PS Mouselow Castle

I seem to be falling into a pattern here. I decide to do a build blog and then get carried away with the actual build and forget about the blog.

My latest project which is nearing completion is a roughly 4mm/ft model of an imaginary fourth ship of the Castle class of paddle steamers that served the Humber crossing before some spoilsport went and build a damned big bridge there. This one is called Mouselow Castle after Mouselow Castle near Glossop, where I live. She's about 30" long with about 10" beam. Unlike the originals, this one has 2 motor/gearbox assemblies and independently operating paddles which should make control a bit easier, given the almost non-existent rudder.

Anyway, I'm waffling.

For the main part, the framework is 2mm ply and was drawn out on CAD then cut out using my new fangled laser cutter (I'm impressed). All other parts are either laser cut ply or styrene, again done on CAD then transferred to a Silhouette cutter. 
Some might think that toys such as these take the fun out of model building but I don't. I think they're fascinating and the results speak for themselves. There's no way my ham fists and sausage fingers could achieve such results... consistently.

A major milestone was achieved this evening when I finally got the hull fully cladded. For some obscure reason I decided to do this with match sticks. It was a bit of a pain in the butt to do and it's taken nearly two weeks to complete but after a bit of sanding and shaping I think it looks the part. A quick run over with some P38 filler and a smooth down and it should be ready for priming tomorrow morning.



In the meantime, this is the state of play with the rest of the ship.
All the electronickery bits are ready assembled in removeable modules, the motor and gearbox/shaft assemblies are in place and the rudder and steering servo have been fitted.
The rest of it is simply aesthetic mucking around on my part.

From a practical point of view, something I tend to forget about normally, the rear section of the upper deck (where the bridge and lifeboats are) is completely removeable and held in place by 4 small neowotnot magnets. Once this section is removed everything inside - battery, controller, radio, motors, fuse board and main on/off switch - is fully accessible and serviceable. Clever eh?



Given that these ships plied the Humber estuary from 1934 to 1974, I've had a multitude of liveries to choose from but I'm going with British Rail blue for this one. I think it looks pretty and black can be a bit boring.



Thanks for looking 

Hi,Vigo,
Very nice work indeed, shame we did not get to see a proper build log.
Brave move with the Matchsticks.

Martin.

I can do a bit of a blogette given the very few photos I have of the actual build but there's not much to see I'm afraid.

 
This is about the only proper photo I have of the build. There's not much to see, the basics of the methods I've used and the original twin gearbox I installed that stripped as soon as I applied any power to the motors. This has since been replaced with two that actually work.

And this:

The final version of the massive 52mm paddle wheels.
Believe it or not, there are 96 individual parts in each of these wheels. They were not fun to build.

I think if I'm honest, I've treated this project more as a learning experience - laser cutter, new CAD programs, G code, etc - than an actual model boat build. The boat has just turned out as a happy bonus. The proper boat build project will come next when this one's finished. I've already started drawing up the plans and it's looking good.

Hi Vigo,
They are good photos at least it gives an idea of it's construction.
The paddle wheels have come out great.

Teasing us a little with the mention of the future project build LOL!!

Martin.

You designed and laser cut those paddle wheels yourself? that's impressive I'm all for using technology to overcome problems what laser did you use? The paddler looks a treat - quite inspiring it would look good lit up.

The paddle wheels are as close to the original design as I could get, given the small size. The real fun bit was trying to draw out all those complex curves on an unfamiliar CAD system.
The cutter itself is a simple 3018 laser cutter (about £300 off the internet). Really simple to use once you get over the massive hurdle of minimal operating instructions that are also in Chinese. YouTube was a Godsend for this.

The hull is finally finished and painted in the red white and blue BR livery (not like in this photo).



When this has dried off properly I will be attempting the final assembly stage. That should be fun.

If I'm honest, I'm not really satisfied with the finish on the hull but like I said earlier, this was more of a learning experience for the new tools and systems. The finished boat is simply a bonus.

The next one will be the exhibition standard piece 

Could you post some pictures of the drive system please?

Here's one of the guts of the boat. The best I can manage with most of the bits in position.



The battery (out of sight) slips into a bespoke cradle beneath the permanently fitted skylight deck and the switch panel fits snugly above the motor/gearboxes. That's the only way I can get the upper deck to fit... there's not much room in there.

Question:
What would be the best position for the receiver aerial given where it has to fit?

The aerial should be OK where it is as long as it is above the waterline. If you can get the tip vertical, so much the better. I doubt you are looking for extreme range.

Barrie

Thanks for the photo it's appreciated.