Model tug boat enthusiasts really fall into three major camps: Firstly, there are those people who want to build an amazingly accurate static scale model that they can display at home; Secondly, there are those who want scale models that they can use for competitive activities such as tug-towing; Finally, there are those who just want something that they can take down the lake on a Sunday morning and simply enjoy sailing. Luckily, there are model tugs that cater for all these tastes.

Project: Rowangarth RC Model Tug Boat - Part 2

It's been a couple of months since the last progress report on my Rowangarth radio controlled model tug build so I figured that an update was long overdue. To be honest, I seem to have found that I get so caught up in the actual build itself that taking photos and writing reports is the last thing on my mind so I apologise if the photos aren't as "step-by-step" as you might have liked. Anyway, on with the report...

In my previous project report, I mentioned that the next critical task that I had to perform was the installation of the running gear. More specifically, I need to fit the kort nozzles, propeller shafts, and motor mounts. This was a critical task as those three items needed to be lined up perfectly so some thought needed to go into the order in which they'd be installed.

Finding the correct positions for the kort nozzles was fairly easy as they been marked by small indentations in the hull during the moulding process. However, a double-check and exact measurement was still required to ensure that they were... read more...

North-East Model Boat Show 2009

On the weekend of 28th/29th March 2009, South Shields, Tyne and Wear hosted the first ever North-East Model Boat Show. As I was only in North Shields at the time, it seemed like a good opportunity to see some model boats up close and personal. Stupidly, I decided to take the scenic route there so after an hour and a half's walk along South Shields coast road in howling wind, sleet, and rain, I finally made it to the sports complex where the show was being held.

I went over on the Saturday morning and, despite the awful weather outside, there was quite a decent crowd there. Sunday was much sunnier and probably attracted more visitors, but in some ways the bad weather helped me as it gave me more of an opportunity to get unhindered photos of the models on display... read more...

Project: Rowangarth RC Model Tug Boat - Part 1

One of the main things that helps when building any model boat is having a good supply of reference material such as photographs. Therefore, having a river outside your window with tugs going by on a daily basis, as I do up here on the Tyne, was just too good an opportunity to miss. If you need a bit of help with a certain area then just point the camera out the window as the tug goes by and grab a quick snapshot. It was for this reason, as I mentioned in another article a few months ago, that I was drawn to Mobile Marine Models and their Eldergarth model when considering building an RC tug boat.

Eldergarth's sister ship Rowangarth is a daily sight out of my lounge window as it brings all manner of ships up and down the River Tyne so it's like a modeller's dream to have the actual vessel that you're building so readily to hand. Rowangarth also occasionaly ties up alongside the Fish Quay here in North Shields whilst waiting for a ship to arrive so a quick walk up the road allows me to get as up close and personal as you can get without actually being allowed on board. It really is the ideal scenario... read more...

Tyne Models RC Tug Boats

What do you do if you want a model of your favourite tug boat but nobody makes one? This is exactly the problem that struck Tom Appleby and Les Thompson in 2003 when they decided that they wanted a model of Northsider, a Tyne tug on which they both served. They approached a UK model manufacturer about making a model but got the reply was that it was not the type of tug that they were interested in manufacturing.

So, what did Tom and Les do? Well, they decided to manufacture the Northsider model themselves and so Tyne Models of South Shields, Tyne and Wear was born.

Tyne Models' Northsider was certainly an ambitious project for a new model company to take on as their first kit. Measuring a relatively large 49" in length, the model leaves plenty of room for all the fine details that a model tug enthusiast would expect and so it was important for Tyne Models to use only the best quality materials and components... read more...

Mobile Marine Models Eldergarth RC Tug

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.... read more...