This morning it wasn't raining. OK so there sky had filled with cloud but they hadn't started falling to earth.
So, knowing that a few other KMBC members would be sailing and having nothing better to do in the morning I headed out to the lake. It seemed like a good idea to test Splodger as this model boat had been packed up for the winter once completed and had never made a trip across our water.
Of course once I was at the lake and chatting the heavens opened. Rain did not stop play though and despite it we still enjoyed a laugh together. The boats will take a bit longer to dry out than normal though.
Showing posts with label Footie Fishing Boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Footie Fishing Boat. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Splodger on the lake
The TV news tells us that the country is about to be hit by a storm of apocalyptic proportions. The weather people are a lot more circumspect but still say we are going to get wet and windblown. However in Warwickshire, the are blue skies and very little breeze. Just the sort of conditions to test a model boat on the lake.
I had the water to myself today. That’s good ‘cos any problems can be found without the gaze of a hoard of “helpful” experts. The water was a touch choppy, enough to recover the model to the bank if it stopped entirely. Plenty of water was available too, I hardly had to reach down from the landing stage to launch.
First impressions were that I’ve still got too much weight in the hull. An extra 5mm above the water would be nice. The depth made me immune from listing in the breeze or tight turns though.
Drive was good with a slightly stupid top speed but enough spare power to overcome most winds I’m likely to sail in. Turning was excellent so I ought to be alright for the steering competition. Even in reverse there was control which is good news.
The only problem was radio reception. More than 20 feet away from the bank and the motor starts to chatter. Splodger managed a trip to the other side of the water but I’d like to improve this as the motor is pretty noisy so you can hear the problems even if they aren’t apparent in lack of control. Some suppression on the motor and perhaps an aerial tube into the wheelhouse should solve the problem but both of these can wait for another day.
After half an hours sailing the boat was dried off and put back in it’s box. There was a tiny amount of water in the hull which I quickly sucked out. As maiden voyages go this was OK. I’ll look forward to more sailing in the future.
I had the water to myself today. That’s good ‘cos any problems can be found without the gaze of a hoard of “helpful” experts. The water was a touch choppy, enough to recover the model to the bank if it stopped entirely. Plenty of water was available too, I hardly had to reach down from the landing stage to launch.
First impressions were that I’ve still got too much weight in the hull. An extra 5mm above the water would be nice. The depth made me immune from listing in the breeze or tight turns though.
Drive was good with a slightly stupid top speed but enough spare power to overcome most winds I’m likely to sail in. Turning was excellent so I ought to be alright for the steering competition. Even in reverse there was control which is good news.
The only problem was radio reception. More than 20 feet away from the bank and the motor starts to chatter. Splodger managed a trip to the other side of the water but I’d like to improve this as the motor is pretty noisy so you can hear the problems even if they aren’t apparent in lack of control. Some suppression on the motor and perhaps an aerial tube into the wheelhouse should solve the problem but both of these can wait for another day.
After half an hours sailing the boat was dried off and put back in it’s box. There was a tiny amount of water in the hull which I quickly sucked out. As maiden voyages go this was OK. I’ll look forward to more sailing in the future.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
The spare parts box
With the fishing boat pretty much finished, I'm left with some mouldings that I have no imediate use for. There's nothing wrong with them, it's just that I think the deck is full enough without adding the fish boxes and the net doesn't look (to me, YMMV) like a fishing net. No matter what you do in the way of paint it will always look like a solid resin part.
So I get some bits for the spares box. A box, or series of boxes, that are part of every modellers life. Remember when the Airfix aeroplane you were building had "optional" parts like landing wheels, and if you left them off it was like getting something extra for free ? Come on, we all did it and we all put the bits in a box, which hardly ever gets raided because we never quite find a use for the contents but they are too good to throw away.
Anyway, the boxes are destined for the Boat Bits Box and the net probably for the bin. Still, they will come in handy one day...
