Paddleducks
Paddler Modelling => Construction => Topic started by: E Pinniger on June 09, 2012, 03:33:20 AM
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This is a build log for my model of P&A Campbell's passenger paddle steamer Britannia - built in 1896 (by S. McKnight & Co of Ayr) and scrapped in 1956. You can see some very interesting colour video footage of Britannia here on YouTube from user "HeritageSteamers":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM-zMvWwDVk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sawH9FPe3NQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TliPpx7-5s (Misidentified as Bristol Queen, but "Britannia" is clearly visible on the bow)
My model is built from the plan sheet published by "Model Boats" magazine years ago (and still available I think), which represents the ship in its post-war fit with two funnels and no after deckhouse. The plans are to 1/64 scale giving a model of about 43"/110cm length and 10"/25cm maximum beam (including the paddle boxes). The hull is of straightforward plywood/balsa box construction, and the paddles are made from folded up brass sheet with a brass Meccano wheel as the hub.
Though the Britannia plans have been around for quite a while, I've only ever seen one model built from them - a static model shown in Scott Robertson's book "Historic Model Ships from Scratch". I can't find any other references to P/S Britannia models, working or otherwise, online. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has attempted, or contemplated, building a model from these plans!
I started the build in April this year and so far it is progressing well with the hull and paddle boxes complete and painted along with the basic superstructure components. I will be starting from square one with the build log (as I took photos of all the build stages), so updates will slow down once the log catches up with the model's progress - but I hope to have the model finished within a few months.
As I can't currently access my webspace (I've signed up for a new web host, but they still haven't got round to transferring my domain name from the previous one) I'm using Photobucket to host the images. This is the first time I've done this - if it works OK I'll use it for all my future build logs, as it avoids the problem of images going "dead" when/if the link is no longer valid.
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I didn't start completely from scratch with my model - I bought the part-built hull and the paddle wheels, along with the plan sheet, from a friend a few years ago. Here are some photos of the hull as I got it:
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Basichull1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Basichull2.jpg)
The hull was built with a keel and stern block carved from solid pine (rather than balsa as suggested in the plan) and a stem from mahogany or similar, with the rest built up from thin balsa sheet.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Basichullinterior1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Basichullinterior2.jpg)
A motor mounting block was already installed and a space cut in the stern block for the tiller arm and connecting rod.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddlewheelsunpainted.jpg)
The paddle wheels are quite nicely made and probably better than I could manage myself, as my model engineering (as opposed to straightforward modelling) skills aren't up to much!
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplyskin1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplyskin2.jpg)
The hull has been sitting in my garage for the last couple of years, but this year I finally decided to make a start on it (build started early April 2012). The first task was to make the hull more robust and waterproof. I really didn't trust the thin balsa hull sides to be strong enough even with a resin/fibreglass or tissue/dope covering, so I covered most of the hull (from deck level to about 1" below the waterline) with a skin of thin plywood, glued in place with waterproof aliphatic wood glue. The edges of the plywood (especially at the bow) were planed and sanded to blend them into the lines of the hull.
After this, I painted the lower interior of the hull with epoxy resin, to strengthen and waterproof the joins between the keel, hull sides and bulkheads. I then put a couple of coats of sanding sealer on the hull exterior and sanded everything thoroughly.
The deck (which will later be covered up with planking) is made from 1.5mm plywood, and is attached (with waterproof wood glue and small brass pins) to strips of spruce wood glued along the inner edge of the hull sides. The deck is cambered, as a result of the curved bulkhead tops underneath - a detail which I might have overlooked if I'd built the hull framework myself! On a large-scale model like this it makes a real difference to the model's realism, so I'm definitely going to attempt adding deck camber to my future scratchbuilds.
The large central access hatch will be covered by a removable deck section including the wheelhouse and funnels. The two small hatches aft are for the rudder servo and arm, and will also be covered by removable deck pieces, held in place with mini magnets.
