Innehållsförteckning för June 2025 från Model Boats

The model boats we sail at Bushy Park have attracted a large public following. Not all those who gather at pondside are modellers and, as I mentioned in the previous Fireboat article, what they really enjoy is noise, speed, character figures, innovation, water squirters, and so on. Several of the conversations we’ve had as a group, therefore, have been about designing ‘The Ultimate Bushy Park boat’, something that would incorporate all these features, and more, and eclipse anything else on the water when it sets sail. Inspiration for the Ultimate boat Hitherto, I didn’t have a structured design in my head for such a vessel. I knew just plonking, for instance, character figures, cute animals, or the very-popular-at-Bushy Park minions (from the Despicable me and minion Disney animated films) on…

Any serious modeller will tell you that Japanese saws are amongst the most accurate money can buy. So, this month, courtesy of the kind folks at www.toolnut.co.uk, we’re delighted to be able to offer you the chance to win this magnificent Japanese Dozuki Razor Saw, manufactured by Gyokucho, and thanks to the generosity of Toolnut, two lucky winners will be drawn! In the 1970s, Gyokucho pioneered the invention of the first replaceable blade Japanese saw and continues to lead the industry with its commitment to quality and innovation. The blades undergo a unique surface treatment known as electroless nickel plating. This plating creates an exceptionally smooth surface that resists corrosion and prevents tree resin buildup, while also offering a reflective surface for precise cut alignment. The wooden handle of the…

My early attempts at designing and building working models based upon warships made great use of the Fighting Fleets in Miniature series. These were side and plan views drawn to a common scale of 1:1200 by Michael Ainsworth. They started in April 1966 and ran in most issues of the magazine until March 1994. Intended for making static models at this scale, they were quite accurate and illustrated the layout of the vessels, but they were clearly way too small to make a practical R/C model directly from. I had already started using a scale around 1:144 (1 inch = 12 feet) since this allowed a model based upon a destroyer to be built using the standard 3ft lengths of balsa sheet. A little thought and it was realised that…

A FREE PLAN & BUILD GUIDE for SS Vagabundo, a steam-powered small coastal trader model Crisis management How to create a sunken model boat location device (that hopefully you’ll never need!) Spotlight on LV21 Are you ready for this lightvessel conversion challenge? 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 July 2025 issue, which goes on sale at all good newsagents from…

Tight space trimming plane A fully functional 1:3 scale replica of the Veritas Tools (Canada) cabinetmaker’s trimming plane has now been added to the extensive range of traditional tools, hand tools based on classic designs, and hand tools with a modern twist, available to order from www.toolnut.co.uk Designed to perform in areas unreachable with a full-sized plane or chisel, this nifty little plane measures just 2 3/16-inches long, 5/8 of an inch wide, and is under 1-inch tall, facilitating precise paring cuts in confined spaces. The 25° bevel blade combined with a 15° bed angle results in an effective cutting angle of 40°, and the fully exposed, full-width blade which enables you to work right up to adjacent surfaces can be set flush with the sole for meticulous trimming without…

I like a sweeping generalisation. It can start you thinking about stuff; it can start a really good argument; it’s not timid. And when I started building model boats back in 2003, I was soon presented with two of them: “All you need to build a model boat is a table and a sharp knife” and “There are those who build models and there are those who build workshops” Both are forthright and uncompromising, both have the ring of long experience to them, and both gave me food for thought: what do I need in order to build model boats, and where do I do it? The loft The house we lived in back then had a converted loft. It was the biggest room in the house and, with the…

You’d be an unwise person not to take a few tools along with you whenever you decide to go sailing your models. At the very least, it seems sensible to pack those you may need to fasten or unfasten screws, bolts and connectors. After all, while this this is generally a very friendly hobby, it is perhaps a little presumptuous to expect someone else will always be able and willing to supply whatever tool it is you suddenly find yourself in desperately need of. There is one ‘tool’ I always take when going sailing – although now I come to think about it, it’s not one I can recall seeing anyone else use at the pondside. It was bought in my late teens after encountering a few problems with my…

During the 1970s my uncle owned a business, based in March, Cambridgeshire, that built and sold yachts and speed boats. As a child, I could regularly be found there, hanging out with my cousin and getting into mischief around the works! It was there my fascination with boats began. Then, at the age of 14, I met Mick Reeves, at that time was a scale model aircraft world champion, who offered to teach me how to fly. It was a frustrating process. I remember on one occasion shouting out to him for help, as my remote-control seemed to have suddenly stopped working and I could not stop the rapid descent of my aeroplane. Mick quickly took over from me and, after a momentary look of confusion, began to laugh when…

SY Medea After having played with R/C helicopters (hovering) for the past few years, now living near the sea, with a fantastic model boating pond round the corner, building a model boat became the obvious next step. So, as I love the magazine and look forward to seeing what everyone else is doing each month, I thought I would share some photos of my first completed build, from the Deans Marine kit for SY Medea, with the recommended power installed. In retrospect, there are things I could probably have done better/differently, but being my first attempt it was rather a steep learning curve. I am now looking forward to making a start on the next one. EWAN McKECHNIE SHERINGHAM, NORFOLK What a sleek and gorgeous model, Ewan! I also adore…

Over the many years I have been building model boats, I have learnt a staggering amount not only from my fellow Yeovil & District Model Club members but also from those who contribute articles to this magazine. In turn, therefore, I hope that I, too, can now share some of the methods, tips and tricks gleaned and the skills developed (sometimes through a lot of patience and some very sore fingers!). I’ll admit I find demonstrating some of the techniques easier than putting them down on paper, so if you ever fancy coming along to one of our Yeovil & District Model Boat Club sailing sessions, I assure you you’ll be made most welcome. You can find location, meet dates and times posted online at https://yeovilmodelboatclub.wordpress.com/. Up until recently, most…

Model yachts are seldom scaled down versions of real yachts. Invariably something has to be changed in order to get them to work. This problem was outlined and addressed by Norman Skene in his book Elements of Yacht Design, which although first published in 1904 has stood the test of time and is still available today. Understanding the basics All sailing ships present crude wings to the wind and these generate thrust which is seldom in the intended direction of travel. The hull and the keel convert that lift into forward motion, albeit with a bit of leeway. The greater the thrust, the greater the forward drive. However, the thrust is limited because it makes the vessel heel over. One of the factors that determine the maximum speed of a…

I am a member of the Marine Modellers Association in Hobart, Tasmania, and have been building and restoring model boats for about 45 years. We have about 20 plus members in the scale model section and so thanks to some great mentors there is always something new to learn. With this in mind, I recently bought the most knackered example of Billing Boats’ Kadet I could find going cheap on eBay, not only because I have always admired the look of this neat little motorised utility boat but because I wanted to present myself with a serious challenge. Second thoughts! Once the model arrived and had been unpacked, though, oh boy, what a mess! (see Photos 1 and 2). What is it they say about being careful what you wish…

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have, at some point, succumbed to the allure of a project on the promise of a wonderful end result, allowing this to completely overshadow the challenges likely to be encountered along the way. This was very much the case for me when, in around 2004, I came across an interesting listing for a steam plant on a popular online auction site (see Photo 1). The plant was described as a loft find in a house clearance and, while the photographs were not of the best quality, I could clearly see that the plant included a Stuart Turner boiler coupled to a manifold feeding a Stuart Turner 10V vertical single cylinder engine (see Photo 2); a Stuart Turner S50 horizontal single…