Pic 1: This bows on picture shows the neat deck planking. Pic 2: The steam plant ready for a bench test. Pic 3: The steam plant installed in the model, forward of the cabin. This was my very first attempt at model boat building, having been into exhibition model railways for many years. Not knowing…
Some of us may believe we make realistic models, but when I saw this dockyard diorama in Denmark, I could not believe how it could possibly have been made by human hands, because it was so finely detailed. Was this Hamlet’s Dockyard? Elsinore Castle conjures up a misty mysterious medieval stronghold that Shakespeare would have…
Pic 1: Houseboat on Lake Vembanad, Kerala, India (photo C. Stirling). Pic 2: Much of the fitting out work is done by hand (photo C. Stirling). Pic 3: Traditionally, poles were the only method of propulsion. They are still used for manoeuvring (photo C. Stirling). Pic 4: Stitching and caulking seen from inside the hull…
Pic 1: Port bow view from overhead. Pic 2: An overhead seagull view from above the stern.Pic 3: Le Renard at full speed. Pic 4: Close up on the mainmast top. Pic 5: Focus on the bowsprit with all the blocks required for amongst others, the top sail bowlines and braces. Pic 6: Focus on…
Pic 1: Martin Fowler shows the correct way to carry a Teifi Coracle. Pic 2: This attractive coracle model employs authentic construction methods and a number of laths and measures only 7ins x 4.5ins. Pic 3: An archive black and white photograph of coracles in use on the Towy at Carmarthen. A Welsh comedy series…
In the beginning It being term time, I took our nine year old lad to the Imperial War Museum in London for a visit. In the shop, as small boys do, he spent all my money and among the items he (or was it me) purchased, was a small box containing some slot together, pre-cut…
Pic 1: The completely restored 6M yacht confirming the elegance and beauty of this old timer. The model yacht lakes at Walpole Park, Gosport are synonymous with International A Class Yachts. However, before the introduction of these in 1922, another class was alive and kicking. The 6 Metre Class is basically a scaled down version…
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…
Pic 2: The Moorhen MBC portable pool in use by youngsters at a charity day. The Moorhen Model Boat Club is based at the Moorhen Marina, Burnt Mill Lane, Harlow, Essex. The club was established in 1979 and currently has 25 members. The Moorhen Marina is owned by British Waterways and the club leases an…
Compare Photos 1 and 2. In the second view, the French tuna fishing boat is displayed on an interesting stand. There is a strong contrast between the fine lines and colours of the boat, and the dark rigid framework of the slipway and mooring posts. My opinion is that this stand makes the model more…
