SS Redshanks

OK, - so I said I was going for a scratch build or at least a plank on frame model next, BUT I saw this kit advertised on Ebay and it was too good to miss. Being only just over 40cm it fits one of my prime requirements   I have looked at this kit a number of times but always been put off by Dean's high postage charges.

The kit is quite old by the looks of it, but had hardly been started - just a few holes drilled. The top of the moulding had not been sanded down, so after making a stand, I started on that job. Thankfully there is a clear line to sand to.

 

A pleasant surprise with this Dean's kit is that the instructions seem to actually refer to this model, not just a collection of random sheets  .

Barrie

I built this kit a long time ago, you should enjoy it, its one of deans less messed up moldings! just watch for the resin castings they can take a while to clean up if they are anything like the S.S Komet i built a couple of years back.

Since then i've avoided their kits simply due to over priced and poor molding quality's.

Sadly the boat took a long fall of the shelf and got resigned to the scrap heap, my brother tho is gonna play with the hull and make it into some some sort of military coaster in the near future by all accounts since that's all that survived the concrete impact!

After a further inspection, I found that some of the holes that had been drilled were not accurately placed  . I have re-drilled the worst, and will fill in the mess later. I also filed out the freeing ports. The markings for these were not too clear in the moulding, and may need some adjustment after the decks are fitted. 
The top of the moulding is now sanded to its correct level.

 

The propshaft is installed. The shaft supplied was too long in my view - it came too far forward and would not have allowed access to the coupling through the rear hatch, so I shortened it to the length shown on the drawing. I have fitted an oiler as I suspect it will be prone to letting in the water if not kept filled with grease. So far its only tacked in with CA glue. 



I have been working on the rudder which is made up from layers of plasticard with the the shaft sandwiched between them. There is a skeg supplied, but the rudder is not fitted into this if you follow the instructions, but I will be making a bottom pivot.
When the rudder laminations have set hard I will shape it and make the bottom pivot, then I can fix the rudder tube, and strengthen the prop shaft installation with P38. The exit of the shaft will also need some attention as the gel coat came away during the drilling (not me - was like this on receipt!)

Barrie

I have found on many deans hulls in the past the gel coat molding was umm half assed.. to put it bluntly much of the port holes and such were not accurate in their locations on the gel coat finish. this may explain the holes already drilled being inaccurate.

Its not a hard fix, but totally something that should have been sorted out on the original molding so you don't have to!

Other then that, good start bud, plenty of P38 usage to come i think, as a suggestion it may be worth once you have p38 the wrong holes to seal the inside with some resin and tissue which will stop the p38 cracking out over time.

For the portholes. it wasn't the hull markings that were out, it was the man who drilled them . There were quite clear marks which he ignored   
I am waiting to see what goes under the foredeck before deciding how to fix, but I am currently thinking of doing what you say - use some resin and tissue to cover the inside, then fill with P38 and re-drill. The other option is to use P40 to fill and strengthen, then re-drill and fill with a smooth filler.

Barrie

I have finished the installation of the rudder and prop shaft, made a battery box, and fixed a plate for the motor to affix to. I shall probably use silicone for that.
I will be using one of my <£5 Chinese 10 amp speed controls, and the receiver I plan to use is not much bigger, so plenty of room.
Next job is to find somewhere for the servo - I think possibly alongside the motor - and make up a linkage. 
For a small model this has quite good access, providing you have child size hands   I will have to borrow my Grandson if I need to make changes once the decks are on.

Barrie

 

  Keep it up bud looking good, how are the repairs going any progress there?

I've ordered some 3mm clear acrylic rod to make the portholes. When that comes I will fit it in with P38 and fill the gaps at the same time. I figure if I push the P38 in the hole from the inside and spread it out, it should hold , then I can smooth out the outside. 
That's the plan anyway.

Barrie

I have now finished installing the electrics - and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the result.There's not much space and finding a way to hide the cables was tricky, but I think it is quite neat.
I've also fitted the coamings round the rear deck hatch and fitted the bearers ready for installation of the deck. In the photo its only laid on for the moment.

Barrie


 
 

looks great Barrie, just a question tho, the decks on straight on the last photos lining up with the wash ports, did you take the photo at an angle or does the hull have a twist in it?

I'm not sure - it didn't look like that "in the flesh". As I said, the deck was only placed for the photo. No attempt made to hold it down or glue it yet. There is still more work required to get a good fit, which may involve tweaking the hull. The forward section is certainly bowed out on one side - distortion is always a problem with an old hull - I think this was probably made around 2000.

