We've had a couple of industrial boats recently for those who like a bit of rust and grime, time for something completely different.
These yellow water taxis were moored up in Sydney harbour in 2014. They look like fun, nippy boats if you like that sort of thing. I prefer big boats that move slowly without providing thrills, but then I'm a wuss.
In model form, they would be great fun. You'd need to injection mould, or more likely vac-form, many of the curved body parts. The rubber outers (I assume these are RIBs) would be pretty much impossible to make in the real material without serious investment, but more vac-forming might look OK.
The biggest problem might be passengers. You'd want to build these quite large and unless you use 3D printed, hollow people, then they would be quite a weight. Heavy loads in small boarts aren't a recipe for success, unless your aim is to win our club trophy for the most exciting sinking...
You're making a number of fair points there.
ReplyDeleteAs for forming some of the more unusual shapes on a model version, I don't know if it might be possible to adapt some sections from packaging etc..
Although this might sound like a crazy idea to some people, there's plenty of precedent for this sort of thing in modelmaking.
Depending on the scale, I don't know if it might be possible to use bits of a plastic drink bottle for some of the curved or tapered shapes.
OK - right now, those of us from West of Offa's Dyke might be encountering supply problems with empty supermarket cider bottles. I know I certainly am - at least until I get the time to jump on an X3 bus to Hereford ... .
Anyway, yogurt pots, washing up liquid bottles, sauce bottle tops and even empty "roll on" containers could also potentially yield usable sections (even if a noisome minority might not be too familiar with one of these types of container ...).
If anyone doesn't have suitable packaging available for recycling, there might still be other options. A few years ago, I used sections from a cheap torch in one model build - while I seriously considered adapting some electronics project boxes for other builds.
Of course, there's also the real nuclear option - using spare parts from plastic model kits, but how many people do that these days?
G'day Phil,
ReplyDeleteYou said " unless your aim is to win our club trophy for the most exciting sinking..."
Haa haaaa have you ever achieved this & ifso I bet there's a funny story behind it ?
Also have you achieved this more than once ?
I think the most difficult thing to do with model boats is to land a RC helicopter upon the deck of a moving ship.
There are model boat clubs in Australia that build balsawood battleships & sink each other with Co2 charged cannons shooting small ball bearings aiming at below water level on an opposing vessel.
This following clip has atmosphere of model sailing ships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43gBsxijkU4
Cheers Woz
Sydney, NSW, Australia
With regard to any passengers on a potential R/C model, would there be anything to stop you building these from foam, or something else really light?
ReplyDelete