Geek Note: I uploaded the picture and started this post (Blogger broke so I couldn't finish it that way) on my new Asus Eee PC. :-))
Friday, March 07, 2008
Wooden box
When I’ve spent a lot of time (& money) on a model it makes sense to try and protect my investment. That means in the case of the boats, building a box for transporting them.
This time construction is from 6mm plywood cut to size by Torries Hardware in Warwick. Basically I wandered in last Saturday with a cutting list and an hour later picked up half a dozen bits ready to use. Apart from shortening two sides (my design not the accuracy of the cutting) construction involved glueing and pining the bit together.
Hinges are fitted so the front flaps down and a catch is net up to hold the door shut. Using 6mm play made screwing the hardware on much easier as only the tips of the screws had to be filed off, there being enough “meat” to hide most of the screw.
A couple of coats of floor varnish (it was what was to hand in the garage) later and the box is ready to go. All I need is a nice day for a proper maiden voyage.
This time construction is from 6mm plywood cut to size by Torries Hardware in Warwick. Basically I wandered in last Saturday with a cutting list and an hour later picked up half a dozen bits ready to use. Apart from shortening two sides (my design not the accuracy of the cutting) construction involved glueing and pining the bit together.
Hinges are fitted so the front flaps down and a catch is net up to hold the door shut. Using 6mm play made screwing the hardware on much easier as only the tips of the screws had to be filed off, there being enough “meat” to hide most of the screw.
A couple of coats of floor varnish (it was what was to hand in the garage) later and the box is ready to go. All I need is a nice day for a proper maiden voyage.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Seagull
You can't have a model fishing boat without a model seagull and the resin one supplied with the kit is pretty good.
A quick look in a book of nature stuff gave the colour scheme - nothing clever, just a common gull but something that is difficult to guess or remember for the non-birdwatcher. If it was a goldfinch I'd know as there are dozens in the garden, but gulls - not around here.
To fix the bird securely, a hole was drilled between the legs. A short piece of wire was glued in and this slots into a matching hole in the top of the mast.
A quick look in a book of nature stuff gave the colour scheme - nothing clever, just a common gull but something that is difficult to guess or remember for the non-birdwatcher. If it was a goldfinch I'd know as there are dozens in the garden, but gulls - not around here.
To fix the bird securely, a hole was drilled between the legs. A short piece of wire was glued in and this slots into a matching hole in the top of the mast.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Lobster's are red ?
Everyone knows what colour a lobster is - red. The same colour as a British tourist on day 3 of a Spanish holiday !
Except that according to the book of nature I looked at they aren't. Lobsters only go red when you cook them. Since I wasn't planning on having cooked lobster on the trawler it was going to have to be brown.
But brown lobster isn't were appealing. And this is a cartoon boat so I decided to go for stereotype over accuracy. My lobster (a Playmobile accessory) is painted red and then dry-brushed with rust. That gave me a red-ish lobster that isn't totally stupid. Honour is satisfied, even if David Attenborough wouldn't be.
Except that according to the book of nature I looked at they aren't. Lobsters only go red when you cook them. Since I wasn't planning on having cooked lobster on the trawler it was going to have to be brown.
But brown lobster isn't were appealing. And this is a cartoon boat so I decided to go for stereotype over accuracy. My lobster (a Playmobile accessory) is painted red and then dry-brushed with rust. That gave me a red-ish lobster that isn't totally stupid. Honour is satisfied, even if David Attenborough wouldn't be.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Footie boat on the pond
I'm worse than I thought at sticking things down. A quick twist with a screwderiver under the lead stuck in the bottom of the boat removed a chunk from the heavy side. Some better glue is in order I think...
Anyway, the battery was charged and I pulled to cover off part of our pool to try some testing. This time we'd be able to go forward and backward and everything !
Shockingly the amount of lead removed left the boat very nicely balanced. I'd been prepared to stick some back in but there was no need. The waterline is near the water line too. Sometimes you just get lucky I suppose, pity it's never with a lottery ticket.
