mtdoramike

I was able to spend a little time on the Calyso the past few days.

started installation of the stuffing tubes, rudders and supports.

finally got the two 380 motors and brackets. 

This is how my work bench looks when I'm working on a project. I try to keep it clean, which lasts all of about two days.

I was able to spend a little time on the Calypso between honey do's. I'm not going to be stuck on the colors. I will try to stay as true to the actual Calypso as myself will let me. But I just have to add a little extra color.   

Now that's hot right there, I don't care what anyone else says and a bit nerve racking too. Any time I drill into a perfectly good hull I get the nervies.

I took auto body filler to fair in the observation pod on the hull, sanded it smooth then cleared over it with resin. 

I spent a little time one the calypso in the last few days. 

But with all builds, there comes some bad with the good and making an R/C model out of a static model always poses extra problems and make no mistake, the Calypso is mainly a static build eventhough they suggest a motor drive train setup diagram. Case in point are the support posts for the roof of the bottom main cabin, which extends to the deck of the ship on ten places on each side of the cabin. This will not work for radio control operation because the main cabin has to be removed to gain access to the interior of the hull for motor adjustments, battery changing switching the model on and off. So this, won't do. I will have to reconfigure this, yes, I could just install them as the plans show and just not secure the bottom of the post to the deck, but they could easily be knocked off. I may end up doing a cantilever type support like a triangle making it terminate into the sides of the cabin instead of the deck. Now if this were going to be a static build and built to represent the Calypso as museum quality or close to it I wouldn't dare think of such a dastardly deed. But since this build is more fuction than form, I'm open to it.
 

I got the glazed portholes in from Modelboatbit in England. It took about 2 weeks to get them, but well worth the effort. They will be going in the observation pod on the nose of the Calypso. The potholes in the kit are unglazed. I needed the ones that had glass for it to work in the water. 

I'm going to fair in the observation pod on the lower stem of the boat using bondo body filler. I'm then going to drill out for the port holes on the observation pod. But before I install the port holes, I'm going to inject some clear silicone caulking into the pod through the port holes to make sure the is no open void that water could by chance leak into the pod. 
 
I'm going to order some 7mm glazed port holes because the once furnished in the kit are unglazed meaning their open, which might work fine for the upper cabins, but not for the observation pod.

I spent a little time on the Calypso and cut out all the flashing from around the hull, installed the wood keel strip, interior deck and cut out a bunch of smakk plastic pieces like the life/small exploration boats, pontoons, barrels and such. 

This is usually the way I start a new build, I put up the plans and stare at them for days until I decide today is the day.

This is a Billings Boats kit of the Calypso, I received this kit from a good friend and fellow modeller a few months ago. This is not what I usually call an orphaned kit. It took me two years to finally talk him out of it. I had it stashed away in a closet for a few months waiting it's turn on the building bench. I'm finishing up the Dumas 1955 Chris Craft Cobra and then on to another Billings Boats kit of the Nordkap, which was an orphaned kit whose previous owner had passed away before completing it. I will most likely spend time working on both kits periodically.
 
Now on to the good stuff and the Calypso ahhhh the Siren of the Sea's, she has been beckoning to me for the last two years and her time is growing near. Upon opening the box, I noticed several white printed styrene sheets, which will need to be cut out and finished, wood sheets, and a numerous fitting package, which Billings is known for, they are also known for not including the fitting packages in the kits and making the builder have to purchase them separately. But not this kit, it was included. One thing I did notice is the preformed plastic hull, which I find to be quite thin and light for this size of a model. So, it will require some re-enforcement. I also noticed the 4 sheets of plans were printed on two sheets back and front, which I also don't care for, so I will have to find a Kinko's some where to get additional prints made. Yes, I know Kinko's is defunk so on to an Office Depot. For some this may not both, but for me it is poses a bit of a problem since I like to mount the plans on the wall. This will cause me to have to remove them constantly to check as I go along. I like to check as much as 3-4 steps ahead just to make sure I'm not missing anything. I'm not good at following instructions, I find them more of a suggestion, I'm more of a plans builder.
 
I would not recommend this model kit for a beginner, I would highly recommend they build a few boats before tackling this beast.   

I can't believe Billings used SOLID brass foir the deck barrels, 6 of them no less. That's one thing about Billings, they don't cheap out on their fittings. But, and there's always a but: these brass barrels weigh a good pound and a half to two pounds, which is way to much weight for any structure above the waterline unless you want to add a ton of ballast weight in the hull. I'm going to replace the brass tuned barrels with 1/2" wooden dowel rod, which will weigh considerably less. We'll see how they turn out, if I don't like them I can always resort back to the brass one's.  

A little spit and polish and you won't know the difference.

A little spit and polish and you won't know the difference.

Yep, I has some indentations on the sides of the hull just below the top deck. So I had to fill them with plastic putty after roughing up the plastic hull a bit to insure proper adhesion. 

Yep, I has some indentations on the sides of the hull just below the top deck. So I had to fill them with plastic putty after roughing up the plastic hull a bit to insure proper adhesion. 

I spent a little time working on a few detail parts like the copter and mini-sub as well as finishing the top deck house.

I spent a little time working on a few detail parts like the copter and mini-sub as well as finishing the top deck house.

Yep, I has some indentations on the sides of the hull just below the top deck. So I had to fill them with plastic putty after roughing up the plastic hull a bit to insure proper adhesion. 

I spent a little time working on a few detail parts like the copter and mini-sub as well as finishing the top deck house.

Yep, I has some indentations on the sides of the hull just below the top deck. So I had to fill them with plastic putty after roughing up the plastic hull a bit to insure proper adhesion. 

I spent a little time working on a few detail parts like the copter and mini-sub as well as finishing the top deck house.