Aerokits Solant Class Lifeboat

Started by Skydive130

32 updates 108 likes 81 comments

Painting commenced!

So, now onto the pleasant task of adding some colour to primed wood! White primer, followed by 3 light build up coats of VW Brilliant Orange. it’s also had a single gust of laquer.

Will leave overnight to garden before masking off for the black panels. Will then start to retail paint and add all the exterior extras like lights, horn, searchlight, handrails, antennas etc.
Liked by Brucef102 and rolfman2000 and
5 comments
  1. Gravedigger47
    Master Seaman
    Fine work the paint job is also excellent would like to know more about the antiglare black,finish
    Ihope to build the Hampshire rose. if and when I finish builds oon the go, will have to look up the lifeboat still get all the detail I can
    Yours is excelent
    Liked by Skydive130

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Painting and detailing superstructure

Good progress on superstructure so far. base coat orange applied, anti-dazzel black applied. have started the weathering process on the doors hatches ect and applied the lettering. Not sure how acurate the applied lettering acuracy is, but I am happy with it.

I have monday and tuesday off work (Sunday I am being tasked in the garden!) so plan on building, painting and adding the wiper blocks and wipers, all handrails, stanchions, lighting, horn, searchlight, twin antennas, all roof wire work, lifebelt, RNLI Flag and pole, motor for radar and grapple poles.

Once all thats added, the whole superstructure less the anti-dazzle panels will get a couple of coats of gloss laquer before I pop in the glazing. Plan is to finish the superstructure completly before moving back to the hull.
Liked by Brucef102 and Colin H
2 comments
  1. Dave M
    Vice Admiral
    Right numbers, but not necessarily placed as on the original. Still looks good

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Windscreen wipers

Had an hour today when the “mrs” went shopping. Front windscreen wipers made from strip wood, brass rod and plasticard.
Liked by Brightwork and Dave M and

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Another day of progress

A good day of adding detail to the superstructure. Todays acheivments included soldering the antenna mounts, antennas from carbon rod. all stanchion railings, horn, some grab handles, hatch handles. finished the day when bad light stopped play with a little paint touch up and some highlight dry brushing.

Still to do, mount working searchlight, lifebelt, grab poles,nav lights, roof antennas, front hatch, radar mounting and motor for it with a few other tiny bits n bobs before laquer and windows.
Liked by Mataroa and Brightwork and
1 comment
  1. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    Love the detailing 👍 especially the 'mouse traps' 😉
    Nice paint job too, much easier to keep track of on the pond than my 'grey jobs'. Think I'll have to fit flashing Aldis lamps Port & Starboard 😊
    Liked by Skydive130

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And......!

Another good day of detailing. Have finished the light thingy, laquered the whole thing, made the grappleing poles, touched up paint where necesary.

Still to fit the light bulbs, searchlight, front hatch, lifebelt and radar, all post laqueing things. will have to wait until next week as back at work tomorrow. probably about 3 hours of work left on superscructure before returning to the hull.
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8 comments

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Motors and ESC are in!

Started back on doing some work on the inside today. On/Off switch, ESC, 2 x Motors (MFA 800), Prop shafts and Prop shaft supports fitted. Another coat of 2 part resin and a coat of varnish inside to end the day.

Tomorrow plan on getting the battery/sound card/speaker tray in and to give the outside of the hull its 3rd and final coat of resin before its ready to final sand and start the painting. Jusdt a couple of very small jobs left on the upper superstructure and will call that finished!

Hope to have a video uploaded tomorrow showing working lights and radar (providing the searchlight arrives from eBay, if not wednesday.
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Question- Prop rotatio direction?

Can anyone advise me on correct prop rotation direction. I will be using 2x45mm props 1 clockwise and 1 counter-clockwise. My thought is looking at the props from the rear the lefthand side will rotate clockwise and oposite for the righthand side. Please advise me if I am wrong!
8 comments
  1. Dave M
    Vice Admiral
    I initially used a couple of micro switches attached to the rudder servo to shut down the inner motor when turning. This early pic is from a few years ago with a 27Mhz rx and single Bobs Board!
    Worked OK but you have to remember to reduce the throttle before turning.
    Liked by Brucef102 and Skydive130
  2. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    Bob's board!? How many years ago??? 😉

    @ Skydive; don't know what radio you are using but most (all?) modern 2,4 sets have a mixer function (rudder / aileron mix) you can use to reduce the revs on one motor when rudder is applied beyond a certain limit. Two ESCs is of course a prerequisite! Cheers Doug 😎
    Liked by Skydive130

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Electrics are in and working!