Anyway, the limited testing gave promising results. I need to find the screw that attaches the arm to the servo - apart from that it all looks good. This model is very nearly finished. Speed is OK in both directions. Steerings good too, which it ought to be considering the size of the rudder. Manouverability wil be OK for my attempt at the steering competition this year.
Best of all the model looks great on the water. A proper cartoon worn out, dirty, working trawler. Just what I wanted.
Anyway, the battery was charged and I pulled to cover off part of our pool to try some testing. This time we'd be able to go forward and backward and everything !
Shockingly the amount of lead removed left the boat very nicely balanced. I'd been prepared to stick some back in but there was no need. The waterline is near the water line too. Sometimes you just get lucky I suppose, pity it's never with a lottery ticket.
Anyway, the limited testing gave promising results. I need to find the screw that attaches the arm to the servo - apart from that it all looks good. This model is very nearly finished. Speed is OK in both directions. Steerings good too, which it ought to be considering the size of the rudder. Manouverability wil be OK for my attempt at the steering competition this year.
Best of all the model looks great on the water. A proper cartoon worn out, dirty, working trawler. Just what I wanted.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Splodgers maiden voyage
The great thing about a footie fishing boat (it’s called a footie because of it’s length) is that you don’t need to fill a bath to test it, the kitchen sink will do.
With everything wired up I need to see how well the boat floated – there’s no point in carrying on if it won’t do that after all !
Once in the water the biggest problem was a list to port. I’d weighted the model with lead equally but then stuck the heavy speed control on one side. Placing the two standing figures on the starboard side helped but a bit of kitchen “stuff” was needed to get things properly level. The “stuff” – a lid for a jar – weighed in at 34g so I need to add some more lead inside. Either that or remove some. The boat is a bit low in the water really. Trouble is, when I stick lead down, I stick it down properly so I’m not sure if I can get any out…
Sailing in the sink isn’t exactly exciting but I did get to prove everything works although the motor is wired back to front. Nothing that isn’t easily fixed though and then we can head off to larger waters.
With everything wired up I need to see how well the boat floated – there’s no point in carrying on if it won’t do that after all !
Once in the water the biggest problem was a list to port. I’d weighted the model with lead equally but then stuck the heavy speed control on one side. Placing the two standing figures on the starboard side helped but a bit of kitchen “stuff” was needed to get things properly level. The “stuff” – a lid for a jar – weighed in at 34g so I need to add some more lead inside. Either that or remove some. The boat is a bit low in the water really. Trouble is, when I stick lead down, I stick it down properly so I’m not sure if I can get any out…
Sailing in the sink isn’t exactly exciting but I did get to prove everything works although the motor is wired back to front. Nothing that isn’t easily fixed though and then we can head off to larger waters.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Servo linkage
After an hour messing around with various options, I've squeezed a micro servo in at the back of the boat. Engineers will of course be horrified that it's been glued in place but in my defence, it's easily accessible and could be removed by sliding a knife blade in the glue.
You'd think in a boat this size would be easy to find the space for the workings, but all the volume is at the front and not easy to get at. I also need to be able to slide a reasonable size battery without clobbering the mechanicals.
The linkage itself is a brass wire hooked over the rudder end and attached with a proper fixing at the other end. With a small Allen key I can adjust this to trim the boat.
You'd think in a boat this size would be easy to find the space for the workings, but all the volume is at the front and not easy to get at. I also need to be able to slide a reasonable size battery without clobbering the mechanicals.
The linkage itself is a brass wire hooked over the rudder end and attached with a proper fixing at the other end. With a small Allen key I can adjust this to trim the boat.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Servo squeeze
Now I'd planned this properly. The tray that holds the battery and servos has a hole in it that allows the body to go through and hold it tight.
What I didn't reckon on was that there isn't enough headroom to rotate the unit to get it in the hole.
Hmmmm.......
What I didn't reckon on was that there isn't enough headroom to rotate the unit to get it in the hole.
Hmmmm.......
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Rigging the boat
Rigging the trawler is an easy job, it’s just that I kept putting it off. This was sensible I thought, because masts and ropes are vulnerable when working. You don't want to whack the mast while working and rip a hole in the deak or snap the dowel.
