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This month’shobby-related news round- up
14 Pr eparingt he Airfx Shannon forlaunch
Al an Po ol eexp la in sh ow th is li ttle 1:72 pl as ti cl ifeb oa tc an be ki tted ou tfor ra di o- co ntro ll ed sh ou ts
18 The‘New’ Zeeland
Nick Brow ntes tbuild sBilling Boat s’ newlyu pdated and designed wi th R/Cope ra tion in mind la se r- cu tkit
28 Ahomageto Hobo
John Cora hrevisit sthe heady days of hisyou th wi th this selfdesigned sc ra tc hbuild
38 FREE PULL-OUT PL AN RayWoodprovidesa pictorialguide to crea ting your ve ry ow nT ha mes Wa te rman’s Launch from his Invicta design
48 Save moneywit ha subscription!
Chec kout thelates tprint &digital dealsa nd ge tyou rfavou ri te magazine forles s, delive reddirec tly to your door and/or device
50 TheWorld at War PrizeDraw
Cour tesy of OldGoldM edia,don’t miss your chance to winthissuperb DV Dbox se tvalueda t£89.9 9
52 Miss Pigg y Phil Bu tton tellsthe tale of thefirs t pink Pira te boat!
Compass360
If you have anews story for these pages,please contact the Editor,Lindsey Amrani, via e-mail ateditor@modelboats.co.uk
ModelBoats undernew ownership ModelBoa undern ow
Breaking news this month is that all of the titles in Mortons Media portfolio, including Model Boats, have been acquired by Kelsey Media, the purchase having completed on March 27, 2025. Kelsey Media
is one of the leading independently owned media businesses in the UK and currently publishes over 80 brands in 15 markets across digital, print and events.
Commenting on the acquisition, Steve Wright, Executive Chairman of Kelsey Media, says: “This is asignificant step in our growth strategy as we look to build market shareand skills in specific markets. Ilook forwardto working with the talented Mortons’ team in the coming months to further develop our products and services”.
While Ian Fisher,Executive Chairman of Mortons Media,explains: “In recognising both the opportunities and longer-term challenges presented
by the markets we seek to serve, Iam confident Kelsey will be agreat home for our brands. With the greater scale afforded by theacquisitionand the combined strengthsofthe respective businesses and staff, Ilook forwardto seeing them continuingtoflourish in the future”.
Please rest assured that regardless of whether you subscribe or purchase copies of themagazine viayour local newsagent, planshave already been put in place to ensureaseamless transition. We will, of course, keep you updated on any minor changes (such as revised contact details) ensuing from the hand-over
Bournvilleboating lake &boathouse grantednational Bo nvilleb ting &boathou heritage status herita
The Bournville Rad io Sailing and Model B oat Club’sb oatho use and boating lake in Birmingham have been grant ed Grade II listed status by the DCMS (Department fo rC ulture, Media and Sport) on the ad vice o f Historic England.
Construct ion of both the bo atho use and the boating lake wa sf und ed by fa med local chocolatiers the Cad b ury fa mily back in in 19 33. Known for their philanthropy,t he Cad b urys hired 64 men who werei nelig ib le for state benefit due to the leng th of their unemployment to carry out the w ork. These men wo uld spend four
days aw eek wo rkin go nt his projec t, and then o nt he re main ing day of the w o rkin gw eek wou ld atte nd an occupation al class, su ch as ca rpentry o rg ard eni ng, und er the su pe rvision of the Bou rnville Wo rks Education Dep artme nt ;t he ai mb eing to provide them w ith an in come while the y soug ht lon g-term employment.
Legend has it that the irregular shape of the pool was chosenbyEdward Cadbury’swife, who disliked the original plans for arectangular pool, favouring amoreabstract shape.
The boathouse was opened on August 19, 1933, and originally also includeda
boat repair shop, amodel railway,and aflag station. It was designed to act as storage for the model boats, and as a place wheremembers could relax and enjoy refreshments. Clad in tarred rustic elm weatherboarding, it was carefully designed with high ceilings andtall doorstofacilitate themovement of fully rigged model yachts.
