I know Tomsk is a deliberately mucky boat, but the idea was that this would be paint and not mud ! Most of the corners and crevasses are full of the stuff. Once he has dried out a trip to the sink for a good wash is called for to remove that natural weathering.
The good news is with the mechanics mostly dry I plugged the battery back in and everything worked !
Some water has made it into the bag covering the receiver so this will be replaced but it seems Tomsk's second trip to the bottom has passed by without disaster. Maybe I should start building submarines...
Showing posts with label Tomsk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tomsk. Show all posts
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
That sinking feeling. Again.
Joining the throng of model boaters not currently gainfully employed at my local club yesterday morning, I took Tomsk along for a sail. Last week he'd worked well so a repeat performance seemed the least stressful option and allow me to join in the banter rather than poking about in the vessels innards.
On the water, for a change the heavy battery seemed to be positioned correctly first time letting Tomsk head for the far side of the lake with hardly a hint of list. Radio reception was fine so on the return to the landing stage I launched our towing load, a large hull decorated to look a bit like a container ship. Last week we'd processed happily around the pond so I expected to do the same again and get a bit more practise in tow handling.
At first everything was fine. Tomsk headed up the right hand side of the pond dragging the larger boat like a recalcitrant dog being taken for a walk in the rain. Turning across the the end the "dog" started to catch up a bit as the breeze got behind it but the tug has plenty of grunt and was easily able to keep the rope taught.
Turning for home and bad things started to happen. The wind was strong enough to sail yachts in, unusual on our water, and much stronger then last week. Some sharp pulls to the side stopped the tow heading for the bank but Tomsk was pointing at some funny angles. A strong list to starboard was the first sign all was not well but this quickly resolved itself and I decided to run for home.
Another gust and the list was back. Then the back of the boat went under quickly followed by the front. Suddenly there was a tow but no tug. "This is not going well" I thought.
Racing over to the bank I pulled the tow out of the water and was pleased to see the rope still taught. I gently pulled expecting to find a bedraggled Tomsk at the end. As it neared the surface though the weight dropped and I found myself holding the towing post but nothing else.
Back to the clubhouse for a rake and I started fishing around in the water with little expectation of success. A diver would describe the visibility as "Nil" thanks to all the mud. The lake is surprisingly deep at this point thanks to the winter water run off from the fields - around 3-4 feet so no chance of a paddle !
Purely by change I caught something. Gently pulling the rake in I found I had grabbed the top of the superstructure. "Oh, well, at least I got a bit of the model back" went through my mind. Then I spotted the aerial wire. It's attached to the mast and firmly anchored. Pulling this brought the hull up.
Back at the clubhouse I had a very wet and muddy boat. A syringe pulled about 1/4 of a pint of mucky water out of the hull but the Tomsk now sits in a warm room gently drying. We'll see in a couple of days how waterlogged the electrics are !
Model boast, as a general rule, don't sink that often. Any idiot can build something that floats, even me. Yet I this isn't Tomsk's first trip to the bottom. Some deja-vu here...
On the water, for a change the heavy battery seemed to be positioned correctly first time letting Tomsk head for the far side of the lake with hardly a hint of list. Radio reception was fine so on the return to the landing stage I launched our towing load, a large hull decorated to look a bit like a container ship. Last week we'd processed happily around the pond so I expected to do the same again and get a bit more practise in tow handling.
At first everything was fine. Tomsk headed up the right hand side of the pond dragging the larger boat like a recalcitrant dog being taken for a walk in the rain. Turning across the the end the "dog" started to catch up a bit as the breeze got behind it but the tug has plenty of grunt and was easily able to keep the rope taught.
Turning for home and bad things started to happen. The wind was strong enough to sail yachts in, unusual on our water, and much stronger then last week. Some sharp pulls to the side stopped the tow heading for the bank but Tomsk was pointing at some funny angles. A strong list to starboard was the first sign all was not well but this quickly resolved itself and I decided to run for home.
Another gust and the list was back. Then the back of the boat went under quickly followed by the front. Suddenly there was a tow but no tug. "This is not going well" I thought.
Racing over to the bank I pulled the tow out of the water and was pleased to see the rope still taught. I gently pulled expecting to find a bedraggled Tomsk at the end. As it neared the surface though the weight dropped and I found myself holding the towing post but nothing else.
Back to the clubhouse for a rake and I started fishing around in the water with little expectation of success. A diver would describe the visibility as "Nil" thanks to all the mud. The lake is surprisingly deep at this point thanks to the winter water run off from the fields - around 3-4 feet so no chance of a paddle !
