Sunday, March 11, 2007

Customs Boat


pilot boat
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.
Yesterday I took a little trip out to the Mobile Marine Models model boat show. Its an informal event that takes place at MMM’s factory in Linconshire.

There was a good turn out with several bits of the event showing why the premises were not really ideal for an exhibition venue no matter how good they were as a factory ! No-one seemed to mind much and we all enjoyed ourselves.

As well as MMM, Deans Marine, Model Power & SMG Models attended and all seemed to be doing good business. Model boats shows are thinner on the ground than model railway ones. This is a bit of a surprise to me as the models themselves are easier to move and the number of traders lower. I suppose that for a really good show you need some water, something this one lacked, so boats can be shown off to their best advantage. That’s not easy to arrange what with 50 ft square paddling pools being a bit expensive.

There were models on show as well with several clubs having stands. The model shown wins my “Best of Show Award” simply because it was the one I wanted to build most ahead of strong competition. A small but detailed Customs boat, it’s perhaps not the obvious choice as there are more glamorous models or ones with more to look at but I like it.

This sort of boat has many advantages. It should be fairly quick to build. A Robbie Dollie kit would give a pretty quick approximation if this model isn’t a kit itself (I didn’t ask) and take only a few hours to assemble. The result ought to handle well on the water being pretty manoeuvrable. Most importantly if it’s running on ni-cads a 20 minute charge will have to on the water should the opportunity arise at short notice. For example if the weather is unexpectedly nice one morning or even after work.

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