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In-depth review of TSEKOA II by Dave Brumstead Published in Model Boats - May 1995 |
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Tsekoa II was
built in 1985 by Allied Shipbuilders of Vancouver, Canada to be used in
the construction, maintenance and repair of buoys on the Pacific coast
of British Columbia. The model of Tsekoa was produced in 1993 by the
increasingly well known manufacturers, The Model Slipway. Built to a
scale of 1:32 (3/8" to 1ft.) the model has an overall length of 33
1/4" and a beam of 9 1/4". The kit is packed in a
substantial cardboard box with a colour photograph of the finished model
on the lid. The contents of the box include a very substantial
fibreglass hull, five sheets of die cut styrene, one sheet of printed
styrene, five plastic bags containing white metal fittings, two small
kits to build the 5 ton crane and RIB. workboat, prop shafts, plus
miscellaneous wire and rod. Also
included is an instruction manual and two sheets of drawings.
The instruction manual includes additional drawings to assist
construction and a parts list against which the contents of the box
should be checked. If any discrepancies are found, a phone call or note
to the Model Slipway will enable them to put matters right. I had no
shortages in my kit. Also contained within the instruction book is a
host of additional information giving advice on glues, painting,
treatment of white metal fittings, tools to use, etc.
After spending a couple of
evenings perusing the plans and instructions a start was made with the
stand. Although no materials were supplied with which to construct
a stand, the instruction book contained templates which I
transferred to 12mm MDF board. The spacers I made from 1 1/4" x
3/4" timber. The stand was then covered with self-adhesive baize.
The Hull and Running Gear :
As I mentioned earlier, the hull is a substantial fibreglass moulding of
good quality. On the underside there was the slightest moulding line,
which was removed with medium wet and dry (used dry).
Fine wet and dry was used to take the gloss off the entire hull
to provide a key for painting later. A drawing gave the position of the
running gear and to enable the marking out and subsequent drilling,
masking tape was stuck in the appropriate positions on the hull. Great
care must be taken at this stage otherwise any lack of accuracy with the
alignment of the running gear may cause handling problems with the
completed model. When you are satisfied with the marking out, the holes
for the prop shafts, supports and rudder tubes may be drilled out and
filed to size. When filing fibreglass, file from the shiny (gel) side to
the rough (inside). This will reduce the chance of the gel coat
chipping. Before fitting the running
gear, all the white metal components were cleaned up as recommended in
the instructions by use of a suede brush which worked extremely well.
They were then sprayed with Halfords White Primer. When dry, they were
glued with Epoxy resin to the prop shafts. The entire running gear
assembly was offered into position. At this point I found that the prop
shaft supports legs (M192 and M193) didn't protrude into the hull at
all. I trimmed about 1mm off the bottom of the rudder tubes to enable
the rudders to sit higher, this then allowed the rest of the assembly to
fit correctly. The rudder tubes were
epoxied into place. The rudder shafts were greased and with the hull
inverted dropped into place. The prop shaft assemblies were added and
the shaft support bottom bracket glued to the bottom of the shaft
support legs - NOT to the bottom of the rudder! The prop shafts were
tacked into place with a small amount of epoxy on the outside and when
set, the hull inverted and the assemblies glued again with epoxy glue,
as were the ends of the shaft support brackets. Later on the assemblies
were backed up with P38, fibreglass filler paste. The tiller arms were
fitted and linked together. I used a normal pushrod linkage, adjustable
at one end, to ensure both rudders were parallel with each other. The rear deck was removed
from its die-cut and offered into position. This enabled the position of
the rear hatch to be determined. The rudder servo was to be positioned
on the centre line of the hull, directly under the hatch. The inside of
the hull was marked to indicate the outline of the hatch. Before any further steps
were taken to install the rudder servo, I decided to tackle the hull
cutouts. Using a pencil, I drew in the cutout positions, which were
already lightly moulded in the hull. I then chain drilled the openings
as required. I cut out the three large openings in the rear of the hull,
and left the smaller openings until after I had wiped P38 around the
inside of the bulwarks to give a smoother finish to this area. This part
is visible after the decks have been fitted and different grades of sand
paper were used to rub this down to a smooth finish. The rest of the
smaller openings are now cut out for finishing later. The servo mounting was
fabricated from 1.5mm plasticard and the servo bolted in place. Before
the servo was fitted, as an afterthought oil tubes were fitted to the prop shafts.