Purely by change I caught something. Gently pulling the rake in I found I had grabbed the top of the superstructure. "Oh, well, at least I got a bit of the model back" went through my mind. Then I spotted the aerial wire. It's attached to the mast and firmly anchored. Pulling this brought the hull up.Back at the clubhouse I had a very wet and muddy boat. A syringe pulled about 1/4 of a pint of mucky water out of the hull but the Tomsk now sits in a warm room gently drying. We'll see in a couple of days how waterlogged the electrics are !
Model boast, as a general rule, don't sink that often. Any idiot can build something that floats, even me. Yet I this isn't Tomsk's first trip to the bottom. Some deja-vu here...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tomsk on-line
A search on Google for "One man operated tugboat" currently gives the article I wrote about my tugboat Tomsk as the top result.
This was surprise as I didn't realise Model Boats we putting articles like this online. Still, it's nice to know my wittering are out there and not just on this blog.
You can read the article here.
This was surprise as I didn't realise Model Boats we putting articles like this online. Still, it's nice to know my wittering are out there and not just on this blog.
You can read the article here.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Famous Tomsk
Look out for the Model Boats Kit Special issue for a review of the George Turner "Ten quid wonder" kit that I turned into Tomsk.
Then wonder at the amazing Severn Lifeboat kit that is extensivly reviewed. I've seen this model and £1400 doesn't sound very much when you see what you get.
Then wonder at the amazing Severn Lifeboat kit that is extensivly reviewed. I've seen this model and £1400 doesn't sound very much when you see what you get.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Tomsk
Tomsk has sailed. He’s had half an hour around our pool – which is a very pleasant way to spend a rare dry and warm evening. All was well with the controls acting as they should, no water on the decks and little list. He looked smashing too.
With this, I think I can say that this boat is complete. There are a couple of outstanding jobs- the radar still needs replacement and I have to wire up the navigation lights, but then you never really finish a model.
For the moment I need to stop. Like an artist who keeps daubing paint on a canvas and eventually ruins the work, I don’t want to risk tinkering forever and always being dissatisfied. At present I’m happy.
And that’s what it’s all about.
With this, I think I can say that this boat is complete. There are a couple of outstanding jobs- the radar still needs replacement and I have to wire up the navigation lights, but then you never really finish a model.
For the moment I need to stop. Like an artist who keeps daubing paint on a canvas and eventually ruins the work, I don’t want to risk tinkering forever and always being dissatisfied. At present I’m happy.
And that’s what it’s all about.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Dirty
Tomsk will be very different from most model boats. He’s going to be dirty. Not a little grubby from handling but properly dirty - just like the prototype boat would be if it existed.
Looking at most boat shows you will find lots of models whose owners would be horrified at the concept of weathering them. Many still can’t get their heads around the idea of using matt paint and insist on finishing warships and working tubs in gloss.
Coming from the model railway world this seems to be the thinking of the early sixties. All the religious debates over weathering or not have been finished, with the general acceptance that if you want a model too look right, it needs to show signs of wear and use. Basically paint what you see not what you want to see. There is still a place for the “ex-works” item but not on anything that claims a shred of realism. Anyway, a high gloss finish is much harder to get right than something less pristine so the pragmatists have their way…
The best way I have found to get the level of dirt I want is to airbrush on lots of coats of very thinned paint. That way the grime builds up in a controllable way. I use thinned rust, rust brown, dark brown & grey. These are randomly sloshed into a paint cup full of thinners and sot at the model. I did my best to keep the glass clean as the skipper would see to this. The hull though got a real blast. You can still see it’s blue but not very.
Perhaps I have gone too far but I like it and on the water I think the end result will be pretty realistic.
Looking at most boat shows you will find lots of models whose owners would be horrified at the concept of weathering them. Many still can’t get their heads around the idea of using matt paint and insist on finishing warships and working tubs in gloss.
Coming from the model railway world this seems to be the thinking of the early sixties. All the religious debates over weathering or not have been finished, with the general acceptance that if you want a model too look right, it needs to show signs of wear and use. Basically paint what you see not what you want to see. There is still a place for the “ex-works” item but not on anything that claims a shred of realism. Anyway, a high gloss finish is much harder to get right than something less pristine so the pragmatists have their way…
The best way I have found to get the level of dirt I want is to airbrush on lots of coats of very thinned paint. That way the grime builds up in a controllable way. I use thinned rust, rust brown, dark brown & grey. These are randomly sloshed into a paint cup full of thinners and sot at the model. I did my best to keep the glass clean as the skipper would see to this. The hull though got a real blast. You can still see it’s blue but not very.
Perhaps I have gone too far but I like it and on the water I think the end result will be pretty realistic.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Working up top
The reason the inside of the wheelhouse has been detailed is because the roof is off. And the reason the roof is off is because I needed to detail it.
