Innehållsförteckning för March 2023 från Model Boats

Having made the Stingray (see last month’s issue) someone suggested that I ought to make a Terror Fish to chase it across the pond. Really? Oh, well, if I must! Although there were villains aplenty for Troy Tempest to battle with in the Gerry Anderson’s Stingray TV series, his most persistent enemy was the despot king of the undersea city of Titanica, Titan, commander of the Aquaphibians. This warrior race possessed a fleet of lethal submersibles called ‘Mechanical Fish’ with which to subjugate their enemies. Although now commonly known as Terror Fish, they were not referred to as such in the series; they were always just `Mechanical Fish`. Presumably, because this didn’t sound very exciting, they would later be labelled as `Terror Fish’ for merchandising purposes. In the show, these…

Make it personal One thing that soon becomes obvious when you start to get involved in the hobby of radio- controlled model boats is the vast differences in individual enthusiasts’ skill sets, preferences, goals and experiences. At one end of the spectrum there are modellers who produce beautiful scratch-built models from plans, and at the other there are those happy to purchase a ready-built model to simply enjoy sailing every Sunday; in between, of course, there are those who convert plastic kits and those who build manufactured kits, not to mention those who do combinations of all these things. Now, I totally understand not everyone feels confident enough to build their own model boats/ships/yachts/etc, and that’s fine. But while purchasing an RTR (Ready To Run) model is one solution –…

Flotsam & Jetsam While tidying the hobby room recently I came across my collection of model outboard motors and thought they deserved an airing in these pages. The model outboard, like its full-size counterpart, was designed to liberate a hull from the requirements of fitting a stern tube, coupling and motor, freeing up space and easing installation. Potentially it was of great benefit to the beginner modeller as it did away with the difficult but important task of aligning the prop shaft with the motor, but this potential was never fully realised, perhaps due to the cost of the outboard or a shortage of suitable model designs. When it first made its appearance in the 1920s, the model outboard tended to be a novelty item powered by an impulse, or…

Signals PRIZE DRAW WINNERS We are delighted to announce the lucky winners of the following November and December 2022 prize draws: ● The Billing Boats’ 1:12 African Queen kit (November 2022 issue) Phillip Basher, Wigston, Leicestershire ● The signed copy of Gordon Longsworth’s newly launched book Building Scale Model Electric-Powered Boats (December 2022 issue) P. Ewer, Bognor Regis, West Sussex ● The ELEGOO Mars 2 Pro 3D printer and resin package (December 2022 issue) – generously upgraded, courtesy of the manufacturer, to the new ELEGOO Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer! Christopher Eyres, Plymouth, Devon Congratulations to you all, and, once again, our sincerest thanks to Billing Boats, author Gordon Longworth and publisher Crowood Press, and ELEGOO for so generously donating these fantastic prizes. Corgi Stingray prototype peek Further to the…

A classic gentleman’s slipper Having filled as much of our home as I dare with model railways, I recently decided it was time to revert to model boats (I had, many years ago, built, amongst others, the paddle steamer Duchess of Fife and the Clyde puffer Inchcolm). Despite being in the process of carrying out experiments with flash steam and turbines, as I’d just joined the Windermere Model Boat Club I wanted a relatively simple scratch-build project that I could complete in a reasonable amount of time, so I’d have something to launch. I’ve always been attracted to the sweeping lines of the so-called Thames ‘slipper launch’ and so set about researching available plans. Having found one for the ‘Windsor’ 25ft slipper launch (see Photo 1), I used this at…

Steam Basics Pt. 138 In the January 2023 issue we had a look at what could be done to your pipework to make it look that little bit more believable, particularly if displayed in an open boat setting, such as a workboat. This month we’ll be considering yet more options when it comes to creating credibility. My two recent builds were both open working boats and I particularly wanted them both to look convincing on the water and closer to a scale model than I had tried in the past. The initial layout stages of the first model clearly showed the steam plant was not going to look realistic enough if it was simply polished up and fitted (see Photo 1). Weathering plays a big part in this obviously, as…

In the 1950s marine historian Edgar J. March wrote a number of definitive books about local UK sailing vessels, including the titles Sailing Drifters and Sailing Trawlers. My second-hand copies were acquired when I was a teenager, and these books became very well-thumbed. March documented in detail the fishing industry, activities and boats in all the local coastal regions. Included in the books were many detailed drawings of all the boats described: sail plans, hull lines and deck plans. Many of the drawings were compiled by March after measurement and surveys of the original boats. For those interested in fishing vessels these books are a model-makers heaven. One of my earliest scale model building efforts, back in 1976 was the Yarmouth lugger Gypsy Queen, clinker built. I used limewood for…

Steamboat tutorial Having already tested the steam plant outside of the launch, with the hull complete, you’re now ready to put your plant in situ. Before doing so, however, you will need to wind the white string around the copper pipe (see Photo 1) as per instructions. The main connection to be made is the copper pipe that runs between the boiler and the gas cylinder. When bending the pipe, ease it gently round between finger and thumb, taking great care not to get any kinks in it. Photo 2 offers some guidance as to the final shape. The universal joint needs to be located onto the splined shaft on the engine and slid onto the propellor shaft. Make sure the prop shaft spindle does not enter the gaps, as…