FREE MALTESEFISHING BOAT
AN CAILIN ALAI
Howtoconstruct andsailyour very owngorgeousGalway hooker explainedin step-by-step photo-led format,Part1
ROYCHARLES
An againstall odds success story
G CAME A Modelling the Karakur (E t Variant) Missile Co te, Part 1
GC AMEA SPIDER ng theKarakur t-E tVariant)Missile te,Par t1
EDITORIA L
Editor: LindseyA mrani
Illustrator: GrahameChambers
Publisher: SteveO’Hara
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10 Compass360
This mo nth’sh ob by -related news ro un d- up
12 Thelongsilence of HMAS Sydney
In this mo nth’si ns ta lm en t of Flot sa m&J et sa m, Jo hn Pa rker re co un ts howhis to rian s un rave ll ed atra gicmaritim e myster y, an dcon sider s mo de ll er s’ op tion sw he ni tcom es to this lo ng -los tlig ht crui se r
16 Alongc ameaSpider, Part 1
Dave Wool ey se ts to wo rk on a1:50sca le Ka ra ku rt-E (E xp or t Va rian t) Mi ssil eCor ve tte, wi th th eh el po fa mo de ll er s’ draf ts co mpil ed by Pe te rB rown
24 An Cailin Alainn, Part 1
To ny Ju dd be gi ns ap ic to ri al gu id e
Co li nL au gharne te ll sthe ta le of a No rthAtlan tictug mo de l26yea rs 12 16
to th ec on st ru ctio na nd sa ili ng of hi s gor ge ou s1:18s ca le Ga lw ay ho oker
30 GP hull gunboatand paddle warship
Ad di ng to hi sa ll fo ro ne an do ne fo r allconcep t, As hl ey Ne ed ha ms ha re s twom oretop id ea s
36 Save moneywit ha subscription
Ch ec ko ut ou rlates td ea ls an dg et yo ur favo uritemag azin efor le ss
38 FREE PL AN & inst ruct ions for Melite
Gl yn nG ue st ex pl ai ns ho wtob ui ld yo ur ve ry ow nM al te se fis hi ng bo at mo de lf ro mt hi sm on th’s fr ee pu llou tp la n
48 The RoyCharles
in th emak in ga nd now, nearin g co mp le tion ag ai ns ta ll od ds
54 Memory Lane: On fr equency
Dave Wigg in shit su sw itha no th er wave of nostalgia
56 Boiler Room
RichardSim pson urge syou to co nsid er yo ur ‘o pe ra tion philosop hy ’
62 Your Models
Mo re of yo ur brillian tworks howc as ed
67 Your Letter s
Even trep or ts,m em orie ss ha re d, ap peal slau nc he da nd mo re!
74 Next mont h…
Ju st th re eo fthe reason syou wo n’t wa nt to mi ss th eO ctob er 2024 is su e of Mo de lB oa ts
Ithin ki t’sfai rtosay that,sofar,sum me r in th eUKhas be en abit hi ta nd miss this year.So, follow ingo nfro mColin Bishop’s Gree k Chan ioti ki Ga ita featured in th eJ uly2024issue,we’re on ce agai n bringi ng th eM ed to you, this ti me cour te sy of Glyn nGue st ’s free pu ll -out plan an di ns truc tion sfor ac ha ra cter fu l li ttle Ma ltesefi shingboa t.
Very differentpropositionsare presentedbythe somewhat sinisterlookingKarakur t- Eand thewildlybeautiful butundoubtable challengingtosailGalway hooker modelbuildsembarkeduponin Part 1ofthe features from Dave Wooley andTonyJudd respec tively
Th et wo projec ts arep erha ps fo rthe mo re ex pe rien ce da mo ng st you, bu ti t’s eq ua llyb ee ng reat to se esub missio ns in this mo nth’sbum pe r10- pa ge Your Mo de ls /You rL et te rs se ctio ns howi ng so me re la tive ly si mple bu tver ye ffec tive mo di fic atio ns ma de to,a nd th efun being ha dout of,HengL ong’slit tl eRea dy -toRu nbud ge tbuy tu gboa t, as reviewed by Phil Pa rker la st mo nth.
