress).

The fore and aft sails between the masts

and those forward of the foremast were

fitted by simply tying their corners to the

appropriate places on the masts. The spanker

was laced to its boom and gaff, while the gaff

topsail was attached via hooks to the jigger

mast and spanker gaff, so that it can be easily

removed for heavy weather sailing.

The square sails were each laced to their

yards and their bottom corners (clews) tied to

the ends of the yards below to hold them to

the wind. The top two sails on each square-

rigged mast (the ‘royal’ and ‘upper topgallant’)

were made removable (to allow for sailing

in stronger winds) by sewing hooks to the

bottom corners of the lower of each pair (the

‘upper topgallant’); these hooks engage in

small ‘goalposts’ at the appropriate positions

on the yards below.

With all the sails fitted (‘bent’), I then

attached the braces and set up their control.

RiggingThe last of the windjammers were made

from iron or steel, with enormous steel tubes

for masts and spars. All the standing rigging

and lots of the running rigging was made

from steel wire rope and chain. Don’t forget,

these ships were built to withstand the gales

they encountered during their passages

through the ‘Roaring Forties’, south of latitude

40-degrees S in the Southern Ocean.

On my model, the ‘shrouds’ and ‘backstays’

(the lines which run up, astern of each side

of the mast to provide support) were fitted

ABOVE: Shrouds and backstays on the main, mizzen and jigger masts.

Not easy to see, but visible here is the stiff wire sewn into the edges of a ‘course’.


s

With the construction and finish now

covered, I’ll now backtrack a little, to explain

the electrics and control of the sails.

Electrics and ControlThe electrics and radio aspects of this model

are at the simpler end of its complexities. The

boat is powered by a 7.2V NiMH battery, with

the master switch fitted through the inner

hatch cover, under the main deckhouse. The

switch has a built-in charging point and can

be reached by sliding open a ‘skylight’ in the

roof of the deckhouse. Therefore, the battery

can be charged, and the boat turned on and

off, without having to ‘go below’.

Five radio channels are in use: one each for

the three sets of yards, one for the boom of the

spanker and one for the rudder. The power

from the battery is sent to the receiver by way

of a ‘Switched Mode UBEC’, a kind of voltage

regulator (I think!), which ensures that the servos

are not starved of power. I set up the transmitter

sticks and a toggle switch to provide the most

intuitive way possible (for me) of controlling

the yards, particularly in the most difficult

manoeuvre, that of ‘tacking’ (see below).

ControlModel yachts are relatively simple to sail.

They will easily ‘come to windward’, i.e. sail

into the wind. This is because they’re ‘fore

and aft rigged’ – that is to say, their sails are

set along the vessel. Sails can be pulled in so

that they’re exactly along the centreline of the

boat, and this allows a model yacht to easily

come to within 35-degrees of the wind.

Windjammers, however, are not like that.

These ships were square-rigged in order to use

the wind from ‘abaft the beam’ (from astern).

In order to make progress to windward, they

had to brace their yards right round, ‘on to the

backstays’, to try and make them as near fore

and aft as possible. Because yards will only

go so far round, square-rigging would only get

65-degrees to the wind, at best. Inevitably, on a

pond, a square rigged model will spend almost

all its time coming to windward because it will

sail very quickly downwind and then run out of

water, then spend lots more time ‘beating’ back

‘up’ the pond.

So, square-riggers used the wind to make

progress by ‘bracing’ (swinging) round their

‘yards’. To brace the yards, ‘braces’ were

pulled ‘in’ on one side, while being let ‘out’

on the other side, thus pulling round the

yards. I’ve achieved the same thing aboard

the model by the use of sail arm servos, with

home-made, centrally pivoted, servo arms.

With braces attached, as the servo rotates it

pulls in one side and lets out the other.

But, inevitably, it’s a little more complicated

than that. The masts are named, from

forward to aft: fore, main, mizzen and jigger.

To take one single brace, for the foremast

yards, say, on the port side, as an example,

the run of the line is as follows… The braces

were made from fishermen’s ‘braid’, which is

faithful to the real ship. Also fitted were a

selection of the lines representing the running

rigging. In my opinion, to have included all

that were present on the real ship would

have made the model look overly ‘heavy’ and

ponderous, as well as getting in the way of the

model’s necessary running rigging essential

for model sailing. For the same reason, you

will find no ‘ratlines’ (rungs up the rigging)

either. The shrouds and backstays were

rigged to the ringbolts set into the deck in the

scuppers, and the running rigging lines were

attached to the belaying pins in the pin rails.

FinishingWith the ship rigged and all the sails bent,

I finished off the model with all the deck

furniture and crew that would have been

present on the real Parma. To make the

model ‘ready for sea’ it was necessary to

tape up all the inner hatch covers and then

tightly fit the outer, visible, hatch covers and

deckhouses over the taped hatches. In this

way the hatches are almost as watertight

as the edges of the deck. Windjammers put

their lee rails under water regularly and often,

and so it was vital that as my model would do

the same, she’d be almost submarine-like in

terms of leakage.

“Windjammers put their lee rails under water regularly

and often, and so it was vital my model would be almost

submarine-like in terms of leakage”

Tall ship modelling

The charging lead plugged into the master switch assembly.

The hook arrangement used to make the top two square sails per mast removable. Also seen is the ‘swivel’ snap link, which attaches the brace to the yard arm.

https://avxlive.icu/

vital because, as mentioned above, to make

progress to windward, the yards have to be

braced round as far as possible. If they’re

not braced round to within 30-degrees of the

centreline of the hull, the model will not come

to windward. The ‘pulleys’ on servo and yard

arms are fishermen’s ‘swivels’, simple snap

links, which allow the ends of the braces to be

disconnected easily. The ‘pulley’ on the main

mast is a screw eye, screwed into the mast.

I braced two yards on each square-rigged

mast, the course, at the bottom and the

lower topgallant – the fourth yard up. You will

see, therefore, that there are four braces per

square-rigged mast.

Having attached all the braces, it was a

relatively simple task to set them up. The yards

were ‘squared’, set at 90-degrees to the hull’s

centreline. The servo arms were also put at

90-degrees to the hull, and in the middle of their

travel, and the bowsies were tied off halfway

between the two masts they spanned. This

would give plenty of leeway for later adjustment,

if required. The spanker was connected to a

normal sized servo, operated by a toggle switch,

to pull ‘in’ or let ‘out’ the spanker.

Tall ship modelling

thin, strong and runs easily, and the end was

attached to the port side hull frame next to

the main mast. The servo for the foremast

was fitted centrally across the hull, between

the fore and main masts, and the brace was

led forward to it. A pulley was fitted at the

end of the port side servo arm and the brace

was led around it and then sent back to a

fairlead, by the port side of the main mast,

where it was led up through the deck. From

deck level it was then led up the main mast

to the level of the yard it was to brace. Here,

it was led around a pulley and sent across to

the foremast yard to be braced via a bowsie,

used to adjust brace length. At the yard arm,

it was looped through another pulley so that

it could be sent back across to the bowsie;

there, it was tied on, ready for setting up.

The reason that the brace was sent

around a pulley at the servo arm end, rather

than simply being tied to it, was to give as

much movement of the yard as possible,

for a given servo arm movement. In effect,

it is a multiplying pulley system. That was


BELOW: The lee rail is about to go under, illustrating why making this model completely water-tight was essential.

ABOVE: Sailing with the wind from astern. BELOW: ‘Beating’ on the starboard tack. RIGHT: A tall ship to be sure!


SailingTo sail a model windjammer, it’s essential to

be able to sail to windward. If you can’t, your

boat will simply end up at the leeward corner

of the pond. It is, unfortunately, as simple as

that. So, to recap, some things are essential

to be able to do that. It helps if there is a

deep keel; the rudder must be oversized, to

achieve quick, positive reaction; the yards

must brace round to within 30-degrees of the

hull centreline; the hull must be thoroughly

watertight; the courses must have stiffness

sewn in and the square sails must be ‘flat’

(not billowing).

Given that all has been achieved, let’s look

at a typical ‘voyage’ down, and then back

up, a pond. Sailing down wind is easy, just

square the yards and steer. Very soon, you’ll

begin to run out of water and have to turn

into the wind to get it on to one side of the

boat or the other in order to sail back up the

pond. Let’s assume you have the bank on

your starboard bow and so have to turn to

port. Set the rudder hard to port and brace

round the yards, on to the ‘port tack’, with

the port side yard arms forward. Your model

will now be sailing across the wind. If you

keep on turning, the wind will, very quickly,

get on the forward side of the square sails

and you will have been ‘caught aback’ and

will stop, and then sail astern into the bank.

Therefore, you have to manage the boat so

that you sail as close to the wind as possible,

without getting caught aback. This is where

the 65-degrees to the wind comes in, as the

best you can do. You have to watch the sails

for any signs of shaking. If you see that, you

have to steer away from the wind a little,

to keep going forward. Eventually, another

bank will start to loom up and you’ll have to

perform the most complicated manoeuvre of

all: tacking.

Tacking is the execution of a turn to

windward, to get the wind on to the other

side of the ship. You’ll remember that

we are on the port tack, port yard arms

forward. With good speed on the model,

turn the rudder hard over, to port. As the

bows of the model cross the eye of the

wind, brace the yards on all the masts,

except the foremast, on to the other

(starboard) tack, with the starboard yard

arms forward. If you have enough speed,

the model will continue to turn, through

the wind, with the ‘backed’ foremast sails

pushing round the bows. When the model

has swung far enough round for success

to be assured, brace the foremast yards

round on to the new tack and you will sail

away from the bank and back up the pond.

You will then need to make as many tacks

as are necessary, both ways, until you can

reach your starting point, when the whole

exercise can be repeated.

There are other manoeuvres (none of

them as tricky as tacking) which for the

sake of brevity I will not be going into here;

suffice to say, most of them will not possible

until you’ve mastered control of the model

as outlined above. l

Virtual viewingI’m happy to report that Parma sails really well. At 1,425mm long and with a

sailing keel weight of 8.2kgs, she commands the water and is able to maintain her

speed through any manoeuvre. She can come to windward (‘beat’) with the minimum of

trouble and deals successfully with winds of 15/20mph, and the waves that go with them.

For those of you interested, I’ve posted footage on YouTube of her on the water along

with two other videos focused on her construction. These can be viewed by copying the

following links into your browser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ole_8pwVVyA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j32GWC9lfL4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRXev0qF2eg

Enjoy!

Tall ship modelling

ABOVE: Windjammer weather! BELOW: Heeling to a good breeze, on the port tack, two sailors aloft.

26 www.modelboats.co.uk Model Boats March 2021

1

Way back in the mists of time – well, as far

back as 2009, I built a model live steam

tug using a Jim Pottinger free plan of

MSC Archer from the October 2008 issue of

Model Boats. (see Photo 1). The construction

of the tug and details of how I fitted her out with

a steam plant of my own design and build (see

Photo 2) was covered in a two-part Model

Boats feature run in the February and March

2011 issues.

For years she gave me a lot of fun and

very good service on a number of boating

lakes, but she sat slightly lower in the water

than she should have, especially as the

engine room portholes aft were always

under water.

As a result, I began wondering how her weight

could be reduced, without this involving me in

building a completely new set of machinery –

something not very likely to happen!

Then in 2010, I was between projects and

casting around for a suitable prototype to form

the basis of another live steam model I could

carry out the design work for over the winter

MSC ArcherPhil Button explains the challenges presented and the interesting solutions he came up with in order to make changes to this live steam tug model

Live steam low down

2

TOP: Archer ‘As Built’ and in her natural habitat. BELOW: The steam plant originally fitted to Archer.


Live steam low downs

(funnily enough, the workshop seems

to lose its attraction when it gets cold). I

was ‘surfing the Internet’ one day when

I came across a brief history of an 1855

steam ship called Mullogh (I’m told that

this is pronounced ‘Mulloy’). Unfortunately,

an artist’s impression of her was is the only

pictorial information I was able to find, but

undeterred I decided to build her and she

became the subject of six part series published

in Model Boats’ November/December 2017 and

January-April 2018 issues.

In order to complete the hull design,

however, I needed to find the right engine

and boiler for her. Initial thoughts were that

I could ‘kill two birds with one stone’ by using

the gas fired horizontal Scotch type boiler

from MSC Archer to reduce her weight, as I

had a much lighter vertical boiler (from another

steam ship of mine, TSS Manxman) that could

be used to replace this. I also reasoned that, if I

was going to ‘steal’ the boiler from Archer and

use it in Mullogh, I might just as well take the twin

cylinder compound engine as well, since they’d

worked so well together as a set in the tug.

Engine installationSo, what could Archer’s comparatively slow

revving compound engine (which had been

directly coupled to the propeller shaft and

ran at around 750rpm maximum in normal

operation) be replaced with?

It occurred to me that I’d recently removed

one of an original pair of engines from

Manxman (see Photo 3 of the pair of engines

as originally fitted in Manxman) as part of

her weight loss exercise. This was, however,

a twin cylinder oscillating engine that ran

at around 2200rpm and couldn’t be directly

coupled to the propeller shaft as it ran far too

fast to drive an 80mm four blade propeller.

So, with a bit of ‘thinking outside the box’,

I decided to try using reduction gearing

between the engine and propeller shaft. I’ve

tried this before with electric boats and found

that a surprisingly small electric motor can

actually power quite a large model.

This thinking was helped on its way, since

the engine that was removed from Manxman

already had a geared countershaft running

in ball bearings, originally put there to drive a

boiler feed pump – although that facility had

actually never been used as it robbed too

much power from the engine.

Unfortunately, the gearing that this ‘new’

engine already had would’ve given far too low

a propeller speed, since it was set up to drive

a piston type boiler feed pump at around

450rpm. After a search among my odds and

ends boxes, however, I found several plastic

gearwheels (salvaged from defunct inkjet

printers) and two of these actually gave

me somewhere near the right gear ratio

while also fitting in with the centre distance

between the engine and countershaft.

Sometimes, you just get lucky!

After machining a pair of aluminium bosses

to carry the plastic gears (see Photo 4), the

gears were fitted to the engine crankshaft and

to a new countershaft, carried in the original ball

bearings on the engine baseplate (see Photo 5 showing the completed assembly).

That gave me a new engine unit to install

in the stripped out hull, which was a daunting

prospect as the machinery spaces in the

Archer hull were vast in comparison to the

size of the new engine. I also wanted

to retain the original engine

mountings in the hull (to

hedge my bets in case

I needed to revert to

the original engine at

3

5

LEFT: Phil machined his own pair of aluminium bosses to carry the plastic gears.

BELOW: The plastic gears were fitted to the engine crankshaft and to a new countershaft, carried in the original ball bearings on the engine’s baseplate.

ABOVE: The pair of engines while they still were installed in Manxman; the engine on the starboard side was the one removed for use in Archer.

4

28

Live steam low down 6

a later date – especially if the new installation

didn’t work). After some playing around with

engine position and trying out how it could

be fitted to the existing mountings so as

to align with the propeller shaft, I came up

with a new arrangement (see Photo 6); this

image also shows how small the new engine

is in comparison with the original engine

mountings. In order to make the engine fit, it

was necessary to cut away part of one of the

existing engine mountings in the hull, using a

Black & Decker Powerfile to clear an engine

assembly bolt that projected below the

engine base plate (see Photo 7).

Although what Photo 7 shows was only a

temporary installation, using a piece of steel

angle to bridge two of the existing engine

mountings and a piece of wood carrying the

other side of the new engine, this proved that the

arrangement could work. However, spanning

the distance between engine and propeller shaft

would require the use of two universal couplings

connected back to back. Using two couplings in

this way can have its advantages: if the engine

and propeller shaft don’t line up exactly, they will

accept a great deal of misalignment.

A second steel angle was made up to replace

the wood block under one side of the engine and

this was fixed in place in the hull using car body

filler (see Photo 8). Note that, as the model had

been in use for some years and was liberally

coated in oil, it had to be thoroughly degreased

LEFT: Phil’s completed assembly shows how small the new engine is in comparison with the original engine mountings.

BELOW: In order to make the engine fit, it was necessary to cut away part of one of the existing engine mountings in the hull, using a Black & Decker Powerfile to clear an engine assembly bolt that projected below the engine base plate

before trying to stick anything to it. Even when

using two couplings, I still try to get engine

alignment as accurate as possible and that

explains the packing piece of blue aluminium

under the fixing screw.

Boiler installation

The vertical boiler as removed from

Manxman was a single flue unit with water

tubes across the centre flue and ‘hedgehog’

spikes into the firebox to increase its heating

surface (see Photo 9).

I needed to position the flue from the new

boiler centrally in the funnel on Archer, so a

new aluminium boiler plate was cut out and

7

8 9

ABOVE: A second steel angle was made up to replace the wood block under one side of the engine and this was fixed in place in the hull using car body filler. When using two couplings, good engine alignment can prove a challenge, but it’s been successfully achieved here thanks to the packing piece of blue aluminium seen under the fixing screw. RIGHT: A cross-section drawing of a similar boiler to the one used in Archer, showing the ‘hedgehog’ spikes through the boiler bottom plate – although Archer’s boiler does not have cross tubes in the flue.


s

11

fitted in place in the hull, with the boiler being

moved around until it was in the right place

(see Photo 10). The holes for mounting the

boiler were then marked out before removing

both parts for drilling the plate.

