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[Dan.Lord]

Hii All, I've just taken delivery of my Waveney Lifeboat the Scout, which I am going to Model as the "John Fison" which was the old Harwich lifeboat.
The kit its self is very nicely made, although the hull has some rough joins & they will need plenty of cleaning up. Still thats part of the fun
You get loads of white metal fittings, most of which are nice & clean, & well detailed too. 3 large 1:1 scale drawings, & a good manual. Also included  FOC is a book all about the Waveney, with many helpful pictures.
 Unfortinately the rubber fender that goes around the hull is missing, but I'll give David a ring tomorrow & get that sorted.
Anway the first step, as always is to make a stand, so thats where I'm off to now.
Here's a couple of pics of the original boat & the kit just out of the box. Cheers Dan.

[Dan.Lord]

Hi all, not been able to do much as yet, due to bending down to pick up a match stick & putting my back out   & hence forth being laid out flat   . Anyway, as now slightly more mobile, I thought I'd add an update.
Not all that much to see really, I've smoothed off the edges where the hull was moulded, to get a nice finish, a small amount of filler was required, but over all it was a good finish.
I've added the rudder tubes, & used a bit of wood to secure them & fitted the prop shafts & "A" frames, again a simple job, a part from drilling the frames to take a brass bush for the shafts, this had to be done very carefully, as the white metal was quite thin & easliy chewed up. Got there in the end though.
A template is supplied to get the edge of the hull the correct shape & this as also been sanded to suit. I'm now wating for a pair of Brass propellers to arrive & a couple of rudder tiller arms & couplings to fit the motors in place.
Also I've got some new decals for the name & number, as I'm doing a different boat to the Scout, I got these made especially by Barry, who also makes several sets for different lifeboat types, as well as pretty much anything you require. here's a link to his site.

http://www.modellettering.com/

More to come as back allows. Cheers Dan.

[typhoon]

look forward to your updates as i am looking to build this kit after i have finished my mersey class. all the best.

[nemesis]

Hallo, Please be aware that the white line is not the waterline, the waterline is about a foot below. It is because it would get dirty when lying afloat. Also you may find that it is weight sensitive, so make it as light as you can, good luck,   Nemesis

[fatcat123]

as for the weight,

I need 5kg of ballast in the bow to make her sit right. she still gets on the plain mind.

dan

[Dan.Lord]

Hi All, backs a fair bit better now  , so I've been able to get a few bits done.  Firstly the rudder tiller arms & the motors arrived, then eventually the couplings also turned up 11 days after ordering them  . Brass props arrived too, unfortunately they were drilled out for 5mm thread & I'd asked for 4mm, so they've had to go back, no problem though, as don't need them for the build, just nice to have them ready. Should be back by early next week 
Anyway fitted rudder servo etc, with a couple of blocks of wood, & also fitted the motors. With these jobs done I could turn my attention to the deck beams , cabin coamings & decks.
The instructions are a bit vague regarding where to fit the end pieces on the moulded decks, so I had to hope for the best, as several measurements for the main beams etc come from them. Once I'd got round to thinking the way they are written, things seemed to go quite well, with front & rear coamings fitted first, & then the middle beam last to fit the well deck. Measurements are given, but as said if the front & rear are slightly out things will go south very quickly, so I cut out one side of the main deck, to make sure the well deck section was correct, which to my amazement it was 
On the well deck, two large holes had to be cut out to accept white metal "hatch covers" I found the easiest & most accurate way was to drill several small holes all around & then sand to fit. was quite easy in the end.
Last pic shows one side of the main deck laid on to get some inspiration  Still needs lots of sanding & final fitting though. Cheers Dan.
PS. As Fatcat says, it's going to need lots of ballast, so I don't think weight problems should arise during the build. This is a big kit indeed.

[Dan.Lord]

Added some detailing to the inner hull, at the well deck area, to simulate the hull ribs. Also got both the main deck sections fitted over the last few days. These were cut from printed 1.5mm styrene sheet, as normal. The printing was pretty accurate, with only a small amount of sanding & filling required. I did cut them slightly over size to be on the safe side, but as said they were pretty good.
Anyway once fitted I gave any edges & gaps a light skim of filler, & made good all. Two small strips of 1mm styrene were then added around the well deck edge to finish it off. Where the hull rises at the front by the wheel house & stern by the survivors cabin, this needs smoothing off, as it's the rough matting & is visible, so instead of filler I super glued some very thin styrene sheet over the top & trimmed to size once dry, quick & very good results.
The hull is now solid & feels very strong, with no twisting etc. Pleased with the results so far  Also correct props have arrived so thats a bonus 
More to come Cheers Dan.

[fatcat123]

Looking good Dan,

Im almost re-living my scout build seeing your build. It took me ages to get to the stage your at. I tend to sit and look a things for days and prepare little bits here and there.

So when can we expect to see her first test run? Have you had the boat in the bath yet on full power? lol

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Hi all, Been busy again !! Fitted the rubber fender backing strips along the hull, & added some thin strip on the upper edge of the hull where the hull sides go up the the main front & rear decks. These have to be sanded to a roundish shape to simulate the round pipe that is on the original, this was pretty easy, but rather dusty !! I finished it off with some modelling filler to clean up any edges etc.
Next job was to fit the rear cabin. This has to be cut out as it has a lot of waste fibreglass from the moulding process attached. I was lucky to have a small airsaw that made the inital cutting easy, otherwise it would have to be a hacksaw. Next it needed lots of gental sanding to get a good fit,which took ages, but got a prety good fit in the end.
looks good to see a bit of superstructure going on  .
Also drilled several holes around the hull for various fittings, which will be fitted once painted. Exhausts etc.

