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Author Topic: X-Craft.......  (Read 9739 times)

bonehead

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X-Craft.......
« on: August 29, 2012, 12:32:12 pm »

Does anyone know if there is a hull kit available of an X craft (Tirpitz mission and other's...) other than  OTW's? Just read a book about the mission and it got me thinking.... :embarrassed:
Cheers
Jim
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16-21

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2012, 01:15:24 pm »

I thought models by design had the old Darnell,

41" x 4.5 kit is £195 on ther site!!

http://www.modelsbydesign.co.uk/model_boats.aspx
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Sub driver

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2012, 01:36:36 pm »

As batfish says..
Regards
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deadbeat

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2012, 01:43:17 pm »

Try Metcalf mouldins

This is a link to their index page, their actual web site you will need to google. Their web presence is very poor though.

http://freespace.virgin.net/metcalf.mouldings/
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TailUK

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2012, 02:00:48 pm »

Deans have an X craft hull in GRP.  670mm long - split in half lengthways.
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rmaddock

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2012, 02:12:06 pm »

Try Metcalf mouldins

This is a link to their index page, their actual web site you will need to google. Their web presence is very poor though.

http://freespace.virgin.net/metcalf.mouldings/

http://www.metcalf-mouldings.co.uk/
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Subculture

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2012, 02:19:48 pm »

Metcalf sold all the moulds to MBD

Modelled on the earlier boats, and smaller than the OTW (about 1/15th scale), and a few areas which aren't accurate, but builds into a nice enough model.

Alan Poole produced a limited run of hulls x-craft built to a larger scale of 1/12th, like the OTW boat. This is of the earleir design like the MBD/ Darnell hull, but is much more accurate. I'm not sure if any additional hulls exist out there. The tooling still exists, not sure of current whereabouts. Mike Caswell had one for sale a while back which he purchased from Alan with a view to producing it as a kit, but that appears to be on hold now. The module OTW produce for their own x-craft would work in this boat too I think, if you didn't want to grow your own system. The hull is fairly basic, you add your own rivet detail, hatches etc.



Not aware of the Deans X-craft. I know they do some submarine hulls, but not seen that one- have you got a link?
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TailUK

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2012, 03:17:41 pm »

The Deans hull is listed in the "Mould Deans" section of the website.  I've not seen one and the pic on the website isn't working.  I just remember seeing the listing and thought I'd mention it.
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Subculture

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2012, 03:49:18 pm »

Okay, seen it. Good find. No pictures unfortunately, so difficult to judge accuracy. £84 is a cheap hull, so can't expect too much. Small boat, roughly 1/24th scale.

Set of Hull Mouldings in 2 halves split down the centre line.
Built for a static exhibition model but could possibly be used for a working model
 
SCALE unknown   Length - 670 mm  Beam - 180 mm  Depth - 105mm
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bonehead

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2012, 06:15:44 pm »

Thanks Guy's - that's given me something good to start with! :D
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gyronuts

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2012, 08:50:31 pm »

Some pictures of Nigel Edmonds X Craft. Bill
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Kazzer

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2012, 03:06:51 am »

I have both models, Darnell and Alan Poole's.
The Darnell model is ok, but the back end is horrendously wrong, and as long as you don't care, it will do. After all, it's underwater, so who can see it. It's still pricey, for what it is. There is also little detail on the hatches, and you'd better be good on imagination and modeling skills.

As for the other model, no one is producing hulls, the molds for the parts are gathering cobwebs and it is wallowing in apathy.  I have what is probably the best model out there, and intend to produce masters from it - some day!   

If you are interested in this boat, let me know, prod me into production!


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bonehead

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2012, 08:28:34 am »

I have both models, Darnell and Alan Poole's.
The Darnell model is ok, but the back end is horrendously wrong, and as long as you don't care, it will do. After all, it's underwater, so who can see it. It's still pricey, for what it is. There is also little detail on the hatches, and you'd better be good on imagination and modeling skills.

As for the other model, no one is producing hulls, the molds for the parts are gathering cobwebs and it is wallowing in apathy.  I have what is probably the best model out there, and intend to produce masters from it - some day!   

If you are interested in this boat, let me know, prod me into production!

Hi Kazzer..... not sure how hard to 'prod' but ..... How much and any dimensions?? Sounds interesting..... O0
Cheer's
Jim



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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #13 on: August 30, 2012, 09:41:07 am »

The AMS has the moulds for this boat (Nigel Edmond's boat, built from Alan Poole's original moulds) and will be producing the hull for AMS members at a discounted price, sometime in the next eighteen months.

I believe that the model that Kazzer has is the ex Nigel Edmonds model, as sold to Bill Macleod and then sold on to Kazzer last year.




Rich
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Rich

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #14 on: August 30, 2012, 11:25:07 am »

None of the old Darnell boats were 100%. I think most people buying them know that. The masters for these boats date back to the 1970's. Information was much more scarce than it is now, so modellers did the best they could.

Regarding the Alan Poole boat, the information I received was that the original tools were getting past their best and not suitable for batch production. They were originally built to do a few hulls at the most, so they needed renewing. Someone mentioned that a well known UK model submarine producer was in possession of the tools, but that could well be chinese whispers, thus I was vague regarding their present location.

