Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Working Vessels => Topic started by: Ghost in the shell on April 18, 2006, 11:05:16 pm
-
for a while now, I have been looking for a large hull cargo ship, and now my prayers have been answered.
Northwich show, I purchased the Graupner Sydney Star, and its a big one!? the general theme for the build will be a Nuclear waste carrier, the idea comming froim pictuires of the PNTL boats, and a novel i have been reading called "bomb ship" by Peter Tonkin.
the ship requires 2 bow thrusters, so thats 3 esc's, and plenty of ballast.
having purchased the ship on the sunday, work commenced in the build on monday, with the ship finally being put on the bench for the night at 2:30am.
The original kit is for a container ship, however I am bot going with that theme, and instead the ship is going to be a hatched carrier, various details will be different from the kit, including her livery, which is to be based closely on that of Gemini.
by tuesday night, most of the internal stiffenners were in place, and the ones at the bow were glued in, with the fore deck glued down.
Rather than the single pole mast of the ship, a custom made mast is going to be installed, using two vertical beams with a horizontal bar at the top. The main mast will be made of ABS box, rather than the vac form from Graupner.
-
Hi Ghost in the shell (have you seen Ghost in the shell 2 yet?)
Really liked what you did with the Graupner Neptune, how do you find the Sydney Star kit in comparison? Do you need to do as much cutting and shaping of hull as you did the Neptune? Does the Superstructure of the 'Star have its windows cut out or are they just stickers like the Neptune?
I'm the same as you, looking for a good large freighter kit but went for the Model Slipway coaster as the quality of the kit is very high and the company is very good. Haven't got the skill to scratch build yet, I'd love to build a bulk carrier or reefer......
-
Thanks Pointy, and sadly I have not seen Ghost In the Shell 2 yet :(
The neptune requires a fair bit of cutting if my memory serves me right, as if i remember in the write up on Gemini, I had her built for me, simply because i did not have the time! Sydney Star hull is pre-cut and trimmed, and pre-drilled for the bow thrusters!
there are some vac-form parts that need cutting and shaping, and the bulbous bow requires filling to profile it to the hull.? as regards the superstructure, the sydney star's windows are laser cut, just pop them out!.? Gemini has stickers for her windows.? however those on my ship are actually vynil tape as she has had a full repaint.
if you want a large bulk carrier, the sydney star kit can lean to that, as I plan to have hatches instead of the containers.? the lil neptune kit has been on the graupner list for somewhere around 20 years!
-
progress report.
thrusters wires up,
motor wired up
all installed
[Too Large - attachment deleted by admin]
-
progress update, not long now !
-
everything installed now :)
-
first of the decals added.
yes she is going to be in the same livery as Gemini :)
-
maiden time :)
Celestia on her maiden voyage, this was a great moment, everything seemed to work as planned.
-
Lookin' good! 8)
-
thanks Pointy, though there have been some alterations made to the electrical supply in the model, rather than 3 seperate batteries, i have made a 1 into 3 lead to power the 3 esc's from the main drive battery.
-
celestia now has a crane on her deck, mounted amid ships, next is the heli-pad on her stern.
-
Wow! :) That's really nice, and you got it out onto the water so quickly!! I started my present model in January and it's still a long way from being finished! How do you do it? ;D
Juian.
-
orby, i used the power of the force!
seriously, the first days build started at 11:00 and did not end until 02:30, as one part was drying i was working on another part, when that was drying, took a third suba$$embly, etc etc etc, once the ships sub a$$emblies were done, in went the stringers and motors. there is a build log also on http://www.rcgroups.com in the dock talk section.
for a big one she sails well
-
I think this is a marvellous model ship . If I find a dealer who can send this kit to Turkey , I'll purchase it immediately .
I want to ask a question about escs which are used on this kit . Can I use standart car escs with bow thrusters ? I looked for Graupner Micro Speed but they are a bit expensive I think .
