• 26Sep

  “A” frames and my first small problem

  Drivetrain No Comments

  Right, so I decided to get the propshaft “A” frames ready today. There were not too many moulding marks or much flash to clean off, however you have to drill the mounting bolt holes in them. As with any work on whitemetal fittings the real trick is to go slow and gently, especially with large solid parts like these. The temptation is to rush because they seem substantial, but just remember that they are still soft whitemetal which bends and breaks easily and is not that keen on heat either.

  Anyway after cleaning the parts up a bit I began to drill the bolt holes. To ensure that I didn’t split the castings I started with a 1mm drill bit followed by a 3mm and finally a 4mm to open the holes to a suitable diameter.

  It was while seeking the “A” frames that I came across my first issue, there are no propellers in the kit. This is not a problem really because I was going to fit brass ones anyway. What concerns me more is that the bag they should be in may be missing, and consequently other parts may be as well. I shall have to contact Caldercraft and enquire.

  [Edit] - I contacted Caldercraft and was informed that the props are no longer supplied, so panic over

  

  

• 25Sep

  Dremel and more pictures

  Tools No Comments

  Yay, my new Dremel arrived today (DH hell finally pulled their finger out) and I have to say I am impressed. The kit I purchased contains pretty much everything a modeller could require and more. I really recommend buying one if you are going to take up model making as an ongoing hobby.

  I have also added some more Imara pics to the Resources tab and link (thanks Neil) which are not only of 3 different completed Imara’s but also contain some construction pictures as well. You may find them extremely useful, I am sure I will.

  

  

• 24Sep

  Radio Spares 10 , DHL 0

  General 4 Comments

  I decided recently that rather than try to find spares for my old electric hand tools I would treat myself to a new Dremel kit. I have always wanted a Dremel and so I purchased a Dremel 400 multi-tool from R.S. Components. I have ordered many times from R.S. in the past and don’t usually bother with anything other than their standard delivery, because if it is in stock the item normally arrives next day anyway. However, on this occasion I had not accounted for DHL.

  Despite R.S passing on the address details that they have always used for me, DHL still managed to get it wrong. This means that my order has been sat at DHL’s depot (only 10 miles from me) since the 20th. You would have thought that they may have contacted me seeing as they had my number, but nope. Honestly, pond life are further up the evolutionary scale than are the staff at that DHL depot.

• 23Sep

  Motorvated

  Motors No Comments

  Yes I know it a terrible pun, but I liked it (Martin hides from the spelling pedants). Anyhow, I have now received two Robbe 1000 motors from Westbourne Models (thanks peeps). I also purchased the couplings required at the same time.
  I really hope that the motors turn out to be as good as many people say. As you can see they are quite large, heavy and appear to be robustly made.

  

  When I have them fitted in the model I will use my test tank facility (otherwise known as the bath) to get some statistics on power usage.
  Having read Colin’s Imara article I will be interested to see if the propellers supplied are any better than those of 20 years ago (yes Colin, it is nearly 20 years)

  [Edit] - The propellers are no longer supplied with the kit. 

  I will probably fit brass replacement propellers anyway as my Imara is going to get heavily used and whitemetal is a bit soft.

  I cannot find many details for these motors on the Web (unless someone can help out here), but here is what I can tell you so far;

   

  Robbe 1000 Specifications

  The motor is advertised as an extremely high torque, low rpm, low noise motor. Ideal for direct drives of large and heavy work ships with prop diameters of up to 100 mm.

  Weight= 950g

  Torque= 65 Ncm

  Voltage= 6V to 12V

  Amps at max efficency= 2.50 A

  Dimensions (as shown below)

   

   

   

• 23Sep

  Resources

  General No Comments

  Ok, I have now added a “Resources” tab and link to the site. This will contain pictures, text or anything else that could help a modeller build the Imara. I hope it will prove useful.

• 22Sep

  Standing by…….

