JohnS Posted May 5, 2017 Author Share Posted May 5, 2017 (edited) Thanks again Steve! Here's a short & tiny update. I've added the handrails & klaxons to the chart house. The handrails were made from strips cut from plastic sheet & the klaxons were cut from where stretched sprue meets the sprue parts tree, to obtain the horn shape. Here's a pic of the bridge superstructure sitting on the deck. I'm focusing now on finishing the external detail on the bridge & chart house, Edited May 6, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Oh....that is sweet! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 13, 2017 Author Share Posted May 13, 2017 Hi Everyone! Thanks Phantom for checking in. Here's a couple of detail updates. First, I've made the running lights that are located on each side of the bridge. I used a trick I learned on the Aircraft Modelling Forums for the lights. The lights were cut & shaped from clear plastic sprue. The resulting lights were painted with clear red & green Tamiya paint. I glued pieces of shiny silver foil on the back of the lights, before gluing the lights in the fabricated reflector boxes. The foil adds a bit of sparkle to the painted clear lights. Next I focused on making the two armoured antenna cable conduits located on the port side of the bridge. In photos of these boats, the conduits look they're made from round metal pipe that were boxed in using wood. I assume the wood was used for added protection. It also looks like the antenna wires were terminated at insulators located at the top of each conduit. The wires appear to go from the insulators to 'L' shaped parts, and then to the boat's mast. The 'L' shaped parts appear to offer some protection so the wires won't be pulled out of the conduit or broken when the mast flexes. Here's a photo of an actual boat; I wasn't able to find a lot of information on these conduit assemblies, so I used a lot of guess work/modeller's license when making the parts. My conduits were made from small strips of wood cut from a popsicle stick. The insulators were made from stretched plastic sprue, and the 'L' shaped parts were made from leftover PE material. Here's the result; That's it for now. There's still a lot of small details to make. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted May 14, 2017 Share Posted May 14, 2017 Looking good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 20, 2017 Author Share Posted May 20, 2017 Thanks Slartibartfast for dropping by. I've spent my modelling time over the last week building the muffler system for the exhaust outlets located at the stern of the boat. I'm guessing this design is unique to the British Power Boat MGB's/MTB's. Here's one of the few photos I found showing the mechanism for the mufflers/silencers; The system consists of two manually operated linkage mechanisms that each raise and lower a circular flap over three exhaust outlets. The exhaust sound is muffled for silent running when the flaps cover the exhausts. Like most parts on this build, there's not a lot of information available. Again, I've had to use a little guesswork & modeller's license to scratch build the parts from plastic sheet, wine bottle foil, & stretched plastic sprue. Here's a (busy) photo showing what's been done to date; I'm now ready to assemble & paint all the bits & pieces. Here's a photo showing the first of six linkages being located & test fitted. Once I've got all six lined-up, I'll trim the linkages to size & glue everything together, before paint. Hopefully, I'll have this part of the build finished for my next update. Thanks for looking in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted May 26, 2017 Author Share Posted May 26, 2017 I've just completed the exhaust muffler/silencer assembly. As I mentioned in my previous post, there's not a lot of information on this part of the build. But, I've tried to match the photos I have as close as possible for this small scale. Here's a photo of the finished assembly; ... and here's a photo of the stern mocked-up with the twin Oerlikon guns, and the chemical smoke apparatus (in between the two silencer mechanisms). I still have a few deck details to add, and then I'll focus on the inside of the bridge, the mast, & the 6 pdr forward gun. There's still a lot of work to do, but the end of this build is starting to come into sight. Until next time ,,, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 (edited) There's not much to show since my last update. But, I have been working on the Coastal Craft 6 pounder gun kit. The main gun on my Motor Torpedo Boat is a 6 pounder 7 cwt gun, with an autoloader developed by the Molins Machinery Company. The Molins 6 pdr gun was originally developed for the British Army as a tank destroyer. As it turned out, the gun was not used by the Army as it was found not to be powerful enough to defeat the German Tiger tank. The Royal Navy adapted the Molins gun for its MTB’s, in a power-operated Mark VII mounting. It had a 43-calibre barrel with a six round Molins autoloader, plus one additional round in the breech. Another twelve rounds were in a ready-use rack located behind the gunner’s compartment. It was a semi-automatic gun. The gunner had to press the trigger for each shot, at a maximum rate of about 40 rounds per minute. The Royal Navy designation for the gun was 6 pdr QF Mk IIA. It was the most powerful gun fitted to the RN/RCN MTB’s of this class, and was regarded as being very successful. Ammunition consisted of a 2.7 kg HE (high explosive) shell fired at 655 m/sec with a flashless propellant charge (since MTBs usually operated at night). The gun turret configuration included a round base, a gunner’s compartment to the left of the 6 pdr gun & Molins autoloader, and a platform for a loader located behind the gunner. A 2-inch flare launcher was mounted to the right of the gun. This flare launcher replaced a Holman projector that was originally mounted on earlier BPB MGB/MTB’s, on the deck behind the bridge. Interestingly, the Molins autoloader 