Here are some photos of the hull with the deck fitted, along with some structural details (plus the gearbox + rudder, which will be described in the next post)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hulldetail1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hulldetail2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hulldetail3.jpg)
After attaching the deck, I then added the rubbing strake at the top of the hull, using spruce strip filed and sanded down to give a rounded cross-section. There is another strake lower down around the stern, which I made using the same materials. I also glued sheets of 1mm styrene sheet to the sides of the hull at the location of the paddle boxes and sponsons. These provide a foundation to glue the paddle boxes and sponsons to (these will be made from styrene), and also protect the wooden hull sides from water splashed by the paddles.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Gearbox.jpg)
The model's "powerplant" is this gearbox and twin motor assembly, taken from a Tamiya R/C tank (a 1/24 scale Panther, to be precise). It has an output speed which is ideal for a paddler, and runs quite smoothly and without overheating or draining the battery too quickly. Unfortunately, it is also very noisy - which doesn't matter so much in a tank! - and, due to the metal gears, generates a lot of radio "noise" which results in servo interference when running at higher speeds.
I replaced the shafts with longer ones made from brass rod, and put Meccano brass collars on the inner ends to hold them in place. As my model is steered with the rudder only, I wired up both motors to use the same power input, but it would be easy to wire them up to seperate ESCs to give separate paddle control.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Gearboxmount1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Gearboxmount2.jpg)
The gearbox is mounted (using heavy-duty wood screws) to a block of pine wood glued to the keel.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paintedpaddlewheels.jpg)
I painted the paddle wheels with red enamel primer, which gives a fairly good approximation of the real colour (not that you see much of them anyway once they're installed) So far this paint has stood up very well to use with no wear/flaking. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the paddles in place on the model before I attached the paddle boxes!
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Having sailed on Campbells White Funnel fleet in the 1950's. I am pleased to see a model of one of their ships being built. Being young I can't remember if I had a ride on Britannia or Glen Gower. I always wanted a ship with two funnels, but usually went on the Glen Usk, one funnel. that is why I chose to build her. Five feet long of 1/16 balsa covered with aluminium plates from drinks cans. Twelve years old and still going strong. So don't worry about strength be worried about weight .
The first video in your post shows a small coaster. This is the SS Crowpill, a model of which I have also built. See below. The GlenUsk appears above my name on the side of this post. In the third video It could not be be the Bristol or Cardiff queen, as you say as they had ttheir paddel boxes plated over with port holes included. Geoff
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So don't worry about strength be worried about weight .
Geoff
As Geoff said don't worry so much about strength, balsa even with surface tissue to 450gms fiberglass will give you strength as soon as you add weight above the waterline your asking for problems.
Just my 2p's worth.
Regards,
Kim
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Interesting project, that looks like the same motor/gearbox I'm using (tamiya centurion tank with wired remote control in my case) Mine had 3 volt motors so I replaced them with 12v ones and fitted capacitors to counter radio interferrence. they turned out to be slower than with the 3 volt so I also took one of the gears out on each side and moved the others across to speed it up a bit. any further changes must be with the pulleys to the paddleshaft (starting with 1:1 - see how it goes) I also made some silicon blocks (bath sealant in a wooden case with a piece of meccano embedded inside) to try to reduce the mechanical noise - it does help a bit!
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Thanks for the replies! Regarding the weight issue, I wasn't too concerned by this as the hull has a very heavy solid pine keel, rather than the balsa one recommended in the plans - so even without batteries + ballast it has a lot of weight below the waterline. The ply skin is very thin, it mainly adds strength by being a lot more rigid, less grainy and less brittle than the balsa it covers. The main problem with the original balsa hull is that there are no bulkheads in the centre section (to accommodate the gearbox and the suggested Mamod steam plant!)
I will be putting suppressor capacitors on the motors as soon as I manage to find some (don't have any suitable ones in my bits box at the minute), this should help with the rudder servo "chatter" although I suspect the metal gears are also responsible for this.
To R.G.Y - I was wondering about the identity of the small coaster in the first YouTube clip, interesting to see you've actually made a model of it! What scale is it, and is it a working model? I have the book "Steam Coasters and Short Sea Traders" which has many plans and drawings of ships of this type, and hope to build a R/C model of one of them one day.
