Model Boats Magazine November issue FREE **20 PAGE PREVIEW**

EDITORIAL

Editor: LindseyAmrani

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10 Compass360 Aroundupofthelatesthobby/ industrynews

12 LadyJane

PeterKoch-Osborneexplainshow combinedinterestsdrovehimtocome upwiththeconceptfor,andbuildof, thisgorgeoussteamlaunch

20 SirJohn JohnMilesonjoinsthe‘Leagueof Gentleman’!

26 Pullingthestrings

Curioustoseehowamodelsquareriggerwithbothbracesandsheets ononemastcouldbecontrolled,Nev Wadedecidedtofindout…

34 Savemoneywitha subscription!

Checkoutthelatestprintanddigital dealsandgetyourfavouritemagazine forless,delivereddirectlytoyourdoor

©MortonsMediaGroup2022

AllrightsreservedISSN0140-2910

ThePublisher’swrittenconsentmustbeobtainedbeforeanypartof thispublicationmaybereproducedinanyformwhatsoever,including photocopiers,andinformationretrievalsystems.Allreasonablecareis takeninthepreparationofthemagazinecontents,butthepublishers cannotbeheldlegallyresponsibleforerrorsinthecontentsofthis magazineorforanylosshoweverarisingfromsucherrors,includingloss resultingfromnegligenceofourstaff.Relianceplaceduponthecontents ofthismagazineisatreader’sownrisk.

ModelBoats,ISSN0140-2910,ispublishedmonthlybyMortonsMedia Group,MediaCentre,MortonWay,Horncastle,LincsLN96JRUK. TheUSannualsubscriptionpriceis89USD.AirfreightandmailingintheUSA byagentnamedWNShippingUSA,156-15,146thAvenue,2ndFloor,Jamaica, NY11434,USA.PeriodicalspostagepaidatBrooklyn,NY11256.

USPostmaster:SendaddresschangestoModelBoats,WNShippingUSA, 156-15,146thAvenue,2ndFloor,Jamaica,NY11434,USA.Subscription recordsaremaintainedatDSB.netLtd,3Queensbridge,TheLakes, Northampton,NN45DT.AirBusinessLtdisactingasourmailingagent.

37 LandingCraftMiniPlan

Whoops–sorry!Duetolastmonth’smini plannotbeingasuser-friendlyasitcould havebeen,we’vedecidedtomakesome adjustmentsandre-run

42 Plover :thegravelpittug

DavidMarksprovidesanyeasy-to-follow guidetoaccompanythismonth’sfree pull-outplan

52 HMSExeter

AshleyNeedhamtakesonanotherbig restoration

56 BoilerRoom

RichardSimpsonmakesthecaseforinvesting inamillingmachine

60 Flotsam&Jetsam: Collectablescatch-up JohnParkersharesdetailsofhislatest acquisitions

64 MemoryLane:Smallerand yetsmallerstill

DaveWigginslooksbackatthe R/Cinnovationsthatrevolutionised miniaturisation.

68 YourModels

MoreVIBs(VeryImpressiveBuilds) showcased

71 YourLetters

Viewsairedandinfoshared

74 NextMonth…

Justthreeofthereasonswhyyouwon’t wanttomisstheDecemberissue

I’vealwaysadoptedthe philosophythatwhen thingsgowrongit’sfar bettertoholdyourhands upratherthanusethemto tryandcoveryourbackside! So,afterreadingallthe ModelBoatswebsiteforum commentsabouttheGlynn Guestminiplanforasimple landingcraftfeaturedin lastmonth’sissue,which duetoamisunderstanding waspublishedinthewrong format,Icanonlysay meaculpa andextendmy sincerestapologiestoall.To rectifythematter,youwill thismonthfindtheplanview reprintedhorizontallyacross thecentrespread,withthe variouspartsappearingon thereverseofthesepages –asoriginallyintendedby Glynn.We’veaddedinscale bars,too.

