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Author Topic: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"  (Read 23341 times)

Edward Pinniger

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1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« on: December 13, 2007, 06:46:28 pm »

Here's a work-in-progress thread for my rebuild of the cheap ready-to-run "Seaport Workboat" (also sold as the "Dickie" tugboat, and with slight modifications as Coast Guard and US Marines boats) into a mid 20th century steam tug.

It's 1/48 scale and is based approximately on the Dean's Marine steam tug "SS Furie" (link), though the design has been adapted to fit the different hull shape of the "Workboat" and the deckhouse doesn't extend all the way to the sides of the hull. I picked the Furie as the prototype for my boat for the following reasons:

- I have a set of plans, and various spare fittings (davits, bollards, etc.) for the Dean's Furie kit, given to me by a friend (what happened to the original model, I'm not sure, but I think it was sold years ago)
- It's more or less the style and period of tug I want to build (mid-20th century steam tug)
- Last but not least, it has a large, rectangular deckhouse of roughly the same dimensions as that on the "Workboat". This is important as the deckhouse is the one part of the original model's superstructure that I've retained - as it covers the circuit board, battery compartment opening, etc.

I'm mainly a builder of static display models - I build scratchbuilt models of ironclad-era warships in 1/96, and plastic kits of WW2 and earlier ships in 1/400 and larger scales, as well as a few planes - but have wanted to build a working, radio-control model boat or ship for some time. However, I've always been put off by the technical complexity of installing the R/C gear and by the very high cost of most R/C boat kits.
I was interested in the "Seaport Workboat" when I saw it on the Howes stand at the Leamington show this year, apart from the very low price of £30 - especially as it actually had a steerable rudder (or rather a Kort nozzle) rather than the unrealistic (and rather awkward to use) twin-prop steering of most cheap RTR boats. Whilst the modern-outline appearance didn't appeal to me much, it looked like it would be relatively easy to rebuild into an earlier design.

Apologies for the rather lengthy post, but I thought it would be a good idea to give readers an idea of how I (re)built the model and what materials + techniques I used, in case anyone else is interested in trying the same.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos of the original, out-of-the box boat:



As can be seen it's very bright, plasticky, and toylike in appearance (although admittedly when viewed on the water from a few metres off, it doesn't look so bad) - a coat of paint and some weathering will fix this easily enough, and the addition of a few more details + fittings will result in a model which looks very good on the pond.
However, its very modern design really doesn't appeal to me, so I decided to "backdate" it to an older tugboat design. The original idea I had was to rebuild it as a mid 20th-century US diesel tug, similar to the Revell "Lucky XI" plastic kit, but when comparing the designs it was obvious that the hull + superstructure shape was too different to make this an easy conversion.

Originally I didn't want to rebuild it as a steam tug as I didn't think any of these had Kort nozzles, but after some searching + asking questions on other model ship sites I found that this was not the case (Kort nozzles were actually introduced in the 1930s) Since I'd rather build a "steamer" anyway, and I happened to have the "Furie" plans on my bookshelf, this seemed like the best option!

The first stage of the rebuild was to fix the strange problem with the steering that seems to be a design fault of the "Workboat", basically the rudder/Kort only turns half as far to the right as it does to the left. I eventually managed to fix this by removing the (fairly useless) plastic trim-adjustment peg from the centre of the rudder mechanism. This allows the rudder to move more freely, although as it no longer auto-centres properly, a constant "hand on the tiller" is needed to keep the boat running in a straight line.

The other change I made was to replace the ballast tank with lead weights. The tank is theoretically a good idea as it means the boat is lighter and easier to carry when out of the water, but it also means that the boat leaks muddy pond water everywhere after being removed from the water.


I sealed the intake "grating" for the ballast tank by filling the holes in with two applications of Squadron modelling filler putty, then sanded down and covered with two layers of thin (0.2mm) styrene sheet. As I'm not sure whether the hull is styrene or ABS (suspect the latter) I glued the sheet on with Ambroid liquid cement, which glues both types of plastic equally well.
Two pieces of lead sheet (can't remember the exact weight, but they weren't too heavy) were then fixed inside the hull with "duct tape", one either side of the forward end of the ballast tank, to provide permanent ballast.

