Building a classic, continued

Radio Control Boat Modeler, Jun 2004 by Fryant, John

IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE, I detailed how I painted the Deans Marine S.Y Komet and described how I installed the radio gear, the smoke unit and the ballast; I also took the steam yacht for a trial run. Continuing the project this month, I discuss the installation of the decks, the wheelhouse and the cabins on this 1/50-scale, static model of a German governor's yacht.

THE DECKS

The kit includes printed, 1/16-inch plywood sheets for the main and upper decks. Both sheets have printed black lines that represent the planking and the outlines of the cabins, fittings, hatches, vents, etc. The printing is very good, but the plywood grain is quite visible; hiding it proved to be a challenge.

After cutting out both decks, I stained them with Danish Teak, being certain to wipe the stain off with a cloth immediately after I applied it. The result was a bit too dark for my taste, and the plywood grain was still plainly visible. I mixed some artists' oil paints (Naples Yellow and Raw Sienna) to produce a light brownish-ocher shade, and I added a little mineral spirits to make a semitransparent stain. With a small flat brush that was about the same width as the planks, I lightly brushed the mixture over the planking. I applied it too heavily in a couple of places, so I just wiped it off and reapplied a lighter coat. After this had dried, I was annoyed to see that the plywood grain still showed through, so I touched up the grain with Prismacolor pencils, which are available at most art-supply stores. Using a combination of burnt and raw umber and warm light gray, I lightly stroked over the offending grain pattern. This, in combination with the oil stain, eventually proved effective in hiding much of the plywood grain.

When all the cabins and fittings have been installed, the expanse of the decks will be covered enough to make the grain barely noticeable. If you try these finishing techniques, be sure to practice first on a scrap piece of scribed decking.

I glued the two-piece main deck into place with 30-minute epoxy. The deck pieces sit on the wood stringers that I had previously glued to the inside edges of the hull. A lot of edge-sanding and trial-fitting was required to get the fit just right. I used tape and furniture clamps to hold the hull sides firmly against the deck edges while the epoxy was curing. When the epoxy had cured, I touched up the joint lines in the planking with the previously mentioned painting techniques. I then painted the outer edges of the deck a glossy brown, as the instructions recommend, to represent the water ways. For this, I used Badger Model Flex glossy brown model railroad paint.

THE CABINS

The fore and aft portions of the main cabin are kit-supplied fiberglass moldings. This saves building time but has some disadvantages. The window openings are marked and must be cut out-a messy job that's similar to cutting the portholes in the hull. I first drilled holes and then enlarged them with a rotary file; then I finished up with a flat file. The various cabins have different wall thicknesses; you must sand their interior surfaces to the same thickness so you can apply the window glazing and have it look uniform from outside. This is another messy, dusty job that's best done with a sanding drum on a motor tool (wear protective goggles and a dust mask!). I do wish the kit manufacturer had made all the cabin walls the same thickness.

The gentleman for whom I'm building this model wanted the cabin bulkheads to be made out of mahogany. The kit provides simulated, wood-grain, stick-on paper for the paneling on the wheelhouse and the captain's cabin, but the main cabins are intended to be white. I purchased a sheet of fine-grain mahogany veneer from a local woodworking supply store and cut it into strips to cover the bulkheads. I attached the veneer strips to the bulkheads by spraying the back of them with 3M Spray 77 adhesive and pressing them into place. After that, it was a simple job to cut through the window openings from the inside using a hobby knife with a sharp no. 11 blade. I sanded the mahogany with 300-grit sandpaper and gave it one coat of satin-finish polyurethane.

Next, I glued the photo-etched, brass window frames into place over the openings. I simulated paneling by cutting 1/8-inch-wide strips of the veneer and gluing them to the top and bottom edges of the bulkheads. I added vertical strips between the windows and wider strips on the lower portions. When the paneling was complete, I brushed on two more coats of polyurethane.

Installing the cabins on the deck involves positioning them over the precut openings and joining them with stringers to form a single unit that can be lifted off for access to the hull interior. The instructions tell you to use the two large, square wood strips supplied in the kit. You must cut holes in the ends of the two cabins through which you'll insert the stringers and then glue the pieces together. This seems like a good idea, but the stringers are way too big and out of scale. I substituted two lengths of 1/8-inch-square brass tube. I cut small holes into the aft end of the forward cabin and bolted the two brass pieces to the forward sides of the aft cabin with 080 machine screws and nuts. I bent the two square tubes slightly to conform to the hull's sheerline and epoxied them to the inside ceiling of the forward cabin. I used Sig Epoxolite epoxy paste filler liberally for this so I could position the cabins on the deck before the paste had set up. A heavy application of the paste will compensate for any movement of the rods while you position the cabins and yet still provide a firm bond.