Graupner DGzRS Johann Fidi Lifeboat

So Kit arrived [as previously mentioned on home page], I won’t explain the reason for buying this kit again, but now its here, I will complete it. I have sufficient motors, servo’s and led lights etc to build it, So here goes!

The basic kit comes with a lot of additional items but are “vac formed” so some careful cutting and filing needs to be done to the bouys and hand rails before fitting.

I firstly bonded in the propellor shaft supports with “Stabilit express” as I find this glue very efficient and easy to use, albeit you have to mix a powder with a liquid glue, but once mixed it sets within 10 minutes, so be warned you dont get much fiddle time with it, but the bond last for years, as my older models go to prove, thats why I decided I’d use it on initial builds I do from now on, plus its the best bond you will find to bond wood to styrene or other plastics.

I then added the rudder bulkhead and added some alaldite rapid to fill in the bow vane, as its thin plastic seemed a little too thin for any bow on knocks against anything, so better to infill now than have no hope at all later if it hits in to anything solid.

I then decided to build up some of the upper works, cutting the window frame surrounds out and bonding to the upper deck cockpit, then adding the top roof sheild and then the rear main deck floor support. I then added the tie hooks to the upper hull section, to allow them to fully bond so I can check for potential water leaks before the upper hull is bonded to the lower hull later.

Due to the rear deck being open, I have seen some pic shots of someone actually installing a drain tube to the deck to prevent water build up here, but watch this space, I may be doing similar to mine.

Iv’e now put all the sections to one side now, to allow the glues to fully dry, then i can check all seam edges tomorrow for splits or lack of glue to prevent water ingress.