Another good day of progress! Motors, ESC, Sound board, speaker and receiver are wired and going correctly. Have built the battery and speaker tray and once soldered, have tidied up the wiring.
Liked by Mataroa and Brightwork and
6 comments
  1. Skydive130
    Rear Admiral
    My other concern now is whether or not to add the 3 crew figures I’ve bought. They being resin are quite heavy and will of course be on the deck and adding weight above the waterline could cause balance issues? Coming from scale RC aircraft, there is nothing worse than “no pilot in the office” and adding figures to scale boats to me adds that human touch. We will see?
    Liked by RNinMunich
  2. RNinMunichBronze
    Fleet Admiral
    Go for it👍 I agree, no crew means a 'dead' boat!
    For my 1:72 destroyer I shanghaied British 8th Army and German Africa Corps soldiers into the Royal Navy!
    Your boat is coming on very well, good for you.
    Cheers Doug 😎
    PS: Also have a crew (from Revell, not painted yet) for my 1:72 Type 1 U26 one of which is actually depicted peeing over the side 😲
    PS: The deck gun captain seems to have fainted!!
    Liked by marky and Brucef102 and

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Superstructure finished!

Today has seen some more progress. I have modified the battery tray to take the battery lying down to lower the CofG and get as much weight as possible below the intended waterline.

Have done the finishing touches to the superstructure and now considered that finished. I am sure I could add some more lumps, bumps, antennas ect but where do draw the line? At the end of the day I consider this near scale and if inacurate in anyway then so be it, the original Aerokits was only really semi-scale anyway. What is important is that I am pleased with it so far and I am sure she will look great on the lake!

Last job today was to give the hull a light sand and a final coat of resin making 3 in total. Once off, and sanded that should see the hull ready for painting once ive added the fore/aft deck thingies (dont know what they are called?)

If anyone can offer some advice on how to fit the rubbing strake when I get there that would be useful. Ive a length of 10mm black flexible tubing to use. Do I leave it as a tube, cut it any way or what? I presume its nailed to the side of the hull?
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3 comments
  1. Skydive130
    Rear Admiral
    Thanks Dave, some helpful info there. Looking at pics of the real thing, it appears that the bulwark fore/aft stanchions are fitted on top of the bulwarks? However for ease and probably strength most people seem to have fitted the stanchions to the inside of the bulwarks which is what I will do.

    As for the washports, I shall replicate those. I plan on leaving my rubbing strake black as the most recent pics of the "Douglas Currie" show it like so.

    Hull painting starts today then I shall start building the stanchions at work tonight!
  2. jarvo
    Lieutenant
    Skydive, she looks superb, semi scale or not few people have ever seen a Solent in real life, do what you feel is right.
    Your question about the rubbing strake. I found some "D" shaped self adhesive rubber on ebay, comes in different sizes but nicely moulded, like a foam stuff, best of all it was cheap, when we inevitably smack the wall coming alongside, if it is damaged it is easily replaced !!!
    Mark
    Liked by RNinMunich

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Hull painting started

Have given the hull a few coats of hull red (Halfords red primer is close enough!). Have also added the red trim line at the top of the hull, most of which will disapear once the black rubbing strake is in place and its been masked off for the blue.

Will leave this to fully harden overnight before I start masking for the blue band. I am planning on having a straight water line between the red hull and the blue with a white trimline strip to seperate them. I could mask and spray the white trim line, but using a vinyl trimline which I use alot of in RC aircraft will give a much neater finish.

So, once the blue has been applied, I will give the whole hull a light coat of laquer and will then add the trimline, "Douglas Currie" gold lettering and RNLI flags before a final couple of coats of laquer to seal it all in.
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