Fu n, wi th alarge spla sh of nostalgia, is al so,I’ved iscove re d, th eo rd er of th e dayo naFaceboo kg roup en ti tl ed Bring Ba ck ToyB oa ts.I’m pe rhapsa bi tlateto th epar ty,a si ta lrea dy ha dthou sa nd sof me mb er s, bu ti fyou’renot alread yfamilia r wi th it,i t’swellwor th av isit,w ithloa ds of grea tpos ts an dpic tu re stob rowse.
Gettingbacktothe magazine though, with so many differentthematicinterests andskill levels to caterfor,the balancingact is always abit tricky,and we are, of course, very reliantonthe modelboatbuilding community(that’s you!)for asteadybut varied stream of newmaterial. So,ifyou believecer tain aspectsofthe hobbyare currentlybeing neglec tedoroverlooked (for example, oneofour long-termreaders hasrecentlyexpressed he’s been somewhat disappointed by thelackofyachting coverage over thepastcoupleofyears)and feel able to addressthisbysubmittinga featureorcontent of some sort,thenplease do getintouch.Evenifyou’venever hadan ar ticlepublished before,I’d love to discuss ideaswithyou andsee howwecan work together to getthemintoprint.Likewise, newsworthy stories, detailsof. forthcoming events,etc,are always very welcomefor the Compass360 pages.
Fo rnow,thoug h, on wi th th e
Se ptem be rissue.Enjoy your read, Lindsey
Compass360
If you have anews story for these pages,please contact the Editor,Lindsey Amrani, via e-mail ateditor@modelboats.co.uk
OUTAND ABOUT T
Kirklees MBCAutumnOpenDay
Kirklees ModelBoat Club will be holding its annual AutumnOpen Day at Wilton Park,BradfordRoad, Batley WF17 8JH from 9.30am to3.30pm on Sunday,September 8, 2024.
Visitors will be welcome tosail their own model boatsalongside thosebelonging to memberson theclub’slake (please note, steam powered models willneed an up-todate certificate and no I.C. or highperformance fast electric boatscan be accommodated). Plus, therewill be static model boatsand militaryvehicle displays, IPMN Plastic Models will be
TheBig St Albans ModelsShow
The St .A lbans Socie ty of Model Engineers will be hosting its annual show at To wnsend Co fE School, High Oak s, S tA lbans AL3 6DR, over the weekend of September 28-29. D oo rs w ill open from 10am to 5pm on bo th days. Supported by various local clubs and those in the trade, therewill be numerous displays and demonstrations to browse throughout the 11 halls within the building, as well as plenty of family
friendly activities to enjoy in the school’slovely grounds. These include, but will not be limited to, ‘have-a-go’ boats, racingcars, model railways, and a‘make an airplane and fly it outside’ stand. Therewill also be a‘drive-a-train’ experience for the very youngand steam train rides for all.
on site, and it’shopedtherewill be a number of trade stands to browse.
Kirklees MBChas long prided itself on the charity fund raising raffles held at these events and, following the cancellation of this year’sSummer Open Day duetobad weather,there will be abumpercropofprizes to be won at the Autumn event.
Refreshments will be served throughout theday and therewill be plenty of free car parking available. For moreinformation contact the club’sevents plannerStan Reffin on 0113 2675790.
July PrizeDrawwinner
We aredelighted to announce the lucky entrant drawn in the Billing Boats’ Pre-Production Kitfor Carli Prize Draw featured in theJuly issue of Model Boats as: Mr Neil Mroz, Isle of Anglesey Congratulations, Neil!
Admission will be chargedat £8 for adults (although asaving of £1 can be made on adult tickets purchasedinadvance via www ticketsource.,co.uk) and £2 for children aged between 5-16 (therewill be no charge for the under 5s).
Incorrectimage apolog y
Therewill be plenty of free parking and light refreshments will be available to purchasethroughout the day.
Profitsfrom this event will be donated to the local branch of the RNLI.
Sincerest apologies for any confusion caused by the incorrect image used to promote the AlongCame aSpider series last month. The model shown was actually aRoyal Navy Archer class patrol boat built by Phil Button,which will featureincompletely different series coming soon, and not Dave Wooley’s Russian Karakurt Missile Corvette (Export Variant), the build featurefor which begins on page 16 of this issue.