Now this wouldn’t be necessary if I hadn’t planned on putting working lights up there. In a boat this size it seems a shame not to do this though. I like sailing Pigeon Pie at dusk with her lights on and so I want the same option for Tomsk. Besides if the boat sinks again, at least I stand a chance of seeing it in the water !
The navigation lights are brass and the mast light plastic. I think they are both from Robbie but have thrown the packaging away. If I’m wrong it doesn’t matter too much as there are plenty of people who do these things.
Putting the wires up the mast took some serious fiddling – they are very thin and prefer to roll themselves up in the tube rather than be pushed through. I reckon that little job took half an hour and nearly resulted in the roof being flung across the room !
The “grain of wheat” bulbs in the lights are 3V, and I didn’t spot this until I had installed everything. Since the battery gives 8V I’ll need a dropper resistor to stop them frying. My physics was never good enough for this so I’ll use the same ones I use for dropping 12v down to power LED’s and hope that there is enough juice to light the bulbs.
The radar done is scratchbuilt and on the small side. I used the largest plastic tube from the local model shop and it’s still only ¾’s the size it should be. I’ll have to keep an eye out for a commercial replacement. It’s not worth buying big enough pipe as I only want about 10mm and will need to buy 6 feet !
Now this wouldn’t be necessary if I hadn’t planned on putting working lights up there. In a boat this size it seems a shame not to do this though. I like sailing Pigeon Pie at dusk with her lights on and so I want the same option for Tomsk. Besides if the boat sinks again, at least I stand a chance of seeing it in the water !
The navigation lights are brass and the mast light plastic. I think they are both from Robbie but have thrown the packaging away. If I’m wrong it doesn’t matter too much as there are plenty of people who do these things.
Putting the wires up the mast took some serious fiddling – they are very thin and prefer to roll themselves up in the tube rather than be pushed through. I reckon that little job took half an hour and nearly resulted in the roof being flung across the room !
The “grain of wheat” bulbs in the lights are 3V, and I didn’t spot this until I had installed everything. Since the battery gives 8V I’ll need a dropper resistor to stop them frying. My physics was never good enough for this so I’ll use the same ones I use for dropping 12v down to power LED’s and hope that there is enough juice to light the bulbs.
The radar done is scratchbuilt and on the small side. I used the largest plastic tube from the local model shop and it’s still only ¾’s the size it should be. I’ll have to keep an eye out for a commercial replacement. It’s not worth buying big enough pipe as I only want about 10mm and will need to buy 6 feet !
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Noodling with plastic
Here’s a nice pleasant little job – detailing the wheelhouse of my tugboat.
No plans, just a bit of creative work with some offcuts of plasticard, tube and assorted bits of kit leftovers.
The main thing was to put some controls in front of the skipper. A small panel with some dials and a radar display was quickly made from plastic. I even put some switches in using thin plastic rod. Better modellers than me would actually work out what all this stuff is supposed to do. A quick look through some magazines didn’t show any wheelhouse interiors of similar boats so I had to guess.
A radio, mug and thermos flask give the model a bit of life. The scrapbox supplied a Slaters 4mm scale suitcase which makes a reasonable giant sized lunchbox.
All that’s left is a newspaper. Ideally I suppose this out to be the Sun but my skipper is likely to read a Guardian like me.
No plans, just a bit of creative work with some offcuts of plasticard, tube and assorted bits of kit leftovers.
The main thing was to put some controls in front of the skipper. A small panel with some dials and a radar display was quickly made from plastic. I even put some switches in using thin plastic rod. Better modellers than me would actually work out what all this stuff is supposed to do. A quick look through some magazines didn’t show any wheelhouse interiors of similar boats so I had to guess.
A radio, mug and thermos flask give the model a bit of life. The scrapbox supplied a Slaters 4mm scale suitcase which makes a reasonable giant sized lunchbox.
All that’s left is a newspaper. Ideally I suppose this out to be the Sun but my skipper is likely to read a Guardian like me.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Great Inventions No. 64532
Quick drying varnish that you can clean off the brush with ordinary water.
Without it I wouldn’t have been able to slap two coats on Tomsk’s transport box on a warm afternoon. The results look pretty good too. I gave the wood a quick sand between the coats and ended up with a nice smooth finish.
According to the side of the can the results will be reasonably waterproof too. Pretty important when I plan to stick a wet boat back inside sometimes !
I confess that I don’t understand how anything that can be washed off the brush with soapy water can survive getting wet but then I failed my A-Level chemistry for being stupid so perhaps I’m not best placed to work it out.
