Pic 1: The tin tug well on the way to being restored. I became interested in model boats in the late 1950s after building what was then an almost compulsory KeilKraft Ezebuild balsa model. It was then I joined the Hull Model Boat Club as a junior and my horizons became much wider, as I…
If you feel inclined to make a model of a Polperro Gaffer just 5 1/2ins long, I suggest you get a cup of tea and with luck the feeling will pass, but no such luck in my case! You see my wife was determined I should make such a model and you will understand I…
Pic 1: The hull of SAJU VI part planked. In July of 1998 I reached the important age of 65 and as I could now draw my state pension, I decided to retire and start enjoying the next chapter of my life. The first thing that I needed to complete on my retirement was the…
Whilst on a cruise on the Black Prince, I saw Voe Venture, a tug/workboat working at one of the outer Scottish islands. Unusually she was being used as an intermediate landing stage between the ship’s tender and the quay, owing to the low tide. I took a couple of pictures because she was so interesting.…
Pic 1: Evaluating the ‘Camelon Bridge’ diorama with the aid of cardboard templates and the photograph that inspired it. Pic 2: Building-up the contours for ‘Lock Thirteen’ from MDF, edges are shaped before gluing and a lip has been created to take the final trim. Pic 3: The basic contours have been blended together with…
I decided in January 2002 to build a model of H.M.S. Victory. I started off by reading the manual and looking at the drawings in the kit I’d purchased to see what was involved in the construction. I then purchased and read a book ‘The Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships’ by C Nepean Longridge which I…
I was looking to find a kit for my next project but could not find a suitable subject. My club runs a tug towing event each year and I always miss out as I do not own a tug. This prompted me to consider a tug kit. I looked at the kits on the market…
During 1942, less than 11 months into WWII, the United States Navy had lost four front line carriers due to enemy engagements. A further two aircraft carriers were damaged, but were repaired at Pearl Harbor and returned to service. These early engagements and losses emphasized that carriers would be the backbone of the war in…
The tug Ayton Cross currently serves on the River Tees in the North of England and is owned by Wijsmuller. Bryan Ward of Mobile Marine Models asked if my colleague and I would build a plug from which he could make a master mould and thus produce grp hulls. The hull for which the timber…
When I started to build radio controlled model boats some number of years ago my hulls were all scratch built for a number of reasons: 1. My models were mainly built from plans for which a commercial, (fibreglass), hull was not available. 2. I enjoyed working with my hands, and I also enjoyed working with…