I usually fit these to the tubes before installation but I managed to
forget them! The prop shafts were not in the tubes so a 3mm hole was
drilled in the tube and a piece of 6mm o/d brass tube epoxied in place.
The servo mount and servo
are now fitted and an appropriate linkage made to the tiller arm. Main Drive Motors: I
purchased two Mabuchi 545 motors plus motor mounts and suppressor packs.
A piece of aluminium plate 0.64" x 4" x 10" was purchased
to provide a mount for the motors. A cardboard template was used to
determine the shape and size for the motor mounting plate, which was cut
using tinsnips. This was then offered into position. The prop shafts were
fitted complete with one end of the coupling. The motors, fitted in
their mounts, were placed on the aluminium plate. Using an aligning
sleeve (a rigid coupling sleeve) the motors were positioned and aligned
to the shafts and the aluminium plate marked for drilling. After
drilling, the plate was placed back in the hull and its position
relative to the hull marked. The plate was removed and
the motors bolted into place using 3mm brass bolts. On the underside of
the plate wire was soldered in the slots of the screws. This was to
serve two purposes - one to stop the screws vibrating loose, and two, to
enable the mounting nuts to be undone when the plate was fixed into the
hull, should it be necessary to remove the motors. The wiring was
soldered to the motors as were the suppressors and the whole assembly
epoxied into the hull. The propellers were fitted to the shafts after
wire brushing Stern Deck: The
stern deck is constructed as directed. The ‘H' section beams are quite
straight forward, and are glued to the underside of the stern deck so
that half of the width of the beams supports the rear hatch. Mark the
position of the rear deck supporting strip as per instructions and glue
the first strip into position. Clamp using bulldog clips or similar
until set. I used epoxy glue for this. The second deck supporting
strip was stuck to the first using Revell Contacta Professional liquid
cement. It became apparent at this time that the tiller arms were going
to foul this strip and be unable to move! The tiller arms were
re-positioned and a new servo linkage made up. The rear deck was then
offered into position. Slide the deck into position from the front to
the back as the bulwarks slope in at the top and you may get the
impression that the deck is far too wide. If the deck needs trimming to
fit, mark the centreline of the deck and trim equal amounts from each
side, otherwise the hatch may not be central. When the deck fit is
satisfactory coat the tops of the support strip with the Revell adhesive
and place the deck into position. Weigh down as appropriate to ensure
good contact. When dry fill round the edges if required with P38. Foredeck: Repeat
the previous instructions for the positioning of the foredeck support
strips. However, because of the angle of the hull where the strip is
being stuck, it is possible that the second strip will be higher than
the first, making the foredeck higher than intended. It is therefore
necessary to either position strip (1) lower than required so that strip
(2) is at the correct height, trim both strips to the correct level. The
method of attaching the strip is the same as for the stern deck. When
the support strip has thoroughly set, fit the foredeck. Again work to
the centreline should any trimming be required. The deck is stuck in
position using the Revell Contacta and taped in position as required.
