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ML196 Fairmile B - Landing Craft Control


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On 5/6/2017 at 5:59 PM, longshanks said:

Not got my references handy but I'm thinking some of the stanchions are pipes, query scratch build supplemented by Paul's etch stanchions. You're the man whose been there, does it sound feasible

 

Kev

 

Definitely, though for convenience sake - etched sets fitted to match are the answer for the superstructure railings.  £60 for the 2 Eduad sets is still a tall order.

Rob

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Hi Rob, I've just being having a prowl through your thread, I'll be keeping an eye out for sure. The photo of the preserved one early on reminded me of the boat we used to do our "Greek Cruise" on in the early 80s, when I was driving camping tours around Europe, a converted B class ML as far as I knew. We used to go out from Piraeus where interestingly there was a fairly anonymous D-boat moored in an adjacent berth to ours. I've long wondered what happened to both of these boats.

Steve.

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I've been checking out the 40mm Bofors.  I shall be watching that scratchbuilt with interest

 

Somewhere I have a White ensign 40mm bofors in 1/72 tucked away.

Failing that there are plastic 1/72  guns which could be tarted up....

 

2 hours ago, robgizlu said:

 £60 for the 2 Eduad sets is still a tall order

 

Think I'll wait and see what L'Arsenal is going for. I already have their 20mm Oerlikons and they are sublime

 

Kev

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On 5/8/2017 at 10:27 AM, stevehnz said:

Hi Rob, I've just being having a prowl through your thread, I'll be keeping an eye out for sure. The photo of the preserved one early on reminded me of the boat we used to do our "Greek Cruise" on in the early 80s, when I was driving camping tours around Europe, a converted B class ML as far as I knew. We used to go out from Piraeus where interestingly there was a fairly anonymous D-boat moored in an adjacent berth to ours. I've long wondered what happened to both of these boats.

Steve.

 

Hi Steve - that is fascinating and it really is a reminder how close we still are in time to this history.  These would probably be 24th Flotilla boats and considering how hard they were driven in the war it's testament to their construction that so many survived.  Most of the "short" Vosper boats were signed off after only a couple of active years duty due to the fatigue issues and many broke their backs being driven into heavy seas.

 

Rob

 

On 5/8/2017 at 0:37 PM, longshanks said:

Think I'll wait and see what L'Arsenal is going for. I already have their 20mm Oerlikons and they are sublime

 

Kev

 

They are!

 

Rob

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Hi,

There  is  another  photo  showing  half  of  the  lattice  gantry  and  part  of  the  bridge  on  the  IWM  website.

 

It  is  photo  A 23871,  Officers  transferring  to  an  MTB  from  HMS  Bulolo,  the  headquarters  ship  of  Commodore  C  E  Douglas-Pennant,  naval  commander  of  Assault  Force  G,  6  June  1944.     Link  to  photo  http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205155906

 

The  photos  of  the  Taut  Wire  Measuring  Gear  you  show  are  of  the  Mk 1  equipment  which  was  not  the  one  used  on  the  ML.  The  Mk 1  had  140  miles  of  wire  and  is  a  lot  larger  and  heavier  than  the  Mk 2  which  had  9  miles  of  wire.

 

Unfortunately  I  have  yet  to  find  any  photos  of  the  Mk 2  equipment.  I  have  seen  a  couple  that  may  show  it  in  place  but  the  equipment  has  a  canvas  cover  over  it  so  cannot  be  100%  sure.

 

The  Mk 2  TWMG  is  approximately  2ft  long  and  18  inches  wide

 

Photos  A 10436,  A 10449  and  A 27052  on  the  IWM  website  show  the  Mk 1  140  mile  TWMG  in  use.

 

Regards

 

Danny

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19 hours ago, Danny L said:

Hi,

There  is  another  photo  showing  half  of  the  lattice  gantry  and  part  of  the  bridge  on  the  IWM  website.

 

It  is  photo  A 23871,  Officers  transferring  to  an  MTB  from  HMS  Bulolo,  the  headquarters  ship  of  Commodore  C  E  Douglas-Pennant,  naval  commander  of  Assault  Force  G,  6  June  1944.     Link  to  photo  http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205155906

 

The  photos  of  the  Taut  Wire  Measuring  Gear  you  show  are  of  the  Mk 1  equipment  which  was  not  the  one  used  on  the  ML.  The  Mk 1  had  140  miles  of  wire  and  is  a  lot  larger  and  heavier  than  the  Mk 2  which  had  9  miles  of  wire.

 

Unfortunately  I  have  yet  to  find  any  photos  of  the  Mk 2  equipment.  I  have  seen  a  couple  that  may  show  it  in  place  but  the  equipment  has  a  canvas  cover  over  it  so  cannot  be  100%  sure.

 

The  Mk 2  TWMG  is  approximately  2ft  long  and  18  inches  wide

 

Photos  A 10436,  A 10449  and  A 27052  on  the  IWM  website  show  the  Mk 1  140  mile  TWMG  in  use.

 

Regards

 

Danny

 

Danny,  many, many Thanks.  I'm hugely indebted for those finds.  The new pic of the Fairmile B is wonderful!!!  I'd found the first 2 pics of the Mk1 gear but hadn't seen A27052.

I love the research aspect of modelling older craft.  The IWM collection really s a treasure trove though not brilliantly catalogued.  I should have searched on "HMS Bulolo"

 

With due acknowledgment to the IWM collection and object 205155906 - here's the pic the Fairmile B alongside the support ship for Landing Craft Control ships HMS Bulolo

 

large_000000_zpshdpbvem4.jpg

 

It shows the gantry in excellent detail together with the Hotchkiss  pounder f'wrd.  This is the best view of the 3 pounder I've ever seen.  The smoke stack with it's surrounding stayed protective  cover within the gantry is useful as is the detail of the locker "clutter" within.  Fantastic pic!!

 

And here's HMS Bulolo the support ship...

 

Bulolo-war-1_zps5oqheywm.jpg

 

Thanks again Danny, and welcome to Britmodeller as I see this was your first post.

 

Rob

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I initially thought I'd physically "plank" the deck, but realised that I'd need £25+ of Plastruct strip.  It was tempting to get a uniformity of plank width.

The other broad alternative was to scribe - I began by drawing a straight line down the middle of the deck and measuring off increments drawing lines at 45 degrees to the centre line and "drawing" off each line.

 

DSCF7838_zpshanca2gn.jpg

 

Sadly an accumulation of error plus the slightly curved nature of the deck made this inaccurate by 15cm in:worry:

So it was back to first priniciples with a protractor and measuring 45 for each and every line:rage:

 

DSCF7840_zpsodeur3ee.jpg

 

The drawing took several hours - the scribing itself about 90 minutes.  Is it worth while?   Time will tell,  but wash will bring out the deck and I hope it will give it some character.

 

DSCF7844_zpsrvqllfyz.jpg

 

DSCF7845_zpsqtll5imn.jpg

 

And here it is scribed with the pencil lead washed off....

 

DSCF7848_zpslzhldr3e.jpg

 

And today's other task was to build another gantry.  Careful inspection of Danny's pic from IWM is fascinating.  The lattice had diagonals that ran on the outside with crossed supports behind.  strengthening plates sat in between the 2 diagonals.  They weren't flush like I modelled in my previous effort.

I picked up some Coastal Craft etched plates from the Gloucester show yesterday that willfeature

 

DSCF7842_zpsq2whgk8r.jpg

 

And so with a well worn procedure.................

 

DSCF7843_zpsp2clkrl2.jpg

 

 

DSCF7846_zps85qpnjwx.jpg

 

The comparison pic shows how much this differs from my previous effort

 

DSCF7847_zpslxeddvri.jpg

 

The good news is that there are just fewer "bits":winkgrin:

 

And I stuck the deck down to the hull which was frantic as I used 5min epoxy.  I'll know better not to next time.

