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[steve mahoney]

I live in Wellington which is pretty much in the middle of NZ. It's a small country so getting around to other ports is pretty easy – and there are only 9 major ports. Most of the port companies have been very helpful when I visit – another benefit of being a small country. Plenty of minor harbours that where important in the past that still have a tug or two hanging about.


Never tried using spray can paint through the airbrush. Let me know how you get on.

[steve mahoney]

Not too much to report this time. I've made a few detail items: nav lights, life raft, fire extinguisher, life buoy, and a rope bin. Here are some progress shots of the life raft construction and the completed rope bin. The rope bin is some repurposed deck grating from the spares bin.

Progress has ground to a halt at the moment as I'm waiting for some custom waterslide decals for this one and I can't do much more until they arrive.

Here's everything dry fitted into position – the life raft will have a cradle, and the radar will need a pedestal. Neither can be attached until they get their makers' logo decals: RFD and Garmin. The wheelhouse will have a company logo on the side.

Haven't even started thinking about the interior/controls yet.

[Hande]

I’m also going to have to give it a name, something Lance hasn’t got around to yet. Most tugs in NZ have Maori names so a couple of obvious options are:
Piha = a steel lance (also a beach in Auckland),
or Mauri = brown.

Interesting...
"piha" in Finnish means yard/courtyard, like the yard around a house.
"Mauri" is a common Finnish boy's/man's name


And we reside on the opposite sides of the globe - accurately!


cheers! Hande

[mikelimajuliet]

Wow Steve, if it wasn't for the scalpel in that one image they would look like Photoshopped images of the real thing. Wow nice work.

[steve mahoney]

Thanks Hande.
Thanks MLJ.
Things have ground to a halt until the rubdowns and waterslide decals turn up. Time to get back to work on the Busby commission. I've put it off for long enough.

[steve mahoney]

As a break from the Busby I decided to add a few interior details: Radio, radar screen, dials, fire extinguisher, life buoy, etc.

They are all pretty small and no-one will ever get up that close but they'll do the job.

The rub downs for the name have arrived, still waiting for the liferaft, radar and Thompson Towboats logo waterslide decals to finish this one completely. No hurry.

[radiojoe]

Hi Steve  I'm a great fan of detail in models and the amount of detail you have built onto this small tug is quite amazing, looking forward to seeing this one finished.


Radiojoe.

[steve mahoney]

Funny you should mention that Joe!

Now that my previous build, the Busby, is out of the way I can finish off a few projects that have been on the back burner.

First up is the Ikatere.

I had this one 99.9% finished awhile ago but hadn't added the rubdown name and waterslide decals. I'm off travelling on Thursday so I wanted to get this one completed before then. All done now. One less thing to do before I go. The lawns are not a high priority.

As this boat doesn't exist (yet) many of the details are guesswork and speculation – even making the boat out of aluminium. I could probably have used a better paint for the aluminium – lacquer rather than enamel. Better luck next time. Definitely need a better camera instead of the phone. Photographed this on a brilliant sunny day and the silver sure catches the light and any reflections.

Still, I'm happy-ish with the result.

[steve mahoney]

... and a couple more...