Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[Dean's Marine]

 Do model boats have “soul” ?
Being short of space for the storage of new models it was decided a clear out of one of the storage sheds.
 Lots of “useful junk” was removed and piled up for study, way in the back of the shed under piles of boxes a very large transport case, on removing the lid  it is a Blue Leopard model, not only that, it is my own model not a works prototype, my one I paid for and build in my own time. She has not seen the light of a lake for possibly 15 years.
Inside was a very sorry state, the mice have been in and made a nest on the top, chewed through the sails and the rigging, chewed up all the stanchions and made a lot of a mess, heart braking to see.
   It is covered in nesting materials and a lot of dropping all over the planked decks
 Move it in to the workshop for when space is cleared on the bench, a clean up and see if anyone is brave enough to buy it and take it on. We need the space and have no time.
 Every time I walked by, it brought back many memories from all the years ago it never let me down, it was always a beautiful model to drive and sail,
 It won lots of trophies was always admired, many times I went to the lake with it, just for a sail / drive, not work or testing, just to sit and enjoy.
 It it was a pet with “soul” what would it feel ?   for many years it went with you all over the UK, never let you down, always brought a smile, travelled all over Europe to exhibitions and competitions, was enjoyed, cleaned and polished and cared for, many happy hour spent together.
 I have a classic car, after a good day out in the sun I pat it, and to it and myself and the cars ?  well done ?  Silly really. It just a car
 Then one day Bue Loepard it is packed in a dark box and shut up in a dark and silent shed, does it sit there waiting to be let out again in the sunshine and wondering why its owner has done this to it, what has it done wrong. ?
I am sure it was looking at me with big sad eyes evert time I went past it ?
 In the end I could not do it,  dispose of it,
 I will find the time, Christmas break is coming,  no matter how long takes it will sail again.
 Stupid I know it is just fibreglass, plastic, metal, etc, just a toy.
  It you disagree with me. Do, but I do not care, so do not waste your time telling me, and I am sure the usual trolls will just that.
  I will try and keep you updated if you wish, one day she will sail again ?
 See her on the water here, many years ago from a 8mm film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnyhy6-7wzE&t=11s
 and the full size ship the showroom model with my one, on the water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewER20ff00Y&t=351s
   Ron

[Dave_S.]

I remember seeing that model sail at Sandown Park, the pictures in the magazines were taken there.


I think the 'soul' of a model is the result of the amount of patient, careful work you put into its construction. I am looking forward to its resurrection.


I also talk to so-called inanimate objects, in my case my treasured Harley Davidson. If I need to go to the garage to get something, I always pat it and tell it why we aren't going for a ride today, and I tell it where we are going when I do take it out.

[KitS]

Ooooooh a Blue Leopard! One of the kits I always lusted after, but only once they'd gone out of production of course.


Such a lovely looking ship, both in full size and in model form.

[raflaunches]

Sorry to see your Blue Leopard in this state Ron. I know that certain models certainly behave like they have a 'soul'. Some days they behave and others they throw massive spanners into the works! I know that my aircraft in the RAF could have characteristics of having a soul as some behaved themselves beautifully most of the time but there were others you just knew they were planning something! I think models are more similar to their full size counterparts than we think.

[roycv]

Hi Ron I remember seeing it with you on your stand at the now gone Pangbourne model boat show.  I had asked the then editor of Matime Modelers Int if I could build a review model which came to nought.

But I remember you letting me take her out on the lake and sailing her, excellent sailor.  She was already on my favourite list a long while before the kit was developed.  I had cut out the article in Yachting Monthly on her in the late 1960s and was looking at the possibilities.

I hope you will post pictures of her sailing.  By the way will you be keeping the screwed down perspex cover inside her?
regards
Roy

[Dean's Marine]

 Hi It was to wet ad windy to got out today so it was in to the workshop and get started on the restorationFirst up was so gloves, a lot of industrial clear and some disinfectant, a good wash down and a rinse with clean water  a dash of fabric conditioner and she cleaned up a treat, but what came out in the wash scary, there were things living inside that Attenborough would want to study I am sure. The deck was given a stiff brushing and rinse and come up looking good, over all she cleaned up a treat. The main cabin with a good wash ans scrub came up a treat and all the glass is still clear.
A surprise was that everything, rudder, propshaft etc all worked well, good stainless steel in all parts, a less pleasant surprise was the the "epoxy ?" holding the propshaft in the hull has degraded and gone brittle, one tap and the shaft came adrift from the hull. Likewise the same with the motor mount. that will be a fun job.
 The plan was to rip everything out a replace it with more modern radio ?? but like a classic car, it is original only once, so i will leave all the original gear install and try and get it all working, " most of the wires have been well chewed . will be a surprise to some in the future explaining what a Bobs Board is and how it works ?  now its started I will have to finish it.  more to come

   Ron

[Colin Bishop]

Ron is right, a lot of us still have favourite models which take on a life of ther own. In my case it is my tramp steamer Reculver which dates back in an earlier guise as an 1890s liner to the mid 1970s. She has been a bit more fortunate than Blue Leopard having escaped rodent depradations and is still in full working order. I won't gatecrash Ron's topic with chapter and verse as our mutual journey was described in the December 2021 issue of Model Boats.

Colin

[Footski]

A beautiful story Ron and one which I look forward to seeing the happy ending....

