ML196 Fairmile B - Landing Craft Control

[beefy66]

Funny how the eyes play tricks when you think you have it straight and it turns out looking like the dogs back legs

 

much better the second time around now you just have to make X2 of all the other parts to get them right  

 

beefy

[robgizlu]

7 hours ago, Courageous said:

Miles better Rob.

I think their is some kind of optical illusion going on with those windows, all depends on the view point.

Carry on good sir

 

Stuart

Thanks Stuart - know where you are coming from - the level of the rear windows relative to the front is at least now more accurate.

7 hours ago, longshanks said:

Great job buddy, she is really taking shape now

 

Kev

Gracias Kev.

 

6 hours ago, JohnWS said:

Rob, you're bringing me back some bad memories. 

 

That the same problem I had with my Fairmile D.  I initially assumed those windows were rectangular.  The angled bulkhead & roof surfaces, & window shape took a while to sort out.

 

Looks like you're on the right track.   

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 .

21 minutes ago, beefy66 said:

Funny how the eyes play tricks when you think you have it straight and it turns out looking like the dogs back legs

 

much better the second time around now you just have to make X2 of all the other parts to get them right  

 

beefy

 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

 

[robgizlu]

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

[JohnWS]

She's looking better & better Rob.  Really starting to look like a 'B'!

 

John

[beefy66]

2 hours ago, robgizlu said:

"196" had a locker "wrapped" around the wheelhouse front which needed a little practice

So does that mean you had to make more than one...again  

 

beefy

[longshanks]

 

 

11 hours ago, robgizlu said:

tip about sticking pieces of plastikard together with CA glue

 

See you can teach an old dog new tricks

 

11 hours ago, robgizlu said:

a locker "wrapped" around the wheelhouse front

 

The triangular ends are I think call sea boxes ( prevent the ingress of sea water into the accommodation ) The centre piece is a locker easily corrected - stick a lid on it

See your initial pics.

 

The superstructure is looking cracking as it comes together.

 

Love what your doing to this

 

Kev

[Courageous]

Making great strides with the 'B', looking very nice. 

[robgizlu]

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

[stevehnz]

A/C class ML hull?

Steve.

[Courageous]

 Fairmile A?

 

Stuart

[Hewy]

Superb scratch building rob, very impressive 

[robgizlu]

19 hours ago, stevehnz said:

A/C class ML hull?

Steve.

 

12 hours ago, Courageous said:

 Fairmile A?

 

Stuart

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

[salmo G]

This continues to impress, superb building skills Rob and i am REALLY looking forward to that Fairmile!

[JohnWS]

23 minutes ago, robgizlu said:

... Fairmile C - MGB Q328 which will likely be a whole lot easier than the "B".  

Rob

Cool!  

 

I think to only models of the C's I've seen have been in museums.  It'll be fun to watch another unique build.

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, robgizlu said:

Fairmile C - MGB Q328 which will likely be a whole lot easier than the "B".  

Rob

Brilliant, I've just read Battle of the Narrow Seas again & these featured quite prominently. I'll be looking out for it. No pressure mind.

Steve.

[longshanks]

Wow I am surprised !

 

I saw the hull quickly yesterday and wondered about A/C (Having been pointed in the direction by @stevehnz ). My next thought was who would make one of those, can't be. I now know who ......

 

Nice one buddy. I'm away from my reference material at the moment but I seem to recall a lot of ' Cs ' took part in St Nazaire, could this be one of them. 

I think one was assigned to Special Ops taking agents to and from France.

 

Either way a great one for the records, I've never seen an A or C built

 

Glad were keeping you at sea Rob.

 

Kev

 

PS Good spot Steve

[stevehnz]

'twere fresh in my mind Kev, otherwise I'd have been scratching head I reckon, thanks for giving my ego a wee buff up though.

Steve

[Kris B]

That's a good thread. I'll it is coming well. 

[robgizlu]

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

[Courageous]

Well, I had to go back to page 1 of this thread to get a hint of what you were gibbering on about, 'taut wire measuring system'...still don't know what it does.

Enlighten this poor mortal please .

 

Stuart

[robgizlu]

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

[Courageous]

Thanks Rob, learn something everyday. One would hope that the 'taut wire' wasn't severed by some ships propeller or something in the  process.

[robgizlu]

On 4/20/2018 at 10:07 AM, Courageous said:

Thanks Rob, learn something everyday. One would hope that the 'taut wire' wasn't severed by some ships propeller or something in the  process.

My thoughts exactly Stuart, but I guess we've all got used to Sat technology and GPS 

 

I've learnt that a scratch build is nothing if not time intensive.  You have to make everything  I've been doing the deck furniture.  Pics of wartime Bs show a lot of deck clutter so I've tried to go for high detail working from John Lambert's line drawings.

 

 

The mushroom vents are raised so I used the "caps" from the Coastal craft offerings and attached them to 1.5mm rod.

 

 

I've glued these raised sections to act as a placement jig so that the "one-piece" superstructure can be lifted off to ease with the painting stage (which is slowly approaching)

 

I'vecided to add the toerails and handrail stanchion bases at this pre-paint stage, they aren't spaced regularly which is tricky

 

 

 

I need to scratch the anchor bow roller, finish the anchors, add the lifting eyes  and complete the toe rails; and then the hull and deck are probably ready for painting.

Then I need to:

- scratch the D/C davits

- scratch the aft 20mm bandstand

- scratch the taut wire measuring gear

- scratch the stove-pipe

- finish the radar gantry 

- detail the 6-pounder

- Dremel out the deck vents and fit

2 months I reckon 

Rob

 

[JohnWS]

Looking good!

 

It's amazing how much 'stuff' was on the decks of these small ships.  Scratch building makes you realize just how much there is when focusing on making all the bits & pieces.

[longshanks]

Great progress Rob, you may have a lot still to build but look how much you've done. Just love the way this is going ...... superb attention to detail.

 

As to the taut wire gear .........................

                                                                     a piece of cake after the wheelhouse. Don't get bogged with the detail. Just start at a point and build from there.

You can do it, we all know you can

 

Kev