The African Queen. My First Listing and First build here.

[a49kid]

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
 

Edited March 24 by a49kid
Added my name

[gjdale]

Welcome to MSW - it would be nice if we knew your name as well. Great to see someone else tackling the same project as me and in a very similar way. Looks like we are both thinking along the same lines here. I’ll follow along with interest - we may be able to exchange some ideas along the way.

 

Straight up, I was pleased to see your comment about leaving the extra top moulding on until the internals and deck are completed. I have been too-ing and fro-ing about when to cut them off. Your comment has convinced me to leave them on for now. I’ve just completed my own version of planking over the ABS hull and am ready to start on the internals. 

 

I look forward to following the rest of your build.

[a49kid]

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.? 

[Capt. Kelso]

Welcome, I was always a fan of the movie as well. FYI, recently I was searching for some scale figures for another Club member and stumbled on a couple available for the Billings African Queen. Just enter "African Queen" in the Ships in Scale search engine.

 

Also, while searching EBay, entered African Queen,  found these, Vtg Original Bogart’s African Queen Boat Key Largo FL (5) 35mm Slides. Looks like they contain some good detail for a model.

 

Good luck!

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  A friend of mine made a scratch African Queen with a working steam engine to power the working model.

[Keith Black]

 Wayne, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard.

[GrandpaPhil]

Welcome!

[Rik Thistle]

Welcome Wayne,

 

Following your build with interest.

 

Richard

[a49kid]

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 

[Keith Black]

 There should always be a reply box at the bottom, I've never had an issue where there wasn't. Are you holding your mouth right? 

[Knocklouder]

Hello Wayne, you will always see a place to replie at the bottom  of the page.. If you want to replie to Capt Kelso you can do two thing . One you can use   @Capt. Kelso by using the @  button or go back to Capt. Kelso post and use the quote button 

4 hours ago, Capt. Kelso said:

Welcome, I was always a fan of the movie as well. FYI, recently I was searching for some scale figures for another Club member and stumbled on a couple available for the Billings African Queen. Just enter "African Queen" in the Ships in Scale search 

 

Then just ask there 99.9% of the time people answer. 🙄. Hope this helps it took me forever to understand how to do this. 

                            

Bob M.

Ps. Good luck on your journey  !!

Edited March 23 by Knocklouder
Typos

[Knocklouder]

Or you can click on Capt Kelso  name and email him directly.  As for holding your mouth I try to keep both sides of My mouth  pointed upwards it helps with rigging  lol.

Bob M.  

Edited March 23 by Knocklouder

[ccoyle]

Welcome aboard, Wayne, and best of luck on your project!

[BETAQDAVE]

5 hours ago, a49kid said:

how do you hold 0.5 mm wood to plane it.?

I would use a strip of double sided tape to hold it in place.  Others here use a temporary adhesive followed by a release agent. I'm sure there are probably other methods that are covered in the shop notes area of our forum.

[Baker]

[Wawona59]

Welcome Aboard to Model Ship World Wayne.  Your African Queen looks like an interesting project and should look great with the figures posted by Capt. Kelso.  I've never seen the movie "African Queen" or read the book. I probably need to put this on my future read/movie list.

[gjdale]

10 hours ago, a49kid said:

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 just held the strip of wood in one hand and used the plane in the other to plane the taper (which I had already marked). I would then finish with sandpaper to get into any slight curves the plane could not. I found the easiest way to create the shape was to place sticky tape (the kind you can write on) on the hull to mark the shape, then transfer that to a piece of card (old Manila folder), then cut that out and trace around the card onto the wood strip. Sounds complex and time consuming, but is actually really easy and goes very quickly.

[Jim Lad]

Hello Wayne, and a warm welcome to the forum from up in Sydney.

 

John

[Nirvana]

Wayne, your age or what type of model or time era doesn't matter. Anything related to ships or boats are welcome.

So from Pacific NorthWest I say 

[a49kid]

8 hours ago, gjdale said:

 

I just held the strip of wood in one hand and used the plane in the other to plane the taper (which I had already marked). I would then finish with sandpaper to get into any slight curves the plane could not. I found the easiest way to create the shape was to place sticky tape (the kind you can write on) on the hull to mark the shape, then transfer that to a piece of card (old Manila folder), then cut that out and trace around the card onto the wood strip. Sounds complex and time consuming, but is actually really easy and goes very quickly.

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. ............?

Edited March 24 by a49kid

[a49kid]

8 hours ago, gjdale said:

 

I just held the strip of wood in one hand and used the plane in the other to plane the taper (which I had already marked). I would then finish with sandpaper to get into any slight curves the plane could not. I found the easiest way to create the shape was to place sticky tape (the kind you can write on) on the hull to mark the shape, then transfer that to a piece of card (old Manila folder), then cut that out and trace around the card onto the wood strip. Sounds complex and time consuming, but is actually really easy and goes very quickly.

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.

[a49kid]

12 hours ago, Wawona59 said:

Welcome Aboard to Model Ship World Wayne.  Your African Queen looks like an interesting project and should look great with the figures posted by Capt. Kelso.  I've never seen the movie "African Queen" or read the book. I probably need to put this on my future read/movie list.

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

Edited March 24 by a49kid

[a49kid]

21 hours ago, a49kid said:

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
 

 

8 hours ago, gjdale said:

 

I just held the strip of wood in one hand and used the plane in the other to plane the taper (which I had already marked). I would then finish with sandpaper to get into any slight curves the plane could not. I found the easiest way to create the shape was to place sticky tape (the kind you can write on) on the hull to mark the shape, then transfer that to a piece of card (old Manila folder), then cut that out and trace around the card onto the wood strip. Sounds complex and time consuming, but is actually really easy and goes very quickly.

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.  

[Louie da fly]

Hi Wayne, and welcome from sunny Ballarat, only an hour's drive (or train trip - only $9.00 for a day trip there and back) from Melbourne, but 3-4 degrees cooler, no matter what the season.

 

For planking, see the linked tutorials at https://modelshipworld.com/forum/98-planking-downloads-and-tutorials-and-videos/

 

To trim planks to shape I use a No.11 scalpel and/or craft knife (blades $4.50 for 4- or perhaps 5 - blades at Bunnings). But I use pretty much the same method as you to work out the taper.

 

Great movie, and proof that Bogie could act! Not just the ubiquitous tough guy, but a silly, weak little man who finds redemption in the love of a good woman. And of course Kate Hepburn was the perfect foil for him.

 

I'd highly recommend you start a build log - instructions are at 

It's a great way to get help and advice from the friendly MSW members. I find it invaluable when I hit a problem - very often someone comes up with a solution that would otherwise never have occurred to me. 

 

Steven 

Edited March 24 by Louie da fly

[gjdale]

1 hour ago, a49kid said:

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. 

 

Wayne,

Simply keep adding updates in the reply section of this thread.

 

1 hour ago, a49kid said:

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.

 

My purpose in planking the ABS hull was to add a little strength and rigidity to the hull. Initially, I was thinking of then adding a fibreglass coating as well, but will probably not do that now. The original boat was a steel hull, not wooden (just the topsides and decking were wood), so once it is planked and painted, it would probably be a good thing not to be able to see the planking. Of course, YOU will know that it is planked, and that’s all that matters really.