Window frames and scale details

Radio Control Boat Modeler, Feb 2001 by Fryant, John L

SCALE VIEWS

Hobbyists today have more goodies available to them than at any time in history. Just about any detail part (or other piece of equipment) imaginable can be purchased. And if something isn't available, just wait a few months; some enterprising manufacturer will probably bring it to market.

Of course, all of this stuff may not be available in the scale you are modeling, or it might cost more than you're willing to pay. Modelers are a creative lot, however, and detail items can be obtained from many, many sources at very reasonable cost or can be "scratched up" from ordinary objects. Parts and accessories that can be used for scale ship models are also available from other branches of the modeling world.

PARTS SOURCES

Hobby shops-particularly those that deal largely in model trains-should be the first choice of modelers who are looking for detail parts. It's amazing how much is available for building and detailing model-railroad layouts. Many of these detail parts are useful to ship modelers. Many parts from military modeling kits and accessories-particularly tanks and other tracked vehicles-are usable. I have made many hatch covers from IAs-scale tank wheels. The International Plastic Modelers Society frequently holds regional model meets around the country. Lots of vendors attend these events, and many of them display "bargain bins" of plastic kits and parts. These meets are fun to attend, too, and lots of beautiful models are always on display.

Craft stores are another great source of detail parts. Beads, wire, pins, small wood and plastic letters, glues, paints, stencils, and a myriad of other small items can be found there. Displays of miniatures intended for dollhouse enthusiasts often yield useful detail items. Art-supply stores are good places to find tape, glues, paints, brushes, vinyl lettering, high-quality papers (paper is an excellent modeling medium) and, of course, drawing materials.

Cruising through hardware stores-not looking for anything specific, but just to see whether you find anything that resembles an adaptable component or marine fitting-often results in a "find" that will solve a sticky detailing problem. "Mega" toy stores usually carry a large selection of dolls and action figures in various sizes. These can often be modified for use as crew members. For instance, a beautiful blonde or handsome hunk to "drive" your flashy new mahogany runabout might be waiting for you in the doll department at Toys "R" Us.

Fabric stores, too, are good resources for imaginative modelers. If you are modeling a vessel with wire net railings, you can use bridal veil netting, usually available in a variety of sizes. Hook-and-loop tape in various forms can also be purchased at fabric stores; it's indispensable for mounting batteries, receivers and other electronic components in models. The sundries departments in these stores contain many little goodies, such as T-pins, knitting needles and assorted sizes and colors of thread. Great-looking boat davits can be made with aluminum knitting needles.

Supply stores for stained-glass hobbyists often yield useful goodies. There, you can find decorative brass trim strips, metal channel and soldering supplies. If you're into building static water-line display models, you can get colored, rippled glass sheet that makes perfect "water" to mount your little ship on. And don't forget the good old dollar store; it often yields ultra-cheap items such as soda straws, plastic parts boxes and even small toys that can be cannibalized for parts.

Periodically dig through the stuff in the bottoms of dresser drawers. You'll be surprised at what you find there that can be adapted to model building: beads, chains, pins, clips, etc. Old jewelry can also be a gold mine of "stuff" for detailing purposes. Be warned, though: don't root through anyone's jewelry box without permission!

With a little ingenuity, ordinary items such as tin cans, aluminum soda cans, metal washers, pushpins and round nails can be used as sources of material and to make detail parts. If you have some files, a small lathe, or even an electric drill, it's amazing what can be "turned" from an ordinary nail. Ships' bells, tiny capstans, pulleys and winch drums are relatively easy to shape from a nail of the correct diameter. Here are a couple of useful ways to make hard-to-find items:

* Steering wheels. Although these are common ship-model fittings, steering wheels of the correct size are often unavailable. I have made some nice wheels using spoked wheels from old-time plastic auto kits. The wheel pictured is made from an old 1/16-scale Mercer Race-About kit. I drilled holes in the rim and inserted brass belaying pins, which make excellent handholds. After the wheel has been painted brown, it becomes a very convincing ship's wheel. Plastic spoked wagon wheels can also make good ship's wheels using the same technique. These are available in several sizes from model-railroad suppliers.

* Window frames. Make these using what I call the "wood-box method." Use Midwest* maple or cherry sheet wood (available from most hobby shops). The thickness of the sheet must match the width of the window frame you want to build. Build a rectangular wooden box that's the same size as your window frame, and be careful to keep the comers square. The length of the box will depend on the number of frames you want to make. You may want to reinforce the insides of the corner joints with stripwood. When your box has thoroughly dried, the frames can be carefully sliced off using either a miniature table saw or a razor saw with a fine-tooth blade. The comer reinforcements can be sanded or filed off after the frames have been cut out. The frames pictured are 1x 5/8 inch.