The boats of Cuyahoga

kevsmith Nov 5, 2011

  1. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Fred Ladd asked the other week if I could do a thread on the boat models that feature on 'Cuyahoga'. As I had them out today to do some running repairs to them before next weekend's Hull Model Railway Show I thought it would be a good time to photograph them individually.

    Now I have no qualms at all about using 1/200th scale boats in Z. Boats are big, really big, in real life and the extra 10% I can live with.

    First up is the Heller Smit ocean going tug. This has been around in variety of identities and I think is now marketed by Revell

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    It is quite a big beast and has been named Braden Ben, all of the boats are named after our grandchildren and I've warned the family to slow down a bit otherwise I am going to have to build a bigger harbour!

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    The smaller Heller tug is the Smit harbour tug which is really hard to find now, I haven't seen revell re-release this one yet and it is a much handier one for most Z layouts

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    Hong Tay is the Thai for 'young prince'

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  2. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    our other half Thai grandchild is Nicole Pim and her boat is based on the Revell 'Cutty sark' clipper kit which is actually 1/220th scale.

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    This is proving to be very fragile as it goes around the shows and is already missing some masts and rigging. The plan is to replace all of the masts and spars with soldered brass ones this winter and fix the boat permanently to the layout to make it more robust.

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    'Miss Chelsea' is the Heller 'Le Suroit' deep sea exploration vessel complete with mini submarine. Although heller went bust a while ago these seem to be around the U.K model shops still if you know where to look

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    I quite like the assymetric look of this model

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  3. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    The trawler is the Bodensteiner one by Heller and is named 'Chorley Jade' The netting is from a table top football game set painted orange

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    This has also lost its mast and again its going to be replaced with a brass one

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    Now the most extreme conversion is the 'Leah May' coastal container ship and represents a former general purpose cargo ship converted for containerised shipments.

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    This actually started out as a 1/350th cargo ship 'Ben Ledi' and was extensively reworked with the wheelhouse and bridge being extended upwards and the deck being cut away. I picked the kit up at a swap meet for £3 and a friend who is a collector was horrified when he saw what I had done as apparently it is quite rare!

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    The containers are cast in solid resin as I am not worried about the weight
     
  4. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    The latest boat is the Revell 'Herman Marwede' search and rescue boat I mentioned the other week recently released. I was a bit disappointed that the windows are moulded solid which seems a retrograde step these days but other than that it is an interesting model with the smaller launch cradled in the hold at the rear. I am painting it in a quasi U.S coastguard scheme as a Lake erie patrol boat and it will be named Robbie Jay'

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    obxiously the painting needs tidying up as it is still ongoing

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    There is one other boat kit I am sorely tempted by in my local shop, a 1/200th Japanese destoyer by, I think. trumpeter, It is huge but you never know if I do a Japanese Z layout in the future it might have a harbour on it!

    KEV
     
  5. Fred Ladd

    Fred Ladd TrainBoard Member

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    P1010269.JPG P1010262.jpg KEV, Thanks very much for taking the time and effort to discribe your Z Fleet. It's True- not a sea story- Ships come in all sizes and shapes. There is also a model of an American Submarine Skipjack ( Albacore shaped hull) that is 1:220 I believe. My Aunt christened her sister SSN SNOOK. Her brother was the captain of the fleetboat Snook when it was lost with all hands in the Japanese theater- the last U S sub not to return ( on constant patrol) in the war. Another Skipjack class sub under construction was cut in half- a 16 missile section added- and she- the George Washington- was our first Polaris boomer.
    The Cutty Sark is a graceful ship--heard she had a fire a ways back- hope they have rebuilt the damage. Your model will certainly gain strenght with brass masts and yards. Below deck- I would add some wood ( as a mast step) to further strengthen her delicate topside gear. And a lot of standing rigging will hold it all together.
    Joe D made a very nice solid cast tug boat in Z that lends itself to crash bashing. I think you can get these at Nassan Street Models- or contact John Barteletto ( SP might be wrong). He is on TB.
    The Constitution is a scratch built model and will be the centerpiece in my city module.
    Not sure if fotos got attatched- new system on TB.
    Thanks again,
    Fred
     

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