I have just started to build the Police Launch that I have had for a while. Work commitments have left me with little time lately but hopefully I can get a good run on this one for a while. I hope to finish it by late July which just leaves me enough time to send it to Hungary so that I can test it.
The kit is said to be good for a beginner. This would be good as many years ago I built a Patrol Torpedo Boat which took me five years. I am currently restoring this one as well but I think that will take most of this year to complete.😁
I have started by buying the speed controller. The motor is a 400 brushed. Probably not going to be too difficult to keep up with this one.
The kit itself is not too bad considering the price, but I do feel that the ABS vacuum formed hull could be of a slightly better quality. Also I am finding the ply wood to be rather brittle. Does anybody have an idea for a good filler to use to fill the chips which will take to acrylic paint.
I have prepared the hull and added the propeller shaft and rudder holes. Care taken here to avoid splits in the plastic. Cellotape on both sides before drilling helps.🤓
I have assembled the internal parts which hold the motor, battery and rudder and also fitted the prop shaft.😲
I will start on the deck and superstructure next.
An additional note about the kit. The instructions are reasonable but they are in black and white which is not helpful considering they are photograph based with text. I found a PDF on the web which is in full colour. Why don`t Krick supply this. Surely not that expensive.🤔

It has been a busy time at work which means that I have very limited time to build at the moment. All things considered all is going well.
I have started the superstructure. The components are requiring a lot of additional work to fit them. I am glad about this as it is all good experience. My sandpaper and files are glowing due to over use.
I have found a very useful filler at my local model shop made by Red Devil. it is extremely light and sets in a very short time; ten minutes. it says that it can be painted after ten minutes. Don`t think I will test this.
I have fitted the deck and sanded down the hull sides to match. I think the weather is almost good enough to start the painting. I am still a little concerned about this particularly with the use of masking tape. I am worried that the previous layers which are covered by the tape will peel on removal. Can anybody tell me how long to allow paint to dry before applying tape and how long can the tape stay in place. I am using Tamiya tape.
I have decided to illuminate most of the lights and will make a module for flashing the blue light. I have lots of electronic components here as I enjoy making prototype circuits. Unfortunately, my love of making these boards is not matched with a knowledge of exactly how they work so I am sure I will be asking for help with the circuit diagram. I have all the components here.🤓
Well that all for now. I am currently constructing all of the deck items. This I find more difficult due to the manipulation of very small parts having

sausage fingers

. Must buy more tweezers!!😊

Well another few weeks have passed and the build is progressing well even though work has taken up most of my time recently.
I have started painting now and as expected, finding it difficult. Due to the time limit I have, only five days left, I have had to cut a few corners. Sorry Doug, I will try harder next time.
I have decided to finish all of the parts before Friday and take them to Hungary with me to assemble. Not quite what I had planned, but I think there will be less or no breakage.
I have added colour LED`s to the navigation lights also. I also have switches operated by the Radio.
The Radar turns using an additional geared 6v motor and the water cannon will be working also...I hope.
I include a few pictures to bring the build up to date. Trials should be in two weeks so long as I do not leave something important at home.
I will add the final build pictures and video the event if I can finish in time.😉

Well, best laid plans and all that. Things have not gone too well.
I managed to transport the boat in pieces to Hungary as planned. That is where the plans changed slightly. The plan was to have a trial on the river by the end of my holiday. I was rudely interupted by beautiful weather so I spent a lot of time in the river myself instead.
I have started to assemble the superstructure and completed the radar, which turns rather realistically when under power. I have added coloured LED`s to the navigation lights. I have mostly completed the painting and laquering. I assembled the hand rails but still have to paint them.
I started to look into the electrics but had to stop when I found that the pump I purchased was not suitable for purpose. I put the pump under test and it only appears to work if fully submerged. Not really useful for a boat. I will search for a replacement.🤔
Just a small note, I have now found that the superstructure has warped slightly during painting. I fitted it really closely before painting but now it has twisted slightly. Very disappointed but never mind.😤
As I am now home until Christmas, there will be no further progress until then. I may not be able to trial until April as our river is often frozen at Christmas.
Well I could not help myself and bought another kit. This next one is different and should be easier. it will be a Pilots boat. At the same time, I will now continue with the PTB refurbishment.🤓

We have now arrived in Hungary for our Christmas break at our house. I have started to work towards completion, finally, of the Police Launch. During the Summer, I did complete the initial electrical connections for the radio, battery and motor and gave it a try on the river. It went well but I was a little disappointed with the speed. I will probably upgrade to a brushless motor at a later date.
Today I fitted the railings, added two of the ladders and then started on the windows only to find that I had left the canopy glue in the UK. Never mind I will have to add a trip to the model shop in Budapest to our itinerary. What hardships I have to endure.😁😁. I have now connected all of the lighting on the superstructure to a nine pin connector.
Tomorrow I plan to prepare the wiring and circuit board box which will reside in the hull. This will keep me busy for a while as I have a lot to fit into a small box.

