Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 26 Posted June 26 This one has a personal connection. I have mentioned many times on BM about my childhood holidays. From being a young child the family used to go to Fleetwood for summer holidays. I loved them! We used to stay in the Grosvenor Hotel which was directly opposite the railway station. I could look out of my hotel window and see trains!!! How cool is that?!?!? The Grosvenor was at the north end of the esplanade. At the southern end was a Sea Scouts station. They had a Hawker Sea Hawk on display. You could even sit in the cockpit. Okay, it was very dilapidated and had been painted with a spurious colour that was suspiciously like the Dulux pukey green that my grandparents had painted their outhouse, but to a ten year old it was so cool!!! Halfway along the esplanade was a boating lake - but it was a boating lake for model boats! Right next door was a little cafe where they did milkshakes - and they put ice cream in the milkshake! Fleetwood holidays were like visiting Utopia!!! However, by far the best part of Fleetwood was the trams... I mean, who doesn't love trams? South (if memory serves) of the pier was the lifeboat station. This was open to the public and it was amazing to go in and see the lifeboat itself. The station was on the level of the prom and had a long slipway which would launch the lifeboat on a callout. There used to be a lifeboat launch every week as a training exercise, which was publicised and always drew crowds. A lifeboat launch was always spectacular and to a young lad it was like something out of Thunderbirds! So, I thought it might be nice to pay tribute to my wonderful childhood holidays and build a representation of the Fleetwood lifeboat, RNLB Ann Letitia Russell. 11
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 26 Author Posted June 26 24 minutes ago, Enzo the Magnificent said: build a representation of the Fleetwood lifeboat, RNLB Ann Letitia Russell. You may have noticed that I said representation. This won't be an accurate model as the "kit" I am using is a generic lifeboat and station. However, I hope to build something that is quite nostalgic. Also, it will be a bit of a challenge. This will be made from card in N scale, 1/148. From Scalescenes. Some of you who have watched my recent descent into obsession with card kits will not be in the least bit surprised by this! https://scalescenes.com/product/t040a-lifeboat/?v=7885444af42e https://scalescenes.com/product/t040b-lifeboat-station/?v=7885444af42e The station is easy-ish. The boat is a bit of a challenge. I have built a Scalescenes boat before and know what the challenges are so hopefully I can improve my skills on this one. As this project is a huge exercise in nostalgia, I cannot guarantee that there won't be the odd diversion here and there. I occasionally buy vintage postcards of Fleetwood from evilbay. If I can find a way to copy these, I'll post them here. Then, there is the story of The Elephants. 8 3
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 26 Author Posted June 26 49 minutes ago, Enzo the Magnificent said: We used to stay in the Grosvenor Hotel The Grosvenor was part of Queen's Terrace which was designed by Decimus Burton. At the time, the Grosvenor was the second gable from the right in the photo. These days, Queen's Terrace has been converted into luxury flats. About five years ago I had the opportunity to buy one of those flats. The chance to live in a place that made such an impact on my childhood was almost irresistible. However, the move would have wiped out most of my savings so I (regretfully at the time) declined the opportunity. Given the way the global economy has gone since then, it was a wise decision but I still think back fondly to what might have been. Courtesy of Wikipedia More about Decimus Burton https://www.visitfleetwood.info/about/history/decimus-burton/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimus_Burton 4
Graham Boak Posted June 26 Posted June 26 No nostalgia for you of course but the current boat is a Shannon and Airfix provide a sheet with all the names for the fleet. Mine will be St. Annes' Barbara Anne. 2
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 26 Author Posted June 26 3 minutes ago, Graham Boak said: No nostalgia for you of course but the current boat is a Shannon and Airfix provide a sheet with all the names for the fleet. Mine will be St. Annes' Barbara Anne. Two lifeboats in this GB? How cool is that?!?!?
Graham Boak Posted June 26 Posted June 26 My Shannon, not an entry in the build. Sorry, but the chances of finishing it in the time is next to nil. 1
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 26 Author Posted June 26 31 minutes ago, Graham Boak said: My Shannon, not an entry in the build. Sorry, but the chances of finishing it in the time is next to nil. I'd still like to see it when it's finished.