Also , do you think installing a smoke generator and light system on it ? I want to purchase a Graupner smoke generator system with this kit , but I couldn't be sure about how useful it is..
-
eski, i use 3x viper 15amp ESC's in her 2 of them for the thrusters, with the third being for the main drive motor. just be sure to adjust the epa on them to balance the directions on them as most only give 50% power in reverse.
15A is ideal for the main drive motor as well :)
you will be impressed by her as well :) trust me, I know!!!
-
How much ballast did the ship need and what is the over all length, as I have a scratch built cargo ship which is 1.6 metres long and I am using a 12volt 24amp hour battery yes it is big and heavy, but still need to place lead blocks in the hell totaling 20 kilos.
Roy
-
Roy
That seems reasonable. I have just completed a coaster that is 42 inches (107 cms) long with a 7 inch (80 cms) beam which needs 15 pounds (6.8 kgs) of lead plus two 6v 4ah batteries to bring it close to the water line. Your ship is nearly half as big again and displacement increases by the cube or thereabouts.
Cheers
Doug
-
the ballast requirements in Celestia are as follows, 1x 6v 12ah gel cell, and about 780g of lead ballast weights, (13 of those sticky 60g weights from kwikfit!), your ship may be different!
Gemini takes 1x 7.2v ni-cad pack, 1x 4.8v pack (lighting) and 1.2kg of lead to sit her level!
-
I thought I had better show you what the ship looks like, I still reckon 4 kilos of battery and 20 likos of lead is a hell of a lot of weightbut that is what it needs.
Roy
-
fireblade, i dont think its gonna need that much weight reminds me of one that came up the msc to the ici works a while ago.
will it fit in the bath??
-
No mate to big for the bath only way to fit it in a bath would be in two halves, but on the water it sits right on the water line and it does handle well so I will have to keep on loading in the lead blocks every time I sail her..
Roy
-
an idea, put in several compartments, water tight them, and ensure they have a top cover, then, drill holes into the bottom of the hull, and put valves in the top, effectively making them into water tanks.
open the valves up, place model in water. as the tanks fill up, the model will lower itself in the water. once desired level is reached, close valves, the air in the top of the tanks will compress against the water stopping more water comming in. (besure to add baffles in to stop sideways movement of the water and so increase stability)
The ship we have for tug towing uses this same principle! we carry no lead for it, instead we use the lake to provide ballast
-
more bits.
taken with a motorola V3 camera phone so sorry if quality is down
-
Thank you for that idea Ghost I will look at that and see If I can do it, I really cannot see any reason why not, and as you say it saves carring all that lead arround..
Roy
-
Impressive model & build, well done ;)
Steve
-
thanks steve :) sails well too :)
-
just put a new prop on, a 5 blade prop that rotates the opposite way to the graupner one after running her in the water with a 4 blade, (which also rotates opposite to the kit prop), i have a feeling that the spring on the end of the shaft which acts as a shock absorber is infact possibly damaged, after being over-tightened.? and with the 4 and 5 blade props, is making a ticking noise, which is off putting to say ther least.? closer inspection of the spring shows uneven winding compared to how it went in
is this because of overtightenning, or because that the opposite rotation of the prop is causing the spring to unwind??
for the time being I have gone back to the standard kit prop and Celestia seems quiet again, will the replacement shaft which is a special order from Westbourne models in Westbourne, Dorset, unwind when i put the 5 blade prop back on?
-
Ghost',
Un-winding the spring sounds like as reasonable answer as any. End of spring catches on something, partially unwinds then 'snaps' loose making the clicking sound. Find a spring wound in the other direction??
- 'Doc
-
the spring is integral with the shaft, so not that easy.
however new shaft is on the way, :) should last till then anyway, nothing looks to have snapped
-
despite the shaft problem, Celestia was able to take part and perform well on the steering competition, however, i asked someone from the club to film her in the course, well he was pointing the camera, just forgot to press [RECORD]. those thrusters worked a treat, with her proving more nimble than the twin screw Southampton with independent motor control. got a few odd looks when celestia came out of a gate that was intended to be a U turn, however it was too tight to swing round, so i use the thrusters crabbed sideways and reversed out into open water then swung her about!
next is tunstall carnival and then navyday :)
-
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546530 <----video 2 of Celestia, eskiserkan just for you!!