What I do know is that along with the rest of the world, I hate washing out paintbrushes in turps. It’s a messy smelly job that often leads to brushes being abandoned in jam jars of stinky cleaner. We might not have domestic robots yet but easy clean varnish is a pretty good alternative.
Without it I wouldn’t have been able to slap two coats on Tomsk’s transport box on a warm afternoon. The results look pretty good too. I gave the wood a quick sand between the coats and ended up with a nice smooth finish.
According to the side of the can the results will be reasonably waterproof too. Pretty important when I plan to stick a wet boat back inside sometimes !
I confess that I don’t understand how anything that can be washed off the brush with soapy water can survive getting wet but then I failed my A-Level chemistry for being stupid so perhaps I’m not best placed to work it out.
What I do know is that along with the rest of the world, I hate washing out paintbrushes in turps. It’s a messy smelly job that often leads to brushes being abandoned in jam jars of stinky cleaner. We might not have domestic robots yet but easy clean varnish is a pretty good alternative.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Open day
With Tomsk dried out and working we went along to the boat club’s open day. Needles to say the gods didn’t smile on us and it poured with rain all day.
However the competitions and races still took place. I won my heat in the Slingshot racing – and then some water got into the speed control and the boat wouldn’t work for round two…
Tomsk behaved better in the steering challenge. I had a quick practise during lunch and everything seemed OK. During the proper run he was fine too with not a hint of sinking. The biggest problem was that I went first and didn’t know exactly how far into each bay I had to sail. Everyone else benefited from a proper understanding for the rule, which is my excuse for coming third. Of three.
However the competitions and races still took place. I won my heat in the Slingshot racing – and then some water got into the speed control and the boat wouldn’t work for round two…
Tomsk behaved better in the steering challenge. I had a quick practise during lunch and everything seemed OK. During the proper run he was fine too with not a hint of sinking. The biggest problem was that I went first and didn’t know exactly how far into each bay I had to sail. Everyone else benefited from a proper understanding for the rule, which is my excuse for coming third. Of three.
Dry Tomsk
To my amazement everything has dried out. Plugging all the electric bits together gave the correct lights on the speed control. A tentative push of the control stick and the motor roared into life. The rudder worked too. Tomsk was alive !
Now I don't want to go through this again so I don't plan to tow big heavy boats any more. A bit of research on the interweb has provided some pictures of some lighters that would be much more suitable for my craft. These don't look too difficult to build.
I've also made some changes to the boat. Since the receiver is vulnerable to water I've sealed it in a plastic bag. If there is to be a future run to the bank I don't want the electrics letting me down.
I've also filled what little spare space there is in the hull with polystyrene. I doubt that this will provide sufficient buoyancy to stop Tomsk sinking but it might slow the decent, again giving me a chance to get out of trouble.
I'm not planning to test this though !
Now I don't want to go through this again so I don't plan to tow big heavy boats any more. A bit of research on the interweb has provided some pictures of some lighters that would be much more suitable for my craft. These don't look too difficult to build.
I've also made some changes to the boat. Since the receiver is vulnerable to water I've sealed it in a plastic bag. If there is to be a future run to the bank I don't want the electrics letting me down.
I've also filled what little spare space there is in the hull with polystyrene. I doubt that this will provide sufficient buoyancy to stop Tomsk sinking but it might slow the decent, again giving me a chance to get out of trouble.
I'm not planning to test this though !
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Glug, Glug.
Thursday evening was bright and sunny. There was a slight breeze but nothing much. It was just the sort of evening that I wanted to give Tomsk his maiden voyage on the boat club water.
When we arrived at the lake there were a couple of other people sailing but they were just finishing up. Having the water to yourself is handy just in case the steering isn't too good. Other boats on hand to rescue you from the middle of the lake are also appreciated though. If these come with owners who can be relied on to shut up when you have problems unless they actually have something helpful to say, so much the better.
On arrival we were greeted with the good news that the fish had gone.
Our boating lake is infested with carp. Originally they were introduced to eat the weed. This worked fine but without a predator they have breed like aquatic rabbits. The landlord has “helped” by feeding them every evening meaning we can't even rely on a lack of food to reduce the numbers. He even feeds them from the oh so handy landing stage, so as soon as you stand on the stage to launch a boat they appear underneath you making the water appear to boil.
Last weekend there was a fishing party who pulled 200lbs of carp out and transferred them to a quarantine area somewhere before they go to another bit of water. There are still fish present and even the odd big 'un but nothing like the numbers there were before. This ought to safeguard the boats for a while – there have a been a few fish attacks and more than one Slingshot has leapt in or out of the water after clobbering a sea monster.
Anyway, I set up, put my peg on the frequency board and launched Tomsk. First we made a gentle circuit of the lake to check that radio reception worked at a distance. All seemed OK there but a tugboat isn't meant to just tootle around, it's supposed to do a job.
