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Delta Queen by ir3 - Saito - RADIO


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Guest ir3ausley

Well, after completely screwing up my old account and losing everything, it is time to start over again. I decided to ressurrect an old project that I started on another site. It is the Saito Delta Queen, a very nice Saito kit just perfect for steam. As far as correctness goes, it is not that true to scale but good enough for a paddle steamer with a steam plant to run around the pool. When finished it will be fitted with a sound system playing steam caliope music.

 

So here it is at the current state. Steam Plant is installed and just about ready to run. The forward deck is very early as the current Queen has a steel foredeck. In the past there was a wooden deck and a work house for the crew. Why Saito chose to make the fore deck planked and the upper decks in the latest configuration is unknown but once again it is a fun build for enjoyment in the pool.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

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A bit more work on the Delta Queen. I aged the deck a bit using the Micro Mark product and it seems ok. It looks a bit worn and used. A few of the fittings are in place and the doors need door knobs. I need to coat the heads of some pins black and it will at least add a bit of contrast. I hate painting!!!!!

 

Next step is to start on the next deck.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

 

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A bit more work on the Delta Queen. The door knobs have been installed but alas, unless one looks very closely the first deck obscures them. But at least they are there. The fore part of deck one is installed with the support pillars. I kind of wish I did the fore portion of the model as the Victoria. It is more presentable with staircases going up to the first deck and a different front. Of course, this is the Delta Queen and so it will be the DQ.

 

Before going on, I need to caulk the seams between the hull and the inner structure to prevent water from coming in. There is very little free board so keeping the interior dry is an absolute must. The steam plant will be coming out for this operation.

 

Until next tine,

 

IR3

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

A bit more work on the Delta Queen. Many problems fitting the various deck pieces. The sheer of the boat was almost impossible to set up. With the fiber glass hull being so uneven and the frame punchings so poor the corrections could not be made until the main cabin structure was started. This was not practical. So the boat goes into the classification of Stand Off Fun scale. It is strictly a small pond or swimming pool model and will never be a show winner.

 

I started on the main cabin structures. This is removable to get access to the interior. Not shown in the pictures is a small inner box on the first deck level to seat the cabin structure.

 

As you can see from the pictures the sheer has its problems. I will deal with some of them but for the most part, since it is removable probably not too much effort.

 

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Until next time,

 

IR3

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A bit more work on the DQ. The Texas (or Hurricane) deck is on and more windows in place. This brings the total up to over 150 so far. If you like windows, this is the kit for you. I had trouble at first with windows falling off after gluing. It turns out that I need to scuff up the backs of the windows to provide a good medium for the thin CA. That and kicker has the windows on pretty firmly. After priming and painting there should not be a problem with windows falling off.

 

I still need to put in the doors. The plan indicates that they are wood panel doors which I am not going to attempt. I have the stamped out Saito doors which I might paint some wood color. I need to check some pictures to see if these are indeed painted white. BTW, one of the good parts of the kit are the stampings for the windows and doors. They actually came out quite nice.

 

I have to deal with the shear before painting. It is really bad and due to very poor die cutting of the cabin sides. I assume that at one time the parts were die cut perfectly but as time went on not much maintenance was done on the dies.

 

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Hmm, just noticed the missing window on the Cabin deck.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

 

 

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  • 3 years later...

This boat is gone. Turned over to another modeler to finish. But that is only part of the story. I really missed this boat. It should have stayed in the shop. Being a glutton for punishment, a basket case appeared on RCG but it had the complete steam plant for this boat, Y2DR, B2F, Burner, and Puke tank. So lock me up in a padded room but here goes.

 

The original owner purchased this kit in 1994. Being a very difficult kit, he was way over his head. I purchased this mess knowing a bit about how it goes together. I am just about finished with the hull and 1st deck. It will be rebuilt as near to current configuration. It will have a mixture of goodies so I place it around 2008+. I will add more pictures later as the rebuild goes on but the main feature is a replacement paddle wheel. The replacement just looks like it really belongs. You can compare it to an earlier picture. 

 

 

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Next update from my Mental Ward!!

Edited by ir3
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If you need to be in a padded cell, then so do almost all the rest of us.  :P

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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  • 2 weeks later...

I spent some tome getting the Paddle Wheel area up to date. The railing stanchions from the kit are stamped out of sheet brass but I did manage to find a single ball stanchion 15mm high which is exactly the correct height. There is an opening in the aft bulkhead for the maintenance crew which I may simulate with a black door. This is just about it for the stern. I may add some miscellaneous stuff but that is TBD.

 

Next update will include detailing for fore deck.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

 

BTW, some of the likes are going to my previous build (which I wish I never parted with!!!)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So this is about it for now on the foredeck. A lot different than earlier pictures above. The deck now has a steel look to it and the vents are under the second deck. The cleats are from the original kit. Since this is just a swimming pool boat, I just left them as they are. Not quite the same as the ones on the boat today. The reels need some string to resemble mooring lines. The derrick for the passenger ramp will come much later after the main cabin is refurbished. Next update will be with the steam plant and radio installed. I will show a picture of the main cabin as it is now just to show what a nightmare it will be to strip it and realign the parts.

