A quick ( 3 weeks) rough 35" balsa MaiamI powered by Turrnigy 28/30 outrunner , 3cell LiPo and 30A ESC made for my son who wasn't that interested so I am adding a bit more to it and 'playing' with it myself .
Vic Smeed plan Thornycroft took about 20yrs (on and off) to complete and has an Electronize 43HX 24v 15A controller, 2x 400 sized 6-12v brushed motors 4cell 3000MAh LiPo for main power with seperate 3 cell LiPo running a computer fan for cooling (fan is linear and sucks air through the boat from the front hatches and blows it out through the rear hatches) There are also seperate 3 and 4 cell AA NmH packs for nav and interior lighting.
Boat runs 28mm 3 blade props and runs at a realistic scale speed and attitude. Radio gear is 2.4 and I have modified one TX for twin throttles and at present am running both these boats simultaniously on the one TX.
Have bought twin car ESCs, batts, RXs and BECs for the PT and the (36") British Power Boat 64ft HSL I am building (modelled on the RNZAFs 64ft HSL- the only one sold in the southern hemisphere - in 1940) Went on board as a teenager before she was ruined by being turned into a pleasure launch so it was a help with the building. Still remember the wonderful alloy 'Power Boat' stair treads down to the ward room. Will get some pics up of the HSL as well.

HI " I thought I would put my biggest model from my collection for all to look at ! HMS Avenger took approx 3 years to build . " She is a type 21 frigate at 1/64 scale . At 6 feet long . Scratch built on a fibreglass hull from plywood plastic card & metal parts . Works on a six channel futaba skysport .
Full working red & white leds on deck and cabin , lynxs helicopter with working rotor blades with landing lights. Working radars, bofor gun , A ships whooping sound . Runs on two speed 700 motors off a 12volt gel sell battery which give a good 1hr sailling time . Controlled by a 50 amp speed controller with two brass propshafts behind good size rudders which give a excellant turn .
My model HMS Avenger is a copy from the real ship in which took part in the Falklands war in 1982. Painted in the same grey with a green deck . She looks great on display or on the water . Avenger gets a lot of interest from the general public . please enjoy looking at the photos shown at Sheringham & Eaton park Norwich Norfolk .
" thank you .. A Prestney

HI Fellow enthusiasts
The first photo shows the boat as it was bought from an E Bay auction in late February for the price of 14.50, for that price I had to bid on it, even thought I had a new kit of the same model on order from a model shop from the end of December, before VAT went up. The models turned out to be the 4 feet versions some 11 inch wide and now is about 19 inch high. This model turned up several days before the new kit turned up, and was a bit worse for ware than anticipated as the deck had started to part company from the hull. After stripping the deck of all remaining deck furniture the deck was re laminated to the hull, prop shafts and rudder tubes also refitted using plenty of resin and cloth. A rubbing strip was fitted around the deck hull line to tidy up the visible damage. When I was happy with repairs the hull and deck was rubbed down and sprayed. Using the information in the new kit and some photos of actual boats, MJB's (My junk boxes) supplied all the required parts to scratch build 90% of the models fittings as seen, this includes the figures on the deck. These being obtained off an EBay site as 1/24 unpainted train scene figures that required some or may be a lot of adjustments to their appearance. Several items have still to be made and fitted. As I'm working on her sister boat P147, will make extra parts in one go.
The boat has twin electric drives, the motors, MFA 919D series, are fitted with their own 2.5/1 gearboxes and they drive 40 mm three bladed conta rotating brass props. They have independent 15 amp Electonize speed controllers run from two 7.2 volt packs in series. The switching arrangements for lighting has still to be finished off. Don't know if I'll fit a sound system as the boat is for my grandson.
The boat has had several trips on the Society's water at Cwmbran with myself and my grandson at the helm. it seems to go fast enough for him. (The new boat P147 has been built with triple screws.) Can't wait to see both models on the water together.
Hope you have enjoyed the pictures and information.
Regards
GreyWolf

HI Fellow Enthusiasts
Photo shows my RAF crash tender in the colours as it was when first built in 1956/57 from a kit. (Red tops like all fire engines, well I was only 9 at the time.) This photo was taken at lakeside in 1993 when I first joined the Cwmbran Modelling Society. The Second photo shows the boat on display at the Portis Head Open Day event in 2000 several modifications taking place to the overall look of the boat. in 2008/9 I decided for it's belated 50th. birthday to revamp the model and bring it closer to the real thing. Damage to the woodwork being repaired and a colour scheme close to that of the real boat being applied. Several new deck fittings being made along with new window surrounds made out of plastic replacing the cardboard ones fitted in 2000. New decals and correct flag also fitted. The model was entered in the 2010 society Chairmans Comp. winning joint first place with one of my other models. Photo 4 shows my model as she is to-day repaired once again ready to sail, after hitting some Ice over the christmas period 2010 resulting in a hole in the bow that almost caused her to sink.
The model over the 54 years it's been around has been fitted with single and twin electric drives and to day it has a single johnson 550 brushed electric drive via a 2.5/1 gear box run off two 7.2 volt racing packs in series. The torque generated being too great for standard plastic props resulting in me using 40mm three blade brass props. The motor controller is an electolize 15 amp unit and I also use one of their switch units to activate the water pump for the scratch built water cannons. The water pump being salvaged from a 1960's car washer system and still goes to-day.
Hope you enjoy the pic,s as much as Ive enjoyed this model over the last 50 years plus.
Regards
GreyWolf

