WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN 1987?

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi,

Whilst doing a bit research through some ‘old’ modelling magazines for a possible new build.   I came across an article Scale Nationals.  We don’t seem to see much of this sort of thing these days do we?  Maybe for various reasons.   However reading through some of the results I came across a familiar name placed 18th in scale a Mr C. Bishop. The model was Shanklin – do you still have this model Colin?   Is the model still seaworthy?

So what were we all doing at this time?   How time flies.

I remember I was busy making a model of a warship – not sure now if it was the Manchester or the Cornwall…. oh no it wasn’t it was an RAF Launch – a Whaleback.

John

 

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi John,

Yes, Shanklin is still sitting in its box in my garage, now long decommissioned but intact. I built it from the Denny plans held in the National Maritime Museum which cost me £50, quite a lot in those days. I only had a two channel radio and devised a complicated control system using a Bobs Board speed controller, relays and several microswitches which enabled me to spin the model on its axis on the rudder with the throttle closed and steer normally when the throttle was opened. I recently came across my wiring diagram and no longer understand it!

It was awarded a Bronze medal at the Model Engineer Exhibition which I was quite proud of.

Last summer I loaned the plans to Richard Norman of the Alfold Model Boat Club and he has just started building his own model 42 years after I built mine!

Some photos below.

Colin

 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Lovely model Colin

Surely worth sailing again??  Surely worth an article detailing how you replaced all the ad- hoc stuff inside with shiny new electronics!!

Ashley

[Richard SimpsonModerator @richardsimpson88330]

An absolute beauty Colin.  She’s got that perfect degree of individual character and style in her purposeful lines while still maintaining an elegance that we seem to be sadly lacking in modern vessel design. I completely agree with Ashley, she would be a great candidate to fit new electronics to to see her on the water again.

Having said that I’m sure we all have many numerous boats, all of which have a string of jobs that need doing to them, but realistically we know we are never going to get around to it.  I’m having a bit of a break myself as I got fed up trying to sort out a sight glass that simply refuses to show a reliable level and so messes up the boiler level controller, so I’m putting together a plastic kit of the QE2, which I’ve had in the attic for around 20 years.  Its more of an exercise in masking than anything else, and trying to work out precisely what was in what configuration and what colour scheme in what year!  I’ve settled on somewhere between 1983 and 1987 but I need to find a pair of Alpha and Beta tenders in 1/450th scale!

As for 1987, after finding myself as a fourth engineer on a bulk carrier with a Chief Engineers license I decided that a life at sea was not for me.  I ended up running a very small engineering business in Huddersfield who made ski lifts.  Really interesting job doing everything from machining, welding, electrical design and fitting, civil engineering, fitting installations etc..etc..  I loved the work but the pay was awful so I went back to sea with Cunard in 1990 as a second engineer on the Cunard Countess.  My modelling at the time consisted mainly of Tamiya motorcycles, mainly as I could carry them around with me and do them on the ship.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin,

A good looking ship and a very nice model well worth a re-fit I think it could make a good article if we can get Oldenburg out with her on the water ??

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Thanks all for the kind words. I did have a look at reactivating her a year or so back, but it is a small model at 33 inches long and is now quite delicate. I did build her of traditional materials, mainly balsa and ply with the lower hull covered with polyester resin impregnated nappy liners of which we had a limitless supply at the time(!). However some of the fine detail is plasticard and the quality was not great in those days so it has become brittle. Given that the interior would need to be entirely gutted, I came to the conclusion that attempting to return the boat to running order would end up doing more harm than good so she remains a static model. Photo of original ship below. There is a book just published about Shanklin and her sister ships titled ‘The Denny Diesels‘ and I am pretty confident that a copy will be in my hands tomorrow morning.

Colin

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