I completed the main wiring looms during this break. I am using rather small enclosures as there is not a lot of room in the hull which has resulted in two being required. The main box holds a circuit board carrying all of the resistors for the lighting and a second circuit board with the flashing light module. The second box holds all of the connections to the RC switches which are on the outside. The connections for the pump and radar motor are also installed.
I hope to complete this project during my Spring visit. All that needs doing is to add the glasing and finalise the electrical connections. There are a few more deck items to add but they are ready and only left off as I am sure I would knock them off. A final water test would then follow.

During the Christmas break I was able to continue with the Police Launch. I finally remembered to take the canopy glue with me to Hungary.
I cut the glazing carefully with a pair of sharp scissors. All of the glazing came as a single sheet with both sides protected with a thin film. After cutting the pieces out, I shaped them to miss some of the protruding glue I had added for strength at strategic positions where the curved roof met the side walls. After peeling off one side of the film, glue was very carefully added to the wood, where possible, and to the window where not so possible. I found that the glue went tacky quite quickly so holding in place by hand was minimal, about one minute each piece. The results are ok. Once all of the pieces were fitted, I removed the inner protection.
Next job was to complete the fitting of roof items. Just a quick silly question. What are the two slotted rails on the roof for? Are they for tying things down? I have now also fitted the ladder to the roof.
When I return in May, I will complete this project and give it its fully built trial and a short video. I will also conclude this log at that time. The only things to do are to complete the wiring of the pump and radar motors, fit some of the deck fittings and add transfers.

Finally, I have managed to get the new house nearly completed. I can now spend more time building, at last!! I have decided to complete the Police Launch first. I estimate about a week of work to complete.
I decided some time ago that the solid drive connection I was using was not suitable for a permanent arrangement. Although alignment was good, there was a vibration when the motor ran at full speed (which I must say seems to be around 10 RPM (Revs per month)). The only issue that remained was that the Krick device I like to use is 5mm at one end, with a reducer sleeve to 4mm and 4mm at the other end with a reducer sleeve to 3.2mm at the other. The shaft is 4mm so that was good, the motor though is 2.3mm. I had to make another reducer to fit inside the one supplied. I knew I bought the machines for a reason.
First, I found a piece of 3,2mm diameter brass tube and drilled a 2.3mm diameter hole up the centre. The original hole was only 2mm diameter. I then moved to my milling machine and slotted the new sleeve using a 1mm diameter end mill. Unfortunately all of the collets I purchased for the milling machine do not fit. They are R8 and are located with a slot down the length of the collet. The slots are too small and will require modifying. The chuck is the only item that fits so as it was such a small cutter cutting brass, I carried on.
The assembly worked really well. I greased the prop shaft and reassembled. What a difference. In future I will set the alignment with a fixed unit and when fully fitted, will change to a Krick flexible joint.
The next job will be to make two new boards to hold the POLICE signs.

I have now taken stock of exactly where I am on this model as it has been a long break. I decided to make a list of

things to do

but very quickly, it was starting to grow and grow. I had to make the Police sign boards which I was aware of as I had lost the originals some time earlier. The front hatch was not made and most of the deck fittings were not completed.
I bought some Balsa wood sheet to make the two boards. I cut them out with a sharp modelling knife but no matter how careful I was I could cut it easily along the grain but chipped it every time when cutting across the grain. Any ideas for the future to stop this would be greatly appreciated. I decided, after several attempts, to use the best two and fill the chips with a fine filler. After sanding these looked good.
I painted them and then tried to

follow the instructions

on fitting them. They are foil letters and the instructions stated to tape across the tiop of the letters leaving them exactly placed as designed. The backing then had to be removed leaving the letters in place on the tape. I found that the letters were well too stuck on to the backing and they moved. I was left with placing all of the lettering by hand one at a time. I think it looks ok and if you think any are out of alignment, I will blame the photo.😁
I made the hatch from a piece of waste ply and bent handles. The hinges were with the kit but I think they are too large. Too late now.
I then fitted most of the deck fittings and completed painting and fitting the horns. I also touched up some of the white paint. The model looks quite nice I think.
The next update will be the last on this model. I will wait for a calm day and place it in the river and make a short video.
Peter.

I have now finished placing all of the remaining fittings except for the search light. The light that came with the kit is rather sad so I decided to buy a replacement that will work. I have now also found out how to work my Taranis transmitter a little better. I now understand just how important the mixer menu is. Nothing changes unless you programme the mixer. With this new found knowledge and just before the video of the completed item is done, I am going to rewire the boat slightly so that I can have all six functions working separately instead of two together as I have it now. This is possible now that I have replaced the receiver with an eight channel jobby.
I am very happy with the results and have learned an awful lot whilst making it. There are a few things I could have done better, such as sanding sealer on the wood prior to painting.
There will be a final conclusion update once I have the model electrics updated and a good weather day with low wind.
Peter.