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Kingston Mouldings Model Boat Hulls
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A small company that produces high quality scale hulls, a plan is provided
except for hulls marked NP |
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H.S Class WWI steam tug. A classic British coal-fired single screw steam tug design that was built in quantity to replace losses during the 1914 -1918 war. All began life in Naval service, mainly towing barges laden with supplies such as fuel and munitions between the UK and the French channel ports, as well as along some of the larger French inland waterways. In wartime service all H.S. tugs would have been painted grey, but almost all of those that survived the war were sold to civilian users, which means that many alternative colour schemes can be used to depict these tugs in post-war service. Model displacement is about 20lbs (9.1kg) and the hull is spacious enough to carry several of the smaller steam plants currently available from Cheddar and Stour Valley Steam. The first photo shows a very nice model in a fairly typical post war colour scheme. The next two photos show my own prototype, which was powered by a very early Cheddar Pintail, not quite finished, and looking rather bare at this stage with no fenders fitted. The last photo shows the bare hull, plenty of room inside with no bulky frames or bulkheads to hinder access, and a superstructure lifting off in one piece will make operating the finished model at the pond side relatively easy.
Hull length 875mm 34½”
beam 215mm 8½”
scale 1/30th |
£68.00 |
KM22 |
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R.N. Steam picket
boat This is a scale model of a Royal Navy steam picket boat of the type that was carried on all British capital ships from around 1903 until the beginning of WW2. Although all such picket boats entered service wearing various shades of overall grey with the planked decks painted-over, in peacetime, many were smartened up to varying degrees, with considerable amounts of varnished wood, more brightly coloured hulls and polished brass. Our hull is moulded with bow bulwarks, keel, stem and rubbing strip. Displacement of the finished model would be around 15lbs (6.8kg), and although most model picket boats are electric-powered, the hull is capacious enough to be fitted with one of the more compact model steam plants, though the fact that steam plant would be completely enclosed, means that a little previous experience of steam would be helpful here. It is of course possible to use this picket boat hull as the basis for a model of a typical civilian steam or motor launch, and quite a few customers have done this over the years, with results very similar to the slightly larger 1912 steam yacht tender hull.
Hull length 1020mm 40½"
beam 205mm 8”
scale 1/15th |
£71.10 |
KM2 |
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1945 Vosper MTB 523
These are scale models of two different boats, representing early and late examples from the WW2 period. One is No. 523, a heavily armed 73 foot Type 2 MTB from 1944/5, and the other is 66, an earlier 70 foot craft, though with essentially the same hull form. Both were built by Vosper for the Royal Navy, and our drawings were produced from the original Shipbuilder’s plans, together with some rare wartime photos that were supplied by Vosper themselves from their archives. Several hundred boats of this type were built during WW2, and good drawings for many of them are widely available from a number of sources including John Lambert. Although details of armaments, upper works and smaller details can vary considerably between individual boats, the two hulls shown here can be used to model the majority of wartime Vosper's of this general type. The first photo is a wartime shot of 523 at speed while still in Vosper’s hands.
Hull length MTB 523 930mm 36½” beam 230mm scale 1/24th |
£50.40 |
KM23 |
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Director Class Director was launched in 1956, the first of a class of seven diesel electric paddle tugs that were built for the Royal Navy to be operated by the RMAS. Their paddles could either be linked together or independently controlled, and this made them highly manoeuvrable. The low profile of these powerful tugs made them ideal for handling aircraft carriers with their characteristic large overhangs. Although the tugs were fitted for fire fighting, salvage and oil pollution spraying, towing winches were not fitted, and they were not used for long-distance towing, largely because of the vulnerability of their paddles in the open sea. The plan was produced from the original Shipbuilder's drawings of Director, and it also contains some model construction information. Most of the class were modified in service, and both as-built and the later updated versions are detailed on the plan. Although all of the inward-sloping bulwarks are moulded on our hull, the paddle boxes are not included. The first photo shows an excellent model with intricate feathering paddles, independently driven by a pair of Monoperms. This model depicts Director as originally built, and it can be compared with the second photo which shows the full size Director all shiny and new, sailing under the red ensign in the river Clyde on Builder’s trials.
Hull length 990mm 39”
Beam 230mm 8”
Scale 1/48th
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£64.25 |
KM3 |
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Boston Blenheim,
This is a scale model of a 1980s British deep-sea stern trawler design from the Fleetwood Lancashire based fleet of Boston Deep Sea Fisheries. This type of vessel quickly replaced almost all of the older deep-sea side trawlers, being more effective and therefore more economic, as well as much safer for the crew to work in heavy seas. The detailed drawing shows most practical scale detail, together with some model construction information. The hull is moulded to include bulwarks and also the superstructure sides, all of which are accurately trimmed, as is the cut-out in the squared-off stern, as can be seen in the first photo below. The second photo shows the prototype, which was built with an all-wood plank on frame hull. The model was such a success that a second wood hull was eventually made as the basis for the fibreglass production version. Model displacement was slightly under 22 lbs (10kg), and the single screw was powered by a Decaperm electric motor with lead acid accumulator..