Clamps around the edge pressing down also hold the deck firmly. The foc'sle break upstands
are glued into position and supported by offcuts of plastic strips. The
coamings are fitted next. The side coamings are 26.5mm deep. I
subtracted the thickness of the deck, which left 25mm. I then drew a
line 12.5mm down from the top edge of the coaming. When gluing the
coaming in place, I worked to this line which gave me 12.5mm above deck
level and 12.5mm below. The two sides were fitted first, followed by the
front and rear I tacked them in place with Superglue and when satisfied,
glued them with the Revell Contacta. Any gaps around the edge were
filled with Humbrol Model Filler. The hole through the bows for the
anchor was drilled and filed at this time as per instructions. Stern Deck Hatch: The
construction of this is quite straightforward. As mentioned before,
marking a centreline on parts such as this ensures that everything
remains central. When I fitted the ribs D9 I found that they interfered
with the steering servo so it was necessary to trim to give clearance. I
then dropped a super clanger! I wasn't going to mention this, but Mr.
Cundell said I must. When it came to cutting out the hole for the crane,
I drew through D20, drilled the hatch and removed the disc. The problem
was, I had D20 the wrong way round! - the hole should have been towards
the centre of the hatch, not the end! I continued with the construction
in all ignorance until nearly finished when I noticed. The only way
around it was to cut out the entire D20 plus hatch, glue supports strips
underneath and turn the part D20 and hatch part around, and glue it into
place with the hole in the correct position!
The metal ring bolts and hinges were glued using Superglue. The
handles were left until later as they were to be painted a different
colour Stern Bulwarks Doors: Using
D17, rear bulwark door, as a template, the opening in the hull was cut
to size. Note again the use of the centreline for correct positioning.
The door assemblies are now made up. It was found that instead of being
parallel as drawn, the ribs P176 were tapered. They were glued into
place o.k. but a new bottom rail D175 had to be made from scrap – no
problem. The ribs P171 were stuck to the deck with styrene adhesive and
to the bulwarks with Superglue. The assembly of the side
doors was similar. The doors were taped into position and drilled to
take the fixing pins, ensuring the capping rail 0.75mm was proud of the
bulwarks at each side. I also ensured there was a good gap under each
door to assist the freeing ports in shedding water from the stern deck.
The construction of the side steps between stern deck and foredeck was
quite straightforward with no problems. Back
Bulwarks: I prepared the
parts P171 before commencing and glued them in position with thick
Superglue. The positions are given in the text and by referring to the
appropriate drawings. Use a square or metal block to ensure the P171's
are upright. After the P171's are in
position, cut the P172's and 173's to length to fit the gap. Do not
drill at this stage! Fit
into place and use a gauge to ensure they are all the same height from
the deck. I used pieces of wood and plasticard as spacers quite
satisfactorily. After the glue has dried,
mark and drill as required. Use a pin vice and ensure it is vertical. It
should be possible to drill an indentation in the deck to take the lower
end of the pin cut from 285. This will ensure a satisfactory location.
Dip the end of 285 into Superglue and put in place. Using sidecutters
trim 285 to length above the P172's and P173's. The side filler ponds and
escape hatch presented no problems. Trim
the tops of P171 flush with the tops of the bulwarks and glue the
capping strips P179, P180, P181,P182 into position. Cut
out and fit the bollard support plate P161 after ensuring the dowel
passes through the holes satisfactorily. I prepared and fitted 288 later
as they were a different colour to the rest of the bulwarks. The metal fittings were
cleaned, sprayed with Halfords Grey Primer and put to one side until
later. Front Bulwarks:
The front bulwarks supports were fitted as per instructions. I used a
small metal block as a square to ensure all markings were at right
angles to the deck. Using a piece of scrap 290 as a spacer, the parts
P92 were stuck into position. The
bulwarks supports then stuck to these parts. It
became apparent that some of the bulwarks supports wouldn't reach the
top of the bulwarks, leaving a gap up to the capping strips. Where
necessary, I made replacements from scrap material. The capping strips,
P89 and P90, were stuck in position. With hindsight, it may be better to
stick the capping strips on first, then cut the bulwark supports to
length to suit. Painting the Hull:
Having reached this point, it became obvious that the metal fittings
inside the front and rear bulwarks could not be fitted until the inside
of the bulwarks had been painted. The foredeck and stern deck hatch
openings were masked and the inside of the bulwarks sprayed with three
coats of Halfords Grey Primer. The outside of the hull was also sprayed
at this time using the same primer three coats; I took a chance and
didn't mask the openings in the bulwarks and I got away with it - the
paint didn't carry to the previously painted inside areas. Using an
aerosol tin of Humbrol 62, two coats were applied both to the inside and
outside areas of the hull. The rear deck hatch and doors were also
painted in the same way, at the same time. I decided to continue with
the rest of the construction at this stage, returning to the hull later
to paint below the waterline. Main Superstructure: Take
some time and study this section carefully. Construction is not
difficult but because of the large number of part numbers refer
constantly to Drawing 3 for clarification. The die-cutting was first class;
many parts only needed slight pressure to fall out of the plastic sheet.