I recall the 'cheap hulls for members' kite flown in the past. Unfortunately, open ended deadlines like 'sometime in the next eighteen months' can easily extend into two, three, four years or never ever.  Rather than restrict availability of hulls to your own membership, which often tends to limit demand to one or two hulls why not consider offering limited run batches of hull, and promote them on forums like this. Getting the work done by a good professional GRP worker will ensure the standard is maintained, and should ensure the hulls are made in a timely manner. Quantity tends to result in lower prices for all, and if you want to offer a further incentive for your own members, factor in an extra discount for them.

I've seen Jim's work on his OTW Vanguard, his modelling skills are excellent, so I'm sure he'll make a good job of any boat he decides to get.


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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2012, 12:11:25 pm »

I can tell you that no manufacturer is in possession of the moulds and/or tooling for this X craft, the owner (Nigel Edmonds) is retooling the moulds at present, and will be super detailing them over this coming winter period, hence the eighteen month window.

Nigel has decided that any hulls produced from these moulds will be only available to members of the AMS for various personal reasons.


Rich
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Rich

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #16 on: August 30, 2012, 12:57:50 pm »

Mike has Nigel's former boat, but this isn't the one pictured in my original post, or the one for sale. Mike purchased an unbuilt hull direct from Alan, and that is the one up for grabs. It's easy to spot the difference, as Alan's casting had a removeable top hatch as opposed to a removeable bottom hatch.

Okay, so there we have it.

1. Darnell Hull, now produced by MBD £195
2. 1/12th scale Alan Poole Hull from Mike. Price unknown.
3. 1/24th scale hull produced by Dean Marine, quality and accuracy, unknown. £84
4. 1/12th scale hull based on Alan Poole's tooling. Possibly available in the next 18 months or so, but to AMS members only. Price unknown.

There was also a 1/35th scale resin kit produced by Accurate Armour, and another kit shortly to be released by Italeri also at 1/35th. Although it may be possible to R/C these, they're tiny craft at this scale, so I'd give them a miss unless you want a tiny boat or to use them for reference.
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Kazzer

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #17 on: August 31, 2012, 02:37:28 am »

Mike has Nigel's former boat, but this isn't the one pictured in my original post, or the one for sale. Mike purchased an unbuilt hull direct from Alan, and that is the one up for grabs. It's easy to spot the difference, as Alan's casting had a removeable top hatch as opposed to a removeable bottom hatch.

Okay, so there we have it.


Not quite!

I have both, the hull Alan Poole GAVE me (along with permission to reproduce) and a completed model Nigel made from Poole's original molds.  Yes, the hatches are different, but it's the same mold.  BTW, I think the removable bottom hatch is a mistake. Very difficult to deal with.

Thanks to UPS crunching up the  rear end of this model, I have had to glue all the broken parts together and produce new molds of these parts, so I am already geared up for that. The main molds for the hull are fairly straightforward, and I'll get them made over the winter.


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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #18 on: August 31, 2012, 10:03:04 am »

There is a very good reason for the access hatch on Nigel's boat being on the underside, Kazzer...surprised you hadn't worked that one out.  ;D

There is just so much super detailing work been done on the top deck, cutting an access hatch into it would have lost a fair amount of that detail, so the hatch was cut into the underside to avoid that loss.



Rich
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Rich

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Andyn

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #19 on: August 31, 2012, 10:16:36 am »

There is just so much super detailing work been done on the top deck, cutting an access hatch into it would have lost a fair amount of that detail, so the hatch was cut into the underside to avoid that loss.

Thus making you turn the model sideways for access to the hatch releases, breaking all of said detail ;)
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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #20 on: August 31, 2012, 10:52:14 am »

You silly, silly boy... :o

If you've seen the boat on it's stand, you'll have noticed that the stand was specially designed to hold the boat at an angle, so the hatch could be removed without damaging anything.


Rich
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Rich

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #21 on: August 31, 2012, 11:43:02 am »

The best access point I saw on an x-craft was a compact 1/24th scale scratchbuilt model. It was split radially, fore and aft, just like the original. Once buttoned up, there was no visible seam at all. A single separation at the stern would be sufficient really,as there is nothing forward that needs access on these boats.
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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #22 on: August 31, 2012, 11:59:19 am »

You want access hatches? How about these on Tom Andrews X craft...





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Rich

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Kazzer

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #23 on: August 31, 2012, 07:04:54 pm »

There is a very good reason for the access hatch on Nigel's boat being on the underside, Kazzer...surprised you hadn't worked that one out.  ;D

There is just so much super detailing work been done on the top deck, cutting an access hatch into it would have lost a fair amount of that detail, so the hatch was cut into the underside to avoid that loss.



Rich

That's as maybe, but I hate it, it's a PAI. Anyhow, if that was the problem, surely a Z cut would have fixed it.  I guess you can't make everyone happy, especially in this game.
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U-33

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Re: X-Craft.......
« Reply #24 on: August 31, 2012, 07:11:49 pm »

Each to his own, I guess...
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Rich

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