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After a very long absence, I'm back building again!  The new house was a considerable refurbishment job, back to plaster and boards plus complete garden strip out so it took a little longer than I had hoped.  New workshop is on the top floor so for the first time, I'm not in a shed, nice to be warm...

 

I've been planning this thread during that time and I believe I've assembled enough information to do the subject justice, scratch-building the original 70ft Vosper MTB with a wooden hull and metal fittings as is my style, in 1:48th scale making a nice neat model 17.5 inches long.  Along the way I will produce my own drawing set for this type to 1:48th scale, available to anyone who wants copies.  1:48th scale naval crew figures are available on Shapeways so it can be populated

 

Now the challenge, volunteers needed...

 

And before anyone mentions it, I know the old joke  about the navy calling a volunteer, someone who misunderstood the question...."

 

I've long considered creating my own "bare" kits using my techniques for others could construct.  By "bare" I mean drawings and all the hard stuff will be supplied but basic materials (tube, strip wood etc) won't be

 

This relatively simple project is the first such kit I intend to develop and I'd love it if one or two others could follow me building their own copies and providing feedback.  This idea is that I'll do all the artwork, drawings, etc for etchings, laser cut and printed parts, anyone following with their own copy would only have to purchase the etched or laser cut copy.  3D drawing for the printed parts would be available for free, if you want me to print them, I'll take a small donation towards the cost of resin only.  This is certainly not about me making any money, its about seeing if I can produce the information and components for others to build museum quality wood and metal models.  Of course I will post the whole build here, but others following can also post their progress and reactions to the final form becomes a collaborative effort.

 

If no one joins in, I'll still carry on, but I felt it would be more fun if a few of us went through the journey together and I get direct feedback on what I can do better.  I realise that not everyone is into silver soldering so brass-etched assemblies will also be available as resin components.  Budget wise, I'm hoping those collaborators can get this done for around £100 all in spread over the next 6 months or so.  Any laser cut parts and etchings will benefit from my correcting my mistakes and re-doing the artwork (I make loads of mistakes) before other copies are made available.

 

The hull construction will be wood.   I intend to use 1/64th ply strips and double diagonal plank the hull.  I've done this once before, its actually easier than tapered planking and the same as the full size practice for this vessel.  No one need commit until I've shown this idea works

 

I've assembled the following reference material

 

DSCN2270

 

I have three plans, the John Lambert one, a 1991 plan from Model Shipwright with lines and this drawing from IWM that I believe the other two are based on

 

J9708

 

As this is a Vosper drawing, I'm using this as the master coupled with the lines from the model shipwright plan.  From these I will produce my own 1:48th scale drawings. 

 

This drawing is applicable to MTB's 31 - 40 only.  MTB57-66, 69-70 and 218-221 were also 70ft boats but the hatches and engine room vent look like they changed over time so I can't be sure the drawing is applicable to those.  If we assume it is, then MTB61 could be constructed which was a conversion into a MGB mounting 3 Breda cannons which looks very cool.  Depending on how purist you are, its probably close enough.  One distinctive feature of this drawing is the wheelhouse shape and the curved wind break as you can see clearly on these pictures of MTB34

 

MTB34b

 

MTB36

 

MTB74, the St Nazaire raid conversion, was a 72ft 6in boat, don't know where the lines were stretched for that sub-type.  It's a shame because that is a very cool looking one-off

 

Still Coastal Craft History vol 1 has colour renders of 32, 34 and 35.  For my model, I'm leaning to MTB34 as shown in the image below

 

mtb34c

 

So that is the plan.  Any one who fancies joining me on this little journey (wood for wood, metal for metal), reply in the thread or PM me

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

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Progress so far, here is the lines and frames drawing I've produced from the model shipwright lines and the Vosper drawing

 

vosper lines drawing

This prints as an A1 pdf at 1:48th scale and shows the outline of the boat and all the frame lines.  I've inserted two intermediate frames around the torpedo troughs to get that complex shape right.  This drawing actually took a long time as I had to keep comparing the longitudinal shape to the Vosper drawing.  Scanning small lines drawings and using them is problematic, but I feel after many iterations, this is very close to right. 

 

The hard lines on the frames are the cut lines, the dashed lines are the outer-hull shape after two layers of diagonal planking.  The planking could be 0.5 mm wood, but ply is probably stronger if a pain to cut.  The fish shaped pieces in the middle are side frames that lock the transvers frames to the keel and so keep everything straight and true.  They also act to support the diagonal planking.  The sheer and keel lines will be 2mm square lime and the frames have the alignment holes for the prop-shaft tubes.  The cut-out in the top of the keel is for the enclosed wheelhouse, which can be internally fitted and detailed a this scale.

 

This drawing has been converted into the odd green, red and blue drawing needed for laser cutting out of 1.6 mm ply (1ft by 2ft sheet) that is hopefully arriving on Monday.  Meanwhile I'm working on a second 0.8 mm laser cut ply sheet for the wheelhouse and deck, though the wheelhouse will probably be covered with etched brass sheet sides as the full size one was steel armour plating (and shows bolt detail) with a canvas covered plywood roof (I can do that to!).

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

 

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2 hours ago, Paul Bradley said:

My grandad was on MTB70 during the War

Paul,

 

Very cool, MTB70 was a 70ft Vosper boat, of this pattern, how can you not want to build it!  Surely I can temp you away from plastic this one time?