Other than the water level sight glass, this

boiler had no steam fittings (they had been

retained for the replacement horizontal boiler

in Manxman) so these had to be made up and

fitted. The fittings comprised a clack (non-

return) valve for filling the boiler with water, the

boiler safety valve, a steam outlet to supply

steam to the engine and a further steam outlet

for the pressure gauge (see Photos 11 and 12)

The boiler had come complete with

ceramic burner. However, I’d improved the

design of the gas/air mixing tube since this

burner had originally been built, so I cut off the

old mixing tube and made up and fitted the

new design. This new design gives a much

improved performance to the burner – more

heat for less gas (see Photo 13 showing the

burner under test with the new parts).

With an earlier boiler of this type, I’d

found that a great deal of heat was wasted

as it went straight up the central flue and

emerged as very hot gas at the top. To get

more of this otherwise wasted heat into the

boiler, I experimented with a screwed up

bunch (‘nest’ probably best describes its

appearance) of stainless steel wire simply

pushed inside the bottom of the flue. This

glows red in the heat from the burner and

provides additional radiant heat to the boiler.

It did, however, frequently fall out of the flue

onto the top of the burner and was a real

pain to replace in position.

To overcome this problem, I made up a

baffle of thin stainless steel sheet to fit over

the base of the flue to retain the wire (see

Photo 14). This baffle was held in place by

10BA screws, threaded into two of the boiler

spikes. This seems to have worked fine so far!

Steam plant installationThe engine and boiler are only a small part of

a steam plant installation. A gas bottle and

gas control valve, an engine control valve (for

ahead, astern and speed control), an engine

lubricator (to supply steam oil to the cylinders),

an oil interceptor (to catch the ‘used’ steam oil

in the exhaust) a whistle and whistle valve and

an assortment of steam, gas and water pipes

and valves would also be required. So, not too

much left to do, then!

For the pipework between the engine

exhaust at the engine control valve and

the oil interceptor I used silicone rubber

flexible tubing, as there is very little residual

pressure at this point and the pipe needs to

be easily disconnected to drain steam oil and

condensed water from the interceptor. I like to

make my oil interceptors removable so that I

can tip the contents out rather than messing

about with syringes.

Live steam low down10

13

14

12

ABOVE: The clack valve fitted to the bottom of the boiler.

ABOVE: The rest of the fittings on the top of the boiler.

The baffle of thin stainless steel sheet made by Phil, held in place by 10BA screws, threaded into two of the boiler spikes.

Live steam low down

R/C installationFollowing all of the changes to the steam

plant (See Photos 15, 16, 17 and 18)., the

radio control system required some revision to

operate the new engine (see Photo 19).

The original installation used a total of five

servos: steering; engine speed control; ahead/

astern control; compound/simple valve and

whistle. The new installation did not require

the compound/simple valve and control of the

engine for ahead/astern and speed was taken

care of using the engine control valve (similar to

using an electronic speed controller in an electric

model), so only three servos were needed.

The rudder and whistle servos (the blue

ones) remained where they’d originally been,

it was only the engine control servo that

needed relocation. The receiver battery pack

was installed out of sight below the servo

plate and the Spektrum receiver alongside

the rudder servo.

15

16

17 18

ABOVE: The engine fitted with its control valve. The steam inlet is at the bottom and the exhaustat the top. The ‘asbestos’ insulation on the pipes is actually string, glued on with contact adhesive and painted with white emulsion paint.

BELOW LEFT: The steam manifold (painted green) with the lubricator, whistle valve and its associated pipework. The lubricator provides the engine with a measured volume of steam oil to lubricate the cylinders – this oil leaves the engine in the exhaust and is caught by the oil interceptor to prevent it being thrown all over the model (not to mention the boating lake!). BELOW RIGHT: The gas pipework (painted yellow) between the gas control valve on the commercial gas canister and the burner. Also shown is the boiler filling valve with its connecting pipe to the clack valve (painted blue) and the pressure gauge fitted to the boiler.

Live steam low down

Having made up connecting links between

the servos and their respective controls using

recycled (sorry about the pun!) bicycle spokes,

the radio control installation was completed

by powering it up and checking and adjusting

all of its functions via the transmitter.

Testing and setting upWith the refit completed, a trip to the domestic

test tank was called for to check the effects on

ballasting with the new installation (see Photo 20). The original installation had been so heavy

that no additional ballast had been required

as she already floated rather low in the water –

hence all these changes!

The bath tests showed that she needed

two pieces of lead ballast, each weighing

around 1lb, fitted either side of the hull

amidships. This was created from lengths

of water pipe salvaged from my daughter’s

house, cut into usable lengths and squashed

flat in the vice. The lead was fixed in place in

the hull using silicone mastic so that it can

be easily removed if required (see Photo 21,

where one of the lead pieces is visible beside

the lubricator).

A quick tilt test proved that the model was

stable with these pieces of lead in place. The

tilt test involves tilting the hull as far as possible

(without flooding it!) and letting it go. If it recovers

quickly then stability is OK, if it continues to tilt

further then you have a big problem!

After ballasting, the model was returned to the

workshop for a full steam test on the bench. First,

the boiler was filled with water and the lubricator

with steam oil and all radio control functions

checked for correct operation.

The steam test was used first of all to set and

check the operation of the new safety valve

against the boiler pressure gauge. With the

engine stop valve closed (so that there is no

steam outlet from the boiler, other than through

the safety valve), the burner was lit and steam

pressure raised towards the 25PSI that was

intended for the setting of the safety valve. If the

safety valve opened before that pressure was

attained, the valve adjuster could be screwed

down to increase the pressure setting. Similarly,

if the valve was not open at 25PSI, the valve

adjuster could be slackened off to reduce the

pressure setting. Once the safety valve pressure

was correctly set, the burner was left at its

maximum rate to check that the safety valve

was limiting the maximum boiler pressure to no

more than 10% above its 25PSI nominal setting.

On completion of the safety valve setting, the

engine stop valve was opened and the engine

control valve set to ‘full ahead’. The engine

was turned over (initially by hand) to warm the

cylinders and expel any water resulting from

condensed steam to the oil interceptor. Then

the engine was allowed to run on steam for the

first time and checked for correct operation of

the engine control valve. The first run on steam

showed up all sorts of minor steam leaks in

the engine glands, valve faces and pipework

joints, and notes were made of these for later

rectification.

During bench testing, I always check how

long the engine can run at full power before the

boiler water level drops far enough to require

refilling. I measure this time from boiler lighting

until the water level drops to the bottom fitting

on the water level sight glass. When steaming

on the lake, I use the timer function on my

Spektrum transmitter (programmed with slightly

less than the total steaming time) to nag me with

electronic beeps as a warning that I need to

bring the model back for a drink.

On the waterThere followed a trip to the boating lake at

Woodbridge in Suffolk (home of the Woodbridge

Model Boat Club) on an absolutely flat calm and

not too cold day in January 2014 for a maiden

voyage with the newly geared steam plant.

After filling the boiler with water and the engine

lubricator with steam oil, the gas was turned on

and the burner lit from the top of the funnel. While

waiting for steam pressure, the engine was oiled

all round and radio control functions checked for

correct operation. When steam pressure was

available, the engine control valve was set to ‘full

ahead’ and the engine turned over by hand to

expel condensed steam to the oil interceptor.

The engine control valve was then closed to

wait for the safety valve to lift as a check that it

was working. As a general safety requirement

for any live steamer, before each sailing a safety

valve operation check should always be made;

it’s not unknown for these small valves to stick

closed, with potentially disastrous results! At the

very least, a boiler explosion will destroy your

pride and joy, but it is quite capable of maiming

or even killing bystanders.

Then it was into the water for a trial run,

whereupon she behaved impeccably, running

at pretty much the same speed as with the

earlier and much bigger compound engine and

steering like a dream! In addition, she will now go

astern when asked – something that couldn’t

always be relied upon with the old installation.

Adapting what I’d learnt about previously

with electric propulsion proved satisfying and

successful here: a geared high-speed steam

engine of quite small size works very well indeed

– the only, very minor, downside being the

reduced running time that Archer’s new

(and much smaller) boiler affords. l

19

20 21

BELOW LEFT: With the refit completed, a trip to the domestic test tank was called for to check the effects on ballasting with the new installation. BELOW RIGHT: The bath tests revealed that two pieces of lead ballast, each weighing around one pound, would need to be fitted either side of the hull amidships. One of the lead pieces is visible here beside the lubricator.

The radio control compartment with its original servo mounting plate now fitted with a reduced number of servos. The original rudder and whistle servos (the blue ones) remain in situ, only the engine control servo has been relocated. The receiver battery pack is installed out of sight below the servo plate and the Spektrum receiver can be seen alongside the rudder servo.

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Glynn Guest provides an in-depth guide to building a semi-scale model of a small Harrier/helicopter Carrier from this month’s free plan…

“My model was built around what I

had available during lock-down, but

you will find the design can quite easily be adapted to suit other materials”

Free Plan

This model that will result from this month’s

free plan was based on a proposed class

of small Carriers capable of operating

helicopters or Sea Harriers, which were

designed to appeal to smaller navies or to

serve as support vessels for larger fleet units.

Once built, Audacity will measure in at around

36-inches (92 cm) in length, with a 6 -inch (15

cm) beam, thereby making her approximately

1:144 scale – a suitable match with numerous

plastic aircraft kits.

Construction is mainly from balsa and

liteply. With a shallow draught design, you’ll

find she light in weight (4.5lb - 2 kg) yet has

more than adequate stability. Power can

be provided by two RE 360/385 motors

and, with twin rudders, she will easily travel

at scale speeds and demonstrate good

manoeuvrability.

OriginsIf I told you this model took me 35 years to

complete, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking I’m

either a very slow worker or that I’m challenging

you to build something very impressive but

seriously complex – neither of these scenarios,

however, happen to be the case.

The truth is that the original concept for this

model can be traced back to the mid 1980s

when the desire to build an aircraft carrier

first fired my imagination. I got as far as going

out and buying a copy of Royal Navy Aircraft

Carriers 1945-1990 by Leo Marriott (ISBN 0

7110 15619), only to find the book was lacking

kind of detail I was hoping for in regards the

Colossus class of light fleet carriers that

were interesting me at the time. Reluctantly,

therefore, this particular ambition was

shelved. Some years later, in the September

2013 issue of Model Boats, I noted with interest

the release of a book on HMS Goliath. This

did include details of the small Harrier Carrier

design proposed by Vosper Thornycroft, so,

enthusiasm rekindled, I set about drawing up

a rough draft. Life’s little distractions, however,

were then see this lay dormant in my files for a

further three and a half decades – until…

Lock-downThe voluntary home incarceration of 2020

forced me to re-evaluate what I’d materials

I had to hand and what could be built from

them. The best that could be found were some

sheets of ¼ inch (6mm) balsa and a large sheet

of 2 mm thick liteply, plus an embarrassingly

large stash of 1:144 plastic kits – all of which

led me to resurrect the Harrier Carrier plans.

Audacity


tricky. These slots need to be straight and

at the same time wide enough to slip some

suitable sheet into so that the bow shape so

characteristic of vessels can be accurately

captured. Not trusting myself to cut these slots

with a knife, I hit on the idea of taping the two

sides together and then firmly clamping them

down onto my adjustable workbench so that

the position of the slot was above the narrow

gap between the table halves. Then, using a

Tenon-saw (because it had a stiff rather than

flexible blade) I carefully cut the slot out of both

sides at the same time (see Photo 3). This

method might sound somewhat ludicrous,

and probably amused my neighbours no

end, as I did it outside on the drive for more

space and better light, but it met its

objective, resulting in the creation

of two satisfyingly identical, and

suitably wide, slots.

The side pieces

need to be stiffened

up by gluing two

strips of 1 x ¼ inch

(25 x 6mm) balsa along

their top edges (see Photo 4), remembering

to make both right and left handed sides.

Once again, a trial fit of the sides onto the hull

base is a sensible move before reaching for

your glue (see Photo 5). At this point,

your transom should be cut out and

tried in place. I found the lower

edge, which sits on the

hull bottom, required

some chamfering

Free Plan

4

5

3

2

1


s

Frustratingly, there wasn’t enough material

to build the model as originally designed,

so lots of discarded pencil sketches were

created until the idea of using a shallow

draught occurred to me. This had been

successfully tested on a model (Caerleon

Castle, see the May/June 2018 issues of

Model Boats) and had proved very stable.

Adopting this method allowed both the large

flight deck and the two hull side pieces to be

cut from the 12-inch (30cm) wide sheet of

liteply – problem solved!

As a result, the design of the model moved

further way from the original Vosper plans

and evolved into a small multipurpose vessel

which could be outfitted with Sea Harriers

(needing a ski-jump in the bows) and Lynx

helicopters for naval roles or, with the ski-jump

removed, as a helicopter assault vessel. The

hull shape had also to be modified to make

better use of the liteply and became more

appropriate to the current ‘boxy’ hull styles.

Wooden notes

My model was built around what I had

available during lock-down, but you will find

the design can quite easily be adapted to suit

other materials. The sizes and thicknesses

are, within sensible limits of course, not crucial

to adhere to, but if any changes are made

then the consequences must be thought

through. The parts will still need to be strong

enough to do the job and fit together!

For all the wood to wood joints, I used an

exterior grade wood glue: Everbuild 502, to be

exact. It has all the qualities of being strong,

having a convenient drying time and it doesn’t

smell awful or make a mess, which more than

makes up for not being able to leave the hull

full of water after each sailing session – not

that I do anyway! A little epoxy was also used

when sticking the propeller and rudder tubes

through the hull bottom.

Bottom first

My build began by making the base upon

which the hull was created, and which indeed

formed its bottom. For this reason, the base

must be flat, square and true, otherwise your

hull will be out of shape. My lockdown stock

included a single 6-inch (150mm) wide sheet

of ¼ inch (6mm) balsa, but the likelihood is

you’ll need to join two 3-inch (75mm) sheets.

I then glued a frame of ½ x ¼ inch (12 x 6mm)

strips onto the base frame (see Photo 1).

For those of you working to my plan, I should

point out here that it’s very important that

your two longitudinal strips match the length

of the lower edges of the hull sides. The three

bulkheads (1A, 2 and 3) need to be cut to fit on

the hull base and so need slots in their corners,

and a trial fit without glue first is recommended

(see Photo 2).

Make sure the two hull sides you cut from

your liteply sheet are identical. Their outlines

are simple enough but creating the necessary

slots within their front halves can prove a little

although I also used a couple of clamps to

ensure the sides and bulkheads were firmly

held together while my glue set (see Photo 6).

The hull sides from B2 forward now need

to be pulled together and glued to the hull

base, strips and B1A, but only once the glued

applied to the previously mentioned parts

has fully dried (see Photo 7). The inside joint

where the two sides meet at the bows can

be strengthened by pressing a piece of glue

soaked fabric across it. I’ve employed this

little trick numerous times over the years and

as a result have yet to experience a failure

in what is often the most vulnerable part of

a model boat’s hull – and believe me, I’ve

unintentionally put the resulting reliability to

the test on countless occasions!

To create a larger gluing area, I recommend

gluing some strips of balsa along the inner

edges of the sides from B1A to the bow joint

(see Photo 8), as this is going to be a glued

joint that will be hard to access later on.

Completion of the bow requires pulling the

sides inwards and gluing the bow piece into

place (see Photo 9). Make sure the curved

sides are symmetrical here. I also added a

couple of triangular fillets at these joints –

although, on reflection, these may not have

actually been necessary. The sheet that

slides into the slots in the side pieces can be

made from balsa, liteply or any other suitable

material. I used some card, cut from a large

sheet that I’d bought in an art store some

years ago for another project. Whatever you

opt for, though, should be slightly oversized for

the job in hand. I found that my slot needed

a little widening before the card would slide

smoothly down to fit against B2. I therefore

withdrew the card, applied glue to the

surfaces and reinserted it into the slot, before

leaving the glue to set (see Photo 10).

The excess card on the outside of the hull

can easily trimmed away with a knife and then

the edge sanded back to be flush with the hull

sides. Some of my card was also cut away

inside the hull to give afford access; remember,

totally sealed spaces can become traps for

6

Free Plan


“I’ve employed this little trick

numerous times over the years

and as a result have yet to

experience a failure in what is

often the most vulnerable part of

a model boat’s hull”

to make a good joint. Only when you’re totally

happy with the fit should the sides be glued

to bulkheads 2 and 3, the hull base and strips

set in place between them and the transom

fixed to the base and sides. One of the nice

thing about working with liteply is that you

can secure parts by pushing pins through it;

10

8

9

7

dampness and lead to rot. The top part of the

first bulkhead (B1B) can now be glued into

place and the gap between it and the top of

B1A filled with a strip of balsa (see Photo 11).