A word of warning, however, if any part is reluctant to leave the sheet,
do not force it as the plastic will be damaged.
Use a sharp craft knife and cut round the part first. Other points to note: part D55
is handed, ensure you glue it in the right way round! Using a square,
project a line from the wheelhouse roof along the line of D43, the rear
wall. During assembly ensure D25 doesn't pass this line or it will be
impossible to fit D43 later. Trim D25 to size before gluing if
necessary. Build as much of the
superstructure as possible positioned over the coaming on the foredeck
to ensure it is as good a fit as possible. Obviously some of the
building operation will have to take place on the bench, but constant
reference to the fit on the hull is necessary. As mentioned in the
instructions, ensure the window frames D61 are positioned so that an
equal amount shows around the window when viewed from outside. Clamp
with clothes pegs or similar while glue sets. Continue with the rest of the
rest of the assembly as per instructions. Used Sellotape or similar to
hold the wheelhouse to the correct shape, checking the fit over the
coaming at frequent intervals. When
fitting the wheelhouse front, bevel the edges of the three sections to
give a close fit to each other. Fit
centre section first (D44) followed by the two side sections (D45, D46).
After the parts D23, D47, D48 and D54 are fitted to the rear of the
superstructure, trim as necessary to make sure the superstructure sits
evenly on the rear deck. Funnels: There appears to be a couple of typographical errors in this section. Parts P147 to P153 should be P148 to D153 and D27 to D53 should, I believe, read parts D51 and D52. P153 is too short - it should be the same length as P151. When all the parts are cut out, construction may commence. The louvre assemblies are made first. A pair of tweezers is useful for positioning the louvres as they are a bit fiddly! When complete, the louvre assembly is fitted into the funnel inner parts D51, D52. The vent cover may be glued in whatever position you wish. (Manufacturers note: errors have been corrected). Front Escape Hatch/Skylight: Assembly is straightforward with no
problems. When gluing to the front of the superstructure place masking
tape or similar underneath to prevent it sticking to the deck. Vent/Pipe Ponds: Constructed
in the normal way - no problems. Location is given as 142mm from front
of superstructure - not from front of escape hatch. I marked the front
of the superstructure on the foredeck on masking tape and measured from
this point back. The mark from the coaming was transferred to masking
tape on the deck, the superstructure fitted and the vent/pipe pond glued
to the superstructure aligned to the mark on the masking tape. The
process was repeated for the other side. Anchor Winch:
Cut out all parts and clean up the white metal winch drum. Glue the
plastic parts together and then spray all parts with Halfords Grey
Primer. When dry, paint all parts as appropriate. Complete
construction by winding anchor thread around drum and fitting top cover
over drum. Wheelhouse Interior: Check
the width of the stairwell before making up the wheelhouse steps. Cut
risers and treads to width as required. Check also that steps clear
wheelhouse interior doorway. I found it necessary to position steps so
that top tread was underfloor to clear the door. Before gluing the door
and steps into position paint them and also paint the interior of the
wheelhouse. While waiting for the
paint to dry, assemble the instrument console - parts P139 - P145. The
radar displays were represented by two squares of black cartridge paper
glued on after the paint had dried. The white metal fittings were
cleaned up and as I had purchased a scale figure from the Model Slipway,
he was prepared for painting also. The fittings were glued into
position. The throttle levers, M275
are not shown as the plan so they were glued in an appropriate position. Mast: The mast was
made by joining side P114 to the front P115. The other side, also P114,
was joined to the back P116, ensuring all joints are at right angles.
