Deans Marine
General Discussion => Customers Builds => Topic started by: FJF on 11 December 2010, 20:24:04
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Hello 'Deans Marine'-Model Fans!
Quite happy with the result of building my SS Redshanks I decided to start works on my 'SS MELANIE II' tramp/three island type steamer.
For those interested to follow the progress I will share some pictures here.
I will not necessarly follow the instructions included in the kit as I would like to try out a few things again.
Useful comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated anytime.
I hope you enjoy.
Frank
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Some additional supports under deck and raw planking on deck (still to be sanded).
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And with the rudder I am defenitely trying something totally new for me. ::)
The idea is to make it look more detailed. If it will work well (function wise) we will see. :-[
Still some important parts are missing of course...
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it look as if your enjoying your self with this build, and doing what nearly every modeler does, including my self.
using the materials that are provided, plus adding a few, to make the model look even better.
i think your doing a grand job.. ^^^ ^^^
a modeler after my own hart.. :wink1:
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Superb work on the rudder skeg - is that part of the kit or something you have made yourself?
Robin
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Thank you Colin! :-[ :smiley1:
Making a model look like the original thing is and should in my opinion be the most important goal when making a model. This is what produces the 'wow!' effect and leaves a real good impression in people's mind. And the additional effort and patience required is defenitely worth it.
As probably most of us modellers are limited in time, equipment and tools I think it is important to share ideas and tricks - enabling others to be successful too. That's why I appreciate this forum very much. Thanks for your efforts in hosting this forum! ^^^
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Hello Robin,
Thanks. The metal pieces are all 'hand crafted' and were not included in the kit. I got them from a local metal shop. The attachment below shows the rudder and some other parts as included in the kit.
As a novice to work with metal it took me three hours to 'cut' the rudder skeg manually and carefully from a 3mm copper plate. I know that some modelers woud use a computer assisted milling machine for this - but since I do not have one I tried it manually.
By the way: Eventhough copper is comparatively soft it was not only the copper I brought in shape - maybe even more my muscles :wink1: :-[
The rudder itself is made of 1.5 mm brass sheet and of course it will need some more work.
Regards,
Frank
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Wow. Beautiful. This is your second Deans model? Holy smokes!
Thanks for sharing and welcome!
Oliver
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Well done!
On ships of that era, the rudder has most of the time re-enforcement bars welded on.
I think the rudder in the kit has them also.
But you can also add Sacrificial Anodes on rudder and the hull.
This are the type of details that finishes a model.
Kurt
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Wow. Beautiful. This is your second Deans model? Holy smokes!
Thanks for sharing and welcome!
Oliver
Hi Oliver,
Thanks for the warm welcome.
Yes it is my second Deans Marine model. The SS Redshanks http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/index.php?topic=132.0 (http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/index.php?topic=132.0)) was the first.
But I made some other model boats in larger scales from other kit manufacturers before. So I am not a total novice to ship modelling.
The level of detail of Deans kits is amazing already and with the right hints, tools, techniques and a little extra patience one can even enhance them in a way that the finnished model looks like a 1/75 or even 1/50 scale model - if looked at very closely. But as I learned from a good friend the most important prerequisite is always research (done before starting to build a model). Good plans, pictures and background information about the original ship are essential. In the case of the 'Melanie II' I was not so lucky in finding a lot of information about the original ship yet, but I will base on information about the Cordene which is not exactly the same ship but seems to come very close to it. I actually wonder if the Deans Marine hull of SS Cordene is exactly the same as for the Melanie II... ? :wink1:
I see you did a very nice job so far on your project too! Congratulations! ^^^
Regards,
Frank
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Well done!
On ships of that era, the rudder has most of the time re-enforcement bars welded on.
I think the rudder in the kit has them also.
But you can also add Sacrificial Anodes on rudder and the hull.
This are the type of details that finishes a model.
Kurt
Hi Kurt,
Thanks for the hints.
I know that the re-inforcement bars are the crutial parts that keep the rudder in position (I still have to make them and therefore still missing on my picures).
I found the following Pictures in Google:
http://www.shf.org.au/JO-restoration/JO-news-Dec2006.html (http://www.shf.org.au/JO-restoration/JO-news-Dec2006.html)
http://www.shf.org.au/JO-restoration/JO-news-Jan2009.html (http://www.shf.org.au/JO-restoration/JO-news-Jan2009.html)
Do you think that would come close for Melanie II?