HI all, I was given this model in a rather sad state as it had been in a junk box in a farm out-building and had been subjected to the weather from time to time . it had been there for about 20 yrs or more and the balsa hull was 60% rotten . I think it was originally IC powered but had been fitted with a Graupner Jumbo 6v motor and an old style rheostatic sc, ( I did try using the sc but it sucked so much power I gave it a miss - also had no reverse)
Amazingly the motor and sc still worked and with a bit of oil and cleaning the motor is still running well ! I'm using a 1975 Futaba 24v 10A sc and 3cell LiPo which pushes it along nicely. I stripped everything and replaced large bits of the hull, (which was fun as every time you picked it up you would poke another hole in it it was so fragile !) I got it to the stage where it would hang together fairly well and glassed the hull which has made it like the proverbial "brick one". The rest was very careful sanding of the deck and cabin, (they were ply so fared a bit better) and a lot of little filling bits to get it right.
Nav lights and cabin lights all work from the micro switch board, the curtains are left over Graupner Commodore (1975), I've added a mast, new windows,flag pole, cleats, ladder and handrails. Any ideas as to its manufacturer would be great. I have seen another one on our local "Trade Me" web site recently.

bought this 50inch hull off ebay and thought I would try a make a boat just with my own idears and this is how it turned out,powered by a 720bb motor,12inch propshaft and a 60mm 3 blade brass propellor.all built from odd bits of wood in my shed. installed wood in bottom and then filled with a two part epoxy resin

installed motor,radio gear and 15amp vipor controller,windows hand made mast and fittings

Welcome all fellow model makers .
Here is restored 1950s Aerokits wreck which was picked up at a antiques fair . She is running on MFA torpedo 500 motor & 7.2 volts 4600 nimh Battery which should make her get up and go !! The other small boat is a Aerokits 1950s fasts patrol which will be the next restored model .

Here is my restoration (conversion) of a US Coastguard vessel into the RNLI Waveney Class Lifeboat. I think you will agree that it looks better in its new livery. Have put in two jp power 400 motors along with mtroniks auto tune 20 amp esc and am using 7.4V lipo batteries. First try out went very well, but that was the bath, will try her out on water in couple of days

Ahoy
Here is another of my RC collections this the Revell of Germany Corvette SNOWBERRY. My spouse got this kit 7 years ago for my 64th birthday. I never got one of these before I know that Matchbox made this kit and went out of buisness. in overal view this is the Matchbox kit. I was overjoyed when my wife present this kit to me.After opening the kit examining the contents in the kit the hull comes in four peices two bow sections port and starboard. Two stern sections Port and Starboard.. To my horror they gave me two port bow sections. all there to do is to email the company and filed a complaint about the problem but it got worse. with the instruction sheet in my hand I gave them the part No. I need the Starboard bow section 2 weeks later they sent me another port bow section now I have 2 of them. This time I gave them a piece of my mind, I finally called up the company and filed my complaints. they were very humbled over this and they opoligized greratly. 3 weeks later a UPS truck pulled in. the driver approached my door with a huge box and a package I wondered with excitement whats this of. They sent me a new kit and the starboard bow section. What a del of the century, you dont see that no more.

As to the kit a modlers delight this kit is loaded anyone who has built this kit will share the same experince to the attention of detail. the hull length is 36 inch,s scale is 1/72 there aree plenty of room for your RC gear it to can make a good static model as well. Mine is powered by a dumas 6.0 volt electric motor with speed controll. 2 channel system. to make a stronger model for RC opperation use epoxie. The hull comes in 4 sections leaveing no seams to fill. on back of the instruction sheet they give you a selection of color schemes and ships names. I like the north Atlantic color schedule. So I modeled mine as the Snoewberry. These kits still can be purchased I see thgem all the time on ebay.

Boats

Ahoy
this model dont need any introduction because there are thousands upon thousands of these kits were produced and even being produce as I post this this build. I purchased this kit when it was first released in 1963. there was a discount store that sold anything from appliances to plastic models. I went in there one day to see what they have, there to my delight and surprise there was a stock table that must have had atleased a 100 or more of these kits they were sold for $11.95 but the only way the store could sells these they marked them down a little more then half price, the sale tag on the stock table and the kit was $ 4.95 with a steal of a deal I couldn,t refuse. I bought 4 of them for $ 20.00. the kit was a typical gimic model for that day it was designed and ran on 6 D cell flashlight batteries, opperating a cam gear box that opperated the 5 inch closed mount turrets torpedo tubes and the twin screws. Also in the kit you a choice of courses that could be set if desired useing a cam that worked off the gear box. 10 years ago I scuttled the gearbox and modernized it with up to date RC she runs on a 6 volt dumas electric motor with a gear reduxction turning two screws and speed control Boats

Ahoy
Here is my RC powered 1/96 scale U.S.S. ARIZONA made from Original copys of the builder plans. I modled her in the measure of 5d. She is powered by 1 dumas 12 volt super panther electric motor driveing 4 screws, Boats