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http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=28552.0
Dick Hopper |
Greetings, Martin I'm nearing completion of Pretoria Castle at 1/96 scale, I guess some 2 months left to paint and admit 100 odd 1960's era passengers, derricks, and then sea trials. Pics show her in my test-tank (family allowed to swim when not testing). Northern Star berthed nearby at model of captain Cook wharf, Auckland, though of course Castle liners didnt call here, save in wartime for troop embarkations. Any other liner nuts out there - my email rjshopper@xtra.co.nz
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Greetings from the South Pacific,
maybe you could use some our summer ?
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Greetings from the South Pacific,
Grateful if you would add
this one of RMS Strathmore to my photo page, this build is the
conclusion of project to build all three liners I have been sea-sick
on. RC1/96 scale. Made of wood, plastic and colourful language.
Strathmore took me 9 months to build. Traditional hull build, plank on frame, from Hull lines plan purchased from National Maritime Museum, Greenwhich. Silicone patterns (winches, lifeboats etc.) for previous liners Pretoria Castle and Northern Star cut short construction time. No more room left in the model dockyard, so it's now playtime on the lake.
cheers
dick Hopper
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Season's greetings, Martin. You run the very best model boat website. Well
done.
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Pretoria Castle
Hi Martin,
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Hi Martin, A brief mention from this ancient Kiwi modeller - I've lost count of the ships now - it all started with 1/96 scale RN fleet in 1966, comprising Duke of York, Kashmir, Sheffield, Dido, Illustrious then went on to more modern stuff- Glasgow, York, Avenger, Illustrious 2, Blue Rover. All sold off to clear more deck space. Now it's New Zealand Navy, but at 1/48 scale, cruiser Royalist, Taranaki, Canterbury (full size is probably the oldest Leander hull still at sea). Pic shows Royalist chomping along at scale 28 knots. Finally I'm into a 6 year project - building all three passenger ships I've sailed on - Shaw Savill's Northern Star, now complete. Rest of pics show her ballast trials, and finally, a view of my dockyard. Have just started Union Castle liner Pretoria Castle, 2 more years to go. Finally it will be P. and O.'s Strathmore - all three to 1/96 scale, and all radio controlled. Hulls are made of poly-styrene, horizontal sheets of it cut by a machine from plans for accuracy. Sanded, fibreglasses, and when dry, petrol dissolves 'styrene, and so on. The models now are too darn heavy - I find volunteers to lift them disappear into the hills around Auckland, suffering from hernias and ruptures. Cheers' Dick Hopper. |
G'day Martin, This is a recent fleet sail, all 1/48 scale, all built in my dockyard, at a private lake in SE Auckland. We are fortunate in finding a freshwater, weed-free water, accessible on all sides, and so that these 6ft.+ long models can be off-loaded by water's edge. Initial attempts at drilling ship captains into some sort of sailing order was like herding cats, but the owners are now obeying the commands of their Admiral during exercises. We call ourselves TF48Kiwi. Individual owners include those who have served on these ships. It's possibly the first such group to be formed in this country. The smaller ship in the middle is an Inshore Patrol Vessel, one of four newly commissioned warships RNZN named after New Zealand lakes - (those that are 48 times bigger than ours). Cheers dick Hopper (Admiral)
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Martin, here's another showing Canterbury(rear), frigate Te Mana,
surrounded by three patrol vessels, Taupo, Pukaki and Rotoiti, named after New Zealand lakes, (New Zealand Lake Class - two North Island lakes, 2 South island) cheers dick hopper.
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Full page and updates now here on the Forum!
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