Barrie

yup yup, as a suggestion if the hull dose have a twist or bowed out sections, you can add p38'ed cross beam or a bulkhead at twisted ends in to pull it back into shape, that way once the decks down and glued in the whole thing holds its shape.

Might just be the way it looks in the photo,  i always look 10LB fatter in photos! 


On a side note, i did notice a lot of your builds you power the model with 5 pack AA's, question how long a run time do you get from those? given you run a ESC, motor servo and a 6v hungry 2.4 receiver.

I tend to use lipo's or LA's so powering a model via AA or AAA is a new experience for me with the rowing boat, be interested to get some incite from you on that. Only model i have that runs on 4 AA is my wee nip which runs two servos and a 40mhz set, i get a good couple of hours from the heavy duty dry cells, but with motors and esc's no clue, and don't rechargeable's have other issues such as lower voltage?

RR

I don't think I have any other models using 5 x AA cells. I bought this pack a long time ago for something or other, but this is the first time I've used it. The motor only draws less than an amp, and the pack gives a little over 6 volts when charged - its 2600mAh. I have a very short attention span when sailing my models - they rarely stay in the water more than about 20 minutes .
In this model it was a case of what fitted and didn't weigh too much. I do have some LiPos of 7.4 volt and 1000 and 1300 mAh which could be used.
For larger models I use a 5 cell pack of C cells, or a 7.4 volt LiPo

Barrie

PS I've just realised you are probably referring to the three models I made for my Grandson. These use 4 x AAA Alkaline batteries. These are for a 5 year old, so are designed to keep the speed down  As he gets older they will probably be replaced by 7.4 volt LiPos. But so far we are still on the original set as he doesn't get to go sailing very often.

Well, I've checked and I don't think I've got a twisted hull  When held down onto the bearers the aft deck is level, apart from the forward starboard side, which I've corrected.   However, there is another problem - I think. It appears to me that the aft deck is almost one centimetre too long. I have been trying to work out how the two decks relate to each other and the hull, and have come to this conclusion

Without building the bridge assembly I can't be absolutely sure, but I am pretty certain. The drawing and instructions don't give enough detail to help  (nothing new there for a Dean's kit) The pencil line (if you can see it) indicates where I think it should finish (aaprox). The main deck is still in the process of trimming - it currently looks crooked. Neither deck is stuck down as yet - the hull sides will need pulling in before I do.

Barrie

Glad to hear hulls not twisted!!

The forward deck looks in correct position, you may just need to cut the rear deck to fit where you marked, Hopefully that won't mess up the rear of the super structure   

Might be worth double checking the rear central hatch position before cutting.

Could be worth remaking the deck in a single piece if possible? i did that with mine with a sheet of 1.5mm birch, which also helped to seal the hull down as i used wooden deck supports around the hull sides.

There is supposed to be a step between the two decks. I did think of re-making the after deck, but I think I can adjust it so it fits, although I may not stick them down until I've built the bridge structure. 

Barrie

Because nothing seemed to fit, I decided to make the bridge structure to see if that would help. Well - it didn't really because some parts of that didn't fit either . I have now managed to decide on the length of the aft deck, and got the fore deck more or less lined up, but getting the bridge to fit is going to be a challenge as some of it is only 0.5mm plastic card so is very fragile.
The first job this morning was drilling for the portholes, and cutting out incredibly small windows.




I then started assembly. It was not until the sides and back were in place that the front is added. Its only then that you realise that the cabin sides aren't long enough, so there is a gap . I will have to fill it with a small strip. The wheelhouse doors are not in the correct place either - I think I may remake those as they will still come off without too much problem.

I'm also thinking that one reasons for the problems of fitting the bridge to the hull could be that the hull has 'closed up', and it might be an idea to add some beams to widen it a little., although the bridge will still be too long.

Barrie

  

Your not having a good time with this one Barrie, its a sad state of affairs with deans kits so much effort to fix issues consistently.

fortunately your not new to the hobby and i'm confident you'll over come these issues and have a decent model at the end. 

I just feel sorry for those who buy with limited experience and walk into the balls ups faced with kits from deans no wonder they don't continue with the hobby after, they have been burned for life!

but good work so far, keep it up!

Yes - I don't expect perfection from Deans kits, but they do have a good range of my type of models. If I do buy, then I know I will have a challenge on my hands - its usually with conflicting instructions
Perhaps the problems are a good thing - it slows down the building rate

Barrie

 I'm amazed they're still in business if they have a name for shoddy kits.

I've always been disappointed with deans kits, worst one was when I built the S.s komet, that was £800 (price since lowered) of pure disgust.