  Stand 4 Comments

  Well it’s nearly done. I managed to get an off-cut of .75″ ply from my local builders merchant for the princely price of £1.00 

  I cut the pieces as per the profiles I made earlier, and after some minor adjustments it all fits beautifully. The stand will be screwed and glued for extra strength and just requires some foam on the supporting faces to prevent damage to the hull. I am thinking of using the foam lagging that you can get for water pipes. I will let you know if that works out when I collect some.

  

• 21Sep

  Imara Showcase

  General No Comments

  I have been researching the Imara, and have met (online) some really interesting and highly skilled modellers. So I have now added a new tab and link, “Imara Showcase”. This contains images and information about Imara models constructed by other modellers as an additional source of reference material.

• 15Sep

  Make a stand

  Stand 2 Comments

  Ok, this is an issue that I always deal with early on. I really hate having a hull sliding and flopping about on the worktop, and consider a stand essential. The stand does not have to be display quality, just something to hold the hull steady. In fact what I usually do is make the stand that I will use to transport the model when finished. As far as I can tell the instructions make no mention of a stand and there are no hull profiles on the plans either. This is a little annoying but easily dealt with as I shall demonstrate. There are other ways to measure the profiles, but this is the way I prefer. Just use whatever method you are happy with.

  To choose where along the hull to create the profiles I mentally divided the hull in to thirds and then selected points just forward of these. This will give to hull good support particularly when complete with motors, batteries and RC gear. To create the profiles I used the following method. Get a sheet of A4 paper, and fold in half across it’s shortest side. Now hold the paper to the hull and look at the hull profile. Start trimming the paper until you get a nice fit.

  

   When satisfied unfold the paper and check for the full profile. Make any adjustments and repeat. 

  

  Once you are happy with the profile templates you can start on the stand. I am going to use .75″ or 1″ ply for the stand. This may seem to be a bit over the top, however bear with me.

  • Using thick ply has several advantages.
  • For a large & heavy model such as Imara the more surface area for support the better.
  • The stand can also hold the RC Transmitter and other gear when you are out and about.
  • You can use the stand upside down as a seat when at the waters edge.

  In order to complete the stand, the profiled surfaces will be covered with foam (or something similar) to prevent scratching of the hull. Carry handles will also be fitted.

   

• 13Sep

  Lots of parts

  General No Comments

  Ok time for some more pics. Having removed all the items from the box I grouped them together as below;

  • Wood, brass and cord.
  • The plywood appears to be beautifully cut and all wooden parts appear flat and true. The brass has been taped to the wooden sections in order to help keep them straight. There is also a nice bag of assorted cordage. 

  

   

  • GRP and Vacuum formed parts.
  • These parts also have an air of quality about them. With the GRP pieces in particular seemingly free of blemishes and being of even thickness where important.  

  

   

  • Whitemetal Fittings
  •  This kit just keeps getting better and better. The whitemetal fittings are just wonderful. Free of flash and beautifully detailed. There are just so many pieces. The pack in which they were contained must weigh over 2kg. 

  

   

  • Plans and Instructions.
  • The main plans appear to be full size, but they are not (so don’t take measurements directly from them). The plans are intended to be used as a general reference as most of the assemblies just require the builder to know where on the model an item should be placed. Otherwise the plans are clear and show excellent subviews of detailed areas. There are two main plans one with a side projection and the other from the top. There is also a tiny sheet of paper describing the colour sceme and a separate sheet to be used as a template for the towing rails. Finally there is the instruction booklet which on first impressions appears to be clear and concise. 

  

• 13Sep

  Ok, let’s get started.

  General 2 Comments

  The first thing about Imara that will get your attention is the size of the box. I have placed a CD case in the photo to give some idea of scale.

   

  The next thing I noticed was the “Twin Screw” sticker (all looking good so far). Be carefull when ordering your Imara as the kit comes in either single or twin screw versions. Make sure that you order correctly and that the correct kit is delivered.

  

   

  I then proceeded to remove all of the contents from the box and give them a very quick check for any damage. This also enabled me to take photos of the main components as described in the next post.

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