The two halves are then joined together.
When dry, mark the position of all the fittings as required. Refer to the section
"Ladders" and drill the starboard side and rear of the mast in
preparation for the ladder rungs. N.B. the text refers to the rungs in
the back of the mast, which is correct, but states four rungs up the
side. The plan shows six rungs, which is correct. It is much easier to
drill the mast for the rungs at this stage rather than later. The
mast is sprayed with Halfords Grey Primer and hand painted Humbrol Matt
24 (yellow). The fittings etc are assembled to the mast later. The mast
is not fitted to the superstructure at this stage. Completing the Hull:
At this stage, the hull is marked with the dimensions shown on the
plan for the waterline. Smuggled
into the dining and placed on the dining table, the hull was placed so
that the marks at the front and rear were the same height from the
surface of the table. A homemade device like a scribing block holding a
fine felt tip pen was used to join the marks from the front to the rear.
The hull was masked as required
and the lower half of the hull sprayed with Halfords Red Primer.
When dry, the masking tape was removed. The decks were then
painted as required. Wheelhouse Roof:
The construction of this proved to be trouble-free. The only variation
from the instruction book came when I decided not to fit the roof at
this stage. I had decided that after completion of the painting of the
model it would be sprayed with satin varnish. As I didn't fancy trying
to mask the window panes in the wheelhouse from the outside, I decided
to leave the glazing until after spraying. This meant that to have
access to the interior, the roof had to stay off. The roof was assembled and
painted and the centreline marked on tape. The fittings for the roof
were prepared and at this point it was noticed that the base of the
round T.V. aerial was too big for the upright. This was sleeved with a
piece of brass tube. It was
also found that the searchlight (M257, M258) were also too short to
'see' over the front coaming and had to be extended with the addition of
5mm long spacers. All fittings were painted and glued into position
where instructed. Doors: The
doors, D69, were prepared for fitting. When the holes for the portholes
were made, they were too big - the portholes fell straight through. Back
to the scrap - there are plenty of good sized offcuts - and three new
doors were made. The doors were glued into position but there was no
information given to locate the rear door accurately. To be fair, this
really didn't take a lot of working out! Before gluing the rear door
into position, make a hole in the rear of the superstructure to
accommodate the porthole in the door - or all you will see will be a
blank wall. Main Superstructure:
I decided to paint the main superstructure at this stage so that while
the paint was drying, I could assemble the smaller sub-assemblies.
Before painting could commence, any remaining plastic parts had to be
fixed to the superstructure. These included the side vents and the
edging and the supports at the rear of the dinghy deck. Other
miscellaneous bits and pieces were made from 1.5mm
plastic sheet. The dinghy deck bulkhead vents
are incorrectly numbered. Part P183 is paired with P185, and P184 with
P186. One other problem to
overcome was the unevenness of the join between the superstructure and
decks. This was overcome by a technique I nicked from Paul Freshney, who
has built a medal winning version of Tsekoa: a plastic strip 0.5mm by
4.0mm, is glued along the bottom of the superstructure and pushed down
into contact with the deck. This eliminates any gap and leaves a neat
finish. The dividing paint line between
the grey and white is determined by the position of certain fittings e.g. the
side wheelhouse door handles. The paint line is parallel with the deck,
the angled line under the funnels parallel with the steps from the rear
deck. The dinghy deck and
superstructure centre deck painted Humbrol 80, the same as the foredeck.