Once all this was done, and the boat had been tested on the water, I started work on dismantling the boat and removing all the bits I didn't want, which turned out to be almost everything above deck level:

I basically removed all of the upper superstructure and most of the fittings, and the resulting holes + pegs were cut down to the deck level and sealed with styrene sheet. (The ones on the aft deck are left in place as these will be covered by a skylight/hatch structure later)
I've retained the lower superstructure for the sake of practicality. I'll also keep the bulwarks, these are currently removed to give easier access to the deck screws. Some of the fittings such as the bollards, searchlights and ship's wheel will be incorporated into the rebuilt model, I'll also use commercial metal fittings (including the "Furie" spares) along with plenty of scratchbuilding. Originally I was going to use the winch and cable reel as well, but after comparing this to plans it's obvious that it's totally overscale - more like 1/32 than 1/48 - so I'll need to buy a replacement for these as well.

The LED running lights have also been temporarily disconnected, as they will be positioned much further apart (either side of the deckhouse) and so need to be re-wired.

After taking the model to bits, I could now start work on putting it back together again, in a rather different form:


Basic work has now been started on scratchbuilding the new superstructure. The lower deckhouse has been resurfaced with styrene sheet, with Slaters textured sheet (2mm planks) used for the planking on the upper deck. The aft skylight and forward skylight/hatch housings, along with the lower part of the bridge/wheelhouse, have been assembled from 0.75mm styrene sheet, but not yet trimmed to shape.
The top half of the removable battery cover has also been sawn off and discarded (as it was in the way of the wheelhouse) - the remaining half still fits tightly in place even without a screw.



The model is starting to take shape now, with the wheelhouse structure more or less complete and skylights, hatches + vents added (all of these are temporarily placed on the model, nothing is glued yet) and a raised bulwark at the bow. The engine-room vents are commercial items (can't remember the manufacturer - possibly Graupner) lengthened with styrene tube and with a riveted base added, all other parts are scratchbuilt from styrene sheet + strip. The deckhouse is fairly featureless at the minute, but will eventually have portholes, doors, railings and rivet details.
The deck and bulwark interior has also been painted, but not the hull yet. My model will be painted in a fairly generic colour scheme with a black hull, yellow/brown superstructure, varnished wood deckhouse + red/black funnel.


The wheelhouse is made from Slaters and Evergreen styrene strip, with the lower part cut from 0.75mm sheet. Glazing, doors and interior detail will be added later, the roof will be removable to allow access to the wiring (aerial + running lights) and to view the bridge details.

More photos in a few days hopefully - since these photos were taken I've painted the hull, scratchbuilt the funnel, and added more details to the deckhouse and skylight.
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Stavros

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2007, 07:07:16 pm »

Now that puts a different perspective on that Tug good work


Stavros
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offshore1987

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2007, 01:09:56 am »

that looks very very very good sir  :)

changes the tug alot  ;D
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tigertiger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2007, 01:34:07 am »

Great idea
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2007, 04:05:19 pm »


The funnel has now been added along with various other details (the funnel, wheelhouse, roof, and smaller fittings are temporarily placed in this photo, not glued on yet). The hull also now looks much better with a coat of paint (Revell acrylic semi-gloss black and matt reddish-brown). The hull has been varnished below the waterline and to about 1 inch above the waterline - I may varnish the rest of the hull sides eventually.


The funnel is made from a plastic tube taken from a pencil holder (a cheap source of large styrene tubes in various diameters and lengths). It's "skinned" with 0.2mm styrene sheet, which I added rivet detail to using a centre punch. The same technique was used to add rivets to the door + hatch hinges (added since I took these photos).


