Switching gears - ditching the Dumas PG-88 hull Options

[PaintChip]

Well I finally stopped the hectic life junk for a few hours last night and pulled my PG-88 hull down to work on it. I had managed to get the running hardware in and the RC gear setup and working. I figured I'd be relatively "safe" to epoxy the decks on since things were nice and neat.

I put the decks in place and let them dry (thank goodness for 5-minute epoxy) and put the hull on the temp stand I had crafted so that I could put the superstructure, turret, and 40mm mount on it to get an overview on how things looked. That's where things went from so-so to bad

The 40mm mount looked fine...level and nice. The superstructure looked so-so...it didn't "seat" quite right in the cutout of the deck...I figured I coild level it easy enough. Popped the turret into the hole I had drilled in the deck so that the shaft I put on the turret (so I can have it spin a bit off of a servo)...didn't look bad. Then I spun the model around so I could look down the beam from the bow to see how things lined up. My evil nemesis had returned! The first 8" or so of the bow were twisted up so that the starboard side of the bow was easily 3/4" higher than the port side. Once the deck got back to the point where the superstructure began it leveled off and was true.

So I started my search again for a premade fiberglass hull for the PG boats. The Scale Shipyard has one listed for $159..a 1:35 scale. I've got an e-mail inquiry in to get some ordering info. Looks like if they have them/can get them I'll scrap the Dumas hull and scavenge the RC gear and running hardware and start from scratch using the fiberglass hull. That way I can just worry about making decks and superstructures which should be easy

[PaintChip]

Another change of direction I feel some days like I'm in a sailboat during a hurricane...

I'm putting the fiberglass hull idea on the back burner as my absolute last resort. I'm not getting warm fuzzy feelings from the vendor I was looking at. Timeframe to make a hull from a mold shouldn't take 6 to 12 weeks and I get a bit ancy when info provided doesn't match what is listed on the company's website.

So I'm back to scratch building my Crockett hull. I've taken my plans and enlarged them to a 1/32 scale and have ordered some balsa, basswood, and plywood from National Balsa to try to make the hull again. I'm ditching the Dumas kit other than the deck hardware and running hardware. I'll cut out the frames and get them lined up and then work on getting the hull skinned. Hopefully I'll not get the warp in the bow that I got with the Dumas hull

The saga continues...and continues...and continues...like a bad soap opera....

[rktman56]

The saga continues...and continues...and continues...like a bad soap opera....

But are you having fun? Learning and becoming smarter about the hobby? In order to enjoy those days with our models, we have to endure some hardships. Things NEVER go right for me and I have started a project over having to reinvest the money I had already spent. Like my Mister Darby. It was my fault that it was damaged and lost. If you take what you learn and use it to better your models, it's all worth it end the end.