All paint colours and where they should be used are given in the
instructions. R.I.B. Workboat: This was
supplied as a separate kit. The vac forming was a little indistinct on
the join line but this didn't create a major problem. After trimming the
plastic upper and lower parts to shape, they were joined following the
printed instruction sheet supplied. I painted the hull orange, but
painted the small foredeck and transom grey. I used a piece of scrap to
make a floor, which was painted brown as were the seats. Incidentally, I
used the transom as a pattern for the stand. The outboard and fuel tank
were cleaned up and painted black and red respectively.
Holes were drilled in the stand to take the lashings to hold the
workboat in place (for appearance only - boat glued in position). Deck Fittings: The hull
deck fittings were now put in place. Plastic strip painted Humbrol 64
grey was stuck between the front bulwark supports to give a neat 'join'
between the deck paint and the bulwarks paint. Handrails: The
handrails with their stanchions were tackled next. Drawing 8 gives the
location of the stanchions on the superstructure. The holes were drilled
as indicated and the white metal stanchions held in position temporarily
with double sided tape. Please note there is a difference between
drawing 8 and the main plan – follow drawing 8.
Using two 1/4" (6mm) dia.
steel rods in the vice as a jig, it was quite easy to bend the various
handrails as required. Please don't try to bend the handrails when in
the stanchions – the stanchions will snap! All joins between handrail
sections were made in the stanchion holes
using Superglue as adhesive. Use a small metal block to ensure
the stanchions are vertical before gluing the rails. Remove the
stanchions complete with rails from the superstructure and paint as
required. When dry, glue complete assemblies into place. The ladders may now be fitted
to the superstructure. Fitting them at this stage ensures they are
central to the handrails! The deck handrails may also be prepared and
fitted at this stage. Dinghy Davit: Construction
followed the instructions and presented no problems. The thread was left
until after the entire superstructure was sprayed with varnish later on. Finishing the Mast: The
mast is now completed by the addition of the lights, ladder rungs and
pulley blocks. I left the addition of the aerials until after the mast
was fitted to the superstructure. There is no information given as to
the length of the aerials, either for the mast or for the wheelhouse
roof, so it must be estimated from the drawings. The
bases for the mast aerials (M250) suffered from oversized holes for the
aerial material (285) and had to be sleeved down with brass tube. Using the dimensions given, the
mast is glued into position. Two temporary struts ensure the correct
shape of the wheelhouse is maintained. With the mast in position, the
wheelhouse windows are masked from the inside, the roof laid in position
and the entire assembly sprayed with satin varnish. When dry, the
roof is lifted off, the masking tape removed and the windows glazed with
the material supplied. When complete, glue the roof into position. Waterslide Transfers: Please
follow the instructions for fitting the transfers carefully. I tried to
apply the hull transfers to a satin finish which proved to be
unsuccessful. They must be applied to a gloss surface only. I had to
request a replacement set because of my error. The Crane: This
must certainly be the major feature of this model. Supplied as a kit in
own right (and I believe available separately) the crane is assembled
from plasticard and white metal and is a pleasure to build. Construction
began, as usual, by checking the contents against the parts list,
reading the instructions and drawings and cleaning up the white metal
fittings. Where there were two identical plasticard parts, they were
joined together "back to back" with doubled sided tape and cut
and shaped as one – this ensured both were identical. Any holes
required were also drilled at this time. The construction of the main
arms was always carried out by assembling the two parts at right angles
to each other, e.g. one side joined to the bottom part, the other joined
to the top part. Before
cutting parts (1) and (4) from the printed sheet, cut out the centres.