With the excess sheet cut way from the

hull base, B2 forward, the bottom edges of

the hull can be sanded flush to the sides (see

Photo 12). Now, only three things are left

to add to the hull… Firstly, the deck needs

to be fitted into the hull using a plug on its

underside made from square balsa strips. As

the transom is angled, a strip has to be glued

across it to create a vertical surface for the

plug to fit securely within. I found the face

glued to the transom needed be chamfered

(see Photo 13). Use a sanding block was

to ensure that this strip and the top of

the transom are flush with the hull sides,

otherwise your deck will not fit properly. You

can either leave the bow of your hull with a

blunt appearance or chose to do as I did and

undertake a little streamlining. This involves

sticking a few laminations of scrap balsa to it

and then carving and sanding it into shape.

The block ought to stand above the top of

the bow piece by an amount equal to the

thickness of the deck sheet, thereby creating

a flush appearance. The final addition on my

build was a strip of hardwood to reinforce

the junction between the hull side sheets

(see Photo 14).

With the hull beginning to look a bit more

ship-shape, all the external surfaces can

be lightly sanded and at the same time

examined for any defects. Should you detect

any visible cracks, firmly press glue into them

and, likewise, fill any larger imperfections with

glue coated slivers of balsa. The odd dent

can be treated with some domestic filler,

which can then be easily sanded flush with

the wood. By the way, always use a sanding

block (either a commercial item or sandpaper

wrapped around a suitable flat surfaced

block) to avoid gouging into the wood and

creating more damage. The hull bottom,

where it joins the hull sides, can now be

sanded to create a modest radius (see the

cross-section on the plans), but don’t go

mad and seriously weaken this joint!

Removable deck

The whole of the flight deck is designed

to be removable – a much better option

than having to struggling through small

hatches in order to gain interior access!

Also, to be truthful, I find that if most of the

decks and superstructure can be removed


sFree Plan

11 12

14

15

13

from a model, I’m far less likely to damage

any fine detail while carrying out routine

maintenance.

I built a plug made up from ½ inch (12mm)

square balsa inside the strips around the hull

opening so that it sat flush with the edges (see

Photo 15). Transverse crosspieces were also

added at roughly 6-inch (150mm) spacing.

If you’re following my lead, care needs to be

taken not to get any glue between the plug

strips and the hull. Once the glue is dry, and I


17 18

Free Plan

really do mean dry, the frame can be gently

lifted out of the hull, but not before putting a

mark on its top surface (see Photo 16).

It always pays to plan ahead, so I took

great care when cutting up my original sheet

of liteply and set a piece just the right size to

make the flight deck from aside. When you

get to this stage the plug can be affixed to

the deck. Applying your glue to the previously

marked upper surfaces will help you ensure

your deck is correctly positioned. It’s a good

idea to hold it down on a flat surface with

suitable weights. Leave it like this for as

long as possible; the glue may say it can be

handled after a few hours, but overnight is

always a safer bet.

The deck plug might display a little

reluctance to fit into the hull opening. I know

mine did! A little sanding of tight spots on the

plug, along with a small radius at the corner

which fits into the hull opening, usually cures

this. A little trimming of the deck will no doubt

be required to clear the bow block and fit

neatly; also, any excess should be cut and

sanded away from the deck edge.

Surface sealingIt’s up to you, but I’ve always found it easier to

seal and prepare the external surfaces of a

hull and deck before adding or installing other

items. How you chose to treat bare wood will

be a personal preference; there’s nothing

wrong with opting for a method you know

from past experience will work.

I like to use something which is quick

to apply and which toughens the hull up

against the inevitable knocks and scrapes

a working model can experience. My

preferred choice, therefore, is cellulose

dope and tissue paper. My usual approach

is to first apply a couple of coats of thinned

dope, which I find readily penetrates into

the wood. A light sanding after each coat

will remove any loose wood fibres from

the surface. Next, I use panels of model

aircraft tissue, which I fix to the model by

laying them on the surface and brushing

some neat dope through them. I find that

starting in the centre of a panel and working

outwards usually avoids creases; if creases

do, however, occur, then the tissue can be

peeled back and re-laid with more dope.

Adjacent panels should be overlapped

slightly. The angular shape of this model

makes the application of tissue relatively

easy. By giving my model another two or

three coats of neat dope and lightly sanding

between each application, a satisfyingly

smooth surface was achieved.

No, I didn’t seal the inner surfaces! My

models are built to keep water on the outside

of the hull and rarely does any enter the

interior. Even if the internal spaces look

totally dry after a sailing session, I always

leave a model ‘opened up’ for a day or two

afterwards, hence my dislike of enclosed

spaces within a hull. This has always worked

for me, as over the past five decades none

of my models have ever suffered from wet

rot – something that can occur if water gets

trapped in the wood. But, if it makes you feel

better, by all means swill sealant around

inside your hull.

R/C gearI always like to conduct ‘on water’ tests as

soon as it’s possible to do so, as I find it very

reassuring to know the boat I’m working

on will actually float before progressing

the build any further. Also, if you find your

motivation flagging a bit, this will give you the

encouragement to complete the damn thing!

I fitted twin propellers to my prototype,

which have proven to work well, but a single

prop and rudder arrangement should

be OK too. In either case, the model only

requires modest power, and I went for two

RE 360 motors driving 30mm three-blade

propellers via 8-inch (200mm) shaft/tubes

(Radio Active 1-RMA3048 type). Suitable

alternative motors would be the RE 385,

but not the similar looking but way too

powerful RE 380 or 400 types! My rudders

were commercially sourced items but

equally you could chose to make these

from suitable rods, tubes and sheet metal.

The plans show the positions of the rudders

in the hull bottom sheet; the propeller

tubes should be installed in line with them,

by cutting slots through the hull bottom

around the position of B3 (see Photo 17).

My motors were fitted in plastic mounts,

which required a wedge of balsa to be

positioned underneath them so that the

motor and propeller shafts were aligned. It’s

probably a good idea not to glue your prop

tubes into the hull until things are correctly

positioned (see Photo 18). The rudder servo

should be secured to a strip of balsa glued to

the rear of B3 and a balsa block glued to the

hull bottom. Two simple straight wire links will

16

Free Plan

need to be made between the servo arm and

tillers (see Photo 19).

After making a quick, and admittedly dirty,

installation of the battery (a six cell nimh

pack) and the receiver, plus ESC, my hull was

dropped into the garden pond where it sat in

a bows down attitude. Adding some weights

just ahead of the transom, however, soon had

it floating level and at the desired waterline.

This proved to be very stable and a later

weighing showed that my estimate of about

4.5lb (2 kg) was indeed correct.

The best I could manage was some gentle

manoeuvring around the pond, but it all looked

good, the twin rudders being effective both

ahead and astern. Thus encouraged, I was ready

to tackle the fiddly bits with real enthusiasm!

Fiddly bitsThe superstructure, bridge, funnel and mast

are simple shapes that can be made from

balsa, and decks can be cut from card. On my

prototype, to give them a ‘solid’ appearance

and, to be honest, hide the gaps in their

construction, the vertical surfaces were

covered in thin card before applying a couple

of coats of dope (see Photo 20).

The ski-jump can be made up from scrap

pieces of balsa and ply (see Photo 21). To

give me the option of sailing the model in

Harrier or helicopter assault carrier mode,

my ski-jump was made to be detachable and

fixed with a screw from underneath the deck.

The original Vosper design was intended

to be powered by several GTDA (Gas Turbine

Driven Alternators) distributed throughout the

vessel. This is the reason for the four exhaust

vents in the top of the funnel and the three

either side of the hull at the stern. I figured

that a modern design would feature lots of

inflatable life raft canisters and so added a

couple of ledges on either side of the hull for

them. The remaining details on my model

were the result of imagination tempered with

the realism, what I felt might be appropriate

and a firm sense of proportion!

As is typical for a warship based model,

when it comes to paint, you’ll need grey – lots

of grey! When it came to the hull sides above

the waterline and the superstructure block,

I applied a medium shade. I chose a darker

shade of grey for the flight deck, while for a

little contrast the decks on the superstructure

were finished in green. Black was used

underneath the waterline of the hull, for the

funnel top and for around the exhaust vents

at the stern. Things were lightened up with

a little white on the radar aerials and life raft

containers.

The flight deck markings can, of course,

be hand painted but I instead used some

strips of self-adhesive tape. The numbers and

letters came from commercially available

self-adhesive sheets and, I have to say,

I was pleasantly surprised by how much

the model’s appearance was improved by

them. As I’d used a mixture of gloss and matt

paints, the whole model was finished with a

light dusting of clear satin varnish, which tied

everything together nicely.

Plastic aircraft kitsThe Audacity was designed and drawn up to

a scale that would closely match the popular

1:144 scale aircraft kits. It would be quite

easy to ruin the model by simply by covering

the deck with aircraft of the wrong scale

and type, so choose wisely. Appropriate kits

may not be readily available from your local

corner shop, but you will certainly find a good

selection offered online.

The Sea-Harriers FRS-1 types used on

my prototype were built from old Revell and

Minicraft kits, which may not be easy to get

hold of now, but other Harrier versions seem

plentiful. The Lynx helicopters, however, were

built from a couple of old Fujimi kits, which can

still be found. For the assault helicopters, a

couple of Sea Kings (Sweet kits) and a Chinook

(Revell) were used. If you’re not able to source

suitable scale assembly kits, then it might

be worth looking at the plastic and die-cast

readybuilts on the market. Some are, perhaps

19

20

21


s

after a little ‘modification’, surprisingly good

looking, provided they are of the right size

of course. Failing that, you could try scratch

build some aircraft/helicopters. Rather than

straining for absolute accuracy in outline, it

will be sufficient to settle for visual uniformity

because, unless you only sail your models at

arm’s length, this will still look quite effective.

Once I’d figured out how to attach them

to the model, I found building the aircraft kits

I used fairly straightforward, if a little taxing

on the eyes at times. While assembling the

fuselages, a length of plastic coated steel

wire (sold in shops dealing with plastic kits)

was embedded into the build. The top of this

wire was bent into an ‘L’ shape so that with

the application of a little glue it would become

locked into the model (see Photo 22). The

wire was then be able to be fitted through a

small hole drilled into the flight deck. I found

that with a small piece of rubber tubing

slipped up the wire, the models could be held

secure yet accept the odd knock with minimal

risk of damage and likewise could be moved

around safely.

Pre-sailing trialsBefore heading out for the trial runs, my

model had another session on the garden

pond. Since the last float, a lot of things had

been added, so a final ballasting session

was needed. Rather than a rough and ready

Free Plan


22

placement of internal items, they all needed

securely holding in place to avoid the model’s

sailing trim changing in the middle of the lake.

The R/C gear was fixed using blocks of foam

plastic, which is both light and sufficiently

‘springy’ to do the job. Ballast was still needed

at the stern and so I employed some old

metal weights previously used to balance

auto tyres. This bucket full of scrap weights

had only cost me a pint of beer when I last

bought some tyres! Glued in place using

an all-purpose adhesive, this brought the

models weight back up to 4.5lb (2 kg), still with

excellent stability.

One minor problem was detected during

this re-ballasting session: the deck had

developed a small but irritating twist –

nothing too serious but annoying nonetheless,

as the deck would not sit firmly on the hull.

Press a high point down and it would rise up

elsewhere. The simple solution was, with the

deck pressed firmly down into the hull, to drill

a couple of holes in the sides of the hull and

through the ½ inch (12mm) square frame on

the underside of the deck. Some metal rods

that matched these holes were pushed into

them and through the deck frame. The ends

of these rods stood a little proud of the hull

but, when painted, almost disappeared from

sight. (If anyone spots them on your build, you

can always claim they are vents or some such

item!) This cured the twist and also ensured

that deck would never part company with the

hull, unless, of course, I wanted it to.

Sailing trialsMy sailing trials were approached with

suspicion, as conditions on the day, bright

with just the lightest of winds, seemed almost

too ideal. Launching the model proved easy,

due to its light weight, so there was no risk of it

toppling into the canal turning basin.

Low speeds uncovered no problems and

the model was soon running at its reasonable

top speed of around 3ft/s (0.9 m/s). This

produced a modest bow wave but little

disturbance, as it almost appeared to sweep

over rather than through the water; this effect

had been noted on the previous shallow

draught model and if anything adds a little to

its realism. The rudder response was good,

with little heeling when turning. I did feel that

the minimum turning circle was a shade too

large; moving the linkage inwards by one hole

on the tiller arms, however, reduced it to a

more comfortable 10 foot (3m) in diameter.

Another observation was that any

crosswinds could see the model start to

drift sideways. No doubt the modest weight

and shallow draught encouraged the effect.

Fortunately, I was easily able to correct this

and maintain the desired sailing course.

At the end of this initial run, no problems

had occurred and the model had proved

relaxing to sail while still being capable of

any manoeuvres I could reasonably demand

of it, and subsequent runs have proved just

as satisfying.

Final fleeting thoughts…Like most model designs, the Audacity has

the potential to be modified to suit your needs

and preferences. It can be easily scaled up.

Indeed, you can simply double its size if you

want to use 1:72 scale plastic aircraft kits.

Another option, if you’re not happy with the

shallow draught idea, would be to increase

the draught by simply deepening the hull

sides, bulkheads and transom.

It’s also good fun to sail in the company

of warship models of a similar scale and

era. But, while sailing along with one frigate/

destroyer shouldn’t prove too difficult, with

two or three it gets harder and with anymore

can be impressive until someone gets a turn

to port or starboard confused! l

“Like most model designs,

the Audacity has the potential to be modified to suit your needs and preferences. It can be easily

scaled up. Indeed, you can simply double its size if

you want to use 1:72 scale plastic aircraft kits”


Free Plan

Crow’s nest

2

1

Considering shelling out for a new kit? On these pages, fellow modellers lift the lid on you what you’ll get for your money.

Those in the industry that supports the hobby wishing to send in review samples for inclusion should contact the editor via email at [email protected] or post samples, together with all supporting information, to Models Boats, MyTimeMedia Ltd, Suite 25, Eden Hse, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HR.

Box rattle reviews

Hands-on hobby-related product assessments


l A nice transparent plastic

compartmented box of small

fittings (see Photo 3);

l A set of pre-sewn sails, printed

flag and seven reels of various

rigging threads (in eco-friendly

brown paper bags);

l Two A4 size booklets of

building instructions and a set

of A3 1x scale plans of the masts

and sails;

l A bag of real stone chips for

the ballast.

The kit is based on the

approximately 8m (26 ft) long

mid-section of the hull, which,

as you can see from the box

artwork, includes the main mast,

complete with standing rigging,

yards (spars) and its suit of sails

with associated running rigging.

You also get the main yard

studding sail booms, although

not the studding sails. The scale

is 1:90 (close to 1/8 inch to 1ft),

which results in completed model

dimensions of 90mm in length

(along hull), 415mm in width 415

and 876mm in height

The hull structure comprises

three identical main frames

that form a parallel section of

“The hull structure

comprises three

identical main frames

that form a parallel

section of hull. This

makes OcCre’s kit

particularly suitable for

any modeller venturing

into plan-on-frame

modelling for the first time, as no plank

bending is required”

ABOVE: The box and its contents. BELOW: The rigging material and laser cut ply sheets.

Santisima Trinidad Section Kit from Ocio Creativo,reviewed by Clive BarclayI’ve always been attracted to

cross-section models as you can

see so many of a ship’s details

that are normally hidden from

view. So, when I spotted this kit

by Ocio Creativo (OcCre) online,

it was duly ordered from Hobbies

Ltd. The kit arrived well packaged

and within two days of placing

my order, very efficient service

considering it was purchased

online during the Christmas/New

Year holiday – well done Hobbies!

The Santisima Trinidad was

built in Havana as a 112-gun

(three-decker) ship for the

Spanish Navy and launched

in 1769. Later in her career,

however, her forecastle and

quarter decks were joined to

make a fourth continuous upper

gun deck for 8-pounders. This

increase in number of cannon

to 130 meant the Santisima

Trinidad carried more guns

than any other 18th Century

warship, thus making her a very

interesting subject for a cross-

section kit.

Packaged in a robust

cardboard box (61.5 x 23

x 8 cm), the kit contains all

the materials necessary to

construct the model, apart from

glues and paints. So, what’s

inside? Well, the contents

(see Photos 1 & 2) are listed below:

l Two bundles of quality strip

walnut, sapele, lime wood and

dowels of various diameter;

l Four sheets of laser cut ply

parts, that include a display

stand plus a separate hull

framing jig;

Image courtesy of Ocio Creativo.


s

6

3

4

5

This kit is packed with plenty of

detail and will definitely build into

an eye-catching and interesting

static display model. If you are

interested in this kit, or others by

Ocio Creativo, the company’s

website allows you to download

a PDF file of the instruction book

before parting with your money –

a real bonus, as this enables you

to get a better feel for the kit of

your choice. l

FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Product: Static model construction kit

Ref No: 16800

Price: £125 (Hobbies Ltd. www.hobbies.co.uk)

Manufacturer: Ocio Creativo

Website: www.occre.com

cut plywood decks provide the

bases for lime wood deck planks.

The internal hull section is

outfitted with 16 metal cannon

barrels of three different sizes,

representing the range of

calibres for 32lb to 8lb shot.

These metal castings are well

detailed, with minimal flash

material (see Photo 4).

