Tugs are a strange beast in the model boat World. On the one hand, they make excellent scale models and look great with all their fixtures and fittings. On the other hand though, tugs are working boats and never look quite as good as when they have something under tow. That's where the hobby of "Tug-Towing" comes in. Tuggers use their scale models to manoeuvre larger model ships or other "tows". The good people at Mobile Marine Models in Lincoln know all about tug-towing, so who better to go to when you want a tug that looks as good on the water as it does in a display case?

Out of their range of tug models, the one that really caught my eye was Eldergarth. This is mainly due to that fact that I live right alongside the Tyne and so Eldergarth's sister ship Rowangarth is a daily sight out of my lounge window as it brings all manner of ships up the river. Eldergarth and Rowangarth were both built in Birkenhead in 1981 and up until 1999 split their time between the Mersey and Cabinda in Angola as part of an ongoing contract. Eldergarth is now on the Clyde under the name Shannon and Rowangarth, as I mentioned earlier, now operates on the Tyne.

Mobile Marine Models' Eldergarth is a 1:32 scale model (the most popular scale for the hobby of tug-towing) and measures in at 1015mm long (40 inches) with a beam of 280mm (11 inches). This means that it's large enough to give the detail that scale modellers require whilst also being practical enough to transport to a lake for use on the water. The large scale of this model also gives reasonable handling characteristics on the water, meaning that gusts of wind won't send it rocking and rolling unto the nearest bank.

One of the best things about Mobile Marine Models is their "Budget Building System". Basically, this breaks the model down into five different packs:

Pack 1: Hull, Plans, and Colour Photos
Pack 2: Templates
Pack 3: Timber Pack or Wood/Plastic Pack (depending on builder's personal preference)
Pack 4: Running Gear Pack (prop shafts, Kort nozzles etc.)
Pack 5: Full Fittings Pack

What this means is that you can spread the cost of the build into more manageable chunks by only ordering the next pack as and when you need it. This is especially useful for modellers who may have limited time for their hobby. After all, if you intend to spend six months modelling the superstructure then you might not want all the detailed fixures and fittings kicking around.

The other advantage of the Budget Building System is that you don't necessarily have to buy all the packs. If you're the type of modeller who enjoys building fixtures and fittings from scratch then you might prefer to just buy the hull and the template packs then build everything else yourself. However, if modelling a particular fitting is causing you a degree of stress, Mobile Marine Models also allow you to buy any of the fittings individually.

All Mobile Marine Models' GRP hulls are handmade to order so you can imagine the care and attention that goes into each one. Because they're designed to be "working" models, the hulls are reinforced around stress points so that there's no danger of cracks or failures when you hook up a 100lb "tow". In fact, they're so proud of their hulls that every one has a unique serial number plate glassed into it. I'm sure that in years to come there'll be conventions where owners of Mobile Marine Models' vessels will gather to compare serial numbers.

One of the most interesting things about the hulls themselves is that they're finished in a rust coloured gel-coat. This means that if you scratch the paint on your beloved model, an area of rust shows through. For true working tug authenticity, it's almost worth deliberately scratching the hull in places to give it that "well-worked" look. After all, no real tug stays shiny and pristine for too long.

Along with the hull in the first pack, you also get plans and colour photograths of the real vessel. Some smart person has even come up with the idea of laminating the photos in plastic to protect them, which anybody who ever attempted building a model from a paint splattered set of plans will appreciate. The plans give full details of the vessel including paint schemes and lighting layouts so that the experienced marine modeller can really take it from here and build everything else themselves.

However, if you still require guidance then it's advisable to also purchase Packs 2 & 3. Pack 2 gives you templates that can be used for cutting out the deck and superstructure, saving you lots of measuring and marking out from the plans, and Pack 3 gives you all the material you need to construct them. Pack 3 comes as either wood or a mixture of wood and plastic sheet depending on which material you prefer working with.

So, now let's talk about the price. Good quality scale models may not exactly be what people call cheap, but when you look at the man-hours that go into handbuilding the hull and compare it with the price you pay for a Japanese production line RC car kit, you're actually getting very good value for money.

For the Eldergarth model, you'll need to pay £90.99 for Pack 1 that contains the GRP hull, plans, and photographs. That's actually not very much at all when you think about it. In addition, it would probably be wise to purchase the template pack (Pack 2) at the same time at a cost of £14.80. From this point you could go to your local hobby shop and buy the building materials yourself but if you prefer to keep things simple (and ensure that you have the right quantities) then order the Timber or Plastic pack (Pack 3) for an additional £22.90. This brings the total intial outlay to £128.69. That's still cheaper than an RC car kit of factory moulded plastic parts.

Unless you build your model at lightning speed, the three packs mentioned above will probably keep you busy for a while. Eventually though, you'll need to start thinking about running gear and the fixtures and fittings. This is where the real cost starts to come in. The standard running gear pack (Pack 4) will set you back £166.61 but for this money you do get two 12V motors, propshafts, steerable Kort nozzles, couplings, and support frames.

The most expensive single pack at £207.55 is Pack 5 - Fixtures and Fittings. However, all the parts are top quality brass or white metal and include items such as funnel, lifeboats, winches, windlass, davits and even working lights! Certainly there would be many hundreds of man-hours involved if you were to make all these fittings from scratch so when you think about it in that way you realise that the cost isn't that much.

If you were to purchase all 5 packs required to build this model at the same time (always an option) then you'd be paying around £500. That really isn't a great deal of money at all for a model of this quality. Of course, you need to add on the cost of radio gear, batteries, paint, glue, etc. but you'd need to do that with any model.

What you're getting here with Mobile Marine Models' Eldergarth Tug is a quality model that will make both static modellers and working modellers more than happy. It'll look brilliant on the sideboard in your lounge, but it'll look even better manoeuvring a huge tanker around a lake.

For more information on Mobile Marine Models' Eldergarth Tug or to make a purchase, please click here.

Jason Webb

NOTE: All prices and specifications are correct at time of writing but are subject to change at the manufacturer's discretion.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The photos of the Eldergarth Model Tug on this page and wherever else they appear on this site are the copyrighted property of Mobile Marine Models and appear on this site with their kind permission. They are not to be copied or reproduced in any way without their consent.