The last year or so (in which I turned 75 years of age saw my model aircraft flying sink to an all-time low. The local weather has been atrocious (windy and wet) but more importantly, my confidence as a model pilot dropped due to lack of stick time. I have two or three models on-the-go but have found little excitement in getting back into them. I may find some enthusiasm again so they can sit and wait

Modelling has not stopped however, as I purchased a kit for a static model of a fully rigged sailing ship - Cook's Endeavour! I'd half built a similar model some years ago but life events got in the way (as they often do) and I passed on the uncompleted and somewhat damaged model to a friend before I left Australia and returned to my home country of New Zealand. That model took almost all of my shed-time for about 9 months and I found the experience wonderful. The Endeavour model was completed only a week or so ago and now graces a room in our home in Inglewood, New Zealand.

I then discovered a park in a nearby town which held a scale boat regatta over several days with yachts, and importantly, electric powered scale ships, boats, tugs, battleships etc all enthusiastically piloted around the park lake and crowds looking on. I was hooked So, after finishing the Endeavour, I searched around for a powered scale boat that appealed to me and had some relevance to my past 75 years! Immediately I thought of the WW2 Fairmile patrol launch used in many British Commonwealth countries - a vessel that I'd seen back in the 50s, and which many of were converted and used as ferries in NZ harbours.

I'll post a link when I start the build thread.

So, I've not left rcgroups but I'll be starting a build log up in the scale boats section shortly. Just a subtle change in direction

Cheers, Pat

If you want to keep stick confidence I would suggest a model flight simulator. There are more then some around (even one or two free) with a variety of plane model usable. It is not (never could be) like the real thing, but, believe me, it helps.

Pat, there is always charm in your models as well as copious amounts of skill and artistic talent. Although I will miss your aircraft on the planes section, I shall definitely be taking a peak at the ships/boats section. Best wishes for 2020. or should I say 'left hand down a bit'. Did the Navy Lark radio series make it to Aus/NZ?

That is a really beautiful model, so glad it has a good place in your house.

Thanks Vicky Yes, The Navy Lark I remember a loooooong time ago!

My latest venture into model ships/boats can be found here on rcgroups......

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-scratch-build

Hopefully it will be updated as often as I did in the scale aircraft section

For those interested in more mundane stuff - my static build of the HMB Endeavour is on a different forum: In model ship world - kit builds. URL when I find it! Got it...

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/203...comment-619960

Pat

My recent change to model ships/boats has reinvigorated my modeling
Building just for the love of it and not needing to worry about will it fly
Instead, I concern myself with 'will it leak', ESCs that reverse and a whole new modeling genre to learn
I have a build thread on my current boat at:

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-scratch-build

Here are a few pictures showing the double-diagonal planked hull - it was challenging but fun!

Pat

I can see how that has kept you busy. - thats beautiful work on the hull. how does plank bending compare to wire bending
Very nice indeed.
Vicky

An update on my Fairmile........slow progress even with lockdown time

Pat

An HMB Endeavour! Now that's a surprise. Very neat build!

I've started converting a (different) static kit of Cook's vessel into an RC square-rigger quite some time ago. Still not finished but you can find the thread here in case you're interested: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...e-rigger-build Although the kit isn't very historically precise it was quite enjoyable to build so far.

So that's where you've gone! I was beginning to wonder...

You're right, there's something very zen about building a fully-rigged sailing ship. Long ago I built a Cutty Sark and then later a Scottish Maid from an Artesania Latina kit, and thoroughly enjoyed the process. I have a Nova Scotian lobster fishing boat under construction along with my hangar-full of half-built airplanes, so I guess I haven't left ships and boats behind.

Think I'll wander over to your Fairmile Launch thread and have a closer look...

Steve