Nowsuitablyred-faced,I am,therefore,supergrateful toDavidMarks,whosefree full-sizepull-outplanand buildguideforthegravelpit tug Plover arealsoincluded inthisissue,forhishighly detailedinstructionsand aboveandbeyondsupport throughoutthepreparation process.Likewise,it’sbeen arealpleasurecollaborating withallourothermarvellous contributors,and,of course,allofyouwhohave submittedsuchimpressive andfascinatingmaterialfor theYourModels/YourLetters sectionofthemagazine (pleasekeepyourinput coming).

Finally,althoughmentioned beforeonnumerous occasions,mayIjustremind youthatallfeedback, whetherpositiveornegative, ishighlyappreciatedand valued,andwherepossible yoursuggestionsaretaken onboard,sopleasedon’t hesitatetogetintouch. Enjoyyourread!

Lindsey

Compass360

OBITUARY

JohnMaxwellHemmens

WearesadtoreportthatJohn Hemmens,whosemodelsteam enginesmanyofyouwillbe familiarwith,passedawayinthe earlyhoursofSeptember5,2023.

Johnstartedhisoriginal businessintheearly1970sasa cottageindustryfromhisgarden shed,latermovingmanufacture toaNissenhutonaWorldWar IIaerodromenearthevillageof Brieghton,EastYorkshire,where hewentontoemployaround30 staff.

Itwasnotlong,though,before thebusinesshadoutgrown thisbuilding,sointheearly

‘80sitwasrelocatedtoa5000 sq.ftunitinThorganby,York, whichbecameknownasthe ‘SteamGallery’.Duringthis manufacturingperiodJohn producedofover20different models,includingreplicasof Stephenson’slocomotion Rocket andmanyotherfineengines,as wellasdozensofaccessories. Helaterdiversifiedintomodel boatkits(whichwerehislast ongoingprojects,sadlymostly unfinished,althoughsomeboat kitsweredeliveredtopatient/ loyalcustomers).

Thebusinesswaswound

OUTANDABOUT

downinscaleinthe early2000s,with Johnoptingtowork aloneonceagain fromaworkshopin hisgarden.Upuntil Januarythisyear,he was,attheageof 87,stillactivethere, althoughbythisstage long-termillnesshad reallytakenitstoll.Unbeknown toallbutclosefamilymembers, inthedecadeleadinguptohis passinghehadquietlybattled throughhealthconditions, includingcancer,yetproudlyand

JohnHemmens(centrefore),hisdaughterandtwosons showoffsomeofhiswonderfulworkbackintheearlydays whenthebusinesswasstillverymuchafamily-runaffair.

stubbornlyrefusedtogiveupor givein.

Wearesureyouwillwishto joinusinsendingourdeepest condolencestohiswife,Janet, aswellashisdaughter,twosons andfourgrandchildren.

ScaleModel World2023

TheIPMS(UK)ScaleModelWorld show,thisyearcelebratingits60th anniversary,willreturntotheTelford InternationalCentreatStQuentin Gate,Telford,ShropshireTF34JH overtheweekendofNovember 11/12,2003.Attractionswillinclude thousandsofmodelsondisplay,talks anddemonstrations,plusnumerous clubandtradestandstobrowse.

Theshowwillopenfrom10amto 6pmontheSaturdayand10amto4pm ontheSunday.Pleasenotetickets, pricedat£23,areonlyavailableonline atScaleModelWorld2023–TIC (tictelford.com),withnosalesonthe door.Thisadmissionpricewillinclude freeentrancefortwounder16sper payingadult,whilethosewhoare disabledwillbeallowedonefreeticket foranaccompanyingcarer.

Charity Model Makers Show

TheSleaford&DistrictModel RailwayClub’sCharityModel MakersShowwillthisyeartake placeatSt.George’sAcademy, SleafordRoad,Ruskington, NG349BYonNovember18.In thisnewandlargervenue,the show,inaidofLincsandNotts AirAmbulanceandLIVESand sponsoredbyB&HModels, Digitrains,BridgmanBrows, andElaine’sTrains,willfeature moredisplays/tradesupport thaneverbefore,andoffering amplefreeparking.