The Kirklees MBC has asked us to extend an open invitation to its Autumn Open Day,planned for Sunday, September 8.
The2024UKSAWSevent
Scheduled for Sunday,September 29 is this year’s SAWS (straight line speed) event, whichwill be held at the Carr Mill Dam, Garswood Old Road, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 7LZ, home to the Lancashire(full-size) Powerboat RacingClub, so ideally suited to R/C model boat recordbreaking. The event will run from 10am to 4pm and feeswill be charged at £6 per class entered.
So, if you’d like to attend, please get in touchwith MPBA(Model Power Boat Association) organiser Ian Williams at electro-marine@talktalk.net, who will be abletoemail youalisting ofall theclasses and current records. Ian has also asked ustopoint out thatwhileheappreciates thereare many readers of this magazine who own fast boatsbut don’tusually race them, participationiseasy and involves nothing morethan running yourboatinstraight line for 110 yards. However,inorder to takepart,you will need to be amember of theMPBA (simply visithttps;// mpba.org.uk/membership to join) and take your membership cardalong withyou on theday.You will also be required to display yourMPBAnumber on your boat, which should be in black letter 20mm high on awhite background (this being at the insistence of the MPBA’s insurers).
Chariots of Steam exhibition ar ts eam ex ti
From now until October 21, 2024, visitors to the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, located in Heritage Way, Coatbridge,North Lanarkshire ML5 IQD, will be able to enjoythis fascinating exhibition, whichportrays therichhistory of shipbuildingonthe RiverClyde through models ofvarious types,these including everything from simple half-hull designs togrand display pieces.
Lachie Stewart, theman behind this remarkable collection,explains: “Creating thesemodels has been my lifelong passion.Eachshiptellsa story of innovation,perseverance, and the remarkable history of the Clyde. I’m thrilled to share this collection with thepublic and hope it inspiresa deeper appreciation for the art of modelshipbuilding andthe rich maritime heritage of our region”.
The Museum is open seven daysaweek, from 10am to 4pm,and admission is free of charge. For further information, call 01236 638460oremail: info@northlan.gov.uk.
BUYTHE BOOK BU HE BO
TheRoyal Navy in theColdWar Years, 1966 –1990
This new book by naval historian EdwardHampshire covers the period the Royal Navy facedsome of its greatest challenges. The author sets outtoanalyse shadowing operations and confrontationsatsea with Soviet ships and submarines; the Navy’srole in the enormous NATO and Warsaw Pact naval exercisesthat acted out potential war scenarios; individual operations from the Falklands and the 1990–91 Gulf Wartothe Beira andArmilla patrols; thedevelopment of advanced naval technologiestocounter Soviet capabilities; policy-making controversiesasthe three services fought for resources –including the controversial 1981 Nott defence review; and what life was like in the Cold Warnavy for ratings and officers.
Published in hardback format, under ISBN 9781399041225, and priced at £35, the book can now be orderedthrough all good bookstores or at thecurrently discountedprice of £28 viathe website www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
ArmedBluejackets Ashore:USNav y ac :USN LandingGuns1850-1942
This latest release from Fonthill Media Ltdsees historian Nelson H. Lawry chronicle the history andcharacteristics of every model of US Navy landing gun produced between 1850 and 1942, offering athorough account of ordnance development, and includes awide selection of rare, previously unpublished images collected from various naval archives, museums and other repositories.
The United States putarmed naval landing parties ashorein numerouscountries across theworld in the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century.Specially designed light field guns carried aboardgunboats and larger warships sometimes supported the bluejackets and marines, usually whenlarger parties morelikely to face sharp actions went ashore.
The book is published in hardback format,under ISBN 978-162545-082-1, and carries an RRP (Recommended RetailPrice) of £40. It can,however,currently be ordered at thediscounted price of £28 directly from www.fonthillmedia.com
U.S. Battleships1939– 45 Batt ip
In this fully illustrated, newlyreleased title,naval historian Ingo Bauernfeind documents theUS Navy’sbattleships and cruisers, giving an overview of each individual ship’scareer,significance in American naval history and ultimate fate.
