1/72 HMS Brave Borderer

[JohnWS]

I was hoping to have the new main deck installed for this update, but I ran into a detour. 🚧  

 

I was doing a little more research & found that Brave Borderer had three rudders, as opposed to the two rudders included with the Perkasa model kit.  Unfortunately, what I thought would be an easy addition of the third rudder turned into a time consuming domino project.  The kit rudders & the additional third rudder could not be relocated as the new rudder locations interfered with the location of the three kit propellers.  So, the kit propellers had to moved forward to give more room for the three rudders.  This resulted in having to reshape the outboard 'shaft logs' (where the prop shafts enter the hull), and scratch building & relocating the centre shaft log.  Also, in addition to having holes & cavities in the hull after moving the rudders & props, I found a number of molded indents in the hull surface, as well.  All these indents, holes & cavities needed to be filled, as shown below.

 

 

I couldn't find a photo or detailed drawing showing the actual rudder & propeller shaft locations, but I did find a sketch of a side view of BB that included the rudders & propellers.  I used this sketch to estimate the actual locations, as close as possible. Finally, new propeller shaft supports needed to be scratch built.

 

Here's where I'm at today;

 

Now maybe, just maybe, I'll have the new main deck made ... and attached to the hull ... for my next update.  Keep your fingers crossed. 🤞

 

Thanks again for looking in.

 

John

Edited August 21, 2019 by JohnWS

[Courageous]

It was worth the wait, well done John.

For me, I'll be putting my effort (whenever that is ) on a sea base.

 

Stuart

[beefy66]

You may think you have not done much but I can see an awful lot has gone into all the alterations here  

 

beefy

[robgizlu]

Time well spent IMHO

Looking Pukka

Rob

[longshanks]

You are certainly going to town on this build John

 

I salute your fine efforts to date 

 

Kev

[JohnWS]

Thanks everyone for your comments & support!

 

There's been more work going into modifying the Perkasa parts than I originally anticipated.  Having said that, it's still nice to be able to continue to re-use/recycle the old kit.  Once I get the new deck in place (and the end of summer is in sight), the build should start moving a little quicker.

 

... and thanks Rob.  You've added a new word to my vocabulary.  A bonus! 

 

John

[Murdo]

22 hours ago, JohnWS said:

I was hoping to have the new main deck installed for this update, but I ran into a detour. 🚧  

 

I was doing a little more research & found...

 

Aye. Ain't that always the way of it.

 

Unfortunately, once found you simply cannot ignore it. It will just drive you nuts if you don't change it cos you'll always know...          

 

 

[Ripaman]

Its all in the small details John 

 

Regards

Richard

[Chewbacca]

Looking good.

 

It made me wonder though, why, if the Perkasa class was ordered after the Braves, why Vospers would choose to remove a rudder and thus producing a less effective system since rudders are generally more effective if in line with the shafts.  Whilst I didn't find the answer, I did find this page which I presume you have seen before: https://kdperkasa/Home/the-real-boat/the-les-brown-page.  Lots of information about the design of the Braves from someone who worked on them at Vospers

[stevehnz]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

I did find this page which I presume you have seen before

I'm going to have to blame you for me spending the last last reading stuff I googled about clench nails, just fascinating.

Steve.

[beefy66]

1 hour ago, stevehnz said:

I'm going to have to blame you for me spending the last last reading stuff I googled about clench nails, just fascinating.

Steve.

You and me both I thought clenched nails was for something totally different 

 

beefy 

[stevehnz]

Gawd but google can be dangerous, Brave Challenger, ex Mercury, Danish Braves that I was not aware of, a real voyage of discovery. Just brilliant.

Steve.

Edited August 25, 2019 by stevehnz

[Terry1954]

Now you have all got me at it!

Terry

[JohnWS]

7 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

... why Vospers would choose to remove a rudder ....

I haven't been able to find the answer, either.    I originally wondered if it was just a Tamiya thing.  Tamiya designed the Perkasa model to accept optional batteries & an electric motor to drive the centre propeller.  Edit - But, photos of the actual boat show Perkasa with 2 rudders.

 

7 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I presume you have seen before: https://kdperkasa/Home/the-real-boat/the-les-brown-page.  Lots of information about the design of the Braves from someone who worked on them at Vospers

Yes, I came across this during my search for information.  I've found the information I've been able to accumulate on the Braves has been fascinating.  Unfortunately, it's one of those subjects where 'the more you know, the more you don't know'.  I'm surprised that for such special boats (unique design & propulsion, fastest warship of it's time, Borderer attacked & damaged, etc.), there's not more detailed information available on the web.

 

John

Edited August 25, 2019 by JohnWS

[Courageous]

I have to agree with what the fellas have been saying, good find 'cos I didn't find it when I went looking.

 

Stuart

[JohnWS]

2 hours ago, Courageous said:

I have to agree with what the fellas have been saying, good find 'cos I didn't find it when I went looking.

 

Stuart

Same here, Stuart.  I only found that link when I decided to search for information about Perkasa.  It didn't show up in any of my Brave searches.