Portholes have been added to the deckhouse (actually only temporarily in place - I won't glue them in until the deckhouse is painted, as I want to leave them as polished brass). They're Robbe turned brass items which I got along with the spare Furie fittings (I think these are fairly expensive new). I added them to the deckhouse by first drilling small "pilot holes" then enlarging these with a taper reamer until the hole was large enough for the porthole to fit tightly.
Rivets have also been added to the superstructure using strips of Slaters riveted styrene sheet. The doors, cut from 0.75mm sheet, still need hinges + handles.


The skylights have been glazed, glued in place and hatch detail added. Hinges and handles are still to be done.
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Mr Andy

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2007, 08:29:52 pm »

Very good ideas for me when I get the hull back, I think I may need to make a new deck as the old one was very difficult to remove and has been damaged slightly.

Andy. :)
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2007, 04:16:40 pm »



I've now painted the hull, deck + superstructure, and added the brass portholes. Whilst there's still a huge amount of work to be done adding the fittings, surface details, etc. I always find it's easier to paint the model at this stage, when all the main structural parts are complete, than when the fittings have been added. A narrow strake has also been added to the top of the hull bulwarks (styrene strip) and painted white. Note that the wheelhouse roof hasn't actually been painted yet, but it will be painted white anyway so won't look much different.


I used Revell acrylics to paint the model - semi-gloss black for the hull + funnel, Reddish Brown for the lower hull, Tank Grey for the steel decks, Africa Brown for the superstructure, White for the hull stripe (this will also be used for the wheelhouse roof, vents, mast etc.) Carmine Red for the funnel stripe, and Leather Brown for the wood deckhouse. The planked upper decks are first painted Earth Brown, then heavily drybrushed with Stone Grey to give a "weathered teak" effect. The deckhouse will also be drybrushed with different shades of brown to give the appearance of slightly weathered varnished wood.
The model will also be weathered with rust, soot etc., but this will have to wait until the model is complete.


The mast is made from copper tube + brass rod, and fits into a "socket" (styrene tube) attached to the deckhouse. This allows it to be removed for transportation or storage. I'll add lights and other details to the mast later, but, as it's designed to be removable, it won't be rigged. This shouldn't be too noticeable when the model is running on the water.
Many steam tugs, including Furie (the one my model is loosely based on) also had a mast forward of the superstructure - unfortunately I can't add this to mine as the battery cover occupies this location.
Also visible in this photo is the funnel steam pipe (not painted yet) made from brass tubing. A whistle (spare metal fitting from the Furie kit) and eyebolts for the guywires will also be added to the funnel later.

The circular objects visible on the deck are meant to be coal hatches - I had to leave the holes in the deck for the screws uncovered, so I painted the insides black and added these hatches to give them appearance of opened coal scuttles. These probably wouldn't be found on the upper deck of a real steam tug, but I thought it was better than simply leaving round holes in the deck for no reason!

Hopefully I'll have time to do some more work on the model over the Christmas holiday and will post another update in late December or early January.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2008, 03:26:04 pm »

I've got back to work on the model in the last week or so and have made a bit more progress:



The main mast/foremast has been added, constructed similarly to the aft mast from copper tube, capped with a disc of styrene sheet, and similarly fits into a styrene tube "socket" allowing the masts to be removed for storage/transportation. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I originally wasn't going to add the main mast, as it is in the same place as the removable battery cover - but this was before I thought of making the masts removable. The twin masts are such a distinctive feature of the classic steam tug design that the model would have looked incomplete without it!


Other additions are the bulkwarks in front of the wheelhouse (constructed from 0.75mm styrene sheet and surfaced with Slaters 2mm planking, the top is made from Evergreen half-round strip), the tow bar (heavy-gauge rectangular Evergreen strip) and the handrails on the deckhouse (turned brass stanchions and brass wire). Like the portholes, these should strictly be painted (probably white) but I'll probably leave them as polished brass as it looks so nice :)


Davits temporarily in place (not glued - hence rather skewed-looking) - these are from the Dean's "SS Furie" kit.The boiler-room vents and funnel steam pipe have also been glued in place and painted, along with the railing aft of the funnel (also an ex-Furie fitting).


