Slartibartfast Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Giddy with anticipation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 14 hours ago, Slartibartfast said: Giddy with anticipation. Getting closer to completion & the official launch! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 Hello, again! The main mast build is complete. I added some wires & cables made from lead wire & stretched sprue for detail, and made a wave guide support for the cables at the base of the mast out of paper card. Final paint was applied in the Coastal Forces camo scheme. The 4 red fighting lights on the yardarm were made out of clear stretched sprue, and painted with clear red Tamiya paint. Here's a photo of the finished mast. I still have to add the flag lanyards & rigging, but these will have to wait until the boat is completed & everything is glued in place. ... and here's how the mast will look when assembled to the deck; The mast was the last major part of this build ... or so I thought. Since I've been really impressed with the aftermarket guns & torpedo tubes used for this build, I decided to purchase a Vickers machine gun set from Great Little Ships in the UK. These tiny cast guns come with some very detailed PE parts. It looks like it'll take some time & patience to build these guns, but they should be a nice addition to boat. Hopefully, I'll have the guns completed for my next update. Thanks for looking in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 18, 2017 Author Share Posted September 18, 2017 Well, after a week of exercising my patience, eyes, & big fingers, I finally finished building the tiny Great Little Ships Vickers machine guns. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I don't get along very well with PE parts ... especially PE parts that you need a magnifying glass to see. These tiny guns really tested my patience, having had to fix two cast metal gun barrels broken in shipment, breaking a few PE parts myself by over bending, and gluing & re-gluing the PE parts to the castings. The blue air around my work table has finally cleared, and the gun assemblies actually didn't turn out too bad. Luckily, the kit came with a number of spare parts, so I was able to fix my screw-ups relatively easily. The gun stands were custom made from parts supplied with the kit. Here are a few photos showing the guns assembled prior to paint. The detail of these guns is much better than I was able the achieve when I originally scratch built the guns back in April, and they really are a nice addition to the boat. Here's a photo of one of the gun assemblies test fitted to the starboard torpedo tube. Next up, the Vickers guns will be painted, and final assembly of the boat will finally start. Whew! Thanks again for looking in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 23, 2017 Author Share Posted September 23, 2017 (edited) A short update as we're entering the final legs of this build. I've been working away and bringing all the bits and pieces, built over last year, together and looking for any fit & finish problems before I start doing the final assembly. There's a few parts that need a little rework before they get glued to the deck. e.g. removing unwanted glue & gaps found during fit-up. I've also been looking at adding a little more detail where practical. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a small scale boat, and most of the detail I want to add will be very difficult to build, and very difficult to actually see on the model. One little detail I have just added is the rope netting attached to the rear of the 6 pdr gun. I don't know what its's called, but I'm assuming it's for deflecting the empty shell casings after the gun is fired. To make the gun detail, I raided my wife's sewing box and grabbed some beige thread. The thread was used to simulate the rope used on the actual part on the gun. Although it's not perfect, I think it adds a little more realistic look to the gun. I'm also looking at adding a cartridge bag under the Oerlikon gun. We'll see how practical it is to make. That's it for now. Thanks for looking in. Edited September 23, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 Still plugging away at adding a few more little details. This time, a bow tow line. Most, if not all, photos of the British Power Boat MTB's show the boats having a bow tow line attached during normal running. From what I understand, the tow lines were kept at the ready in the event a boat had mechanical/electrical problems or battle damage, & needed to be towed out of harm's way as quickly as possible. The tow line was attached to an eye located on the boat's prow (& on the stern on some boats). The bow line usually ran through a jam cleat on the deck (to hold the line in place), and the rest was coiled on a clear spot on the deck. I used some grey thread for the model's tow line to simulate the actual wire rope. I sprayed the thread with flat clear enamel to give it a little rigidity. Here's the result; Now, back to the bench. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted September 27, 2017 Share Posted September 27, 2017 Very nice details! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 27, 2017 Author Share Posted September 27, 2017 Thanks Hajo! I'm just finishing the Oerlikon's spent cartridge bag. That should be last of the little details (until it's time to add the rigging). Just have to glue the remaining parts to the deck & add the rigging. Inching closer to completion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 27, 2017 Author Share Posted September 27, 2017 The scratch built details are finished. I just completed the last one - the Oerlikon's spent cartridge bag. I made the bag from cloth remnants left over from making the canvas covers on the bridge & flag locker. The cloth gives the bag some texture. Here are a couple of pic's; And, the finished Oerlikon sitting on the deck ... with an addition. Now, it's finally time to finish the overall assembly. Thanks for stopping by. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 29, 2017 Author Share Posted September 29, 2017 (edited) We're entering the final leg of this build. With exception of the two masts, all the sub-assemblies and bits & pieces have been glued in place. It's really nice to see this model in it's final configuration. Here's how she looks; Next, the flag lanyards, white ensign flag, radio aerials, and mast rigging need to be made. Then the masts will be glued in place & the lanyards, aerials & rigging will be added. This will complete the boat. The final step will be to make a display stand, & paint & mount some crew members. Still a little work to do. Thanks for looking in. Edited October 2, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 Hello again! I've just completed the rigging & aerials to finish off the boat. The flag lanyards were made from beige thread, the mast rigging/guy wires from grey plastic sprue, & the radio aerials from black plastic sprue. Here are a few photos showing the rigging & aerials; From the starboard side: From the bow: From the top: And from the stern: Next up, I need to make a display stand & paint some sailors to man the boat. It's hard to believe a year has passed since I started this project. It's been a lot of fun researching the history & design of these boats, and progressing on the build - taking a cedar fence post from ... ... here ... to where she is today. Thanks again for looking in. I'll be back when the display stand & crew are completed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Beautiful! Be proud of your work. Now, for that Schnellboot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Silenoz Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Absolutely stunning Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 (edited) Thanks Slartibartfast & Silenoz, for your comments. Much appreciated. Edited October 8, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 I took a break from sanding a wood display base for the model, and had a little fun with Photoshop. After my Fairmile D build was finished a number of years ago, I put that boat in virtual water. So, I thought I'd do the same with this build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Simply wonderful! Very nice work! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 Thanks for following along Hajo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 14, 2017 Author Share Posted October 14, 2017 I'm in the final planning stages for displaying the MTB model. I'm going to use an old plexiglass 5 sided case, from another model, for a dust cover. I've made the wood base to fit both this model & the dust cover. The base is stained & clear coated, and I'm waiting for it to dry. To add a little more interest to the MTB display, I'm thinking of using a photo of the actual MTB's as a backdrop to the model. This would be similar to what I did for my F-14B display. There, I enlarged a photo I took of F-14's in an NAS Oceana hanger for the backdrop, as shown below; During my MTB research on the Internet, I found a colour photo of a BPB MTB flotilla. I've enlarged the photo to fit my plastic case. Here's a couple of photos showing what it will look like as the backdrop; ... and cropped as it would look in the display case; I like it, but I'd be interested in your thoughts. What do you think? Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 I think you should do whatever floats your boat. I crack myself up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hajo L. Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 That´s a really cool idea to present your model! I´d go with that! HAJO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I vote you go with it! That is a fabulous backdrop! Your model looks quite good against it. I'll have to remember that if I ever put a model in it's own case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 16, 2017 Author Share Posted October 16, 2017 (edited) Thanks guys! Well, I'm calling this build complete. I still have to paint a few crew members, but I've conscripted a couple of sailors from the Fairmile build for display purposes. The wood display base is 7" X 18"", finished with two coats of maple stain (it's a Canadian boat, you know ), and five coats of semi-gloss clear Varathane. The nameplate was made using PowerPoint, and printed on glossy photo paper. I'm using an old plexiglass display case/dust cover I made for a build back in the early '80's. That model has been long gone. The case is 5" X 16" X 7" high. The photo of the MTB flotilla was attached to the back of the case using a glue stick. I found out the photo was actually of the RCN 29th MTB Flotilla - a nice touch. I've appreciated everyone who has followed and/or offered comments during this build. Thank you! Edited October 16, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Silenoz Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 It was a pleasure to see this ugly piece of wood grow into this beauty... Very nice result and a splendid scratchbuild project... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 22, 2017 Author Share Posted October 22, 2017 Thank you Silenoz! I'm glad you were able to follow the build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 One last project to complete this build - the crew. I'm not a big fan of adding figures to models as they seldom look realistic. In this case, I wanted to add a few crew figures to show the boat's scale & size. I raided the stash and gathered sailors from the Matchbox Corvette & Airfix Vosper MTB kits. I decided to use four figures that show the variety of uniforms worn on board the Canadian MTB's. I modified the arms of the two seaman figures so I could place them in different positions on the boat, & then added some paint & shading. I added stands to the figures so each could stand alone. The Coxswain and Executive Officer figures are currently placed on the MTB's bridge. ... and the Captain & Gunner were added to the Oerikon bandstand, Now this build is really finished. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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