The Ship Model Forum

Hi guys this is my pet project and my second scratch build, Growing up around Port Adelaide in South Australia I always was drawn to the Port and this Tug was my favorite one she did have a black hull and white superstructure when I was a Kid but now she is under the Svitzer banner and blue hull and cream super structure.

In 1/72 she falls in at around 440mm long and a 160mm beam with two Z drives to push her through the water, First it took some time to find plans for her as the ship builder has closed its doors and when I approched Svitzer they tried to help as much as possible but it was lots of phone calls around our country and finally finding someone in NSW that had plans of her. Lucky because no plans no ship! well that was a year ago and I was thinking the other night I better start this project other wise I'll lose my contacts for her, So I started! first plan is to build a plug so I can get a mould and then a Fibreglass hull as I can not have to much weight in this small craft.
I have used 3mm plywood for the Keel and Frames and in total I have cut 36 frames to go on this small Keel, it sounds like an over kill but this hull has so many changes in her shape that I needed all the frames to give me her crisp lines. So I have cut everything and glued the frames in once I had the Keel in it's jig to stay straight and true, when all that was done I flipped her on her back ready for planking. Scott

I had to cut another 5 frames after this photo was taken


Just a dry fit

Jig set up for Keel

Started to glue frames

this has taken around a week for the frames

all frames done

out of the jig and ready to plank

Planking looking mighty sweet mate!! Seems like only the other day we went aboard her to get pics!! (How long now ....12 months!!)

I will be one of the many lining up for a hull once the mold gets sorted !!

Cheers Bruce

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building:
1/72 RC USS LONG BEACH CGN9
1/72 RC USS CALIFORNIA CGN36
1/72 RC USS SAIPAN LHA2
1/72 RC USS JOHN PAUL JONES DDG53
1/72 RC USS SHARK SSN591
1/72 RC USS SEAWOLF SSN21
1/72 RC USS ALBANY CG10

As with the original, looks to be hel4stout. Were those the original frame spacings? I have seen similar tugs in Hong Kong, a far cry from the old style Navy tugs I worked on. Interesting the fire nozzle on the tower!

Cheers. T

Bruce, I had a great chat to Trevor today whose my Tug Guru and have some great ideas for detailing the plug for the final part before the mould process. Lets see how we go before you start lining up for a hull
T cheers for looking in on my build, the frame spacing is as the plans show in 1/72 scale which in the Bow and Stern sections I used every frame and the frames had 7mm between each one and in her mid ships area I did every second one that gave a 14mm space between frames. Scott