The club has a boat designed to be towed. An old hull has been fitted out to look boat shaped with a line fixed to the front. At about 4 feet long it's a bit of a monster compared to little Tomsk but I had checked in the past how much pressure was needed to move it and felt that my boat was up to the task.
First results were good. The pair successfully negotiated the narrow passage between the overflow pipe and bank, something many boats can't do on their own, and headed for the middle of the water.
Everything looked pretty good. I was so pleased I wanted a photo of the event to post on this blog – so dear reader, what happens next is partly your fault.
I had forgotten to take a proper camera but my mobile 'phone does a decent job. All I needed to do was take it out of my pocket, open it, press the button on the side to switch the camera of and then take the photo. While fiddling around with this I stopped Tomsk. Of course the tow boats momentum kept it going and it quickly caught the tug up.
So I move forward again and stopped. The same thing happens. By this time the pair is rather nearer the bank than I would prefer so I tried to pull away. Now I'm not an experienced tugboat sailor and anyway I was messing around trying to take a picture. Tomsk isn't very heavy so attempting to pull it's load in a very different direction wasn't the cleverest thing in the world. My boat tilted enough for water to get in over the bulwarks.
I realised what was happening because the model was sitting lower in the water than normal. Reasoning that grounding on the edge was better than sinking in the middle, I made a run for the bank. That didn't work very well as I was towing a big, heavy boat.
Tomsk continued to get lower in the water. The sort of lower that means most of the boat isn't visible any more. And then the sort of lower that submarines do while working. This was Bad.
Now when this sort of thing happens to most boats you have to assume that they are lost. Our lake isn't that deep – about 5 feet I think – but visibility is nil and so you are reduced to poking around with a stick from the club dingy. However the line to the tow boat was still tight.
Derek brought out his famous boat retriever – a fishing line with a tennis ball on the end – and managed to snag the big boat. We pulled it in to the side and gentled heaved it up a slippery bank. Luck was with us and the tow line stayed tight bringing up a muddy and wet Tomsk.
Of course my boat was full of water and covered in sticky mud. This was poured out and wiped off as best we could at the waterside. Switching back on showed the speed control seemed to be OK but couldn't get a signal. I opened up the receiver and poured water out of it. The whole lot was left on the bench for half an hour to dry as the weather was still nice.
Fortunately all the people who around were helpful and simply suggested this was s job for an airing cupboard. With a bit of luck once everything dries out properly I'll be OK. At worst the receiver will need to be replaced.
Looking on the bright side, Tomsk can do the job I built him for. I'll probably give the towing competition a miss as I'm working on the limits of the boats abilities though. Besides it's another example of the jinx that seems to hit me when I try competitive boat modelling !
When we arrived at the lake there were a couple of other people sailing but they were just finishing up. Having the water to yourself is handy just in case the steering isn't too good. Other boats on hand to rescue you from the middle of the lake are also appreciated though. If these come with owners who can be relied on to shut up when you have problems unless they actually have something helpful to say, so much the better.
On arrival we were greeted with the good news that the fish had gone.
Our boating lake is infested with carp. Originally they were introduced to eat the weed. This worked fine but without a predator they have breed like aquatic rabbits. The landlord has “helped” by feeding them every evening meaning we can't even rely on a lack of food to reduce the numbers. He even feeds them from the oh so handy landing stage, so as soon as you stand on the stage to launch a boat they appear underneath you making the water appear to boil.
Last weekend there was a fishing party who pulled 200lbs of carp out and transferred them to a quarantine area somewhere before they go to another bit of water. There are still fish present and even the odd big 'un but nothing like the numbers there were before. This ought to safeguard the boats for a while – there have a been a few fish attacks and more than one Slingshot has leapt in or out of the water after clobbering a sea monster.
Anyway, I set up, put my peg on the frequency board and launched Tomsk. First we made a gentle circuit of the lake to check that radio reception worked at a distance. All seemed OK there but a tugboat isn't meant to just tootle around, it's supposed to do a job.
The club has a boat designed to be towed. An old hull has been fitted out to look boat shaped with a line fixed to the front. At about 4 feet long it's a bit of a monster compared to little Tomsk but I had checked in the past how much pressure was needed to move it and felt that my boat was up to the task.
First results were good. The pair successfully negotiated the narrow passage between the overflow pipe and bank, something many boats can't do on their own, and headed for the middle of the water.
Everything looked pretty good. I was so pleased I wanted a photo of the event to post on this blog – so dear reader, what happens next is partly your fault.
