First Models

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Seeing some of the reminiscing going on in Ashley's "Today's boating" thread made me think that the wealth of modelling experience and expertise we have on here must all go back quite a way. I thought it might be interesting to hear what members can remember of their first models.

Mine was an Airfix HMS Suffolk. I was given it for Christmas when I was around five or six years old and my Mother wanted me to wait for my Father to return home from his trip at sea to help me build it. I wanted to build it myself! I was so pleased with myself when I managed to get the guns to rotate. It never saw a spot of paint but I was very proud of it when I finished it and couldn't wait for him to return home to show him.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

[Tim RoweParticipant @timrowe83142]

Mine was a catamaran with the "hulls" made from a piece of pine ogee door frame material. The cross beams were the same and a dowel mast holding up something vaguely resembling sails.

The waterline ended up being about halfway up the cross beams and it was a complete failure (except that Dad later said it made great kindling).

I learned a lot however and have always liked model yachts. As an adult and yacht surveyor I have never liked catamarans and suppose there could be some connection.

Not long after I made a land yacht with the same materials and that did work – sort of.

Tim R

[redpmgParticipant @redpmg]

First boat was a home design yacht of balsa aged about 8 or 9 – from pictures of my fathers old yacht in Capetown – using formers and stringers – (had been building aircraft up to then). it was covered with an old handkerchief instead of being planked – had the idea from seeing my grandfathers canoe . Doped & painted for waterproofing it was fitted with another handkerchief for a sail – thick skewer for the mast and a lead sinker for the keel weight. Parents drove us out to the famous Leopard Rock Hotel where it had its first sail in the then swimming pool. All went well until the centre of the very large pool (really an old circular dam) when it succumbed to water intake and was never seen again…………….

Next boat was planked needless to say…………

 

Edited By redpmg on 10/07/2021 11:56:33

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

I remember going into a large RC model shop in Stockport in my 30s and asking for a tin of dope. The place went quiet and the lad behind the counter was obviously trying to stifle a smile.

"I'm sorry but we no longer stock dope but we do have a large selection of Solafilm"

I felt pretty out of touch I must admit. I used to love the smell of dope!

[Tim CooperParticipant @timcooper90034]

I can remember building plastic warships in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Been trying to remember the Airfix ships I built but can only remember HMS Tiger (I think). Must have built more aeroplanes ?

My older brother used to buy the Model Maker and remember building a couple of balsa warships. One was a model of the Graf Spee from plans in the MM, my memory says that they were by Philip Connolly.

I built a couple of the Eezebilt kits, Terrier and Triton, then a Veron Trident Trawler when I was about 14.

Tim

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

mine at about 7 years old was a couple of flat pieces of fish box i found on the dock side where we used to roam inhibited, glued together,cut with an old saw that was in the cellar into the shape of a morecambe bay prawner with an old wooden match box sat on the deck as a cabin, and a piece of dowel stuck though it as a mast that was tied to the deck in slits i had cut with the saw as rigging………and off i and a mate went to the local paddling pool in fleetwood to sail it……….unpainted and rough as a bears bum…………..

it sailed with a paper sail remarkably well…………..and that was me on the rocky road to ruin, as a model boat maker for life……….

apart from owning mg's and old bsa's when they were just cars and bikes, not classics…………..it is the only hobby i have ever had………..

i'll master the art one day, lol.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Airfix models, planes and tanks mostly, although I think I did do a few boats, but they always seemed to be tricky with the tiny gun barrels and so on.

Still have some planes in a box, and the tanks reside in my tank collection (as I Collect such stuff).

Toy soldiers were what I really liked as a lad, and remember painting The little ho/oo napoleonic troops and Romans, AWI sets and so on, and the larger 54mm Timpo ones. Painting…I use the word loosely!

Still have the soldiers, but unfortunately a lot of them have become brittle over the years and are becoming a bit unplayable with now.

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 11/07/2021 07:57:08

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Strangely when I was a youngster I had a friend who was into his wargaming and used to buy and paint Hinchcliffe white metal Napoleonic figures.

It was manny, manny, manny years later that I bought a kit from Mountfleet Models, from a guy called Frank Hinchcliffe, who was the very same guy that used to produce the figures.

Small world.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

The normal 2/- Airfix kits in the plastic bag from Woolworth's , my first proper model boat was Vic Smeed's Bustler tug made from balsa in 1967, wish I'd kept it may have to make another one !

I was very lucky that all the male members of my family were into boats, planes & trains

Regards Ray

[redpmgParticipant @redpmg]

Believe it or not still have two of the Airfix plastic bag kits Ray – bags have long since time expired as did the labels from fish moths – both are aircraft. Also have a couple of Matchbox aircraft kits used by the RRAF.- later RhodAF.

