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[Backerther]

Hi all, especially easy-going RC boaters like me.!!
Here I finally got a nice "pla(stic)-model"(which we Japanese normally say) RC cabin cruiser kit, Chris craft Constellation 1/20 by Lindberg.  This will be my mid-summer-autumn project for this year. 
One of my favorite cabin cruisers is Chris craft boats and this model kit is a just my good choice to build in the short term.
I intend to build this kit in easy-going pace to complete within this year.
1/2/3; The kit arrived in these conditions.....far away from a certain continent spending 18 days.
4/5; The contents are 'way good than the package box.   Well moulded bow!!
6; Amazing !!!! Here I found Japanese description in the instruction manual, though most of which don't make sense
   possibly due to poor automatic translation machine...???  Multi-language description is convenient if/as done by Tamiya
   in its kits.  But the intent to put Japanese description in the kit manual should be highly evaluated.!!
7; This height is fundamentally OK to get her sail stably on our local lake.
8/9/10; Comparisons with my Lindberg 1/32 PT-109


This Constellation 54 is classical but graceful which should meet my taste to get her gracefully run on the water...possibly.??
 
   

[Dean's Marine]

Hi backbether here is my one on test run,  shafts need oiling, this is a very rare kit now, ?
regards Ron
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAdxvaEZA3U&t=67s

[Backerther]

Hi Ron,
 So glad to have your kind comment on my posting.!
Yes, I have watched your Chris craft Constellation several times so far for a good sample as well as your nice operation.
The most impressive and surprising is your awesome skill to control/steer the boat smoothly in the test pool.
I can say confidently that I am completely unable to do like that.!!
Perhaps I will refer to your Constellation in my building work.


Regards


Kiyo

[Backerther]

I just started the build by washing this pla-model boat intensively in the bathroom and she became very beautiful
as seen below.
The hull is well moulded in white and comparatively good fits for a tremendously old kit which original release
 is said to be around 1955, as far as I know...!!!!
1/2/3; Beautiful hull like The Snow White..??
4; Decks were already planked neatly..?? The remaining work is just painting only. ???
5; Sufficient space !!  Even two powerful Mabuchi 540 motors look very small for this pla-model boat.


I feel these motors may be too powerful for this classical type of boat...Chris craft seems to have released this type of
 Constellation with a fly bridge in the midst of preceding year....


She is not a MTB nor a modern luxury cabin cruiser, isn't it??   

[Backerther]

I started the building by setting two rudder posts as per the instruction manual.
But I did not follow the manual in the Z shaped linkage rod on its both ends.
I just fitted the rudder linkage temporarily to see how good it would be.
And also I added simple reinforcement wood pieces behind the rudder posts which are vitally serious
to sail on the large lake at a bit fast speed away from the shore...
Expected misery at worst on the lake might be a drift far far away from the shore....  
 

[derekwarner]

Kiyo....
A 'bent bit of wire in a Z' is false economy, as a potential for failure  .......far safer using properly designed components  ........


Derek

[JimG]

Kiyo....
A 'bent bit of wire in a Z' is false economy, as a potential for failure  .......far safer using properly designed components  ........


Derek

Actualy nothing wrong with a properly made z bend in a rod. I have used them for many years on model aircraft where reliability is much more important than in a boat. Either get a set of z-bend pliers or learn how to make them correctly and they work well. Also important to make sure the hole in the horn is correctly sized for the rod and not too loose.
Jim

[derekwarner]

I knew my words would create comment Jim .....& I did say potential......
Have seen a not-so-young Moddeler create a Z Bend with a pair of Knipex Wire Cutters ...complete with shiny tight 90 degree bends ...so acknowledge your words as 'properly made'


Derek

[Backerther]

Thank you for your comment and opinions on my rudder linkage set-up, Derek and JimG. ! 
These arguments are very useful and informative to me just because they are from your precious experience and
knowledge obtained in the past. 
I feel generally as follows from my experience about Z bent rod end and rod end retainer as used in the previous image above.


Z bent rod end; ultimately reliable, a bit hard to cut precisely to reqired length with tight 90 degree curve in any diameter
          of rod, sometimes apt to be loose in the hole of tiller arm generating a "Play" in the movement.
Rod end retainer; Anxious about loosened hollow screw to retain the rod, easy to set and adjust required length between              the tiller arms, actully no play in the tiller arm and whole linkage...


1/2; My old Z bender I bought close to 40 years ago still in service sometimes..
3; Z shaped 1.5mm rod by this Z bender...possibly OK for this dia of rod...a bit hard to set a tiller arm without enlarging
   the hole of tiller arm...
   A 1.8mm dia rod is terribly hard to get tight curve for me.
4;Linkage in my Lindberg 1/32 PT-109. No problem at all as of today despite of hard sailings on the lake.




             

[Martin (Admin)]

Ha!  I just found and used mine after 25 years!

[ChrisF]

I used one of those screw down connecters initially on the rudder arm in my River Cruiser but that, along with the ball joint connecter meant there was no play in the system and the servo kept buzzing when returning to centre. Replaced screw down connecter with a clevis type and threaded rod which provided a bit of slack and problem sorted.

So many different ways to make linkages.

Chris

[Backerther]

Certainly, yes.!   I think so too, Chris. 
It is entirely dependent upon a personal experience and his favorite style, using various types of ready-made or
hand-made linkage parts.


Kiyo

[Circlip]

Oh what a relief when the Cobra and Jet Ranger kits appeared with ball (Both open and closed) joints.   


 Regards  Ian.

[Backerther]

In the next place, I added chine rails to the hull based upon my good experience of the Lindberg 1/32 PT-109
which was successfully test-run nearly a year ago with the assistance of chine rails as seen in the pics below.