The wheelhouse roof is removable, via pegs fitting into lengths of styrene tube, so interior details can be added later, and the opening for the electrical wiring is accessible.

The next stage is to add the smaller fittings such as bollards, vents and lights, and start work on the bridge/wheelhouse interior detailing. Fittings used will be a mixture of "Furie" spares, parts salvaged from the original RTR Workboat, and scratchbuilt parts, other than the winches which will be commercial metal fittings (haven't bought these yet)
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Ron1

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2008, 03:38:16 pm »

Hi E P, You sure have a lot of boats on the go, looking good. ron1 ;) ;)
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2008, 01:04:33 pm »

I tested the boat on the local pond today, unfortunately I forgot to recharge the battery pack the previous day, so it didn't run for long before it slowed down, ran into a patch of weed and fouled the propellor  >:( - luckily I managed to recover it with the help of a long stick, but I didn't manage to get any "underway" photos, just a couple of it floating by the shore:



For the 20 seconds or so before it ran out of power, the boat ran very well - it's actually more stable than in its original form, as the superstructure isn't as tall, although this might be partly offset by the cast metal fittings which I'll be adding. It also steers very well, at least when running at full speed!

As you can see, the basic hull + superstructure is now done, but the model nevertheless looks very bare and incomplete. The next stage is to add the fittings and smaller parts, of which there are a lot.

I also tried out my latest acquisition, and next R/C boat project:



This is the "Pelican" RTR boat currently available for £20 from Howes (I bought it at the Alexandra Palace exhibition on Saturday). It's actually an approx. 1/32 scale model of a US Coast Guard 44-foot motor lifeboat, the same design as used for the RNLI Waveney - here are some photos of the real thing. It has a twin-prop steering system, but the controller system is much easier to use - one channel for forward/reverse, the other for steering - than the "one channel per prop" system. It ran extremely well, fast enough to deal with water current + wind but not too fast as to look overscale, and the steering is about as good as you'd expect a twin-prop RTR boat to be. The waterline is a bit too high however (compare the above photos to the ones in the link) so I may try adding some extra ballast.
Though the "Pelican" is very plasticky and toylike like most cheap RTR boats, it should look very good with some added details (handrails and wheelhouse window glazing, in particular) and a coat of paint (I plan to paint it as a standard USCG boat). However, it'll have to remain in "out-of-the-box" condition until the tug is finished.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #10 on: February 17, 2008, 03:20:39 pm »

Sorry for the lack of updates, I'll post some more photos soon (within a few days hopefully). Thanks to norry I now have a suitable scale anchor winch/windlass, all I need now is a binnacle and cable reel (which I'll probably buy from Westbourne Models or similar)
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2008, 03:52:48 pm »

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've done virtually no work on the steam tug conversion for over a month, other than putting a new coat of paint + a coat of enamel varnish on the lower hull (I found that water-based acrylic varnish isn't really durable enough for a working model).

However, over the last few days, I've resumed work on the model and have been adding all of the many small details + fittings needed. Here's a photo:


I'll post some more photos (including closeups) soon!
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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2008, 04:03:21 pm »

Looking really nice  O0
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2008, 05:07:18 pm »




Now that all the basic structure of the boat is complete and painted, over the last couple of weeks or so I've been working on adding the many smaller parts and fittings .
These are a mixture of scratchbuilt parts, fittings from the original Workboat (the searchlight, horn + towing bollards), Dean's Marine fittings for the SS Furie (davits and various smaller bits), other commercial fittings, and plastic kit parts from the spares box. Also added was an anchor winch/windlass, donated by Norry in exchange for the winches from the original Seaport Workboat - this was a plastic kit (possibly Graupner) which looks very nice assembled + painted.





