Looking for help with a project? Here is a collection of links that might help....
Clubs and Organizations:
Local Vendors:
Homeport Model Ships. Owned by clubmember Eric Bertelsen. Specializes in 1/96 scale warships. Based in Beverly, MA, Homeport is doing some cutting-edge work in 3-D printing.
Piel Craftsmen. Nautical model and gift shop based in Newburyport, MA.
Spare Time Shop. Hobby shop in Marlboro, MA, primarily plastic models and supplies.
RC Buyers Warehouse. Nashua, NH. RC shop focused on aircraft and helicopters mostly, but has many items of use to an RC boater.
Precision Scale Model Engineering. Owned by clubmember Larry Milo. Over 60,000 items-- tools, motors, gears, materials, lights, and much more.
Other Suppliers:
Scale Shipyard. Large collection of fiberglass hulls, mostly warships in 1/96 scale.
Bluejacket Shipcrafters. High quality RC and display model kits.
Dumas Products. Probably the best-known name in the hobby?
MACK Products. Speed boats, scale boats, sailboats, and all sorts of supplies.
Loyalhanna Dockyard. They carry everything-- hulls, kits, fittings, running gear, and more. New owner of Taubman Plans.
Northwest Shortline. Model railroad supply company. Their HO scale nylon universal joints are useful for connecting small motors to small diamer prop shafts. Look at page 2-3 in their online catalog.
Barracuda RC Boats. Specializes in wood frame kits for building a plan-on-frame hull. Subjects include classic runabouts as well as larger ships in 1/72 and 1/96 scales.
Strike Models. Supplier of 1/144 scale RC warship kits, hulls, and supplies. Builders looking for 1/144 scale hulls will find a wide variety of warships hulls.
RC Engineer: Maker of 1/144 scale laser cut frame kits to build hulls. Intended for RC combat, but the hulls could be the starting point for a scratchbuilt model. One unusual offering is the 1/48 scale USS Constitution hull.
Battlers' Connection: More 1/144 scale warship hulls and supplies for RC combat.
Pat's Custom Models. Small collection of plans of smaller boats, inclusing some famous ones such as the boats from the TV series "Gilligan's Island", and the movies "Jaws" and "Father Goose".'
Ulrich Models. Figures in various scales.
BP Mouldings. A UK-based provided of nautical figures, mostly fishing boat and merchant ships, in 1/24, 1/32, and 1/48 scales.
Osborn Model Kits. Canadian company with an interesting collection of classic wooden boats.
Zippkits. Makers of Tugster kits-- "Springer class" tugs.
Tippecanoe Boats. A fun collection of small pond sailers and larger RC sailboats.
Wye River Models. Plank on frame models of classic Chesapeake Bay boats,.
Resources and Forums:
RC Groups Scale Boats Forum. Some very helpful modelers posting here.
Model Boats Magazine. A UK-based magazine, one of the best available.
Warship Models Underway. Primary focus is 1/96 scale RC models of warships. Lots of great "build threads" posted in the forum.
Seaways Ships in Scale. A US-based magazine with a primary focus on historical display models, but some RC content as well.
Modeler's Workbench. Jerry Glickstein's shop tips and tricks for model ship builders.
Paddleducks. The place for modelers of paddlewheel-powered vessels from around the world.
Model Boat Mayhem. UK based site for all aspects of RC boating.
Old River Bill's RC Towboats. Site dedicated to the towboats and other craft of the US Inland Rivers.
The Subcommittee. The place to start if you're interested in RC submarines!
Coast Guard Tug Association. A site dedicated to the history of the various tugboats used by the Revenue Cutter Service and the US Coast Guard.
Royal Navy Color Reference Chart. A nice chart showing the various colors used by the RN in WW2.
US Coast Guard Plans and Drawings. The USCG Historian's Office has a nice selection of plans and drawings in .pdf format for download.
Area Clubs:
USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild. Charlestown, MA. Static ship modeling club, with a an emphasis on age of sail.
Minuteman Model Yacht Club. Needham, MA. RC Sailboat club.
Greater Worcester Model Yacht Club. Worcester, MA. RC Sailboat club.
Charles River RCers. AMA-chartered RC airplane club, hosts of the semi-annual Float Plane Fly-ins that the MMC often attends.
IPMS Patriot Chapter, Billerica, MA. Local plastic scale modeling club.
Note: These links are provided as a public service. We do not have personal experience with all of them, we are just listing them for your convenience.