I had forgotten to take a proper camera but my mobile 'phone does a decent job. All I needed to do was take it out of my pocket, open it, press the button on the side to switch the camera of and then take the photo. While fiddling around with this I stopped Tomsk. Of course the tow boats momentum kept it going and it quickly caught the tug up.
So I move forward again and stopped. The same thing happens. By this time the pair is rather nearer the bank than I would prefer so I tried to pull away. Now I'm not an experienced tugboat sailor and anyway I was messing around trying to take a picture. Tomsk isn't very heavy so attempting to pull it's load in a very different direction wasn't the cleverest thing in the world. My boat tilted enough for water to get in over the bulwarks.
I realised what was happening because the model was sitting lower in the water than normal. Reasoning that grounding on the edge was better than sinking in the middle, I made a run for the bank. That didn't work very well as I was towing a big, heavy boat.
Tomsk continued to get lower in the water. The sort of lower that means most of the boat isn't visible any more. And then the sort of lower that submarines do while working. This was Bad.
Now when this sort of thing happens to most boats you have to assume that they are lost. Our lake isn't that deep – about 5 feet I think – but visibility is nil and so you are reduced to poking around with a stick from the club dingy. However the line to the tow boat was still tight.
Derek brought out his famous boat retriever – a fishing line with a tennis ball on the end – and managed to snag the big boat. We pulled it in to the side and gentled heaved it up a slippery bank. Luck was with us and the tow line stayed tight bringing up a muddy and wet Tomsk.
Of course my boat was full of water and covered in sticky mud. This was poured out and wiped off as best we could at the waterside. Switching back on showed the speed control seemed to be OK but couldn't get a signal. I opened up the receiver and poured water out of it. The whole lot was left on the bench for half an hour to dry as the weather was still nice.
Fortunately all the people who around were helpful and simply suggested this was s job for an airing cupboard. With a bit of luck once everything dries out properly I'll be OK. At worst the receiver will need to be replaced.
Looking on the bright side, Tomsk can do the job I built him for. I'll probably give the towing competition a miss as I'm working on the limits of the boats abilities though. Besides it's another example of the jinx that seems to hit me when I try competitive boat modelling !
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Paint on
The basic colours are now all on. I’m particularly pleased with the orange roof – it’s from an old can of Precision paints GWR lining orange. I can’t remember why I bought this but it’s come in useful at last.
Anyway, once painted and named on the back with BEC vinyl letters, I shot some satin varnish over the model.
Finally the floor got a coat of matt greenish paint. Another pot of paint that has lain in the paint drawer for years.
Planning ahead I had cut out the glazing from plastic recovered from shirt collar packaging. This is great stuff, clear and thick and most importantly – free. Good green credentials too. After I cut it I then strengthened the top edge of the windows, so my glazing had to be chopped down. I did at least use canopy glue to stick it in place which is what proper modeller do.
Anyway, once painted and named on the back with BEC vinyl letters, I shot some satin varnish over the model.
Finally the floor got a coat of matt greenish paint. Another pot of paint that has lain in the paint drawer for years.
Planning ahead I had cut out the glazing from plastic recovered from shirt collar packaging. This is great stuff, clear and thick and most importantly – free. Good green credentials too. After I cut it I then strengthened the top edge of the windows, so my glazing had to be chopped down. I did at least use canopy glue to stick it in place which is what proper modeller do.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tow post
If this boat is going to tow anything I knew I was going to have the build a towing post (I think this is the right term). Obviously it had to be strong enough to take the strain of a larger boat hanging on to it by a bit of rope (OK nylon string) but be removable so I could get at the insides of the hull.
I rummaged around in the bag of spare brass tube and rod bits I keep under the desk. It’s not really my bag as I bought it from a second hand stall years ago but every modeller needs such a supply of bits and at a quid I couldn’t leave it. Anyway I found enough bits to do the job.
My plan was that if I could find some tubes that would telescope into each other and then join them with a solid bar slotted through made using the pillar drill I ought to be able solder the lot up. This is pretty much what happened too. The bottom tubes were soldered to some paxolin which will be stuck into the hull using Isopon car body filler.
With all that brass I had to use a small blowtorch rather than a soldering iron to get the metal flowing – and remember not to pick anything up for five minutes afterwards ! The iron was used initially to blob solder on and tack everything together then the joints were well fluxed before loads of heat was applied.
I rummaged around in the bag of spare brass tube and rod bits I keep under the desk. It’s not really my bag as I bought it from a second hand stall years ago but every modeller needs such a supply of bits and at a quid I couldn’t leave it. Anyway I found enough bits to do the job.
My plan was that if I could find some tubes that would telescope into each other and then join them with a solid bar slotted through made using the pillar drill I ought to be able solder the lot up. This is pretty much what happened too. The bottom tubes were soldered to some paxolin which will be stuck into the hull using Isopon car body filler.