As part of its MissingPieces Project, Historic England would now liketo invite anyone able to sharecontent, including photosand videos shot at this venue,onlineathttps:// historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/ list-entry/1491423.
The Bournville Radio Sailing and Model Boat Club’sgorgeous and historic boating lake and boathouse have recently been granted Grade II listed status.
OUTAND ABOUT OU ND
Medway Queen dway Qu to play role in 85th anniversar y ay anni of DunkirkEvacuation nk kE at
HMS Medway Queen in Ramsgate, 1940. Image courtesy of the PSPS Collection.
In 1939, PS Medway Queen was requisitioned by the Royal Navyand converted for minesweeping. In May 1940, having been assigned to the10th Flotilla based in Dover,she played an active role in the Dunkirk Evacuation. The ship and her crew made seven round trips in all, rescuing thousands of men from thebeaches, theMole (a long concrete pier) and Dunkirk Harbour.During this operation she mainly worked out of Ramsgate, landing her evacuees in Margateon just one occasion.
From whereshe is currently moored at Gillingham Pier,Medway, undergoing restoration, the Medway Queen was in 2015towed to Ramsgate to participate in the 75th anniversary of the Dunkirk Evacuation commemorations. This, it is hoped, will be repeated for the 85th anniversary this year
The Medway Queen will, therefore, be open to visitors at Gillingham Pier until Saturday,May 3, after which preparation for her journey will begin in earnest. The plan is that she will leave Gilling Pier (under tow) for Ramsgate, on May 14. On arrival in Ramsgate on May 15, she will be moored alongside Commercial Quay as the centrepiece of the Dunkirk anniversary event being
organised by the Royal Temple Yacht Club. She will remain in Ramsgate for about 12 days, hosting formal receptions on boardand welcoming members of the public as and when the tides allow safe access. Following aparade from the harbour on May 18, therewill be a service at St George’sChurch. There will also be aservice for dignitaries in the harbour’sSailors’ Chapel on Tuesday,May 20. Sadly,unable to make the Channel crossing herself, Medway Queen will watch the ‘Little Ships’ depart for Dunkirk on May 21, but will still be thereto greet them when they return afew days later.While the ‘Little Ships’ areinDunkirk, the Medway Queen will continue to be open to visitors’ as permitted by the tides.
The Medway Queen will return to Gillingham Pier at the end of the month andre-open to visitors thereon June 7.
The Medway Queen Preservation Society is still looking for sponsors to contribute towards the cost of moving the ship, as while some support has already been pledged moreisalways needed. Likewise, additional volunteers to assist with the anticipated increase in visitor numbers will also be welcome, but please note that volunteers working on the ship areexpected to join the Medway Queen Preservation Society for administrative and insurance purposes. So, if you areinterested in volunteering, please contact Pam Bathurst at the Society’sbase via info@ medwayqueen.co.uk or 01634 559832. Th e Medwa yQ uee n Preservati on So cie ty’sp opular book HMS Medway Quee n– Memo ries of Dunki rk was re printe dl ast yea r, in cooperation with Ma inlin ea nd Mari ti me pu blishers, an dw ill, natural ly,b e on sale in Ramsgat e. The book is packe dw ith first- ha nd accounts of th eD un kirk ope ration ,a srecal le db y HMS Medwa yQ uee n ’s officers and crew and, of cou rse, from the grateful troops picked up by the ship.
Packed with first-hand accounts from officers, crew and the troops rescued from Dunkirk backin1940, the Medway Queen Preservation Society’sbook HMS Medway Queen –Memories of Dunkirk can be purchased by those visiting the ship while she is moored in Ramsgate during this year’s 85th anniversary commemorations.
The Medway Queen participating in the 75th anniversary of the Dunkirk Evacuation back in May 2015. Image courtesy of Brian Simmons.