Regards,
Frank
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The rudder come close indeed.
I've looked in some plans of ships of that era and they all have some kind of rudder re-inforcement.
They all varie in size and shapes.
Kurt
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Hello,
Here's a quick update regarding my 'rudder experiment':
The pictures show:
- my antique working methods :-[
- the rudder put together loosely (prior to soldering and compared with the rudder as included in the kit)
- the rudder placed loosely in its place
- the changes required in the hull
Of cousre there is a lot more work ahead. I will have to 'shorten' the rudder as it is a bit to 'long' - reaching over the length of the hull.
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now that rudder does look very nice indeed..
your antique methods, well i don't know any difference my self, the only power tool i have is a Proxon minitool which i use for drilling holes up to 3mm, everything else is done by hand...
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Like Colin I am also pretty light on power tools as well but get by. Antique methods or not your results are excellent :)
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Thank you for the compliments. :smiley1:
In the meantime there was not much progress...apparently.
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very nice work! that rudder ^^^
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as any one would say, slowly but surly, there is no point rushing, the job at hand might not turn out as good a one would like if its rushed..
nice to see she is coming along.. ^^^
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Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
Oliver
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Great job on the build, I found the same kit at a flea market but no plans, any chance of getting a copy of your
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Hi all Melanie folks.
I am building this wonderful model, and I have a question about the rigging. How thick are the threat
for the rig. The funnel also have some wiresupport. What threat-size would you recommend.
Thank's
Kind Regards
Jesper Reinfeldt
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Hi Jesper,
at a scale of 1:96, you would require the thinest stuff you can get your hands on... ^^^
i am not to sure what you have available in Denmark.. ?
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Hi Colin.
Thank?s for your reply. Sewing-threat----------I'll ask my wife :-*
Kind Regards
Jesper
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Hi Jesper,
I have used Caldercraft rigging thread on a 96:1 model. I used 0.1mm diameter natural thread and it looked realistic (i.e somewhat understated) and should be Ok for your model. ^^^ http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/caldercraft_thread.html (http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/caldercraft_thread.html)
Robin
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Hi Robin
Thank?s for your help.
Kind Regards
Jesper
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A friend of mine that does alot of rigging on squarrigger model ships told me to get (imbriodery thread) has no fuzzys and comes in a zillion colors and the stuff i got was made in Germany! very nice to
Tom
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Hi,
Thank you for all your comments.
It has been a while since my last post. So here is some additional detail added to the poop deck.
Regards,
Frank
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..and some more.
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Hello
My Melanie are ready to go. She?s now called YRSA.
Kind Regards
Jesper
Denmark
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very nice indeed, i like it, doing an excellent job there Frank ^^^
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Nice ship excellent ^^^. Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Rene
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Agreed. A very nice model indeed.
Robin
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Hi Jesper,
Thanks for posting the picture of your model. It helps building mine, as there are not so many pictures of 'Melanie II' available. I like the color scheme!
Regards,
Frank
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Thanks for the kind words, Colin.
Finally I could work a little bit (bridge)...
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Wow nice build
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A really lovely build. Normally merchant ships dont 'float my boat' and I have never really been tempted to build one but seeing how nice your build looks I must say that I am now very very tempted in getting Melanie sometime in the future. Will watch the rest of the build with great interest,
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Thank you all for the kind words! That is very motivating!
@mikearace:
I am very happy to see that my model inspires you. BTW: I never thought that I would ever build a model of such a type, neither. :wink1:
SS Melanie II probably is not the most elegant boat (as many other freight ships), but as most of the freight ships of that era they are ideal for an extra detailed model and that gives it the special 'charme'.
A good friend of mine showed me how important research in books and the internet is for bringing the model 'to life'; e.g. I used the following link for detailing the gun: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QF_4_inch_Mk_IIII_gun_P_I_mounting_diagram_1919_NAA_MP551_1,_92_2.jpg (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:QF_4_inch_Mk_IIII_gun_P_I_mounting_diagram_1919_NAA_MP551_1,_92_2.jpg)
It may take much more time to learn about the details of the real ship (...and I am still learning!), but it is worth in my opinion.