Hull length 945mm 37"
beam 205mm 8"
scale 1/48th
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£77.75 |
KM24 |
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Perkasa Only two Brave class 50 knot gas turbine powered fast patrol boats to this design were built by Vosper for the Royal Navy, but larger numbers of a slightly simplified export version of the same basic design were built for the navies of Denmark, Greece, West Germany, and Malaysia of which Perkasa is one example, and all of the boats served with distinction in these navies for many years. Braves were armed with 40mm guns, torpedo tubes and wire-guided surface-to-surface missiles. Three unarmed fast training boats, Cutlass, Sabre & Scimitar also served in the RN for some years, and they also were essentially similar to the Brave class with the same basic hull form. The detailed plans for both Brave Borderer & Perkasa were produced from original Vosper drawings and photographs. The first photo is a relatively simple model of Brave Borderer, the second is the full size Brave Borderer at high speed, and the third is an excellent Perkasa built by Ande Ma of Hong Kong.
Hull lengths 910mm 35”
beam 220mm 9”
scale 1/32nd
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£50.40 |
KM4 |
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Eskgarth
is a powerful single-screw diesel tug that was built by Richards Shipbuilders at Great Yarmouth in 1976, for handling some of the very large oil tankers that visit the port of Milford Haven on the south Wales coast. In addition to towing, Eskgarth is also well equipped for dispersant spraying gear for dealing with the oil spillages that were a constant hazard to ecology in the area. The detailed drawing was produced from the original Shipbuilder's plans, together with some additional material supplied by Cory Towage, who were the vessel’s original owners. Eskgarth also had an identical sister tug Edengarth, and the real thing can be seen in the second photo below. The next two photos show a model built, using a slightly modified
Esk garth hull, of an almost identical Clyde based Cory tug that was originally named Campaigner. This model was built by Phil Thomas of Glasgow, the well-known draughtsman and writer, whose book British Steam Tugs is a classic work. Phil has also had countless plans and magazine articles published over the years, both on full size ships and scale models, and he supplied the original
Hull length 760mm 30" beam 215mm 8½”
scale 1/50th |
£62.80 |
KM25 |
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Windermere
Although this design is typical of the steam launches that were operated on Lake Windermere in the early years of the twentieth century, it isn’t an exact scale model of any single vessel. The general appearance is very similar to the steam launch Bat, which is currently one of the exhibits in the Windermere Steamboat Museum, but the hull lines were slimmed down quite considerably, mainly to make the hull more easily driven on a modest amount of power. This hull is essentially a slightly enlarged version of a rather older design in the Kingston range, the Victorian steam launch. Although the Windermere launch is slightly longer and broader in the beam than the earlier design, the main difference is in the displacement, which is about 50% greater, mainly due to fuller hull sections, particularly at the bow and stern. This greatly increases the hull’s capacity, and makes it possible to fit several smaller steam plants such as Cheddar’s Pintail and Plover, and the smaller steam units from SVS, Stour Valley Steam are equally suitable. As with all of the steam launches described here, electric propulsion is a rather simpler and cheaper option, and a cheap 385 type motor will provide plenty of power. The first two photos below show a model built by Dave Dunn from Plymouth. His model is powered by a Cheddar Pintail steam plant, and it achieves a realistic speed on less than half throttle.
Hull length 1040mm
beam 200mm
scale 1/10th
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£70.00 |
KM5 |
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Pilot Launch
This is a scale model of a twin-screw high-speed pilot launch, many examples of which have been built by the well-known Dutch shipbuilding company Damen Shipyards. Boats very similar to this one can be seen in service in ports all around Europe, as well as some much farther afield. A boat of this type was built for the French Pilotage Authority at Le Havre, and this vessel is shown in the third photo below. Exactly the same basic medium-vee hull is used by Damen as the basis for a wide variety of fast crew tenders, customs and police launches, and fast fishing boats. This means that our standard hull can be used to model a very wide variety of commercial vessels, as well as modern cruisers and similar pleasure craft. The diagonal fender strips on the hull sides that are a feature of the pilot launch version and seen in the side view above, have not been moulded as can be seen in the first photo, and this makes the basic hull suitable as the basis for models of many other types of fast commercial and pleasure launches
Hull length 890mm 35"
beam 280mm 11”
scale 1/16th |
£64.99 |
KM26 |
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German Schnellboot S-9 The German S-Boats, or E-Boats as they were usually referred to by Allied Navies, were considered by most experts to be the best all round performers of WW2 coastal forces craft. Large enough to carry a heavy armament, they were powered by technically advanced high-speed diesel engines, which made them rather less susceptible to fire and battle damage than the mainly smaller petrol-powered Allied torpedo and gunboats. All the British Vospers and many of the larger Fairmiles also had much less sea-kindly hard chine hull forms, which restricted their speed in rough weather. S-9 was one of the earliest schnellboot variants, which were built, in the late 1930s, and the hull and plan were produced from some original German drawings and photos. The hull is moulded with the central keel and bow torpedo
cut-outs. These vessels all had triple shafts, but a model could be built with single or twin shafts to simplify everything and reduce the cost a little. The first photo below shows the real thing in service during WW2. The third and fourth pics show what can be achieved with a little judicious wear and weathering, which greatly increases realism. The last photo shows a model powered by twin Monoperm Supers, looking good on the water and running at near scale speed.