6 pdr was also deployed for a short time on some Royal Air Force Mosquitos of Coastal Command. It was fully automatic, able to fire at a rate of about 55 rounds per minute, with an ammunition supply of 21 rounds. It was intended for use against U-boats. Like the Coastal Craft torpedo tube & Oerlikon kits used on this build, the 6 pdr kit is very detailed and includes resin & lots of tiny PE parts. And, like most PE parts I've used in the past, I'm having glue & paint adhesion problems. I seem to be roughing up the surfaces, re-cleaning, re-gluing, & then repainting the parts a number of times, being very careful not to damage the parts or remove the detail. It's a slow and tedious process. The fit of the resin & formed PE parts is very good for this small scale. However, it does take a little tweaking to get everything positioned just right. So, after a week of reworking & tweaking, here's where I stand; 1) The round resin base has been modified to fit the deck profile, 2) The resin gun & mount has been modified to allow the gun to rotate & elevate. 3) The PE gunner's compartment & loader's platform have been formed & glued to the resin gun mount. 4) The resin gunner's seat & control box have been glued in the gunner's compartment. 5) The (tiny) resin gun rounds have been cleaned up & painted. 6) A base paint coat has been applied to the current assembly. As I mentioned at the beginning, there's not a lot to show for all this work. Here's a teaser photo showing the 6 pdr gun mount mocked-up on the boat's deck. Well, it's back to the bench. Hopefully, I'll have the gun completed for my next update. Edited June 6, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Any progress to report, John? I justed finished Squadron's Schnellboot in action and it mentioned S-boats didn't like to tangle with RN MTBs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted June 21, 2017 Author Share Posted June 21, 2017 HI Slartibartfast. Here's my next progress update. I've spent the last couple of weeks building Coastal Craft's 6 pdr gun and she's finally .... The 1st photo, above, is the CC kit box cover including a photo showing the assembly & many of the PE parts that CC supplies in the gun kit. It turned into a major project for such a small part (my little sailor in the second photo is 1" tall). I'm still amazed at the detail of the Coastal Craft kits. Here's a photo showing the main parts of the gun, for reference; Completing the gun is a major milestone for this build. Unfortunately, I just couldn't build the kit out-of-the-box. I used photos of the actual gun to scratch build modifications to the gun base, the Molins autoloader, manual traverse crank handle guards, & the gunner's sight & sight mechanism, to add a little more detail, I'm really happy with how the gun turned out. Bear with me as I share a few more walk around photos of the completed gun; And a few photos of the gun positioned on the model MTB's deck; So that's all the boat's armament completed. She's looking more & more like an BPB MTB. Next up, I'm going to attempt detailing the interior of the bridge. Stay tuned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stevehnz Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 (edited) Hi John, I've been missing in action over here for a bit now so its been good to have a catch up, you've made some great progress on this, the Coastal Molins gun is a real wee gem by the look of what you've done with it. I recall reading a book on D-boats, I think called Gunboat 685 or similar, the 6 pdrs were devastating in their effect, no wonder the S-boots didn't like them. Steve Edited June 23, 2017 by stevehnz Spelling Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 Hi Steve. Glad to see you back. Thanks again for your comments. The 6 pdr did turn out pretty good. I still haven't mastered painting the smooth brass photo etched parts, right the first time. Now that it's done, I'm going to try & not touch it for fear of chipping the paint off the brass parts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted June 30, 2017 Author Share Posted June 30, 2017 I took a little detour to make the hull number decals. I've made inkjet printed decals before but I tried something new, this time. Instead of spraying the recommended glossy lacquer decal sealer over the detail printout, I experimented with using matte clear lacquer. A thin coat of matte lacquer worked really well, sealing the decals and not affecting the decals' ability to stick to the model. Unlike most aircraft model builds, I'm not planning on applying a clear coat over this model. As a result, I wanted the decals to have a matte finish to blend in with the flat paint finish. I'm really happy with the way the decals turned out - the matte finish blends nicely with the paint, with no silvering. I used Micro Sol decal setting solution to help bond the decals to the hull. There are four different decals for this build; 1) hull number on the hull sides at the bow, colour matched to the grey hull colour, 2) black Roman numeral draught numbers at the bow, 3) hull number on the stern, colour matched to the deck colour, & 4) black hull number on the sides of the bridge spray shield. It took a little trial & error to finally match the decal colours to the hull & deck colours. Here's a colourized screen shot from the video " Crash Start!" showing the bow hull number on RCN MTB 486; And, here's the model with its homemade number decals; Bow - printed on white water slide decal paper Stern - printed on clear water slide decal paper Now, it's back to detailing the bridge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted June 30, 2017 Share Posted June 30, 2017 Looking good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 I've started adding the details to the MTB's bridge. Although there aren't many photos of the bridge, I was lucky to receive some invaluable information about the bridge details from the Naval Museum of Manitoba. Here are some in progress photos showing what I've done to date. 1) A photo of the actual bridge and my model bridge; 2) Some of the larger components; I made the canvas instrument covers from scrap pieces of close weave silk material (Note to wife: No clothing was harmed for this build. ). I used a gauge face found on the Internet for the fuel gauge, reduced it to size, & printed it on glossy photo paper. The cables are .2 mm lead wire painted flat black, & the cable ties are silver foil adhesive tape. The wooden deck panels where drawn using Photoshop & printed on matte presentation paper. 