The Ship Model Forum

Great work

5 Star wow factor ! Great article and build, Bill. Just wonderful work, and a pleasure to see and read about. Thanks for posting.
Mr. T.Garth Connelly,at http://www.ptboatworld.com, would like to contact you, or have you contact him, concerning your project, at your leisure. Thank you, JC

Hi Bill, I have been looking in on your build, excellent as usual, im keeping fine, going for treatment at the moment. :heh: :heh: :thumbs_up_1: :wave_1: :wave_1:

Hey, Bill:

My name is John Estep, a friend of Jack Read, and one who has followed your effort through him. I would like to congratulate you on an excellent reproduction of our 83 footer. I served on two during the late 50's, just before they started to decommission them. There was still some ordinance machinery aboard in '56, when I went aboard the 83491 and 83506, but was pulled and the deck cleared leaving only the 20MM mount. I was a radarman during my tour of duty, but the old equipment had been replaced with new, and my pilot house was quite empty, no controls from inside, only a table was left where there had been steerage and piloting controls. Although my units were a far cry from the WW2 configuration, they were still a fabulous handling, and seaworthy boat, and I miss being aboard. Like Jack, my memories abound every day, and I'm looking forward to seeing your model in person, hopefully when Jack brings it to a reunion in May. Thanks again, you are a top notch craftsman, I salute you for your efforts.

John Estep, RD1, USCG, Vet.
jwe83506@fuse.net

A masterful model by a Modelmaster :thumbs_up_1:

EXCELLENT in every aspect- great detailing and sharp execution.

Top notch! :thumbs_up_1:

Jim Baumann

Hi Bill,

great work! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

All that I miss is some seawater spray with gloss clear varnish... ;-)

:thumbs_up_1:

Bye and all the best for 2011!

[quote="johndon"]Stunning work as always Bill.[/quote]

I'll second that!

Regards,

Laurent

Hi Bill :wave_1:
Seeing her complete is a really nice way to start of the new year, BZ on the workmanship :thumbs_up_1:

Roy

Stunning work as always Bill.

John

H Bill I can honestly say I am an unabridged fan of your work and yes I agree about the GRP hulls. Many are good value and they save time plus off set any problems where space or skill level is concerned to say nothing about reducing the build period. However as you know I do enjoy the experience of building my own hulls and having the satisfaction that on completion the model is all down to the builder . But needs must and I have built as many models on a GRP hull as scratch built. I do enjoy your posts as they show what a craftsman can really do when taking a model to completion. Sadly and this is not a criticism of any model in particular just an observation but we really don't see that many models on this board taken to completion. Perhaps this is down to many factors associated with scratch building but it�s not just your building skill that I watch in admiration but your ability and commitment to the project in hand that speaks volumes about the builder .
Thanks again for all your posts and the privilege of seeing such superb models before they go to a new home.
All the best to you Bill for the New Year.
Dave Wooley
:thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :wave_1:

Well don bill,another fine job of scratch building,the water is exellent also.As you say the larger the scale gets the fussier one has to be.looking forward to what ever you build next,as long as it floats. :thumbs_up_1:

Hello again all :wave_1: The 83' USCG Cutter is now completed. This has been my first attempt at using a pre- formed fibreglass hull. It saved a little time, but in the future I'll use my own. I found it lacking it many respects, and for the time I had into making it right, I probably could have built it myself. It is also my first 1/24 scale boat. Being used to 1/96, this scale represents its own set of challenges. Not many details you can leave off. It was good to have help from the man who was there, Mr. Jack Read, Master Chief, USCG Ret. All in all, it was an enjoyable build. Lets take a look at some parting shots..........[attachment=16]DSC04074.JPG[/attachment][attachment=15]DSC04077.JPG[/attachment][attachment=14]DSC04078.JPG[/attachment][attachment=13]DSC04079.JPG[/attachment][attachment=12]DSC04069.JPG[/attachment][attachment=11]DSC04093.JPG[/attachment][attachment=10]DSC04094.JPG[/attachment][attachment=9]DSC04095.JPG[/attachment][attachment=8]DSC04116.JPG[/attachment][attachment=7]DSC04106.JPG[/attachment][attachment=6]DSC04108.JPG[/attachment][attachment=5]DSC04114.JPG[/attachment][attachment=4]DSC04117.JPG[/attachment][attachment=3]DSC04122.JPG[/attachment][attachment=2]DSC04123.JPG[/attachment][attachment=1]DSC04125.JPG[/attachment][attachment=0]DSC04124.JPG[/attachment]
Well, there you have it! Another project completed here on MW. A little weathering to add yet, and finish the display. I realize this was somewhat of an obscure project. Nonetheless, these small boats played an important role during WW2. From anti-sub duties to rescue, their brave crews dealt with the weather, the enemy, and sailing aboard a small wooden gas tank! They were called the "Matchbox Fleet". The man who this is for seems very pleased with it. I was happy to bring a bit of joy to another brave veteran. Stay Tuned, New project coming soon!! :thumbs_up_1: :wave_1:

Bill
All I can say is fantastic. I went thru your build today enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to seeing the finished product with the crew. The guys here in West Michigan all say hi to you.
Rod

Chapeau Bill! :thumbs_up_1:

Great model and a great water base! :thumbs_up_1:

Happy modeling,

Bernd.

