I received the hull for my next build today and thought I'd share it with the group. I considered several different ships so made a list and ranked each one in order of interest then I saw this hull and the other ships dropped one rank. I'd been thinking about a paddle steamer for a while so here it is!
The hull is from Marks Model Bits and a real beauty it is too!
HMS Volatile was a Dromedary Class side wheel tug built on the Clyde in 1899. She served up until 1957 along with the other in the class; Advice, Cracker, Diligent, Dromedary, Energetic, Escort, Industrious, Restless (Restive), Volcano, (Volatile).
The hull was a John Haynes creation in 1/48th scale and is one of the nicest pieces of GRP moulding I've seen. The GRP is finished in off white with an eggshell finish which I suspect will paint very well. The hull plating is moulded in as well as the Hawse pipes at bow and stern. also marked into the bulwarks are the various wash ports as a guide to cutting.
What I believe sets this model apart is the finish inside the bulwark and the flange included in the moulding for fitting the deck. The moulding also includes the paddle wheel drive shaft postion. It's a nice touch and makes the modellers life considerably easier.
All in all I think it presents tremendous value for money at £55.
The model scales out pretty well on length at 950mm however I havent had a chance to check the beam as the dimensions available only give the measurement to the outside of the sponsons. Still, it a reasonable match to the drawing which comes with the hull.
On the down side, there is some flash on the moulding but I've seen more on more expensive hulls. There a few pinholes in the edges which will require a touch of knifing putty. Working from the photos I managed to glean from the interweb thingy there it only one major error in the hull. The rear hawse pipes should be set in reinforced rectangular pads. It quite a prominant feature but once again it's not a difficult fix.
I've included some picture of the hull reduced in size to go easy on the board. I can supply the original size pics to anyone who wants a close up view, just pm me.