The gun carriages can

be found in the finely

laser cut ply sheet (see

Photo 5). In addition to

the artillery, there are lots

more goodies, in white metal,

wood and wire, included in the

small parts box (gun port frames

with separate lids, fighting top

frame, rigging blocks, deadeyes,

ring bolts, plus barrels and

casks – to name but a few),

some of which are illustrated

here (see Photo 6).

As indicated in Photo 2,

rigging thread for the main mast

is provided on seven reels, in two

shades of brown and in different

diameters. The sails are pre-cut,

with the hems sewn, and are well

detailed to represent the canvas

seams and reefing bands.

The two instruction

booklets are both clear and

straightforward, with the

coloured isometric diagrams

making the assembly sequence

easy to follow. All individual parts

are identified in the parts list,

which specifies part quantity,

dimensions and material type;

however, a list of box contents

could not be found, e.g.

number of Sapele wood strips

of a particular size, making it

more difficult to check if you

have sufficient quantities of a

particular item that is used in

several locations. The A3 booklet

provides 1:90 scale drawings of

the masts and yards that clearly

indicate the rigging attachments,

although additional reference

information on period rigging

details may be also needed.

hull. This makes OcCre’s kit

particularly suitable for any

modeller venturing into plan-on-

frame modelling for the first time,

as no plank bending is required.

The frames are planked both

externally and internally with

individual strips of wood, with

backing plywood giving accurate

locations for the gun ports. Laser

Crow’s nest

ABOVE: The laser cut gun carriages. BELOW: A selection of fittings.

ABOVE LEFT: The fittings included in the box. ABOVE RIGHT: The well detailed cannon barrels.

Image courtesy of Ocio Creativo.

Crow’s nest

44

FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Product: Static model Construction kit

H.M.S. NorfolkManufacturer: AoshimaRef No: 056691

RRP: £39.99

H.M.S. CornwallManufacturer: Aoshima

Ref No. 056721

RRP: £39.99

Our sincere thanks to Expo Tools (www.expotools.com) for the supply of the kits reviewed here.

H.M.S. Cornwall and Norfolk plastic waterline kits from Aoshima, assessed by Gary RadfordThese two County Class Heavy

Cruisers are produced by the

Japanese company Aoshima

in the 1:700 scale Water Line

Series of kits.

Although both ships came

under the County Class Cruiser

grouping, H.M.S. Cornwall was

in the Kent sub-class. Launched

in 1926, she spent most of her

service life out in the Far East,

being first assigned to the China

Station. In 1939 Cornwall was

transferred to the South Atlantic

where she escorted convoys

before returning to the Indian

Ocean in 1941. In 1942 she was

assigned to the Eastern Fleet,

where on April 5, 1942 she was

sunk by Japanese aircraft.

This H.M.S Cornwall kit from

Aoshima comes moulded on

15 light grey sprues, some of

which – for example the 8ins

armament – are duplicated.

Having given each sprue a

thorough examination, I could

find no evidence of flash or

ejector pin marks on any of the

parts. Another good sign was

the almost invisible moulding

seam around the parts, which

considering how fine some

of them are is a bonus for the

builder. The hull sides have

raised plate lines, while the deck

has finely engraved plank detail,

which a few careful washes will

no doubt enhance. As a bonus

you also get a very nice-looking

S-Class destroyer moulded on

four sprues, along with a sprue

containing the ship’s Walrus

aircraft, a Sunderland flying boat

and a Wellington bomber. Decals

for all of these are provided

on two sheets: one containing

ensigns and four types of

pennant numbers, while the

other, common to both these kits,

contains the markings for the

aircraft and additional ensigns.

H.M.S Norfolk was launched

in 1928. At the outbreak of World

War II, she was already part of

the Home Fleet and became

involved in the chase for the

German battleships Gneisenau

and Scharnhorst in the Channel

dash. She was also involved in

the sinking of both the Bismarck

and the Scharnhorst. H.M.S.

Norfolk survived the war and

after a time in the East Indies she

returned to Britain to be scraped

in January 1950.

This kit differs from the

Cornwall, as it consists of 16 light

grey sprues, some of which are

common to both kits. Again, the

quality of the parts is equally as

good, with no flash, etc, evident at

all. The main deck is moulded in

tan plastic, with the same level of

detail as the Cornwall. Clear parts

are also provided for the search

lights, while the tops of the three

funnels come moulded in black

plastic. All components are finely

moulded and have good crisp

detail. A small photo-etched sheet

with a separate instruction leaflet

is supplied along with the decal

sheet mentioned above.

Both ships come with two

metal plates that fit inside the

hull to aid stability.

So, if you collect 1:700 scale

scale ships, especially British ones,

I highly recommend these good

value for money Aoshima kits. l

“Both ships come with

two metal plates that

fit inside the hull to aid stability”

Having keyed in the headline for this

article heading I am very much aware

that I’m deliberately venturing into a

minefield. I can clearly picture hardened

modellers fleeing, gibbering in horror at the

prospect of coming up with a formula for

selecting motor/prop combinations, faint cries

of “Can’t be done, can’t be done” floating in

their wake….

Well, it can, to some extent – although

admittedly only in specific areas, such as

racing, or perhaps by delving into the kind

of abstruse mathematical equations and

calculations that the average modeller would

require a brain transplant to be able to get to

grips with. The reality is that when it comes to

scale, or scale-ish type, boats there are just

too many variables involved to come up with

any ‘one size fits all’ formula.

This article, therefore, offers an empirical

practical approach and aims to identify

the pertinent issues scale modellers need

to factor in when selecting motors and

propellers for their own specific builds.

Racing is a different matter entirely and will

not be considered here, as it’s a specialist

area of modelling where the applicable rules

do indeed determine power installations

to a very large degree. Nor will I consider

the other niche area occupied by steam

powered models. For the sake of simplicity

and recognising the needs of the average

modeller, I will be confining myself to

electrically driven scale models, which is quite

enough to be going on with!

Of course, those of you who’ve subscribed

to, or regularly bought, the magazine for

many years now may remember the subject

previously being addressed in the 2011 Model

Boats Special Issue. However, it’s become

abundantly clear both from correspondence

recently received by the magazine and the

almost daily posts that appear on model

boating forums that there’s a continuing need

for help and advice, particularly amongst

those new to the hobby and lacking the

experience that enables more seasoned

modellers to know roughly what will work in a

given situation. Also, the enforced leisure time

bought about by COVID-19 has encouraged

many people back into the hobby, all of whom

are keen to familiarise themselves with the

latest developments.

As there is much to cover, I have split this

feature (which has been thoroughly updated

– both in terms of the information contained

and explanatory images featured– since I last

tackled the subject for Model Boats back in

2011) into two parts. Before we get started,

though, I would first like to thank former editor

Paul Freshney for his input on brushless

motors (read on for more details).

Performance

We all strive for good performance from our

models. What does that actually mean?

Well, essentially, we want a model boat

that looks ‘right’ on the water, operates at

a ‘realistic’ (another minefield!) speed and

has a power plant that gives us reasonable

sailing duration. But, as with all things, there

are inherent trade-offs. Your tug with a nice

big lead-acid gel cell in its belly will happily

trundle around the pond for a couple of

hours or more. If, however, you have a ASRL

fast boat then the exciting performance you

expect will come with a short duration so

you will be looking at being able to swap in

a second set of batteries, NiMHs or LiPos,

and perhaps fast charging the initial set

during your sailing session. This is only to be

expected. What you don’t want is for your

fast launch to limp around the pond in a nose

down attitude. Nor do you want to bring your

tug into the bank after half an hour, only to

find that the motors are too hot to touch, and

the battery is almost drained. These are just

the sort of practical problems that modellers

frequently encounter through not knowing

the optimum setup for their boat or the main

factors that determine it. The introduction and

now commonplace use of brushless motors

and high performance LiPo cells offer exciting

options which bring complications of their

own for those not familiar with them.

What constitutes scale speed is always

a bit of a bone of contention. The generally

acknowledged formula is based on Froude’s

Law and states that scale speed equals the

square root of S x full size speed, where S is

the scale of the model. So, for a 1:100 scale 30

knot destroyer the scale speed would be 1/10

x 30 = 3 knots, or around fast walking speed,

which I think most people would regard as

reasonable. This formula should also produce

a wave pattern similar to the original vessel

at corresponding full size speed. It doesn’t

always look that way because the viscosity

of water doesn’t scale down and instead

Selecting motors and propellers - Part 1Colin Bishop puts together some practical advice…

“Essentially, we want a model boat

that looks ‘right’ on the water, op-

erates at a ‘realistic’ (another mine-

field!) speed and has a power plant that gives us reasonable sailing

duration. But, as with all things,

there are inherent trade-offs…”

Help at hand…

Just what a scale model ship should look like: Chris Hoddinott’s Ballyloran.


s

Realistic wave patterns, as exemplified by Laurent Gontier Versailles’ SS Proteus.


traditional 380/400 or 500/540/550 type of

brushed motor.

In-runners produce much higher rpm and

are really only suitable for fast electric racing

craft. An Out-runner brushless motor will have

to be installed either bolted to a bulkhead

or, more practically, within a traditional

aluminium or plastic motor mount. This is

because the casing rotates and therefore you

cannot simply hold the motor in place in the

hull with a blob of silicone or an elastic band

fitted over it on to a shaped balsawood base.

A brushless motor can only be used with a

suitable compatible speed controller with a

three wire output and you need to ensure that

it has a full reverse function, something which

doesn’t feature on units intended for model

aircraft use for obvious reasons.

Motor specificationsPublished motor information for brushed

motors will normally include things like voltage

range, maximum RPM, possibly typical

current draw and stall current (stall current

being the current drawn by the motor if it is

stalled at full throttle; for example, by weed

round the prop). In the absence of specific

usage recommendations, this will give some

idea of the motor characteristics. A relatively

low RPM and stall current indicates that the

motor is likely to be low drain and suitable for

more sedate models. A high RPM and high

current draw or stall current shows that the

motor is more performance orientated.

Brushless motors are specified differently.

A typical Brushless Out-runner may be

described as 2822-1100KV. To confuse things,

some manufacturers may add an oblique

after those first four digits (as do Turnigy),

followed by another number, such as 8, 12, 14

or 17. Here, we are only concerned with the

first four digits.

The first two digits (28) refer to the case

diameter in mm and, rather handily, this

means it will bolt into a standard traditional

360/380 brushed motor mount. Likewise, if the

first two digits are ‘35’, this means it will bolt

into a 540/550 brushed motor mount but, of

course, be of a larger diameter.

The next two digits ‘22’ refer to the case

length. However, what we are really interested

in is the KV rating and somewhere within

the specification will be listed the motor’s

maximum Wattage, which is 102 for this

particular motor. In this motor series Turnigy

offer an identically sized motor, Ref: 2822/8-

2600KV, but of 260 Watts, a truly remarkable

performance from something just over an

inch in diameter and barely an inch long.

Physically, size for size, a brushless motor will

be much more powerful than a brushed type.

1100Kv means that the motor will produce

1100 revs per volt with no load. So, on a 7.4v

two cell LiPo battery this means it will (if it is

running at maximum speed) produce 7.4 x 1100

rpm = 8140rpm or, on an 11.1v three cell 11.1v

LiPo, 12210rpm. Let’s be clear though, you can

use any battery to power a brushless motor,

Help at hand…

of getting impressive sheets of spray at full

whack the model dispenses dollops of water

instead. (Ideally, you need to slow down time

too, but this introduces aspects of quantum

mechanics which are beyond the scope of

this article).

This is not a bad basis for assessing

performance, but in practice people like

their boats to have more ‘welly’. Firstly,

many people think this actually looks more

realistic and secondly, it gives you a reserve

of power if the weather kicks up, producing

rather unscale conditions on the pond. I

am all in favour of extra power; if it’s there

you don’t have to use it but if it isn’t then

you may well regret it if the model can’t

cope. Most model boats can comfortably

accommodate a power plant setup which

gives that comforting extra bit in hand. So, the

next step is to consider how you can get the

performance you want.

Motor typesThere are a bewildering number of motors out

there and choosing the right one isn’t always

easy. Size is no indication of what is inside that

bland looking casing. 540/545 type motors are a

case(!) in point. The standard outside dimensions

can conceal a huge performance range from

low-drain units which will run almost indefinitely

to power-hungry monsters that will flatten your

battery in minutes. Tiny brushless motors can

produce an astounding amount of power for

their size.

There are two basic types of electric motor,

conventional brushed and the brushless

versions. The latter initially became very popular

for model flight applications due to their high

power to weight ratio but are now increasingly

the norm in scale models and almost de rigueur

for any type of scale performance boat when

coupled with LiPo batteries.

For many scale boats, conventional

brushed motors, often teamed up with NiMH

cells will be perfectly adequate, especially

if weight and performance are not critical

issues. This sort of setup also has the virtue of

being relatively inexpensive and there are no

special charging issues to consider. People

with tugs and other large volume hulls still

sometimes prefer to use lead-acid sealed Gel

cells, which are cheap and do double duty as

ballast. After all, if you need lead in the bottom

of your boat it might as well be doing some

work for you.

There is nothing very complicated about

brushless motors, although in some situations

a brushed motor might be more appropriate.

Generally, the former can do everything that

the latter does, even to in terms of first class

slow speed control There are two types of

brushless motor: Out-runners and In-runners.

Out-runners are generally thought to be

the best for R/C scale models and these

are the ones that look like an enlarged fizzy

drink bottle top; whereas In-runners are ‘can-

like’ and not dissimilar in appearance to a

LEFT: A bit of extra power is always useful, as this shot of Model Slipway’s Conserver demonstrates.

A twin screw installation using belt drive to gear down the propellers.

including a Sealed Lead Acid, NiMH, Dry Cells

or whatever. The critical thing is that the volts

supplied meet the motor’s minimum needs

and do not exceed its specification or that of its

associated speed controller. Your battery must

also be able to deliver the high currents often

demanded by high wattage brushless motors,

which can rule out SLA types.

Many of the model suppliers, including

those advertising in Model Boats, list a wide

range of motors on their websites, together

with detailed technical data and suggested

applications, and this information can be very

helpful indeed when deciding what to buy.

It’s also handy for ‘sizing’ matching speed

controllers and fuse values.

Propellers

Scale model propellers come in three main

types: plastic or nylon, white metal (as

commonly supplied with kits) and hard metal

(normally brass or bronze).

Plastic props, usually in black or red nylon,

are the cheapest type and are extensively

used. In my experience, they tend to be

designed for maximum forward thrust and

can often be a bit feeble when astern power is

applied. I’ve found that with the red Graupner

variety this can be overcome by screwing the

prop on its shaft and then dunking it in boiling

water while tweaking it with a pair of pliers to

increase the pitch. Immediately then plunging

into cold water sets the changed configuration,

although you have to judge each blade angle

by eye. Neither red nor black are realistic

colours and the props will benefit from painting

with bronze or brass coloured paint, although

this does tend to flake off after a while.

White metal propellers are favoured by kit

manufacturers as they are cheap to cast, but

they do require quite a bit of work to clean up

and balance. The soft material also renders

them vulnerable to damage if a rotating prop

hits something hard, such as a stone near the

edge of the pond, which is not uncommon.

They are quite heavy as well. Personally,

I discard these in favour of aftermarket

offerings, preferably in brass or bronze.

Brass propellers offer the widest range of

options and are available from a variety of

sources, from the standard ranges sold by

the likes of Rivabo to the more upmarket and

specialised offerings, e.g. from Raboesch

and Prop Shop, who offer exact scale items

for specific types of ship – these include the

complex patterns fitted to modern warships,

with their multi blade scimitar shapes that

look as if they have escaped from a liquidiser!

Electric motors are most efficient when

running at high RPM. These speeds are not

optimal for the propellers we use, which

are much happier at considerably lower

revolutions. This discrepancy is bridged by

the load exerted by the propeller reducing the

motor revs or by introducing gearing.

Help at hand…

47

s

LEFT: A fishery cruiser built by Colin Bishop, with standard high pitch brass propellers.

BELOW: The running gear for the SLEC 1:16 scale Fairey Swordsman kit.

LEFT: A selection of brushed motors and propellers from a typical modeller’s ‘bits box’.

48 Model Boats March 2021

With direct drive installations, the idea is

to achieve a tolerable compromise between

balancing the propeller revs against the motor

revs. The motor RPM is brought down, but

not so much as to unacceptably increase

current draw, while the propeller delivers an

acceptable level of thrust to give the required

performance. The load exerted by the propeller

can be reduced either by having a finer pitch or

simply by fitting a smaller prop. For those who

are wondering, the pitch of a propeller is the

theoretical distance it would move (or screw)

through a solid medium in the course of one

revolution. So, if the blades are angled to ‘bite’

more, the pitch will be high. If they are ‘flatter’

the pitch will be lower. In practical terms this

means that a low pitch propeller can have a

larger diameter than a high pitched one for the

same thrust output. This has scale implications

as you would expect a tug to have quite a

large prop as opposed to a tiny one – even if

does deliver the same thrust. Fitting a smaller

or finer pitched propeller will not necessarily

reduce thrust and boat speed as it may well

enable the motor to rev more efficiently and

develop more power.

Another important factor affecting thrust

and motor loading is blade area. For a similar

pitch, a four-bladed prop will deliver more

thrust than a three-bladed one of the same

type at similar revolutions.