First up, the mast was, in my opinion, too long. I lopped it off at 18cm. This is a few cm higher than the cabin roof which is more in keeping with the cartoon appearance of the model. I think in hindsight I might have gone for 20cm but I’m not sure and don’t have a spare length to dowel handy.
The rigging is attached with wire loops. They had their tails shortened and then glues inside pre-drilled holes with superglue.
Finally some nylon string I picked up at the last Deans Marine open day was carefully tied in place at each end. I should have looked up a proper knot before starting but forgot, leaving me with some less than ideal fixings. To make sure these stay tied I flooded the knot with superglue.
The final touch was to paint the mast 147/white and ropes pale brown. I’ll run some darker colours over these to mute the colours in line with the rest of the model.
First up, the mast was, in my opinion, too long. I lopped it off at 18cm. This is a few cm higher than the cabin roof which is more in keeping with the cartoon appearance of the model. I think in hindsight I might have gone for 20cm but I’m not sure and don’t have a spare length to dowel handy.
The rigging is attached with wire loops. They had their tails shortened and then glues inside pre-drilled holes with superglue.
Finally some nylon string I picked up at the last Deans Marine open day was carefully tied in place at each end. I should have looked up a proper knot before starting but forgot, leaving me with some less than ideal fixings. To make sure these stay tied I flooded the knot with superglue.
The final touch was to paint the mast 147/white and ropes pale brown. I’ll run some darker colours over these to mute the colours in line with the rest of the model.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Painting brass
There is a lot of common ground between most model making hobbies. Soldering, cutting, filing – they are all pretty similar whatever you plan to build. The biggest area, IMHO where one hobby can cross-fertilise another is painting.
For years we’ve been told by those in the know, to look at military modellers to learn how to paint figures. Ironically, just as everyone starting doing this and learning the joys of dry-brushing and shading the creases in clothes, the military guys took the effects too far and invented “hyper realism”. This basically seems to be over-emphasising the effect, which might be technically clever but appears, to my eye at least, wrong.
Painting a non-brass item to look like metal is something we all have to do. The firebox on my mineral engine is made of whitemetal but the Victorian builders would have wanted to polish it so I had to try to hide the grey.
The trick, I think, is to paint the item with a metallic brass paint and then, when it’s fully dry, wash a tin coat of black over it all. Besides collecting in the crevices like dirt does on brass if you don’t clean it properly. The black gives the brass a depth that the metal paint alone doesn’t give.
Of course this wouldn’t be a problem if the items were metal in the first place. Except that brass doesn’t look right either in model form. It’s too shiny and needs a coat of satin or mat varnish for best effect – and to save cleaning !
For years we’ve been told by those in the know, to look at military modellers to learn how to paint figures. Ironically, just as everyone starting doing this and learning the joys of dry-brushing and shading the creases in clothes, the military guys took the effects too far and invented “hyper realism”. This basically seems to be over-emphasising the effect, which might be technically clever but appears, to my eye at least, wrong.
Painting a non-brass item to look like metal is something we all have to do. The firebox on my mineral engine is made of whitemetal but the Victorian builders would have wanted to polish it so I had to try to hide the grey.
The trick, I think, is to paint the item with a metallic brass paint and then, when it’s fully dry, wash a tin coat of black over it all. Besides collecting in the crevices like dirt does on brass if you don’t clean it properly. The black gives the brass a depth that the metal paint alone doesn’t give.
Of course this wouldn’t be a problem if the items were metal in the first place. Except that brass doesn’t look right either in model form. It’s too shiny and needs a coat of satin or mat varnish for best effect – and to save cleaning !
Monday, February 18, 2008
Weathering the hull
This is a job I’ve been putting off. Partly it’s because it means getting out the airbrush, and the garage is cold and unwelcoming at the moment. Mostly it’s because I didn’t want to mess it up and have to repaint the hull.