Unfortunately Deans Marine posted only one picture (and not the best) of a unfinished (?)/prototype(?) model in their online shop. The model kit has a much bigger 'potential' in my opinion.
Regards,
Frank
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with a little hope this thread will encourage others to build a Melanie.. ^^^
sorry about the photo in the online shop, its the only one available :'(
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Hello,
Thanks for your nice comments.
Finally I can give an update about my Melanie II. You might be interested about how I tried to solve the rudder construction. This is quite an experiment, I must say for me too and I am wondering if it will work well. :-[
Kind Regards,
Frank
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I also started to modify the hatches in the back.
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And this is how I make the wooden railing. Glueing the 0.5 mm sticks together on a paper helps to fix and align them. Both sides then get sanded down until they are evenly flat and smooth. This creates the structure of wooden battens.
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Nice to see an update on this lovely build of yours. Continues to be a lovely job your doing there.
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could not agree more with mikes words... well done Frank ^^^ ^^^
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Hello there,
A short update on my Melanie II.
- The hull got its first layer of colour.
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- second layer of hull colour
- some hatch details...
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Nice to see this update. Lovely progress, the cargo hatch is particularly nice.
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...more tiny hatch details...
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... 'pimped' portholes and cole shot...
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...and one of the life boat platforms.
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i am enjoying this thread.... your doing a grand job Frank ^^^
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Hello everyone,
Enjoy the latest mini update of my Melanie II (starboard life boat platform).
Regards,
Frank
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Hi Frank, She is going to look awesome, I particularly like the planking great build mate ^^^
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Thank you, Joe.
Hope the following comes closer to reality than the parts that were included in the kit.
Regards,
Frank
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Dear all,
I was asking myself if this comes close the original?
Any hints about how the booms of such a type of ship were attached would be appreciated.
Regards,
Frank
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not to sure what the originals would have looked like, but the way you have done it looks OK to me, and is probably how i would have done it..
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Dear Forum Members,
The following is an attempt to enhance the first life boat of my SS Melanie II. Somtimes it's good to have a cover for the inside works... :-[
The cover itself is made of a simple paper towel painted with acrylic colour. ...curious about your comments.
Thanks.
Frank
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and some more pics...
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Frank that looks absolutely fine to me, nice job . Joe
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Thanks, Joe.
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Here are my first cargo booms made out of metal (replacing the wooden ones). They seem to look quite ok to me.
However, I am not quite sure if I understood the fixation of the pulleys (under the boom, at the mast) correctly. To me their position seem to be a bit low.
Any ideas anyone?
Thanks.
Frank
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they look alright to me frank ^^^
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I thought I would give it a try and put my SS Melanie II for the first time in the water last weekend. Except for the trim (I put too much ballast to the aft), the result was very satisfactory and pleasant. See yourself. :smiley1:
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She looks excellent Frank, and what a great sailing venue. Joe
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I have to agree with you Joe, excellent build it is. Well done, she very much at home on the water. ^^^
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Thanks for your comments.
You might be intersted to see the full venue here http://www.askweb.ch/?page_id=53&album=1&gallery=125 (http://www.askweb.ch/?page_id=53&album=1&gallery=125) at our yearly showcase held just last weekend.
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Wow, would loved to have been there Frank, what a place! ^^^ . Joe.
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The following is how I try to imitate the deck plate structure. So far and after painting it looks not to bad.
However I will see how my standard 80gramms printer paper on top of the plastic will behave in sunlight and moisture... :-\
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Hello there,
Here is my latest update. I have been working on detailing the second life boat.
Regards,
Frank
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spot on... absolutely superb.. ^^^
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Thanks. :-[
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Hi there,
The following is how I plan to fit the small smoke generator in the funnel.
Regards,
Frank
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Just excellent Frank, you sure have got some patience with the fiddly stuff, love that rigged life boat. ^^^ ^^^
Joe
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Hello,
Some things sometimes turn out a bit more complicated bigger and heavier than expected - like the wiring of my SS Melanie II.
The reason why I chose a more complicated setup is that I use four 6V (gel) lead batteries (1.2 Ah capacity in parallel configuration) in order to distribute the weight to the sides of the hull. The batteries can be removed through the main access however the opening is very narrow and I intend to leave them in the model until their 'end-of-life'.
