1/25 Russian armored patrol boat Bronekater BK 1125 (WWII)

[U812]

Lots of little parts done today.


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The anchor wench. The shaft and handle you will have to make from brass. I'm not going to make resin parts of the ultra small stuff. Better in brass and you won't break it off all the time. Also the vents.

I have found from picture to picture things very greatly even on the same model of boat. But these all look like the pictures I have not so much the Mig model.

The exhaust which in most pictures of the real boat is not seen. This is like the Mig model and some of the drawings I've seen. It looks cool so I made it. Still have to finish it off tomorrow.

The rudder. It will come complete as seen with 5/32 shaft in place.

Tomorrow the life preservers. Now again looking at the pictures from the war I don't see them on the railings at all. Some on the deck and on the side of the wheel house.

I'm not going to make you every small part as every boat was different. But will provide the basics and necessaries. I will include drawings to scale, brass and styrene to make the parts that will not lend themselves to molding.

More tomorrow. I'll do the moorings next anchor, and the NAV light boxes for the wheel house.

Monday it's go over the whole set of masters and do any clean up and prep for molding. By the end of next week I should be able to cast up the parts I need to to build one and get it in the water.

As soon as I lay one up and build it I can fix a price.

Steve

[Reid]

o cool!!! it is all coming together!! and it keeps getting better!! o that rhymes too

[U812]

Hey Reid thanks.

May not look like much but its enough. Small parts take a lot of time. A lot more of them done today. I have about three left to do tomorrow. All easy.

More tomorrow.

Steve

[U812]

The masters are done!

I am now evaluating my resources here hoping I don't need to go out tomorrow to get anything! I know people in hell want ice water.

I'm just happy and full of myself because something that was started April 7th is done today. And mind you there were a few weeks in there where I did other things. Seemed like forever but the posts dates showed me it was far less time than I thought.

Molds and the build will be fast. So I'm getting excited.

Today I finished more small parts.

I will of course document the molding process. As many times as I have done this, it always helps to show that one guy out there that might of missed it.

I will be using GI 1000 RTV. One of the very best. Stone mother molds. But thin and light. Have you seen the price of epoxy lately? Gas goes up and so does it. Thus the very high price. I'll save it for the hulls and decks.

Here's some nice pictures of the finished stuff minus the small stuff which you have seen.

More tomorrow.

Steve

[herrmill]

Steve announced he is officially offering his new BK1125 kit at $350.00. Compared to MIG's 1/35 resin display model which sells for $875 in the States, its a rather good deal for a GRP kit designed for RC. Based on today's exchange, you lucky folks across the pond in the UK, EU, AU & other parts of Asia should be scheming to find a way to get this across your borders!

Steve had mentioned that I am trying to him on future production needs, so I want all to know that I'm doing this as friend & have no plans to make a dime, shilling, pfenning or jiao on his new kit. This guy has some real talent & needs to see his product hit the market in a really big way. He may be a "pirate", but he'll go far with some ideas he's got up in his head.

He will be selling his kits on his store but has asked anyone interested in his beta kit to visit http://www.subpirates.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=4307 for more information & to put your name down for his new release.

Chuck

[kennylibben]

Oh man, if I didn't have student loans out I'd be all over that like a rat on a cheeto!

[herrmill]

Come on Kenny... am sure Sec. Paulson won't mind you spending a few weeks worth of interest on a kit!

Steve started casting 3 hulls today & will start building later this week.

Chuck

[kennylibben]

ugh, quit tempting me!

I've already got a 1/144 S-100, 1/144 IJN Kagero, 1/144 HMS Valiant, and 1/75 USS Monitor to finish!


But that BK sure would look like a dandy next to the Monitor....

[U812]

Kenny you are off the hook. I won't be selling any beat kits as it turns out. I'm hoping to go straight to retooling and production molds in Chuck's part of the world. The results I'm getting from my molds are not satisfactory enough to sell I feel. Too many bubbles and things to fix. I can build one no problem and will start a build thread this week. But I need these masters to be professionally molded and cast.

More later,

Steve

[kennylibben]

Best of luck Steve! In a way I'm sad to be off the hook.... I was extremely tempted and looking forward to seeing one on my workbench, any longer and I may have placed an order with you despite my quickly decreasing ship funding...

[U812]

Thanks Kenny. But sometimes things just don't work out like one hopes for. I'm building mine now. Not easy getting the deck to fit the hull. But it's getting there. After that it will go fast. But I can't expect someone to pay that kind of money and work as hard as I did to get this hull and deck together. Not to mention all the filling and sanding needed. Just not fair. They should be clean as can be and an easy fit for 350.

I've had a few wanting them anyway. Please I don't care. But in good consciousness, no.

I make masters. And someone else does the rest or no kits. Way it goes.

Steve

[kennylibben]

Understandable, I guess I'll have to settle for just watching you build yours (which is a heckuva lot cheaper!)

[U812]

Working on it now Kenny. Fill, sand, grind. It's coming along. Pictures soon.

Steve

[herrmill]

Stay tuned Kenny... I have a good feeling there will be a kit coming sometime in the near future.

[U812]

Spent the day making another deck for me. Trimming and grinding to fit. No fun there.

What I had to do since my mold planning was off was grind down the inside lip of the hull and the outside lip of the deck. Still adjusting now for a better fit but it's getting there.

Next tomorrow will be to fill the bad bubbles and flaws with Evercoat and sand. Primer and we are done with that.

I will install the rudder, motor, stuffing box, motor and servos tomorrow and make a prop all while making up resin pats outside. ?Now it's getting to be fun.

More tomorrow.

Steve


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The hull and deck.


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Trial fit revealed more standing at the bow and stern but close.


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It need to fit like this 360. The access holes will be cut after the more and running gear is installed. But they are large enough to service anything that might be needed in the future. So far so good.

[Reid]

looks good steve!!! knowing you u will have this baby finished this weekend!!!

[U812]

Not quite Reid but thanks. I had to fix that nasty layup first. Just now finished I though until I got some primer on. Another couple of hours work and I can start putting in the running gear.

Got my two gallons of Alumilite so I can start pouring the other parts tomorrow. So should come out well. Give me a week and she will get wet.

Steve

[U812]

Lots of work done over the last few days. Made my own scale prop. Made the stuffing box. Got all the running gear in and the boat tested in my pool before I attached the deck and cut the access openings.

The boat handles well. I had my wife shoot a bit of video: http://wavelit.com/media/897/BK_1125_test/

Next I will cast up all the remaining parts from my RTV molds and start installing them top side.

Here's some pictures.

Steve

[Reid]

COOL!!! that thing really moves... i never imagined it to be as fast as it is... are they really that fast?

[Devin]

Steve,

That video reminded me why I haven't built any R/C boats. Every time it got near the edge of the pool I'd cringe and say "don't hit it! You'll scuff paint and pop rivets!!!"

Impressive work across the board.

-Devin