Author Topic: Melita  (Read 20490 times)

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Offline karlgalster

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Melita
« on: 16 December 2017, 17:30:32 »
Hi guys, its been a long time, well it seems a long time, since I attempted to do a build log. Anyway the subject is Dean Marine's yacht Melita. It looks good and is being built as a potential replacement for the wife's current steering regatta boat, a Model Slipway Conserver. Our Conserver still functions well but although ultra manoeuvrable going forwards it does not steer well astern and in any sort of breeze going astern is a nightmare >:D, The Conserver is also getting a bit shabby having being built by yours truly about 14 years ago. The Melita has two prop shafts and two rudders. It should therefore have no trouble going astern in a controllable manner. it also has quite a low profile (as opposed to the Conserver) so the adverse effects of breezes should be less. As belts and braces it will also have a mixer from Action. I have experienced these mixers and they work well. I will be posting my first offering shortly. Robin

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #1 on: 19 December 2017, 10:58:04 »
This is an image from another forum showing the completed model.  The kit has a very nice glass fibre hull and an interesting moulded cabin in two parts. There is the usual full building instructions but it will help if you have built some DM kits before.
« Last Edit: 19 December 2017, 11:02:48 by karlgalster »

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #2 on: 19 December 2017, 15:37:26 »
The following is historical as the kit work was started in November. The hull bulwark top has been sanded to the line and the insides of the bulwarks filled with P38 and rubbed down smooth. The prop shafts and rudder tubes have been bonded in with Stabilit Express two part epoxy and subsequently reinforced with fibre glass tissue and David's epoxy.

I have replaced the kit's white metal rudders and rudder arms with scratch built alternatives. The two motors are MFA Como Drills Torpedo 400s which I bought cheap at the Chantry Club open day in July at Bluewater (hopefully they will be adequate but if not replacement is possible). I am using a favourite DM method of motor mounting. Wood wedges on a wooden base with very small curtain hooks to hold the rubber bands which hold the motors down. Not perhaps for the purists but for low power drives it works well. The grey panel is a 1/8th inch plywood panel which will hold all the electronic items. Beneath is a box/panel support for holding the batteries. I am using two 7.2 volt NmHi 2500 mA hour batteries in parallel which will give a good endurance plus good low down ballast.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #3 on: 20 December 2017, 19:03:45 »
The batteries are installed underneath the control panel.
Moving on to the electrical components. I have used Action modules. A P103 battery paralleling board, a P92 Power distribution board including a BEC, a P94 combined mixer/dual ESCs. I bought the self build versions as I find that enjoyable to do and so far it has always worked ^^^
Items installed on the control panel together with a charge/run switch, charging Tamiya sockets for the two batteries and on/off switches for the lights and radar motor. The keen eyed of you (I am assuming there is somebody out there) will notice the Radiolink 2.4Ghz receiver.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #4 on: 21 December 2017, 19:29:20 »
Now for the deck. The deck is supported around the hull side with 1/4inch x 1/4inch balsa strips. Across the hull and around the access hatch areas 1/4inch x 14inch spruce strip was used. Not in the kit but the wood provided was a bit on the curvy side. All bonded in with Stabilit Express and wood glue. I used the kit's 1.5 mm material for the deck itself but rather than cut to the printed line I used a cardboard template to get the exact shape.  The deck was bonded to the hull using DevCon 2ton epoxy which seems to work better than the Stabilit Express for styrene to wood bonding.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #5 on: 01 January 2018, 11:39:04 »
I am not sure this build log is of much interest to the forum but I shall continue anyway ::DD

Next job is to plank the deck. The kit is supplied with a printed yinyl simulated decking but I prefer to plank with wood. The hatch combings were fitted after the decking was complete as it is easier to do the planking with them not in place. My method is to use superglue. The advantage of this is that each plank can be fitted in a few seconds and adjacent planks can be fitted immediately. The down side is you get superglue on your fingers so don't press the planks too long :-[. Anyway it works for me and so far with models planked using this method I have had no problems. The start is to do a margin plank round the deck edge. Ideally these should be curved to match the deck edge shape on both sides but too  much trouble - my planks are shaped to match the bulwark curve on one edge and straight the other edge. Length adjusted to suit. I used 10mm lime 0.5 mm thickness for the margin planks. The main planks are maple 5mm 0,5mm thickness. I had the lime left over from another model and could not find 5mm 0.5mm lime anywhere.