[fatcat123]

Looking good Dan,

Nice fit on the rear box, better than mine infact which resulted in the clear rescue using some styrene strip. The drains in the well deck are a nightmare for water with the low sides. I've capped mine off fron underneath using a bit of styrene. I'd also recommend replacing the grab rope mounts which go into the sides of the hull as they are far too brittle for the model to be used. Replace them with them small brass screwy round things.

Keep up the good work.

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Looking good Dan,

Nice fit on the rear box, better than mine infact which resulted in the clear rescue using some styrene strip. The drains in the well deck are a nightmare for water with the low sides. I've capped mine off fron underneath using a bit of styrene. I'd also recommend replacing the grab rope mounts which go into the sides of the hull as they are far too brittle for the model to be used. Replace them with them small brass screwy round things.

Keep up the good work.

Dan

Thanks for the kind words Dan. I have a couple of small gaps on the rear cabin, but it'll have to do     Where did you get your replacemant bits for the grab ropes ?

Cheers Dan.

[fatcat123]

Local DIY shop. Its like a picture hanging sort of thing. Mine are oversize to be fair but it stops the things from snapping. Im sure your local B&Q will supply them small enough.

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Fitted the front section now, same principle as the rear, just cut out the excess, & then carefully sand to get a good fit. I've also made the door that fits inside the main cabin, that goes to the radio room etc. This was made from several door pieces of styrene to get the depth, & then all the catches hinges etc were made up from white metal castings. These I found to be of very nice quality, & needed only a slight clean up.
I added rivits all around the door, these were marked but not included in the kit, so as I couldn't find any domed type nails etc, I ended up using small nails from those little clips that hold telephone wires etc to the skirting boards. These look pretty good I think, better than nothing anyway !!

[fatcat123]

Hey Dan,

Glad the decals arrived safe and well.

Good job on the fitting of the 'wheelhouse'. I had the same issue with the rivets, mine are too big in hindsight but yours seem pretty much in proportion.

Shes starting to take shape nicely!

You had any thought about choice of electrics yet?

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Made up the lower wheel house today, I had to alter this a little as the John Fison, doesn't have the small windows on the ends, This was easy, I just left off those end bits & cut the floor to suit & sanded the end cap to fit the curvature of the deck. A drop of filler & bob's your uncle !!

Dan no mate, not decided on the electrics yet, I'll have to see how much I can afford once I've finished the kit. I'll certainly be adding lights & hopefully sound too. oh & a working radar.

[Dan.Lord]

Hi all, been busy again !! I decided I needed to see some colour on the hull, so thats what I did !!
Started by giving the hull a good all over sand down with some 240 paper. I then gave it a few good coats of filler primer, & sanded this down with 400, adding some stopper filler where required. I gave it a couple of coats of acryllic primer which I flatted down with 600 wet n dry & then added the top coats. I used Plasti-Kote paints from the local DIY store, gloss red No 1120 & Royal Blue No 1134, I know it should be Oxford Blue, but this is very close. I like this paint as it gives a great shine, & drys really quickly.
Once the paint was dry, I added the rubber strips which I glued on, the red & white lines, & the Decals that I had made by Barrys decals.  I also added a few fittings & the side grab ropes.
So far I'm pleased with the results, lets hope the rest goes aswell !!! Cheers Dan.

[fatcat123]

Hey Dan,

Looking excellent.

What did you use to tie the grab ropes onto? - the white metal things or another part?

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Hi Dan, cheers for the kind comments !! I used the white metal bits in the end, could'nt find anything suitable as a replacement. I glued them on really well, so hopefully they should be ok. If not I'll go with some bigger eyelets I got, but they are a little large really.
I've decided to work my way from the stern forwards now, so stern railings next. Should be fun !! Cheers Again Dan.

[fatcat123]

For the stern rails, I simply arranged the brass rod on a flat fire brick and copper braised them. When all was braised, the rail was then bent to shape. This was easy as the brass had been heat treated which made it soft and bendable. Over time, it will harden back again.

as for the grab rope things.. The issue i find with them its the loop itself breaking if you so much as breath on them. And yes it is hard to find a suitable replacement.

As for starting from the stern - good idea, i did the same and it sort of eases you into doing the harder front section.

Keep up the good work.

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Got the stern railing made up on Sunday. This is made from brass tube, & soldered togeather.  I gave the deck a coat of paint & added some very fine sand to give it that anti slip appearance, & then added another coat of paint once dry. added a couple of bollards & fairleads etc. Qutie pleased with the results.

[fatcat123]

Nice job on the stern rail!

The deck texture looks good also. I didnt bother with that on mine. So whens the sea trials and have you though about electronics?

Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Rear cabin, has been comming along nicely. I fited all the fittings for the anchor, door etc, which certainly brings it alive. I also fitted the rear search light holder, & managed to file down a small  torch reflector & lens to fit, so I can make it a working light.
The vent on the top is quite different on the Fison to the scout, so I scratch built that part, very straight forward. Also the railing on the top is different, so again I did this by eye, not quite correct, but passable. Now a case of painting. Cheers Dan.

[Dan.Lord]

Been busy getting the rear cabin painted & all the fittings painted / fitted. also wired up the well deck lights & rear search light. I used 5mm LED's which I filed flat the end, to give a more wide spread lighting effect rather than a sharp beam. The anchor I sprayed with grey primer & then dry rubber some silver on a cloth over it it try & simulate the galvanised look of the originals, not to bad I think.
I've also painted the rear deck & fitted the bollards & lifting eyes. Cheers Dan.

[fatcat123]

Nice one..

Its looking really good now. The anti slip deck looks great and so does the lighting!

Now just for the front bit.

Keep up the good work.

[Mark47]

That's really nicely detailed kit.