DundeeMBC 140thAnniversary celebrations nniv ry ns
From 11am to 3pm on May 4, 2025, the Dundee Model Boat Club will be holding an Open Day at Stobsmuir Pond (also known as Swannie Ponds), PitkerroRoad, Dundee DD4 8DJ. (Ifyou use theapp WhatThree Words, you can simply key in mostly.social.enter for this location).
As this will be the first of theclub’s 140th anniversarycelebrations this year,members areworking towards getting 140 boats –their own and thoseofvisiting clubs –out on the water to mark the occasion.
Admission will be free o fc harge, although as mall do nation to o ne of the charit yc ollection boxes (w h i c h fo rt his event will be supp o rting Mag gie’s–t he cancer carec harity, and Hearing Dogs for D eaf People) will most welcome.
Plenty of on street parking w ill b e ava ilable and onsite facilities will include public and disab led to ilets and tea and coffee to purchase for a small charge.
Later in the year,o ver the w eekend of July 5/6, therew ill be as ai l ac ro ss the River Ta y. The cl ub has al so be en in vi te dt od isp la ya tt he Dundee Museum of Tr ansport as par to ft he museum’sM ilitary D ay on July 27, and at Disco very Point
o ver th ew eeken do fA ugust 2/ 3 (w herem ode ls will be saile di nt he po nd al ongside th e Discove ry .A lso propo se di s a1 4- hour sponsored sail around the pon df or charity,ad ate fo rw hic hh as yet to be confi rme d. We will, of course, bring you more information on these events as it becomes available.
Kirklees MBCSteam Open Day rklees
Kirklees Model Boat Club be holding its first open day of 2025 on Sunday,May 18, 2025, from 10 am to 4pmatWilton Park, Bradford Road, Birstall, Batley WF17 8JH.The theme on this occasion will be steampowered models and vessels built from MountFleet Modelskits, and, aside from model boats, therewill also be a display of model military vehicles.
Visitors will be very welcometobring along models of any type(with the exceptionofICand high-performance fast electrics)tosail, although please note that steam models will need a valid test certificate.
Therewill be ample free carparking and Wilton Park’s onsite café will be serving refreshmentsthroughout the day.
Forfurther details call Stan Reffin (after 6pm please) on 0113 2675790.
Bury MetroMarineModelling SocietyOpenDay tr pe
The Bury MetroMarineModelling Society will be holding its annual Open Day on Sunday,June 8, starting at 10am, at The Lido, Clarence Park, MilnerAve, Bury, Lancs BL9 6NG(wherefreeparkingwill be available).
Visito rs will be w elcome to sa il the ir own mo d el bo ats alo ng side those belon gin gt o memb ers on the club ’s la ke (plea se no te steam po wered mo de ls will need an up -
to-date ce rtifi cate and I.C. model sw ill be NOT be permitted).
Side sta lls will inclu de H.A.Kits ,a local bra nch of the RNLI an da ‘bring & buy ta ble’. Therew ill al so be ar affl e, and re freshments will be av ailable to purch ase
For moreinformation contact theclub Secretary Ken Mears via the Bury Model Boats Facebook page or Messenger.
BlackParkMBC Open Day
The Black Park Model Boat Club will be holdinganOpen Day on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham SL3 6DS.Visitors will be welcome to bring along their own boats (with theexception of fast electric or petrol enginemodels) to sail on the venue’s splendid lake. Some ‘have-a-go’ radio-controlled boats (which the club has refurbished thanks to the support of Council Community Board funding) will alsobeavailable for anyone (adult or child) wishing to try their hand at operatingone under the friendly guidance of aBlack Park MBC member. Therewill be various stands
to browse, while the park itself has cafes, toilets anda ‘pay and display’car park a shortwalk fromthe lakeside If, however,you’reunable to get along on this occasion but arelocal and interested in joining anon-competitive club, wheremembers sail just for fun and camaraderie, meets usually take place on Thursday afternoons and Sunday mornings. For further information email: secretary@ blackparkmodelboatclub. org.uk or visit theclub’s Facebook page (key Blackpark Model Club into FB’ssearch engine or use the following link: https:// www.facebook.com/ groups/432091460728248)
Mayand June JClass events Maya ne even
TwoJClass model yacht events have been announced for this spring/early summer. The first will be hosted by the Westbury Sailing Club, which forms part of theWest Wilts Youth Sailing Association (visit https://wwysa.org.uk/modelyachting/), at The Lake, Station Approach, Westbury,Wiltshire BA13 4HP,onMay 18, 2025. The second will be hosted by Whitefriars Sailing Club (visit
https://www.whitefriarssc. org/), located in Whitefriars Lane, Ashton Keynes, Swindon, WiltshireSN6 6FW,onJune 14, 2025. These admission free events will be open to both JClass model owners/enthusiasts and the general public, with the clubhouses at both venues providing all the usual facilities. Further details can be found on the clubs’ respective websites.