Bill, once again your progress is inspiring. It is amazing how you can produce such consistancy and detail. You're a true craftsman.

[quote="cmomm44"]Since my cutter is close to being finished (perhaps my special Christmas present) I thought a few words of appreciation and explanation would be in order. As many of you know from building so very many excellent replicas of WW2 naval warships, dreams and recalling our youth are part of many lives as we grow old. That was the driving reason for me to put a question on the internet as to "who would be interested in building an old vets dream? " Fortunately for me, Bill Waldorf was one who answered and offered his expertise to me and the pics on this website show just how well he has accomplished that task. Bill has been kind enough to keep me 'in the loop' every step of the build and hopefully I have been helpful to him as much of the material needed to complete my '464 is not available in plan form (at least we have not been able to find it). Other than 2 copies of official plans, first & last contracts which leave out much of the armament and little extras, we had to rely on a scant number of pics and my 88 yr old memory (I served 22 months on the '464) to give Bill enough to 'make something out of little'----he has more than fulfilled his promise and all I did was pay for material since BIll honors WW2 vets---can't beat that kind of offer from anywhere I know of. However, the financial advantage I was fortunate enough to get is far less than the emotional surge that comes from seeing my cutter in an action scene, sailing again on a anti-sub patrol course as we did so many times long years ago, is like a elixer of youth to this ancient vet. I have little to add but my sincere thanks to a Master Builder and new found friend, Bill Waldorf.
As an after thought, if anyone would like to know just what this class of US Coast Guard WPB 83' cutters did for over 20 years for the USA and specifically my CG 83464 during the years of WW2, I would be happy to give a further rundown of actions in other posts but do not want to intrude on the marvelous builds of all types of craft that I find on MW. Thank you for allowing me to ramble
Jack W Read - CMoMM USCG (Honorary Master Chief Petty Officer)[/quote]

Thanks very much for the post. The 83 has been quite a challenge. More so than I had originally anticipated. I hope that I have made your life a little better, recalling those brave years during the war. I was honored to build your boat for you, and I hope that it has lived up to your expectations. I must thank-you for all your drawings, many photographs, and your keen memory as to the story of these small patrol craft. Hopefully with this replica, you will be able to spread the word to others about your experiences, and others like you, and preserve a little known but nonetheless important part of History. :thumbs_up_1: :wave_1:

Since my cutter is close to being finished (perhaps my special Christmas present) I thought a few words of appreciation and explanation would be in order. As many of you know from building so very many excellent replicas of WW2 naval warships, dreams and recalling our youth are part of many lives as we grow old. That was the driving reason for me to put a question on the internet as to "who would be interested in building an old vets dream? " Fortunately for me, Bill Waldorf was one who answered and offered his expertise to me and the pics on this website show just how well he has accomplished that task. Bill has been kind enough to keep me 'in the loop' every step of the build and hopefully I have been helpful to him as much of the material needed to complete my '464 is not available in plan form (at least we have not been able to find it). Other than 2 copies of official plans, first & last contracts which leave out much of the armament and little extras, we had to rely on a scant number of pics and my 88 yr old memory (I served 22 months on the '464) to give Bill enough to 'make something out of little'----he has more than fulfilled his promise and all I did was pay for material since BIll honors WW2 vets---can't beat that kind of offer from anywhere I know of. However, the financial advantage I was fortunate enough to get is far less than the emotional surge that comes from seeing my cutter in an action scene, sailing again on a anti-sub patrol course as we did so many times long years ago, is like a elixer of youth to this ancient vet. I have little to add but my sincere thanks to a Master Builder and new found friend, Bill Waldorf.
As an after thought, if anyone would like to know just what this class of US Coast Guard WPB 83' cutters did for over 20 years for the USA and specifically my CG 83464 during the years of WW2, I would be happy to give a further rundown of actions in other posts but do not want to intrude on the marvelous builds of all types of craft that I find on MW. Thank you for allowing me to ramble
Jack W Read - CMoMM USCG (Honorary Master Chief Petty Officer)

She's beautiful Bill :thumbs_up_1:

I know your a busy guy, but would love to see how you do the vac forming at some stage. No rush but i'm planning to start my first large scale build in 1/72 some time in the early part of next year, so the more i know the better she'll be hopefully .


Roy

Hi Bill WONDERFULL build . I like the way you have stated what each of the fittings are used for , this gives a better understanding of not just the model but the full size vessel. Also your attention to the effect of the hull in the water , very difficult to apply to such a large model and achive such good results , but you have done this very skillfully and the results show this. All in all you maintain a constant level of accuracy and a clear understanding of the subject with that genuine ability to instill life into what is a large scale static model.
Dave Wooley :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :wave_1:

I had to look very carefully at those pics because I was shure I thought I saw the water moving! Impressive!!! BTW, the boat isn't too bad either... :thumbs_up_1: