1/700 US Coast Guard Reliance class Cutter TLAR Models #723.7

[Rhino]

The parallel build of the "Small Cutter" component of my WMEC effort goes forward!


Ah. Teeny parts. This is where I live! The 1/700 scale version of this vessel will have 2 complete superstructures and both pilothouses, early and contemporary. I found the most fiddly part of the 1/350 build was getting a good fit on the superstructure parts.
The mold with the 1/350 scale floats for the HO4S/H-19 Chickasaw helicopter I offer on the website will include the early WMEC parts. Expansion of these will follow.

 

[Rhino]

220 grams of RTV goes to work! 1/700 Bakur-to-be, waterline polar bear, 1/700 WMEC early superstructure and pilothouse, 1/350 HO4S floats and rescue hoist, and Dave Bettis' Airfix vintage 1/76 Tiger I upgrade parts molds are pressurized for an early Sunday morning de-mold.

It could be interesting for the 1/700 Reliance class cutter to have a drug boat to "inspect". I'm putting the same p/e details on the waterline Little Cutter Master as I did on the Big Cutter if I have them in the proper scale. She should make a much simpler build with similar detail as her 1/350 Seester.
Thanks for looking in!

 

[Rhino]

1/700 early Reliance class castings show promise! The bridge windows are overscale on purpose to make them easier to paint.
The 3D printed St. Giles H-220 cast nicely. The Bakur trawler/Shark oceanography/ drug runner will be made from her and included in the 1/700 scale TLAR 723.7 kit.


Dave Bettis' Airfix 1/76 Tiger I upgrade parts cast well. I expect to deliver 3 sets of these next Thursday at the Surgeon club meeting.
Every time I airbrush with the Testors Aztek Dave gave me, I remember how generous my old friend has been to me. Model Favors go 2 ways!

The float and rescue hoist upgrades to the 3D printed Shapeways 1/350 USCG HO4S-3 came out dandy too! I listed these on tlarmodels.com
Icebreaker modelers: Don't hesitate! Quantities are limited!
Thanks for looking in!

 

[moon puppy]

Nice job, parts came out nicely.

 

[Rhino]

From St. Giles to Bakur (sort of). I'm not satisfied with the main deck and sanding on her chunky rails continues. 7 scale feet is .010 of an inch.
P/E hatches, life rings and vertical ladders will adorn this conversion. She'll come with 2 inclined p/e ladders for access to the boat deck from the main deck.

 

[moon puppy]

7 scale feet is .010 of an inch.

 

[Rhino]

Oops! 7 scale feet is 0.12 of an inch. Gimme a duh!

 

[Rhino]

Alterations from St. Giles to Fishing Vessel Bakur continue. She looks rough now, but some sanding shapes should yield a convincing shark watching ship. The main deck still irks me. Expect more plastic surgery as this Master goes forward.
Thanks again for looking in!

 

[moon puppy]

 

[Rhino]

In an effort to locate a properly sized forward gun platform, I tried several objects. "It could be a washer, Honey!!!" Yeah. Not so much.
The winner was a circle of .030 punched out on a notebook paper hole punch.

Making dinky life raft canister racks is went really well! This 1/700 scale WMEC will be accurate without being 11 molds worth of intricate, like her 1/350 sister. Early Reliance 210 parts go first! Mod'ed early parts will be made for the later version of the ship.

F/V Bakur's deck is cleared off. I think she'll have a single winch and hatch forward, but references are scanty. I hoped Sharkman (Warren) might have opinions about his his former shark watching platform, before the USCG busted her for smuggling 6,000 pounds of "square grouper" in 2006. To be honest, I've gone quite a lot further with 1/700 F/V Bakur than I expected to. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Thanks for looking in, Bob!
I hope your airplane ride home was without mishap!

 

[Rhino]

1/700 Waterline 2006 F/V Bakur TN-468 Master is complete. Given the scanty references, I added teeny details based on naval architecture experience. That, and I wanted the castings to be interesting to the eye. Warren (Sharkman) confesses little affection for this vessel, but his experiences inspired this conversion job.

25-foot RHI boats and an overscale optional nav radar will be included in the mold. I chopped the dogsnot out of the original St. Giles H-220 enough to sell little Bakur for profit. Metal bits for masts, booms and yards and decals will also be included with this model.
The 1/700 H-220 trawler copies cannot be sold.
Thanks all you Men, for looking in!

 

[Rhino]

Warren pointed out that the 2006 FV Bakur had a forward whaleback over the longliner drum that protected fishermen from wave and weather while they were reeling in their toothy catch. The whaleback is included in the mold to make both the original and more modern shark/smuggling Bakur. I didn't move the drum. I thought about it. Maybe I will argue with myself some more.
Our Sharkman commented that this version looked a lot like FV Bakur. That was the goal! A passable model without so much fuss!
Thanks again for looking in!

 

[moon puppy]

You are including a shark right?

 

[Rhino]

You are including a shark right?

Funny 'Pup! Porbeagle sharks in this scale are unlikely. I don't think I will cast any "Square Grouper" for which this vessel was famous for bringing in, in 2006.

 

[Gator]

Nice work!

 

[Rhino]

FV Bakur's first casting. A few of the details stayed in the RTV mold. Forward boat cradles and life raft canisters. Those have been cleared, so the second casting will be better.
I built the fore deck whaleback that Warren told me about and decided the winch drum should be a separate part. The idea is that a modeler can sand off or remove any details he wants to, depending on what era he is modeling Bakur from. See?!
Thanks for looking in!

 

[sharkman]

This is looking great Chris! Sorry I have not been following along on this thread. Its too bad she ended her career as a drug boat. The other offshore shark boat I was on, the Hamilton Banker, sunk at the dock. Then they floated her again, only for her to break free and beach herself in a storm. Then they cut her up!

Hamilton Banker | hiddennewfoundland

www.hiddennewfoundland.ca

I’m thankful I wasn’t on either of them at that time.

 

[sharkman]

“Square grouper”!

Love it!

 

[moon puppy]

“Square grouper”!

Love it!

I feel like that Doc on "Master and Commander"
"Clearly, something nautical and fascinating just happened; I am at a loss."

 

[Rhino]

I feel like that Doc on "Master and Commander"
"Clearly, something nautical and fascinating just happened; I am at a loss."

Steven, I shall try to explain. Grouper is a giant sport fish, popular with anglers and restauranteurs. "Square Grouper" despite it's popularity among American West coast consumers, isn't a fish at all. It is a powered derivative processed from the leaves of the Coca plant. This substance is known by several slang names. Some are "Blow", "Coke", "C", "Charlie", "Belushi" and the actual name, "cocaine". No relative of Sir Michael Caine.