Back to the build log:
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudderunpainted.jpg)
As the basis of the rudder, I used this commercial brass item which has just the right rudder height and shaft/tube length. I got it in a box of old boat bits bought on eBay last year - I think it's a "Web Model Fittings" product as it looks very similar to one pictured in old adverts of theirs.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudderpost1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudder1.jpg)
The rudder tube was glued into a hole drilled in the solid stern block. The rudder skeg (which the rudder isn't actually attached to) is built up from pine/spruce offcuts.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudderextension.jpg)
To get the final shape of the rudder, I made a 3-piece "sandwich" of styrene sheet which fits over the ready-made brass rudder.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudder2.jpg)
Here's the completed rudder. It's about twice scale size (the plan sheet gives dimensions for both a scale rudder and this enlarged one for a working model) but doesn't look noticeably overscale, and I'd say is more or less essential if you're building this model with rudder steering only - my model has a fairly reasonable turning circle (not much different to a screw-driven model of the same size and power output) but I wouldn't like to attempt steering it with a rudder of scale dimensions!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Rudderservo1.jpg)
The rudder is operated by a standard Hitec servo and tiller arm.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Portholes1.jpg)
The portholes (which are 6mm in diameter) were drilled out with a DIY-type electric drill after first drilling pilot holes with a Dremel.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Portholes2.jpg)
I decided not to add the lower row of portholes (these are in line with the bottom of the paddle boxes) as these are only 10mm above the waterline - which seemed to me to be risking leaks on any model, let alone a paddler. Sailing the model proved this to have been a wise decision, as water regularly came up to this level when the model was turning or heeled over by the wind. The anchor hawse holes go straight through the solid mahogany stem piece, so don't endanger the model's watertightness!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Portholes3.jpg)
Porthole surrounds (thin copper wire) were added later, after the hull plating. The portholes will eventually be "glazed" using clear epoxy glue. Hawse pipe surrounds are made from brass eyelets.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Aluminiumtape.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplatinginprogress.jpg)
Next, I added plating detail to the hull, using self-adhesive aluminium tape. I cut the tape into rectangular plates and applied them to the hull in an overlapping pattern matching the plans. Below the waterline, I used a single wide strip of tape to cover the edge of the plywood hull skin.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplating1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplating2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplating3.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullplating4.jpg)
Here's the completed hull, with an overall coat of gloss enamel varnish which, along with the coats of primer, paint and varnish which will follow, will help to seal and protect the plating. The plating does look rather rough close-up, but once plated black it gives (to my eye) a quite effective representation of the rather pitted, battered surface of an old steel-hulled ship (at the time represented by my model, Britannia was already around 50 years old!)
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Hi PD's..... :whistle......EPIN......aluminium can be painted however must be primed first
The following WEB site below talks about prepartory mechanical abrasion :hammer with 1200 W&D paper, however I think with the tape being so thin ...any undulations would simply result in removal of the metal and result in an irregular hole
I would go down the path & experiment on a small section of aluminium tape covered test piece & trial some of the degreasing followed by chemical etching
Finally when you get a good etched surface, trial motor vehicle rattle gun paint [enamels] ....they are high strength and will bond to any metal surface...they will also allow a high build up and also most importantly a water PROOF seal joint between the plates :picknose
Good luck....keep us posted on your progress Derek.....:beer
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=etching%20aluminium&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CGsQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.billchambers.org%2Fimages%2Fartists%2520notes%2Fetching_with_copper_sulphate.pdf&ei=Fh7VT5f6KqiRiQfJrrymAw&usg=AFQjCNHS5NUAFTITPyeA-BzsaZZk36WUfQ
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Thanks for the advice on metal preparation/priming (I'll definitely keep this in mind for future projects) - however I maybe should have made it clearer in the first post, these photos were taken in previous weeks -the model now has a complete and painted hull + paddle boxes, and is at the stage of deck planking! (which is why progress seems to fast).
To paint the aluminium hull plating, I first rubbed down the surface with fine abrasive sponge sanders (which are flexible and conform to the surface of what you're sanding, so are much less likely to wear away raised areas) then sprayed the whole thing with two coats of Halfords matt grey primer. After a few hours this had set to give a very hard finish (I tested it with a wooden toothpick but couldn't manage to scrape any off). The hull was then painted with acrylic paint (2-3 coats) and finally with satin enamel varnish.
