Innehållsförteckning för October 2023 från Model Boats

The Riva Aquarama was an easy subject choice for me as a modeller. After all, over the years, this classic Italian Runabout has been described by many as “The most stylish boat of all time”. Designed by Carlo Riva and built by the Italian yacht builder Riva from 1962 onwards, it shared the same sort of status amongst the rich and famous on the French and Italian Riviera’s as the sports cars from prestige marques, such as Ferrari, in its day. So much so, high spec static display models of it would be displayed by wealthy individuals and establishments in the same way other works of art would be. How, then, could I resist? There are numerous photographs to scroll through and video footage to watch for research purposes. Indeed,…

Thrills & spills Last month I explained the build of the tub section for a keps 21 boat from a free online plan (simply Google ‘keps freebie’ to source this for yourself). This month we will continue with the sponsons for your boat. Compared to the construction of the tub, the sponsons have a few more angles to cut. This part of the build, therefore, will take a little more time and care in order to get things right. Cutting out the parts Here, we will be using balsa as the main core material for the sponsons, although dense foam can also be used (the same principles outlined below can be applied if this is your preferred choice). For ease, the shape can be cut from sheet balsa of ¼-inch…

Signals OUT AND ABOUT Model Boats on the Lake From 10am to 3pm over the weekend of September 16/17, you will be able to see the Schooner Radio Control Group in action on the lakes at Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens, Brighton Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 6PP and enjoy on water demonstrations of a whole range of R/C model boats, yachts, steamboats and warships. Admission will be free of charge to Leonardslee Members, although Garden Entry tickets will be required for nonmembers (charged at £14.50 for adults and £6.50 for children – family tickets are also available). These tickets, which can be purchased online at www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk include free parking and a buggy shuttle service designed to enable visitors with limited mobility to access the lower gardens and lakes. ■ GRADE…

The Bathurst class corvette was, in terms of shipbuilding, Australia’s main contribution to the Allied war effort. A total of 60 vessels were built by Australian shipyards, with four going to the Royal Indian Navy and the rest to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This vessel was simple and quick to construct, cheap and well suited for building by an embryo Australian industry. Above all it provided versatility at a time when there was a great shortage of ships, demonstrating an ability to perform in the role of minesweeping, convoy escort, antisubmarine warfare, coastal survey and even, following Japan’s entry into the war, shore bombardment and troop transportation. “It bore some resemblance to the British Bangor class minesweeper but was a little larger” Design The Bathurst class was designed by…

Adventures in modelling Having looked at how the hull for African Queen is put together last month, this month the focus will be the installation of the steam plant and the fitting of all the remaining internal bits and pieces. The steam plant comes on its own base, so can very conveniently be assembled outside of the model and then dropped into place once complete. I tackled this in three parts: the boiler, the engine, and finally, all the pipework and fittings. The boiler The boiler is nothing more complex than a multimedia kit. The body is a section of precut plastic tube with wooden parts added to it, including the pre-shaped conical top and brass detailing. Copper wire is supplied to make a couple of the parts, such as…

Tapping a hole or cutting an external thread successfully is not only a fairly straightforward process but one that should be well within the capabilities of any of us who can handle a file, saw or most other hand tools. Judging by the reactions when the subject of tapping comes up, however, I rather suspect that all too often this a process many try, with fairly unsuccessful initial results, before then deciding it’s something that needs to be handed over to an ‘expert’ and the cost simply swallowed. So, in this instalment of Boiler Room I will providing a few pointers that may just help with tapping a successful internal thread (although all of considerations below apply equally to external thread cutting) but, the bottom line, as with any other…

Compass 360 Back in March 2019, Model Boats ran an article entitled ‘Builder in Residence’ covering the work of Gerry Westenberg and the prodigious number of models he has produced. The good news is that the output continues, and more significantly, his work has become the subject of three very successful exhibitions put on by the West Australian Shipwrecks Museum. The last one, in 2023, had over 120 models on display. The next one is scheduled for 2025 and will feature even more of his creations. All of Gerry’s models have been photographed in high resolution and have been the subject of three books. Although printed in limited numbers, these have been well received by local enthusiasts. Gerry’s ships are all hand crafted and to the same scale, that is…

Something quick, easy, and economical to build is often a tempting project for all modellers. The less experienced can use it to develop their skills without worrying about it becoming an expensive embarrassment, while for the seasoned modeller, it may provide a welcome break from a more demanding project. I know that halfway through a long build such diversions are often needed to restore my enthusiasm. In addition, the more adventurous types can use a straightforward model design to develop their own ideas. This model is based on small landing craft used by the armed forces. It features twin independently operated motors that give the model both its steering and propulsion. The prototype was built from balsa wood and card, but other materials could serve as substitutes. The notional scale…

The flip side to ‘failure’ Reading the PS Bilsdale build series by Colin Bishop in the August/September 2023 issues of Model Boats shook the dust out of the old brainbox and reminded me of a particular modelling experience from my past. I would never claim to be a good scratch builder, pragmatic I hope though, and I have built some successful boats, a few of which have appeared in past editions of Model Boats. In this instance, however, I ventured into the largely unknown (at least to me at the time) and it did not have the best outcome – something I will expand upon below. That said, was it worth the effort? Of course, it was! The project kept me active, and I learnt a lot, details of which…

All hands on deck! Titanic triumph I have had a life-long love of building model boats, from Airfix kits, etc, so I hope you will be interested in my model of the Titanic, which I completed, after a six-year long build, on April 12 this year – the 111th anniversary the ship’s sinking. The 5ft long model was built from ply, coffee stirrers, matchsticks and various other bits and pieces and is laced with gold leaf. Astonishingly, after beginning the build of Titanic, I subsequently discovered that my great, great aunt, Susan Webber, had been one of the survivors of that dreadful night (you can find read her story at Susan Webber : Titanic Survivor (encyclopedia-titanica.org). The project has been an incredibly therapeutic part of my recovery from brain injury,…