Back on the water - Pigeon Pie

 

2007 was a good year for my boat modelling, not only did I build Little Miss Minty, as seen yesterday, but it also saw me finish the pride of my fleet, Pigeon Pie. 

The model is from a Metcalf Mouldings River Star kit, and you can read about the build in some of my earliest posts.

I've built many boats sinve this, but Pie is still my favourite. I love the design, and don't think I did a bad job building her. There are other kits of this quality in the stash, and I hope that some of them meet this standard. 

Anyway, I hit a problem with getting Pie on the water.  Power is supplied by a modest 6v gell cell battery. One that hasn't seen a charge in many years, and was dead as a dodo. 

I improvised with a couple of the smallest gell cells you can get, but they offered only five minutes on the water, followed by an embarassing wait while the model drifted to the bank so I could retrieve it. 

She still looks good on the water, and I can always buy another battery. 

Royals aboard

"I say Phillip. This pageant is rather nice isn't it."

"Yes dear."

"It seems awfully quiet. I thought there were supposed to be a thousand boats somewhere. One hasn't seen one yet."

"Yes dear."

"Are you sure we got on the right vessel. I mean the captain seems a bit of a swarthy sort and his uniform is a disgrace."

"Oh you can't get the staff dear."

"And it's called Pigeon Pie. Hardly Britannia is it ?"

"I don't know dear. Pigeon Pie sounds good to me. Bagged a few of the little grey blighters before breakfast this morning."

"Phillip. I told you about letting fly before your morning porridge."

"Oh never mind that dear. Lets recreate that scene from the fim Titanic."

"Not in public dear. I've told you about that sort of thing too."

No, not THAT one. I mean the one where the Winslett woman stands at the front of the boat with Leo DeCapricorn behind her with her arms out pretending to fly."

"Oh yes, lets. That's give the press something to talk about when we come past Tower Bridge.Bet we make the front of Monday's papers !"

Sailing Pigeon Pie

Pigeon Pie Sailing
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Doesn’t this look lovely ? Pigeon Pie - the largest, most complex and expensive moadel boat I have ever built - complete and on the water. Today was bright and sunny with a stiff breeze, an ideal day to go sailing. Good news as we were supposed to be Slingshot racing as well.

On the water the boat behaved impeccably. Although the wind catches it in some directions there is plenty of power to overcome this. Even side on to the breeze there is little pitching as it’s very stable.

And the model looks smashing. Adding fenders really brought it to life, a bit like dressing a stage set. Some small holes in the bottom of the tyres might be a good idea though as one or two had water in them after the voyage but if that’s as bad as it gets I’m not complaining.

All this means that I can throw away the huge box the model came in. It’s not served any useful purpose for a while but I kept it to remind me that the model needed the finishing touches. A stupid superstitious part of me also likes the “full stop” that chucking the leftovers away gives a project. Tidy people would do this as the project progresses but I prefer to see it as a celebration of successfully getting something finished.

Aerial

aerial
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

I think this is ingenious, even though I say so myself.

Because the aerial on this boat is too tall for the box when the model is packed away, it needs to be removable. However I don’t want it falling off on the water so I also needs to be firmly attached.

So I took the whitemetal base and tapped the bottom for an 8BA bolt. Then I fitted the brass aerial in the top.

A nut was soldering into a large brass washer and expoxied under a small hole in the wheelhouse roof. Once dry the aerial can be screwed into this with fingers so it’s easy to attach or remove.

Simple huh ?

OK, so the first time I superglued the nut under the roof and when I tested things glued the whole lot up solid leading to lots of swearing and careful fiddling, but now I’ve finished the results look good.

Fenders

Fender
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Once the “handles” had dried out I carefully plotted the position on the side of the boat and drilled the fixing holes. The castings were then attached with superglue. To ensure correct positioning on the hull I made a up a little jig – a plasticard off-cut with a hole drilled in it that was placed under the top rail for each fixing.

The tyres are from a model shop in York. The looked about the right size and were nicely moulded. A feed pip was trimmed with small sharp scissors and then I dry brushed the rubber with dark grey (Humbrol 67) to stop it looking so shiny. In the raw it looked like I nicked them off a toy lorry !

Tying them on was fun. My stock of coarse string was limited so I had to be as economical as possible. The tyres are set at the same level as the rubber rubbing strip as this looked right. All the knots were soaked in superglue to make sure they don’t come undone or at least I hope they don’t. There are working parts, the paint has already taken a few knocks so these fenders will serve the same purpose as on a real boat.