Hull length 1070mm 42”
beam 155mm 6”
scale 1/30th
£7 |
£74.55 |
KM6 |
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Island Class O.P.V. Seven of these lightly armed patrol vessels were built for the Royal Navy for fisheries and oilfield protection duties in the waters around the British Isles, and also to patrol the 200 mile fisheries limit. The hull is essentially a modified trawler design, and this has made these vessels exceptionally seaworthy. Our scale drawing was produced with the help of the MOD (Navy), and model displacement is around 16lbs (7.3kg). Each one of this class is named after one of the UK offshore islands, and two predecessors of the Island class, the Scottish Department of Fisheries vessels Jura and Westra shared the same basin hull design, and were essentially very similar. The first photo courtesy of the MOD, shows HMS Jersey on patrol duties in the North Sea with an oilrig in the background. The second photo shows the hull, which has been adapted by several customers as the basis for several alternative designs, most often fishing vessels, but one used the hull to produce a most attractive working lightship.
Hull length 990mm 39"
beam 190mm 7½"
scale 1/60th |
£61.60 |
KM27 |
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T.I.D Class tug WWII. Almost two hundred of these austere little single-screw coal-burning steam tugs were built during the later years of WW2 for general towing and lighterage work, largely to replace war losses. The design of the double-chine hulls was very simple with only single-curvature plates, so that the tugs could be prefabricated in eight standard sections and assembled, often on in the open on river banks, by relatively unskilled labour. I have a copy of the original specification, which reveals that TID tugs were built to a surprisingly high standard, with ‘good quality hardwood’ used throughout the crew accommodation. As with the rather more sophisticated H.S. tugs from WW1, many vessels that survived were eventually sold to civilian owners, where most TIDs were eventually converted to burn oil fuel rather than coal, and many of them operated well into the 1980's. The straight lines and the small number of very straightforward fittings make this a very simple scale model. There are both 1/24th and 1/20th scale versions of this hull, which is equally suited to steam or electric power. The first and third photos show examples of model TID tugs built with open and enclosed bridges. The second photo shows 890mm and 1170mm hulls together, the difference in size is greater than it appears, as the larger hull is farther away. The last photo shows one of the larger size 1170mm TIDs built by Belgian modeller Jacques Callewaert, and fitted with a steam engine that he designed and constructed himself.
Hull lengths 890mm 35" 1070mm 42”
beam 220mm 9 ” 270mm 10½”
scale 1/24th 1/20th
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£65.00 |
KM7 |
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Brede Lifeboat, The 18 knot Brede was a new departure for the RNLI, as in order to have the design in service as quickly as possible, it was based on a slightly modified version of the existing Lochin 33 commercial GRP hull design, instead of being designed from the keel up by the RNLI themselves, as had usually been done in the past. One apparent disadvantage of this approach was that Bredes were the only boats in the RNLI fleet not allowed to venture out in sea states higher than force 6, but this has not proved to be a great problem in service. Most Bredes were based at lifeboat stations like Poole, Exmouth and on the Solent, where their size and handling characteristics made them particularly well suited to attending the many inshore small boat rescues typical of such locations. The first two photos show the Exmouth Brede, 33-06 Caroline Finch, a superb model built by Brendan Dempsey of Dublin, and then the real thing at the RNLI base in Poole. This model was originally powered by two 540s, but replacing these with more efficient Decaperms greatly improved duration without affecting the performance noticeably. Power supply is a 6volt 8amp lead acid accumulator, and the all-up weight is 6kg. The third photo shows the hull and cabin mouldings as supplied. As can be seen, the hull is moulded with full keel as well as all the complicated multiple spray rails on the hull sides and bottom that are such a prominent feature of the Brede design
Hull length 830mm 33"
beam 295mm 11½"
scale 1/12th
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£81.00 |
KM28 |
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Vosper Brave Borderer Only two Brave class 50 knot gas turbine powered fast patrol boats to this design were built by Vosper for the Royal Navy, but larger numbers of a slightly simplified export version of the same basic design were built for the navies of Denmark, Greece, West Germany, and Malaysia of which Perkasa is one example, and all of the boats served with distinction in these navies for many years. Braves were armed with 40mm guns, torpedo tubes and wire-guided surface-to-surface missiles. Three unarmed fast training boats, Cutlass, Sabre & Scimitar also served in the RN for some years, and they also were essentially similar to the Brave class with the same basic hull form. The detailed plans for both Brave Borderer & Perkasa were produced from original Vosper drawings and photographs. The first photo is a relatively simple model of Brave Borderer, the second is the full size Brave Borderer at high speed, and the third is an excellent Perkasa built by Ande Ma of Hong Kong.