Club members enjoying sailing their models on the lovely lake at Black Park.
Amongst the many stands to browse at the Black Park MBC Open Day will be aRNLI gift stall.
Charles Chambers’ Nottingham 48, Endeavour,onthe water at the Whitefriars’ last year
Folkboat fundraiser Folkbo fund is
June 21, 2025, is the date that’s been earmarked for asponsored minifolkboat race being organised by the Largs Model Boat Club toraise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support and the OceanYouth Trust,Scotland (all donations via the ‘Just Giving’ app will be gratefully received).
The open water course set for the three minifolkboats(custombuilt by *Charles Chambers) competing against each and the accompanying chase boat (a full size 36ft Jeannaeu called Breagh owned by one of the Largs club members) is an eleven mile stretch of the Clyde (although, with tacking, the models aremorelikely to coveraround 16 miles).Asmany of you will be aware, open watermodel sailingisvery challenging andrarely undertaken. The tides,therefore, have been checked and notedtobe favourable for that day,but, farless predictable, of course, is theweather So, should, closertothe time, adverse conditions be forecast, achange of date will be necessary.Updates will be posted on the Largs Model Boat Club Facebook page.
*Charles Chambers can b ec ontact e dv ia email at minifolk bo at@g mail.com abo ut his bespoke mo del building service.
BL ASTFROMTHE ASTFRO HE PAST
Covering all of the models made and marketed by duringthe heydayof theAurora Plastics Company of West Hempstead,New York, USA, and illustrated with two decades worthofthe brand’s catalogues compiled by author Anthony Taylor,the Aurora Plastic Models Catalogs Volumes 1&2,now available to purchase via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com in a choice of hardcover,paperbackor e-book format, provide afascinating snapshot of American popular cultureduring the 1960s and ‘70s.
LuckyLuca! GALA XY KITWINNER
Thanks to the generosity of the kind folks at CornwallModel Boats, in the March 2025 we wereable to offer you the chance to win Mantua Models’ 1:25 scale kit for the luxury motor yacht Galaxy.Weare now delightedtoannounce the lucky entrant drawn as Luca Healey of Hyde, Cheshire Congratulations, Luca!
Work in progress on the three little folkboats shortly to take part in abig challenge for the purpose of helping other folks!
One of Charles Chambers’ beautifully crafted custom-built minifolkboats in action.
Pr ep ar ingt he Airf x Sh annonf or launch
Alan Poole explains how he kitted out his diminutive Dungeness lifeboat build for radio-controlled shouts
When Id iscovered that Airfi x was bringing out a1 :7 2 sc al ek it for the Shanno n class lifeboat, Ip re -orde re do ne to complement my Severn Class mo del, also built from an Airfi xk it to the same scale.
The kit, which Ithink is avaluable addition to the Airfixrange, and well worth the cost, at around £20, also includes glue, paint and brushes. While, personally,Iprefer to work with my own favoured products, this is, no doubt, abonus for the novice modeller (the Shannon is marketed as astarter kit).