The other method of matching the motor

revs to the propeller is to introduce some

means of gearing, either by gears themselves

or by belt drive. Unless built into the motor, or

fitted very accurately indeed, gears can be

noisy and absorb power. Many people prefer

belt drive, either of the toothed or smooth

variety (which tends to be quieter). For most

purposes a ratio of 2:1 or 2.5:1 works well as

expressed in terms of pulley diameters, with

the smaller one being fitted to the motor. Of

course, if you have a paddle steamer then

you will need a much higher ratio of perhaps

10:1 to achieve the appropriate RPM for the

paddles. Fitting a 2:1 ratio in this case could

entail the boat briefly emulating a duck taking

off before the battery explodes!

Chicken or the egg?So, which should we give priority to when

setting up our boat: the motor or the

propeller? Many might say the former, but in

fact you may be faced with more limitations

affecting the prop. For example, clearance

between the shaft and the bottom of the boat,

particularly in a twin-screw configuration,

may place a practical limit on the prop

diameter. Many modern tugs and workboats

are fitted with Kort nozzles; these obviously

affect the maximum diameter of the prop and

may not operate properly if the prop is too

small, particularly if they’re of the steerable

type. Then there’s the question of maintaining

scale appearance. Traditional tugs usually

have a slow revving large three- or four-

bladed prop. Fitting a very small one in the

keel aperture may improve efficiency by

allowing the motor to rev faster, but it won’t

look right so you will need a high torque slow

revving motor and/or to introduce gearing.

If you have a semi or near scale

performance model such as a fast launch

or the SLEC Fairey kits then these often

compromise by having a single screw when

the corresponding full size boat would

probably have twin props so your single

screw will need to be ‘oversize’. For example,

the full-size Fairey Huntsman was typically

fitted with twin 17 inch props which for

the 1:16 scale SLEC kit would equate to

25mm but the kit has a single shaft and the

recommended size is 35mm. Of course, you

can fit a smaller diameter prop and run it at

a faster speed but at small sizes it might not

‘bite’ quite so well as a larger one and deliver

less thrust. By all means experiment but

going with the manufacturer’s suggestions is

the safe route to take.

Getting the right combination is still more of

an art than a science, which is why this article

looks at practice rather than theory. One rough

rule of thumb for brushed motors often quoted

is that the propeller diameter should not exceed

the motor casing diameter when directly driven.

Again, supplier websites are often a good guide

for matching the two together.

So how do you know when you’ve got

it right? Well, unless the boat is a high

performance type, such as a rescue launch,

you will be looking for a setup that gives a

decent scale speed at full throttle, coupled with

a good duration of at least an hour or so when

sailing round the lake at various speeds and

stopping for short periods as you would during

a typical sailing session. For faster boats, 20

minutes might be a more realistic target.

You can make some informed judgements

from static testing in the water. If the motor(s)

draw a total of say 3-amps in the bath at full

speed then you can assume maybe half that

as the average draw on the pond. So, if you

have a 6 amp hour lead acid battery aboard

then the boat should give you a duration of

two hours before the battery is depleted to

50% of its nominal capacity (see next section).

Alternatively, you could have a 3.5-amp hour

(3500mAh) NiMH battery to give a similar

performance, as these can be depleted down

to most of their nominal capacity. These

examples should be treated with caution, as

much will depend on your driving style.

If your motor gets hot then something is

wrong. Unless there is friction in the driveline

then it’s likely that the motor is too small or

the prop loading is too high and you will need

to fit a bigger motor, reduce the propeller

pitch, diameter or the blade area, or even

resort to gearing, to allow the motor to run

more efficiently. You will see accounts in the

modelling press and online forums of people

water-cooling their motors by winding copper

pipe around them but this is simply treating

the symptom rather than the cause in a

scale model. Heat is simply energy from your

battery which is being wasted rather than

applied to driving the boat.

Help at hand…

“Fitting a 2:1 ratio in this case

could entail the boat briefly emulating a duck taking off before

the battery explodes!”

An example of a wiring diagram produced by Dave Milbourn for an ACTion Electronics customer.

Bluff bowed fishing boats need a fair bit of power to push them through the water.

this. Inexpensive visual and audible voltage

monitor alarms can also be fitted into the

wiring. Afterwards, the cells need to be

discharged or recharged to the specified

storage voltage. If you have LiPo batteries

then an intelligent charger/discharger is a

must. LiPo cells typically self-discharge at

around 5% per month, so you will need to

ensure that they are charged back up to

storage voltage at regular intervals when not

being used. It is generally considered to be

good practice to store LiPo batteries outside

the model in a fireproof container or pouch.

Better safe than sorry.

Set against the undoubted advantages of

LiPo batteries is the need for a more ‘hands

on’ maintenance and charging regime,

together with considerably higher costs and

much shorter lifespan than NiMH cells.

When calculating your battery capacity

requirements do take into account that in a

typical sailing session most scale boats will

be drawing on average far less than their full

speed current consumption and sailing time

will be extended correspondingly.

Part 2

Well, that’s all for this month. Next time we will

be looking at testing and practical examples

of models that work! l

The only instance where motors should

be allowed to get hot is where you are

aiming for ultimate speed irrespective of

power consumption, rather like overclocking

the processor in a computer for gaming

purposes. Some people may disagree but my

view is that this should rarely be necessary in

the average scale boat.

Batteries

A quick note on batteries is appropriate, as

they deliver the juice that the motors and

props require. Basically, there are three

common types…

Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) Gel Cells are heavy,

useful as ballast and very suitable for the

more sedate scale models that do not require

high currents. In these circumstances they will

give good running times at a very reasonable

cost. They can be installed and charged in

any position but remember that the weight

distribution of the battery is not even: the ‘top’

is lighter than the ‘bottom’, which can affect

the placing if you lie it flat in the hull.

Gel cells are pretty much maintenance

free but should be kept charged when not in

use, so after your sailing session recharge

the battery and keep it topped up every

three months or so if the boat is laid up. Lead

acid cells used in model boats are usually

6-volts or 12-volts and cheap automatic

plug in chargers which avoid overcharging

are readily available. One other thing to

remember is that lead acid cells don’t like to

be discharged beyond 50% of their nominal

capacity, otherwise irreversible internal

damage can occur. So, for example, a 7-amp

hour cell should be treated as having a 3.5-

amp hour capacity for practical purposes.

Lead acid cells are a bit ‘old hat’ in some

respects but still very useful in many types of

model where they can combine ballast with

power capacity.

Probably the most common battery type

these days is Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH),

which has replaced the traditional NiCads.

These cylindrical cells have a good power

to weight ratio and individual cell capacity

has increased by leaps and bounds in recent

years. As each cell has a nominal voltage

of 1.2v there are many options available

for battery pack total voltage. Although

perhaps not delivering the very high currents

the old NiCads were capable of, they are

environmentally more friendly, do not suffer

appreciably from capacity reduction ‘memory

effect’ and are perfectly suited to most scale

model boating applications. Unlike lead

acid cells, almost all their nominal capacity

is available so they are almost twice as

efficient. NiMH cells are the standard general

purpose battery of choice for scale models.

They are easy to look after with cheap

automatic chargers. Unused NiMH cells do

self-discharge over a period of time; this will

depend on temperature and construction

characteristics but, for our purposes, once

fully charged the standard type can be left for

three months or so before recharging. There

are also low self-discharge types which can

hold their charge for up to a year or more

Always charge the cells before a sailing

session and then recharge afterwards before

putting the model away.

Rapidly coming up on the inside track

are Lithium Polymer or LiPo cells, which

combine high capacity and high discharge

rates with low weight. This makes them

ideal for performance scale models or those

where weight is critical or extra capacity is

required for longer running times. They come

in multiples of 3.7v nominal (around 4v at full

charge), so a 2S pack will be 7.4-8v and a 3S

pack 11.1v-12v. Be aware they do require

careful handling, charging and storage, as if

misused can explode or catch fire. They are,

however, quite safe if the manufacturer’s

usage recommendations are correctly

followed. Buy only from reputable sources

and you make absolutely sure you read the

instructions! The cells are typically stored

at a reduced voltage and topped up prior

to a sailing session. During the session the

voltage must not be allowed to drop below

a specified level and good speed controllers

will be fitted with a cut-off function to prevent

Help at hand…“You will see accounts in the

modelling press and online forums

of people water-cooling their

motors by winding copper pipe

around them, but this is simply

treating the symptom rather than

the cause in a scale model”


This little Deans Medea kit requires very little power to give a realistic performance. A low drain 280 type motor is fine.

A lifeboat model like this at full speed means that you are getting into hot motor territory!


Steam basics Pt.114

Meeting up with fellow enthusiasts

pondside inevitably leads to

discussions on all things model boat

related. Sadly, due to the pandemic, it’s been

a while now since that’s been possible so, as

some of you may remember, last year I invited

you, the readers, to put forward the topics

you’d most like to see included in this series.

I’m delighted to say response has been good,

and while some of the suggested subjects

have been covered in Model Boats in the

past, I feel many of them will be well worth

revisiting. What’s more, most of them involve

tasks undertaken in our workshops, which is

no bad thing considering winter is still far from

over. Soldering, in particular, jumped out at

me as one of those useful and transferable

skills crying out for more coverage…

As steam modellers we tend to concentrate

on silver soldering rather than soft soldering,

considering the former as the only acceptable

process for assembling the parts of our model

copper boilers and pipe work, and perhaps

viewing it as a ‘resolve all’ process. The more I

think about it, though, the more I’m convinced

that it’s a mistake to overlook the numerous

possibilities offered by the latter, both in

terms of model engineering and general

modelling. Because although mainly seen as

a means of joining two wires or a wire and an

electrical component together, soft soldering

lends itself to all sorts of other applications.

Considering this reminds me of metalwork

classes at school – yes, a good memory helps

– and in particular how we were taught to

bend sheet tin to form boxes, soft soldering

the corners together with a soldering iron.

Said soldering iron was heated up in a huge

gas burner to almost red hot temperature,

and I can well recall trying to hold the half

pound weight of copper tip steady while it

heated up the joint with one hand while trying

to keep the huge chunk of solder steady with

the other. Hardly any wonder those were not

the neatest joints I’ve ever created! However,

if it did nothing else this taught me a lot about

heat transfer, which really is the key to soft

soldering success – and understanding

this helped me in later life when it came to

assembling and soldering up a complex

arrangement of handrails going right the way

around a fo’c’s’le and down a companionway

ladder in a single run (see Photo 1). It likewise

proved invaluable when assisting Stan Reffin

with the design, manufacture and soldering

together of the components for the superb

mast arrangement featured on his Gambier

Bay model (see Photo 2) and the beautiful

brass detailing on his minesweeper model

(see Photo 3).

Most of us are, of course, aware of the

value of using soft solder in electrical

work, as basically a well soldered joint with

a heat shrink covering is just about the

best cable joint you are ever going to get.

But why would we want to use soft solder

anywhere else? I think of it this way: soft

solder is nothing more than a convenient

glue that will hold two pieces of metal

together. Unlike glue, however, it reaches

full strength in a minute or so, is extremely

easy and convenient to apply, and it will

adhere to metal with far more tenacity

than most glues. So, why reach for the

Araldite and not the soldering iron when

we want to stick two bits of brass together?

Yes, soft soldering needs a little bit more

thought and preparation in its application,

a little bit more consideration from a safety

aspect and, of course, that understanding

of heat flow, but all that pays dividends, so

let’s see if we can make it a little easier to

understand…

Boiler RoomRichard Simpson begins a three-parter on a very useful, transferrable, skill: soft soldering…

1

Handrails are one of those things that can make or break a model. Strong brass stanchions and rails make for a sturdy arrangement, but a good secure joint at every point is needed to hold everything together. As far as Richard is concerned, soft soldering is the only way to go here.


Steam basics Pt.114s

The theoryTo completely simplify things, what we are doing

with soft soldering is heating up two pieces of

metal to a point above the melting point of the

soft solder and then allowing that metal to melt

the solder. If you make sure it’s the parent metal

that melts the solder, you can be confident it

will flow. If you allow the heat source to melt the

solder, however, the parent metal may not be up

to temperature, so as soon as the molten solder

touches the job it will cool to below the melting

point and solidify again.

Important Point 1The parent metal must melt the solder, not the

heat source.

We now need to consider how the solder

acts as a glue. It does this by adhering to

every microscopic surface imperfection of

the metal, excluding all air and filling the

gaps in the surface at a molecular level. This

is what gives it such a good grip. To help it

do this we must remove all imperfections

on the surface that may get in the way of

the process, such as dirt, oxidization, paint,

grease, etc. The only way to ensure this is

with the use of mechanical abrasion. So, the

area we want the solder to adhere to must be

cleaned up with emery cloth, a file or wet and

dry paper. Unless this is done, something will

almost certainly act as a barrier, probably an

oxidization layer, and prevent the solder from

flowing all over the surface. You don’t want

the solder to simply sit on the surface as a

molten blob until it falls to the floor or, worse

still, burns through your slipper! I would advise

avoiding the use of any form of chemical as

you might just introduce another barrier. Rely

on abrasives.

Important Point 2Clean all surfaces of the joint with abrasive,

right back to clean, bare, shiny metal.

The problem is that as soon as you clean

a piece of metal back to bare it immediately

starts to form a new oxide coating. This

will happen within minutes and is greatly

accelerated with heat; so, as we heat up the

metal, the oxide coating will increase and

again prevent the solder from flowing. More

holes in your slippers! What we need to do

therefore is to introduce an acid that remains

active for long enough to keep the surface

etched and clean while the solder flows onto

it. This is, of course, the flux. It can be in the

form of a paste, after mixing a powder with

water, a gel, a liquid or, in the case of fine

3

2

“If you remember and apply

these three main points, you will

be well on the way to getting

successful soldered joints every

time. Not only that but you will

be able to do it quickly and easily

and move on long before the

Araldite is even mixed”

ABOVE: Brass photo-etched parts are commonplace nowadays, with some modellers even making their own. Many use glue to hold the parts together, but soft solder is far stronger and holds to the surface of the metal with far greater tenacity, providing a delicate but strong structure. as demonstrated here by Stan Reffin’s Gambier bay mast.

Another Stan Reffin lesson in brass work is the detailing he’s added to his Schutze minesweeper model. Again, all brass to brass joints are soft soldered for strength.


Steam basics Pt.114

electrical solder, can be contained within the

solder itself (i.e. a ‘multicore’ solder).

Important Point 3The surface must remain clean throughout

the heating process with flux.

The hardwareBefore we talk about the

procedure we’re going to

adopt for the soldering,

let’s just take a brief look

at what’s available to do

the job...

SolderSo, first up the solder. This

can be purchased very

commonly in wire form,

frequently on a spool but

can also be bought in stick form, where good

quantities of flux are needed and usually

a significant source of heat is required. It

should be noted that soft solder is supplied in

a wide range of melting points to enable the

user to create complex structures in stages,

where subsequent layers are built using

lower melting point solder to avoid disturbing

the earlier work. Great care must be taken

to control the temperature so that it’s not

allowed to rise higher than the melting point

of a previous stage.

FluxFlux can be supplied as either a powder –

which is mixed up into a paste and applied

with a spatula, a grease – supplied in a tin

and brushed on, or a liquid – which you

can either paint on or dip into (Photo 5).

Traditional flux is an acidic compound, which

is designed to etch the surface of the metal

and prevent oxidation during the heating

process while the solder flows and then cools.

The problem with this type of flux is that it

should be cleaned off, or neutralized, after

the job is done. This can be fiddly at best

and sometimes just not possible. Failure to

5

6

4

also as a loose loop (see Photo 4). It’s also

readily available with flux contained inside

the wire, usually five very fine cores; this is

fine for electrical work where the items being

soldered are frequently very small,

such as wires and solder pads

on electronic equipment,

but there’s frequently

not enough flux for

bigger jobs. Solder

Although soft solder can still be purchased in stick form for plumbers’ use, most modellers will opt to purchase it in wire form, which is either supplied loose or on a spool, as this can be very accurately placed for neat and tidy joints.

ABOVE: Straightforward, simple, non-controllable soldering irons are very inexpensive, but your only control will be deciding on what size to use. The battery powered ones are limited in power but very handy for pondside wire repairs.

While flux paste can still be purchased, flux in either gel or liquid form is far more convenient. Nowadays, there are non-acidic liquid fluxes available which not require cleaning off after the joint is made.


successfully carry out this task will leave an

acidic residue on the soldered joint, which

will corrode the metal over time. It’s still quite

common to see wire leads soldered onto a

motor with a green deposit surrounding the

joint. This is due to the acidic flux reacting with

the copper wire, thereby resulting in corrosion

and the formation of verdi gris deposits. More

modern fluxes don’t use an acidic process to

prevent oxidisation during soldering and so

don’t require cleaning off after the job is done.

This is the type of flux I use.

Heat

Heat can be provided from a number of

different sources, with the most common

for electrical and electronic work being a

soldering iron. Soldering irons can take the

form of anything from a basic standard non-

controllable iron powered by mains or even a

7.2 v battery (see Photo 6), through variable

temperature irons (see Photo 7) and right

up to solder stations with full control and

temperature readouts of both the iron and a

heat gun for handy fitting of lengths of heat

shrink over completed joints (see Photo 8).