With all that brass I had to use a small blowtorch rather than a soldering iron to get the metal flowing – and remember not to pick anything up for five minutes afterwards ! The iron was used initially to blob solder on and tack everything together then the joints were well fluxed before loads of heat was applied.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Painted skipper
The bodgery worked. With a coat of paint, Tomsk’s skipper looks the business. Colours are a bit brighter than normal with appropriately bright yellow trousers.
For the skin I used a Humbrol flesh base and then dry brushed with Revell flesh, which is quite a bit lighter. The jumper is cream dry brushed with a white/pale grey mix and dabbed with talcum powder to give a bit of texture.
Wellies are satin black. I think I might need to dirty them up a bit but for the moment they are OK.
For the skin I used a Humbrol flesh base and then dry brushed with Revell flesh, which is quite a bit lighter. The jumper is cream dry brushed with a white/pale grey mix and dabbed with talcum powder to give a bit of texture.
Wellies are satin black. I think I might need to dirty them up a bit but for the moment they are OK.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
OK Skipper
With a week to go before Tomsk is supposed to be towing model boats in anger, he needs a skipper. I know it doesn’t really matter but to me a boat (or model railway engine for that matter) needs a driver or the whole thing looks daft. Some people prefer to avoid miniature people as it spoils the purity of the model but not me.
Tomsk’s captain comes from the George Turner 1/32nd range. I had to guess the size because the kit isn’t to a particular scale so I working things out from the heights quoted on the web site.
When I placed him in the wheelhouse he didn’t fill the space as I’d hoped. Width wise we were OK but I wanted someone taller. Running the ruler over the model I reckoned that I could add 4mm to the legs without ruining the proportions.
The model was cut off at the top of the wellington boots as these gave an obvious join line where I could hide my additions. The legs were re-joined by supergluing in some plasticard. The surface was then made good with model filler. A bit of scraping with a knife blade once this was dry and I don’t think you will be able to spot the join. I’ll only be able to tell for sure once the paint goes on.
Tomsk’s captain comes from the George Turner 1/32nd range. I had to guess the size because the kit isn’t to a particular scale so I working things out from the heights quoted on the web site.
When I placed him in the wheelhouse he didn’t fill the space as I’d hoped. Width wise we were OK but I wanted someone taller. Running the ruler over the model I reckoned that I could add 4mm to the legs without ruining the proportions.
The model was cut off at the top of the wellington boots as these gave an obvious join line where I could hide my additions. The legs were re-joined by supergluing in some plasticard. The surface was then made good with model filler. A bit of scraping with a knife blade once this was dry and I don’t think you will be able to spot the join. I’ll only be able to tell for sure once the paint goes on.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Paint your boat
After waffling on about the tugboat being more art than modelling, I have to stop faffing about and get my brushes out and do some painting.
I’m using this as airbrushing practise. If anything goes wrong fixing it won’t be too hard. Even stripping off the paint and starting again would be considerably easier than do this on any model locomotive I build.
Stage one: Paint the hull with satin black.
Stage Two: Paint the top bits white. As there is a huge separation of the colours by the bits to go blue I didn’t bother masking these colours. That worked OK. I did clean the white bits with turps to remove any overspray.
Stage Three: After leaving the paint to harden overnight I masked off everything that didn’t need to be blue. The edge between white and blue was masked with Tamya tape and then everything else was covered with cheaper masking tape and newspaper.
Result: Pretty good. The line between blue and white was really sharp. Tamya tape has a well deserved reputation it appears and I’ll certainly use it again even if it is the most expensive option.
Mind you, spraying might give the best finish, but it’s not nearly as much fun as brush painting. The process just doesn’t seem natural to me. I have to stop and change location (down to the garage), plan well ahead and spend loads of time messing around masking. The spraying itself happens quickly and then I spend nearly as long cleaning the airbrush. And I have to wear a facemask to work. Give me poking models with brushes any day.
I’m using this as airbrushing practise. If anything goes wrong fixing it won’t be too hard. Even stripping off the paint and starting again would be considerably easier than do this on any model locomotive I build.
Stage one: Paint the hull with satin black.
Stage Two: Paint the top bits white. As there is a huge separation of the colours by the bits to go blue I didn’t bother masking these colours. That worked OK. I did clean the white bits with turps to remove any overspray.
Stage Three: After leaving the paint to harden overnight I masked off everything that didn’t need to be blue. The edge between white and blue was masked with Tamya tape and then everything else was covered with cheaper masking tape and newspaper.
Result: Pretty good. The line between blue and white was really sharp. Tamya tape has a well deserved reputation it appears and I’ll certainly use it again even if it is the most expensive option.