The obvious thing to do is to take a look at prototype photos and copy them. In this case that doesn’t help as this isn’t a model of a real boat, it’s a 3D cartoon of a trawler. I know who I would like to copy – Peter Barnfield. He paints fantastic pictures that are just like this model. I don’t have a 10th of his skill though so I have to do the best I can.
First stage was as usual to dry-brush the green bits with a lighter version of the base colour. Since this was “snot green” I had to improvise with something suitable from the paint drawer. The base is acrylic but the varnish coat protected it well enough so there was no paint lifting.
Next, the airbrush was fired up and a very weak mix of pale brown and rust sprayed on. I’m not sure you can really see it but at least the thinners helped take the edge off the light green.
As a cartoon this works OK. The colours are muted but still strong. I could probably lay on some more dirt but for the moment I’m happy. This is a working vessel after all, not one headed for the scrapyard.
The obvious thing to do is to take a look at prototype photos and copy them. In this case that doesn’t help as this isn’t a model of a real boat, it’s a 3D cartoon of a trawler. I know who I would like to copy – Peter Barnfield. He paints fantastic pictures that are just like this model. I don’t have a 10th of his skill though so I have to do the best I can.
First stage was as usual to dry-brush the green bits with a lighter version of the base colour. Since this was “snot green” I had to improvise with something suitable from the paint drawer. The base is acrylic but the varnish coat protected it well enough so there was no paint lifting.
Next, the airbrush was fired up and a very weak mix of pale brown and rust sprayed on. I’m not sure you can really see it but at least the thinners helped take the edge off the light green.
As a cartoon this works OK. The colours are muted but still strong. I could probably lay on some more dirt but for the moment I’m happy. This is a working vessel after all, not one headed for the scrapyard.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Extrudierte Copolyesterplatten
How’s that for a title ?! Proper science time on the blog !
To be honest I can’t remember how I ended up with a sheet of this stuff. I probably saw it on a trade stand and thought it looked useful or interesting. Quite a few of the materials I have to hand arrive this way. Curiosity makes me want to try new things and sometimes I get lucky finding something new that is a boon to my work.
The material in the photo is a transparent polyethylene terephthalate sheet – it feels like a plastic/Perspex hybrid. From a bit of web searching it appears the stuff is used in building works for clear domes. It’s described as having a “high self cleaning temperature” (whatever that means), high impact strength and a brilliant surface.
From my point of view it’s a 2mm thick clear sheet protected by plastic on both sides. It’s certainly very clear and looks more like a fresh pair of glasses than normal plastic sheet.
Cutting with a knife is nearly as fun as cutting Perspex. The sheet cracks at the end of cut lines fairly easily. It would probably be better cut with a piercing saw, something that should be reasonably easy as it’s not as brittle as Perspex. Filing wasn’t as easy as I’d have expected, you really have to go at it to make an impression.
I used the stuff to glaze my fishing boat. This worked well enough but then I only needed rectangles. I’m not sure if it is better than plastic sheet or the acetate that normally resides in the clear section of most model shop plastic racks.
To be honest I can’t remember how I ended up with a sheet of this stuff. I probably saw it on a trade stand and thought it looked useful or interesting. Quite a few of the materials I have to hand arrive this way. Curiosity makes me want to try new things and sometimes I get lucky finding something new that is a boon to my work.
The material in the photo is a transparent polyethylene terephthalate sheet – it feels like a plastic/Perspex hybrid. From a bit of web searching it appears the stuff is used in building works for clear domes. It’s described as having a “high self cleaning temperature” (whatever that means), high impact strength and a brilliant surface.
From my point of view it’s a 2mm thick clear sheet protected by plastic on both sides. It’s certainly very clear and looks more like a fresh pair of glasses than normal plastic sheet.
Cutting with a knife is nearly as fun as cutting Perspex. The sheet cracks at the end of cut lines fairly easily. It would probably be better cut with a piercing saw, something that should be reasonably easy as it’s not as brittle as Perspex. Filing wasn’t as easy as I’d have expected, you really have to go at it to make an impression.