 

Anyway, let me show you how easy it is, then you can join in

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Your Granddad's boat, loading a torpedo at Felixstowe as part of the 4th MTB flotilla

 

THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

 

Note only one rudder shaft runs to the deck level for manual tiller attachment, the other one stops at the actuation arm.  Interesting the boat next to it has this detail on the starboard side while MTB70 has it on the port 

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$d laser cut sheet came back from 4d today, £50, not bad for the time saved and the accuracy achieved

 

This is it unwrapped

DSCN2274

 

Note my new workshop has a wall lined with a rubber coating that has a ferrous core so I can stick drawings up with magnets, little things make me happy...

 

And here it is 15 minutes later

 

DSCN2275

 

The journey begins...  I probably need a longitudinal on each side of the hull bottom beneath the chine and should have provided a slot for it (1mm x 2mm).  Once this is all glued up, I'll cut the slots by hand but will incorporate them in the artwork for any future builds. 

 

Still, at least the pieces fit and the shape looks right

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Sime assembly progress and a couple of mistakes found (sigh...)

 

First mistake, I forgot to allow for the tube that the stand pin will slot into.  I've not decided how to display the boat yet but if it is to be on pillars like the last few models, then it needs a pin tube for stability.  Also, I forgot to make a cut out in the upper keel for the engine room vent.  Again, I've not decided what to do there quite yet, but a lot of picture show the vent open and so if I do that, it needs to have an inside that disappears into the interior gloom 

 

Here is is with those corrected and the central prop shaft tube installed (which locks frame 😎

 

DSCN2276

 

However, more upsetting (or hurt to my ever diminishing pride...) is the fact that frame 4 was slightly wrong, the chine line is out by ~ 2mm (which doesn't sound a lot, actually huge...).  Hard to spot this on the lines as this is the first frame in the forward lines, it's too low and threw the chine line off.  Still sanding is a wonderful remedy  and the chine is now back to being reasonable.  The chine and sheer lines are done using 2 mm square lime wood.  Outer two prop tubes installed here as well.  there are 3/32" tubing, the prop shaft is 1/16th (3 inch full scale which looks right from the drawings.  The props will be Shapeways bronze castings as the last couple of models, hope to get that drawing off this week.  Note here the two short lengths of 6 mm sq lime keeping the transom square and reinforcing that half joint.

 

DSCN2278

 

This shot shows the sheer line timber and the top of the torpedo scallop.  These lines two meet just forward of frame 2

 

DSCN2277

 

From there I inserted some 0.5mm by 4 mm line planking to form the scallop.  reason for doing this first is that the hull planking needs to land on something, they will be sanded back once the planking is complete

 

DSCN2279

 

BTW, the frames forward of frame 1 will be solid, filled with Jelutong and sanded to shape the bow, no way to get that good enough with the planking at this size (well I'm not good enough to do it well anyway and know if I try, I won't be happy with the result)

 

Then I set in the stringer that breaks the span below the chine.  I wasn't confident drawing wise to get these slots right, but now I have the line, I can measure where they run and amend the drawing so the next time this will be easier

 

DSCN2280

 

So, a reasonable start combined with the inevitable glitches, tomorrow I plan start the 1st layer of the lower hull planking.

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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As ever the comments are too kind. 

 

Each time I try new things (and diagonal planking on a small hull like this is new to me) I have no instructions to follow, no build sequence and really clue if it will work or not...  Onward towards the unknown with fingers crossed and a tub of filler on the shelf :wink:  

 

As I've said in previous build threads, what I do is all quite rough and ready and full of mistakes.  The hope is that the final result has enough good stuff that it feels rather than looks realistic

 

Overnight, I've decided to switch from ply planking to lime 0.5 mm lime strip, the ply I tried was too stiff for the small hull, update later

 

Cheers

 

Steve

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Hi Steve,

 

A warm welcome back, with what looks like a fantastic project, I very much enjoy following you on these excursions, you say that your approach is "rough and ready" but we all know that everything is relative and if you really believe that, then you must be a brain surgeon in real life !!

I do rather have my hands full of aircraft carrier at the moment, but certainly at some future point I would love to tag along on one of your builds, the idea of using the real materials very much appeals, I feel I could learn a lot, you are after all really rather good at this !!!

 

Cheers

 

David

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25 minutes ago, Dancona said:

I feel I could learn a lot, you are after all really rather good at this !!!

 

That's very kind David..

It's my hope that I can inspire others to more a back to basics form of scratch-built ship modelling that opens up so many more vessels and scales than are available in kit form

Cheers

Steve

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Few hours planking, think its going OK with the 5mm x 0.5 mm lime strips

 

DSCN2282

 

I started in the middle, and worked my way towards both ends.  No need to be precise as the overage gets trimmed off easily

 

First lower side complete.  There are s few cracks, the planks are not glued to each other only to the frames.  At this scale the subtlety of the lower hull inner curves are not really coming out, but I doubt that will matter in the end

 

DSCN2284

 

Here is the bow section, it progresses quite quickly

 

DSCN2283

 

And here we are with it trimmed but still over size.  The side planking will land against this over stretch and then I'll sand it back

 

DSCN2285

 

I fitted the two bow blocks on the port side but then realised that without the foredeck, the bow shape would be undefined, to I cut the foredeck out and glued it in place (should have done that first...

 

DSCN2288

 

That provided the line for sanding the bow blocks, here they are after filling (I said I had a tub of filler...).  If you have it, may as well use it

 

DSCN2287

 

I also added some filler to the planks to make them more rigid and fill the cracks, this has had a rough sanding and is ready for the other side.  

 

So, not too hard, not too perfect, all about good enough.  Actually considering whether I need the second layer of planking, will see once the first is complete and sanded

 

Steve

 

 

 

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