Perhaps you should re-visit the Bustler as an A3 plan Ray – will look forward to that

Very first model kit was a small vintage car in a plastic bag – cant remember the label but must have been Airfix – bought from the shop on board the Braemar Castle when aged about seven – came with its own gummy bottle of glue – after building it was commandeered by elder brother and ended up going overboard.

Unfortunately nobody imported Model Maker so lost out on a lot of models at the time – Only found out about Hobbies of Dereham when a penfriend sent one of their publications – after that thought I had found a gold mine – imported an Anglian trawler kit with fittings & motor at the total coat of a fiver – goodbye savings !. Eagle published a few exploded drawings but that was about it for anyone interested in boats.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

My first boat kit was a Landing Craft and Sherman Tank double kit

[C V E 73Participant @cve73]

My first venture in model boats was the P B M oil rig supply ship small version. No speed controller just connect the battery using paper clips and rudder control only. I built many plastic model over the early years glue everywhere and paint applied with very poor brushes how things have changed.

CVE 73

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Posted by Richard Simpson on 11/07/2021 09:08:58:

Strangely when I was a youngster I had a friend who was into his wargaming and used to buy and paint Hinchcliffe white metal Napoleonic figures.

It was manny, manny, manny years later that I bought a kit from Mountfleet Models, from a guy called Frank Hinchcliffe, who was the very same guy that used to produce the figures.

Small world.

i was a good friend of Franks during his years with Caldercraft Models, having revewed 3 of his models over the years for all three magazines at the time, Marine models, Radio Controlled model Boats (the bimonthly off shoot of Model Boats) and Model Boats itself.

and when he had sold Caldercraft to John Wright of Jotika fame frank invited myself and a good friend over to [in Franks words] "raid his stocks of fittings" for future builds. Whilst over in Holmfirth, he showed me his collections of military soldiers from different ages, all painted and cast by himself in white metal, and it was those soldiers that gave him the idea of producing the first model boat kits with white metal fittings, which he went on to develope his empire which was a revolution in model boat building.

later he asked me to help develope the first of his new formed company Mountfleet models………the name Mountfleet being an amalgamation of part of his thoughts of building a "fleet of ships and with my input, a part of Fleetwood, the Mount hill on Fleetwood promenade. our first and only amalgamation of thoughts and development were the Active tug which i developed the hull/cabin and parts in plasticard to be copied in white metal/brass, the Danny Boy, which i put together as the original prototype to make sure all parts fit properly, and i supplied original hull and superstructures for what was going to be a Veranda type deep sea trawler, with all fittings in plasticard, which Frank transposed into brass masters for casting, and that model became the St Nectan.

but Frank had more than one claim to fame…….for he is listed in the credits of 3 A rated movies of the time, which he told me his soldiers appeared in the films……..sadly i could never remember the names of two films, but the one i can and one i watch regularly, for in the car chase towards the end of the film features a 14th century pub that i used to live in in the late 1970's in a village called Waltham St Lawrance in Berkshire, called The Bell, and the film features quite heavily in the story, Franks Prussian Regiments……..the film is simply called Callan, and features Edward Woodward, and Franks company Hinchliffe Models comes up in the credits at the end of the film.

Frank taught me all i know about white metal and resin casting, which has served me well over the years. without his teachings i would never have been able to produce and sell the lifeboat kit Ann Letitia Russell, which Dave Metcalf has been selling since 1998, and other kits that i have designed and developed over the years. Frank was a wonderful teacher, and a good Yorkshire man who didn't suffer fools at all………..think i learned that off him as well lol.

[Colin MillerParticipant @colinmiller68338]

My first model boat was the Caldercraft Vigilant police launch, which my grandfather helped me build.

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Neil, when I first went over to see Frank to decide which kit to buy he still had the retail premises in Holmfirth on the high street. I walked around the place looking at examples of every one of his kits in built up form and thought I was walking around a maritime museum. I could have stayed there all day.

When Frank died I did an article on Mountfleet Models to help Sue promote the business and she showed me some of his early figures in a glass case in the lounge. Again I could have stayed there all day! What also made me laugh was that Sue was very much into breeding ducks and taking her ducks along to shows. When I walked past the bathroom the bath was full of ducks getting ready for the next day's show!

He certainly had a reputation for being a no nonsense Yorkshireman. I phoned him up one day to explain that the Ben Ain rudder was not right because the lower pintle was not in line with the others. If it was real it would not have worked. I got pretty short thrift and basically told that no one else had ever complained and that it worked fine. I tried to explain that it only worked as a result of the large clearances in the bearing and the ability of the white metal to flex but realised I was onto a looser.

Another conversation was when I was explaining to him that the bollards supplied with the Ben Ain did not match the plan or the instructions as they did not include the stiffening web between the posts. His response was one that I know he was well known for and had used on numerous occasions to others "Well you're the modeller aren't you? So fix it!"

Great man, the world is a little less colourful without him.

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