She could turn stably at higher speed regardless of low draft and narrow hull.
This Constellation is originally not a fast boat like a MTB but I intend to have her only given a capability to run fast.


1/2/3; My PT-109 ran splashing the water aside neatly out of the hull bottom.
4/5/6; My Constellation has been installed with chine rails expecting a good result as in the PT-109.
 My Constellation may possibly be a wolf wearing a furs of sheep on the lake...??
   The profile is mild and calm, but it would be soon brutal once it started...
 

[Backerther]

For the health' sake, I went to world's famous ? Akihabara town in Tokyo by tube, spending about 3 hours
rambling around the town. True purpose is just to buy two universal joints made of plastics (so-called engineering plastics,
perhaps, Ny).
I used the same type of joints in my Lindberg 1/32 PT-109 and they have been working very very well enough.!
Anyhow, very calm.


1/2/3; It's a week day today but crowded with so many people most of whom are foreign sightseers usually.
      These scenes are not unusual at all and Chinese sightseers in groups are estimated to increase especially and
      susbstantially from September drastically.
     Akihabara is presently no more electric town as it used to be, but figurines and dolls town for the grown-ups.
4/5; I bouht these two couplings 3mm dia on both ends. They just look toyish but true "hobby grade", not to say
       industrial grade.

[Backerther]

I made a removable swimmer's deck as shown below.

[Backerther]

"Two hearts" of the boat have been built as in the followings;


1; Small one is the kit-furnished motor, possibly RE280 or260class both of which will sufficiently do if run with nostalgic
       atmosphere as her style.
2; One end of the coupler has been enlarged in its hole to allow for a 1/8 inch(3.17mm) dia of the RS540 shaft.
    Original holes were 3.0mm on both ends.
3; Water jackets were set.
4; Two hearts were ready.!!
5/6; The motor bracket was made and the motors were set temporarily.

[ChrisF]

Didn't fancy brushless then?

Chris

[Backerther]

Chris
No, I didn't fancy to use the brushless motor at all from the beginning.
The reason is very simple. This is so classical type of boat that I think doesn't need such a powerful and expensive
brushless motor. Traditional and normal brushed Mabuchi RS 540 motor I think will do my expectation to the boat.
The Mabuchi RS-540SH is only USD7.5(JPY1,100 )here in Japan.
Even two Mabuchi 540s may possibly get the boat to be able to run faster for the classical boat that is my ambition.

The PT-109 in the following video is sailing by two Mabuchi 540s , which speed is satisfying to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7QKh8ptwj0

Kiyo

[Backerther]

One of the most important works when building a RC boat is this, isn't it ??
Alignment between the motor shafts and screw shafts is always troublesome to adjust correctly for performing
the best, smooth and calm revolutions of the screw props. Twin screws are further troublesome....
Calm revolution is especially indispensable for us to run the RC boats in our local lake in order not to get
other visitors to feel some kind of bad impressions, by which we are actually authorised tacitly to enjoy this hobby.
Attention to the silent sailing of my PT-109 even at high speed in the video shown just above.

I could have successfully done like these with two motors.
I set motor bracket locators for permanently gluing in the near future.

[Backerther]

I made 3 pieces of radio gear decks from scrap material.
3 coats of varnish were applied briefly.


It was very simple to do with enjoying a cup of cold coffee in the air-conditioned work room.
Later on the day,I could win the Othello game two consecutive times against my wife who became a bit grumpy
by the result. Oh, no!! I am not the man who is to be blamed.


It was a very happy day, all day long.!!

[Backerther]

I made two sets of stern tubes with grease fillers as in the pics below.


1; I used 5mm outer dia tube for grease filler against 4 mm outer dia stern tube.
2; I drilled 4mm dia hole in the 5mm tube.
3/4; I confirmed if well done and removed a bit of burrs.
5; This time I drillled a hole in the stern tube.
6; Now two sets of stern tubes with grease fillers were set for temporary test.
7; Soldering the tubes are very easy to do with less positioning works between the two different tubes.
8; Grease filler caps were added.
9; Final work was cosmetic painting.

[Backerther]

I have at last come to this process of installing the stern tubes permanently which is very sensitive ,nervous and
careful to do always to me. 
I used 10min,30min and 90min epoxies dependent upon the places to bond.
1; I first bonded the grease fillers to the hull with 10min and 30min epoxies.
2; Nextly stern tubes with 90min epoxy which is sooo fluid that it easily came to soak along the tube through the
   hull to the outside. It took nearly 24hrs to completey set. I applied tapes at the bottom of hull to refrain from
   soaking out.
3; After getting dry inside the hull, this time from the outside of hull, 30min epoxy was applied after setting tapes
   to get a neat result of epoxy coats.
4; The result was so so ...?? 
5; Overall image
6; Bonding in the hull is over and positioning jig is removed.
7; Reinforcement supports were added
8; Everything was well done like this.


I am satisfied with this result and felt at ease.

[Backerther]

I finally installed the motor assemblies to the hull with a glue gun which most of you may say

"incredible way and weak to bond".
But I think it OK perhaps as far as the motors will work silently ,smoothly as seen in my Lindberg  PT-109.
This EVA-based plastic glue is comparatively strong to bond, and a bit soft and flexible to hold the motors in place.
[size=78%] [/size]

[Backerther]

The build is going to the substantial stage of installing the steering system and water inlets.
1/2; O rings and washers were set.
3; Stoppers were also set for easy maintenance of rudder posts and screw props as well as screw shafts.
4; I made two water inlets out of aluminum pipe.
5/6/7; I glued the water inlets with 30min epoxy.
8; Overall image up to today.