Thanks for looking

 

Rob

 

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Rob your second gantry looks much stronger than the first with the added plates will have to remember to get myself some of those for another build  :book:

 

beefy

 

 

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Thanks Kev, EJS and Beefy.

 

I trimmed the deck back and sanded it flush - messy but made very easy with these excellent heavy duty sanding pads from Modelling Tools.

 

DSCF7854_zpsgoa2wpc7.jpg

 

 

I'm waiting for some Plastruct strip to fit a rubbing strip.  So I got on with the 3 pounder Gun platform

 

DSCF7849_zpsaog7knfc.jpg

 

 

DSCF7850_zps3sm8obyr.jpg

 

 

DSCF7852_zpsjkadn3ir.jpg

 

Which turned out OK.

 

DSCF7855_zpsom0yhxao.jpg

 

 

And then I began the superstructure.  This is my first real attempt at scratch building structures.  I read about one of these and bought it for a couple of pounds.  it's a tailors rule and what a difference it makes to cutting.  I use the Trumpeter scribing tool which seems to work really well

 

DSCF7856_zpsiih3j3qf.jpg

 

 

And in an afternoon of much measuring and cursing, the cutting out turned out to be comparatively painless

 

DSCF7857_zpsuhrueo97.jpg

 

I'm beginning to measure out the deck furniture

 

DSCF7858_zpsskssyzcl.jpg

 

it actually feels like progress is being made.

Thanks for looking

Rob

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Rob can you tell us where you got the tailors rule from might have to invest in one of those  :book:

 

Deck and band stand are coming along very well a lot of progress I would say  :yes:

 

beefy

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I'm sure all the effort with the decking will certainly be worth the investment in time, and there is no substitution for total precision for this kind of work to look right - the build so far looks spot on.

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21 hours ago, beefy66 said:

Rob can you tell us where you got the tailors rule from might have to invest in one of those  :book:

beefy

 

Hi Beefy,

 

Metal Safety Cutting ruler

 

It really is useful IMHO, as is using a scriber to "cut" (especially thicker >0.5mm) plastic.

HTH

Rob

On 5/19/2017 at 7:56 PM, longshanks said:

Beautiful clean job on the gun platform. That deck is looking the biz, well worth the effort.

 

Superstructure looks like its going to fall together (got my fingers crossed for you ;) )

 

14 hours ago, Rob 1 said:

I'm sure all the effort with the decking will certainly be worth the investment in time, and there is no substitution for total precision for this kind of work to look right - the build so far looks spot on.

 

Thanks Guys.

The hard bit is the front of the coach house, coming up soon (I hope!)

 

Rob

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Onward progress......

 

DSCF7859_zpsss3e85rh.jpg

 

DSCF7860_zpspeinfbxf.jpg

 

DSCF7861_zpsy9lyy31f.jpg

 

DSCF7862_zpsaixrgtns.jpg

 

DSCF7863_zps3gcjcukd.jpg

 

DSCF7864_zps83xck45p.jpg

 

DSCF7865_zpspbc1qkqf.jpg

 

DSCF7866_zps1ip9jugi.jpg

 

DSCF7867_zpswqpk2kye.jpg

 

It's actually starting to look like a boat!

 

DSCF7868_zps3mk79as0.jpg

 

 

And as an aside, I just received these from Mark Hawkins of 3 D Boats at Shapeways - 3 D Boats

 

 

 

DSCF7872_zpsdui4ulcs.jpg

 

 

Mark made me the 2 pounders from the John Lambert drawings in "Allied Coastal Forces of WW2" and superb they are too!.  They'll come for the HDML build pending.  The 3 Pounder gun is also a delight and will feature on my next Fairmile B build - ML188.  4 are very generously supplied.  The final items are the Ovoid Rafts that feature prominently in wartime pics of MGBs/MTBs/MLs and HDMLs.  Coastal Craft do the rectangle and "traditional"  (Flower Class etc) Carley floats (also ovoid and in reality they don't seem to feature so prominently on the smaller boats).  Mark very kindly made these up - a damn sight easier than Scratching!!!  His work is superb and he now has a very large number of 1/72 offerings - Check them out!!!

