As I've been busy with work lately, progress on my Rowangarth model tug has been slow. So, at Christmas, as a little treat to myself, I decided to buy the 1:36 scale ready-to-run (RTR) Hobby Engine Southampton Tug. In case you're not already aware, Hobby Engine's Southampton is a model of the tug Wyeforce that's operated by Itchen Marine on Southampton Water, hence the name.

In the run-up to Xmas, I'd seen an advert in RC Boat magazines advertising the Southampton tug for a bargain £99! However, when I went to the website to order, I found that they were out of stock. Not surprising really at that price. In the end, I ordered mine for £149 via CML Distribution.

Delivery of the tug was fairly quick and it came about a week before Xmas but, since it came wrapped in brown paper, I decided to leave it wrapped up until Xmas Day as a bit of a present to myself. Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped it and found my own little tug boat inside! For reference, that's my 1:32 scale Rowangarth model that you can just see at the bottom of the photo above. That gives some idea of the size difference of the 1:36 scale Southampton.

Hobby Engine's Southampton is a true ready-to-run model (sort of). Out of the box you get all the hardware that you need. It comes fitted with radio gear and motors and comes with main 7.2v Nicad batteries and charger. I say it's sort of ready to run as what it doesn't come with is the 8 AA batteries needed for the radio transmitter. Also, the nicad batteries require around 7 hours charging before first use. Still, to all intents and purposes, it is ready to run.

Since I didn't have any AA batteries in the house for the transmitter (if I'd unwrapped it before Xmas Day, I could have bought some), I decided to fill the bath instead and see how it floated.

On the water, Southampton sits pretty nicely with a realistic displacement. I'd have to try it under power on a lake to see how it acts when in motion but I would guess that it may be a little top-heavy. Apparently, though, that's also a characteristic of the real Wyeforce tug.

I hadn't really expected too much from Hobby Engine's Southampton bearing in mind that it was on offer for £99 and that it was made in China. I'd originally planned to strip it down and repaint it in order to try out different weathering techniques that I could later use on my Rowangarth model. However, when I unpacked it, I was pleasantly surprised by the finish and level of detail. While it may not be as impressive as a hand-built model like Model Slipway's Wyeforce, it was of sufficient quality that I abandoned my repainting plans and put it on display as it was.

If, however, you did decide to use this Southampton tug as a basis for a true Wyeforce model then you could easily do it. The wheelhouse unclips and lifts off in one piece to reveal the battery compartment and can then be easily unscrewed and broken down into its component parts for repainting.

The aft deck of Southampton is dominated by a waterproof hatch that gives access to the steering servo as well as providing a hand place to mop out any water that night find its way into the hull. Hobby Engine have also seen fit to provide some nice little deck details though such as fire-hose valves, tank vents and goose-necks. The hook even swings from side to side and can be fitted with the rope provided in the box with the boat.

The only part of my Southampton tug that didn't fit quite right was the wheelhouse roof. There was a slight gap between it and the yellow wheelhouse structure. Apparently though, the wheelhouse roof simply pulls off (another handy feature when disassembling the wheelhouse for repainting) so it could just be that I need to press it on a bit harder.

Even the wheelhouse of Southampton is nicely detailed from the window wipers on the ouside to the wheel, throttle controls and compass binacle inside. Again, there's no reason why the ambitious modeller couldn't add extra detail to the existing bridge consoles though.

One thing I still haven't done with my Southampton model is tie the supplied rubber tyres to the hull. The hull comes pre-drilled with mounting holes and the thread is supplied but I was wary of tying them on if I later intended to repaint the boat. It appears to me that tying the tyres on could be pretty fiddly so it's likely that the only way to ever get them off again would be to cut the thread.

So, in conclusion, what is my overall opinion of Hobby Engine's Southampton tug? Well, to be it simply, brilliant! Bearing in kind that this is a budget RTR boat rather than a serious modellers kit, the quality is outstanding. So many details that could have been easily left out, such as vent louvres on the backs of the funnels or moulded handles on the aft watertight door, have been included. Granted, they're only small things, but they add to the feeling that Hobby Engine put some effort into the model.

At £149, I consider Hobby Engine's Southampton tug to be good value. However, if you can find it on sale and in stock for £99 then that's brilliant value.

Jason Webb

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