Hull lengths 910mm 35”
beam 220mm 9”
scale 1/32nd |
£50.50 |
KM8 | |
Brede Lifeboat, cabin / wheelhouse moulding |
£36.20 |
KM29 |
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Grand Banks schooner. This is a close to scale model of a cod fishing schooner of a type that was once a common sight on the Atlantic Grand Banks off Newfoundland. They were sometimes known as Gloucester schooners after the largest of the fishing ports in the region, where many of these vessels were based. Bluenose was probably the best-known example of this class of fast sailing ship, her speed being legendary, though she was built as just a typical Grand Banks fishing schooner. The moulded keel of our hull has been deepened slightly to improve stability, and because of this, the model can carry sufficient internal lead ballast to enable it to be sailed in calm weather without any need for an added external keel, though in any event it is important to keep top weight as low as possible, and some previous experience of building and sailing scale models of this kind is desirable. The photos below all show well-built R/C examples of this model, all carrying plenty of sail, and employing varying degrees of complexity and sophistication in the sail control department.
Hull length 810mm 32”
beam 200mm 8”
scale 1/36th
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£75.75 |
KM9 |
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Sun XXI Thames
This is a scale model of a single-screw 1300hp diesel tug that entered service on the River Thames in 1960, subsequently operating in several other UK ports, and finally ending up in Gibraltar. Along with near sister Deben, Sun XXI was one of the last vessels to be launched at the yard of Phillip & Son who were situated on the river Dart, just north of Dartmouth in Devon. The tug’s rounded front superstructure and the streamlined funnel surrounding the diesel exhaust were considered very modern at the time. There have been very few changes over the years, and these features still make Sun XXI a handsome vessel today, as compared to the angular lines of most modern small tugs. Our hull and plan were produced with assistance from Alexandra Towing the vessel's first Owners, who provided copies of the original Shipbuilder's drawings. The drawing shows lots of scale detail, together with some model construction information. The first photo below shows a typical Sun XXI model, and the second photo shows the full size vessel shortly after delivery to Alexandra Towing in 1960Hull length 910mm 36"
beam 220mm 8½”
scale 1/35th
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£66.00 |
KM30 |
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Lloydsman
A long-range ocean going single-screw salvage and fire fighting tug that was one of the largest and most powerful in the world when built. Originally owned by United Towing of Hull, Lloydsman was eventually sold to new owners in Singapore, and there gained a rather startling all-white paint job. The deck and superstructure layouts of the design are relatively complicated, which makes this single screw tug a good project for the more experienced modeller. Lloydsman was built with a device called the Towmaster nozzle, thought to be a revolution at the time. This was essentially a single fixed Kort type nozzle, with three moveable rudders aft of the prop, and another two in front of it. This would be very complicated at model size, and something closer to a conventional single propeller would be a more practical proposition. As can be seen from the photo below, Lloydsman is a handsome and impressive model, especially when finished in the original United Towing colour scheme.
Hull length 1230mm 48½"
beam 225 mm 9”
scale 1/65th |
£96.00 |
KM10 |
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Motor Trawler,
A close to scale model motor trawler of the type that made up most of the British deep sea fleet before larger and more efficient stern trawlers made them obsolete. Although the design is based closely on vessels owned by Boston Deep Sea Fisheries, particularly Boston Fury, many other similar trawlers of the period can also be modelled using this hull. A certain amount of guesswork had to be used with the hull and a few other areas, as no accurate hull lines or original builder’s plans were available, but our detailed drawing shows most characteristic scale details of this kind of vessel. Two excellent models, both built as Boston Fury can be seen below. The second pic of a superb prize-winning model built by Canadian Paul Frankland is particularly impressive.
Hull length 1080mm 42½" beam 205mm 8”
scale 1/38th | £67.70 | KM31 |
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Dutch harbour tug. This is an accurate scale model of a modern small harbour and barge towing river tug, one of a considerable number built over several years by Damen Shipyards in Holland as variations of a standardised design called the Stantug 4. Damen offered a huge variety of options for these tugs, which were built on a production-line basis. In recent years, they have been constructed in Eastern Europe to save on labour costs, being shipped over to Damen as bare hulls, for fitting out to the customer’s exact specification. The model can quite correctly be fitted with either single or twin motors and propellers, either open or in Kort nozzles, and there have been pusher and tractor tugs versions with forward or aft superstructures. The superstructure layout and fittings are relatively simple, and the roomy shallow-vee hard chine hull has a wide transom stern. The first two photos show two new Stantug 4s on Builder’s trials on the Oosterschelde close to the main Damen shipyard at Gorinchem. The second photo shows a pair of hulls, and the final one a finished model, showing the sort of attractive colour scheme that can be applied to these vessels.
Hull length 740mm 29"
beam 230mm 9”
scale 1/30th
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£58.15
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KM11 |
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Waveney Lifeboat,
This is a scale model of the first modern fast 15 knot RNLI lifeboat, and the Waveney was a licence built adaptation of an earlier design that was originally developed by the United States Coastguard, and found on extensive trials during 1964 to be well suited to UK requirements. Our drawing contains full information on the colour scheme and other details from Waveney number 44-011 Augustine Courtauld which was first based at Poole. Our hull is moulded with the keel and rear stabilising fins that are a prominent feature of the full size Waveney lifeboat. The hull could also be used to make a model of a US 44 foot Coastguard vessel, though there are a number of fairly minor differences between these and the RNLI Waveney lifeboats. The first photo shows an excellent model Waveney, and the second is a picture of one of the last boats awaiting a new owner at the RNLI base in Poole, looking strangely old fashioned now, when surrounded by some more modern UK lifeboat designs.
Hull length 910mm 36"
beam 250mm 10”
scale 1/15th
| £77.75 | KM32 |
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Salvageman
As was the case with Lloydsman, Salvageman was originally owned by United Towing of Hull, and was Britain's largest ocean going salvage tug for many years, taking part in the Falklands War in 1982. With 11,000bhp and twin controllable pitch propellers, Salvageman both is powerful and manoeuvrable. The hull is moulded with the all bulwarks & rubbing strips, and also the anchor and stern recesses. In recent years, the tug has been bought by Klyne Tugs of Lowestoft, renamed Anglian Prince, and converted into an anchor handling and coastguard/rescue/fire-fighting vessel. Apart from an eye-catching new colour scheme, the alterations are relatively minor, so full details are also provided for building the model in its latest guise as Anglian Prince. The first photo shows Anglian Prince demonstrating the fire fighting equipment, and the third photo is a good early shot of Salvageman in the standard United Towing colour scheme of her original owners.
Hull length 990mm 39"
beam 225mm 8"
scale 1/70th |
£84.00 | KM12 |
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1940 Vosper 70ft
These are scale models of two different boats, representing early and late examples from the WW2 period. One is No. 523, a heavily armed 73 foot Type 2 MTB from 1944/5, and the other is 66, an earlier 70 foot craft, though with essentially the same hull form. Both were built by Vosper for the Royal Navy, and our drawings were produced from the original Shipbuilder’s plans, together with some rare wartime photos that were supplied by Vosper themselves from their archives. Several hundred boats of this type were built during WW2, and good drawings for many of them are widely available from a number of sources including John Lambert. Although details of armaments, upper works and smaller details can vary considerably between individual boats, the two hulls shown here can be used to model the majority of wartime Vosper's of this general type. The first photo is a wartime shot of 523 at speed while still in Vosper’s hands. The other two pictures show models of the same boat, though as can be seen, many smaller details still have to be added to the model in the centre photo.
Hull length MTB 66 890mm 35”
beam 230mm
scale 1/24th | £51.00 | KM33 |
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Clyde
Puffers were Small Scottish steam coasters such as Inchcolm built in 1909, were a common sight in northern waters in the first half of the 20th century, Para Handy’s Vital Spark was one well-known fictional example. They became known as 'puffers' because of the sound the simple non-condensing coal fired engines of the very earliest boats made. The drawing contains details of Inchcolm as originally launched, and also as rebuilt around 1930 with an enclosed wheelhouse and a few other small changes. Most puffers were 66 feet long, and this meant that they could travel between the east and west coasts of Scotland through the 70 foot locks of the Firth and Clyde canal, and also the smaller Crinan canal, which saved a long loop around the Mull of Kintyre in Argyll, when sailing to the Western Isles. Some of the later vessels were larger than this though, so that they could carry greater loads and undertake longer coastal voyages, and these were commonly referred to as ‘outside’ boats. The first photo shows an electric powered Inchcolm, and the second a Cheddar Pintail powered example. Some ingenuity is needed with steam powered models because of the rearward funnel location, and in this model the builder took an easy way out, mounting the boiler over the propeller shaft, with the steam engine underneath the hold in front of it.