Given the hull was 6 foot long with port holes and simulated plating nothing was in the correct place and took me to sand the gell coat right back to flat and redo all the external detail, that included in twisting the hull as it was so thin literally 1 layer of strand!!! After I got past that I thought things were gonna get better but I had to remake literally 80% of all the plastic card superstructure which was two decks, as like Barriews nothing aligned, then to make my life the proverbial nightmare all the resin fittings were so poor I had to remake them all!!!!!!!!! After that I'll never buy or recommend a deans kit to anyone.

Fair enough.

I decided that I needed to remake the bridge structure and reduce its length. It really has to fit between the raised part of the bulwarks. This meant making new sides for the wheelhouse - it wasn't possible to shorten the existing one. You will notice a slight change of design
The whole thing does now fit after lots of tweaking, but is looking a bit rough. I hope a coat of paint will hide some of the problems . To help decide if the bridge was now the correct length, I made up the main superstructure as well. These now fit together more or less in the their correct places. 
I have stuck down the aft deck, after doubling up the bearers fore and aft. The main deck is ready for sticking, I have cut out the hatch opening, which showed up another problem - I cant get my battery pack through the opening  I will have to use one of my LiPo packs, possibly with a voltage reducer.

Barrie

    

Since taking the photos I have adjusted the fit of the bridge.

I can't do any more with the bridge until I get some paint, so today I filled the slight gaps between aft deck and bulwarks, trimmed up the main cabin, removed most of the printed markings ready for paint and stuck on the doors. Then I turned my attention to the battery issue. I will use a small 1300mAh LiPo, but that needed a different connector, so I made up a short converter, then fitted the coaming on the main deck. This is not fitted on the inside of the hole, but about half a centimetre away. Finally. I tackled the portholes. As you may be able to tell from this poor photo, I have inserted short lengths of acrylic rod. These are just stuck with CA, but will be reinforced with P38 which will also be used to fill the incorrect holes. I am going to have  bit of n issue when it come to painting the hull, but I think I have some liquid masking fluid.

Barrie

 

if in doubt when masking the port holes, you could try the white dot sticky labels, u can usualy pick them up in most stationary shops.

great work so far looking forward to the clean up   

Today I applied some P38 to support the acrylic rod and provide a platform for the fore deck. Some was pressed into the holes left by the incorrect drilling.



After a little cleaning up and some additional filler, this is the current position - still some more filler required. The photo shows it more clearly - I had thought it was OK



I hope that it will look OK after the paint is applied! 

RR I have searched for some 3mm sticky dots without success so it looks like liquid masking, or else I'll just have to scrape the black paint off

Barrie

Should paint up ok after a little more filler Barrie it coming along nicely. 

looks good,

 will clean up with a little rub down, if it still looks rough after that maybe use some filler primer before painting to help hide any bits your unhappy with.



as for dots....

another suggestion could be to use wax over the port holes, paint and peel, maybe with a crayon or you could drip candle wax on them although now thinking about it that could be tricky to get the drop in exactly the right place, experiment?

I've left the porthole issue for now, and am concentrating on finishing the construction issues. Today I made the Cargo Hatch lid, and fitted the stiffeners to the sides of the hatch. The Forecastle has been completed, and apart from covers for the lifeboats, that finishes the plasticard items I think. 
My paint supplies arrived this morning, so I can now move on to painting, and sorting out the fittings and masts. One thing not included with the kit is capping rails for the bulwarks. I will see if I can make some from 0.5 mm plasticard I think.

Barrie

 

Excellent progress

I always have said it   takes a bloody good modeller to make even a good model out of a very mediocre kit.............

I was threatened with  a law suit and then banned from a certain forum once for calling a model dubious....say no more.

but you are overcoming your problems well barrie, and it's the builder who makes a silk purse from a sow's ear, lol........

looking good mate even after all your problems.

I like the prototype vessel as I remember seeing the ICI  vessels similar sailing from Fleetwood in my youth.

see what I miss when I havn't been on for a while.......

100 lines....I MUST PAY MORE ATTENTION

Neil.

Quote :

[size=30] I was threatened with  a law suit and then banned from a certain forum once for calling a model dubious....say no more.[/size]

Needless to say when I was building the komet I called out deans live on a forum to respond to as to why their kits are so poor and to justifie the prices they charge for them, I never got a response I guess there was nothing they could say to defend them selfs when a photo spoke 1000 words. 