Althoughbeingrunbya modelrailwayclub,theshow willembraceallstylesand

AchequepresentationbySleaford&DistrictMRCmembersofthefundsraisedat the2021ModelMakersCharityShow,whichamountedtoawhopping£4,188.52p.

genresofmodelmaking, includingmodelboats.

Thevenueiswheelchair friendly,andrefreshments willbeavailabletopurchase throughouttheday.

Admission,between10am and4pm,willbechargedat £5foradults,whileunder16s willbepermittedtoenterfree ofcharge(providedtheyare accompaniedbyanadult).

Forfurtherdetails,call Sleaford&DistrictMRC’s CharityExhibitionManager EddieKingon07821618718 oremailcem.sleafordmrc@ yahoo.com

Althoughorganisedbyamodelrailwayclub,theCharityModelMakersShow embracesallaspectsofmodelling,asevidencedherebyjustafewofthemodel boatsbeingdisplayedbytheBostonModelBoatClubatapreviousevent.

PhillipWarren’sMatchstick ModelShipsexhibition

From11amto4pmonOctober 21-23therewillbeanotherchance toviewPhillipWarren’samazing collectionofMatchstickScale ModelShipsattheFleetAir ArmMuseum,RNASYeovilton, Ilchester,SomersetBA228HW.This exhibitionwillincludemanyofthe iconicaircraftcarriersusedbythe RoyalNavyfromalleras.

PhilipWarrenfirstbegantobuild themodelwarshipsthatwould becomehismatchstickfleetin June1948,startingwiththeRoyal Navy’sthennewestdestroyerHMS Scorpion.Thiswasthenfollowed byanotherdestroyer,acruiser,a battleshipandeventuallyanaircraft carrier.Themodelsimproved inaccuracyanddetailoverthe years,incorporatingmanymoving

parts,gunturrets,radars,missile launchers,helicopterrotorsand swingwingsallusingmatchstick spindlesandhinges.Noother materialshaveeverbeenusedin theconstructionofPhilip’sfleetand allofhismodelshavebeenpainted byhand.Thecollectionof525ships and1,000aircraftincludesshipsof theRoyalNavy,UnitedStatesNavy andmanyothernations,illustrating thedevelopmentofwarshipsfrom theendofWorldWarIIrightupto thepresentday.

Admissiontotheexhibitionis freewithavalidmuseumticket, althoughitisadvisedtobook museumticketsinadvance.For moreinformation,emailfleetairarm. enquiries@nmrn.org.ukor telephone01935840565.

MS Mercantic CrewEdition

BillingBoats’1:50scalekitfor thefreighterMS Mercantic (Ref. BB424),originallyintroduced intotherangebackin1964,has nowbeencompletelyupdated, takingadvantageofthevery latestinproductiontechnology, includingtheuseoflaser-cuts parts.Tocelebratethisupgrade, alimitededitionfirstbatch ofjust300kits(orders arenowbeingtaken) knownasthe‘Crew Edition’willinclude acomplementary bluebeaniewith Mercantic

insignia–althoughthankstothe generosityoftheBillingBoats’ crew,youwillhavethechanceto winoneofthesesnugandstylish hats,togetherwithanExcel DeluxeShipModellersToolSet innextmonth’sissue–seepage 74.Wewillbebringingyoumore onthiskit,includingafullbuild reviewguide,inafutureissue.

YeovilModelShow

Thisyear’sYeovilModelShowwill takeplaceonOctober22between 10amand4pmattheWestfield Academy,StibyRoad,Yeovil,BA21 3EP.Admissiontoshow,featuring thousandsofmodels(includingboats, ships, etc)andalargenumberof tradestands,willbecharged(cash only)at£5foradultsand£2.50for accompaniedunder16s(therewillbe nochargeforchildrenunder5yearsof age).Freeparkingwillbeavailableand thevenueitselfiswheelchairfriendly. Hotandcoldrefreshmentswillbe servedthroughoutthedayandthere willalsobeplentyoffreechildren’s activitiesatthisfamilyfriendlyevent.

