TOPIC:

Could be a bit of a blessing in disguise - I wasn't very happy with the deck & especially the hatch arrangements anyway.

Most if not all RC boats have a raised edge around the hatch(es) so any water on the deck hits that & theorectically runs off again, rather than going into the electics bay, the cabin is secured by being a tight fit on that lip.

This RTTL though has a completely flat deck, with the hatches held on by gravity via some very small tabs, and the suggestion of also using screws (not supplied).

I'll have to cheat on the "scale" aspects a little, but I think two raised hatches - one for the main cabin & forward engine cover, plus one for the rear engine cover & rear cabin - is perfectly do-able.

I also wasn't happy with the suggestion that the deck planking could be simulated with a permanent marker ... hopefully I'll have enough ply left over from the new batch to plank it laterally too. I'm thinking just leave gaps between the planks, a bit of wood stain for colour, then clear resin/lacquer/varnish/whatever, thick enough that I can sand it back to get the shape without disturbing the planking

Jonny, it is really something to start building a boat around the time Titanic went under 100 years ago...

Edou wrote:

Jonny, it is really something to start building a boat around the time Titanic went under 100 years ago...

I'm not so worried about that - the chances of this one hitting an iceberg are pretty thin ... I suspect it's also very close to the 25th anniversary of my torpedo boat sinking, but while that also went down vertically, it went stern first, and a lot faster

Spotted an interesting listing on eBay ... I wonder if this is where Kitshack's inspiration came from?

Jonny wrote:

Spotted an interesting listing on eBay ... I wonder if this is where Kitshack's inspiration came from?

He He, not much doubt, no....
Looks identical, but the precision was probably better on the old one...

My extra 1.5mm plywood has arrived - it's pink like "Far Eastern" ply, but doesn't have the nasty joins or filler that you see so often ... it's stamped "Tableros Folgado SA", which means it came from Spain, although I don't know how much manufacturing is done there ... hopefully it means the veneers aren't from illegal rain forest logging ...

I still think

Been working on the deck ...




Opened a tube of "Stucco" filler & a lod squirted out - I had to use it on something or waste it, & this was closest ...




Sanded off ok though ...





Deck glued on, cover is just there to try & keep everything square ...

Just curious, what are the Grasshopper bits going to be used for? (In the first of these pics, I'm assuming 'hopper, could be lunchbox?)

eddrick wrote:

Just curious, what are the Grasshopper bits going to be used for? (In the first of these pics, I'm assuming 'hopper, could be lunchbox?)

They're Monster Beetle bits ... nothing to do with the boat, just being lazy

Oh yeah, I see the gearcase now