 

DSCF7874_zpsearhv2ps.jpg

 

Thanks for looking

Rob

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I meant to say last time your radar tower is a huge improvement on the Mk1, no where near the bulk!

 

Come on spill the beans how did you accomplish that look with the companionway cover

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing the 3D printing with a coat of paint

 

As you said starting to look ship shape now

 

Kev

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I've designed a number of 3D prints for the 1/72nd scale Revell Flower Class. The parts need soaking overnight in soapy water to remove the residue of the wax used to support the resin as it is printed. it also needs exposure to UV light(either a lamp or direct sunlight outside) to totally cure the resin.

 

If these are done they paint up OK. If the UV light is not done they can go a bit spotty over time.

 

Link to my Flower build -

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234961252-my-revell-flower-hms-heather/

 

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3 hours ago, Niall said:

I've designed a number of 3D prints for the 1/72nd scale Revell Flower Class. The parts need soaking overnight in soapy water to remove the residue of the wax used to support the resin as it is printed. it also needs exposure to UV light(either a lamp or direct sunlight outside) to totally cure the resin.

 

If these are done they paint up OK. If the UV light is not done they can go a bit spotty over time.

 

Link to my Flower build -

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234961252-my-revell-flower-hms-heather/

 

 

Hi Niall - I name checked you in Stew's Corvette thread  http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235021884-revell-ex-matchbox-172-flower-class-corvette/

 

I took some "High" depth charge rails off you and they are a thing of wonder and beauty

 

DSCF7268_zps6cmnpgai.jpg

 

DSCF7267_zpsdt6icv2d.jpg

 

DSCF7269_zps6g3sjtyy.jpg

 

 

DSCF7270_zps8olpn2cc.jpg

 

DSCF7272_zpswokeeyzc.jpg

 

This is all for my Corvette build of HMS Mignonette when I retire:yes:

 

I think your stuff is fab - I set it out in sunlight for the UV but I've not soaked overnight - thanks for that.

I've really admired your HMS Heather

Regards

Rob

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I wish Niall or Mark Hawkins did a late version 3 pounder on a Mk V mountng.  They don't so it's scratch time.

Pictures of this version are few and far between.  it was the earlier 3 pounder with the recoil mechs boxed in, creating a slightly more compact design.

Here's about the best pic available....

 

Scan0223_zpse3xwboim.jpg

 

I tried a shield before starting this build and melted the corner trying to bend it with a hair dryer

 

DSCF7875_zpsobqauxmp.jpg

 

The 6 pounder done by Coastal Craft was only slightly bigger - so using some simple John Lambert drawings and using the 6 pounder as a comparator I got to here

 

DSCF7876_zpscqqxexdu.jpg

 

DSCF7877_zpsytj7gprl.jpg

 

DSCF7878_zps9044bdoz.jpg

 

DSCF7879_zpstprthuzo.jpg

 

DSCF7880_zpsraq58axs.jpg

 

DSCF7881_zpsc3p8chvi.jpg

 

DSCF7883_zps848qruq3.jpg

 

And here's my heartfelt support for Beefy - taking all that flak in the week over rivets!!!  I'm WITH you Beefy:yes:

 

DSCF7882_zpsdd12cnb3.jpg

 

And I think they are Fab!!!

 

DSCF7884_zps6zqnveof.jpg

 

Now to join the shield to the gun:worry:

 

And her's just a quick shot to show size comparison with the earlier 3 Pounder on a Mk 1 mounting.  One of Al Gunthwaite's excellent figure s is there to give scale

 

DSCF7886_zps5msgbca6.jpg

 

Thanks for looking guys

Rob

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