-
... very nice (and the boat was mega too!) you've done a nice job there - I liked the well-timed and extremely smart docking at the end of the video - those thrusters are something else aren't they?
Very interesting music too - bit disappointed that no hobbits showed up though! ;D
-
Very nice, a lovely carm day, the vidio was not bad either. ;D ;D
-
thanks,
That docking took about two takes before that one. many of it took more than 1 take, especially the push-off.
-
.... hi, not bad in two takes for that docking - and there you had me thinking you did it in one! ;D
A bit worrying pushing off from the dockside with a long ship - I was concerned for the excellent paintwork! With thrusters though, you could push off from the dock at 90 degrees and then when all clear, the slow ahead command can be given - docking in reverse!
Have to say it all looks really good though - nice one! ;)
-
.... hi, not bad in two takes for that docking - and there you had me thinking you did it in one! ;D
A bit worrying pushing off from the dockside with a long ship - I was concerned for the excellent paintwork! With thrusters though, you could push off from the dock at 90 degrees and then when all clear, the slow ahead command can be given - docking in reverse!
Have to say it all looks really good though - nice one! ;)
the push off was simple, fire up the bow thruster to shove the bow out, then once the desired angle was reached, slowly bring up the motor and power down the thruster. it had to be done that way because of the angle i had the camera at, I was actually leaning over the water trying to look through the viewfinder. so going fully paralell with the jetty would mean i would have to turn the camera into an angle that I could not see the screen.
oh her prestine paint job has her her few scratches on her already, none too deep though
-
Dude cool video!
I now have bow thruster envy!
Graupner do those mini RTR boats, a harbour boat being one of them- buy one and respray it in Greenpeace colours and get it to chase your Celestia and you'd be half way to a movie! ;)
-
Dude cool video!
I now have bow thruster envy!
Graupner do those mini RTR boats, a harbour boat being one of them- buy one and respray it in Greenpeace colours and get it to chase your Celestia and you'd be half way to a movie! ;)
thanks, :) and Pointy, i'm looking for a trawler to do JUST THAT :D :D :D
-
some more pics of Celestia.
her deck detail is comming on sweetly now, flag installed, crane sorted out now, and a no smoking sign on on the superstructure added
-
have to rebuild mast at the bow, celestia was hit by a hovercraft and flipped over, she went down in about 3 ft of water but was able to be retrived.
apart from a waterlogged rx, damage looks to be the foremast
[Too Large - attachment deleted by admin]
-
all is not lost, with Gemini's Rx, Celestia was powered up, esc's worked, motors worked, things are looking good :)
-
its been a while since I posted here :) but Celestia has been back on the water :)
thrusters are a little noisy and she does not like being stern on to the Tx, but she is running well :)
-
radars done :)
-
lights installed
-
further based on one of the PNTL ships, Celestia's aft cargo hold has been changed to represent a generator room, complete with grilles in the roof and a set of exhaust stacks.
-
two new props. both 5 blade.
-
Hi Ghost
Very interesting about Props.
Would you say that there is an increase in current from the battery when you add more blades ?
Also, would the revs be reduced for the same power of pull. (is that the right terminology ?)
Hope you can help. as I'm after a longer 'sail' time. O0
Cheers...Ken
-
what make are the props. ?
Peter
-
sorry about the late reply, only just noticed the post in here.
Kenny, the run time I get on the model from a 12ah battery is longer than the transmission time I get with a 1400mah battery in the Tx so even if there is a raise in current, it isnt going to be more than 15A and a sail 9 hours is still possible. any longer My TX starts to moan at me!
