Model Boats

Firstly, I must invite you to join me in a fond farewell salute Richard Dyer, Model Boats’ long-serving and highly talented designer, who leaves the mag this month with our warmest wishes for a very happy and well-deserved early retirement, along with much gratitude for all his wonderful work over the years. As many of you will be aware, Richard is an avid modeller himself, so who knows, perhaps after a bit of time off for good behaviour we may see some of his work featured in future editions of Model Boats. I do hope so, as he’s always been a joy to work with and I will forever be in his debt for helping me find my sea legs when I was first asked to take over as editor…

BUY THE BOOK Dark Waters, Starry Skies Penned by esteemed Pacific War historian Jeffrey R. Coxtells, this new title, due to be launched by Osprey Publishing on March 2, 2023, covers the New Georgia phase of the he Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign during March to October in 1943. Using first-hand accounts from both sides, the book vividly recounts all the drama of the nighttime naval battles throughout this phase of the campaign and the ferocious firestorm many soldiers faced as they disembarked from their landing craft and provides a blow-by- blow account of every battle at this vital point in the Pacific War. Presented in hardback format, the book carries an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) of £30 and can be ordered either directly from the publisher’s website at www.ospreypublishing.com or from your…

The Pierce Carlson Collection Special Auction Services February 28, 2023, Toys for the Collector sale will include Part 1 of a large collection of waterline model ships amassed by the late Pierce Carlson. Showcased here are just a few of the classic 1-inch to 100ft Bassett-Lowke waterline ships due to go under hammer alongside models from various other British and German makers, but we thoroughly recommend browsing the entire catalogue, which can be viewed online at www.specialauction-services.com two-three weeks ahead of the sale date. Explaining the significance of the collection amassed by the late Pierce Carlson, Hugo Marsh, Director at Special Auction Services, tells us: “For several decades, Pierce was a very well-known and well-liked feature of the vintage toy and train collecting world. He had numerous friends in the…

This month, courtesy of the kind folks at Hornby Hobbies, we’re able to offer you a chance to try out some of the new and improved products in the Humbrol range free of charge, as we’ve got two fantastic goody bags to give away. Please note, the images showh here feature a representative selection only, rather than the exact contents of each goody bag, but both will include: ■ Sanding pads■ Spray primer■ A selection of acrylic paints■ Masking tape■ A set of paint brushes■ A tub of texturizing ‘Smart Mud’ Washes, and weathering (mud, sand and dust) and aging (rust, primer and soot) powders■ A bottle of chipping and scratching agentSo, don’t miss this opportunity to start working on achieving the best possible finish! HOW TO ENTER To be…

Let’s get started, there’s no time to lose… As those of you familiar with the 1960s’ Gerry Anderson sci-fi TV series of the same name will be aware, Stingray is a nuclear-powered submarine and the flagship of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP). Armed with self-homing ‘Aqua-Sting missiles’, the vessel can reach speeds of up to 600 knots underwater, dive to depths sufficient to overcome any adversary and blast underwater cities to smithereens. Although having long been on the list of models I’d most like to build, I’d all but ruledStingray out, as this iconic sub’s curvaceous shape seemed totally incompatible with the ‘easy build’ method of modelling I’ve always adopted. Until, that is, I built the Tupolev A-3 Aerosledge (see the February 2021 issue of Model Boats) – a…

Sometimes, you simply find yourself making about-turns, and this is the story of one of mine… It was while undertaking the long process of building a plank on frame model motor boat that it dawned on me that what I really wanted to achieve was the completion sailing boat that I could get out on the water by the summer, and that if I continued on my then current course that just wasn’t going to be possible. With these thoughts in my head, I began browsing You Tube for inspiration and came across some video footage featuring a cute little bear in a sailing schooner, with a mug in one hand and the other on the ship’s wheel, all accompanied by a catchy little tune in the background. I was…