[nemesis]

there is a little bit of everyone in each model one builds, the snags, breaks and some luck as the builds progress, soul equates to memories. nemesis

[Dean's Marine]

Hi
Apologies for the spelling and bad grammar in the last chapter, its is not the spell checker at fault, its was me, long Sunday in the workshop and late at night trying to get it all down, if it is left in the working week it gets left. thank you for all the "viewers" who have taken the trouble to point it all out to me, at length some. ?The problem with the shaft was not the epoxy, it seems that in those days it was car body filler, and no cloth strengthen strip across the joint, also the model had ben placed in in its box with the shaft resting on the stand, so over the years it had forced the shaft up breaking the joint, Now the shaft stripped, bearing checked out ( O K) all re glassed in with a strengthening strip , we learn all the time in this hobby. broken stanchion all cut off and sanded flat, new holes drilled in to the centre of the broken ones. fun job
 All under deck rigging replaced with new cords and re threaded, another fun job. motor mount stripped and replaced and shaft re aligned.  more to follow  Ron

[Colin Bishop]

Ron,

Am I correct in assuming that the little motor and prop was basically just a 'get you home' device if the wind dropped?

Blue Leopard was a hugely admired scale sailing model and many people would have liked to see it continue in production. I'm sure it would sell well now as there is nothing comparable on the market.

Is there a back story for the withdrawal of the kit you can share?

Colin

[Dean's Marine]

Hi The motor is a Kondor 11 on 6volts it is a powerfull motor and drives the very sleek hull at a good speed when required, as in the video of the full size craft, at the time she was one of the most powerful motor yachts  around. A good evenings work on the refurbishment, all the new stanchions fitted in the redrilled holes and brass wire threaded through them,a real fun job, ??  all aligned and fixed in place. The cockpit and wheel mount has long gone, ( lost over the years, or eaten) so a new set up has been constructed from plans and some  picture taken on the full size craft. New dinghy mounting made and the dinghy restored and refitted with new davits. Really coming together now with no real problems and looking very elegant in the sunshine, next job on the water trials and then " the sails" and rigging ???
  I have been and asked a number of times, will she ever be re released, reply,  the kit will never be released again, it was a huge loss leader at the time, we have a strong link with Laurent Giles with other craft from their range and it was a of a challenge at the time "we could never make a blue leopard sail without huge alteration to the hull as she is so light " so we took up the challenge, and did. Since that time the firm that produced all the specialist castings was brought out, and the new firm wanted huge payments for the moulds and very large min orders,.  "which were ours and paid for" and when we declined, they were lost ???  plus we can not use lead in the keel  casting nowadays, and to replace with britannia alloy, at 20 times the cost per kg and new metal moulds and a full redesign would make it far to expenisve, so she will always remain very desirable model. more to follow Ron

[Beagle1831]

Great to see this restoration progressing  .

[Dean's Marine]

 HI   At long last a new set of sails have been made to replace the ones the mice had for lunch. It took a lot longer than expect as the sailmakers have long retired and the skills have had to be relearned, lucky enough we still have al the equipment and patterns but it  was a along learning curve.   After a few failed attempt, ? we went for a original white set, ( later version were different individual styles of blue edge to differentiate models  on the water ) Now rigged and fitted out with the water proof deck seals she was ready for a test sails, but then found that the t/xs had the dreaded black wire diseases so up for a fix if we can ?  we want to stick as original as we can. On the work bench  ( we need a larger bench ?  Another daft idea we had was to also refurbish the display model in our showroom and try to get 2 on the water together, may not manage it now for a while as all the waters gone stiff for sailing. ? More to follow Ron

[KitS]

Yes, that stiff water can be a real pain at times. 

[dougal99]

Finished and sailing in the winter sun.

[swiftdoc]

She looks amazing again

[KitS]

That looks FABULOUS! The Blue Leopard has to be the most elegant of motor yachts ever. 

[Circlip]

Very similar full size one on "Below Decks Sailing Yacht"  E4.


  Regards Ian.

[Dean's Marine]

Hi All We hope you all had a very merry Christmas. So what do we do on Boxing day when the house is being cleared of the Christmas party ??? and all the wrapping paper is being cleared away? The suns shining and the winds are steady so its off to the lake for the trail run of Blue Leopard, at last. By the time we had her de-rigged & loaded in the car and the re-rigged  down at the lake, the wind dropped and the high clouds came with a watery winter sun. Maybe the best for test sail after along lay up to check all the rigging. Here she is in very light airs and fickle wind, motor used occasionally when becalmed, good test run now, we will wait for a good breezy day.  See her here on You tubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psOVvR25BPI

Happy healthy and a prosperous new year to all. Ron

[Dean's Marine]

 Hi All  At last a reasonable day without strong wind and rain, test run of the running gear set by Deans Marine for the USS Curtis Wilbur  r/c model. First test run,  most part not fixed in place or fixed ballast so a bit rattly to test handling and stability, all seems good for first run, now to fix it all in place inside. Develop the aluminium patterns for the vac-forms and the centrifugal moulds to go in to the 20 ton press for the cast metal parts, trail test them all in a hull and then ready to add the range. The hull will be put away in the box for completion one day in the future ( how many of us have a store of these then ?)
Ducks seem to like it as well so it can not be to noisy.  See he running on you tube here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNze7rgFhBA&t=130s   Ron

[raflaunches]

Hi Ron


Happy New Year!
Just watched your YouTube video and I didn’t even know that this kit existed! It certainly has a great turn of speed and manoeuvrability as she sails on your pond. Very impressive. I see that the ducks are being their cheeky selves!

[Dean's Marine]

Hi Ron


Happy New Year!
Just watched your YouTube video and I didn’t even know that this kit existed! It certainly has a great turn of speed and manoeuvrability as she sails on your pond. Very impressive. I see that the ducks are being their cheeky selves!

Hi  OoooPs this should have been put in the other forum on the curtis Wibur thread ? need to put more water in it, the scotch, not the pond happy new year to all Ron
 Ron