Soldering irons, however, do present

modellers with a number of challenges when

it comes to sticking delicate pieces of metal

together. Perhaps the most problematic is

that the tip has to touch the work to heat it

up, so there’s the risk of disturbing a carefully

arranged assembly and knocking things over.

Another factor to take into consider is that the

molten solder on the tip can deposit itself onto

your work as it reaches temperature and,

quite frequently, the iron will also touch the job

next to your joint rather than specifically and

directly on it. You may then have to clean up

solder deposits after everything is finished,

which can prove tricky on fine photo-etched

brass. An alternative is to use a gas or petrol

torch (see Photo 9). The advantage is then

that nothing actually touches the work, so you

run a lower risk of things falling over during

soldering. The big disadvantage, however, is

that the products of combustion within the

flame are usually rich in oxygen so actually

further accelerate the formation of an oxide

layer on the work. You may well find that

additional flux is required to help deal with

this effect. It could also be argued that a

naked flame is a bit more difficult to control;

however, you’ll soon learn just how far away

from your work you’ll need to hold the torch in

order to get the temperature just right.

Next month…

In the April edition, we’ll be delving a little

deeper into heat flow and how it can be

used to our advantage, and we’ll be looking

at just what is meant by the expression

‘tinning’. Then, looking further forward in the

June magazine I’ll be sharing some actual

examples that will hopefully allow you to

get a little bit more out of soldering than just

sticking two pieces of wire together! l

7

98

Steam basics Pt.114“Failure to successfully carry

out this task will leave an

acidic residue on the soldered

joint, which will corrode the

metal over time”

LEFT: Richard uses a petrol torch for just about all of the soft soldering jobs he

undertakes that are not electrical. It’s accurate in

putting the heat into a job, very controllable and you

can get the parts up to temperature without even

touching them.

A fully controllable soldering station gives you complete temperature control of the soldering iron tip as well as a fully controllable heat gun for sliding a heat shrink into place to protect the joint. When working with such a tool it’s important that you don’t use an acidic flux, as sealing the flux residue in will guarantee eventual failure of the joint.

A little higher up the evolutionary scale is a

controllable iron. You will need to buy a size with a

maximum capacity to be able to tackle the biggest jobs and

replaceable tips will give the tool longer life.


Warship Scale - Part 23

Soobrazitelnyy

Once the size has been determined

(working to 1:72 scale), and in my case with

the advantage of having the ancillary drawing

to hand, all the basic parts that make up the

reel (as listed below) can be formed, ready for

assembly (see Photo 3).

The bearings The bearing into which will pass the

common tube for the drum should be cut

from brass tube 1.2mm ID and, then, with

a simple jig made to both position and

secure the baring in place on the top of

the reel frame it’s ready for soldering (see

Dave Wooley continues his 1:72 scale build of the new Russian multi-purpose Soobrazitelnyy corvette...

ABOVE: A view along the forecastle on the model, taking in the stealth turret and gun.

This month we will be focusing on the

making of the large cordage reel and

winches, installing davits and the

sonar handling gear and the construction

of the search lights, plus we’ll be taking a

brief look at the development of the model

thus far.

Cordage reel The cordage reel, while being low tech,

is still regarded (by the Russian Navy) as

an essential piece of kit for reeving out

cordage when securing the ship to a dock.

Basically, cordage reels have changed

little in shape and function, but that

matters little if they do the job (Photo 1).

On the model the first task involved in

creating a scaled down cordage reel is to form

an outer ring frame. Fortunately, I just happened

to have a plastic tube of the right diameter.

All that was required was to coil a length of

soft brass around the tube and remove any

excess before repeating the task. The simplest

methods often produce the best results and

there you have it: one of the two rings required

ready for soldering (see Photo 2).

Here I’ll endeavour to show how the reel fitted

to Soobrazitelnyy is made from scratch in about

two hours…

2

Photo 1: Soobrazitelnyy’s PK10 decoy launcher and mounting, and to the rear one of two large cordage reels.

Photo 2: Forming the outer ring frame, ready for soldering.

Photo 3: Each of the components that make up the cordage reel prepared for assembly.

1 3

Part MaterialA Reel frame 0.8mm soft brass

B Cordage drum 9mm styrene tube

C Cross frame supports 0.8mm soft brass

D End frame support 0.8mm soft brass

E Outer ring frame 0.8mm soft brass

F Inner ring support .50 styrene

G Common tube 1mm od brass tube

H Bearing 1.2mm

Warship Scale - Part 23s

4 5

6 7

8

9

10

Photo 6: The outer ring frame is added to the inner support.

Photo 7: Dave’s method for ensuring alignment and determining the length of the common tube that will fit between the bearings

Photo 8: Preparing the feet.

Photo 9: Cleaned and airbrushed, with the cordage on the winding drum.

Photo 10: The cordage reel is positioned adjacent to the PK10 decoy launcher.

Photo 4) .Using a small amount of solder

paste, both the bearing and end frame

need to be soldered (see Photo 5) .

The next task, which requires the use of

cyanoacrylate, is to add the brass outer ring

to the inner styrene disk. It’s worth noting that

the inner ring support needs to be made up

of an inner disc with eight strips at intervals

around the circumference (see Photo 6).

Your reel will now be almost fully assembled

awaiting the feet. Given the method of

construction, a tube can be inserted through

the bearings and drum to determine the length

required (see Photo 7), allowing the latter to

rotate; alternatively, the reel frames can be fixed

to each end of the drum (see Photo 8). With

the feet in place, the reel can be prepared for

airbrushing with a final sand down to remove

any bures. Once your paint is dry, a suitably

sized cordage can be wrapped around the

drum (see Photo 9). Your reel can now be fitted

into place on the forecastle (see Photo 10).

Additional fittings As you approach the final stages of a build

you’ll often find a number of fittings on the list

have been quietly forgotten. Soobrazitelnyy

is no exception. There are those that remain

outside of the initial build cycle – in other

words, left until the last; for example, the deck

vents, smoke generators the winch that’s

positioned just behind the forecastle break

and, to accompany that winch, a control

Photo 4: The use of a simple timber jig for positioning and holding the bearing in place makes soldering such a small fitting far less problematic.

Photo 5: One of the two cordage reel frames prepared.


pedestal inboard of the breakwater. These

and other late commers in the process are

illustrated here (see Photo 11).

The smoke canister, vents and life

ring can now be fitted to the model (see

Photos 13). The ‘smoke canisters’ on

Soobrazitelnyy should be positioned

on either side of the hull, forward of but

adjacent to the VLS deck housing (see

Photo 12). I use that description with

caution, as their actual purpose is unclear.

They could construed as depth charges, but

this doesn’t fit the usual practice for Soviet

/Russian warships. For a long period of

time both mines and depth charges where

moved around the ship on rails and depth

charges discharged well clear of the ship.

Other fittings to be added rather late in

the day will be the forward winch and winch

control (see Photo 14) .Interestingly, while

these are clearly present on the full size ship,

their exact function is, once again, a bit of

a mystery, other than that they’re clearly

associated with handling cordage.

Fitting out the bridge wings Fitting out the bridge wings presents a few

difficulties, being in mind that the objective

here is to get close to representing what can

be seen on the full-size vessel as possible. The

only images available of the fittings located

in and around the bridge wings are those

taken of Boikiy, the third vessel in the class.

I doubt very much that there are any major

differences, though, other than the small

extension to the bridge wing which does not

feature on Soobrazitelnyy.

As an enthusiast that has spent the best

part of 30 years photographing warships,

when viewing any such picture I study the

details first, before then trying to establish the

function of certain fittings. Of course, you can

have a superb image but be largely ignorant

of what you are looking at. When referencing

the port bridge wing on Boikiy, I saw a number

of seemingly shared fittings which could

easily be modelled; for example, the two life

11

13

Item LocationA Large cordage Reel Forecastle close to forward deck housing

B Compass Repeaters Either side of bridge wings

C Winch control Inboard of the break water

D Winch Forecastle deck on the deck break forward

E Small deck vents Forecastle deck inboard adjacent to the smoke generators

F Large deck vent Forecastle deck

G Goose neck vents small Aft flight deck

H Goose neck vents large Forecastle deck

I Smoke canisters Forecastle deck either side of the deck housing

J Anappa dipping sonar Crew boat deck starboard


Photo 11: Even towards the end of your build, there are always fittings on the list still to be added.

Photo 13: A similar shot, but as seen on the model.

12 Photo 12: Ringed in red, the smoke generator as fitted to Soobrazitelnyy; just one of those late in the day fittings.


Warship Scale - Part 23s

raft containers and their mountings running

along the inboard edge of the bulwark (see

Photo 15). Ringed in red is a gyro compass

repeater, also featured on the starboard

bridge wing. Ringed in yellow is part of

the ship’s tannoy, or loudspeaker system.

Perhaps less familiar is the NBC wash down

head, ringed in white.

When modelling it is often the obvious yet

innocuous fittings that give the model more

depth and meaning. An example in practice is

the fitting of the life ring with its accompanying

coil of cordage and the slatted walkway (see

Photo 16). Equally important is the box for

housing the starboard navigation light; here

the shape must conform with the sloping and

angled frontage of the bridge (see Photo 17).

Life raft containers

Soobrazitelnyy, like most ships, is fitted with

life raft containers (the construction of which

was covered in the November 2020 issue).

To refresh the memory, or for those who

may have missed that particular edition, I’ve

included an image illustrating the basic parts

used for construction of the life raft mounting

and, also, the rubber mould and master

used to repeat the four life raft containers.

With the help of the construction drawings

available as an extra with the main GA, much

of my mounting framework was formed from

Evergreen angle strip (see Photo 18).

14

15

18

16

17

Photo 16: Fitting out the port bridge wing, with provision made when installing the duck board to accommodate the two life raft containers.

Photo 17: Installing the starboard navigation light box prior to fitting the bulwark.

Photo 18: Refreshing the memory on the method and materials used for constructing the life raft containers and mountings, as covered in a previous issue.

Photo 14: The forecastle with the new fittings added.

Photo 15: An impressive image of the fittings within the port bridge wing on the fourth in the class Boikiy.

Photo 14: The forecastle with the new fittings added.

58

Photo 25: Each of the components that will form the two search lights.

You’ll need to insert two of the containers

inboard of the bridge wing, with provision in the

duck boards to accommodate each mounting

(see Photos 19 and 20). All that is required now is

to fit the securing straps around each container.

Rigging the crew boat davit and Anapa sonar crane In the October 2020 issue of Model Boats, the

construction of the crew boat was covered,

followed in December 2020/January 2021 issue

with the airbrushing. Now the crew boat can

be moved to its location on the starboard side,

adjacent to the hanger (see Photo 21), but first

there is the essential job of rigging the davit. (For

this task I used a favourite thread of mine, metal

coated Krenik yearn. At one time this American

product was readily available in the

UK. Sadly, however, this no longer

seems to be the case and I now

have to order directly from the USA.)

Rigging is a straightforward operation;

the thread needs to be secured at the

end of the arm and rove through the

pullies to the winding drum at the base

(see Photo 22).

The Anapa dipping sonar has two threads.

There’s the Krenik thread for the purchase or

lift of the sonar, which is first connected to the

top of the sonar and rove through the smaller

of the two pullies to the hand winch drum. A

slightly thicker thread representing the sonar

cabling is connected to the sonar hub and rove

through the larger pully thence to a paying out

drum sited on the deck (see Photo 23).

Search light Here the search light, ringed in yellow (see

Photo 24), is associated with the operation

of crew boat, and this is duplicated for the

RHIB. Once again, we can reduce the fitting

to its component parts, which confirms the

simplicity of its construction (see Photo 25).

Part Material A Baseplate (sits on the timber capping) Styrene 1mm

B Baseplate support (fits under the capping) Styrene 1mm

C Lens formed by using a leather punch 0.5mm acetate sheet

D Outer lens cover 0.5mm styrene

E Lamp body 6mm od aluminium tube

F U-frame for lamp body 0.45mm brass wire

G Backplate cover 0.5 mm styrene

H Light holder 1.6 mm dia Styrene rod

I U-frame stand swivel bearing 1.2mm dia styrene rod

19

21

22

23

25

24

20

Photo 19: A general view of the positioning of the life rafts within the starboard bridge wing.

Photo 20: Getting in close to the port bridge wing.

Photo 22: Rigging the davit using Krenik metal coated thread.

Photo 21: The very stylish crew boat before getting its customary lick of Russian Northern Fleet grey. It’s worth noting that the davit purchase is not coupled up to the boat.


Photo 24: The search light conveniently positioned to illuminate the launching and recovery of the crew boat at night.

Photo 23: The model crew boat, resplendent in its original livery, is fixed into place.

Thanks to…Mark Hawkins at Shapeways, for the 3-D name plate

Anthony Horabin, for the preparation of the etched fret.

Mark Findler, for use of his images of the Soobrazitelnyy.

Kurt Grainer, Warships Underway USA

Peter Brown, former naval architect at Vosper Thornycroft,

for his help and assistance

Points of reference for research purposes Severnnaya Verf, St Petersburg Russia.

Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, Project 80382,

Tiger official images

Sourcing of parts and materialsDave’s GRP hull was purchased from Fleetscale, www.fleetscale.com

The litho plate, tubes, rods, wire, etc, for Dave’s build were sourced from Albion Hobbies,

http://www.albionhobbies.com/ 59


As the lamp is glazed, with the latter being a

push fit, the outer lens cover is fitted first. Once

the U-frame is added to the lamp body, the

U-frame swivel bearings can fixed on either

side (see Photo 26). Prior to tidying up the

construction, various part of the search light

can be given a coat of Russian Northern Fleet

grey (see photo 27). Before adding the all-

important lens, the interior of the lamp body will

need a coat of matt black, but the inside of the

backplate cover should remain un-painted (see

Photo 28). To ensure that the lens sits evenly

against the inner surface of the lens cover, a

suitably sized styrene tube needs to be used

as a push fit in the lamp body (see Photo 29).

With the lens now secure within the lamp body,

the back-plate cover can be fixed to the open

end. Covering over the surface of the lens, the

search light can be cleaned in preparation for a

final airbrush coating. Once your paint is dry, the

entire fitting can be fixed to the timber capping

with a most satisfying result (see Photo 30 –

and note the completed Anapa depth Sonar

array in the background).

Part 24…

Next month we will be moving aft to install

all the detail in and around the flight deck,

including making a start on the injection

moulded Kamov KA 27 helicopter kit and the

1:72 scale Italeri figures (see Photo 31). l

26 27

28

29

30

31

Photo 30: Job done: the search light is now fitted to the top of the timber capping.

Photo 31: Soobrazitelnyy supports a single helicopter known as the Kamov KA27. This can be represented with a 1:76 scale injection moulded kit produced by the Russian manufacturer Zvedza but also marketed here in the UK. A set of naval flight deck crew and pilots can be added to the build courtesy of Italieri.

Photo 26: Assembling the parts, commencing with the lens cover, lamp body and U-frame.

Photo 27: Applying a coat of grey paint prior to inserting the lens.

Photo 28: Inserting the lens into the lamp body.

Photo 29: The lens is a tight fit within the lamp body, thus an even, but gentle pressure is called for to avoid damage to the surface of the acetate.

60

Servo Sorcery, Part 2Having last month explained how anolog servos work, this month Glynn Guest provides some helpful troubleshooting advice…

We’ve all probably experienced

switching something on and then

being rewarded with… nothing, zilch,

nada or whatever term you use to describe

that awful quietness of failure! If it happens

with a servo, don’t immediately discard it and

order a replacement, because there are a few

simple things to check first.

This may seem blindingly obvious but is

your RC system actually switched on – and

by that, I mean both the transmitter and the

receiver? Likewise, if you own more than one

R/C outfit, are you inadvertently trying to use

the wrong transmitter? If so, then clearly the

receiver will just sit there totally oblivious, no

matter how hard you try to bend the sticks.

With 2.4 GHz outfits, it’s also worth checking

that transmitter and receiver are ‘bound’.

Even the old fogies amongst us that didn’t

abandon the 27 and 40 MHz frequencies

ought to make sure the receiver crystal

matches the one on the transmitter!

Having ruled out the above, you’ll need

to establish that both transmitter and

receiver, although physically switched on,

are actually powered up. Battery packs,

with rechargeable or disposable cells, don’t

hold their charge for ever. Feeling indignant

because you are pretty sure they were fully

charged or replaced only a year ago isn’t

justifiable.

If a second servo plugged into the same

receiver socket works perfectly, you can be

confident that this servo and only this servo,

is at fault.

Silent servosIf your servo is unresponsive to any

transmitter commands, then it might not be

getting any power and/or signal via the three-

wire lead that connects it to the receiver. The

first thing to check, therefore, is the plug at

the end of the servo lead – and here I am

assuming that the receiver socket is OK if a

second servo works when plugged into it.

What you can see of the three metal

contact within the plug should be bright and

clean. If this is not the case, you could try

using an electrical contact cleaner, which

usually comes as an aerosol spray. Follow the

instructions and this just might restore just

restore your servo to life.

