Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

After some year of building RC semiscale warbirds I decided to build some RC boat. I´ve deciced for Elco 80´ PT boat. I bought Italeri´s plastic kit three years, but I was very busy with the warbirs.
I won´t write here how to complete this plastic kit and I´ll skip this part and show you how I convert it into RC model.
I bought PE ammo belts from Eduard and two MP JET shafts ( length 255 mm, M4). In the picture you can see what kind of glue I use for this kit.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Here you can see which books I bought. They are useful if can´t understand the manual or when I when want to find some detail.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

The main deck is very elastic, so that is the reason why the central cabinedoesn´t lie on the deck. I used some piece of wood as a support. You can see it on the first picture. Last day I glued the shafts and rudders. The rudders are from MP Jet. The rib in the hull I made from some plastic desk.

dauntlessfan

Great work so far! Adding some strategically placed bulkheads below deck will help with the hull flexing.

cartix

My Feedback: (5)

Interesting, keep us updated.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Some small report for today. I prepared a rib as a engine mounting. I made it frome piece of 3 mm plywood. I chose two 480s engines. I think that should be enough. Now I´thinking about the diameter of propeller. These engine are 3Lixx (12V) and I´ll use 3S1P LiPol 2200 mAh. Does anybody have some suggestion about the diameter?

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

There were some big chinks on the hull, so I used a filler and repaired it. I used some acrylic filler. It is very soft, so it´s good for sanding.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Now it is ready for the base paint. Some details have already painted.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Last morning I put the first layer of the red paint on the hull and after luch I made a connection between the bars of the rudders. One bar I will change and I´ll use some "L" bar. This is the easiest way for me how to connect it with the servo. Also I prepared the plywood desk for the servo and maybe for receiver. In the last picture you can see my stand.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Last day I prepared the main parts for the painting. I made some preshading on the deck and cabines. Finally I decided what kind of paint I´ll. I decided for synthetic Tamiya paints. Numbers of tones you can see in the last picture. For the preshading I use some flat black paint which I found in my workshop.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Nobody has any idea what diameter of propellers I should use for engine Mig 480 12V? Batteries are 3S1P LiPol.

1sgt

Nice build so far. Unfortunately, I don't have the answers on the propellers. I'm new to RC boating as well and will follow your build closely as I have the S boat to build. On the plywood parts, have you sealed those already??
Thanks again for sharing and I eagerly await your next posts.
PS, As far as the props go, can anyone furnish the same info for the Italeri 1/35 scale S Boat?

Jim

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

I haven´t sealed the plywood part yet, because as the first step I want to finish painting. Un fortunately I don´t have many time for my hobbies. When I finish the painting, I would make a hole for a rudder servo in the plywood desk and after them I will glue it.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Today I put the first layer of the green paint. Here is the result. Next step will be the second layer of preshading.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Now is time when I must mask the red part of the hull. I use to use for this aim isolation tape for electric wires and some newspaper of course. In the last two pictures you can see the result of the second layer of preshading. Now it is waiting for the base green paint (XF-58).

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

When I was painting my Elco last morning, I thought about the colour of the life rings. The manual said, they have to be orange. But I think, that orange paint is used for this parts since 90´s, so I looked at the books with Elco PT boats and I found some pictures. Here I see, that them should be in the colour of the cabine.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

I´ve just done the base green paint. Whole Elco is in the green and it is time for masking of camouflage. As a easier way of masking for me is using of Mascol from Humbrol.

Harquebus

My first gut feeling would be to recommend a pair of 30 mm props.

However, an old rule of thumb about finding the best sized propellers is to match the diameter of the motor case to the size of the prop. Any larger and the motor typically has to struggle to swing the prop (unless it is the most robust of motors, all things being relative). Aside from that, in an effort to keep the fittings as scale and proportional to the real boat, I would use the size of the kit props to find a suitable set in brass. I recommend Raboesch props as well as Prop Shop in the UK. http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/...ropellers.html

Also: get a right and a left rotation propeller so they spin in opposite directions.

Harquebus

Find the same size as the kits props but get them in brass/bronze. G-Factor produces a set for the kit that could be adapted for RC (as they are just a static upgrade but in brass). Perhaps they can be threaded for a prop shaft or a set screw could be added to the hub so the prop is secured... http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/gfm13502.htm



Aside from that experimental idea, I have heard nothing but ecstatic praise for the top of the line in brass props from Prop Shop. These are all cast in brass using the lost wax process, balanced and polished. These are immensely strong and hydro-dynamically efficient; not like the crude, flat-bladed soldered props you sometimes run across.
http://www.prop-shop.co.uk/

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Thank you for your suggestion. I was thinking about the similar diameter.
Here are some shots from the painting. Now it is done. When I was painting the central cabine I found out that the construction is made from soft plast and it was necessary to strut the sides.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Works are slowly going to finish. I coverd the windows in the deck. The windows under the guns I coverd by some piece of plastic stripes. The windows with the iron bars I coverd by transparent stripes. This should stop a water on the deck. I glued by CA glue. Rember, CA glue makes a fogg effect on the transparent plastic materials. Don´t panic and dry off this fog by some piece of cloth or soft paper.

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

Last day I made only the particular frame around the assembly access, it should stop the water. But now I have small pause with Elco, because I have to repair my Dauntless- failure on retract during the landing.

Hydro Junkie

I was glad to read that you didn't just blindly follow the directions when it came to the life rings. What many don't understand is that the boats relied on stealth more than anything else to get within range to fire their torpedoes and then get away. Having bright orange life rings would give you away and probably make your life very short, not that your odds were very good to begin with. In Europe, the main enemy was the German E-boat. The E-boat was more heavily armed, metal hulled and just as fast as the PT, making them a dangerous target. To make matters worse, the E-boat was diesel powered. It was very difficult to get one to burn when hit while the wood hull and avgas use by the PTs were readily flammable and could actually explode with a lucky shot to the fuel tanks

Prekin

My Feedback: (19)

I think you Junkie. The biggest enemies of PT boats were fighters. They didn´t have radar so, the pilots had to reckon on their sense of sight. So the orange rings on the boat would shine as a light in the dark. It is true that bigger ships as destroyer, cruisers or battle ships had white life rings, but the pilot spotted this ship sooner than some white life ring. I don´t know why Italeri says, that the life rings should be orange.

Harquebus

For something as large as this kit and for the sake of authenticity, I would have powered all the props--there's supposed to be 3 so I'd have three props/three motors. It is perfectly feasible, it would just 'be right'... especially for display purposes. I'm just a stickler like that.

I made a mistake--all props turn right when viewing them from the stern--but this is sort of a scale concern. Counter-rotating props are preferable.