Security vehicles

In order to secure the growing number of member yachts, Linde Yacht Club has decided to  custom build two security veichles based on the Hummer M1025 from Tamiya.

The assembly of the chassi was rapidly done thanks to excellent instructions. Although the differentials etc had to be put together and only plastic bearings were included, it was rather easy…

… and after a couple of hours only the chassi could stand on its own …

… then the body was put on to get a first preview of the final result.

Docking light

In the bow Jules Verne is equipped with twin docking lights from ITT/Jabsco .  Since this is a feature that does not exist on the Graupner model I decided to build my own.

In order to make a smooth arc I used a ABS tube that was glued to the hull and fixed with three sheets of ABS plates. Two plates were used to get sufficient thickness of 3 mm for the LED lens installation and the third plate got a hole where the ABS tube was inserted through, thereby I could glue the tube from outside and receive a nice sharp inside edge for the lens. All three plates were cut and grinded to follow the inside hull curvature.

I also made a  fourth plate along the centerline in order to have this small compartment closed later on. The excessive tube was cut off and thereafter grinded flush to outside hull. For the small gaps between tube and hull a filler was used with a final sanding.

Maybe you notice that the plates are much higher than the hull. This will be cut off later in the build and will be flush to the deck underside.

For lights I used water tight lenses from VCC, quick connectors and white LEDs (ø5 mm, 3,2 V, 30 mA, 5600 mcd) and this is how it looks viewed from front.

With the necessary resistors connected in serial with the LEDs I connected them to the battery to see the real effect. Note that the hull is still not painted so the final result will differ due to reflection of the ABS hull, but I guess you get an idea of what it will look like.

Rooster Original vs. Model

On both sides of the hull, Jules Verne has a major ventilation grill (called Rooster in Dutch) which is indicated on the model by an elevated area. Graupner also supplies a sticker to be attached after painting to fake the horizontal bars that traverse along the opening.

 

The original however, has a ventilation grill that is equipped with four inclined bars flush to the hull. The inclination is in order to have splashing water flow out of the ventilation system and prevent rain from entering. Regarding the middle section this is due to the fuel filling pipes. If you check the deck you will see that exactly where this section is located you have the lid for fuel.

When checking the dimensions on the model, Graupner has once again put the ventilation grill in about correct position.

 

To get e better understanding on how the grill is attached I made a 3D picture where it is visible that the horizontal bars are inserted into the frame ribs which are situated with 500 mm distance.

How I will solve this problem is still to be revealed. Stay tuned, more to come.