If this does works, however, you might just

want to question how you operate and store

your models. Metallic corrosion suggests

prolonged exposure to a damp atmosphere.

The relatively short time we spend outdoors

sailing is, therefore, highly unlikely to be the

cause. Corrosion is far more likely to occur

in storage, especially during any particularly

lengthy periods between sailing sessions. With

the best will in the world, it’s nigh on impossible

to keep every drop of water out of a model’s

hull while you’re sailing it, so storing a model

in a sealed state immediately afterwards

recreates the kind of conditions under which

a material’s resistance to corrosion is tested

in a laboratory. Removing servos and just

chucking them into a box you then leave in a

space prone to damp is, however, equally as

bad. No wonder things go rusty!

Failure to work can also be the result of

physical damage to the plug and lead. The

servo plugs will be ‘polarized’, so that they

will make the correct connections with the

signal and two power pins within the receiver

socket. This is achieved by the shape of the

plug’s body, which should only fit into the

socket one way. Manufacturers used to go to

great lengths to ensure that this polarity was

obvious. They now seem to have opted for an

almost universal design, where two corners

of the plugs are chamfered and the socket

matches this (see Figure 1), something not

always easy to see while working on the

inside a model or when you’re in a hurry.

Since the plug needs to be a secure fit, it

needs to be firmly pushed into, and pulled out

of, the receiver’s socket. Consequently, some

people apply a lot of force, sometimes not

recognising that the plug is the wrong way

around. This error can damage the plug and

lead to poor contact when it is then fitted the

right way around.

Another failure can occur in the flexible

lead; the breakage of any one of the three

wires will stop a servo from working. The only

problems I’ve encountered have been at

the ends of these leads, that is, the plug or

where it enters the servo body (see Figure 2);

opposite ends maybe, but the same cause

of failure, a flexible wire suddenly being held

rigid. This can result in very localised bending

and overstressing of the wires, resulting in

fracture. Think about breaking something like

a paperclip: it can accommodate a single

bend, even a very tight one, but repeated

bending backwards and forwards will break it.

Sometimes ‘jiggling’ the lead at the suspect

point will get a reaction from the servo.

However, if this restores the servo back to

life, I have to caution you not to regard the

problem as fixed. You have just located the

problem, not solved it! The best – well, only

safe – solution is to either repair or replace

“If this restores the servo back to

life, I have to caution you not to

regard the problem as fixed. You have just located the prob-

lem, not solved it!”

Help at hand

Figure 2

Figure 1


s

the lead. This will involve removing the

damaged part, cutting back to the sound wire

and resoldering it into place. Careful work

with a soldering iron, getting the wires in the

right place and the avoidance of causing any

damage, especially to the servo’s electronics,

is essential. You know your own soldering skill

level, so I leave this decision up to you.

Nervous servosAnother common servo problem is a ‘jittery’

movement. The servo arm may move with

no transmitter stick input or sit stationary

until the stick is moved and it rotates to the

commanded position in a ‘jittery’ fashion.

Provided that you’ve tried another servo to

prove the fault doesn’t lie with the transmitter

or receiver, then it’s likely to be a problem with

the servos Feedback Pot.

It’s not unknown for this problem to

‘disappear’ after the servo has been through

a few full right to left cycles, after which it

performs perfectly. I’ll admit that one of my

models which is kept in a ‘Ready to Run’ state

(i.e. just top up the battery packs and off it

goes) has a rudder servo that jitters when first

switched on. A couple of full rudder cycles

to clear this problem and I’m off sailing but

willing to accept that it’s my fault if anything

goes wrong.

The cause of this erratic performance us

usually the resistance track inside the feedback

Pot. You can get Pots where the resistance is

made from a length of wire wound around a

curved insulating shape, but I suspect that all

of the Pots used in our servos use a resistance

track made from carbon. Now, carbon is a very

suitable material for this job; the track resistance

can be adjusted with the width and thickness of

the track and it allows the wiper to slide smoothly

over it. But, as ever, there’s a drawback, in that

carbon is relatively soft and as the wiper moves

across it will wear and particles can be freed;

these can build up and interfere with the smooth

operation of the wiper. leading to an irregular

feedback voltage, hence the jittery servo action.

Some servos have the feedback Pot

moulded into the underside of the gearbox

assembly. A couple of small screws may allow

you to remove the back of the Pot and expose

the carbon track and wiper. It’s a good idea to

mark the Pot so you can reassemble it in the

correct position, otherwise the servos neutral

position will be altered.

The track can be cleaned with a piece of

tissue or a cotton bud. A surprising amount

of ‘carbon dirt’ can be present on a well-used

servo. You must avoid scraping the track and

damaging the carbon, as this may alter its

resistance or even break it. Simple cleaning

may solve the problem but a light spray with

contact cleaner and a careful wipe should

remove any dirt still present. If reassembly

and retesting produces a smoothly working

servo, then you can feel proud.

Should the feedback Pot be of a sealed

type, without obvious internal access, then

you could still try to squirt some contact

cleaner into any gaps or joints in the Pot body.

There’s no guarantee this will work but, hey,

you got the faulty servo opened up in front of

you so it’s worth a try. Even if it doesn’t work,

don’t discard the servo, a possible use for it

comes later.

Servo reversingServo reversing switches must be one of the

most welcome features to have been added

to our R/C transmitters. Before that, you had

either to buy opposite rotating servos or make

up some linkage to reverse their action. Now, if a

servo rotates in the wrong sense, you just flick a

switch on the transmitter to banish the problem.

There can, however, still be situations

where the rotation of one servo needs

reversing without using the transmitters

switch. Consider two servos that are

connected to a single receiver socket via a

‘Y lead’ (see Figure 3). When the transmitter

control operating that function is moved then

both servos will rotate in the same direction

and by the same amount, which is fine if

that’s what you want but not if you need these

servos to rotate in opposite directions. One

example could be gun turrets on a warship,

which cover the bow and stern of the hull. The

usual requirement is for them to swing to port

of starboard together; in other words, rotate in

opposite directions. I’m sure you can come up

with other examples.

True, there are extra devises that you can

buy and plug into a servo’s lead to reverse

or otherwise modify its action, but my own

experience with them hasn’t been totally

satisfactory, as I’ve found the servo moment

under load to be somewhat jerky. And

anyway, reversing a servo action will only cost

me five minutes with soldering iron!

Going back to the connections between

the servo’s electronics, motor and feedback

Pot (see Figure 4), if the voltage signal from

the Pot’s central wiper contact is not what the

electronics want to see, then an error signal

is created, which sends power to the motor.

Via the motor driven gearbox, the wiper will

then be moved until it produces the voltage

that the electronics desire. This is a ‘negative

feedback’ system, where the error signal acts

to reduce the error.

Now, if we were to simply change the

motors power connections over, much the

same would happen, except the motor would

rotate the wrong way and increase the error

“There’s no guarantee this will

work but, hey, you got the faulty

servo opened up in front of you so

it’s worth a try”

Figure 3

Figure 4

Help at hand


signal. It wouldn’t stop rotating until it hit some

physical stop in the Pot or gears, and even

then, the electronics would still be powering

it to create that worrying sound of a stalled,

and very unhappy, servo. It’s an example of

‘positive feedback’ where the error signal

drives a system to extremes – fine for warning

systems but awful for our servos. This can be

avoided by swapping over both the motor

and track connection on your Pot (once again,

see Figure 4). Not the error signal will drive

the servo in the right direction and reduce the

error signal to zero.

Increased travelThe typical servo travel is around 45 degrees

either side of the neutral position, i.e. some

90- degrees in total. This is a good range of

movement for mechanical linkages such

as those between a servo and a rudder’s

tiller arm, but sometimes you might need a

more travel, say, 180 degrees (see Figure 5).

Servos that feature this increased travel can

be bought, or you could instead purchase

another thing to plug into your servo’s lead.

Alternatively, reading the instructions that

came with the transmitter may reveal how

an adjustment that alters the pulse length

it sends to the servo can be made. It is,

however, not a hard job to modify a servo to

increase its travel.

Returning to a feedback Pot with 5 volts

being applied across it (see Figure 6), the

wiper will search between the 2 to 3 volt

section for the correct value to send back to

the servo’s electronics. This means the Pot

wiper, and the servos output arm to which

it is attached, will move through an angle of

90 degrees. If we were to ‘stretch’ the portion

of feedback Pot that covers the range from

2 to 3 volts, then the wiper and servo arm

would rotate through a larger angle. This

can be easily done by attaching two extra

resistances to the wires connected to the

ends of the Pot track (see Figure 7). In effect,

you’ve then added two extra resistances

in series to the single Pot resistance while

still applying the same voltage across the

new arrangement. The larger these extra

resistances are, the greater the servo travel

will become. The value of the feedback Pot

resistance may be printed on it, but all the

ones I’ve encountered have had a value of

around 5 k ohms (5,000 ohms). So, a good size

to start with for the extra resistances would

be 1 k ohm.

As we are dealing with modest voltages not

large currents, only small low power resistors

are needed. This should allow the servo to be

reassembled with care, ensuring that nothing

is fouled or shorted out. Also important to

check is that the servo can move to the new

ends of the travel without stalling the motor.

Some motors have a mechanical stop in the

gear train, which will need to be adjusted. On

one of my servos this was simply a peg that

could be cut away, but only after checking the

servo would still operate reliably!

Servo PowerEarlier, I commented that if a servo’s

feedback Pot was not capable of being

restored to good health, it could still be of use

in our hobby. In what capacity? Well, as a

possible drive motor for a small model.

A project I undertook to install R/C into a

13-inch (34cm) long plastic Lindberg Diesel

Tug, a kit first sold in the 1950s, serves as a

classic example of this. I figured a working

model’s operating weight would likely be

around 1lb (450 g), so after deducting the

weight of the hefty pieces of plastic that make

up this kit, I realised there wouldn’t much left

for the R/C gear. I knew, however, this small

model wouldn’t require much in the way

of power to move, so my thoughts turned

towards converting a standard size servo into

a motor and using its electronics as the ESC

(Electronic Speed Controller). This, plus using

the four AA cells that normally operated the

R/C system as the model’s drive battery, kept

the final model’s weight within limits.

This diminutive model was built in the late

1970s and still sits on my shelf, ready to go

at a moment’s notice. It can be quite good

fun to sail on scale steering courses. Where

portly tug and lifeboat models struggle to sail

through obstacle gaps, this tiny tug can slip

through with ease. If the wind is right, I can

sometimes even let it drift through sideways,

much to the irritation of the sailing course’s

designer. On the other hand, it can be damn

hard to see what it’s doing at any distance,

which tends to even things up.

To convert a servo to propel such models

is quite easy. The servo is dismantled and the

motor removed from the gear assembly if

you plan to connect it directly to the propeller

shaft. If a geared drive is planned, for, say, a

paddle-wheel driven model, then some part

of the gear box could be used. If the motor is

soldered directly to the electronic board, then

leave it in place. If wires connect the motor

to the electronics then try to avoid breaking

them, perhaps adding a little extra support to

the soldered joints?

The feedback Pot is unlikely to be usable,

being part of output shaft of the gear

assembly. The wires can be cut off the Pot

terminals but not before identifying which two

go to the track ends and which one goes to

the wiper. The servo Pot is best replaced by

using a small ‘Preset’ or ‘Trimmer’ Pot; this

works in just the same, except the wiper is

“It’s an example of ‘positive feedback’ where the error signal

drives a system to extremes – fine for warning systems but

awful for our servos”

Help at hand

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7


manually adjustable and stays where you put

it. The best way I’ve found to use these small

preset Pots is to solder them on to a piece

of Veroboard (a plastic board with holes into

which the terminals/wires from electronic

components can be pushed and then

soldered to copper strips on the other side).

It is of course vital to make sure the wires are

joined to the correct Pot terminals and you

end up with a layout as illustrated in Figure 8.

A bench test is recommended before

even thinking about fitting anything inside a

hull. With the transmitter sticks and trims in

the neutral (centre) position, switch on the

receiver and, if you’re dead lucky, the servo

and drive motor will just twitch and then

remain stationary. More than likely the rudder

servo will behave itself but the drive motor

will start to run. What this means is that the

preset Pot wiper is not in the correct position;

it simply needs adjusting and can be turned

by inserting a screwdriver into a slot in the

wiper. A delicate hand is needed, since this

will be quite sensitive and you may find it

difficult to make the motor stop, meaning

it slowly creeps forwards or backwards. I

usually find that a stopped motor is best

achieved by making a final adjustment with

a single click or two on the transmitter trims.

Some modellers regard this sensitivity to the

neutral or stop position of the transmitter stick

as a problem but, in my experience, it isn’t. If

you can’t bring the motor to a full stop, any

slow turning of the propeller, and believe me

it is slow, will hardly be noticed when sailing

and doesn’t seriously affect the running time.

If the motor refuses to respond to adjusting

the preset Pot wiper, then likely as not you

have got the wires from the servo electronics

connected to wrong ends of the Pot tracks, or

a faulty soldered joint. Just switch off, resolder

the joints and then try again.

Installation into a model isn’t difficult. The

only problem might be connecting the motor

to the propeller shafts. The motor will have

a small gear wheel fitted and removal could

end up damaging the motor. It’s better to use

something like a silicone rubber tube that will

fit over this gear wheel to make the connection.

I have also heard of small springs, taken from

disposable cigarette lighters, being used.

Always worth a tryIf this article has done its job, then you will try

all the troubleshooting techniques you can

before even considering scraping a servo that

isn’t performing correctly. Who knows, maybe

I’ll even have persuaded you to look again at

any old servos you’ve ‘binned’, just to see if

there’s any chance they could be given a new

lease of life. l

Help at hand

Figure 8

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Your ModelsWhether you’re highly skilled and experienced or completely new to the hobby, you’re definitely invited to this launch party! So please keep the contributions coming by emailing your stories and photos to [email protected]

Armoured Troop/ Helicopter CarrierI first saw this Glyn Guest Armoured Troop/

Helicopter Carrier free plan in Model Boats in the

late ‘90s and liked the concept straight away,

immediately realising there was lots of potential

to super detail using Verlinden figures and

military equipment. With the plan designed to be

built to 1:35 scale, this allowed lots of interesting

accessories to be added, such as oil drums,

jerry cans, etc. As you will see, the helicopter I

All hands on deck!


chose was a 1:35 scale Huey gun ship and I also

went on to incorporate various working features,

such as interior lighting, navigation lights, a

collision beacon and rotating blades. The model

is powered by 2 x 385 motors and a one speed

controller, while a voltage reducer provides

power to the working radar that is driven by a

small motor and an elastic band. I’ve fitted a

4-channel radio system and I use a 6-volt 2-amp

NIMH battery to provide power.

This model won the Best Model Boat

built from a Glyn Guest Plan competition at

Haydock Park a few years ago (2017, if my

memory serves correctly).

STAN REFFINEMAIL

Definitely a deserving and inspirational winner!

I absolutely love how cleverly you have used

your imagination to pack in so much extra detail

to this particular Glyn Guest plan, Stan. It’s clear

you’ve had so much fun and there is so much to

take in and marvel at. Ed

All hands on deck!

Meerkat

Subscribing to Model Boats inspired me to

scratch built the R/C Azimut 70 in the photos

I am sending you. From drawing up the plans

to completing the build, the project has taken

me about 16 months in total.

RICH HILLIER

EMAIL

Fabulous work and lovely pics, Rich.

That’s one very cute first mate

you’ve got there! Ed


s

BismarckYou may be surprised to receive a

communication from South Africa.

I have, however, been a subscriber to Model

Boats for many years, and, having built model

warships since I was a youngster (I am now

a 78 year old retired Chartered Secretary),

my work has featured in the magazine on a

number of occasions: HMS Belfast in the March

2009 edition; HMS Bulwark in the January and

October 2013 issues and HMS Euryalus in the

March 2017 — all having been completely

scratch built.

Back in 1970 I began construction of my

first R/C model of the legendry Bismarck. At

that time, here in South Africa information and

publications on naval matters had to be sourced

from overseas, mainly the UK. Fortunately, I

spotted an advertisement for warship plans in

another magazine I’d subscribed to. So, I wrote

off to A & A plans in London (no e-mails in 1970),

and they replied to say that they could indeed

supply plans of the Bismarck. I replied and

attached a bank draft for the princely sum of

£2.50. The plans duly arrived but were drawn to

a scale of 1:144. As I intended to build the model

to 1:180 (1inch to 15 feet) I was required to make

numerous calculations to convert the plans to

All hands on deck!

68

this scale. These were the days before we had

electronic equipment that could calculate sums

quickly or enlarge drawings.

I duly started to scratch build the model. It was

my first attempt at plank on frame from balsa

wood coated with fibreglass and the hull turned

out quite well. The superstructure, guns and

fine detail were all made from balsa, no plastic

strips and sheeting in those days. Motors for

propulsion (small Monoperms) were sourced

from a local hobby shop as was the 2-channel

radio transmitter and receiver. Prop shafts and

propellers (red plastic props) were sourced

from a hobby outlet in the UK whose name

escapes me. The speed controller was a

simple mechanical Marlin Mk. 2.