marvinneko Posted June 27 Posted June 27 Loved your last card built boat. You and @CliffB's paper bus inspired me to lose myself in a cardstock ship. I'm not sure if I should say thanks or 1 4
CliffB Posted June 27 Posted June 27 What a fabulous project Enzo. Good luck and enjoy. Whilst I've never been to Fleetwood, many of your recollections chimed with the seaside holidays that I was having elsewhere Cheers 1
psdavidson Posted June 27 Posted June 27 I always loved the lifeboat stations Portpatrick had one next to a crazy golf course with a very steep hill 1
Enzo the Magnificent Posted June 27 Author Posted June 27 Well, I'm surprised! In the first post of this thread I mentioned north and south. I was always convinced that Fleetwood faces the sea to the west. Having looked at Google maps, I can now see that's not so. It actually faces north. Even stranger, Queen's Terrace faces east! The pier is gone as well. It caught fire in 2008 and was so badly damaged that it had to be demolished. 2 2
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 2 Author Posted July 2 On 27/06/2025 at 18:48, psdavidson said: I always loved the lifeboat stations Portpatrick had one next to a crazy golf course with a very steep hill I've just looked Portpatrick lifeboat station up on the Google. That's a very picturesque building. It's now got me thinking how I can replicate it in card... Also, that Shannon-class lifeboat looks like it's not messing about. It certainly means business. 1
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 12 Author Posted July 12 Here are the "parts". It seems that I haven't printed out the sheets for the station so I'll just work on the boat until I do. 7
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 13 Author Posted July 13 The main keel and the hull sections cut out from thick card. On the right is a nice assembly jig which will be very helpful. 8
danbuoy Posted July 19 Posted July 19 Just seen this, as I'm thinking of joining in this GB with one or two nautical builds (once I've finished my Vietnam Swift boat anyway). What a great build! I have a big interest in the RNLI and have a small diecast collection. I'm always impressed with the Severn class at Weymouth when we go there every year. Looking forward to seeing this come together. Have to say, I love that fishing boat scene you did! 1
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 19 Author Posted July 19 The laminations have been stuck together. I did a bit of filling and sanding as well. 7
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 24 Author Posted July 24 Right... I'm gonna put my hand up to a stupid mistake. An utterly stupid mistake. Having built a number of Scalescenes kits, I'm happy with the procedure of pasting the various sheets onto thin, medium or thick card. The instructions told me to paste the hull laminations onto thick card, so that's exactly what I did. So why did the hull turn out to be twice as tall as the keel??? That's because the thick card that I used is perfectly fine for OO Gauge, 1/76 scale. I had totally neglected the fact that I'm actually working in N Gauge, 1/148 scale. Of course, the instructions clearly point this out, but who reads instructions...? The beauty of Scalescenes kits is that if you mess something up, you can simply print out another sheet and get it right next time. So that's what I've done. In the meantime, I've been building the internal structure of the boathouse foundations - using the correct gauge card this time. 6 1
Mjwomack Posted July 24 Posted July 24 19 minutes ago, Enzo the Magnificent said: Of course, the instructions clearly point this out, but who reads instructions...? Exactly! And you can spare the paper and ink in the first place? 19 minutes ago, Enzo the Magnificent said: The beauty of Scalescenes kits is that if you mess something up, you can simply print out another sheet and get it right next time. So that's what I've done. It is that- love how they market them (or at least did as pay once, print often). Do wonder if you came perilously close to wearing the cheese that time though🤔
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 24 Author Posted July 24 8 minutes ago, Mjwomack said: Do wonder if you came perilously close to wearing the cheese that time though🤔 I always wear the cheese. It does not wear me. 2
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 28 Author Posted July 28 Once the foundation formers are assembled they make a very robust unit. Then comes the process of cladding the unit in various textures. 7
Enzo the Magnificent Posted July 30 Author Posted July 30 Comparing two hull halves. The one at the top uses card that is far too thick. The one at the bottom is much better. 6
Enzo the Magnificent Posted August 15 Author Posted August 15 This one is coming along slowly but steadily. There is a lot of work to be done. The worst part is the windows. These are printed onto paper and then the window frames are cut out with a sharp blade. The frames are then pasted onto clear film. It's a difficult job in 1/76 but it's even more difficult in 1/148! Scalescenes do actually sell packs of windows ready printed on clear film but not for this model. I am experimenting with easier options such as printing the windows directly on to the clear film. Keep an eye on the next Blitzbuild for further details... Here we have all the walls and the external steps ready for main assembly. 7
Dave Swindell Posted August 18 Posted August 18 On 15/08/2025 at 17:05, Enzo the Magnificent said: The worst part is the windows. These are printed onto paper and then the window frames are cut out with a sharp blade. The frames are then pasted onto clear film. Top tip with these - print onto cheap sticky label paper, cut one window from the sheet, peel and stick on the clear film, then with a new blade lightly cut the window outlines from one side of the window across to the other through the frames (don't try to cut individual panes) then lift the label paper covering each individual pane, which will leave the frames stuck to the clear film. You can then cut the window from the film sheet leaving sufficient outline to secure it behind the building window aperture. Cheap labels is key as they're not as sticky as quality ones, and doing one window at a time gives the label adhesive less time to form a strong bond. 1
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