Vosper Perkasa P150 1/32 Scale - Radio Control (R/C) Model (Build Log - Part 12)
This is the twelth entry in the build log and relates to Step 12: Guard Rail Assembly. The kit offers two options here, the injection moulded plastic stantions, or the photo etch brass stantions. The latter being made totally flat.
I opted for a third option, turned brass stantions. The items I used are (3 packs of 10 in each pack) Graupner 25mm 2 Bar Stantion - Part Number 450.3. The Graupner items are drilled for a 0.8mm hole, but I drilled these to 1.25mm becuase I know for a fact that I would not be able to thread the stantions with such small holes.
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20 stantions are used as is (drilled only in my case) whilst 6 more are made into ‘A’ frames. Construction of the ‘A’ frames is undertaken by first drilling the stantion holes to 1.25mm as mentioned above, then a flat is filed onto the top ball at right angles to the existing holes. I then threaded the 1.25mm drill through the lower hole to enable me to hold the stantion at the correct angle whilst drilling. Firstly I used a 0.5mm drill turning very slowly initially, in order to obtain a correct centre, then at slightly higher speed to drill through. Finally the same hole is drilled to 1.25mm also. 1.5mm brass wire cut to appropriate lengths are then held in the Dremel chuck and rotated whilst being filed to make a reduced diameter to fit the ends into the new 1.25mm stantion hole.
The extra legs are then formed using long nose pliers or similar until they fit together accurately when assembled into the drilled deck holes. I used a micro butane torch to solder these as it takes so few seconds to melt the flux and allow solder to flow. Heat is then removed and the item is then held in long nose pliers (so that both parts are held securely) and then removed from the deck. At this point I examined the ‘A’ frames and, if necessary, applied more flux, heat and solder. Once finally cooled, I re-drill the top cross hole first at 0.5mm then at 1.25mm. Make 6.
The only other items I used that are not standard in the kit were brass eylets. These I think are billing items (from an old Nordkap build) and two will be glued into the fore decks to act as railing hooks, another 2 will be formed into hooks allowing the railing wires to be finished nicely. Naturally at this stage these items are just loosely fitted to the boat and as you can see, some appear at slightly drunkard angles.