Construction took four years and during this

time I purchased from a UK source a German

book titled Schlachtsciff Bismarck by Elfrath

and Herzog, which contains many excellent

photographs of the various details of the ship. It

wasn’t necessary to be able to speak German

as the photos visually explained exactly what I

needed to know in order to fashion the various

small parts. I finally completed the model in 1974

and was very happy with how well it performed

on the pond close to where I lived.

Now, nearly 47 years on, she still sails

very well. I am sending you a recently taken

photograph of her on the water. The pond is

the Blue Lagoon sailing area of the Durban

Radio Boat Club of which I am a member.

As May this year will mark 80 years since the

Bismarck sailed towards the convoy routes

in the North Atlantic to disrupt the Atlantic

lifeline, only to be sunk by the battleships

of the Home Fleet after the Bismarck’s

sinking of the legendry HMS Hood, I thought

you might be interested in placing the photo in

the magazine’s ‘Your Models’ section.

MERVYN POLLITT

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Well, that’s a build that has certain stood the

test of time, Mervyn. She’s beautifully detailed

and looks as if she sails like a dream. Ed


All hands on deck!

South Goodwin

I am sending you some photos of my semi-

scale model of Trinity House’s Lightvessel

South Goodwin made recently from

Meccano. It was based on the ‘Model of the

Month’ in the April 1957 issue of Meccano

Magazine. This showed some blurry

photographs, but no building instructions or

parts list. Originally these could be obtained

from the editor by sending a 2d (0.8p) stamp

but with this no longer an option all I had to

work from was the article, some information

I managed to find on the internet and the

parts I had available.

Inevitably, the build did include some

non-Meccano items. I used 4mm screwed

rod from my local hardware shop for

the masts. For the anchor chains I used

a glasses’ chain which I spotted in my

opticians – how about that for an example

of pirating items not intended for model

ships! The lettering is paper, tacked on with

removeable glue.

I decided to send in these photos for two

reasons. Firstly, many readers may have

some Meccano in their sheds or attics and

might like the idea of making a ship in a

different medium. Secondly, I thought a

lightvessel makes an interesting model and

is an unusual subject.

While researching this ship, I found it

met a tragic fate. It was moored south

of the large Goodwin Sands, which are

in the busy Dover Strait, about six miles

off the east coast of Kent. The sands are

notorious. At the lowest spring tide, they

project 2m above sea level and around

2,000 wrecks lie there. In November 1954

in the worst storm in two centuries, the

South Goodwin could not hold its anchors

and, as these vessels did not have an

engine or propeller, it was driven onto the

sandbank and capsized onto its side. The

captain and six crew were never found; a

visiting government researcher, however,

managed to get onto the uppermost side

of the ship. Two RNLI lifeboats were unable

to get near him, but a USAF helicopter from

Manston airbase made a daring attempt

and saved him. The crew were awarded

medals by the RNLI. It was the first time a

helicopter rescue had been made when the

RNLI were on scene but unable to do it. The

wreck can still be seen.

As far as making models, many people

will not have even seen a Lightvessel,

as there are only nine operating around

England and they are moored out at sea. An

exception is the 1914 Calshot Spit, which is

being restored at the Solent Sky Museum

in Southampton, having been transported

there through the city streets on a many-

wheeled trailer! Frog, Revell and Ark Models

(Russia) have offered plastic kits of the

South Goodwin, and Lindberg a model of

the Nantucket Lightvessel (the Nantucket

was sunk in 1934 after being struck by

RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic).

DAVID NEAL

EMAIL

What a striking display model and, I’d

imagine with that fascinating backstory

and the fact that it’s based on an old

Meccano kit, a real conservation starter.

Many thanks indeed, David! Ed

Starlet

I thought that you might be interested to see

my Starlet yacht. I built her using Vic Smeed’s

plans. The wood pack was ordered from

Belair kits, while the sails were ordered from

Nylet. The mast and booms were cobbled

from a decommissioned Seawind yacht. The

controls used are a standard rudder servo

and a Hitec sail arm servo, all run from a

Ikonik receiver and transmitter. She is seen

here at Chantry Model Boat Club’s water,

located at Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent.

The club is closed for the time being, as are

most other clubs, but we hope to be back

sailing again come the spring.

BRIAN BARBER

EMAIL

She’s so pretty she absolutely lives up to her

name, Brian. Let’s hope she’ll be out on the

water again sometime in the very near future. Ed

71

Signals

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l Let there be light!How to retro fit a model railway lighting system to a model boat

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l Loch DoonThere’s never been a better time to try your hand at a bit of junk modelling!

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£588.50 + p&PNorland / Norstar

1:96

Re-live the classic days of ferry travel - in miniature

length: 122cm beam: 20cmdraught: 4.4cm weight: 5.7kg

length: 159cm beam: 26cmdraught: 6.3cm weight:

14.6kg

All Linkspan Models kits contain:Fibreglass hull, laser-cut styrene superstructures, 3D printed fittings, etched metal details,propshafts & tubes, brass propellers, instructions, drawings & CD of photographs of the

prototype build

*2021 release *Spirit of Free

Enterprise1:96

length: 137cm beam: 24cmdraught: 6cm weight: 9kg

Call Angelato advertise in

07841 [email protected]

Pendle Steam Boilers

t: (07452) 875912 e: [email protected]

www.pendlesteamboilers.com

Makers of High Quality Affordable Steam Boilers for Marine and

Stationary Enthusiasts

Please check out

our full range of Scale Plastic

Propellers, lots of new sizes

and thread sizes availiable

Hoga pearl

harbour tug

Aeronaut RC

Anna 3 Fishing Cutter with Fittings £237.60

Aeronaut Bella Sailing Yacht £159.95

Bellissima Sailing Yacht £228.95

Bismarck Battle Ship £462.95

Capri Sport Boat £129.95

Delphin Fishing Boat £108.95

Diva Cabin Cruiser £69.95

Hansjollie Sailing Yacht £217.99

Jenny 1930’s American Motor Boat £124.99

Johnny Harbour Tug 990mm £438.95

Kalle Harbour Tug £159.98

Marina £145.99

Pilot Boat £164.95

Spitfire Outboard Racing Boat £104.99

Torben,Hamburg Harbour Tug 730mm £249.95

Victoria Motor Yacht £134.94

Queen Sports Boat circa 1960’S £169.99

Tirpitz Battleship with Fittings Set £492.95

Amati Static Display Kits

Arno XI Ferrari 800kg Hydroplane 1953 £329.00

Blue Fishing Nose Schooner £83.95

Endeavour America’s Cup Challenger 1:35 £255.00

Grand Banks 46’ Modern Schooner 720mm £366.00

HMS Bounty 1787 720mm £204.95

Oseberg Viking Ship 1:50 Scale £97.00

Rainbow J Class Yacht 1:80 Scale £73.99

Riva Aquarama- Italian Runabout Static £279.00

Robert E Lee Mississippi River Boat £243.95

Amati Radio Control Kits

Bellezza Italian Sports Boat £125.00

Fifie Scottish Motor Fishing Vessel 1:32 £224.00

Grand Banks 46 Foot Modern Schooner £366.00

Riva Aquarama - Italian Runabout 850mm £279.00

Sexy Lady Riva Type Launch 850mm £159.99

Billings Static Boats

Andrea Gail Perfect Storm B726 £105.00

Cux 87 Krabbencutter Static B474 £150.00

Sir Winston Churchill £165.00

Norlandsbaaden B419 £160.00

HMS Endeavour B514 £202.00

Billings Radio Control Boats

Absalon Navel Ship B500 £549.00

African Queen B588 £183.95

Andrea Gail - Perfect Storm B726 £269.99

Bankert B516 £179.00

Boulogne Etaples £163.00

Calypso Research Vessel B560 £390.00

Colin Archer B728 £495.95

Elbjorn Icebreaker B536 £199.00

Faimount Alpine B506 £314.00

Hoga Pearl Harbour Tug B708 £179.99

Jylland Steam and Sail Frigate £341.98

Kadet B566 £115.96

Nordkap Trawler B476 £278.00

Phantom B710 £119.00

RMS Titanic 1:144 B510 £870.00

Slo-Mo-Shun B520 £162.99

Smit Nederland B528C £390.00

Smit Rotterdam £314.00

St Canute Tug B700 £141.99

HMS Titanic B510 £870.00

White Star Motor Boat B570 £105.00

Zwarte Zee B592 £229.00

Caldercraft Radio Controlled

Alte Liebe - Harbour Tug C7020 £340.00

Brannaren - Swedish Coastal Tanker C7015 £395.00

Cumbrae - Clyde Pilot Cutter C7009 £350.00

Imara - Single Screw / Twin Screw Steam £610.00

Joffre - Tyne Tug C7000 £330.00

Marie Felling - Single Screw/ Twin Screw £520.00

Milford Star - Side Trawler C7019 £305.00

Motor Fifie Amaranth Herring Drifter C7010 £156.00

North Light - Steam Clyde Puffer C7001 £330.00

Resolve - Twin Screw Naval C7024 £669.00

Schaarhorn - Steam Yacht C7021 £440.00

Sir Kay Round Table Class Minesweeper £390.00

SS Talacre - Single Hatch Coaster C7005 £334.00

Caldercraft Heritage Series

HMAV Bounty 1789 1:64 C9008 £234.95

HM Bark Endeavour 1768 1:64 C9006 £288.95

The Mary Rose 1510 Tudor Warship C9004 £310.00

Caldercraft Nelsons Navy static

HMS Agamemnon 1781 C9003 £790.00

HMAV Bounty 1789 C9008 £234.95

HM Brig Badger 1778 C9017 £209.95

HM Schooner Ballahoo 1804 C9013 £74.95

HM Mortar Vessel Convulsion 1804 C9012 £114.95

HMS Cruiser 1797 1:64 Scale C9001 £245.00

HMS Diana 1794 1:64 Scale C9000 £564.95

HM Bark Endeavour 1768 1:64 Scale C9006 £288.95

HM Bomb Vessel Granado 1756 C9015 £260.00

HMS Jalouse 1794 1:64 Scale C9007 £268.99

HMS Mars 1:64 Scale C9009 £239.95

The Mary Rose 1510 Tudor Warship C9004, £310.00

HM Schooner Pickle 1778 1:64 Scale C9018 £154.99

HMS Snake 1797 1:64 Scale C9002 £245.00

HM Brig Supply 1759 1:64 Scale C9005 £174.95

HMS Victory 1781 1:72 Scale C9014 £890.00

HM Gunboat William 1795 1:32 Scale C9016 £236.95

Corel Static Display Kits

Cocca Veneta 16th Century Merchant Vessel £160.00

Eagle American Brig 1812 SM61 £165.00

Galeone Veneta 16 Century Armed Vessel £198.00

HM Endeavour Bark 1768 SM41 £222.00

HMS Greyhound 20 Gun Frigate SM59 £130.00

HMS Neptune 58 Gun Warship 1:90 SM58 £264.00

HMS Victory 1:98 Scale Sm23 £360.00

HMS Victory Cross Section SM24 £105.00

Disar Models New to CMB

HMS Agamemnon £67.50

Atrevida 1:30 Scale £84.50

Altsu Mendi Basque Tugboat £135.00

Barquera Motor Fishing Boat £92.50

Sans Luis Spanish Galleon £130.00

Vanguard Wooden Paddle Tug £167.00

Patin Del Mediterraneo Catamaran £42.13

Soverign of the seas Lifeboat £50.95

Drakker Viking Boat £67.50

Dumas Radio Controlled

Big Swam Buggy Airboat Kit #1505 £150.40

Barrel Back Mahogany Runabout 1940 #1234 £373.43

Chris-Craft 16’ Hydroplane 1941 #1254 £259.00

Chris Craft 16’ Painted Racer #1263 £165.00

Chris Craft 16’ Utility Boat #1240 £263.00

Chris Craft 16’ Super Sport 1964 #1255 £325.00

Chris-Craft 23’ Continental 1956 #1243 £349.00

Chris Craft 24’ Mahogany Runabout #1230 £387.00

Cobra Speedster 1955 #1232 £285.74

Commander Express Cruiser 1954 #1244 £353.00

Chris Craft Racer 1949 #1249 £248.14

Triple Cockpit Barrel Back Mahogany

Runabout 1938 #1241 £425.80

Dumas Naval & Patrol Boats

PT-109 US Navy Boat #1233 £192.69

PT-212 Higgins 78’ Patrol Boat #1257 £201.76

SC-1 Class Sub Chaser #1259 £198.00

US Army Tug ST-74 1941 #1256 £127.00

U.S.S. Crockett #1218 £210.22

U.S.S. Whitehall #1252 £99.00

Dumas Coastguard Vessels

US Coastguard 40’ Utility Boat #1210 £160.00

US Coastguard 41’ Utility Boat #1214 £180.49

US Coastguard 44’ Lifeboat #1203 £175.99

Dusek Static Display Kits and lots more

Chinese Junk #1010 £26.30

Chris-Craft 19’ Racer #1702 £60.00

DN Iceboat #1123 £56.00

Skip Jack Yacht #1704 £70.00

Joysway

Joysway Blue Mania Brushless ARTR £164.90

Joysway Bullet V2 ARTR 2.4GHz £189.95

Joysway Super Mono 2.4GHz RTR £142.49

Dragon Force 65 V6 Yacht RTR 2.4Ghz £208.99

Magic Vee V5 RTR 2.4Ghz £42.73

Krick Kits Suitable for Electric or Steam Power

Alexandra Steam Launch with Fittings £330.00

Borkum Island Supply Vessel with Fittings £370.00

Grimmershorn Motor Vessel £273.00

Lisa M Motor Yacht £119.99

Krick HE4 Police Boat £485.35

Nordstrand Trawler Yacht £180.00

Mantua & Panart Suitable for RC

Anteo Harbour Tug 1:30 £358.00

Aiace Cargo Ship £379.00

Mincio Freelance Mahogany Runabout 1:20 £97.00

RMS Titanic Complete R/C Kit 1:200 £840.00

Venetian Passenger Motor Boat 1:28 £246.00

Mantua Static Display Kits

Albatros. US Coastguard Clipper £128.00

Amerigo Vespucci. Italian Navy 1.100 £312.00

Astrolabe. French Sloop £211.00

Bruma Open Cruiser Yacht 1:43 £192.00

Golden Star. English Brig £84.00

Gorch Fock. German Sail Training Ship £282.00

HMS Victory. Nelson’s Flagship 1.200 £114.00

HMS Victory. Nelson’s Flagship 1.98 £294.99

Le Superbe. 74 Gun French Fighting Ship £351.99

Mercator. Belgian Sail Training Ship £158.00

Santa Maria. Flagship of Columbus £171.99

Model Shipways Static Display Kits

Benjamin Latham 1:48 Scale £214.99

Bluenose, Canadian Fishing Schooner £166.99

Chaperon, Sternwheel Steam £214.99

Emma C. Berry, Lobster Smack £103.00

Fair American, 14-Gun Privateer £179.95

Gunboat Philadelphia 1776 1:24 £151.00

Victory Models

Lady Nelson Cutter XVIII Century 1:64 Scale £95.95

HM Bomb Vessel Granado 1:64 Scale £235.00

HMS Fly 1776 1:64 Scale £244.00

HMS Pegasus 1:64 scale £318.00

Mercury 1829 Russian 20 Gun Ship £343.00

Revenge 1577 Navy Royal Warship £364.990

Occre Static Display Models

Albatros Schooner 1:100 Scale £89.95

Aurora Brig 1:65 Scale £129.95

Buccaneer 1:100 Scale £89.95

Corsair Brig 1:80 Scale £149.95

Diana Frigate 1792 1:85 Scale £225.00

Endeavour 1:54 Scale, £239.95

Essex Whaling Ship With Sails 1:60 Scale £114.00

Gorch Fock 1:95 Scale £334.99

HMS Revenge 1:85 Scale £149.95

HMS Beagle 1:65 Scale £95.95

HMS Terror 1:75 Scale £109.00

Mississippi Paddle Steamer £185.00

Santisima Trinidad £364.95

Ulises Ocean Going Steam £195.00

Panart Static & R /C Kits

Amerigo Vespucci. Italian £710.00

Anteo Harbour Tug 1:30 £358.00

HMS Victory Bow Section £176.00

Lynx. Baltimore Schooner £149.00

Royal Caroline 1749 £290.00

Panart Section Between Gun Bays £138.00

San Felipe Spanish 104 Gun Man of War £590.00

Venetian Passenger Motor boat 1:28 £246.00

RO-Marin (Robbe)

Dolly II Harbor Launch 1:20 £113.42

RO Marin Comtesse Sailing Yacht with Fittings £216.50

Ro-Marin Antje Fishing Boat £173.9

Sergal Static Display Kits

Achilles. American Pilot Cutter £83.00

Dutch Whaler Baleniera Olandese £275.00

Cutty Sark Tea Clipper £375.00

HMS Bounty 1787 1:60 £181.00

HMS Jamaica 14 Gun Sloop £149.00

HMS Peregrine Galley Runner Class £193.00

Mississippi River Steamboat £382.00

Soleil Royale £709.00

Sovereign of the Seas £709.00

NOW IN STOCKA LARGE SELECTION OF

DISAR MODELS BOATS

AND VARIOUS FITTINGS

das werk's new kit!

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