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Great tip on the "overspray" - it really is looking splendid. Rob

Cor - it is big innit!! Nice job on the painting - I completely get the mindthink with the pre-shading - we've all been there. Coming along very nicely Rob

Absolutely cracking work John! Rob

Cracking job - the poster of Tito is inspired. Rob

Very very pleasing Rob

Looks pretty good from this angle Rob

Wow and Thrice Wow! That is Beautiful. And very Klingon too. Rob

MGB 40 awaits a paint job and I'm awaiting parts for a defunct compressor. So...inspired by Kev Longshanks and his Dog boat build MGB658 I'm going to kick off my attempt at a Fairmile B. They were in many ways the unsung work horse in motor launches and were deployed in a miriad of roles including acting as navigation leaders to mark channels for landing craft to use in their approaches to the D-Day beaches - as represented by ML 196. Pictures of these comparatively rare types are hard to come by. I am indebted to Christian Sheppard-Capurro for passing on some pics This pic portrays ML or Q196 as she was on or about D-Day... Mark Smiths "Coastal Craft History Volume 3 - Motor Gun Boat, Motor Torpedo Boat and Fast Patrol Boat depicts Q196. It's an indispensible volume for anyone interested in British Coastal Craft of WWII as our volumes 1 and 2. Volume 4 is due and will specifically detail Fairmile As, Bs and Cs. Further references will include And unlike the Dog boats there are still a few extant originals of which RLM 497 is probably the best well known having served as a ferry and pleasure day boat around the Dartmouth estuary for many years, she now resides in Portsmouth and I believe will become part of the Naval museum Th hull comes courtesy of Christian at MTB hulls and is truly a thing of beauty. if you have any interest in coastal craft - check his site out - he does a huge number of different hulls in different scales and here it is against the HDML that he also supplied ( this is approximately Vosper MTB sized) As Longshanks reports with his Fairmile D - the moulding is superb with barely a blemish. The deck is loose and will need epoxying down which fits with my plans I'll also be using Coastal Craft Model products Coastal Craft Models from Martin Blundell which are uniformly excellent. And Thanks Also to Longshanks for his encouragement and help to date. If I make half as good a job as MGB658, I'll be delighted. More soon Thanks for looking Rob

Hi Stuart These boats were designated to mark the channels for landing craft to use in their run-in to the D-Day beaches. These channels had been mine swept. The gantry carried the 970 radar and pre-prepared chart overlays were used to match expected radar returns from the land to ensure accurate positioning. Pre - GPS the "taut wire measuring system" was a means of telling how far the boat had travelled from a fixed point, with rather more accuracy than a normal towed log. To quote Mark Smith from Coastal craft History Volume 3, "To measure distance, taut-wire measuring gear was fitted. This consisted of two separate units; a reel of piano wire (either nine or twenty miles in length on small boats) and a series of tensioning rollers. As the wire was paid out, the rollers kept the wire taut and measured the amount of wire taken off the reel. The wire was attached to a point whose location was known. once a distance was measured, the wire was cut and lost to the sea ". HTH Rob

Salmo, John,Steve, Kev and Kris - Thanks Steve - thanks for the tip - I've just bought a copy of "The Battle of the narrow seas". When I first started this blog I obsessed about the "taut wire measuring gear", and what it would look like. These were the only 3 photos I could find...... Hints about the broad shape and components but without an idea of the overall structure. In an idle moment at work today I searched again and YEssssss!!! Look what the net yielded.... (Note to self - "never give up - never surrender") So now it's just a job of scratching it..... Rob

That is all VERY impressive Rob

Interesting! Rob

Well done Fellas The answer is Yes - the Fairmile A and C shared the same hull and a build coming soon(ish) to a Blog near you will feature .... Fairmile C - MGB Q328 which will likely be a whole lot easier than the "B". Rob

Absolutely Fab job Kris - the subtle weathering and superb rigging take it to another level - Congratulations (And the photography is top notch too!!!) Rob

Thanks John and Beefy (ohh Yuss!) Kev - An Old Dog that has already learnt many tricks from you And thanks for the Sea box info - It's not entirely clear on Lamberts sketches. I'm on the case. Thanks Stuart, it is slowly coming together, which brings us to my next subject................... Look what arrived in the post today - Thanks Christian - MTB Hulls Answers on a postcard please..... Rob

I'm trying to do a weekly update! Thanks to Kev for his tip about sticking pieces of plastikard together with CA glue and then cutting/filing to shape so that both are identical.....I'm having a go at reproducing the CQR anchors that these vessels carried And I changed my mind and opted to use home -made bollards rather than the Shapeways ones I purchased and of course work has continued on the wheel house (Take 2)............. The roof sections and framing have taken up most of this PM "196" had a locker "wrapped" around the wheelhouse front which needed a little practice So that I finally got the angles right......... Thanks for looking Rob

Neat precise work as usual John - keep it coming Rob

Interesting choice - I'll be watching with interest Rob

Lovely work on that canvas dodger and all the solder work Rob

Lovely finish and paintwork Rob

Couldn't agree more - astonishing work. I do know what you mean about the Warrior though! Rob

I'm just in awe over all of the effort and artistry that's gone into this. Shame about the model shop closing. Rob

Thanks Stuart - know where you are coming from - the level of the rear windows relative to the front is at least now more accurate. Gracias Kev. John - you aren't wrong - it's not an easy construction. Kev had it right when he suggested using card (easier to cut) to template. The angles are tricky and in truth this is a simplification as the original front and angled sides had a further angle change about half way down to the deck. Madness to attempt IMHO It's not perfect but I'm going to stick with this . Yes to the first bit Beefy .........and no to the second - if I have to make another set - I'll have to be dragged off screaming For someone used to immediate results scratch-building is temporal purgatory. I'm having cold sweats about the HDML that shares a similar shape and form Hopefully I can now crack on and get some pace - I struggle with long builds. Thanks all Rob

And take 2.............. Better angles. Thanks for looking. Rob

Cracking job! Rob