Peter they're from Propshop :)
-
I can see your a busy person ... O0
12 Ah eh !! I don't have anything so big. I am after quiet running and longevity.
Cheers...Ken
-
Kenny, dont get even a peep out of Celestia when she's underway, and as for the big battery, I have just 1x 6v12ah the manual says use 2x 6v 10ah in parrallel :o :o :o ! like what the hell am i going to do with 20amp hours!
-
well I have taken time to repaint her, now that she has a new motor in her as well, ( thanks Mr Mustang of MMB).
Livery is derived from that of the Canadian Coast Guard
(http://www.postimage.org/aVGf1B9.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGf1B9)
(http://www.postimage.org/aVGfj39.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGfj39)
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8194/47737987.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGfqxA)
(http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/3482/84111197.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGfAw9)
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/5776/30374805.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGfPu0)
(http://www.postimage.org/aVGg0XJ.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGg0XJ)
(http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2135/20701851.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGg5X0)
(http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/104/27271425.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGgaWi)
(http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/3078/79721856.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVGgfVA)
-
A comparison of the two Aurora vessels.
(http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/5451/18656920.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq18FjAJ)
-
Reminds me of the Great Lakes Fleet colours too. http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-07-2/AMA-007.jpg (http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-07-2/AMA-007.jpg) Without the white stripe, it's only a few cranes away from being one of the Lauritzen Reefers.
A couple of your pics have been replaced with some sort of 'manifesto'... someone must've compromised imageshack to spread their message. Try deleting and reuploding them, and don't worry, this is not a virus or anything that would harm your computer.
-
i see what you mean by the lauritzen ships
As for cranes, I was thinking of 4 large Hydraulic boom cranes to be located on her down the Port side.
the channel gangways that linked the deck hatches has now gone - i didnt like them, thaught they were too small
-
well rather than 4 offset to one side, I have gone for 3 centrally located ones.
(http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/7250/81988736.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1smWLA)
(http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7564/19832012.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1smZfJ)
(http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/708/45033776.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1sn8ei)
(http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3279/95589107.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1snfIJ)
(http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/2150/91844211.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1snkI0)
(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/9495/98986036.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1snpHi)
(http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/7253/74231500.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1snuGA)
(http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9010/27757749.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1snzFS)
-
Like the cranes, did you scratch build them?
-
Like the cranes, did you scratch build them?
yup!
styrene section and cladding. fun!
-
Though not height adjustable, they are swingable (for now until they get removable locking pins), I can still gain access to the vital bits though with them in place.
Next job, internal bulkheads
-
technical information on the cranes:
vertical mount -
9mm styrene box section with styrene dowell inside.
9mm styrene core with cladding for crane boom.
Vertical mout was cut in half before the dowel was insterted, around the dowel two washers.
hydraulic ram: two styrene tubes one in side the other.
if only Graupner knew what I was doing to their boat, they'd cry!
-
Nice, and you built three of them! Don't know about anyone else but I always find it hard to replicate something I've scratchbuilt.
-
yup.
For the crane booms, I actually cut 7 sections out, one master then the other 6 were taken from that.
Today she was also bathed in the lake with her new colour scheme, I need to find now a couple of pulleys to make into the actual crane head.
(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2482/67172068.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vwTMr)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8499/91943770.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vx7Ki)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/970/37307068.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vxfdJ)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/7826/73048610.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vxubA)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9620/58947758.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vxEa9)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2787/36402411.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vxJ9r)(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5360/25275724.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vxLEA)(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7544/71340849.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vyeAi)(http://www.postimage.org/gx1vzxU0.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vzxU0)(http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8311/91912656.th.jpg) (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx1vAfNA)
I am also toying with reinstalling the lights as well, and making some container stacks again. this will mean further modification to the hatch covers as well, the method will be to replicate the idea used on the kit originally, only shaped to work around the cranes, making individual ones I would need almost 300! "xxxxx" that malarky!