Crew billets still to be decided, awaiting delivery of seamen gunners for 50cals, however pilot in wheelhouse with some passengers aboard.

Drivers and opo in truck to be completed, vehicle is also rc, so can be driven off when ramp lowered at designated location.

This is one of the limited edition Sirmar kits that was produce in the early 1990’s.this model was made by a friend of mine who’s a dockyard fitter and turner it was made about twenty eight years ago. Based on a tug that I worked on in and around Portsmouth harbour. This model has a working voith unit opening engine room skylights. Working lights, removable deck hatch to get at the unit like the real boat, the superstructure and gun whales are made from plasticard. The fender was made by a friend to the same type as used on the tug. The wheelhouse is copied like for like. The towing hook is copied from photos and slips like the real one. in all my years I haven’t seen another one like this . Sirmar made twenty numbered hulls as kits .

This model of Seaplane Tender 200 is another "loft rescue" that I have been asked to refurbish by its owner. This is a static model and along with his other models and mine we exhibit them at museum events to remind and educate people that the RAF used to have a Marine Branch for 68 years until its demise in 1986. Seaplane Tender 200 was the lead craft of the 200 Class Seaplane Tenders designed by Hubert Scott-Paine in the early 1930's. The L.o.a was 37ft 6in, beam 8ft 6in and draught 2ft 6in. powered by 2 x Meadows 828 100hp petrol engines with a range of 100miles. Now before the purists come along and say that the 200 class ST had enclosed wheelhouse not not an open backed one, ST 200 was the only one that was built that way the rest of the class had enclosed wheelhouse and walk through cabin. this model is 1:24 scale and is probably about 25 years old

Boat is Scratch built 36" British Power Boat 64ft High Speed ASR Launch which belonged to the RNZAF. The launch was one of the 22 built and was shipped to NZ in 1940. it was the only one of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. Model has twin motors, ESCs, sound units etc. Has remotely switched water pump for water cooled brushless 2000kv in runner motors and remotely switched lighting. Uses 2x 2200mah 2s LiPos for drive and 1 1800mah LiPo for the pump (also a separate battery for the LED lights. Boat is built with strip planked balsa on ply frame and fiber glassed. Deck is ply, wheelhouse is varnished balsa. The colour is as it was for most of its time in the RNZAF . Took about 5 years on and off to build and finished it last year. (please ignore the time date - can't get rid of it .

This is my scratch built 36" RNZAF British Power Boat 64' HSL (arrived in NZ 1940). I actually went on board this vessel in 1968 when it was still in original form (the RNZAF having disposed of it in the 50s) This vessel is still around and has been recently re modelled (2nd time since early 70s) and I was lucky last year to have met the present owner and go on board (2nd time in 49yrs!)and take a few photos. The vessel was modified a number of times by the RNZAF over the years (air intakes, removal of the fore deck machine guns, wheelhouse turret etc so I sort of went in the middle. I found a few drawings of the type in an old mag which had side and top views plus the bulkheads and their positions, so I took them along to a copying shop and kept enlarging them until I had the desired proportions. This worked out quite well and using a few methods from other models I had built, managed to frame (ply) the hull and then fully strip plank it in balsa. it was then fiber glassed. The deck is ply, lined and varnish stained. The wheelhouse is varnished balsa with the top removable for access. The wheelhouse interior has detail such as controls, instrument panels, skipper, steps to wardroom etc but is not too detailed as it is not seen. The boat has full lighting by remote switch, lights are all LED.
The propulsion side has dual everything (motors, ESCs, sound units), would have had 3x but ran out of space! Motors are 28mm 2200Kv water jacketed in-runners (cooled by remotely switched pump) using 30A Chinese ESCs (have 5A BEC, Fwd and Rev). Twin sound units are 'GT Power' car units which have around 40 different sound selections, from Cosworths to diesels and are computer programmable (as well as manually on the unit ) for various functions. I am using one of the v8 sounds (8 cyls short in my application) which I think is as near as you are going to get to 3 Napier Sea Lions (for which there is obviously no sound available) They 'start' 'Idle' and are fully proportional in fwd and rev and can sound quite realistic (will attempt to put up a vid later).
Batteries are 2x 2200mah 2s 20c LiPos which will last around 2hrs at least of sailing (they also run the sound units) Still have a few small things left to do (have just made wheelhouse air intakes) but don't want to get too fiddly. Just want to keep it a practical model.

One month on, new photos showing progress made to date lower superstructure and wheelhouse made motors,props,shafts and Korts fitted in hull.
see you next month.

wheelhouse plus some deck planking in place deck planking complete plus gunnel cappings complete boat completely scratch built on a fibre glass hull working winch scratch built boat powered by a 545 motot driving a 60 mm 3 blade prop Robert waterson angus

this is my latest project just got running gear in boat is fully wired main deck sealedworking trawl winch made wheelhouse and hatch just sitting in position bulwark frames allin and trimmed one photo shows finished boat ahc waterson b444 skiboo this boat is all scratch built going to be finished rigged as a trawler scalloper on a fibre glass hull by bill wood
Robert waterson angus

HI fellow model leers.this is my latest model.Built in 1926' for the Ffyfe(bananas) family. Originally it was run on steam,but in 1939 converted to diesel,this was kept until 1957 when all the staterooms were replaced by cargo holds . She was then made into a feeder bringing eleven thousand boxes from Rotterdam to Southampton. She was scrapped in the seventies.my model of her was from 1926 the scale is approx 1/30th her length is 48 inches including bowsprit, and has a beam of 10 inch amidships. She is totally scratch built, plank on frame, all the decks are individually planked with black card in between , wheel house and all other parts are mahogany. She runs on a decaperm geared motor @ 6 volts, and the lighting system consists of 10 accommodation lights, port and starboard , wheelhouse, and both mast headlights,the large saloon skylight is also lit up with a set of disco lights on a separate circuit. The funnel houses a heavy duty smoke unit switched on by switching unit.

This is a scratch built 1;16 fishing/motor sailor from a free plan by james pottinger, made from old teak furniture with mahogany wheelhouse, technobots sound system, 12 volt power shower motor, the original was built by james adams at gourock in 1946 and is still sailing in the western isles of scotland.

Built from scratch from plans supplied by my hobby store. has a fully remote controlled operating "elevating wheelhouse" with scissor type lifting legs. operating nav lights, fog horn and twin radar units. Also has remote operated forward winches for attaching pusher barges to the bow pusher posts. fitted with twin kort nozzles, handles a treat, steers well and could certanly push more than 3 barges!

Got this kit from E Bay was apartly built well sort of had to re do all the upper deck wheelhouse from scratch was a bit off eeek..Have nearly finished installing all the electrics ready to ballast..I raised the rear hatch area after reading the deck tended to wash over quite easily..Hardly noticeable modification I think..Will sail the model soon and hope all goes well