3) Bridge & Chart House; Next up, I'll be focusing on the navigation instruments located on the front bulkhead, e.g. compasses, throttle levers, voice pipes, etc.. Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi again! Well, I've finally completed the bridge interior. Those little bits & pieces really take a long time to build. Here's a few shots of the finished bridge; ... and here's what I was able to include; Next up, I'll be finishing off the bridge exterior. Thanks again for looking in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Wow,......that bridge!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Loverly! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Silenoz Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 splendid work... simply fantastic... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Thanks guys! Much appreciated. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 (edited) Another quick update! Just finished the exterior details on the bridge and chart house. One unique feature on many of the Canadian MTB's was a small maple leaf plaque fixed to the centre of the bridge spray shield. I was able to print & attach the tiny plaque for my boat. The maple leaf was used to signify the boats were Canadian, in a similar manner to the green maple leaf painted on the funnels of larger Canadian warships during WWII. Although the green maple leaf was used on Canadian warships early in the war, the maple leaf symbol was formally introduced into the Royal Canadian Navy by Naval order in September 1944. After the war, the colour of the maple leaf was changed from green to red. Here's a photo showing the completed bridge & chart house. ... and here's a couple of photos showing the bridge & chart house temporarily sitting on the MTB's deck. I still have a few more details to make, e.g. boat hooks, a deck vent, & the mast & rigging, but the end is coming into sight. Thanks for looking in. Edited July 26, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 43 minutes ago, JohnS said: Although the green maple leaf was used on Canadian warships early in the war, the maple leaf symbol was formally introduced into the Royal Canadian Navy by Naval order in September 1944. After the war, the colour of the maple leaf was changed from green to red. Guessing maybe that green was used during war because it stood out less than red? I don't know enough about it to have any guess at all, really. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted July 26, 2017 Author Share Posted July 26, 2017 Here's a brief backgrounder regarding the green maple leaf symbol. The green maple leaf was a symbol of Canada for many years prior to, and after, WWII. There were originally three green maple leaves on the Canadian coat of arms . The coat of arms was included on the red ensign - Canadian National Flag - beginning 1868. The coat of arms included on Canada's National Flag & the RCN's naval jack (including three green maple leaves) carried throughout WWII was authorized in 1921. The green leaves were changed to red in 1957, red being one of Canada’s official colours. On February 15, 1965, the red maple leaf flag was adopted as Canada's National Flag. e.g. Here are the coats of arms as included on the RCN naval jacks from 1921 to 1965; From 1921 to 1957 (green maple leaves): From 1957 to 1965 (red maple leaves): Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted August 7, 2017 Author Share Posted August 7, 2017 (edited) Hi again! I've been slowly plugging away at making the remaining deck bits & pieces. These include; Lifeline stanchions from plastic rod & stretched sprue. I made a fixture (shown in the photo) so I could make all these tiny parts the same. CQR anchor from paper card, plastic sheet, & wire. The CQR anchor is also called the plow anchor due to its unique shape. Boat hooks & supports from plastic rod, plastic sheet & wire. Goose neck vent from plastic sheet. Next, I'll start attaching all the parts made to date to complete the deck, and start building the mast. See you again soon. Edited August 7, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted August 8, 2017 Author Share Posted August 8, 2017 (edited) Another quick update! I've attached the stanchions & lifelines to the MTB's deck. It's nice to finally start glueing parts to the hull again, The lifelines were made from stretched black plastic sprue. Now, it's back to making the mast assembly. Edited August 8, 2017 by JohnS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnS Posted September 4, 2017 Author Share Posted September 4, 2017 Hi everyone! It's been a while. I've been doing a little more research on the BPB MTB's over the past few weeks. As a result, I've had to make some small changes to the build. e.g. Flag lanyard cleats were added to the stbd side of the bridge, 12 foot boat hooks were made to replace the 9 foot ones, & the bow lifeline stanchions were remade a little smaller. I've also been working on the main mast. I still have to clean up a few details, add a few wires & cables, and then paint the mast, but here are a couple of photos showing the progress to date. Here's a photo of the mast test fitted. Note the small white aerial mast added just ahead of the Oerlikon bandstand location. Next up, I'll be adding wire & cable detail to the main mast, & then add some paint. Thanks again for looking in. See you soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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