Mind you, spraying might give the best finish, but it’s not nearly as much fun as brush painting. The process just doesn’t seem natural to me. I have to stop and change location (down to the garage), plan well ahead and spend loads of time messing around masking. The spraying itself happens quickly and then I spend nearly as long cleaning the airbrush. And I have to wear a facemask to work. Give me poking models with brushes any day.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tomsk in plastic
Because there are no instructions for Tomsk I keep putting it together to see what it looks like. “A model boat”, you might say but what shape model boat ?
This isn’t model making, it’s art. I have to keep stepping back from my canvas to see how the picture is progressing. At present I think the boat looks a bit front heavy. It also needs something tall on the roof as well as a towing post.
That’s what I think at the moment. As things progress I might change my mind, but then that is the fun of this project.
This isn’t model making, it’s art. I have to keep stepping back from my canvas to see how the picture is progressing. At present I think the boat looks a bit front heavy. It also needs something tall on the roof as well as a towing post.
That’s what I think at the moment. As things progress I might change my mind, but then that is the fun of this project.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tomsk floats
Now Tomsk is sort of watertight I can test him in the pool. I was told that you should be able to water-ski behind a tug not pulling a load, well that I’ve managed. Flick the control into full speed quickly and he gets up on the plane like no other boat I’ve seen. Accelerate slowly though and the bow digs in and he tries to be a submarine.
While the hull sits reasonably level on the water while stationary, the weight distribution needs sorting out properly. I’ll move the little bit of lead around inside and try to get the speed control out of the nose as well.
The best news is the power on tap. I reckon that 200g of push is needed to move the towing competition boat, Tomak has at least 250g available so I don’t think I’ll embarrass myself like it do with the model boat racing…
While the hull sits reasonably level on the water while stationary, the weight distribution needs sorting out properly. I’ll move the little bit of lead around inside and try to get the speed control out of the nose as well.
The best news is the power on tap. I reckon that 200g of push is needed to move the towing competition boat, Tomak has at least 250g available so I don’t think I’ll embarrass myself like it do with the model boat racing…
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Clips
The Tomsk story is skipping ahead a bit. I’ve fitted out the inside with mechanical bits. There are even a couple of bulkheads strengthening up the hull – it doesn’t really need it but as mentioned this boat needs grunt so I am being over cautious.
Before I can test sail the boat, the top and bottom halves of the model need bringing together. First the big lip around the edge was smeared with plastic glue from a proper tube. The sort you used to ruin Airfix Spitfires with by gobbing the stuff everywhere. Then evey little clip I could lay my hands on was pressed into service to hold the two parts together overnight. I’ll be trimming the excess plastic back quite a bit so a good join is vital with no gaps to allow water in.
What did we do before the advent of these stupidly cheap Chinese clips ? Looking back in old magazines there was talk of raiding “the wife’s” hairdressing supplies for little metal clips.
Clothes pegs were very popular – and indeed still are but many people don’t own any as the habit of hanging clothes on a line has fallen out of favour as the spin drier grabs space in every kitchen.
Sometimes elastic bands could be employed but normally this was only suitable for clamping you plastic aircraft fuselage together – even then this was the preserve of serious modellers as most of us found ordinary glue has enough grab.
Perhaps in days of yore we were more inventive but I bet we’d have used the clips if they were around. Let’s face it we don’t know what tools will appear in the future and become indispensable. Nuclear powered soldering irons perhaps ?
I’m hoping for a laser scalpel myself.
Before I can test sail the boat, the top and bottom halves of the model need bringing together. First the big lip around the edge was smeared with plastic glue from a proper tube. The sort you used to ruin Airfix Spitfires with by gobbing the stuff everywhere. Then evey little clip I could lay my hands on was pressed into service to hold the two parts together overnight. I’ll be trimming the excess plastic back quite a bit so a good join is vital with no gaps to allow water in.
What did we do before the advent of these stupidly cheap Chinese clips ? Looking back in old magazines there was talk of raiding “the wife’s” hairdressing supplies for little metal clips.
Clothes pegs were very popular – and indeed still are but many people don’t own any as the habit of hanging clothes on a line has fallen out of favour as the spin drier grabs space in every kitchen.
Sometimes elastic bands could be employed but normally this was only suitable for clamping you plastic aircraft fuselage together – even then this was the preserve of serious modellers as most of us found ordinary glue has enough grab.
Perhaps in days of yore we were more inventive but I bet we’d have used the clips if they were around. Let’s face it we don’t know what tools will appear in the future and become indispensable. Nuclear powered soldering irons perhaps ?
I’m hoping for a laser scalpel myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)