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S.S. CROWPILL built to 1/2" =1ft (24th scale)making it 24" long. Yes it is a working model, electric. Although I have only sailed it 2 or 3 times. Only built as a test ( as little information is available.) for a steam powered 1" =1ft model which is still on the things to do list. Plying between Barry & Bridgwater with coal. When the local factory converted to oil she was scraped 1966. Originally named Tynsider 1911. Geoff
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Nice work E!! :)
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sternnameplate1.jpg)
I made the lettering on the stern using Slaters styrene letters. These are glued to a base plate of thin styrene sheet, which is both easier and more secure than attempting to superglue them straight to the hull.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sternnameplate2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sternnameplate3.jpg)
The nameplate glued in place on stern. The "plating" here is not a very neat job, due to the curvature of the hull, but should look OK when painted black!
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Balsapaddleboxes.jpg)
The original builder had made a start on the paddle boxes and sponsons, using thin balsa sheet. Though the parts were neatly made, I decided to make new ones from styrene sheet, giving a much better surface finish without the need for filling and sanding!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxes1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxes2.jpg)
The paddle boxes and sponsons were also made from styrene sheet, glued to the styrene section either side of the hull. The corners of the paddle boxes are reinforced with thick styrene strips.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sponsons1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sponsons2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Sponsons3.jpg)
Here are some photos of the sponson houses either side of the boxes, also made from styrene. The cut-outs on the paddle box sides were simply cut out with a sharp #11 knife (after marking with pencil) then sanded smooth.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Completedpaddleboxes1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Completedpaddleboxes2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Completedpaddleboxes3.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Completedpaddleboxes4.jpg)
Finally, here are the completed paddle box assemblies. The porthole surrounds and the rims of the paddle box holes are made from metal eyelets, the rivets are actual copper rivets with the stems cut off. The hole for the paddle wheel shaft is non-prototypical and will be covered over once the model is complete (without this hole it would be impossible to install or remove the paddle wheels)
The nameplates and decorative carvings will be added at a later stage (translation - I haven't worked out how to make them yet!) The final photo shows the hull sprayed with primer and a couple of test patches of paint.
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Hi there,
following your build with great interest :o
Hope you do'nt mind me stealing a idea or two from you :police:
I do love her lines
Keep on building .
greetings from The Bombus
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Hi, I am also following you build,Your boat is coming along well.
You have lots of good photo's. Keep them coming. Prentice.
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Thanks again for the replies. I attempted to give the model another test sail yesterday, but the high winds meant that conditions really weren't suited to paddle steamers! From the small amount of time the model was on the water, the modified ballast seems to have improved its stability a lot.
I've ordered some suppressor capacitors which hopefully will fix or at least reduce the servo interference when fitted to the motors. I'm also planning to wire up the motors in series (currently they're wired up in parallel) which should both reduce battery range and give finer speed control over the motors.
Back to the build photos:
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Undercoatedhull.jpg)
Now the hull and paddle boxes are basically complete, I sprayed the whole thing with a couple of coats of Halford grey primer. It's now ready for painting - this was done by brush using Revell, Citadel and Lifecolor acrylic paints.
P&A Campbell's steamers had a complicated paint scheme - the lower 2/3 or so of the hull was the usual black, with anti-fouling red below the waterline, but the upper 1/3 was a slightly pinkish off-white/light grey called "French Grey", divided from the black by a thin light brown stripe, with a golden yellow stripe a couple of feet below. The strake at the top of the hull was also painted light brown. Finally, the (quite wide) boot stripe was painted a pale bluish-green colour.
I used Revell's Satin Black and Hull Red for the main hull colours, and their Satin Light Grey for the upper hull - this doesn't have the pinkish tone of the actual paint but otherwise is very close in appearance. The stripes are Revell Satin Light Brown and Citadel Golden Yellow, and the boot stripe Lifecolour Italian Interior Green.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpaint1stripes.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpaint1masking.jpg)
I started painting with the stripes, which were then covered with masking tape of the right width before overpainting with the main hull colours. This might seem like a back-to-front way of doing things, but I find it's easier to get stripes of consistent width this way!