Forfurtherdetails,phone/textKen

on07759137000oremail yeovilmodelshow@gmail.com.

The MedwayQueen PreservationSocietyhasjust announceditslatestFullAhead Extrabooklet.TheFullAhead Extraseriesarebookletsin thesameformatastheMQPS members’magazine Full Ahead,butwithmorepages anddealingwithasingle subjectindetail.What’smore, unliketheregularquarterly magazine,the‘Extra’booklets areavailableforsaleto membersandnon-members alike,atjust£3percopy.

Thefirst,publishedtwo yearsagoin2021andtitled LifeonBoard,providedfirsthandaccountsfrom

thedayswhenthe Medway Queen wasusedonexcursion service.Thissecondpublication presentsadetailedaccount oftheconstructionand installationofthestarboard paddleboxfascia.Writtenby BobWilde,whoheadedthe team,andillustratedwithover 50colourphotographstaken byBobandotherworkshop teammembers,itgivesavery detailedaccountofthissubprojectintherestorationof MedwayQueen

Thenewpublicationcan bepurchasedattheMedway QueenVisitorCentreduring openinghoursonSaturdaysor orderedviatheonlineshopat www.medwayqueen.co.uk.If youdon’thaveinternetaccess butwouldliketoobtainacopy, youcansendachequefor£3 madepayableto‘Medway QueenPreservationSociety’to PamBathurstat37KentRoad, Margate.CT93SW,together withanA5stampedselfaddressedenvelope.

Nowavailabletopurchase,theMedway QueenPreservationSociety’slatest bookletintheFullAheadExtraseries.

Scheduledforreleaseon November23,thisnewtitle providesacompellingaccount oftheheavilyarmedandhighly mobileSovietrivergunboats whichtookontheGermans duringWorldWarII.

Russia’senormousriver systemhaslongbeenits highway;asearlyas1908,the Tsar’sarmiesweredeveloping armouredriverboatsthat broughttank-likemobility, firepowerandsurvivabilityto Russianbattlefields.

Thebook,thefirsthistory ofthesevesselsinEnglish, explainshowthisconcept ledtooneofthemost remarkablenavalweaponsof WorldWarII,theSoviet‘river tank’,orArmouredMotor GunBoat(AMGB).Highly mobile,capableofcarrying

upto20infantrymendirectly intoactionandproviding immediatefirepowerfrom theirtankturrets,machine gunsorKatyusharockets, theirmilitaryvaluewaswidely recognised.Theywereversatile enoughtobeusedinnaval landingoperationsoffthe GulfofFinland,theAzovSea andtheBlackSea,andtheir capabilitieswereprizedby localcommanders.

Usingmeticulously researchednewcolourprofiles, rarephotosandspectacular artwork,authorPrzemyslaw Budzbonuncoversthehistory ofriverwarfareontheEastern Front,andtheboatsthat playedsuchakeypartinthe fighting.

Publishedinpaperback formatunderISBN978147 2857217andcarryingan RRPof£12.99,asavingof 10%canbemadewhen pre-orderingdirectlyfrom www.ospreypublishing.com. Alternatively,orderscan beplacedthroughallgood bookstores.

She’s ever y thing. He’s just Ken!

Peter Koch-Osborne explains how combined interests drove him to come up with the concept for, and build of, this gorgeous steam launch

I’vealwayshadaninterestinsteam,ever sincemytrainspottingdays,myMamod toysteamengineandmyenthusiasmfor modelrailways.Morerecently,however,I havealsorekindledmyinterestinmodelboat buildingwith Rosemary,theslipperlaunch (seetheMarch2023issueofModelBoats andtheAmphicar(featuredintheMarchand July2023respectively).Whynot,ittherefore occurredtome,combinemyinterestin steamandmodelboatswithasteamlaunch.

