Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Model Boats

Know your stuff! PART 1 Once upon a time, working model boats were constructed with traditional materials, mostly wood with a bit of brass and string as needed, and maybe a lead keel and cotton sails for a yacht. Simple methods of building were commonly used, featuring carving from a solid block of wood or the ‘bread and butter’ method whereby the hull is assembled from shaped planks, both methods being very wasteful of timber, with the bulk of it ending up as sawdust, shavings or firelighters. A more sophisticated method for more skilled modellers was plank on frame, which is still in wide use today, reflecting full-size practice. The ‘skeleton’ of the model would be constructed from hardwood or plywood to form the keel and the hull framing, and…

A model mystery This model was donated to the Dover Transport Museum recently and was readily accepted as it was believed to be a model of HMHS (His Majesty’s Hospital Ship) Anglia. During World War I, this ship hit a mine and sank just off Folkestone with the loss of 134 lives, including both wounded soldiers being brought back from France and crew. This tragic event was obviously well recorded and, being very local, was of great interest to the Dover Transport Museum. My involvement with the model and its story started when I was asked if I could restore it for the museum. The Model Boat Association Dover has close ties with the DTM (Dover Transport Museum), so, as a member of that club, and already having several models…

Letters can either be forwarded via email to editor@modelboats.co.uk or via post to Readers’ Letters, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Memories that stick Terry’s letter in the October issue brought back memories of the time when I was about 8 years old during the late 1950s. My father decided one autumn that he was going to build a sailing dinghy over the winter in his garage. A large packing crate arrived and upon helping him unpack the contents in the corner of the crate was what appeared to be a very large grey tin of paint. In fact, it was a tin, about the size of a 2.5 litre paint tin, full of Aerolite 306 resin powder. It was also accompanied by a large…

RNLI Christmas shopping lifesavers Once again, as well as having a great selection of Christmas cards and gift wrap, there are some terrific stocking fillers available to order online at the RNLI shop (https://shop.rnli.org/) this year. Below are just a few of the goodies you can purchase from the comfort of your own armchair without having to brave the busy high street… OcCre’s mighty Missouri A 1:200 scale kit for the USS Missouri has been added OcCre’s high spec range. The kit comprises 6,096 individual pieces (although glues and paints are not supplied and must be purchased separately), accompanied by plans, a comprehensive instruction manual, and step-by-step video tutorials. Aimed at the ‘Advanced’ modeller, carrying an RRP of £674.00, the approximate build time of 1,400 hours promises to result in…

Plastic magic Converting injection-moulded kits has now become mainstream, championed in no small measure by Model Boats’ columnist Dave Abbot and his Plastic Magic series of builds back in the late 1990s-2000s. In this article we will be looking at the conversion of a 1:35 scale Italieri MTB 74 kit. Before we venture any further, however, I should perhaps provide a potted history of this famous World War II Coastal Forces’ Motor Torpedo Boat. MTB 74, with its unusual forward torpedo tube arrangement, was originally built for the purpose of delivering time delayed torpedoes over the anti-torpedo nets at Brest harbour, in an attempt to inflict serious damage on the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisennau. When that operation was abandoned, MTB 74 was then redirected to Operation Chariot, the destruction…

Steam Basics Pt. 159 Last month we looked at starting off the build of a Mountfleet Models’ kit of the Ben Ain. As explained then, this is most definitely not a kit review. It is, instead it is the story of a project that seriously changed course midstream, resulting in a very different model to the one I’d originally intended to create, with a strong focus on how a standard kit can be the basis for something quite unique. This month I will be concentrating on the construction of the aft accommodation unit, and it will start to become more apparent why this project took an unexpected change of direction. Identifying the challenges The aft accommodation unit is supplied in the kit as a fibreglass moulding. For most modellers, this…

FREE PULL-OUT PLAN & build guide for this 1:48 scale model of the MS Oldenburg PHOTO SPECIAL We report back from this year’s Blackpool Model Show SQUARE RIGGER SAILING The ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ explained PLUS A thematically varied selection of feature-length articles, all your favourite regular pages – including Your Models, Your Letters, news, reviews – and lots more (Please note: content may be subject to change) You will find more about the exciting content coming next, features of particular interest you may have missed in past editions and details of the very latest subscription offers on our website at www.modelboats.co.uk You can, of course, order you copy of the January 2025 issue, which goes on sale at all good newsagents from Friday, December 20, 2024, now, but why not…

Tried & tested I’m sure that most modellers based in the UK will have grown up using Humbrol paints and glues. In fact, I even tend to reference the Humbrol paint numbering system when talking to fellow modellers, as I know the majority of them, like me, are so familiar with the brand and its products that it’s these numbers that immediately call specific colours to mind! Humbrol has, traditionally, been most renowned for its enamel-based paint range, so closely associated with the iconic Airfix kits. Over the past decade, however, it has expanded into the acrylic (water-based) market too, with spray rattle cans and more recently the Gen 2 acrylic droppers. It has also reformulated its enamel range to bring it in line with new regulations. So, when I…

A little light reading… Several years ago, I acquired a 10-watt solar panel complete with a simple control unit. I think it was designed for charging 12-volt batteries in caravans, motor homes, etc. At the time I had no use for it, so I stashed it away. I rarely discard anything that may prove useful one day! Recently, however, while searching for some electrical bits in the garage, I came across it again. There it sat, in its box, still in as new/unused condition, along with the manufacturer’s instructions. Cue one of those ‘light bulb’ moments/random project ideas… Could this unit be used to power a model boat? “Cue one of those ‘light bulb’ moments/random project ideas… Could this unit be used to power a model boat?” Something old, sun-thing…

Steerable reversing nozzles In an article featured in Model Boats December 2018 issue I described the build of my Isle of Man Steam Packet Co’s catamaran ferry model, Manannan, (see Photo 1). Because there were no suitable ready-made steering nozzles for the waterjets, or kits from which to build some, I decided to make use of simple ‘tank steering’, which meant slowing down on the inside of a turn, and vice versa. Going astern was achieved by lowering a curved shield over the jet discharge. After some running, however, I realised that tank steering was entirely inadequate, and the turning circle too large. Regular readers may recall me mentioning steerable reversing nozzles were necessary, and that an etched metal design was being considered. Time, then, for an update… Initial design…