I used the stuff to glaze my fishing boat. This worked well enough but then I only needed rectangles. I’m not sure if it is better than plastic sheet or the acetate that normally resides in the clear section of most model shop plastic racks.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Painting a lifebelt
While I might not be sure about my faded wood effect, I’m much happier with my lifebelt painting.
The white is a Humbrol 147/white mix – white but not too white. The red is obviously bright red. Once dry the whole lot was washed over with the thin coat of 121 (Pale Stone) which combined with the slightly dirty turps give a nice warm faded cloth feel to the belt. I worked the wash off the centre of the white sections a bit more than at the ends.
The white is a Humbrol 147/white mix – white but not too white. The red is obviously bright red. Once dry the whole lot was washed over with the thin coat of 121 (Pale Stone) which combined with the slightly dirty turps give a nice warm faded cloth feel to the belt. I worked the wash off the centre of the white sections a bit more than at the ends.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Faded wood
I’m in two minds about this effect. The plan was to simulate weather beaten wood in need of a re-paint.
The base colour was a nice bright red. This was dry-brushed with the same colour mixed with Humbrol 147. When fully dry a weak mix of a muddy brown was washed over it to put some dirt in the joins between the boards.
The result isn’t bad but I feel it’s still missing a little something. Perhaps another feint wash concentrating on the bottom of the wheelhouse to represent the sort of dirt and water that works it’s way up from the deck instead of down from the sky. Maybe some cracking needs introducing into the paint – that’s a small scale detail though, and I’m building a boat to be viewed from a distance.
It’s not bad and definitely not bad enough for me to want to re-do the work. Perhaps once the hull, currently a bright green, is dirtied down things will seem more natural.
On the other hand, that rope on the hatch looks good. Even I think it looks like a separate part (it’s not) and I painted it. Maybe I’m just easily fooled !
The base colour was a nice bright red. This was dry-brushed with the same colour mixed with Humbrol 147. When fully dry a weak mix of a muddy brown was washed over it to put some dirt in the joins between the boards.
The result isn’t bad but I feel it’s still missing a little something. Perhaps another feint wash concentrating on the bottom of the wheelhouse to represent the sort of dirt and water that works it’s way up from the deck instead of down from the sky. Maybe some cracking needs introducing into the paint – that’s a small scale detail though, and I’m building a boat to be viewed from a distance.
It’s not bad and definitely not bad enough for me to want to re-do the work. Perhaps once the hull, currently a bright green, is dirtied down things will seem more natural.
On the other hand, that rope on the hatch looks good. Even I think it looks like a separate part (it’s not) and I painted it. Maybe I’m just easily fooled !
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Resin rope
This fishing boat kit is a triumph in polyester resin. If it’s not made of plastic then it’s made of the stuff.
The ropework is particularly nice. My picture shows the fender for the front of the boat. I suspect the master may have been made in real rope, if not George is an incredible model maker.
The photo doesn’t do the finished item justice. I started with a coat of dark brown and then dry brushed paler browns on top. Brushing talcum powder onto the pale coats before they were absolutely dry provided finishing touch. This gives some extra texture, which nicely mimics the rough rope the real thing would be made from. It also kills any shine dead. The result would fool anyone who deosn't actually touch it.
One thing the resin can’t do of course is replicate the softness of a real fender. It’s solid as rock so I’ll need to be careful not to hit anything too hard for fear of damaging the hull. Since I want to use this boat for the club steering competition I’m not sure that will be possible. Still a bit of weathering will hide any damage won’t it ?
The ropework is particularly nice. My picture shows the fender for the front of the boat. I suspect the master may have been made in real rope, if not George is an incredible model maker.
The photo doesn’t do the finished item justice. I started with a coat of dark brown and then dry brushed paler browns on top. Brushing talcum powder onto the pale coats before they were absolutely dry provided finishing touch. This gives some extra texture, which nicely mimics the rough rope the real thing would be made from. It also kills any shine dead. The result would fool anyone who deosn't actually touch it.
