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Armidale Class Patrol Boat

1/50 scale model of HMAS Bundaberg

Peter Fitness	24/07/2009 07:13:25
508 forum posts 215 photos	After about 18 months of thinking and talking about it, much research, and invaluable assistance from a number of very kind people, I have finally started building HMAS Bundaberg. Bundaberg is one of the Armidale class of 14 patrol boats built in Perth, Western Australia, by Austal, for the Royal Australian Navy. All 14 boats are now in service doing off shore patrol work, and have proved to be very popular with their crews. They replaced the smaller Fremantle class boats. The model is to 1/50 scale, giving an overall length of 1120 mm, and is built from 1.5 mm ply on 6 mm ply frames, which in turn are mounted on a 7 mm pine keel. I had to plot the frames myself, as the builders were unwilling to part with that information, no doubt worried I would build a full size one in competition with them The hull is well under way, and prop tubes and rudder tubes with their associated mountings have been fitted. Following my usual practice, I have built all of these assemblies myself, allowing them to be built to suit the job. Some photos below, including one of HMAS Armidale at sea, others can be seen in my albums. Peter. . Edited By Peter Fitness on 24/07/2009 07:14:59
David Wooley	24/07/2009 11:21:40
599 forum posts 702 photos 8 articles	Hi Peter The new Armidales look superb and a good subject for modelling . I know Alan Pew did the Armidale but I think he may well have had some assistance re- the drawings . I also like your choice of scale , big enough to work any water yet small enough to fit conveniently into the back of the car. I have been trawling detail on the Roisin class of OPV , similar in some repects to the Armidale , Both Roisin and Niamh were built at Appledore and like the Armidales would make attractive larger scale models. Once again Alan has made a superb 1:72 Roisin . Good luck with the build. Dave Wooley
Peter Fitness	25/07/2009 00:13:20
508 forum posts 215 photos	Dave, I was in contact with Alan regarding the hull frames. He told me that he was not prepared to pass them on, as he was planning to produce a 1/50 scale hull himself, at some time in the future. This is quite understandable. He also commented that the 1/50 scale would be far more suitable for an RC model than his 1/72 hull, which he felt was too small to easily fit RC equipment into. The first time I saw a photo of an Armidale I thought what a good model it would make, as it has pleasing lines, to my eye anyway, and is not too cluttered. Not having built a warship before, I have often been intimidated by the vast amount of detail many of them have, but I was confident I could cope with the Armidale class. The results will tell the tale, though. Peter.
David Wooley	25/07/2009 09:00:08
599 forum posts 702 photos 8 articles	Hi Peter The knuckle from the bow back looks quite a difficult feature to lift from photos . I'm keen to see more . Dave Wooley
Peter Fitness	26/07/2009 05:24:51
508 forum posts 215 photos	Dave, I used the side elevation drawing to try and plot the points on the frames, plus I also had some photos from the internet of Armidale under construction. These gave an idea of the shape, but time will tell whether or not I got it right. Peter. Edited By Peter Fitness on 26/07/2009 05:25:57
Peter Fitness	14/08/2009 06:24:48
508 forum posts 215 photos	There has been slow progress on the build, but I have waterproofed with resin, and installed all the working bits, including the electronics. I have used one of ACTion Electronics amazing P94 units and, with the help of Dave Milbourn's excellent wiring diagram, I managed to get everything working correctly, including the Raboesch bow thruster. The Armidale class have 5 blade propellers, and I was able to obtain 2 of the correct size from George Sitek, who was most helpful. Peter.
David Wooley	14/08/2009 13:06:26
599 forum posts 702 photos 8 articles	Hi Peter question, what type of batteries are you going to fit ? and are you going to fit any additional ballast other than the battery ? Dave Wooley
Peter Fitness	14/08/2009 23:41:50
508 forum posts 215 photos	Dave, I've made provision for a 6v 10Ah SLA battery, so I will have to "suck it and see" as regards any additional ballast. I will be doing a test tank - bath - test to check what's needed. Some more photos, showing the props and rudders, the rudder linkage, and the battery temporarily in place. The long servo lead wrapped around the rudder posts will be replaced by a shorter one, it is all I have at present. The filler looks a bit of a dog's breakfast , but at least it won't be visible when the superstructure and deck is on. It looks worse in photos than it does in real life. Edited By Peter Fitness on 15/08/2009 00:08:48
Laszlo Winkler	31/12/2009 00:07:14
2 forum posts	Hi Peter, I am a hungarian modeller and I am interested in this patrol boat. I have been trying to get the set of plan about this boat. I built an other Australian boat - Fremantle class, HMAS Gawler - and would like to build this boat too. Can you send me any information how way can I access to plans, or can you send it (them) to me if possibble? We build our models fiberglass and resin. Thank you for help, Laszlo e-mail: winkler.laszlo1@chello.hu
Peter Fitness	31/12/2009 00:58:37
508 forum posts 215 photos	Hi Laszlo, Email sent to you. There's no progress to report at the moment, as we have a house full of grandchildren and their parents, so there is no time for modelling - plus it's a bit too hot in my shed right now anyway Peter

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