JohnS Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) I’m beginning a new scratch building project of a 1/72 scale WWII Royal Canadian Navy 71’-6” Motor Torpedo Boat, from the 29th MTB Flotilla, similar to RCN MTB 485 shown below. These boats were built by the British Power Boat (BPB) Company. To prepare for the build I made 1/72 scale plans from line drawings and photos found on the Internet. I’m using the plans to make templates for the various scratch built parts. I’ll be using Coastal Craft weapon sets, as well as odds & ends from around the house & the parts bin. In 2008 I completed a scratch built Fairmile ‘D’ Motor Gun Boat. I carved the hull of the Fairmile from a 4”x4” cedar fence post. I’m using a remnant piece of that same fence post for this MTB build. Next up, I’ll be cutting, filing, & sanding the hull & deck to the final shape. Thanks for looking. Edited July 1, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 After tracing the shape of the hull on the 4x4, a rough shape was cut out. Then lots of cutting, filing and sanding to make the hull shape. Next up, I’ll be finish sanding the hull & deck shape & start adding hull details. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 Great looking project! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Silenoz Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I'm also in with interest... looks good so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) Welcome aboard HAJO & Silenoz. I've finished most of the hull sanding & filled all the remaining deep gouges, holes, etc. with putty. The putty was sanded to a smooth finish. Next up, priming and sealing the hull. Edited November 2, 2016 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Once I was happy with the hull surfaces, I applied a thick coat of white primer/sealer paint. The sealer/primer will provide a hard smooth finish (once sanded) & good base for the finish paint. Next up, finish sanding the primer/sealer. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Looking really good! You´re not doing this for the first time, do you? HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Thanks Hajo. The Fairmile 'D' is the only other boat I've built from scratch. It was a learning experience. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 I've started to add some details to the hull. There are three rails that run the length of the hull. I've made the rails from strips of balsa wood. So far, I've glued on the gunwale rail (held in position with tape) & am currently waiting the glue to dry before sanding the rail to the proper shape. I'll locate the other two sets of rails once the gunwale rail is complete. I've also made towing reinforcement plates from paper card stock & added bolt heads using drops of white glue. I'm not worried about detailing the small hardware, other than showing the they're there, since the details aren't really visible at this scale. Six exhaust outlets were added to the transom similar to those shown in the photo below. I made these from plastic tube and discs hole-punched from a paper sheet. Again, I'm not too worried about detail at this stage, since each exhaust will be covered by a muffler/vent flap. Here are a couple of photos showing the progress, to date. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 The hull is complete & ready for paint. Here are a few photos showing the progress to date. The hull looks pretty bad at this stage after filling all the defects with putty, and sanding everything smooth in preparation for paint. First, photos of the port & starboard sides showing the addition of scratch build splash rails, bow reinforcement, vents & ports, front & rear towing eyes, propellers, rudders, & underwater exhausts. I’ve also added a scale figure to give you an idea of the boat’s size. A close-up of port bow, including scratch built; - - Plastic sprue vents. - - Masking tape bow reinforcement. - - Balsa wood splash rails. - - Evergreen plastic sheet towing eye. A close-up of the starboard quarter, including scratch built; - - Evergreen plastic tubing outlets, - - Evergreen plastic sheet towing eye. - - Rudder & propeller assemblies. A close-up of the stern, including scratch built; - - Evergreen plastic sheet & tubing rudders. - - Finish nail propeller shafts. - - Propellers made from Evergreen plastic tubing hubs & paper card blades. - - Underwater exhausts (between propellers & rudders) & propeller shaft fittings made from Evergreen plastic tubing. - Next up, finish painting the hull bottom & sides and starting to build the bridge & deckhouse and upper deck bits & pieces. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Silenoz Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Nice progress, a diamond in the rough getting shaped Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Looking really good! I hope you will add some crew to the boat! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 3, 2016 Author Share Posted December 3, 2016 Thanks Silenoz & Hajo L.. Let's hope this diamond will shine. 3 hours ago, Hajo L. said: ... I hope you will add some crew to the boat! ... Me too! I like adding crew figures to my builds to give each model a sense of scale. However, one of the downsides of scratch building British & Canadian naval vessels is that there are not a lot of 1/72 British/Canadian Navy crew figures available. As a result, I've been pirating figures off some of my plastic model kits. e.g. I used figures included in Tamiya's 1/72 Perkasa Patrol Boat kit for my Fairmile build. This time, I've conscripted five sailors from the Matchbox Flower Class Corvette model kit. Here's a couple of quick pic's showing my motley MTB crew. I might modify the figures a little, depending on where they will be stationed on the boat. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 9, 2016 Author Share Posted December 9, 2016 Hello again! The hull sides, bottom & stern has received its final coat of paint. The paint colour is the grey and white British Coastal Forces camo scheme. White is used the minimize the visibility of shadows when the boat is illuminated from above. Here's a few pic's. And a comparison pic showing the actual boat paint scheme. Next up I'll start building the deck detail. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I like the look! Interesting how white ca be part of a camoflage scheme, I read the same about the german "S-Boote" operating in the channel! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 White was probably a good idea from a visibility standpoint, but it must have been impossible to keep these boats looking clean. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 LOL, and even decades later modellers like me avoid any white painted models because the color is so hard to paint! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 1 hour ago, Hajo L. said: LOL, and even decades later modellers like me avoid any white painted models because the color is so hard to paint! HAJO I hear you. I ended up applying 3 coats of flat white, on top of the white sealer primer, on this model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 (edited) For me, one the fun things when scratch building is taking 2-dimensional drawings and plans, and converting them to 3-dimensional objects. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there’s not a lot of information available for this boat design. This is adding a degree of difficulty to the build. Another major challenge is that there are a number of complex shapes – angles, curves, etc. in the boat design. For example, one of the unique features of this boat design is the breakwater on the forward deck. As you can see below, it has a number of complex curves. To make the breakwater, I made a balsa wood form using the shape and scaled dimensions taken from drawings and photos. I made the breakwater from pieces of Evergreen plastic, and carefully bent it around the balsa wood form using a heat gun to make the plastic pliable and to hold its formed shape when cooled. It turned out not too bad, and sits nicely on the boat’s curved deck. Also, I’m currently drawing the shapes for the bridge and wheelhouse. As with most of the prep work for the build, I trying to keep the drawings simple using Photoshop Elements, and will add the detail to the model itself. To verify I have the correct size, shape, & fit, I’ve been printing the simple drawings on paper, then cutting out the shape, and folding it to the required dimensions. This usually means a little trial & error and a few tries before the correct shape is achieved. I’ll use the final drawings to make the final parts. You can see in this next photo how small the bridge & wheelhouse are relative to the size of the hull. Also, you can see how the boat design was based on the designer’s boat racing experience. These boats were definitely built for speed, and not for the comfort of the crew. Here’s one more photo comparing the 71-6"’ MTB to my 115’ Fairmile D MGB. Although these two boats served in Coastal Forces at the same time, note the differences in the camo paint design and colour. Well, that's it for now. The build will be slowing down over Christmas, but I should have time to detail the breakwater, & start building the bridge & wheelhouse. Until next time ... Edited December 13, 2016 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Great progress and very interesting description! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 I've had a little time over the past couple of weeks to build a few deck structures using plastic card, including the bridge, wheelhouse, torpedo tube bed rails, as well as adding the supports to the breakwater. It's been finicky work getting the proper angles and matching the contour & curvature of the deck. Here are the results, so far; I've placed the structure on the deck, to help visualize the overall layout, and to make sure that everything fits properly. So far, so good! Thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Excellent! Did you saw my Riverine Command Boat? I'm still proud of my build, but your work shows how the professionals do it! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Thanks again, HAJO. Yes, I followed your command boat build. It turned out fantastic. I'm not sure I'd call myself a professional, but I do enjoy modelling when I have the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hi again! I just finished adding ribs (I think that's what they're called ) to the deck surface, using plastic strips. It seemed like a simple task at first, but I found it took some time to ensure the strips were located correctly, & straight, plus ensuring the parts I already finished fit properly. Here's couple of photos of the 'ribs' glued to the deck. And, a few photos showing the finished parts test fitted on the deck. I've placed the Coastal Craft resin Oerlikon 20mm cannon ‘bandstand’ to check it's fit & location, as well. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Nice, coming along real nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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