One thing the resin can’t do of course is replicate the softness of a real fender. It’s solid as rock so I’ll need to be careful not to hit anything too hard for fear of damaging the hull. Since I want to use this boat for the club steering competition I’m not sure that will be possible. Still a bit of weathering will hide any damage won’t it ?
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Skin tones
You gotta love the interweb. Once upon a time, when a model maker needed to find out what colour oilskins worn by fishermen were, he or she would have to pour through books in search of a rare colour picture. Black and white shots would be hopeless as the clothes would just look black. You’d wonder if they were black. Or grey. Or dark green
Now a quick note on an e-mail list asking the question elicits the response, “The old wet weather gear was oilskins. Colour black when new, sometimes fading to gray. Compared with modern gear they were stiff, limited movement and bloody uncomfortable especially round the neck. They did keep water in and out.” (Thanks David)
So I can get on with a quick coat of black weathered down with shades of grey (this is a British model so it’s not gray whatever David says…). Easy.
The more modern trawlerman will of course have shiny yellow waterproofs. I’ll need to satin varnish these and then perhaps dry-brush some gloss on to highlight them. Mind you, this figure is excellent value for money in terms of the amount of resin so there aren’t many creases, at least on the front !
And in case you wondered, the fleshy bits are Humbrol skin colour dry-brushed with Revel’s version. I wondered about a touch of red to give that weather-beaten look and then decided that I didn’t want anyone on the trawler looking like they were wearing dodgy make-up. Some effects are more trouble than they are worth.
Now a quick note on an e-mail list asking the question elicits the response, “The old wet weather gear was oilskins. Colour black when new, sometimes fading to gray. Compared with modern gear they were stiff, limited movement and bloody uncomfortable especially round the neck. They did keep water in and out.” (Thanks David)
So I can get on with a quick coat of black weathered down with shades of grey (this is a British model so it’s not gray whatever David says…). Easy.
The more modern trawlerman will of course have shiny yellow waterproofs. I’ll need to satin varnish these and then perhaps dry-brush some gloss on to highlight them. Mind you, this figure is excellent value for money in terms of the amount of resin so there aren’t many creases, at least on the front !
And in case you wondered, the fleshy bits are Humbrol skin colour dry-brushed with Revel’s version. I wondered about a touch of red to give that weather-beaten look and then decided that I didn’t want anyone on the trawler looking like they were wearing dodgy make-up. Some effects are more trouble than they are worth.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Cleaning resin castings
Determined as I am to get some of the projects that have kicking around out of the way before embarking on new ones, my footie fishing boat is now on the workbench. Checking back, I’m shocked to discover I last worked on it in August.
In the model boat box there is a very complete looking model with paint on the hull and even a name. To finish it I just need to paint all the castings and sort out the wiring. Castings are more fun than wiring so I start on these.
The crew figures suffer from quite a lot of very light flash which takes a bit of time to remove completely. Everything else though is clean. I thought the polyester resin material felt suprisingly slippery and decided that this was probably due to release agent still being present on the surface.
Release agent is a liquid applied to the inside of a mould to help casting out without undue stress. I’ve never needed it but with complicated two part models it’s a wise precaution. I suspect that moulds also last longer if you use it.
A dip in some soapy (washing up liquid) and a good scrub with an old toothbrush made things better. The surface is still smooth but not as slippery. Hopefully the paint will stick as I’d like to avoid priming the items.
In the model boat box there is a very complete looking model with paint on the hull and even a name. To finish it I just need to paint all the castings and sort out the wiring. Castings are more fun than wiring so I start on these.
The crew figures suffer from quite a lot of very light flash which takes a bit of time to remove completely. Everything else though is clean. I thought the polyester resin material felt suprisingly slippery and decided that this was probably due to release agent still being present on the surface.
Release agent is a liquid applied to the inside of a mould to help casting out without undue stress. I’ve never needed it but with complicated two part models it’s a wise precaution. I suspect that moulds also last longer if you use it.