Hull length Beam Scale
810mm 225mm 1/24th
32” 9”
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£80.50 | KM13 |
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T.I.D. Class tug
Almost two hundred of these austere little single-screw coal-burning steam tugs were built during the later years of WW2 for general towing and lighterage work, largely to replace war losses. The design of the double-chine hulls was very simple with only single-curvature plates, so that the tugs could be prefabricated in eight standard sections and assembled, often on in the open on river banks, by relatively unskilled labour. I have a copy of the original specification, which reveals that TID tugs were built to a surprisingly high standard, with ‘good quality hardwood’ used throughout the crew accommodation. As with the rather more sophisticated H.S. tugs from WW1, many vessels that survived were eventually sold to civilian owners, where most TIDs were eventually converted to burn oil fuel rather than coal, and many of them operated well into the 1980's. The straight lines and the small number of very straightforward fittings make this a very simple scale model. There are both 1/24th and 1/20th scale versions of this hull, which is equally suited to steam or electric power. The first and third photos show examples of model TID tugs built with open and enclosed bridges. The second photo shows 890mm and 1170mm hulls together, the difference in size is greater than it appears, as the larger hull is farther away. The last photo shows one of the larger size 1170mm TIDs built by Belgian modeller Jacques Callewaert, and fitted with a steam engine that he designed and constructed himself.
Hull lengths 890mm 35" 1070mm 42”
beam 220mm 9 ” 270mm 10½”
scale 1/24th 1/20th | £65.00 | KM34 |
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MiniVap
The Tender was the first of our MiniVap/Ministeam hulls, and it measures 535mm long by 165mm beam. The hull is roomy enough to make fitting out relatively easy for this class of model, and it has plenty of reserve buoyancy. It is also stable, and handles like a dream. Cheddar Models run one of these as a demo model for their Kompact steam plant, which can be seen in the cutaway view, and this Cheddar demonstration model is the one shown in the photos below. Other examples built by our customers are performing well in Ministeam competitions, mostly with Cheddar and S.V.S. power units, but also with some other small steam units, and a considerable number have also been built with electric power.
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£50.50 | KM14 |
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Neptune 36ft
This is a very close to scale version of a modern twin-screw trawler yacht, a type of boat that has become increasingly popular by providing high standards of sea-worthiness together with spacious and comfortable accommodation. The full-size versions of this particular example were originally built in Taiwan, from where they were imported into the UK by Neptune Yachts of Southampton. The hull is moulded with bulwarks and rubbing strips, the full central keel, and also the two propeller shaft outlets. Twin 385 type motors are all that is needed to power the model in a realistic manner, and if you like working with intricate deck planking, you’ll enjoy building this model. The example of Neptune in the first photo was built by Canadian Bill Burtwell, and it’s shown sailing on a lake in Calgary, Alberta.
Hull length 740mm 29”
beam 270mm 10½”
scale 1/15th | £67.99 | KM35 | |
Cigarette 36
(light blue hull at front) is an accurate model of the Don Aronow designed 36 foot offshore deep-vee racing powerboat hull, many of which used to perform in races like the Cowes Torquay Cowes classic with names like KAAMA and Dry Martini. The only slight deviation from scale is the addition of an outward flange around the top edge to make construction simpler, and to strengthen the hull-deck joint. This hull has been raced successfully in model offshore and rough water events. No other mouldings or plans are available for this design.
Hull length 1005mm 39½”
beam 305mm 12”
scale 1/11th
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£81.50 | KM15 |
 | Duncan, Thames
Classic steam launches like this 1906 example, were once a common sight on the River Thames, where a few examples still survive today. This model design was based fairly closely on one such survivor, which bears the name Victoria, but as this isn’t an exact scale model, it has been re-named Duncan. The only significant deviation from scale has been an increase in the freeboard, though this is not really obvious on the finished model. Although electric power is equally suitable for this model, it was really designed to show off a suitable model steam plant to advantage, and units like Cheddar’s Puffin and Pintail are ideal. The elegant hull is moulded with a rounded scooped-out tunnel stern, a feature intended to reduce the draught of the full-size boat by raising the propeller arc, as well as the keel and rubbing strip around the deck edge. A full-length moulding for the canopy, as shown in the side-view drawing, is also available. In the first photo, the builder has used a horizontal boiler with the steam engine mounted forward of it, so that the prop shaft runs underneath the boiler. Hull length : 1150mm 45”
beam : 230mm 9”
scale : 1/8th |
£110.15
inc
canopy | KM36 | |
FAIRMILE B, (NP) WW2 motor launch. 1/24th 56.”x 9” No plan |
£97.99 | KM17 |
 | Port of London The small single-screw diesel tug Charles Edward was built in 1958, and was one of a large fleet of tugs operated by the Port of London Authority, and smaller towage companies, before the nature of shipping on the River Thames was changed forever by the introduction of containerisation. This created new ports like Tilbury that were closer to the open sea, and could handle much larger ships. Before cargoes moved down river in the sixties and seventies, many small tugs like this one could always be seen in and around the London docks. They were employed mainly for towing unpowered barges or lighters, and because these vessels almost always worked in sheltered waters, one typical feature of this type of small tug is the unusually low height of the bulwarks. This makes quite a simple tug with few fittings, and the hull has also been used to model a number of other small tugs and harbour and canal boats which tend to share the same basic hull form.
