Next Hull Project

I think they are done, they had one at the battle last month if I remember right.

I will e-mail you his address.

UpDate - I was at Rick's today, and had one of the Vanguard turrets in my hand. It was made of the termite armour, so virtually indestructable. Rick has those in stock, and he said he has sold one set already to someone in Canada.

 

Those are the ones he sold to Steve Hill and were very soft, almost rubber like, I have the Bismarck Termite turrets and they are very stiff. All in all a much better turret, on gray wolf website it says it is a new updated turret not the old type that has been available for some time. There is also no range finder with those turrets and the new ones are supoed to have the range finders with them but you have to glue them on.

 

The 'Vanguard' turrets Steve Hill bought a year or so ago were very rubbery and didn't look much like a British 15" turret. The new turrets are 100% better in my opinion.

All the Vanguard hulls in Canada are in NABS and the NATCF but no one has the new turrets yet. Rick said he'd let me know when they were available from BC but I haven't heard from him.

I'll need the turrets soon. Due to the very large amount of work required to convert Rob Clarke's Renown hull to Repulse that model can't be finished in time for competition in 2009. Vanguard's hull has been cut out and the fiberglass deck is ready to install, so it'll be built first.

Bob

 

I think you'll be impressed with the Vanguard's performance as a Treaty model.

 

Mike,
It's about time I built the Vanguard. The hull was the first from the mold and that was made a few years ago. At the time ribs on hulls over 1/8" thick were being broken by BC cannons mounted in a Mushashi so this hull was laid up with multiple layers of matt on the sides, which are almost 1/4" thick!

The fiberglass deck with molded-in flanged hatch openings was made in 2006. The thick hull sides pulled inward after curing and even after the windows were cut out (which took about a dozen fiberglass cutting wheels and several hours) were resistant to being pulled out to the correct beam. This spring I added a series of 5/32" diameter brass rods inserted in sockets drilled into opposite ribs and cut to length to maintain the correct beam along the length of the hull. These rods will be under solid deck sections so won't interfere with access through the hatches.

I've received the Graupner rudder kit and am waiting for prop shafts. When those items are installed the deck can be glassed on and construction will proceed.

The 'guts' won't take long (I'm using the pneumatics and some of the guns that were in the Hood) but I want the superstructure to be as detailed as Hood was. To get the model into action ASAP the necessary superstructure for it to be 'legal' will be completed and more details gradually added.

Vanguard should do well as a Treaty warship: decent speed for a battleship, and relatively heavy armament. Fitting it in the Smart Car will be a challenge!

Bob

 

That it will! I think she'll be more then a match for all the Bismarcks out there, with her excellent speed and 7.0 units. The 4 main battery turrets give her excellent options on how to lay out the guns, and she also has a good amount of freeboard, so she'll take a lot punishment to put down. She should also be a very seaworthy ship, able to handle the water well if it gets a little rough. I'd really like to see your Vanguard and Mike Deskin's Hood on the water together, that would be a sweet photo op.

 

By the summer we should have photos of Vanguard running with Ian M.'s Hood in 1921 trials configuration (the Hood I built). Ian and I should have Hood rearmed by the end of January. Then we need to install a less powerful pump and slow it down. 12V 500 size motors on 6V may get it down to Treaty speed.

Bob