A dip in some soapy (washing up liquid) and a good scrub with an old toothbrush made things better. The surface is still smooth but not as slippery. Hopefully the paint will stick as I’d like to avoid priming the items.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Painted hull
The footie fishing boat’s looking really nice now. First the bottom was given a spray with red oxide colour car primer. This gives lovely rich red colour that I can’t get from hobby paints.
Next the water line was marked with pencil balanced on various boxes until it reached the right height. With the boat in its stand this was fairly painless although I had to guess the height from photos of other peoples models. I then masked this off intended to spray the top colour on.
My planned bright green hit a hitch when the pot of Humbrol enamel I intended to use was found to be nearly empty. Worse, the only shop easily accessible that sold the paint was shut for holidays.
Luckily down the same road was Castle Trains who stock Humbrol acrylics and Games workshop paint. I’ve heard good things about the later but never got around to trying some. Still, after a quick look at the rack of colours I found one I liked, amusingly named “Snot green”.
I’m not sure how to thin acrylic for spraying. Some suggest water will be OK, while others say you need some vile chemical compound that needs full bio-hazard suits to be worn in its presence. So I chickened out and brush painted.
The paint flows well with few bush marks. Two coats gave a good colour depth and hid the primer and test coat of enamel, something that acrylic paint normally balks at.
With the paint on, I added white lines from vinyl lining and named the boat after one of our cats using Bec letters.
Finally, and another first for me, I airbrushed on varnish from a DIY can. I used cheapo Blackstone varnish as found in every pound shop but that was just because all the Ronseal we had was gloss or matt and I wanted satin. The varnish was thinned with cellulose thinners but I suspect Humbrol ones would have worked as well. It took a few hours to dry properly so the cheap varnish probably wasn’t the best idea – or it had gone off a little while sitting in the garage in that pile of mostly finished paint cans we all own.
The varnish will help the stickers stay put, although this isn’t essential as they are supposed to be waterproof. The acrylic paint definitely needs protection though, as the stuff is notorious for rubbing off while handling – not sure if the Games Workshop paint is better in this respect as it’s intended for figures that will be handled. Best of all though, varnish brings some colours alive. The red is vibrant and even the green is improved.
Next the water line was marked with pencil balanced on various boxes until it reached the right height. With the boat in its stand this was fairly painless although I had to guess the height from photos of other peoples models. I then masked this off intended to spray the top colour on.
My planned bright green hit a hitch when the pot of Humbrol enamel I intended to use was found to be nearly empty. Worse, the only shop easily accessible that sold the paint was shut for holidays.
Luckily down the same road was Castle Trains who stock Humbrol acrylics and Games workshop paint. I’ve heard good things about the later but never got around to trying some. Still, after a quick look at the rack of colours I found one I liked, amusingly named “Snot green”.
I’m not sure how to thin acrylic for spraying. Some suggest water will be OK, while others say you need some vile chemical compound that needs full bio-hazard suits to be worn in its presence. So I chickened out and brush painted.
The paint flows well with few bush marks. Two coats gave a good colour depth and hid the primer and test coat of enamel, something that acrylic paint normally balks at.
With the paint on, I added white lines from vinyl lining and named the boat after one of our cats using Bec letters.
Finally, and another first for me, I airbrushed on varnish from a DIY can. I used cheapo Blackstone varnish as found in every pound shop but that was just because all the Ronseal we had was gloss or matt and I wanted satin. The varnish was thinned with cellulose thinners but I suspect Humbrol ones would have worked as well. It took a few hours to dry properly so the cheap varnish probably wasn’t the best idea – or it had gone off a little while sitting in the garage in that pile of mostly finished paint cans we all own.
The varnish will help the stickers stay put, although this isn’t essential as they are supposed to be waterproof. The acrylic paint definitely needs protection though, as the stuff is notorious for rubbing off while handling – not sure if the Games Workshop paint is better in this respect as it’s intended for figures that will be handled. Best of all though, varnish brings some colours alive. The red is vibrant and even the green is improved.
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