Mychoiceisusuallytoscratchbuildasit takeslongerandislessexpensive,therefore offersmoremodellingtimeper£££sspent; IshouldprobablyexplainmyYorkshireroots (‘Owmuch?!).Also,thebeautyofafreelance modelitthatitgivestheopportunityto createandmodifydesignasworkprogresses.

Withthisproject,afewdesignparameters weredecideduponattheoutset.Therecent saleofsomemodelrailwayitemsallowed metojustifylashingoutona3½-inchPendle gasfiredboilerandaratherneatMicrocosm twincylinderslidevalveengineatthe2023 Harrogateshow.Mymachiningskillsarenot uptobuildinganenginefromscratchandI lackthefacilitiestobuildsuchalargeboiler. Thechosenhorizontalboilerwouldkeepthe centreofgravitylow.

Ioptedtobuildtoaround1:6,whichwould givea980mmlongopenlaunchof300mm beam.Thiswouldallowthedegreeofdetail Ienjoycreating,andKen(Barbie’sboyfriend) wouldconvenientlyreinforcethescaleofthe model.

Workonthesteamplantstartedlaterand overlappedtime-wisewiththehullbuild,but forthepurposesofthisarticleIwilldescribe thebuildingofthelightweighthullfirst.

Thehull

Ineededasetofhulllines.Aninternet searchprovidedasetofseven(numbered 1-7)cross-sectionallinesforahullwithan attractiveshape.Thesewerere-drawnon

“Tebeautyofafreelancemodelisthatitgivestheopportunitytocreate andmodifydesignasworkprogresses”

agridatthesizerequired.Theuneven spacingofthecross-sectionswas‘stretched’ toprovidealengthofjustunderametre, whichwouldallow1metreplankstobeused withverylittlewastage.Thehulllineswere interpolatedtoprovideintermediatelines: 1a,2a,3a,etc(showndottedin Photo1). Eachwasmarkedoutoncheap5mmply, withacentrelineandhorizontaldatumline incorporatingawebofwastematerialabove eachtemplate,toberemovedlater.These werecutoutonmybandsaw.Thetwelve formerswerescrewedtoheavytimberblocks (see Photo2).Afalsetransomwassetat theappropriateangle.Ascrappieceofoak floorboardwasusedasabase ontowhichtimberblockswere screwedfromtheunderside, but,again,notglued,as theyhadtobereleasedlater soIcouldcheckeverything remainedinlineandwas squarewhereithadtobe(see Photo3);thisinvolvedmuch squintingalongthelengthof thevessel!

Thekeelsonwasthenfitted (see Photo4),togetherwith theribs.Eachribcomprisedtwolaminations of4mmx2mmbeech,someofwhich hadtobesteamedtofitthecurve.These werepinnedtothekeelsonandtiedtothe formersatthegunwale,butnotgluedasthe entirehullwouldlaterbeliftedoff.

Photo 5 showsthekeelatthebow,togetherwith infilltimberstoreceivethetwistedgarboard strakeandsubsequentplanks.

Photo6 depictstheprovisionmadeforthepropshaft throughthekeelson.Atthisstage,thesteam plantandpropshaftwerepartassembled andoffereduptomakesureeverythinglined up,butmoreonthatlater!

“Tisinvolvedmuchsquinting alongthelengthofthevessel!”

Planking

Thenexttaskwastheplanking.Thiswasto consistofnofewerthan646mmx2mm mahoganyplanksrunningthefulllengthof thehull,withnoinfillplanks,noendjoints, andallendingupatthegunwaleparallelto thegunwalecappingrail.Plankingstarted withthegarboardplanks,twoeithersideof thekeel,whichhadasteamedtwistatthe bow.Eachplankwouldbetaperedtoeach endusingaminiblockplane;here’show: Ameasurementwasverycarefullytaken fromthekeel/garboardplanktothegunwale ateachformer–1,1a,2,2a,3,3a,etc–and carefullynoted.