Also covered arevarious battlesinthe Pacific, howUSbattleships served to provide shore bombardment during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the D-day landings in Normandy,and the littleknown actionsofthe Iowa-class during theKorean and Vietnam wars and during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
modeller Lachie
All of this culminates in aguided tour through the mighty USS Missouri,anoverview of the other seven preserved US battleships serving as floating museums for futuregenerations, and adive to the sunken USS Arizona and USS Utah at PearlHarbor.
Published in hardback format and carrying an RRP of £49.95, the title can be ordered from all good bookstores when quoting ISBN9781636242569. It is, however,currently being offered at the discounted price of £39.96 when orderingvia https://www.penand-sword.co.uk.
Want to find out just how fast your boat is? Then why not take it along to the 2024 UK SAWS event at theCarr Mills Dam near St Helens, Merseyside on Sunday,September 29.
Master
Stewart, the man behind the impressive collection of model ships/boats currently on display at the Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life.
The Long Silence ng of HMAS Sydney ey
John Parker explains how historians finally unravelled a maritime mysteryand considers the modelling options when it comes to commemorating thislong-lostlight cruiser
At the outbreak of World WarIIin September 1939 themost powerful vessels in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) consisted of the two heavy cruisers Canberra and Australia, plus the four light cruisers Hobart, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.By 1942, after three years of hard action, Canberra, Sydney and Perth
had been sunk, while Hobart was so badly damaged in 1943 that she was put out of action until the last few monthsofthe war
When Sydney failed to return to port in November 1941 andnothingwas ever heardfromher or her 645crew membersagain, her loss quickly came to be viewed not only as Australia’s
greatest maritime disaster but its greatest maritime mystery
HMAS Sydney
Like her sisterships Hobart and Perth, Sydney (II) was amodified Leander class lightcruiser.Originally being built for the Royal Navy as HMS Phaeton, she was taken over
HMASSydney in 1936 (State Library of Victoria via Wikipedia).
“When Sydneyfailed to return to portinNovember 1941and nothing was ever heardfrom her or her 645 crew members again, her loss quickly came to be viewed not only as Australia’s greatest maritimedisaster but its greatest maritimemyster y”
by the RAN beforecompletion in 1934 andrenamed HMAS Sydney. She was the second ship to be named after the New South Wales capital, following the Sydney (I) of World War1that sankthe German cruiser SMS Emden.Four geared turbines provided 72,000 shaft horsepower to drivethe ship of 7,198 tonsstandard displacement at amaximum of 32.5 knots, with arange of 8,100 nautical miles at 16 knots. The main armament was eight 6-inch (152mm)guns in twin turrets, with four 4-inch (102mm) guns as secondary/AA armament and two quadruple torpedolaunchers.
In February 1941 Sydney returned to Australia amidst muchacclaim for her successfuloperations in the Mediterranean under CaptainJohn Collins, in which she sank theItalian cruiser Bertolomeo Colliori and the destroyer Espero.Aftera refit, she was assigned to convoyescortduty in home waters under anew captain, Joseph Burnett. On November 19, 1941,returningtoport alone, she approached an unidentified merchant vessel120 miles offthe Western Australian coast that was not responding to signals.
SMS Kormoran
The vessel was in fact the auxiliary cruiser or merchant raider Kormoran of the German navy,which had been responsible for the sinking of ten allied merchant vessels during a year-long forage in the Atlantic and Indianoceans.Disguised as the Dutch merchant vessel Straat Malakka,she was armed with six 5.9-inch(150mm) guns and an assortment of smaller weapons, all concealed behind hydraulic drop-down doors, as well as six torpedotubes, two concealed below the waterline. Four diesel engines provided the19,900-ton displacement ship withamaximum speed of 18 knots.
Korvettenkapitan TheodorDetmers of the Kormoran knew he would normally stand no chanceagainst an enemy cruiser,but he kept his cool and turned up-sun, instructing
his signaller to fumble his repliesto Sydney’s challenges, running aflag up and then down again to correct it, in an effort to maintain the ruse of an inexperienced and inept merchant ship crew. All the while the Sydney drewcloser,bit by bit forfeiting her fighting advantages of superior speed and gunnery and ahull that was armoured, but only against longrange fire.