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpaint2blackred.jpg)
Next the hull bottom is painted with Revell "Hull Red" and the lower hull sides with Revell Satin Black.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpaint2maskingremoved.jpg)
After removing the masking tape on the lower 2 stripes, I found the boot stripe - masked with 10mm Tamiya tape - turned out almost perfectly, needing retouching in only a few spots, but the yellow stripe - for which I used bog-standard masking tape of 3mm thickness, as I couldn't find any good quality tape thin enough - had bled badly and needed a lot of retouching. The upper brown stripe turned out similarly. At least both stripes are straight and even in width!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpaint3lightgrey.jpg)
Finally, I painted the upper hull sides with Revell Satin Light Grey - which doesn't have a pinkish tinge but otherwise appears to be a fairly close match in tone and lightness for "French Grey". It doesn't cover very well, even over a light grey base coat, so I needed 3 coats to get a reasonably good finish.
The yellow + brown stripes have also now been retouched.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullpainted1.jpg)
Here's a photo of the (almost) fully painted hull - the only painting left to do is the brown/yellow porthole surrounds.
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Looking good, I especially like the look of the paddle vents!
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Looking good, I especially like the look of the paddle vents!
Unfortunately they're not totally even in width, but they look OK if you don't look too closely!
I've now installed the suppressor capacitors on the motors, which has completely solved the problem of servo interference. This should (hopefully) make steering a lot easier, as previously the rudder would turn hard to one side as soon as you moved the throttle past the first notch!. I've also rewired the motors in serial, which again should improve handling as it reduces the maximum speed by 50%, hence giving finer throttle control at lower speeds (higher motor speeds seem to be largely useless with paddlers, this one at least, just churning up the water more with very little increase in speed!
I hope to give the model another test sail soon but this will be dependent on the weather.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullhatches.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Hullhatches.jpg)
Before starting work on the superstructure, here's a photo of the removable hatches which cover the radio/battery/motor area, the rudder servo and tiller arm. Britannia's minimal superstructure means that there isn't much to cover access hatches (the engine house roof isn't big enough to provide access to all of the main compartment, and there's nothing to cover the rudder and tiller), so removable sections of deck are the only option. To attach them, I glued micro magnets to the hull, and pieces of thin steel sheet to the hatches. This holds them securely in place without the need for screws or similar.
The "open" photos were taken after the deck planking had been started. The separate hatch sections added a lot of extra work to the process of planking the decks!
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Wheelhouse1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Wheelhouse2.jpg)
Now the hull is complete, I can move on to the deck planking and the superstructure and upper works, starting with the wheelhouse. This is a rather small structure with a curved front and a "flying" bridge on top. This photo shows the basic structure made from 1mm styrene sheet and styrene strip detailing. The plan sheet doesn't show the wheelhouse's aft bulkhead, and I couldn't find any photos showing this area - so I guessed that it would have a door with a window on either side.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Wheelhouse3.jpg)
I decided to assemble the wheelhouse at this stage (after painting the interior black) and add the window glazing and teak framing later. The thin plywood sheet on the flying bridge (not glued in place yet) will provide a base to glue the bridge's deck planking to.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Wheelhouse4.jpg)
The painted wheelhouse, with unpainted patches for the doors (which will be made from teak stained ply, as will the window frames). I'm not sure whether the margin strip on the flying bridge was painted light brown or if it was actual teak wood - I went with the former, but now suspect the latter after more careful inspection of photos! - but the brown margin strip doesn't look too bad, and matches the hull top strake.
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thats a nice looking bridge and the teak doors will set it off a treat
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Hi there,
Whatever you do , just don't stop making those nice pictures ;)
I for one will use them in the (hopefull) not so far future as reference for my first building with plasticard.
a marvelous job ,if someone thinks differend send them to me >:(
Greetings from The Bombus
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Thanks for the kind comments... though I'd hasten to add that many areas of the model don't really bear close inspection (the hull plating, for example), and even those areas where I'm pleased with the final result (e.g the deck planking) are simplified or inaccurate!
