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Rik Thistle

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Posts posted by Rik Thistle

  1. Michael,

     

    Welcome to MSW.

     

    Vanguard Models do a couple of excellent Scottish fishing vessel models - the Fifie and the Zulu, plus a number of other equally good UK fishing vessels. 

     

    There is a preserved Fife Reaper in Anstruther harbour .....  https://www.scotfishmuseum.org/zulu-gallery.php  and  https://www.classicboat.co.uk/news/iconic-fifie-reaper-to-be-reopened-to-public-after-1m-restoration/

    image.jpeg.bc4010834198e5cc8151e0b69cd39c84.jpeg  image.thumb.jpeg.9d9c87905ef3858b4d5b954cbd951d42.jpeg

     

    There are many superb builds of all these vessels on MSW to enjoy and ask questions about.

     

    Richard

    image.jpeg

  2. James,

     

    That's a useful last pic in your post above showing the electrics.

     

    I recall getting about 3-5mins flight out of my Nano RC helos using one of those batteries. But a helo battery has to power the large diameter main rotor and tail rotor, whereas a fixed wing prop a/c only has the prop to be driven...so I imagine you will get longer flights out of the battery.

     

    And of course battery technology also will have improved over the past 10 yrs.

     

    Richard

  3. Hi all,

     

    A (very) brief update follows - I've been working on other things for the past week but am trying to keep to a one-post-per-week schedule on the Radio Truck.

     

    The vehicle frame is the first part described in the instructions. It is made of many small parts and alignment is done mainly by eye. Some of the parts are not quite as accurately made as, say, Tamiya ones but will no doubt lead to something that does look like the K51 Truck 🙂

     

    Below, the basic parts that form the structure of the fame are removed from the sprue and filed smooth.

    radio1.thumb.jpg.f03e9ba5617d99ae23faac11bdcb573c.jpg

     

    The kit also comes with a photo-etch sprue. I haven't use PE before so was on a learning curve. I used CA glue to attach the PE parts. Below is the plastic former that part PE1 (x2) is shaped on.

    radio2.thumb.jpg.f7c5867679fd8f901b83bfdf03aade03.jpg

     

    A close up of the former in action.

    radio4.thumb.jpg.90f4cd66a72eda8ef29cd9101c9a70a2.jpg

     

    Finally, on to the axles.

    radio5.thumb.jpg.590353800d6409e2a9bb7e0b5085c54c.jpg

     

    I should make a bit more progress for the next post ...it feels like I have hardly moved forward at all in this post 😉

     

    Anyway, some more info on the radio Transmitter and Receiver from Wiki etc....  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCR-299

    "The SCR-299 was a U.S. Signal Corps mobile military communications unit used during World War II.  The SCR-299 "mobile communications unit" was developed to provide long-range communications during World War II.  The US Military sought improvements of range, flexibility and durability over its existing SCR-197 and SCR-597 transmitters.  In 1942, Hallicrafters Standard HT-4 was selected as the SCR-299's transmitter, known subsequently by its military designation as the BC-610. "

     

    There are a couple of good B&W videos of Hallicrafters ruggedising their SCR-299 Transmitter for military use .. The Voice of Victory Part I   https://archive.org/details/VoiceofV1944  - Part II here  https://archive.org/details/VoiceofV1944_2

     

    Below, the Transmitters being assembled on the production line.

    image.png.921286812bb47d6b1cf18c6b3925b776.png

     

     

    The Receivers were BC-312's ...more here....http://www.armyradio.ch/radio-e/us-bc312-e.htm  

    "The receiver BC-312 has been built by several contractors in the U.S. for the US Signal Corps in World War II and has been used as receiver in several wireless stations. The Swiss Army used this receiver in their Funkstation SE-402 / SM 46, an American SCR-499/A bought as war surplus."

    image.jpeg.df67492e533299aa0183d608f66c18ad.jpeg

     

    The 3rd part of the radio system and, arguably, the most important are the transmit and receive antennas...more in a later post.

     

    A screen grab from 'The Voice of Victory Part II' showing how the radio truck  took messages from General HQ and transmitted that info to the battlefield, and then received information back from the soldiers in the field.

    image.png.79f2e8b4b91b10b4d4ec4bc10dc874a2.png

     

    Having watched the short 'Voice of Victory' videos it is really quite amazing that commercial equipment could be  sufficiently ruggedised to allow it to be carried in the back of a truck across battlefields. Although the glass radio valves were now firmly held by clips, and the electrical modules held in retaining slots, it was still quite an achievement.

