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.
Good looking ship. I'm about to start my Corvette & have a couple of questions for you. Did you use a 42mm diameter 3 blade prop? How long is the drive shaft? How much ballast did you have to add? What type of battery did you use? Many thanks.
First trials of freshly restored 1970s Aerokits Swordsman rescued as a wreck from ebay (I was the only bidder it looked so bad....!) earlier this year. Was diesel powered and had loads of lead ballest glassed into hull which had to be cut out and replaced with new ply with the rest of the structure lightened and stiffended with new ply. Now fitted with Turnigy 600 Typhoon Brushless and 90A Seawing ESC and 55 min Graupner prop. Handling is excellent and turns really well using a small size Graupner rudder with fast acting large angle Hobbywing servo. Joined my collection of 34 and 46 Fireboats, Sea Hornet, Sea Queen and Commander, all restored over the past 3 years. Aerokits have come into their own with clean and quiet brushless power we could not dream of in the 1960s
Yeoman Minx and Wavemaster restored by Kalamunda, filmed at Crealy near Exeter. These boats were originall produced by HMM and were, I think, designed by Les Rowell in the fifties.
The boats were found on ebay and brought back to life.
Took my work in progress fireboat out for first run last sunday, just a few bits to do especially getting water pump to work. its a boat that used to belong to Bob Jones, I got it of ebay and stripped her down as last person put flashing tape on inside intsead of finding leaks, but she is going now.
Hello vaderswar,
Can you recollect any reference numbers/name of the paint colour for your Fireboat please. You have done a splendid refurb -a very nice boat.
Thanks.
believe it or not the paint on deck is floor/tile paint got from local discount store as well as white japlac got for ÂA£1, black and red are humbrol paints.
Finally reached the end of my 'back to wood' restoration which started in November last year! She was a rather sorry ebay purchase but did have some of the original fittings - sadly not all, I used as many as possible and found new equivalents to try and match. The mast, davit and cleats were all home made in plasticard, brass and other sundry bits and pieces. it has working lights and spotlight and the davit rotates. First outing today was pretty good, it does plane but at nearly full throttle so the next trip will be with an 8.4v stick to give it a little more edge. Roger :-)
HI Peep31, I made the mast from brass, plasticard and some small pices of timber. I have posted some pictures on the site, if I can find them I'll send a link. Roger
1. The sorry state of the Hull on the Fire Boat. Purchased from Ebay about 6 months ago, only now just started working on refurbishing it, it was covered in car body filler.
2. After about 2 weeks of very hard work it looks much better. it is running on a Johnson 600 size motor and 6v Gel Battery for its first sail at the Cwmbran Model Society tomorrow, so I hope that is will be OK. it does not appear to be an Aeroits model as the cabins remove from the hull. Not just the Cabin tops. I will try and supply some action photo's later.
Kitshack make one as a kit, off Ebay, uses balsa chines so much easier to shape in with the bulkhead profile. The Norstar I built when I was 12 had horrible 9mm thick chines that had to be planed to shape they were so hard.
My thanks to Mosquito Boat Hobbies for their semi-kit... saved me weeks of work... probably months. it's a shame Dumas has stopped making their 48 inch hull. I was lucky to score this hull on EBAY. Runs on two max size Astro Flight motors with a 12 volts.
This is my work in progress plus some nice angles of my boat. Colour scheme obviously not conventional but I like it. its some way off its maiden launch and this isn't the intended motor- that is still in the post! it will be fitted with a Graupner 600 8.4v and a Viper 20A ESC.This is an ebay purchase and came with some original brass items and an IC engine - hence the modification to the motor mount.The boat will probably sail initially at Blackheath.
Hello Dave,I'm looking in to relocting the single servo and as you say the rear well would be ideal- my servo linkages are soft soldered to rudder via a long rod -? would that be the usual way of making the linkage?, I might need to look at this area! Also I think I need to keep all the units off the hull base and secured to a bulkhead ?
PeteG.
HI Pete
Soldered indicates the vintage of your model. Can be used but better solutions available. Don't understand why you fear the hull base. The lower the weight the better for stability. I will post a couple of pictures of my setup so you can get the general idea. Will have to post on your other blog re this boat. Cheers Dave
Happy new year to you all.
The weather having turned a balmy but gusty 9 degrees here in the sunny south. I thought I'd try my 34" boat again today.
Now somewhat lightened and with a new speed 600 motor and 9.6v Ni-Cad battery pack. she ran considerably better but is still somewhat bow heavy. As I have only restored her from an ebay purchase I'm not fully aware what might be causing the weight in the bow area but perhaps will try some weight further aft before attempting frontal surgery. Any ideas welcome.
Best Wishes
Chriis
Hi" there, " You have a very nice boat there "
I also own one like this. I try to keep the wieght from
the middle to the back of the boat. My set up is two 7.2 volt @4600mah side by side under the larger compartment lid and switch from one battery to the other. But keep them both in when sailling.! Also running on speed 600 motor. my set up keeps the rear in the water and keep the bow nicely out at speed . But also the boat should sit evenley on the water when it is not running.Try this Before you attempt to butcher your model . Good luck 👍 And a happy new year !
Hi Jon it might be worth phoning the Vintage Model Boat Company as they may have knowledge of the exact items for your requirements not shown on their website.
Also Scale Hobbies in Skelmersdale may be helpful too.
Thanks again for the info Boaty, I've decided to fit a Brushless 28/38mm 3500KV motor with a 35Amp ESC. The motor seems to have quite a bit of torque and runs at a high top speed, though its first sea trial will tell all. When I get it fully assembled I'll post a few images on the webpage.
dickyp
Best wishes, Dave