On to constructing the funnels:
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Funnelcardtubes.jpg)
The funnels and engine house roof are the only other main superstructure component on Britannia in its post-war fit. The funnels are made from lengths of cardboard tube from clingfilm/food wrap rolls - this type of cardboard tube is very thick (3mm) and strong, and can be sawn and cut much like wood, so it's ideal for modelling purposes. Britannia's funnels should actually be oval in cross-section but after numerous attempts at making neat, convincing-looking oval tubes, I gave up and stuck with round ones!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Funnels1.jpg)
The card tubes are covered with a skin of litho plate (thin aluminium sheet) attached with CA. Funnel bands are styrene strip. Finally, I drilled out holes for the rigging eyebolts and steam whistle, which will be added later, as will the caps for the funnels.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Enginehouseroof1.jpg)
The engine house roof is made from styrene sheet. I used lengths of styrene tube to make the curved corners.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Enginehouseroof2.jpg)
The completed roof assembly, with holes cut for the funnels.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Funnels2.jpg)
Funnels installed. The plate in between the funnels is a non-prototypical addition to strengthen the engine house roof and prevent it from buckling (I should have made the roof from thicker-gauge styrene sheet in the first place!). The small holes are for the rigging eyebolts and the attachment pegs for the engine room cowl vents.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Funnels3.jpg)
The funnels and wheelhouse are painted with Halfords gloss "Appliance White" over an undercoat of grey primer. I usually steer clear of using spray paints like this on superstructure and fittings (as it's hard to get an exact colour match when retouching with a brush) but, in this case, the minimal superstructure/upper works on Britannia mean that the funnels are very prominent, so the paint job needs to be as neat and even as possible (white is very hard to brush-paint at the best of times, even over light grey primer). The black-painted funnel tops (as yet unmade) will be attached later, for now I've just painted the funnel interiors black (since taking the above photo)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Funnels4.jpg)
The plans specify dark brown paint for the engine house roof. I used Revell acrylic Leather Brown.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Overallwithwheelhousefunnels.jpg)
The model now looks a lot more "ship-shape" with the wheelhouse and funnels in place! The next stage is the deck planking - now completed, I just need to sort out the photos and upload them.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankmaterial.jpg)
To plank the decks, I used 4mm wide strips of thin (1mm) plywood. I bought a huge bundle of this very cheaply at a model show a few years ago - enough to plank the decks of several sizeable models The strips are close to the right size for deck planks in the region of 1/48 scale - a bit too big for the 1/64 Britannia, but they still don't look bad in my opinion. I'm not sure what wood they're made from (birch?) but they also have pretty much the right colour for weathered and bleached decking - especially as there's a slight colour variation between individual strips which looks very convincing when made into deck planks.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Marginplanks.jpg)
Planking starts with the margin planks around the deck edges, superstructure, and larger fittings (specifically, the bow and stern windlasses, which I haven't made yet). For sharply curved sections (such as the stern and the wheelhouse front), I cut appropriately shaped from 1mm ply sheet, rather than attempting to bend the pre-cut ply strips to fit!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking1.jpg)
Work started on planking the aft deck. To represent the caulking in between the planks, I used a waterproof black marker pen run along one edge of the ply strip. The "shift" pattern I used is very simplified (plank ends on alternate rows); my attempts at making a realistic plank pattern have ended up in a total mess (plank rows getting "out of step" with each other due to slightly varying plank lengths), so now I just use a simplified pattern and try to get it as neat as possible!
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking3.jpg)
Progress on planking the amidships area, including the rudder servo access hatch.
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progress is coming along apace there. looking good and can not wait till the details start to go on, watching with interest
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I'll be away for a week or so from Wednesday so won't be able to post any more updates until next week. I've been working on the masts, deck fittings, paddle box platforms, and cabin woodwork, so should have plenty to post once I've sorted the photos out
In the meantime, here's the final update for now, showing the remainder of the deck planking:
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking4.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking5.jpg)
Next I planked the forward deck. The surface irregularities should be removed when I sand the completed deck.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplanking6.jpg)
- and the poop deck (is this the correct term? since it's lower, rather than higher, than the main deck)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankingbridge.jpg)
Finally, the flying bridge deck on the wheelhouse. The hatch cover sections are also shown in this photo, with their planking sanded down.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankingcomplete1.jpg)
Here's the completed deck planking, sanded down thoroughly and given a couple of coats of satin oil-based varnish.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankingcomplete2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankingcomplete3.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Deckplankingcomplete4.jpg)
Some closeup photos. Unfortunately, sanding the decks down showed the disadvantages of using plywood, rather than solid wood such as lime or obechi, for planking! On some of the raised edges and corners, I sanded through to the darker wood layer at the centre of the ply, giving the decks a rather patchy look. Hopefully this should be less evident on the finished model once the various deck fittings, passenger seats and liferafts are in place.