 

John

[Chewbacca]

19 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Gawd but google can be dangerous, Brave Challenger, ex Mercury, Danish Braves that I was not aware of, a real voyage of discovery. Just brilliant.

Steve.

I knew about the Solovens as I had flown against them in Exercise BaltOps 87 but had no idea they were based on the same design as the Braves; I'd assumed they were a Danish design.  I remember trying to get into a missile firing position on one of them and taking an absolute age as she was running away from me at 40+ knots and we were heading into a 20 knot headwind. 

[seadog]

15 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

I knew about the Solovens as I had flown against them in Exercise BaltOps 87 but had no idea they were based on the same design as the Braves; I'd assumed they were a Danish design.  I remember trying to get into a missile firing position on one of them and taking an absolute age as she was running away from me at 40+ knots and we were heading into a 20 knot headwind. 

Nice! As I understand it the last couple of fast boats, Cutlass and Sabre, were used to simulate small boat attacks on our larger ships;;;totally under the radar and embarrassed a few ships... My feeling is that there's still a place for small heavily armed boats lie the Braves. We have almost no coastal craft from what I hear.

[Chewbacca]

The RN currently has 2 Scimitar class FPBs based in Gibraltar, SCIMITAR and SABRE.  But they are derivatives of the Archer Class P2000 patrol boats with bigger engines and at max chat are only around 30 knots.  The tender was out last year for their replacement and I think a contract has now been placed.  The new ships will be faster.

 

the replacements for the Braves were the last SCIMITAR, SABRE and CUTLASS which formed the Portland Training Squadron in the 1970s.  They were based on the cheaper Ferocity design with just 2 gas turbines and an all wood construction which limited them to about 40 knots.  One of them, SABRE, hit the breakwater at Alderney at 30 knots in fog in July 1980, I believe with the unqualified Midshipman as Officer of the Watch.  There are some photos here:  http://www.bmpt.co.uk/hms-sabre_topic203_page3.html.  I'm not sure if this helped shape the decision to withdraw them from service but they were quickly laid up just after this and sold the following year.

 

The last true FPB that the RN operated was HMS TENACITY.  She was a Vospers' private venture design based on the Brave design but stretched to 144 foot long, 3 Proteus gas turbines and used mainly for fishery protection duties from 1972 to 1985.  More details here: http://www.bmpt.org.uk/other_boats_history/Tenacity/index.htm

[seadog]

When I was working on the old Ile de Serk - Island Commodore as she was then, we were overtaken by one of them taking the Lt. Governor to Alderney this was in '69. We were lumbering along at somewhere between 8 and 10 knots when she shot past....Cart Horse and Race Horse or what!

Tenacity was a very handsome vessel.

[Courageous]

9 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

The last true FPB that the RN operated was HMS TENACITY.  She was a Vospers' private venture design based on the Brave design but stretched to 144 foot long, 3 Proteus gas turbines and used mainly for fishery protection duties from 1972 to 1985.

Has anybody produced drawings, a hull, etc for that race horse I wonder?

 

Stuart

[JohnWS]

Time for another update.

 

I've been able to get a couple of things completed.

 

First, I added six hinges to the trim control flap at the stern.  As these are located below the waterline, I wasn't able to find any photos of these parts so I improvised using line drawings found on the 'net.

 

 

Second, I made a display stand for the model using a piece of 1"x2" oak wood trim.

 

 

And finally, the main deck, made from 1 mm thick Evergreen plastic card, was glued to the modified Perkasa hull.  The deck's camber & sheer were made by heating up the plastic card before cutting it to size & then carefully bending it over a piece of round wooden dowel to achieve the required lateral & longitudinal curves.  The finished deck was reinforced with lateral curved supports cut from plastic card, and a piece of 1/4" square wood cut to the length of the deck and bent to match the longitudinal sheer curve.  Both the plastic & wood supports were glued to the underside of the deck using CA glue.  I drilled two small holes in the deck to allow the CA glue fumes to escape.  These holes will be covered later by the superstructure.

 

 

I'm excited to have the deck finished so I can start adding the tiny (breakable) hull details & begin working on the boat's superstructure.

 

So, here's what the hull looks like today;

 

 

 

 

One additional teaser photo showing the deck drawing & the 3D printed Bofors guns placed on the model's deck.

 

 

Thanks for looking.

 

John

 

 

 

 

 

[longshanks]

Congratulations on reaching this important stage

Looking forward to seeing your baby blossom   

 

One detail I have to mention is the base. Nice though it is, is it not a bit top heavy. i.e. libel to fall over.

 

Kev

[robgizlu]

Looking good - like the look of that Bofors!

Rob

[JohnWS]

4 hours ago, longshanks said:

... One detail I have to mention is the base. Nice though it is, is it not a bit top heavy. i.e. libel to fall over.

Hi Kev.  The base should be okay.  The oak is heavy and seems to anchor the model well.

 

I'll be putting the BB model in a display case that has a larger wood base. The model's base will be attached to the display case with a wood screw, similar to my other builds.

 

e.g.

 

John