Good progress has been made now, starting with the stanchions and handrails which are all fitted, soldered together and painted. I used 0.9mm steel wire to make the handrail to match the original model as closely as possible, threaded through the split pin heads. I've also fitted the radio gear, battery, speed controller, motor and sound system - all shown in the photo. The sound system is from Action Electronics and this is coupled with a 2" diameter waterproof speaker. The sound system offers switches to select different diesel engine configurations and four potentiometers to set volume, rev rate and two controls on the sound characteristics. I've selected a V12 diesel type and fiddled with the potentiometers until I was happy with the sound. The sound is somewhat muffled when the hatch is fitted over the speaker, but there is plenty of volume control to make sure it is audible.
Space is limited inside this size of model, so I had to mount the RX, speed controller and sound system on top of the battery. To do this I made a lightweight box for the battery from balsa offcuts and thin ply. The battery is an old 7.2V, 6 cell Nicad type which still has quite a bit of useful life. The 385 motor drives the prop shaft through a 2:1 ratio pulley set using thin O rings as drive belts. In order to tension the belts I have arranged space to fit plasticard spacers underneath the motor mount, with long brass screws used to clamp the motor mount down onto these spacers. The prlop is a 3-blade, 40mm diameter brass type.