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(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB1.jpg)
I finally managed to give Britannia a proper sail at Black Park a couple of weeks ago. The changes I'd made to the ballast and motor wiring made a big difference - the model is now easy to steer, sails smoothly, and is reasonably stable - although it still does have a tendency to lean over to one side or the other, seemingly independent of the wind direction or how the model is turning! It did seem to stand up to wind gusts well, though. Overall, given the very basic running gear setup and my lack of experience with paddlers, I'm fairly pleased with how it sails.
Here are some more photos. You'll probably notice a number of additions to the model such as the masts and cowl vents - I'll post closeups and work-in-progress photos of these soon.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB3.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB4.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB5.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB6.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB7.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/WaterB8.jpg)
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looking great on the water, putting my lack of progress to shame :bravo
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Here's some photos showing some of the work I've done over the last couple of months. I sailed Britannia again today but forgot my camera so didn't get any photos, but it looks much the same as in the above photos anyway (the only additions are the funnel caps + gratings, all the other fittings I'm working on haven't been added to the model yet).
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Bowbulwark1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Bowbulwark2.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Bowbulwark3.jpg)
A small but significant feature is the solid bulwark at the bow. I traced this from the plan onto a piece of scrap paper, then used this as a template to mark out the shape of the bulwark onto thin aluminium sheet.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxplatforms1.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxplatforms2.jpg)
The paddle boxes have small platforms/decks on top, accessed from the main deck by inclined ladders. I made the basic structure of the platforms from styrene sheet. The bottom edges of the end pieces are curved to fit the top of the paddle box (not particularly obvious in the above photos).
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxplatforms4.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxplatforms5.jpg)
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Paddleboxplatforms6.jpg)
Once the platforms were complete, I painted them along with the upper surfaces of the paddle boxes, then added wooden deck planking using the same method and materials as before.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Cowlvents1.jpg)
The cowl vents are made from commercial plastic fittings, with bases added along with metal handles (on the full-size ship, these are to allow the crew to rotate the vents into the wind) and in some cases lengthened using styrene tube. Like all the fittings on the model, they have metal pegs in the base to allow them to be more securely attached to the deck.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Galleychimneys1.jpg)
These two larger ventilators go at the aft end of the main deck. I think they were chimneys for the galley stoves, as they look a lot like the vent cowls seen on stove chimneys. They're made from assorted styrene bits (stock tube and strip, spares box washers and domes) with metal handles and pegs.
(http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad118/EPinniger/Model%20photos/Ships/RC%20PS%20Britannia/Cowlvents2.jpg)
Here are the painted vents. The cowl vents have interiors painted in dark blue rather than the usual red (I used Citadel "Regal Blue"), a distinctive P&A Campbell feature.
More updates soon with the masts, bridge woodwork and deck fittings.
(edited to fix incorrect photo links)
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very nice work ,i am look forward to the rest of the deckfittings
i like details . congrat. on your work
greetings from The Bombus
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That's the right colour for the inside of the vents. Well done, :clap they also had a gold pin stripe around the rim. But the ex Campbell's engineer I knew :goodnews let me omit that on my Glen Usk. Geoff
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Apologies for the lack of updates lately. I've been making steady progress on Britannia over the last couple of months (though somewhat distracted by railway modelling - well, at least it still involves steam-powered things with wheels, even if they don't float!) - I've nearly finished making the deck railings and am currently working on the lifeboat davits. Not much left to do now other than the boats and liferafts! I'll post some more updates soon hopefully.