Sydney wassteaming just 1500 metresabeam when the Kormoran dropped her disguise and struck her true colours. The very first salvo from Kormoran’s six-inch guns slammed into her bridge, probably killingthe captain and causing loss of command and control. In return Sydney’s hurried first salvo from Aand Bturrets went over their target, wheretheymay have been aimed to provide awarningshot.
The auxiliary cruiser SMS Kormoran taken from aGerman submarine in 1940. (German Federal Archive via Wikipedia)
1:72 scale model of the Sydney (President of Task Force 72).
Location of the wrecks off the Western Australian coast.
“How had Australia’s proudest cruiser been so quickly dispatchedby ameremerchant cruiser?”
37mm and 20mm cannon firefrom the Kormoran raked Sydney’s deck, killing many,including thecrews of the 4-inch guns which remained silent. Firespread from ahit to the petrol supply for the ship’sWalrus aircraft. Atorpedo thudded into
Sydney’s side beneath the foreturrets, blowingthe roof offA turret and jamming Bturretbeforetheyhad a chance to firetheir second salvos.
After just two minutes Sydney was mortally wounded, butdesperately fought back. Xand Yturrets were
firing underlocal control,with X turret scoring some vital hits, which ultimately ledtothe sinking of the Kormoran. Sydney was last seen drifting crippledand on fireten miles southofthe engagement, lighting thenight sky with her glow.Nothing further was ever heardfromthe ship or any of her crew members.
An enduring myster yfnally solved
How had Australia’sproudest cruiser been so quickly dispatched by amere merchant cruiser? Therewas onlythe testimony of survivingcrewmembers from the Kormoran, and these were treated with suspicion; conspiracy theories began to thrive. Only the discovery and examination of the wrecks in 2008 revealed the truth: the accounts of the Kormoran’s survivors wereessentially true,the battle damage told of the events as outlined and that Sydney had simplyallowed herself to approach too close and be caught unawares. Thelack of survivors was probably duetothe end having come suddenly,whenthe weakened
Loss of the Sydney was announced in the press on December 1, 1941.
The Carley float that was found floating off Christmas Island with acorpse in it 18 months after the sinking (Nick-D via Wikipedia).
Four views of the showcase model of the Sydney that is in the Seaworks Maritime Museum, Williamstown, Melbourne.
bow sheared off, and surviving crew members weretossed intoshark infested waterssoclose to home. Eleven weeks afterthe sinking, the body of an unknown seaman in a Carley float was foundoff Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean,wherelocals buried him in an unmarked grave. Over the decadesgrowingspeculation that the body may havecomefromthe Sydney led to the identificationofthe grave and exhumationofthe body in 2006. Achallenging DNAsearchfor amatching relative followed, which finally came to its conclusion in 2021: the body wasthat of 21-year-old Able Seaman Thomas Welby Clark of HMAS
Sydney His re-dedicatedgrave at the Geraldton WarMemorial nowserves as memorial to all 645 crew members lost
Modelling theSydney
Looking aroundonline, Ifound several sources of plansfor HMAS Sydney, such as blueprints.com and on the Finding SydneyFoundation website: http://www.findingsydney. com/images/schematic.gif The RAN’s own website provides much helpful background information and images: https://seapower.navy.gov.au/hmassydney-ii Details may be checked on asuperb 3D drawing by Thomas Schmid at http://3dhistory.de/
wordpress/3d-models/hmas-sydney/ The scratch-builderisthus unlikely to find he is short of information if he decides to tackle amodelofthis handsome ship. The story of the various investigations that led to the finding of thewrecksand some eerie photos of thewreck site may be seen at: https://museum.wa.gov au/explore/sydney
At 1:72 scale, the cruiser Sydney measures some 2350mm (92.5 inches) long with a240mm(9.5 inch) beam and represents asuperb canvas on which the artistic modeller can really bring out his skills. A.P.S. Models (apsmodels@optusnet.com. au) can provide asemi-kit to this scale which includes adetailed hull, main armament, ship’sboats and many detail fittings that can be used to build any of the five vessels of the modified Leander class. Aquick calculation shows the‘light’ cruiser model will have an estimated weight of just under 20kg.
