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[FrankM]

Hi All, and especially Longshanks for his advice and friendship.

This is a follow up to my previous thread as I was building my Fairmile D.  See http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30336.0 if you're interested.

Sometime, an illness has it's benefits.  In my case, a bout of pneumonia meant some time off work but gave me the opportunity to sit quietly and finish this boat.  It was actually last night that the final touches were applied - and I mean applied as in terms of a small amount of weathering - hopefully not too much - you guys be the judge.

Today, I took the boat to Surrey Park and joined up with Graham and his early model Fairmile for a dual run.  Two Fairmiles together did look quite good.  Anyway, enough chatter - here are some pics on the water today.  I have quite a few so they will come in 2 or 3 posts.  I'll also add some close ups taken in the workshop a bit later.   I also have some video but I need to work out how to get it on my PC from the camera and then on to the forum or Youtube.  That could be some days.

OK, I hope these pics are OK.

Cheers,
Frank

[FrankM]

Hi All,

Being self indulgent, here are the detail pics I mentioned.

Frank

[steve pickstock]

Those are - to coin a phrase - the Dogs wotsits!

You must be - quite rightly - well-chuffed.

[longshanks]

Hi Frank,

What a magical set of pics of a couple of excellent boats. You must both be well chuffed.

Nice bit of subtle weathering there 

Look forward to seeing the action movie!!

longshanks

[pugwash]

Frank a very nice build - spot on 

Geoff

[john44]

Fantastic build Frank,
 I am thinking of building one and purchasing the hull from Models by Design. When I go to Haydock
I also have the book The Fairmile D by John Lambert.
any suggestions and advice would be very welcome.

john

[FrankM]

Thanks to all for the nice comments.

To John,
If you do decide to build one of these, be prepared for a lot of scratch building.  I, and a number of others have been severely burnt buying supposedly quality and "Precision Components" from various people only to find they are of very poor quality, not at all precision and mostly not to scale.  In the end, the vast majority of everything you see on my boat is scratch built from John Lambert's plans.  I would recommend you contact him and buy what plans you need.  He is very approachable and a very helpful guy.  Check his website  http://www.lambert-plans.com/

I know the "Models by Design" site but that again is confusing.  They seem to have 2 versions of the "D" but one is 43.25" and the other is 48", both with an 8" beam.   At 1/32 scale, the 43.25 is closest to scale.  Mine is 1/24 scale at ~ 57.5"

If you do decide to build the boat, it's a pleasurable experience, will take a lot of time and patience let alone your money, but the self satisfaction at the end makes it all worthwhile - that's why we do this...........

Good luck
Frank 

[derekwarner]

Brilliant build Frank.....& also congratulations to your fellow  modeller............ the photographic images are always appreciated  

Just for our members .... could you explain the significance of the darker color covering between say 2.00 o'clock to 11.00 o'clock on the various items ....ventilators.......torpedo tubes etc ....but not on other shipboard structures......

I am not experienced in such equipment conditioning/coating.........in my working life........Derek  

[Liverbudgie2]

Loverly models which would more than hold their own in competitions here however, there is just one small point and that is Officers, most of the time anyway, and rating would not have had white caps there were black or navy blue.

LB

[FrankM]

Derek,
 
I don't follow when you say between 2:00 and 11:00 o'clock.  The very BASIC idea is that surfaces seen from the top were the blueish colour and the surfaces seen from the side were greyish.  I'm no great camera man so some of the angles may be deceiving.  Also, the colours in the pics do NOT represent the colours in real life.  If you look at my detailed pics, you will see a significant variation and I can assure you, the boat does not vary like that at all.

To LB,
You are no doubt right.  However, my research says the "summer" uniform had the white headgear.  I guess if I get enough flak, I can always paint them over.

Cheers,
Frank

[longshanks]

Hi Guys,

Re hat colour - my references show dark in home waters & white (officers & crew) in the the Med i.e. tropical. I think we can count Australia as tropical 

[brianB6]

Not in this part at the moment. 
False advertising by the Aussie Government in their "Come to Sunny Australia" prommo's. 

[Edward Pinniger]

Superb work on both the Fairmiles    The crew figures really add life to both the models. I hope my subchaser (more or less the US Navy equivalent) will look half as good when done!