I would have loved to see that law suit Neil, surly if somethings below par then their is such a thing as trading standards which would have seen it thrown out 

I bought the Deans PBR kit several years ago and started a build blog on 'the other site'...... The quality was absolutely awful, given the price paid. Fortunately, I'm experienced enough to know what to chuck away, scratchbuild, and how to rectify the errors..... I complained to DM about some of the resin components and they suggested I send them back! I binned them then scratched them up. About 90% of the white metal fittings will end up as ballast in something.....

The model is still not finished - I got fed up in the end. But I hope to return to it.

And I'll never buy another Deans kit or fittings/figures.... Which is a shame...

Not a lot to show for the last few days work - I've started painting and have been cleaning up fittings - there are quite a lot .  Because I built so much of the decks etc, I decided it wasn't feasible to mask things off and spray the hull, and anyway it was raining too heavily today to think about it. So I have started painting the hull by brush.
I had fun making the two winches - there are no instructions and the photos are not clear enough to see how it should be done . I think these are about right, although one of the drums on the cargo winch looks a bit on the big side.

Barrie

 

 

The hull has now had two coats of black and two of the underwater colour. I am quite pleased with the line between the two - only a very minor touch up required around the rudder area. Although you cannot see it, the insides of the bulwarks and the rear cabin walls have been painted a buff colour. The roof of the rear cabin has had two coats of dark grey. Probably the next job are the decks, which is going to be very tricky around the forward hatch . As you will see I have added some detail to the two winches with some metallic grey paint on the drums etc.
I can't make any progress with the bridge until I get some brown paint which is on order along with deck green for the top of the hatch. There are still lots of fittings to sort out, 10 ventilators of three different types  amongst other things. My plan has almost faded, so trying to work out where it all goes is a challenge.  I have found some photos of another excellent build on the Dean's Forum. The builder has modified things considerably, but the photos are still useful.

Barrie

 

A bit more paint applied today. I touched up the very small areas missed on the hull, and also around those portholes which gave me the trouble. In fact I decided to paint those black. As they are in an enclosed part of the hull, they did not show any light, so decided the best solution was to paint them black .
The biggest job was painting the decks. The rear one was not too difficult, but the main deck around the hatch was very tricky. I will have to re-paint the bulwarks, and some of the hatch supports. The funnel is now fixed, and some pre-printed vinyl which is supposed to represent planking has been fitted. It looks quite ridiculous . I will over paint it brown when my paint comes. There is more of this stuff for the forecastle and I can't decide now if I will use it. I may try to use some 0.8 mm birch ply instead.
The hach cover is NOT the final colour

Barrie

 

Coming on real nice now Barrie, it is starting to look like a boat...

Mark..

Thanks Mark - I think it will be OK if I don't spoil it with my painting.

Barrie

Some more progress! I have replaced the naff printed vinyl deck material with birch ply lined and stained teak - I think it looks much better 

BEFORE


AFTER


and where I've got to today.



I think I need to paint the sides and supports of the forward hold buff instead of white.

Barrie

barriew wrote:

Thanks Mark - I think it will be OK if I don't spoil it with my painting.

Barrie

Painting isn't my strong point either Barrie, but as long as you are happy with it that is all that matters..

Looking good though....


Mark..

Looking terrific Barrie. 

Don't you just love it when your photographs show up all the paint areas you've missed. I am still painting fittings, and seem to miss more than I hit  A few fittings now installed on the main cabin. It is a little difficult to know where some of them go - the side and plan views on the drawing are different, and both models photographed for the instructions are different again as far as you can tell  For example. the plan view shows a total of 8 cable reels, although there are only 4 supplied, and there isn't actually room for more.  I fitted the portholes to the main cabin - lengths of acrylic rod again.
As well as painting and installing fittings, I've given the hatch a coat of buff paint which I think looks better than the white. Hopefully I will have some green and some brown paint on Monday and so will be able to get on with the bridge.
Next job is to drill and pin all the ventilators, paint them and work out where they all go.I also have lots of stantions to clean up and paint.

Barrie

 

More progress today. Quite a few fittings now fixed in place. I've left off some of them as it is looking too crowded already . My paint came, so I have re-painted the hatch cover, painted the lifeboat covers, and started on the bridge - that requires another coat of brown, then I will have to look at the white areas before I can glaze it.
I started to clean up the stantions ready for painting. The anchors are painted ready for fitting - I think I will need to seal them in the holes otherwise the boat is going to flood .
Main jobs left apart from the railings, and fitting the bridge, are the mast to taper and the boom to affix. I think I need to be able to move the boom to allow access to the battery etc through the hatch.

Barrie

 

Yet another lovely model and build Barrie.