Hull length 825mm 32½”
beam 215mm 8½”
scale 1/22nd | £64.99 | KM37 | |
Tarpon Cruiser The Tarpon hull is an elegantly restyled and slightly lengthened version of the popular Santa Barbara hull. The hull was originally produced for the long departed model company Veron to include in one of their many kits, and several thousands of these hulls were supplied to them over the years. Four spray rails have been added to the hull bottom, and the sides have a moulded feature line added. Hulls are all moulded with an outward flange around the top edge, which removes the need for a wood strip or inwale, and it makes fitting a flat plywood deck considerably easier as well as stronger. No specific plans are currently available for the hull, but we can supply a Santa Barbara or P-28 plan with Tarpon hulls for a small additional cost, either of which designs can very easily be adapted.
Hull length 740mm 29”
beam 265mm 10½” |
£50.50 | KM18 |
 | Mascotte,
Bristol Channel pilot cutters had to be both fast and seaworthy to ply their trade, and Mascotte built in 1904 is one of the finest surviving examples of these classic sailing craft. At 60 feet in length one of the largest of her type, Mascotte was built at Newport, and operated out of the ports of Barry and Newport on the south Wales coast. No hull lines were available, but the hull shape is believed to be fairly authentic. The hull has not been deepened or altered in any way, but the model is large enough to be a fine sailer in all but the strongest winds, without the need for any added external keel or ballast, and it was easy to fit the required 8.5kg of lead ballast inside the moulded fibreglass hull of the prototype. A half-size general-arrangement drawing and sail plan is included as standard, but an extensive model construction manual providing complete step by step instructions, is also available as an extra if required. This manual covers every detail of building a sailing model, with drawings of all fittings and comprehensive rigging details. Although quite a large model, it’s designed in such a way that it can be kept fully rigged at all times where space allows. The bowsprit can be retracted and the topmast lowered for transport, so that the model will fit on the rear seat of most medium-sized cars, and it then only takes a minute or two at the pond side to have the model ready for sailing. The first pic shows the hulls as supplied, the second shows the real Mascotte under sail, and the third shows the prototype model, looking so realistic that it could almost be mistaken for the full size boat.
Hull length 1140mm 45”
beam 300mm 12”
scale 1/16th
| £103.10 | KM39 |
 | 1912, Steam yacht tender. Yacht tenders like this one were used for ferrying passengers between the great ocean-going steam yachts and dry land. The earliest tenders were simple steam cutters and picket boats, and many were modified ex-naval craft, but later purpose-built civilian versions became flashily opulent with hardly a visible surface that was not varnished wood or polished brass. This basis for this elegant design is an example built by principal UK builder of such vessels, Simpson Strickland & Co, who had boatyards at Dartmouth in Devon and later also at Teddington on the Thames. The lines of the shapely transom-sterned hull are still very similar to those of a Royal Navy picket boat of the same period. The hull is moulded with full keel and rubbing strip, and the only deviation from scale has been to make the hull somewhat slimmer than the original, and as a result, not a great deal of power is needed to drive this fine-lined hull at realistic speeds. The model is equally suitable for a wide range of electric or steam power plants, and many popular steam units from manufacturers like Cheddar and Stour Valley Steam can be fitted. The model below is another of Dave Dunn’s, this time fitted with an American Gage twin cylinder steam engine with a Cheddar boiler, which is reported to drive the model at well in excess of scale speed with an impressive bow-wave.
Hull length 1145mm 45”
beam 240mm 9½”
scale 1/10th
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£81.50 | | KM42 | |
Mascotte Building manual
comprehensive building manual | £18.00 | KM40 |
 | Swallow yacht Swallow is a semi-scale ocean racing yacht, intended to be very similar in appearance to full size boats, but it is also legal under model 36R rules. It is an enlarged and improved version of a design published some years ago in Model Boats under the name Panache by perhaps the best known and most prolific model boat designer of all time, Vic Smeed, who was then the magazine’s Editor. Panache had a plywood hard chine hull, but all the sections have been accurately rounded off in Swallow to produce a hull shape more similar to full-size racing yachts, and enthusiastically approved of by Vic Smeed himself. Full size drawings for the keel and rudder, together with a half-size sail-plan are supplied. The photo shows my own prototype model at a fairly early stage of construction, the hull having been fitted with wood inwales and deck beams. Although not really competitive against proper purpose designed 36R model racing yachts, it proves a very good fun sailer.
