a49kid

Your planking is looking good and very neat, mine will need a good sand. What are you glueing it down with. Are they pencil lines or are there separate pieces of the planking.

Next thing, and it looks like you have done the same thing as me, and cut them off. The rails need to go all the way to the rear, ( do they call that the Stern ) There needs to be support for the rear floor, yes I had to go back and add some rails. Poor instructions from Billings. And yes the rear bulkhead on mine did not sit down on the plastic hull........... I just pushed those bits in later.

When I got to the point that I had to trim / sand the plastic I found the width at the top of the plastic hull, is too narrow. I added some extra wood strip. to both sides.

Hi Grant, and you are progressing well too. Now a couple of things. Re top pic, the position of the deck, the nose piece, (I'm not a boat man) suggest glue the 2 plastic pieces together and dry fit. If you glue it in too early, it is a pain when working on the boat deck down. And check the position of the deck.

Hi Grant, I have sent you a message.

Hi Grant, thanks for your comment. I have started on the planking, but I find it very demanding and tedious. Actually I'm wondering if I should have started it, I'm thinking, after I paint the hull will it look any different to just painting the plastic hull. Anyway, I will have to press on now. And Interestingly, I am also building the OcCre Stephenson's Rocket, and have the Adler to build too. And yes they have a few nice boats too.

Yes I bought a longer 150mm prop shaft assembly, but cut it down to 125. Dry fitted the steam plant, it has a 5mm output shaft, the prop shaft is 4mm. The 2 universals fitted in good and everything rotates smoothly.

The stained ply deck and inner edge strips, whatever they are called.

The Build is Progressing. I had to move the floor rails out a little bit when I discovered the steam plant base plate was about 3mm wider than the kit width. Some spray paint on the inside of the hull sides, using Tamiya TS-66 grey.

This is the Steam Plant that I bought for this boat, from MSM in Melbourne. It has a butane gas burner, but because I'm still waiting on a refill can adapter I have not yet had it running. And I changed the clear silicon tubing to a black tube, I'm fussy with everything. The black brass base plate is screwed to the lower floor ply timber sheet.

I think I mucked up, I thought I was starting a Build Log, but it appears my first Post was in the "Introductions" folder. So I will now try and start a Build Log here. And I'll start again. Hello, my name is Wayne and this is my first Post here, I joined the group a couple of weeks ago. I’m 74 and in Melbourne Australia and I’m currently building the Billings African Queen. And this has been a quest of mine all my life, I saw the movie as a very young boy when my parents went to the Drive In Pictures, around 1953. And I have always remembered different scenes from the movie. So I have now finally got around to building it, and with live steam. And intend to have RC for the steering, I will just let the steam engine chug along. Yea being an open launch I don’t want to have servos etc spoiling the look of the model. I hope to hide a small servo for steering under the rear seat. And the vacuum formed plastic hull will be water tight when on the water. But I’m thinking of planking over the hull, I hope that will be OK. And I must say, the most important tip I picked up while researching the build was to leave the top extra mounding there, not cut it off until the hull internals and deck were completed. I have the ‘Miniature Steam Models’ plant #4034 here to go into the boat. I must thank gjdale, (Grant) for guiding me to that plant, and it looks spot on for the Queen. And MSM are in Melbourne too. Just ordered 2 universals, 5 to 4mm, and a brass prop from ‘Float a Boat’, also in Melbourne, and they were very helpful. Will have to see if I use the Billings prop shaft or have to buy a longer one.

Hi Grant, can you help me, I want to continue on with my thread, my build of the Queen. Now how do I do that, what do I have to click on. I don't want to start a new thread.

Yes I bought the DVD last week, and I must watch it and re familiarize myself with the story

And after it is planked, then painted, is it going to look much different than just painting the plastic hull. Will you know that it is planked.

Yes I'm doing the planking on the Queen as well, and have a plane and sandpaper, but working with and tapering this 0.5 strip is not easy. And I Still have not got my head around where you taper these planks, top or bottom edge, and do you need to start planking at the bottom or the top of the hull. ............?

Hi Keith, at the moment my problem is Replying tho members comments. Sometimes, like here with yours, there is a box / space at the bottom so I can reply, but other times there is no way of replying ..? Like with Capt, Kelso, re the figures for the African Queen, as I want to communicate and ask him more questions

Yes Grant, my name is Wayne I will have a look, I'm Very Interested in your planking. I'm about to start the planking now. I have bought a plane, but how do you hold 0.5 mm wood to plane it.?

I think I mucked up, I thought I was starting a Build Log, but it appears this Post was in the "Introductions" folder. So I will now try and start a Build Log here. And I'll start again. Introduction Hello, my name is Wayne and this is my first Post here, I joined the group a couple of weeks ago. I’m 74 and in Melbourne Australia. I have been on Forums years ago, before Facebook killed off many of them, I was on several RC Tank Forums. And I’m not real sure of the protocol for posting here, please advise me if I go astray. I’m currently building the Billings African Queen. And this has been a quest of mine all my life, I saw the movie as a very young boy when my parents went to the Drive In Pictures, around 1953. And I have always remembered different scenes from the movie. So I have now finally got around to building it, and with live steam. And intend to have RC for the steering, I will just let the steam engine chug along. Yea being an open launch I don’t want to have servos etc spoiling the look of the model. I hope to hide a small servo for steering under the rear seat. Yes I have made very many different and varied models over my life, including boats, so I feel I’m reasonably capable to build this launch And the vacuum formed plastic hull will be water tight when on the water. But I’m thinking of planking over the hull, I hope that will be OK. And I must say, the most important tip I picked up while researching the build was to leave the top extra mounding there, not cut it off until the hull internals and deck were completed. I have the ‘Miniature Steam Models’ plant #4034 here to go into the boat. I must thank gjdale, (Grant) for guiding me to that plant, and it looks spot on for the Queen. And MSM are in Melbourne too. Just ordered 2 universals, 5 to 4mm, and a brass prop from ‘Float a Boat’, also in Melbourne, and they were very helpful. Will have to see if I use the Billings prop shaft or have to buy a longer one. Wayne