A1:200 cardkit by the Ukrainian company Bumagi builds into afullhull model 870mm long; just don’t be put offbythe misspelling Sidney on thecover! Flyhawk models list a1:700 mixed media kit, number FH1155, butIamuncertain as to its current availability.The Czech NNT company also list a1:700 mixed-media kit of the Sydney (number 70008), and it does akit of the Kormoran (number 7006) to the same scale. A32-page Polish-English profile publication, number 65, was put out by BS Firma Wydawniczo-Handlowa in 2015. That’sabout it, as far Iamaware–theresadly don’tappear to be any R/C kits or injection moulded kits in the popular scales, though it might prove possible to convert akit of an original Leanderclass cruiser into a modified Leander. ●
Bumagi’scard kit of HMAS Sydney
NTT mixed media kit of HMAS Sydney
Commemorative one dollar coin issued in 2000.
Alongcamea Spider…
PART 1
IDave Wooley sets to work on a1:50 scale Karakurt Missile Corvette Export variant, with the help of modellers’ drafts compiled by Peter Brown
first laid eyes on theKarakurt design some five years ago and immediately began to consider its potential from amodeller’s perspective. Inoted howmany countries with exposed coastal regions, and not just those surround the Baltic Sea, aremovingtowards smaller,faster,moreversatile and well-armed navalunits of patrol boat/ corvette proportions.Why this is so
is due to cost, alengthy construction period and, also, the number of personnel required for each vessel.
The design of this class, giventhe designation Project 22800 Karakurt (Karakurt translating into English as spider), is attributed to the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau), with atotal of 18 of these vessels having beenconstructed at various shipyards around the Russian Federation.
Akin to the vessel’sdesignation of missile corvette, the displacement is 800 tonsinahull 67minlength x11m in beam, with adraft of 3.3m Power is provided by three Zveda diesel engines, with 3diesel generators, giving atop speed of around 40kts and arange of 2,500 nautical miles, with an endurance of approximately 15 days
The design incorporates an integrated mast supporting phased
Launching the Karakurt class of missile corvettes.
“Terewas
no specifc GRP hull available for this vessel. Fortunately,however,Ihad an idea…”
array radar panels and asingleAK176 76.2mm naval gunforward. The first two in the class had two AK630 Mclose-in weapons systemsmounted amidships,reminiscentofSoviet era warships. On later units,however, the deck housingwas modified totake the larger,moreeffective, Pansir rocket/ gun air defence system.
The primary armament is the Kalibr long range anti-ship cruise missile, thesemissiles being mounted in eight vertical launch tubes amidships.
Themodel
Research carried out in the hope of finding something alittle more exciting than the regular grey livery revealed several concept illustrations showing camouflage schemes created specifically for the proposed export variant. The idea instantly appealed and so it was this variant that would become the focus of my build, constructed to 1:50 scale, witha hull measuring 1150mm in lengthby 230mm in beam.
My original drawing hadn’tincluded abody plan, but the later more detailed plans drawn by Peter Brown incorporated both abody plan and acomprehensive profile of the hull and the superstructure–withthe definition of the superstructure’s critical angles (sloping sides) being particular helpful.
Many of the numerous fittings featured arethe same as those used on my previous build of the Soobrazitelnyy,while others, suchas the Pansir gun /missile system and the turret for the 76mm gun wereformed using a3Dprocess by MarkHawkins. There wasnospecific GRPhull available for this vessel.Fortunately, however, Ihad an idea… Some years beforehandI’d been given aset of plans for the VT-designed patrol vessel Indepencia,and given thesimilarity in shapeand approximate proportions, itoccurred to me that Mountfleet Models’ hull for the Indepencia could, with afew moderations, such aaltering the chine line, bow,shear and transom, work. Ithereforeordered this hulland swiftly set about making thenecessary changes (see Photo 1).
