discussion E E Lightning 1/6 Scale only £11,000???

[ojays]

Now I did have one sink at Kirklees, that's an interesting story!

Lets here it Richard, it's nice to know I'm not alone in providing mirth for others!

Gregg

 

[Guest]

Lets here it Richard, it's nice to know I'm not alone in providing mirth for others! Gregg

Go on then, as it's late and pretty quiet!!

Just as a little smile to everyone and to remind you of how easily things can go wrong this is what happened to me a few years ago.

I bought a ready built Caldercraft Joffre Tug off eBay with the intention of tidying it up a bit and using it with my Envoy Class Tug as she is the same scale and roughly the same period. When I looked it over the internals were a bit on the loose side and I had trouble getting it to work so it stayed on the shelf until one day when I thought I would sort it out and give it a trial.

I fitted a new receiver, a new speed controller and a new 7.2 Tamiya pack, bought only the previous weekend at the Harrogate Model Engineering Exhibition. So I tried it out and it all worked fine but the motor did seem a bit fierce. Anyway I stuck it in the test tank (bath!) and she sat a bit low but bang on the painted water line so took it down to the pond this particular morning to try it out. Sure enough the motor was far too powerful and at full throttle she dug in a bit and pushed the bow down more than I would really want, especially with the freeboard not being too great. So a couple of things to do but she looked good and I was pleased that an internal strip out would give me a nice model. I brought the model back to the side and took it out of the water again.

Then, later on in the morning, a couple of youngsters turn up asking about the boats so I said I would put the tug back in and show them how it worked. I sent it right across to the other side of the pond to the point where I can't see exactly what is happening and started to bring it back. I was still chatting to the youngsters so wasn't paying full attention to the model until I glanced at it and thought, "She looks a bit low!" A couple of seconds later and she looked even lower!!! A couple of seconds after that and up went the stern, prop flailing in the air and down she went!! A hush went over the crowd as everyone looked at the little loose dingy bobbing around in the water, all that was left to show where it had been.

I was more annoyed at the loss of the new speed controller, receiver and battery pack than anything else but the loss of a boat is always disappointing as well. The lads all suggested I get the club rowing boat out and go for a bit of fishing, which I really thought was a waste of time but I gave in and thought I'd have a go. I paddled around for a half an hour or so fishing with the grappling hook and rope, amid cries and jeers from the bank as to where everyone thought it had gone down. To my amazement I snagged it and brought it up, mostly intact, but with a couple of pieces missing and a few broken bits. Would you believe the propeller was still turning!!

Anyway lessons to be learned:

1) If it looks low in the water, you're probably right, remove some ballast!

2) If you think the motor is too powerful, it probably is, slow it down!

3) If the deck coamings look low, they probably are, build them up!

4) If you notice all three at the same time, don't put it in the water!

At least I provided some light relief and entertainment for a half an hour or so and I was forced to "Tidy Up" the model whether I wanted to or not. I gave the electrics a wash out with distilled water and they actually all worked fine again after a drying out. I didn't even remove the motor from the hull.

It also prompted me to repaint her as a RN Tug, as I know she was seconded during the war but I've never seen her in RN colours. It also gave me the chance to fit some new boats, add some period RN figures and add a bit of new detailing. It's now one of my favourite models.

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[Guest]

As a lad I built a balsa and tissue-paper plane. Power plant was a rubber band. It flew! A bit. Things seem to be more complicated now.