 

Until next time,

 

Ir3

 

 

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I commented in a previous post that I would show the steam plant installed. It would have been exactly as in the earlier model pictured above but after giving it a lot of thought, I am not going to use the B2F boiler. Being inside a confined space it needs to have as many safety items installed. While it is the suggested boiler for the Y2DR, it would be very difficult to add some safety features like a fuel regulator and shutoff valve and the throttle is very clumsy to manage. I am searching for a good source of boilers for this model and when I find what I need, I will post it. I need to start stripping the main cabin but that will start after the first of the year as 17 day vacation is coming up.

 

So Happy Holidays to all and

 

Until Next Time,

 

IR3 

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The new boiler is on order and will take about 12 weeks to get it built and sent from across the pond. In the mean time, when I get back I will be stripping the cabin and doing some rebuilding.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

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  • 7 months later...

The cabin turned out to be a total disaster. It was very poorly built using adhesives that could not be undone and without the original sprues, the pieces making up the cabin could not be reduced. The restoration of this model was a long shot but there is just too much work to be done to make it right. It would actually be a lot less stressful to find another DQ and start over. That is unlikely so this project is officially retired. The steam plant is removed and the remainder will be relegated to the wreckers. Thanks for following the restoration but and end was not in sight.

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I'm sorry to read this as it was looking good.   But, like Chris said, we've all binned our share of models.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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  • 1 year later...

Being a glutton for punishment I considered selling the Steam Plant for the DQ but I managed to acquire a Victoria kit. I just won't give up on building this Paddler.

 

This Victoria kit is not much better than the DQ. There were some design changes probably due to the Delta Queen company complaining about possible copyright infringements. In any case the, the bottom of the model is still exactly the same. A hull where the sheer is different from the sheer of the cabin formers and a host of other problems. By now, I am familiar with them all and just working through each problem as the arise.

 

I worked my way up to installing the rudders and the steering mechanism. The steering mechanism is horrible. The 4 forward rudders under the hull are mechanically linked so when the rudder servo activates, the 4 forward rudders move together. The rear 2 rudders are a different story. They are connected to the steering mechanism using cables and springs. The pictures show the routing of the cables and the attachment springs. The problem is, when the steering is at dead center both springs are under tension. When the servo moves the inner rudders, there is a lag with the outer rudders due to one spring relaxing while the other has increased tension. The lag is minor, and I am sure that it will have no effect on steering the model while under power.

 

If anyone else has done this model I would like to hear if you had the same problems with the steering.

 

I will continue to update the thread as I make significant progress. With the steering mechanism in place, I am moving on to the Steam Plant installation. 

 

Until next time,

 

IR3

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've installed the steam plant and it is no different than the pictures shown earlier in the thread. I am not happy with the Saito boiler and burner and plan to swap them out for a more robust setup running on a propane/butane mix. The Saito burner is alcohol and very noisy. It will be a few weeks till I receive the new boiler.

 

Till next time,

 

IR3

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  • 3 weeks later...

Some more work on the Victoria. Just about finished with the main deck and deck 2. Railings, bollards, vents, and windless are in. Still waiting for the new boiler so I will start on the main cabin.

 

It's a shame that nothing has changed with the DQ/Victoria kits. Still the same poor instructions. One would think that since the late 1990's when the DQ came out that they would change something. Straighten the cutters or improve the instructions. Just to do the railings it takes a lot of study. The instructions do not indicate what stanchions to use. It's a struggle but progress is being made.

 

As far as the colors go, it is a mixture of the DQ, the Victoria, and generic river boats of the same era. Not looking for scale integrity, just to look good when on the water. I am having a custom scale Paddle Wheel made specifically for this boat. It will have 32 floats instead of the 8 on the kit paddle wheel. When you look at videos of the DQ on the water, it looks way too fast. I think it is due to the 8 large floats on the paddle wheel. They take a big bite while turning. With the 32-float paddle wheel, while there are more floats in the water, I believe they will bite much less than the original so it will look closer to scale. It remains to be seen. If nothing else, it will look great on display.

 

Till next time,

 

IR3

 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Still a month or so before the new boiler arrives so more work on the main deck and the cabin. With the shear of the hull being different from the main removable cabin the best I can do is get the pieces close to fitting. Once all the railings are on it the gaps will hardly be noticeable. In building up the removable cabin it worked best to get the shear as close as possible, then add windows, paint, and then assemble. This worked out quite nicely. I also added more detail to the main deck and deck 2. The railings on deck 2 are fixed. The railings on the removable cabin will be set so that they just touch the second deck when the cabin is in place. The railings are not easy to assemble and are very time consuming. The ones in the pictures have 5 - 8 stanchions. The removable cabin has 31 stanchions per side. I may just need a padded cell once I start on them. More to follow.

 

The hull and deck two are just about finished. All that is needed is a bit of filler and some paint touch up.

 

Until next time,

 

IR3.

 

 

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The railings for Decks 2 and 3 have been started. It needed a jig. To build these on the boat would be extremely difficult. The length of the jig takes care of the straight section on decks 2 and 3 and consists of 23 stanchions. Since the railing does not attach to deck 2, there is a 1mm wire at the bottom of the stanchion which rests on deck 2. All the 1mm wires on the top of the stanchions will be soldered as will the 1mm wire on the bottom that sits on deck 2. The 1mm woven through the deck 2 section as well as the .5mm wires will be soldered at the ends and a few points in the middle just to make sure they are fixed. A lot of work. Approximately 60 solder joints per side, 2 sides.

 

More to follow,

 

IR3

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