The artist in me likes the ugliness of the fenders, in contrast the rest of the model looks so refined. It’s the same effect as a “beauty spot” on a person. They also help to bring the model to life giving it “texture” and turning a model boat built from a kit into a model of a boat.

Finishing touches

Handles
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

At present my plan is to finish as many of the projects I have kicking around as I can before being tempted to dig out anything new. I’ve said this before though so we’ll see how long it lasts.

Anyway – next on the list for finishing off is Pigeon Pie, my 1:12 tug-yacht. While it has been sailing for some time there are a few bits and pieces to do before I can say it’s truly finished. Nothing to difficult I hope, just paint stuff and stick it on.

Most of the work is around or on top of the wheelhouse, except for these rings. Apparently they are attached to the side of the boat and I assume, have tyres tied to them to act as fenders. These parts never show up in photos of tugs so I am relying on the supplier (Metcalf Mouldings) to get this right.

The castings were pretty clean and so I drilled holes in my painting wood for the spigot on each. Then splashing a coat of paint over the whole lot was a piece of cake. Much better than trying to do the job with the bits stuck to the model while avoiding surrounding paintwork.

The lights were worth it

Pie at dusk
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

A warm summer evening and I'm sailing at 9.30pm.

Fantastic.

Boxing clever

Boat Box
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Now the Pie is sailing I need to protect it while travelling. Carrying it around on its stand is fine but I’m always worried about bumps and bashes. Having spent all that time building it I want to treat it like fine china. Cotton wool ain’t soft enough for this baby.

Soooo it was time for trip to Torries Hardware in Warwick where I left a cutting list. A couple of days later a pack was waiting for me, all nice and square with straight edges. A few lengths of stripwood, nails, screws and varnish and I was ready to go. Can’t understand why anyone uses a DIY store when the local shop will do the hard work for you at little or no cost. Nice wood as well with a superb grain on the face.

It’s a big box and only just tall enough for the boat. Plenty of length for a few tools and the radio control handset. A cheap clip keeps the front closed but if I wanted to a lock could go on for extra security. Even a big box is easier to move than the boat loose on its stand – and if the box takes a knock I’m not so worried.

Perhaps I should chuck work in and start making coffins !

Big, fat, wire.

Curved handrails
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

How about this for a jump. When I fit handrails to model locomotives they are 0.45mm thick - 0.35mm in 3mm scale. On my boat the “wire” is 2.5mm wide !

The problems are no longer keeping the stuff straight – now bending rails requires the use of a pair of pliers and some serious force.

What I had to produce was a bit of a 3D puzzle. The rails have to curve around the back of the boat AND the rise of the sides. Worst of all the rail, while supported by stanchions, needs to bend down to finish in the top rail. This is the bit I messed up. Not a huge amount but enough for me to notice. The parts quickly became permanent fixtures thanks to the efficiency of the glue (Zap-a-Gap super glue). A minor dilemma is whether the damage done to remove them would be worse than the errors. I’ve taken the easy way out and left well alone. To my eyes there is a problem but I doubt others will spot it. If I think they will then they will only see the better side of the model !

Painting was fun. Can’t spray the brass with primer as it has to be glued to the model and the masking would be a nightmare. Handily it’s possible to buy touch up paint from Halfords and the range includes primer. This is the only paint I use which needs regular shaking while you are using it. On a hot day this is before dipping the brush in each time. It dries very, very fast. A smoother result would come from a slower dry but never mind. I did get the satin white on in a short space of time and the results look much better. Actually once the final colour was on I even managed to over look the imperfect bending.

One final problem was lack of material. In the box there is enough for the rear rail and one front one. Happily the K&S metal rack in the local model shop makes up for the deficiency. How else do you think I knew the size of the metal !?

Useful reminder

Lamps
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

“Port wine is always red”.

A useful aide memoir for anyone who can’t remember which side the red and green lamps go on a boat. You don’t want to get that wrong for fear of humiliation on the lakeside !

Lights are attached now and look superb in the dark. There may have been whitemetal castings supplied in the kit, but in this scale you can’t beat something that actually lights up. I look forward to sailing at dusk.

The photo shows the lamps while being painted. There is a clear inner for each so I painted the backs appropriate colours so they still look good in daylight. The bulbs are coloured but it’s not enough to give the effect required. Best of all would be to use the correct colour transparent paint on the lenses – no chance of that – I’m not buying a pot for each lamp !

More planks

Wood deck
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

I’ve posted this picture just because I’m proud of it. The woodwork at the back of my boat looks really good – to me anyway.