Although I've added a lot in the last week (compare it to the rather bare-looking model on the pond in my last update) there's still a fair amount left to add, and a quite a bit of work to do on the model before it's complete. In particular, the two lifeboats (I'll be using Graupner parts with additional scratchbuilt detail) and the interior of the wheelhouse. This will have a wheel, binnacle, telegraph and speaking tubes at minimum, but I'd also like to add extra details such as a chart table. I'm also going to add the name lettering to the stern + a name plaque on the bridge - the tug will be called WESTWOOD after the road I live on (Westwood Green, Cookham)





I'd also like to add some crew figures to the model (even if they have to be removed before running it on the pond!). This is complicated a bit by the fact that the boat is not actually 1/48 scale, but closer to 1/40. I used O-gauge (British) model railway figures to determine the size of the doors, windows etc., forgetting that these are actually 1/43 scale and not 1/48! Hence I'll probably have to use some modified railway figures for my crew.
The finished model will also receive a fair amount of weathering on both the hull + superstructure.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2008, 02:17:36 pm »

The wheelhouse interior is now done - I've added a wheel, binnacle/compass, voice pipes, bridge telegraph and chart table with radio. The wheel and telegraph are adapted commercial fittings, whilst the binnacle is entirely scratchbuilt from styrene stock + spare plastic kit oddments. The radio set is from a 1/35 military kit.  I'm also going to add a map to the chart table.



The interior could probably do with some more fittings + clutter (lighting, clock, storage cabinets, etc.) but with the roof on it looks good enough!


Lifeboats are also complete, these are commercial plastic items (Graupner I think) with scratchbuilt oars + eyebolts. They will be rigged to the davits rather than glued in place.


The name has been added to the stern using Slaters styrene lettering, painted white. I also added a name plaque to the front of the wheelhouse.


Since taking these photos, I've done a lot more work on the model (including weathering) and it's now complete other than a few small finishing touches. I'll post some pics of the finished model soon - hopefully also including some photos of it on the water!
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tigertiger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2008, 04:06:04 pm »

Looking very good. O0
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #16 on: May 02, 2008, 07:13:00 pm »

Here at last are some photos of the finished model! I haven't had a chance to run it since it was completed, but I hope to take some photos of the boat on the water soon.

The model is 99% complete but still has a few bits missing. It could really do with some crew figures - you can see I've put an O gauge (1/43) model railway figure in some of the photos, to give an idea of scale. I also need a bow fender (the tyre fenders on the sides are from the original Workboat, re-attached with scale rope instead of plastic bag ties) and a Red Ensign flag to go on the aft mast. Finally, the model could do with some extra deck clutter - rope coils etc., and a few more details in the deckhouse/cabin, such as a map on the chart table. (One other thing missing is rigging - I've had to leave this off as the masts are removable for ease of transportation + storage)

My next R/C project will be a 19th century steam yacht in 1/48 scale - This is awaiting final "sea trials" to check ballast, watertightness and rudder trim before I glue the deck on and start modelling. I also have a cheap RTR US Coast Guard lifeboat which I'm going to detail + repaint (see the photos earlier in this thread)

Anyway, here are the photos.

Overall views:










Detail closeups:








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Roger in France

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #17 on: May 02, 2008, 07:25:22 pm »

Edward,

Super! A model with a very strong presence and a good example of much skilled work and an eye for added detail which makes her look interesting.

Just one small point, I think the tyres look a tad overscale. Maybe just me.

Roger.
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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #18 on: May 03, 2008, 11:44:09 am »


What an excellent build. I'm impressed. Well done

Ken
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Weeds

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #19 on: May 04, 2008, 03:34:01 am »

 O0 You mentioned using Revell acrylic semi-gloss black and matt reddish-brown). Please explain your paint and the painting technique.
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Stavros

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #20 on: May 04, 2008, 04:15:15 pm »

looks very much that it has been Airbrushed which of course you can do with the Tamya and Humbrol paints as long as you use the appropriate thinners


Stavros
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #21 on: May 06, 2008, 04:21:38 pm »

You mentioned using Revell acrylic semi-gloss black and matt reddish-brown). Please explain your paint and the painting technique.