A king plank was stuck down the centre line and I worked outwards from there progressing from bow to stern. Not that easy retaining trueness to the centre line as I worked towards the stern but as you progress it does pay to check alignment occasionally. A simulation of caulking has been done using a 5B pencil down one side  of each plank and one end as they are stuck. I worked on a plank length of 200mm and used the staggered planking with the pattern repeated every 5 lines of planks. The deck has been finished by sanding down lightly (mainly to removed residual superglue mixed with stray pencil carbon). Three coast of sanding sealer and she is ready for varnishing later on.

Offline rondean

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Re: Melita
« Reply #6 on: 01 January 2018, 16:00:39 »
Hi Keep up the good work, she is looking a very nice model, look forward to seeing he on the water
Happy New Year


Offline colin

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Re: Melita
« Reply #7 on: 02 January 2018, 07:36:08 »
but of course this build is of interest Robin..
just not much time for comments..  :) ;D

Offline ship's doctor

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Re: Melita
« Reply #8 on: 02 January 2018, 13:16:39 »
Yes second that! Really nice work on the deck. I also found thick super glue is the best for sticking the planks to plastic.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #9 on: 02 January 2018, 14:57:57 »
Thanks guys for the comments and yes the thick superglue is what I use too. Next job up is the cabin. A pre-moulded cabin which is new for me. I was tempted to scratch build it but the shape is complex with hardly a straight edge anywhere so the moulded cabin it shall be. Nappy New Year to all.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #10 on: 13 January 2018, 12:54:37 »
A bit more progress. The moulded cabin comes in two parts. Quite difficult to mate the two sections. To make the join strong the kit has some plastic parts to be bonded on the inside of the mouldings both sides. I used a combination of Poly weld and Deluxe Super Crylic for this joint. The later adhesive gives a stronger join. Quite expensive but it grabs very quickly so as long as you do just small sections at a time and swiftly remove excess glue it works well. Goes off in about 90 seconds. NB I also  tried super glue but it was useless. I love plastic magic but the mouldings are not styrene (abs). I suppose DM have their reasons for not using clear styrene for the cabin mouldings but the white styrene parts of the kit need special glue to fix them to the cabin. Two photos. It looks a mess but it will be alright on the night ::DD The scored mark on the cabin roof is a mistake on my part. I mistakenly thought that part needed to be cut out along with several other parts but fortunately I realised my error before I cut through. As luck would have it the cut may show up but the yacht's boat sits on it anyway covering it up :smiley1:

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #11 on: 13 January 2018, 12:59:41 »
With respect to the previous posting photos the "U" shaped joining plates are designed to avoid the windows. DM strategy with this kit is to avoid glazing the cabin windows. The clever plan is to use the clear moulding material as the glazing. More on this subject later.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #12 on: 01 February 2018, 10:19:41 »
More progress on the cabin. I decided to line the aft deck and bulkhead with styrene sheet in order to get a sharp edge across the rear cabin roof/cabin wall and to plank the aft cabin deck instead of using the self adhesive oak effect material. There might be an issue around the edge of the planking but that will be reviewed once the cabin is primed.

There was a need for a bulkhead within the cabin behind the wheelhouse to add to the cabin's rigidity. I found it very difficult to bond the styrene bulkhead to the cabin with the Super Acrylic as the glue grab time is short but not short enough when trying to hold the bulkhead in place in a wobbly cabin by hand. Plan B was to clad the inside of the cabin with 0.5 mm styrene strip where the bulkhead needed to be bonded to go to act as a foundation for the styrene bulkhead. I find the liquid poly will grab very quickly and the bulkhead can be held in place by hand. The plan worked anyway.

Offline karlgalster

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Re: Melita
« Reply #13 on: 01 February 2018, 10:32:04 »
Wheel house windows. After some thought I decided not  to use the kit's templates and transparent plastic material for the wheelhouse windows. Instead I will scratch build the windows from 1mm styrene sheet using the kit templates as a guide. First step was to get a suitable foundation around the edge of the moulded wheelhouse. This has been done by bonding 0.75mm x 4mm styrene strip around the edge of the wheelhouse using the Super Crylic.

Two drawbacks resulting  from departing from the kit method is that I will need to glaze the windows conventionally and the window frames will need to be hand crafted rather than using the kit's vinyl versions. Personal choice.

Offline swiftdoc

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Re: Melita
« Reply #14 on: 02 February 2018, 07:55:39 »
Hi Robin,

when I need an instant bond of styrene, I use medium super glue, hold the parts in place, and then apply activator spray. The bond sets within a few seconds then.

Keep up the good work!

Regards

Arno