Hull length 915mm 36”
beam 230mm 9”
draught 280mm 11” |
£54.00 | KM19 |
 | Lady Margaret
steam launch 1/8th 45.5” x 12.5" This launch was originally designed for the larger steam plants like Cheddar's Proteus and Gemini, but smaller steam units or electric power are just as suitable. The is essentially a modification of a 1920’s RNLI lifeboat, and fairly fine lines mean that the hull doesn’t need a great deal of power to drive it at realistic speeds. The design is really a collection of features from a number of early 1900's launches, and is not offered as a scale model of any particular vessel. The hull is moulded with keel, stem and sternpost as well as bilge keels. Two half size plans for alternative open & cabin versions are supplied, but many customers have used this hull to produce models with a number of different cabin and cockpit layouts. The first photo shows a model under construction by Ralph Leeder, the style of deck and cabin roof planking probably isn’t very authentic, but it does look attractive.
Hull length 1155mm 45½”
Beam 315mm 12½”
scale 1/8th
| £103.00 | KM41 |
 | MiniVap
These two launches are 540mm long by 170mm beam, and so far they have been the most popular designs in the Ministeam range. Many examples of both these launches and the Steam Yacht have been sailed successfully with Cheddar Kompact steam plants, including some of Cheddar’s own demonstration models. Although the combination performs well, the powerful Kompact plant is one of the heavier units that can be fitted in MiniVap models, so even if the weight the rest of the model is kept down, low freeboard can restrict this pairing to calmer conditions than some other hull/steam plant combinations can cope with. To overcome the problem, a modified version of the launch hull with greater freeboard is also available at no extra charge. Just over 6mm has been added at the stern, and around 10mm amidships, tapering away to nothing at the bows.
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£45.00 | KM20 |
 | Santa Barbara,
These two semi-scale models are mainly intended for less expérience modellers, and those who just want a simple model for everyday sailing with a cheap 545 or similar electric motor. Santa Barbara is a modern fast cruiser, and P-28 is a typical example of a lightly armed patrol or coastguard boat. The hulls are all moulded with an outward flange around the top edge. This removes the need for a wood strip or inwale, and it makes fitting the flat plywood deck considerably easier as well as stronger. The plan shows all construction detail for making the deck and superstructure from ply or plastic sheet, and all these parts are drawn full-size. Model shops can supply many cheap moulded ready made plastic fittings such as vents, bollards, handrails and anchor winches etc. that are suitable for these models if you don’t want to make them yourself. The P-28 patrol launch in the photo has been built almost exactly according to the plan, but has been attractively painted to represent an American Army river gunboat from the Vietnam War period.
Hull length 710mm 28"
beam 265mm 10½”
| £47.00 | KM42 |
 | MiniVap 50, The Tugboat measures 520mm by 170mm. Once again, the basic hull form is a modified version of the original Tender, but the Tugboat has an increased displacement with a slightly fuller and blunter shape at the bow, and bulwarks that lean in all around the hull above the moulded rubbing strip, to give that typical tugboat shape.
It’s also fun and quite easy to come up with your own designs using any of these little Ministeam hulls as a basis, and remember that every one of them is just as suitable for electric power. The Kingston Mouldings home fleet currently contains a Cheddar Kompact powered Gunboat, an S.V.S. powered Steam Yacht, both steam powered of course, and they have recently been joined by a Tugboat with a 4.5v Monoperm electric motor. I’d have to admit that in most respects, this is a much more practical model than the steam powered ones, at least for everyday fun sailing. Steam has a very special appeal of it’s own, but with the electric model, all you have to do is just switch on and go, as long as you’ve remembered to charge all the batteries of course.
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£50.50 | KM21 |
| P-28, Same as Above | £47.00 | KM43 |
Click on image to go to page with more details | Fairmile D
In full-scale production at last, is a large and magnificent hull moulding for a WW2 Fairmile D MTB/MGB. The D is probably the best known of all the Fairmile boats, and the chosen 1/24th scale does ensure that there are high quality ready-made fittings available from other specialist manufacturers for the guns, and nearly all other items like vents, scuttles and the dinghy. The hull is moulded with full torpedo scallops and all the prominent rubbing strakes that are such a feature of the Fairmile D design, and with fairly minor mods it can be used as the basis for almost any example of this class of WW2 torpedo boats and gunboats, from the first prototype to the last boat constructed. The first photo shows a heavily armed D proceeding slowly somewhere on the south coast of England, possibly in Poole harbour during WW2, with a Sunderland flying boat behind. This particular Fairmile D, 5008 survived the war, not being scrapped until 1956. The next two photos give a good idea of the hull lines and the moulded detail.
Hull length
beam
scale 1470mm
275mm
1/24th
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