     

    More soon,

     

    Richard

    image.png

  4. Andrew,

     

    Yes, the electronic fittings need to be lightweight. My DX6i Transmitter was used with micro-helicopters and slightly larger (...Blade Nano CPX etc) , and drones.  The Receiver I have somewhere in my attic will probably weigh more than the Scrappee so is unlikely to ever be used with a Microaces a/c.

     

    If/when I get round to making a Microaces a/c, I'll follow James path and the advice/parts on the Microaces website.

     

    Richard

     

    PS: I still have dozens of the E-Flite LiPo batteries stored away, but they are probably now well past their use-by date. The Dragon Rapide looks like a classic, but may need more parts replacing should it ever crash 😉 

  5. "I emailed Jon at Microaces to see what I should buy.

    The kit comes with the motor and prop and then you can order the receiver from them which I did. It's the Microaces All In One (AIO) 5CH Micro Receiver. And he recommended a couple of transmitters, I went for the cheaper one because I'm not sure how much I'll actually use it, but of course I want to try it, so I bought a Flysky FS-i6X 10CH Radio Transmitter from Amazon.
    Regarding the battery and charger he recommended the E-Flite EFLB1501S25 as the one to get with a little USB charger EFLC1008 that charges one battery at a time."

     

    Great info, thanks.

     

    I already have a Spektrum DX6i 6 channel radio....it's about 10 yrs old.... it did come with a Receiver, which is still in it's box safely tucked away in the attic somewhere.... IIRC, it was maybe a bit too large/heavy for the Scrappee.  I recognise the battery you mention, and I do have a charger.

     

    But if/when I get round to building a Scrappee, the route of least pain may be to follow your Build of Materials.

     

    I have watched a few YT videos of Microaces planes flying and they look good.

     

    Anyway, all good stuff 🙂

     

    Richard

     

  6. Hi all,

     

    This is my build of the Chevrolet based K51 radio truck model made by MiniArt .... https://miniart-models.com/product/35418-us-army-k-51-radio-truck-with-k-52-trailer-interior-kit/

     

    The blurb on the MiniArt radio truck page says...   "HIGHLY DETAILED PLASTIC MODEL KIT,  PHOTO-ETCHED PARTS INCLUDED, CLEAR PLASTIC PARTS INCLUDED,DECAL SHEET FOR 5 OPTIONS, K-52 TRAILER WITH POWER UNIT PE-95 ARE INCLUDED,RADIO SET SCR-299 INCLUDED, DOORS CAN BE ASSEMBLED IN OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION, HIGHLY DETAILED ENGINE COMPARTMENT, TRANSMISSION, BRAKE, STEERING SYSTEMS ,HIGHLY DETAILED PLASTIC MODEL KIT"... OK, fine 😉

     

    Reliable radio communication was arguably the most important technology used in WWII. And, as usual with war technologies, the science was forced to move forwards quickly.

     

    First a couple of pics of the box art.  Below is the truck plus it's generator trailer.

    radio2.thumb.jpg.be24707de1a625cd0ebae726c12dd1cc.jpg

     

    There were a number of countries using the radio truck.

    radio4.thumb.jpg.d6a3500f64d980e99d299ea67101345b.jpg

    Those countries were....  British Forces Radio Station, 8th army sector, Italy, October 1944,  Corps Signals Unit, 2nd Polish Corps, Italy 1944/1945,  1st Armored Division, 829th Signal Battalion, North Africa, Spring, 1943,  102nd Infantry Division, ETO, Autumn 1944, US Marine Corps, 4th Marine Division, Pacific, 1944/1945.

     

    Below, the large stack of parts that make up the model.

    radio5.thumb.jpg.133155923ab525680058c611355745f5.jpg

     

    Finally, a couple of pages from the rather thick manual. The red box on the second page indicates the meaningful part of the mobile unit, the radio equipments.

    radio7.thumb.jpg.b53cd76d739e404eca87130c53af8513.jpg

     

    I'm off now to do a lot more reading up on war comms and how and where the K51 was used.

     

    Back soon'ish.

     

    Richard

  7. I've ordered the Comms truck ... U.S. Army K51 Radio Truck with K52 Trailer - https://www.scalemates.com/kits/miniart-35418-k51-radio-truck-with-k52-trailer--1459015  ...for indoors ....

     

    ...and will probably also order the PMR Shaper  ...for the shed. (Edit: Now ordered).

     

    I'd have liked to get the Stuart oil pump but it is over £500 ($636) so it just a bit too rich for me at the moment.

     

    Richard

  8. Will the pump be automated or static

    I do have a Stuart V10 steam engine that would be used to power it, even if only temporarily on the bench just to see it pumping.

    image.jpeg.e77f53c1503c2487e8bc8f596b685b8b.jpeg

    If I were to build a combined power source + pump scenario it would be quite a large size. Also, to be period correct, I believe the steam engine would be a horizontal one. Anyway, still thinking about the pump 😉

     

    Yes, the Lynx is an interesting platform. It is used both by Armies and Navies.... Westland Lynx - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Lynx  I'd go for the Naval variant with a full sensor suite, and maybe with the Sea Skua missile (which used the nose radar for target illumination).

     

    There are a few makers of Lynx kits eg Airfix (1:72 scale) .... but I haven't researched which is best.

    image.jpeg.a930b195495c6489c1d44f5bb1f89cba.jpeg

     

    I'll have my thinking cap on over the weekend....it's a fun part of the hobby deciding what to do next.

     

    Richard

     

    Edit: This Lynx with the 360 deg radar and at 1:48 scale may be a better bet.... https://uk.airfix.com/products/westland-navy-lynx-mk88ahma8mk90b-a10107a?

    a10107a_0.thumb.webp.90c0a9c4ab9836f815fc505514432742.webp

    2nd Edit: The latest version of the Lynx is the AW159 Wildcat....  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AgustaWestland_AW159_Wildcat

    It went in to service Aug 2014. It does look good. But there isn't yet a kit supplier for it - however there is a conversion kit available that upgrades earlier Lynx kits. If I did go for the Wildcat in the future I'd plan to do a scenario of it sitting on a flight deck. But all that is for sometime in the future, maybe 😉 

     

  9. Egilman, Alan, OC,

     

    Thanks for the comments and kind words.

     

    fastest way to permanently learn not to stand behind the cow.

    Ah, right...THAT danger 😉 But it did quickly become just part of everyday life - even the smell 'disappeared'.

     

    the Archer blends into the scene

    That was my inattention....glad you like it. Like most things in life, nothing happens in isolation.

     

    This is a Great finish - really nice.

    As usual, when a build is finished the builder knows where all the skeletons are buried and what things should have been done differently. But it's a learning game 😉


    I'm not sure what to do next.....scenarios do take up quite a bit of shelf space, and I need to get back to 'metalworking' in the shed....some random thoughts.... Oil Field pump (...I always found the American movies on the early oil business fascinating), Shaper (another one for the shed), Westland Lynx (been close to them a few times and worked on some of their contents), Comms truck (a vital part of the organisation). 

    image.thumb.jpeg.c2a62d20006e22b40ac8a0889d6711e8.jpegimage.thumb.jpeg.f701d098493c1ca30ca78c3205baeb31.jpegimage.jpeg.7ae2e8d07e6e4e83c73aa4a9408636e7.jpegimage.jpeg.2fd4003a634e3c70231ce3312b3ea752.jpeg

    Maybe one for the shed (during the day), and one for the Study (in the evening). Thinking...

     

    Richard

  10. learned not to stand around the back end

    Yes, first rule of farm life... the cow/horse/donkey can't afford the time to decide if you are a human or a mountain lion....kick first, ask questions later.  I read somewhere recently,  if a mule kicks at you and misses it was because he intended to miss.

     

    We used to build forts in the hayloft from the bales

    Yup, we were spoiled 😉  Not sure Dad appreciated his bales going out of shape, but he gave us enough slack to keep us happy.

     

    Richard

  11. Andy, Egilman,

     

    Thanks for the feedback....much appreciated.

     

    A bigger shelf is a better idea

    image.jpeg.5f489d264a4c4e121dadb8f0bf66a7bc.jpeg

    I've got the type of adjustable shelving shown above...so there is still space for a couple of more shelves 😉

     

    And Yes, the livestock frequently got in the way....

    As kids on our farm we always found the cows as friendly, inquisitive animals. The Bull was a different story!

     

    Richard

  12. Hi all,

     

    This is my final update on the Archer scenario build.

     

    Firstly, another look at the Tamiya box art.

    Archer3.thumb.jpg.7376fedad1310ff736d34eea52792686.jpg

     

    For the scenario, I created a farm location somewhere in Normandy. A particular feature of that countryside is the thick hedges planted on raised banks, and ditches bordering most fields.

    Archer4a.thumb.jpg.14ce661075d363ce3df8aeb780e16852.jpg

     

    The top right of the scenario was a bit bare so I made a concrete water trough for the cattle. Early prototype on the right, and a finished one on the left coated in slightly diluted AK Grey putty. A would later add some weathering to it.

    Archer7.thumb.jpg.8f2b577817d6d546bdb0132d4d296b75.jpg

     

    Below, the Archer crew painting details. I've just noticed that the box art shows black leather boots but the instructions call for Red Brown XF-64 paint.... ah well, too late now....the Commander has shiny red leather boots!

    Archer7a.thumb.jpg.32ff3ef717c9db688ba46208c54a77ae.jpg

     

    Plenty (sieved and microwaved) garden dirt added to the rear (and front) of the Archer.

    Archer7b.thumb.jpg.d2c1b4963fe62b693f35167a95759ddb.jpg

     

    Marguerite waits patiently for the 'tractor' to throw over some hay. Unfortunately for her, and some others about 1 mile away, it is not hay being delivered today!

    Archer13b.thumb.jpg.75f0ba07e09c0c7446ce6479f8b641f3.jpg

    Cattle are generally curious animals and had a habit off staring at soldiers hiding in the hedgerows, and even wandering over to get a better look. The enemy found this a bit of a nuisance, to say the least.

     

    Below, the final overall scenario - the Archer has pulled in to the field to target the enemy, whilst not blocking the farm path. A passing infantry patrol has had a chat with the Canadians and are now departing. One infantryman wants to watch the first shell being delivered.

    Archer14.thumb.jpg.779e8865f95ea9c974ffe5feed3c1a21.jpg

     

    This was an interesting build. Some of the Tamiya Archer parts were a bit more delicate than the Churchill tank parts, and it was a slightly more complex build. I think I prefer to see the 'machinery' in use in a typical setting - it gives context to purpose and effect on the local communities.

     

    I'm not sure what my next build will be...possibly back to the machine shop for another metal model as the warmer weather is showing signs of moving in 🙂

     

    Finally, thank you all again for the Likes, Comments and perspectives (on what was a very difficult time for the world). I don't think a Build really works unless opinions and advice are shared.

     

    Take care,

     

    Richard

  13. I use a mixture of  A3 and A4 matts fitted around my L-shaped desk.... something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001IOZUHK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

    ...but with a 3mm thickness.

     

    They last for years, although solvents and scraping can remove some of the 1cm guidlines over time. So I just rotate the matt by 180 deg to get a fresh working area.  I don't recall ever cutting through one, but may have managed (when not concentrating) to drill some small holes through them.

     

    Richard

  14. top of the bales into the loose straw.

     

    Yes. And that was one of the safer activities 🙂

     

    When I think about all the open machinery in those days (belts, gears), riding on the back of trailers, climbing farm buildings/trees etc.... I'm surprised we are are still here. But it did build up a strong 'risk assessment' instinct. The childhood was maybe not that different from being brought up in a town...it was just more easily accessible?

     

    Richard

  15. Alan,

     

    Yes, run-ins with nettles was part of growing up ... Docken Leaves helped reduce the sting a bit.

     

    And barbed wire was just one of the many challenges we learned to navigate ...wish I could turn the clock back 😉

     

    Just Googled it, and it seems you have nettles in Florida...I guess they grow just about everywhere. 

     

    Richard

     

  16. Thanks Alan,

     

    I was brought up on a farm - dairy, beef and crops....therefore have climbed over many gates and wiggled through many fences as a child. So have some vague recollection of how they looked.  But most recent info has come from the web.

     

    As with many things, close examination soon reveals the flaws but from a distance it looks OK...and Marguerite and her herd seem to cope with it.  But once the shells start going off, I hope she scarpers away from the fence rather than through it!

     

    Richard

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