Vosper Hydrofoil MTB - 1/72

[Rick Lowe]

Had you thought of using the Airfix 6-Pounder for basing the gun around?

Sure did, but did not have one on hand. I got rid of all my 72/76 Scale wargames stuff.
Certainly was not going to buy one just for this.

Ah, I see your problem. Fair enough. Maybe someone here could help? I would offer one of my spares, but postage has gone up like a rocket..
Where abouts are you?

[Charlie_c67]

Initial release was in 1972 ... I was 10,

Mere child, I was courting 

I was testing tilting trains, or trying to anyway, when the unions let us......

I was burning the midnight oil in Lancaster, trying to get essays in on time................

There was a 1972? 

[Rick Lowe]

Initial release was in 1972 ... I was 10,

Mere child, I was courting 

I was testing tilting trains, or trying to anyway, when the unions let us......

I was burning the midnight oil in Lancaster, trying to get essays in on time................

There was a 1972? 

Yes, yes there is... each and every night... ;-P

[Old Wombat]

You're sure about that, Rick?

[tahsin]

Nice going.

I remember reading ages ago that fully submerged foils would work only if the boat had an FBW level control more akin to the fhen new teen series of fighters.

[PR19_Kit]

That's correct, the V shaped, surface piercing foils of the Roderiquez and Kometa type hydrofoils are stable as they generate more left as the foil becomes more submerged, and vice versa.

Fully submerged foils generate the same lift all the time, depending on their angle of attack, and need an external control signal to change that angle in order to produce more or less lift.

[Rick Lowe]

You're sure about that, Rick?

Well, I was at the time... in my defense, it was one in a series of sleep-deprived nights and the counting skills were a bit FUBAR...
So, I would like to have the attempt at humour stricken from the record, your honour.

[buzzbomb]

Well down the track of the painting stage. Sort of keeping in RW zone as far as that goes.



Decided to bump the front Torpedo tubes after some hand wringing about torpedo launch + Hydrofoil proximity +/- Speed=Kaboom !
it all got too hard so went with the rear tubes anyway shorter, deeper Foils, improved launch distance,  stuff like that to rationalize them working.
Actually fits a bit more for the timeline as the RW Vospers with heavier armament did drop the front tubes, also as pointed out, there was a lack of suitable targets.
Did add some Thornycroft (or approximation of same) Depth Charge Launchers, which would definitely clear the Hydrofoil zone.
AMS made me replace the radar antenna with wire
Base is in the shop and in drying time, waiting for the deck rail staunchions to dry off before fitting thread, rigging etc etc. Still a bit of a way to go

[Rick Lowe]

Coming along very nicely!

Yeah, after the war the boats could be configured as MTB or MGB; the difference being heavier guns and fewer tubes for the MGB fit.
(Source, a mid-1970s Airfix Magazine article on the post-war Vospers.)

[AndrewF]

That's looking really good!

[PR19_Kit]

Most impressive!

I can just see one of those burbling out of Haslar Creek and out of Portsmouth Harbour hull-borne, and then opening up heading past Clarence Pier up on the foils! What a magnificent sight that would have been. 

[Old Wombat]

She's looking really nice, BT!

However, although it may just be the angle, I'm a bit concerned about the (rear) tubes launching into the front foils.

[AndrewF]

She's looking really nice, BT!

However, although it may just be the angle, I'm a bit concerned about the (rear) tubes launching into the front foils.

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind as well - if the torpedo didn't launch correctly for some reason it could smash into the front foil... I think forward tubes would have been a safer solution?

[buzzbomb]

She's looking really nice, BT!

However, although it may just be the angle, I'm a bit concerned about the (rear) tubes launching into the front foils.

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind as well - if the torpedo didn't launch correctly for some reason it could smash into the front foil... I think forward tubes would have been a safer solution?

Me too, it was part of the giving up on the whole wringing of hands thing and handing over to the suspension of belief and magic of whiffery.
The total number of actual MTB on Hydrofoils appears to be close to zero, more than likely for exactly this reason. Once embed in the base a lot of the issues we all see will be out of sight.

[scooter]

She's looking really nice, BT!

However, although it may just be the angle, I'm a bit concerned about the (rear) tubes launching into the front foils.

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind as well - if the torpedo didn't launch correctly for some reason it could smash into the front foil... I think forward tubes would have been a safer solution?

2 pence?  It'd probably be no different than centerline torpedo launchers on a destroyer sending them out in that cone close to the ship.  Modify the potential back story to change the launching charge to that off a destroyer.

Me too, it was part of the giving up on the whole wringing of hands thing and handing over to the suspension of belief and magic of whiffery.
The total number of actual MTB on Hydrofoils appears to be close to zero, more than likely for exactly this reason. Once embed in the base a lot of the issues we all see will be out of sight.