In order to prevent damage to the model by frequent battery removal the batteries need to be charged from outside the model. This is why I made a charging connector pannel that can be exchanged with the wireing and switches required for operation of the model. I am sure there is a more elegant way to do this. However I wanted to use 2.5 sqare milimeter wires for the main power distribution and two way switches would have had handles to large to fit under the super structure.
The length of the cables is chosen in order to allow removal of all electronic components through the small opening. Switches and loud speaker remain unattached.
Regards,
Frank
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Latest trim in the bath tub... :smiley1: 8)
Frank
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Good looking ship you have there.... ^^^
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very nice... ^^^ :)
i try and leave the SLA's in the boat as well, by installing charging sockets 8)
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Have to say very neat, nice sleek lines ^^^ ^^^. I too have my charging socket and on/off switch hinden on deck.
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A really marvellous model ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
What kind of stanchions did you use? Did they come with the kit?
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Thank you all.
The stanchions I used were included in the kit (white metal). The railings still need to be worked on.
I prefere the rounded ones over the flat modern type typically brass etched for the 1920 era.
Regards,
Frank
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Hi Frank,
in my opinion stanchions are always a compromise regarding stability and detail. For my MV Muirneag I used the brass etched parts that come with the kit: very fine detail but flat. For the Lady of Wroxham (which is a larger scale) I used the white metal stanchions which look very realistic.
Keep up the good work :)
Arno
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Hi Arno,
I agree that it also depends on size and scale of the model of course.
One more mini update...(see pictures).
Frank
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Hello there,
The following is my interpretation of a Bull's Eye and cargo boom rig.
Regards,
Frank
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Hello,
I did some of the 'wiring' of all four cargo booms...
The black antenna's of the receiver are currently sticking out of the deck. I intend to glue or bind them along the mast and paint them with the same colour as the masts.
While a lot remains to be done she looks again a bit more complete. :smiley1:
Best Regards,
Frank
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Hello,
Tried to work on a few more tiny bits recently. This time adding my interpretation of the washports.
Regards,
Frank
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Looking good Frank, some nice detailing there, just a thought though if your using 2.4 Gig system there's no need to have the antennas above the deck. ;)
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Thanks for the hint, Joe. This is actually going to be my first 2.4 GHz controlled model. So I will have both ways to place them. That's good. Once the model is watertight I will try inside and outside to check if there is any notable difference in regards to signal reception.
Frank
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Hello all,
The latest update includes the steering chains, rods, pulleys and bullwark stanchions.
I used pieces of 1mm u-profile for the chain channels.
Regards,
Frank
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Hi,
In this update I added some supports on the bridge as well replaced the copper shrouds with coated steel cables (0.5 mm). I soldered the ends of the cables after having wraped them with brass wire.
Frank
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Hi,
Eventhough not completely finished my SS Melanie II recently made its maiden voyage.
See a little video here:
https://youtu.be/5N-Vfo5U14g (https://youtu.be/5N-Vfo5U14g)
English version will follow sometime soon.
Hope you enjoy.
Frank
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Very nice model and video. Merchant ships do look good, if done properly and not run like speed boats.
I hope to post photos of my tribal soon.
Francine
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Thanks. Looking forward to see your Tribal. Maybe in a video?
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Are you talking about the SS Melanie which was torpedoed off Robin Hood Bay in 1918? If so, my Grandfather was a Leading Seaman on her. He wasn't one of the 5 confirmed dead at the time. Shortly after in hospital in Plymouth he surcommed to his injuries. He was Leading Seaman Bond S G RNR. I don't know much about her but think she was a c coaler out of Russia.
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Dear fellow modellers,
A few months ago I decided to pick up a project that I wanted to go for already long time ago. I wanted to set the scene for my SS Melanie II.
The attached shows the display at our annual model boat show.
More details and maybe some extension are planned...
I hope you like it and thanks for the many views and likes of this thread.
Regards,
Frank
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Hi, To those who remember me, I‘m back !
After moving house and personal circumstances. Then two builds that were my own hulls ( HMS Fareham and HMS Ickford). I have decided to build a DEMS merchant vessel S S Kirkpool which as sunk by the commerce raider Thor in 1942. Unusual for a DEMS it had depth charges. Along with the 4” gun. Good to be back !!