From the off, adecision was made to install a1mm marine ply deck. All thestringers and crossmemberswere thereforecut from strips of spruceand balsaand much thoughtwas given to
wherethe access into thehull should be, how the two 540 motors should be mounted, and, of course, to my rudderlinkages. So,the area marked redin Photo2 denotes access to the
hull, and, following on from previous builds, the two 540 motors were mounted inverted, allowing for better alignment and easy removal of my motors (see Photo3).
The converted GRP hull of the Indepencia, available from Mountfleet Models.
Fixing all the deck edge timbers and cross members.
The dual rudder linkage and inverted engine mounting for two 540 motors.
Once satisfied with the deck supports and access, the interiorof my hull was sprayed in Halfords red primer,with themotor mounting and mounting for the rudder servo, and RX/ESCs sprayed in green (see Photo 4). Annotations added to Photo5 indicate whereeverything is positioned within the hull.
With this installation undertaken, it was then down to thepond for ballast and steering trials (at thisjuncture, the lower hull detail, spray stripforward, bilge keels, exhaust covers, and transom extensions wereyet to be fitted). Thankfully,all the trialswere good, andIcould confidentlymove on to forming thedeck (see Photo 6).
Fittingthe deck
When building from scratch, certain materials work better than others in terms of ease of preparation, construction and finish, and for this reason Ihave shifted moretowards working with timber.So, commencing with the 1mm ply deck, openings for access werecut to suit (see Photo 7). My adhesive of choice for bonding the deck to the bearers was Evo-Stik Wood GlueExterior (see Photos 8-11).
Superstructure
Imade the decision to develop the superstructuresoitcouldberemoved as one piece. However,construction needed to allow for the fact that the bridge amidships has sloping facets, while aft they arevertical.Also,50% of the superstructureis3mm inboard of the deck edge.So, first off, the amidships access area was formed into abox, with thecentresection of the bridge andRHIBenclosure added aft. This wasfollowed by positioning five angle formers to port and starboardofthe box and locating bracings both alongits internal edges and across it (see Photo 12). The next stage involvedthe fitting of a1/32nd thickness ply 01 deck and the upper superstructure(see Photo 13). With 01 deck in place, development of the superstructurecould continue along with the slopping facets of the bridge frontage (see photo14).
“I made the decision to develop the superstructuresoitcould be removedasone piece. However, construction needed to allowfor the fact that the bridge amidships has sloping facets, while aft they arevertical”
The interior of the hull, sprayed with Halfords red primer.Care was taken to ensure the top edge of the timber bearers remained paint free.
Making sure the deck edge openings coincide with the deck bearers that will provide access to the hull’sinterior
Satisfyingly,the deck openings match the inboard edge of the bearers so that araised coaming can be added to the main access area.
Having applied waterproof PVA, the inner edges to the openings are held firmly in place with plastic clips.
With the outer deck edge temporarily held in place with masking tape, asmall weight is placed on the inner part of the deck.
With the first level of the superstructure prepared, assembly can begin. Also at this stage, the two sets of bilge keels are fixed to the hull
The01deck cut to size and fixed into place.
Commencing the upper level of superstructure and the forward centre panel of the bridge.
Preparing access areas in the main deck.
Thebridge
Thewindows in the bridge area (which at the front slope forwardand then back towards the roof) weregoing to need glazing, so thebridge itself had to be removable.After some thought, aframework was constructed, with the window spaces cut to size from 1:32nd marine ply and the roof cut to suit (see Photos 16 and 17). 1:32nd marine ply produces very strong yet light upperworks, which in many ways aremoredurable than styrene, injection mouldingor3D=printed parts. As can be seen in Photo 18, at this stage the bridge was fitted but not fixed. Photo19 shows a1:1 Karakurt being fitted out soon after launching.
Phased arraytower andmast Akin to the reduced RCS (Radar Cross Section), thephased array radar is “Toavoid possible damage to a 3D-printed partwhen removing all those supporttags/sprues, immerse it, complete with tags, into abowlofhot (but not boiling) water forabout 30 seconds. Youwill fndeach of the tags/sprues will then become fexible enough to be simply pressed free”
Building the support strips for the bridge windows and roof. With
All the levels of the superstructure in place.