Kitbashing a Trawler

I needed a boat that could only travel forward and backwards without looking it was reversing.
So I searched for a boat that looked symmetrical, and about 1:72 in scale, but to no avail.
So I decided to buy two trawler kits and put the two bows together.

This is my first boat build, and it certainly was a challenging build indeed.
I am limited to five photos per post, so there will be a few posts to come yet.

Playing around with MS-Paint to see how it will look. I was happy with that idea and ordered two kits.

The Chinese kit instructions were nothing but a mud map.
So far all seemed straight-forward until it was time to bend the planks. They were stiff as...
I was not going to buy a heating iron for bending planks. Luckily I saw a DIY planking idea of 'old school' methods, and it involved a tin can and a candle. It worked just fine (but its easy to burn yourself, it gets HOT).







to be continued...

Building the little bits and extras.


Included my own crew.
It's adding the tiny differences that can enhance a model, such as door hinges, buy gluing a piece of copper wire.
Sailors often slice rope, or in this case a bit of string.


3mm LEDs


Navigational lights have blinds so they only shine forward and out to the side. I used a bit of coffee tin.


Used bamboo skewers and a biro end for a boat mast.

to be continued...

Boat cabin railing, again from copper wire. I often use a template to help me get it right.


Boat LED lighting.
Top left image are the nav lights. I need two sets, one for upstream, and the other for downstream (the boat does not turn around).
I included a reflector, foil glued on black card, to make the light under the control panel more dispersed.


Bow and stern lights.
This old trawler has marine radar.





to be continued...

This boat is for a diorama of a river scene by a town.
It was at this stage of construction when I found out that the town's old name was called BINGAL.
I thought it ironic that the boat and its crew turned out to be a bit of a bingle.


The boat's hull got painted, but I decided to keep the rest of it a raw timber look.
This boat rests on a moving platform (up and down stream) in the diorama.
It's lighting system needs to be controlled, and have a means to do so away from the boat.




Decided to use a circuit board to escape the possibility of wires becoming a frayed through the slot of the diorama's tabletop.


This is how the boat wiring gets off the diorama tabletop.
The boat vane is to be attached to a motorised rail system, which I won't get into here.

to be continued...

Seeing how it will look for the incomplete diorama.







Thanks for viewing.
THE END.

Nice !
So I assume this was the dio for the non-profit museum ?
Do they have a website ?

Great attention to details!

Peter54 said:

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"The little brown eel comes out of the cave...swims into the hole....comes out of the hole, back into the cave again..."

urumomo said:

Nice !
So I assume this was the dio for the non-profit museum ?
Do they have a website ?

Click to expand...

Yes to both, but the bio is of little consequence to show on their website.
Ballina Naval and Maritime Museum.

How did you become involved ?
Were you formally a merchant mariner or in the navy ?
Or you just said , " I'm going to build a big diorama for y'all " , LOL
I hope the museum paid for all the material !

urumomo said:

How did you become involved ?
Were you formally a merchant mariner or in the navy ?
Or you just said , " I'm going to build a big diorama for y'all " , LOL
I hope the museum paid for all the material !

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1. Membership, $2 per year, just so I can access their library. They have a good collection of donated books, especially for my unexplained interest in submarines.
2. I joined the RAAF (Air Force) to gain an electronics trade and for the fact that as an NCO, or less, the RAAF is the safest service to be in , in case of war. (NB: In the army the COs stay behind and direct NCOs to fight; in the navy both COs and NCOs are on the same ship: in the air force it is the COs that fight and the NCOs that stay behind).
3. My museum membership form showed I had electronics experience. The museum ask me to inspect an old bridge control panel they requisitioned. From there I ended up volunteering to put control panel into operating a model and diorama.
4. Yes the museum paid for most of the material. Other bits I already had laying around my place.

PS. Though the diorama is completed, the working side of it may not be. During construction the overseers became impatient and I became burnt-out under the pressure. I had to release the diorama to the museum before I could complete the working side of it all. All the electronics has been designed, built, and 90% wired. I gave them all the remaining parts, all the plans and instructions to complete it. But I think they have not found anybody, so far, to take on that job. I have not been back to the museum since. I believe it is used as a static display.

All that work and you haven't been back ?
I hope the management didn't put you off from there -- or maybe you read all their submarine books already .

I had originally volunteered for sub duty , then I talked to a bunch of bubbleheads ( sub crew ) when I was in school down in Florida and decided screw that ! Ha ha .
Fortunately , Needs of the Navy made it easy to de-volunteer onto an aircraft carrier .

urumomo said:

All that work and you haven't been back ?
I hope the management didn't put you off from there -- or maybe you read all their submarine books already .

I had originally volunteered for sub duty , then I talked to a bunch of bubbleheads ( sub crew ) when I was in school down in Florida and decided screw that ! Ha ha .
Fortunately , Needs of the Navy made it easy to de-volunteer onto an aircraft carrier .

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Life is too short, even if you get old, to put oneself into a contract of service in a place you don't enjoy.
It is amazing how just one decision can change so much in ones life.
Hope all remains well with you and future decisions.

urumomo said:

All that work and you haven't been back ?
I hope the management didn't put you off from there -- or maybe you read all their submarine books already .

I had originally volunteered for sub duty , then I talked to a bunch of bubbleheads ( sub crew ) when I was in school down in Florida and decided screw that ! Ha ha .
Fortunately , Needs of the Navy made it easy to de-volunteer onto an aircraft carrier .

Click to expand...

You've made a very wise decision! Most of my family has been in the military and have been military brats. You don't want to get into the service unless you're totally dedicated to it in all its' eccentricities. It's not an easy life but one of servitude. The only reward is pride in feeling that you've accomplished something meaningful and useful to your country - a country that doesn't know that you exist or even care! This is the sad truth as so many people in the USA believe that they have so many rights and privilages which they truly don't. The United States Constitution doesn't cover everything we know but without becoming political on a soapbox know that what you decide will determine the way that you live the rest of your life and it will impact the lives of others as well.

Peter54 said:

Seeing how it will look for the incomplete diorama.
View attachment 93501

View attachment 93503

View attachment 93504

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Thanks for viewing.
THE END.

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I had to break this into two separate posts for clarity. I saw that you made individual staves for the sides but they're smooth now. It looks like they still have form but are very muted or diminished in their appearance. Otherwise this has been a very enjoyable thread and these pictures tell a great story! Thank you for sharing this with us to enjoy.