Ahorizontallinewasdrawnonmydrawing boardhalfwayupasheetofA3paper(see Photo7).

Thelongestmeasurement,takenfromthe indexformer3a,waspositionedvertically, andtheactualwidthofeachplank(6mm) markedwiththenumberofplanksrequired, halfaboveandhalfbelowthecentreline. Thisworkedoutat32plankseachsideof thekeel.Note:onlyatposition3awouldno tapering/narrowingoftheplanksberequired.

Thesepointsweredrawntoacommon pointonthecentreline(left)ofthechart.

Themeasurementofeachformer,from keelsontogunwale,wassetverticallyagainst thechart(again,see Photo7).Thisgivesthe widthofeachplankateachformerposition.

Anarrowstripofpaperwasthenset againsteachoftheverticalformerlinesand theplankwidthpositionsmarkedoff(see insettoPhoto7).Thiswasrepeatedforeach former.

Eachpaperstripwasusedtotransferthe plankwidth/spacingontoeachsideofeach rib(see Photo8).

Everyfifthplankmarkwasmarkedmore heavilytopreventtheplankinggetting ‘outofstep’withthemarksandallowing correctionstobemadeasworkprogressed (see Photo9).

Quiteaprocedure!Aspacewasleftfor theexternalpartofthekeeltobefittedlater. Theplankswerealltaperedtoeachendto lineup,asnearlyaspossible,withthemarks ontheribs. Photo10 showsastarthaving beenmade,withoneplankfittedateachside persession,allowingthegluetosetbefore proceeding.

Photo11 depictstheplankingprogressing andtheexternalkeelbeinginsertedintothe slotleftforitbetweenthefirsttwogarboard planks.Notetheprovisionforthepropeller tube.

Afterabouteightweeksoffittingthe planksandwaitingforthegluetosetafter everytwo(!),theseweretrimmedtolength andthehullwaseasedofftheformers.Inow hadsomethingthatlookedlikeaboat.After muchsanding,however,Ibecameconcerned aboutthevulnerabilityofthelight2mmthick planks,andalsotheribslookedtoofarapart, despiteaddingextrabetweeneachhullline. Thesolutionwastoordermore2mmx4mm beechstripand‘spring’intermediateribs intoplacebetweenkeelsonandgunwale(see Photo12).Thetoprailandrubbingstrake werethenadded.

AtthisstageIdecidedtheexternalhull shouldbeprotectedasworkproceeded,. Firstly,theinternalhullwasgiventwocoats ofawaterproofingandstrengtheningtwopackclearepoxyresin,encapsulatingthe keelsonandribs.Theexternalsurfacewas givenathoroughbutcarefulsandingandan initialcoatofyachtvarnish.Thesecondcoat incorporatedaveryfineglassfibremesh; thisfurtherreinforcedtheskinofthehulland magicallyvanishedafteranotherthreecoats ofyachtvarnish.Morelightsanding,thena furthertenorsocoatsofyachtvarnishlightly sandingaftereverytwoorthreecoats.Afinal polishandIwaspleasedwiththeresult–itis justapitythatnearlyallofitwillbeunderthe waterandoutofsight(see Photos13&14).

Radioinstallation

Atthispointthefourservoswereinstalled ona‘drawer’arrangementtoallowfuture accessunderthefixeddeck;Ididnotwant removablehatchesineitherofthedecks. Thiswasmadeasanaluminium‘drawer’with aluminiumangleas‘runners’.Inextremis thewholeassemblycouldbeslidoutfor attentionafterreleasingtwo3mmbolts.

Pianowirepush/pullrodswereinstalledfrom theservostothesteamplantcontrollingthe throttle,reversinggearandwhistle.Afourth servooperatestherudder.Theradioreceiver

sitsonthefloorundertherearseatandthe batteryholderfitsinanaluminiumcradlenext totheservos(see Photo15).Withtheradio installationtested,attentioncouldreturnto completingthehull.