It’s interesting how details make a model though. The handle on the door transformed a nice bit of planking into a model of something. For such a small casting, the effect it gave was startling.

This has started me thinking about extra detail for this area. Perhaps a deck chair (pun intended, they all are) but that might be too long. A directors chair perhaps. With a discarded newspaper and half drunk mug of tea. Just something to breath life into the scene.

A pet hate.

Planking
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

I hate printed plywood. Every model boat I’ve seen at a show with it has always looked terrible. Am I the only person who can see what it is and that it doesn’t look anything like what it is supposed to be ?

So, the boat box is nearly empty except for a piece of printed ply. The instructions tell me that I cut the parts out, stain them and then glue the result to the boat. No chance.

My version – trace the parts onto tracing paper. Tape this to a cutting board and replace every plank with a version cut from some bass wood I bought at a model railway show years ago. The sides of each plank are gently sanded to emphasis the gaps between each board. The wood is stuck to the paper with PVA of Bostick solvent free glue.

Once this is done the face is sanded and the piece cut out from the sheet leaving the tracing paper as a backing. A coat of Ronseal satin varnish, another sand and a final coat, finishes the job.

This looks sooooo much better than the ply. Proper grain going in the right direction on each piece. A nice 3D effect as well. Not too lumpy, just enough.

It’s not that time consuming – the largest part for the rear deck took about an hour and half to plank which I did while watching Sean Connery save the Earth from a meteor in a particularly duff film.

Two different colour of stain were employed. Light oak for outside wood. Mahogany in the bridge. The quick dry varnish worked a treat. Not oo glossy a finish and ready for recoating in ten minutes. Just the think for impatient modellers like me. I think the top rail will get a coat as well as the finish is better than that currently sported.

At last, we get to the water.

Maiden Voyage
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

If you plan to try out a new boat, it makes sense to choose a day when you have the lake to yourself. That way if there are any problems you get to work them out without lots of “helpful” suggestions. This was the reason I drove down to the boat club this morning nice and early.

When I arrived, Mike was there fitting a new blind. A few minutes later a couple of guys turned up delivering paving slabs. Of course the landlord arrived as well. Quite a crowd.

Fortunately the Pie was placed on the water and apart from a list to starboard, behaved itself. Off she sailed, happily traversing the full width of the water with no radio problems.

The weight distribution was sorted out – it’s lead shot in plastic bags so is easy to move around. I removed a bit from the front as the nose was a bit low. I need to take more out but this can wait until all the fittings are fixed on as this might alter the trim a little.

Despite not having a proper charge, I managed around half an hours sail. This ought to improve as the battery is run through a few charging cycles. Pretty good though. An unprototypically high speed is possible but it’s not too ridiculous. Turning is excellent. With a little practise I doubt anything will be able to outmanoeuvre me. No need for a bow thruster on this boat !

The light breeze didn’t worry it so I expect to sail in most weather conditions. However before this happens I am going to finish the model. Plenty of fitting still await painting and sticking on and there is a lot of woodwork to do. Nothing better than running a model to give impetus to this process though.

What I have is a boat the right size for the water available that is really pleasant to sail. After all the hours spent on construction, enjoyable as they were (mostly), this is good.

We are sailing

piesailing
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

A bit of catch up here. Before I built the Armstrong Whitworth, I managed to get Pigeon Pie to a sailable state. Having had the maiden voyage in the bath, the next step was to move out to the pool in the garden.

With the cover half off I have sailed it around a little. Good thing really, while reversing the propeller unscrewed itself and had to be rescued from the bottom. This wouldn’t have been possible if it had happened on the lake ! I need to fix the retaining nut a bit more securely.

Steering needs checking. I had to have the trim set to full left in order that the boat was manoeuvrable. Not difficult but rain stopped tinkering on the day.

With the full weight inside this a heavy boat. It is very stable so I hope not to have to worry in cross winds or slightly choppy water.

My boat of many colours

Beige
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Once upon a time, when you built an Airfix kit, the instructions end with a drawing showing which colours to paint your model.

When you are all grown up kits get more expensive but you don’t get the picture telling you how to paint it. If you are lucky there are some livery notes but after that you have to do your research before heading to the paint counter of the local model shop.

My boat has a whole page devoted to a list of the colours the manufacturer painted the prototype model in. He notes that you can paint your boat any colour you like – possibly more in hope than expectation as most of us will find the colour scheme an important part of the model’s appeal. I certainly did and although I’ve modified things a little I’ve pretty much stuck to the paint job on the model I saw last year.