The build results in model withan overall length of just 190 mm. Despite its diminutive size, though, Idecided to try and install radio control and so started to search for somesuitable miniatureequipment. Ihad already fitted lightweight indoor flight radiocontroltothe Airfix Severnclass
The R/C equipment donor model order from Ali Express, China.
In this overhead shot, note the extended propellers from the transom.
Plasticmagic
flexibility and time beforeitstarted to set to accurately align theshafts. I knew the slightestmisalignment of the power train would stop the motors, so asmall amount of lubricant was used to help the bearings do their job. Initially concerned about water ingress through the shafts, this proved tobe minimal,with the added reassurance that the motors weresilicon sealed inside the transom. The prop shafts wereleft as long as possible, extending from the bearings, which meant the props wereinclear water and not maskedbythe model’stransom.
The little power boardwas mounted centrally in the hull and fitted by drilling two holes for the probes, which arethe water activated connectors that switch the powerfor the model on andoff. These probes exit either side of the keel, which protects them.I also wired up another miniatureswitchfromthese
probe positions on the boardsothat the model and lighting circuits could be operated without wateractivation. The batteryIinstalledisa3.7 Lipo type, of only 100mAh capacity,and affords plentyofrunning time beforeitneeds recharging. At this point, all the systems weretested and found to work well.
“Telittle powerboardwas mounted centrally in the hull and ftted by drilling two holes for the probes, which arethe water activatedconnectors thatswitch the powerfor themodel on andof”
Returning to the construction of the modelitself, the deck was dry fitted and the cabin section offered up to
see wherethe deck needed cutting away to allow access (for battery changes, general maintenance, etc). The cabin has small lugs to locateit in the correct place on the deck,and when cutting away the deck foraccess the corresponding indentations for the cabin areretained; this allows the cabin to clip to the deck securely yet still remain removeable.
Othermodel mods
The rest of the model was built as per the Airfix instructions,apart from some small modificationswhich Iwill describe later.Ican say that Airfix has done areally good job on this kit. All parts, with the exception of the window moulding, fit well. The windows aresupplied asingle clear plastic unit that clips intothe cabin,but Ifelt abetter fit, and more convincing look, would be achieved by installing the windows as three separate sections, so Iduly cut and fitted them as such.
Another modification made was the replacement of the aerials with Albion Alloys microtube androd;the offerings from Airfix Ifound to be much too thick –nodoubt due to moulding limitations at this scale. The handrails along the sides werealso too chunky,soIalso decided to replace these with 0.3mm black covered copper wire(which can be sourced from jewellery suppliers). The rails werecut offsquarewith the stanchions, then a0.3 drill used to drill through the stanchions; this was a laborious job, which took many hours, but the results werewell worth the effort. Idid, however, lose quite afew drill bits during this exercise.
The hull painted in the Shannon’searly colour scheme, with white undersides.
Alan, preparing to demonstrate that, despite the diminutive size of the model that results from the 1:72 scale Airfix kit, radio-control is possible.
Letthere be light
As previously me ntioned ,t he little power boardh ad outp uts for lighting. Ic onnected on eo ft hese outputs to am ini atureb lue flashing LED (marketed mainly for model railway use). Having fitted the LED to the masthead, It hen ran the w iring (which for these LEDs is extremely fine) down each si de of the sup p ort struts and into the cabin to pn ear the windsc re en, beforec onn e cti n gi tt o the supply.A sIh ad fitte das ep arate switch alongside the water activated one, the light can be operated wi thout the need to have the b oat in the water
Shannonscheme
The painting of these small plastic vessels can make or break amodel, so it’sespecially important to achieve the best possible finish. Idecided to finish this particular Shannon as the Dungeness lifeboat,which in the past Ihad visited many times and taken numerous photos of while gathering information for my 1:12 scale version. At that time, however, she carried adifferent livery; her lower hull being white with grey panels. As these boats recover right up on the beach at speed, naturally their paintwork suffers. Consequently,most of the Shannon boats now in service have black lower hulls, which is moreserviceable.