Backtothehull

Ihadsomeoffcutsof5mmthickmahogany andthesewerefashionedintofloorsupports anddecksupportsusingmybandsaw.The floor,withanapertureforthesteamplant, wasconstructedfrom2mmthickmahogany sheetcutinto20mmstripsandgluedtothe floorcrossbeams(see Photo16).Thecopper rivetswerelaterusedasfixingsandare cosmeticonly.

“Tisfurtherreinforcedtheskinofthehullandmagicallyvanishedafter anotherthreecoatsofyachtvarnish”

More5mmmahoganywasusedforthe finalcappingrailabovethegunwaleandthe decksplankedin12mmx2mmmahogany andlime,usedalternatelytocreatethe stripedeffect(see Photos17&18).

Twocleatswereturnedfrombrassonthe lathe,softsolderedandfixedtotheforedeck andsterndeckswithepoxyresin.

Removableseatsandthewheelassembly werethenfabricatedandarrangetofit Ken.Theuseofafigureis,Ifeel,essential tovisuallyreinforcescale.Adriverless steamboatjustwouldn’tlookright!Details suchasfishboxes(sparelimeplanking);fire buckets(2-packepoxymeasuringpots); fenders,etc.werealsoadded.

Thesteamplant

Thisisbasedontheabove-mentionedPendle 3.5”horizontalboilerandtheratherneat Microcosmtwincylinderslidevalvesteam engine.Iwantedaplantthatwould,once warmedup,self-startandreverse.Theplant isfittedontoa16-gaugealuminiumtray, blackpaintedoakblockssupportingthe boiler.Theboilerisinsulatedwithmahogany planksandbrassboilerbandsinthe traditionalway(see Photo19). Anoilseparatorwassoftsolderedoutofa bitofspare42mmcoppertubeandarranged topreventoilbeingdischargedwiththe exhauststeam.DummyleversprovideKen withameanstocontroltheplant;inpractice theseshortentheservopull/pushrodsand provideanadditionalmeanstoadjustthe throwfromtheservos,withprovisionto unhookthecontrolrods(see Photo20). Ielectedtousecommercialgascylinders asthesewouldhideundertheforedeck. However,steamtestsprovedthatthegas containerswouldneedwarmingtokeepthe evaporationrateofthegashighenough.

“Iwantedaplantthatwould, oncewarmedup,self-startand reverse”

Agastankwarmerwasmadefromasingle pieceof42mmcoppertubewhich,after muchannealingandhammering,wasmade aslidingfitovertheburner,takingcarenot toblocktheairintakevents.Thecopper thenwrapsaroundthegastank,thesprings ensuringaclosefit.Thedegreetowhich theconductor/heaterispushedoverthe burnergovernsthedegreeoftankwarming (see Photo21).Thestandardcontrolknob wasfittedwithalevertogivebotheasy adjustmentandavisualindicationofhow farthegasvalveisturnedon.Timewilltell ifperformanceissufficientincoldambient temperatures.

Iweighthegascontainersandrecord consumptionsettingthisagainsttherun time.Thiswillgivemeanaccurate(Ihope!) ideaofgasconsumptionforfuturesteamups.

A‘bathtest’provedthatsomeballast wasneeded,sovarioussparelumpsofscrap steelandleadwerehiddenunderthedecks, encapsulatedandfixedinplacewithclear epoxy.

Thelaunch

Thedaycameforthemaidenvoyage.All wentwell,apartfromsome‘operatorerrors’ (meturningthegasoff!)andafaultypressure gauge.Themodellooksfineoutonthepond atWindermereModelBoatClub.Lookout Barbie,Ken’sgotanewloveinterest! ●

SIR JOHN

John Mileson joins the ‘League of Gentlemen’!

Sir John leaving harbour for the first time at Wicksteed Park pond.