It is much easier to hold the large sheet than the parts after they have
been cut out. Use Part (4)
as a template to ensure the correct positioning of the webs. I used
thick superglue on the webs. As this set relatively slowly, it gave me
time to adjust the position of the webs as they were being fitted. Be
careful not to get any glue on part (4) when doing this. When the crane assembly was
completed (excepting the parts to be painted black) I sprayed it with
Halfords Plastic Spray putty. When dry, it was sprayed with three coats
Halfords Vauxhall Mustard Yellow. I decided to paint the control levers,
ladder and hydraulic cylinders black with knobs of the control levers
different colours. I left the crane for a couple
of days to allow the paint to harden off. The black plastic pipe work
was fitted after scraping off about 2mm of yellow paint from the ends of
the rigid pipe work to allow the plastic pipe to push on. The waterslide
transfers were fitted, one each side, and the ladder and control levers
were fitted into position. The winch drum was wound with
rigging thread I had to hand, and the thread fed around the appropriate
guides and completed with the second hook supplied. The completed
crane was now stuck into position in the hole previously cut in the rear
hatch. The entire assembly was sprayed with Satin Varnish. Radio Equipment and Ballasting: The completed model was floated in
the bath (after glazing the portholes) and various combinations of
batteries were tried to ascertain the best weight distribution. The best
arrangement was with two 6V 4A. YUASA batteries positioned with one
between the prop shafts and one just ahead of the motors. Battery trays
were constructed of 1.5mm plasticard with 5mm square wood for edging.
The trays were stuck into position with epoxy adhesive. The radio installation was
tackled next. I had decided to use two channel Futaba radio, controlling
rudder on one channel and both motors via an electronic speed
controller, on the other. Various radio configurations may be used with
a model of this type such as four channels giving rudder control,
independent motor control, plus perhaps an additional bow thruster on
the fourth channel. As already mentioned, I decided to go for the most
basic option, two channels. A plastic shelf (1,5mm thick)
was glued across the beam of the model above the forward battery. This
shelf was reinforced with 5mm square section wood to prevent unnecessary
flexing. The receiver battery pack was fixed to the shelf using elastic
bands. The receiver itself was held in place with Velcro, allowing easy
transfer to other models if required. The speed controller was stuck in
place with picture mounting tape which I have always used successfully
as an economic substitute for servo tape. The electronic speed
controller used was supplied by Digifleet, model FPS 24B fitted with a
Futaba plug. The unit proved very easy to set up and a provided a good
range of control, both forward and reverse, for the two 545 motors.
The instructions and wiring
diagram were clear and unambiguous. Also provided was a suppressor kit
and a fuse and fuse holder which must be used to protect the controller. I
drilled holes in the lower part (below deck level) of the foredeck
coaming and threaded the receiver aerial through these holes so as to
run around the coaming. The receiver on/off switch was stuck to the
inside of the foredeck coaming with the substitute servo tape. The rear deck hatch with 5 ton
crane in place was fitted, the main superstructure put in place and the
model was now complete. Sailing the Model: I had to
wait a couple of weeks in January for the rain to stop before I could
get to the Brentwood lake. The water was calm and there was no wind –
ideal for a first sail. With a new untried model I always carry out a
range check just to be on the safe side. With daughter Rebecca
walking away from the model an appropriate distance and operating the
transmitter, everything appeared to be in order. Tsekoa was placed in
the water and slowly sailed in every increasing circles. Feeling quite
satisfied, I increased speed gently until the model was 'flat out'. The
speed on 6 volts was just about right – the full size vessel has a
rated speed of 12 knots and the degree of control from the twin
rudders was very good. Conclusion: It is difficult to summarise the Model Slipway Tsekoa kit without repeating much of what has been written in the past by other reviewers of this manufacturer’s kits. The hull, plasticard, white metal fittings etc. were all top quality. The instructions were perhaps the most comprehensive and informative I have come across. There are one or two typographical errors in the instructions, but if the instructions are read with care, and the plans and drawings consulted, no major problems arise. Tsekoa is not a ' difficult ' kit to build and quite within the capabilities of the average modeller who has built one or two kits before. You do not have to be an expert (whatever that is) to make a first class model. I was very pleased the way mine turned out. Tsekoa kit is available from selected model shops or direct from the manufacturers. Retail price at the time of writing approx. £180 inc. VAT. © Dave Brumstead 1995 |
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