The upper hull Ipainted using Humbrol’sNo. 15 Midnight Blue. I use this on most of my lifeboats, and it looks very acceptable, particularly on amodel of this scale. The cabin/ wheelhouse was painted in Tamiya X6 Gloss Orange, as Ifind thistobemore realistic than the Airfix orange included in the kit, butthe choice, of course, is up to the builder.The decals supplied I found to be very good, and they fitted well, especially the red/yellowstripes at the deck edge.
“I also purchased an aftermarket decal sheetthat is available from Airfx, for around £10, as this provides the namesand numbers of 60 plus RNLI lifeboats, including the Dungeness boat”
Ialso purchased an aftermarket decal sheet that is available from Airfix, for around £10, as this provides the names and numbers of 60 plus RNLI lifeboats, including theDungenessboat.
On thewater
When Ifirst putmyadapted for R/C 1:72 scale Airfix Shannon through her paces in afriend’spool,she ran well. It took me alittle while to get my head around the correctionsthat needed to be made on therather primitive radio transmitter, butafter awhile Igot the hang of things and am now very pleased with howwellthisneat little model operates. ●
Out of Alan Poole’shands and into apool, the model is about to be put through her paces.
And away she goes… Aneat little example of the power of plastic magic!
The‘New’ Zeeland el d
Nick Brown test builds Billing Boats’ newly improved and updatedkit and, taking things one step further,gets this designed with R/C installation in mind model outonthe water
Originally named Winston Churchill,the steam tug Zeeland was constructed during World WarII. It holds the distinction of being the last steampowered tug built for the Dutch company Goedkoop in Amsterdam.In 1964, it was sold to the Willem Muller company based in Terneuzen, where it was retrofitted with adiesel engine and renamed Zeeland.The vessel was eventually broken up in Dordrecht, Holland, in 1997.
Zeeland has appeared in Billing Boats’ catalogue in the past, but Jens and his team in Denmark have now completely revamped the kit, and I was fortunate enough to be asked by our editor and Jens to build and review aprototype of thenew version. This arrived in aZwarte Zee box, as at the time of building thenew Zeeland had yet to enter production.
Kitinspection
The kit consists of an ABS hull with newly designed laser cut plywood super structured ec ks, nicely turned brass fittings with wood, plastic and re sin parts, ramin masts, rigg ing cordi nv arious th icknesses, a prop shaft, rudde rs haft and brass propeller.A set of beautiful fullsize plans area lso provid ed, with a
pictures tyle instruction bookle tt ha t also includes the la ser cu tp lywood sheet la youts and parts listin g identifier
Kitspecifications give ascale of 1:35, equating to amodelmeasuring 820mm (32inches) in length, with a beam of 210mm (8.3 inches) and a height of 550mm (21.6 inches).
Making astand
Unusually,the build starts not with the hull but with the stand. This was quickly identified on the laser cut plywood sheets and removed, beforebeing assembled with two lengths of dowel, resulting in a very rigid and useful build stand Iused throughout theconstructionphase.
Making astart on thehull
The hull is moulded from ABS sheet and represents theshape of the tug perfectly.You will need to cut offthe excess material. The feedback Igave BillingBoats here wasthat modellers could, potentially,fail to correctly identify the upperdeckline, as the most obvious moulded line is that for the lower deck line,and removing the plastic to this wouldcause issues. Hopefully,therefore, things will be made clearer in the production kit for Zeeland.Iremoved the excess with scissors and then smoothed over with asanding file. Fine tuning can be made after the deck is fitted.
Designed with R/Coperation in mind
This model has an internal support structurefor themotor,battery tray and servo box, which can be built as asingle item that sits perfectly in the keel. Ifound the rudder support
The ‘real’ Zeeland, as ownedbyWillem Muller in 1964. The model is incredibly close in detail to the original.
The updated and fully illustrated instruction booklet, and one of the plans.
Nick marked the upper line with aSharpie Pen to identify the correct line to cut to. NB failure to do so will result in the deck sitting proud of the hull.