These are the new(ish) Revell acrylic (water-based) paints in the square plastic pots, which you can get in most hobby shops in the UK now.

I used #302 semi-gloss black for the upper hull and #37 matt Reddish Brown for the lower hull, brushed on by hand (not airbrushed) after first lightly sanding the plastic hull to remove the glossy finish. I put 2 coats of paint on the upper hull and 3 on the lower, then finished with a coat of enamel (oil-based) varnish, which is more water-resistant and hard-wearing than acrylic.
Some of the other Revell colours I used were Tank Grey (deck), Africa Brown (superstructure), semi-gloss white (hull stripe and various fittings), Carmine Red (funnel) and Sea Green (winches). The wooden deckhouse was painted with Leather Brown then drybrushed with various lighter colours to produce a wood grain effect (I painted the ladders and lifeboat interiors in a similar way), and the planked upper deck was first painted in Earth Brown then drybrushed heavily with Stone Grey to produce a "weathered teak" effect, caulking was then drawn in with a fine waterproof pen.

Weathering was added using a mixture of oil washes (artist's oil paint very heavily diluted in thinners) and drybrushed acrylic paint (using the cheap acrylic paints found in hobby/art shops, which are ideal for drybrushing)

Edward,
Just one small point, I think the tyres look a tad overscale. Maybe just me.

You're probably right, I just used these as I had them in my spares box! I'll probably replace them eventually, either with 4-5 smaller tyres each side, or (preferably) with rope fenders.
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Jean-Paul

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #22 on: May 24, 2009, 07:58:34 pm »

where did you get all these items ?? it looks awesome well done !!!
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #23 on: June 28, 2009, 04:59:14 pm »

where did you get all these items ?? it looks awesome well done !!!

Thanks! The fittings and details on my model are from a variety of sources. Some are commercial fittings, such as the windlass, vents, boats, ladders and running lights, some are scratchbuilt, and a few, such as the bollards and searchlight, are from the original Seaport Workboat. There are also a number of parts, including a winch, from the Dean's Marine "S.T. Furie" tug kit, which were in a box of spare parts I got a while ago. I also used the "Furie" plans as a guide to the general layout of my model, though there are some changes to the superstructure and wheelhouse to make it more like a British-built tug (Furie is a Dutch design).
The model is actually 1/43 scale, not 1/48 (I used 1/43 O gauge model railway figures to measure the height of the hatches, wheelhouse roof, etc.)

Anyway, I really ought to post an update on this thread, as I've made numerous changes and additions since my last post! I completely removed the internal ballast tank and added lead weights, which makes the model much more stable on the water, and I've also improved the detailing quite a bit, including replacing the tyres with much more in-scale ones (resin castings), adding a wood grating at the stern, and rigging proper "falls" for the lifeboats. I'll try and get some photos taken within the next week or two!
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: 1/48 steam tug - Rebuild of RTR "Seaport Workboat"
« Reply #24 on: September 26, 2009, 04:58:04 pm »

Earlier this year I decided to make a few changes and additions to my steam tug conversion, this week I finally got round to taking some photos of it!

I've added quite a bit of extra detail, including a wood grating at the stern, more in-scale tyre fenders, a brass ship's bell, a flag, and various bits of "deck clutter"; I've also glazed the deckhouse windows, repainted some areas, and added some additional weathering. Finally, I've properly rigged the lifeboats with "falls" using wooden blocks (I still need to tie the boats down, one of them is askew in the photos below - I didn't notice it until after I'd taken them!)

I also made some internal changes, notably completely removing the water ballast tank and installing lead weights at its original position, which makes the model far more stable. I replaced the original 9.6v battery pack with a 7.2v one, giving a slower and more in-scale running speed.

I  hope to eventually replace the cheap built-in hardware with a proper radio set; it's a shame to have to run the model away from all the other boats in the club!

Anyway, here are the photos - I'll post some "on the water" shots soon.












Closeup photos:

















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