Innehållsförteckning för July 2025 från Model Boats

Having read the sad story about John Parker’s model tug Craig sinking last November and being lost in the lake, it made me think about ways to find submerged model boats without having to wade around in the pond poking the mud with a stick. This reminded of a solution used in the full-size world to indicate the location of underwater objects and hazards – the marker buoy. If a buoyant object is located on the deck of a model boat and tethered to it with a line, this will remain floating on the surface and indicate where the model has gone down if it sinks. In its simplest form this could be a ping-pong ball attached to the model with a piece of string, but that is not a…

I sometimes think I spoil my wife. In fact, on reflection, I’m sure I do. Mary is a keen gardener, and we are lucky enough to have a two-acre garden that she has made fabulous. Every year, yes, every year, I give her a special treat. Last year we went to a garden centre, had a cup of stewed tea and a piece of what was described as fruit cake, and it rained. Never having been one to rest on my laurels, though, this year I decided to top that with an even more exciting day out – a mystery tour! The weather forecast was good, a picnic was packed and off we set off, meandering through the picturesque lanes of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Until that is, we hit a…

I think most of us have had an Mtroniks Electronic Speed Controller in one of our boats at some time or another over the years and I know they are usually my first port of call for such a device in any new build. The ESCs are reknowned for their reliability and those in the Viper range for marine use have a reputation for being robust, waterproof, light and easy to install; they also include a power switch for a battery elimination circuit, thereby allowing your main propulsion battery to also supply the receiver. It was relatively recently though that Mtroniks first ventured into the arena of sound, with a device known as the Digisound engine sound system. This unit was a totally sealed small solid-state unit, supplied complete with…

‘Mickey Mouse’ build I have at last completed this model, for which you helped me find a kit following my appeal published in the May 2024 issue. I make no excuses for the standard of finish. I am a ‘beginner’ and just cannot achieve the very high standards demonstrated by your regular contributors. I hope, however, that you will publish my letter and pictures as this may encourage other newcomers to the hobby. The Sirmar Fittings kit proved a real challenge, as it turned out to be very minimal and didn’t include any decking, superstructure, plans or instructions. The accessories sent were not complete, contained many discrepancies and were mostly attached to white plastic bases which had to be cut away. I did eventually manage to obtain a plan in…

Most useful feature erratum Due to a technical glitch, the explanatory diagrams featured on page 46 of last month’s issue failed to print in their entirety. Sincerest apologies, therefore, if you found yourself trying to make sense of things! To set the record straight, here are the diagrams as they should have appeared. The complete article in digitally amended form can also be found posted on our website at www.modelboats.com. OUT AND ABOUT Broomfield Park boating pond is back! Former members of the Broomfield Park Model Boating Club are finally returning to beautiful Broomfield Park, located in Palmers Green in the London Borough of Enfield, after a six-year closure of the boating pond there. Issues with the pond’s pump, along with blocked pipes that prevented it refilling with water, put…

It is always interesting to view how other people have built their models. There can often be new ideas and techniques that can be gainfully used in your next creation. However, to be totally honest, sometimes it is a case of saying (to yourself, if tactful) “I wouldn’t have done that”. You have to accept that there’s a lot of personal choice exercised in making a working model to which the term ‘scale’ is applied – in its many varied ways. This ranges from the 100% perfect accuracy of what could be called ‘Exact Scale’ (in which the builder hopes it could withstand microscopic examination both in and out of the water) to ‘Stand-Off Scale’ (where the model looks the part when sailing but doesn’t claim to withstand close scrutiny)…

In the middle of each year, the three model steam plants that lurk under my workbench are taken out and given their annual check over and steam up. As they are always returned into storage clean, dried and well lubricated, they have, so far, never failed to work. So, while running them in 2024, my thoughts turned towards building another steam-powered R/C model… Steaming history My introduction to steam power came in the late 1990s with the ‘Ministeam’ class of models. These had a length of 50 cm and were powered by single cylinder oscillating engines with rudder only R/C. The first such model, Beadle (see the May 1997 issue of Model Boats), was based on a small launch of the type that might have been seen in late 19th…

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 Keeping warm & cosy I really enjoyed Nev Wades thought provoking article in the June edition of Model Boats magazine. I’m sure most of what was outlined by Nev resonates with many of us struggling with the problems associated with ‘shed dwelling’. Much as I admired what he had achieved, particularly with reference to tidiness, I am surprised no mention was made of insulation. When I built my› doghouse,› sorry I meant shed, my priority was to make it as comfortable as possible, particularly when it comes to warmth. On cold winters’ nights having voluntarily chosen to go to my shed, or indeed having…

I suspect many readers will have models that have either seen better days or were perhaps abandoned half-finished and that now sit gathering dust on a shelf somewhere. Perhaps your modelling skills have moved on from those early days? Well, springtime is the season of rejuvenation and reinvention, and the good news is that almost any old ship model could be reincarnated as a light vessel. Light vessels, also known as lightships, historically served as floating lighthouses, and would emit powerful lights and foghorns to warn approaching ships of any potential hazards; the first of these, in 1732, being the Nore Light Vessel, which operated at the entrance to the River Thames. As an island nation with a maritime heritage to be proud of, we now have many light vessels…

Less than 200 metres off the Victorian coastline at Half Moon Bay, 19 kilometres south east of the Melbourne CBD [Central Business District], lies a forlorn shipwreck. Two decaying circular structures either side of a what appears to be a funnel are about all that remains above the waterline, but the outline of the hull can be traced in the shallow water. Incongruous though it now seems, the safety of the colony of Victoria was once vested in this ship, insurance against a possible invasion coming from another hemisphere. A naval defence By the 1850s Victoria had become the world’s largest producer of gold, and to protect it, in 1866, the Victorian government ordered an advanced warship. The principal threat was an attack by Russia, a scenario that first arose…

If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re a fan of, or intrigued by, retro radio-control gear – and if it’s the latter, then you may be interested to learn that you can start a little collection or dabble with putting items back to good use even on a modest budget… Skyleader Let’s start with Skyleader. From his very first set, Skyleader’s owner, Mr Uwins, imported servo mechanisms from the United States, as these were simply so far ahead in digital technology then. The first two radios (I own neither) used early mechanisms made by Bonner or by F&M, but Uwin’s big break came with the radio that he called the ‘SL’. In every way, the Skyleader SL4 or 6 looked and handled much like Kraft’s famous ‘Gold Medal’, but…

The flying bus The tricky art of recreating a 1930s’ magazine cover star “But they all look the same…” A defiant scratch build of one of the RNLI’s more unusual historic lifeboats Self-centred? Some helpful guidance on a frequently discussed pondside topic 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 August 2025 issue, which goes on sale at all good newsagents from…