One thing I didn’t spot until I read the paint page was that the saloon and bridge were different colours. Both versions of beige but one with more yellow in it. Once I had read this, the difference stood out a mile in the photographs. This wasn’t spotted in either of the two reviews I had acquired. One has gone for a very beige look, which is hopelessly washed out. The other had used the yellow, much nicer and sunnier, but it didn’t look as nice as the original to my eye.

Mind you, having painted the main sections of the boat, I know its true for boats as well as trains, the detail brings the model alive. When you decorate a room, it looks nothing without all the bits in it. I need to get the windows, vents, chimney (shiny red !) etc. applied now to offset that beige !

Framed

Green windows
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

I’ve been putting off cutting the windows for ages. It’s always been a job that loomed over me. I knew I’m going to have to do it some time, just later please.

So with Dr Who on the telly at the end of the bench I put a new blade in the scalpel and started. By the time the cybermen had started chasing people around the big house (Trigger is going to take over the world ?!) I had a pile of windows. Fortunately they were in line on the printed sheet so I was able to chop long lengths, only the corners were a little fiddly but nothing a sharp blade couldn’t deal with. A bit of filing on the outside corners and all looked good. I even score lines on the side windows to show where they opened.

Brush painting was considered but I reckoned spraying would be quicker and neater. When I started they flew around the bench. However pulling a couple of boxes out of the recycling bin and using some double sided sticky tape I was able to spray and hair-dry with impunity. Best of all I could spray with the windows vertical so paint didn’t fall out of the cup on the airbrush. Removing the frames was a bit awkward as the tape was very sticky, the scalpel came in useful again to pick them off without damage.

Simple really – I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to it.

Maiden voyage - sort of.

Boat in bath
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Not much of a maiden voyage, sailing back and forth in the bath. It’s traditional though, all model boats get their first taste of water this way so who am I to go against tradition ?

Nothing leaked though and the radio control gubins behaved itself. A little weight from an old battery pack and we were floating pretty level. I suspect more will be needed to get to the waterline but you can’t tell when the only view is a plan one.

This weekend I’m going to pull my finger out and try to get the superstructure into some sort of shape so I can take it to the lake and sail it. Extra detail can come later – I need to get on the water.

(Sorry about the photo, I took it with my phone and the bathroom isn’t really bright enough for photography without flash.)

Filler time

Plastic entrance
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

The next big section on Pigeon Pie is the entrance at the back of the salon. This is a pretty standard bit of plasticard work. Cut the bits out and stick them together. By this point only a the really ham-fisted are going to be struggling as it’s just more of the same.

The fun comes when you try and fit the part to the main boat. Because the roof curves in one direction across the end of the curved roof there will be a gap. I hate gaps because they mean filler.

Now I’ve never got on with any filler. This time squadron putty has been used. It comes ready mixed and dries pretty fast. I removed as much excess as I could before it went completely hard. Since I’m going to be spraying this roof I suppose there is plenty of sanding and re-filling ahead of me.

Looking rubbish

Boat hull in a spray booth
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Well, I’ve done it. The hull has been rubbed down to remove the rough paint that resulted from the runs. I decided to the finish the bow as well with its little extensions. As this has to be painted in the main colour, it seemed sensible.

This time the paint went well. Admittedly I was working with an airbrush (set to as wide a spray pattern as it manages) and a hair dryer in the other. That paint wasn’t going anywhere as once it hit the hull, I hit it with some heat !

Result – A nice job. The green is now smooth and has good depth of colour. I’m chuffed.

One thing I had forgotten was how to hold a big item like this. It kept hitting this as I moved around. Fortunately only the masked sections touched anything else so I got away with it. In future a bit more planning would be a good idea.

I hate paint

drippypaint
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

Most of my boat hull has been painted with car aerosols but I fancied that the green should be done with the airbrush. I wanted to use a mid green and knew that Humbrol produced something suitable in a semi-gloss.

As the whole hull is to be semi-gloss (bought the varnish), this should allow me to brush paint windows etc and retain the common look that's important to the appearance of the model.

My airbrush as mentioned before, doesn't chuck out enough paint for a large model and my over-enthusiasm gets the better of me. Too much paint in small areas results in runs which ruins the finish.

Strangely, one side of the model is perfect, the other has runs. Pity really as the masking went pretty well and if I didn't need to rub back the paint and touch it up I would be moving on to the next stage of the build.

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with runs as they happen. I know I shouldn't get any (two thin coats is better than one thick one etc.) but I do and wiping the excess away isn't the solution.