MODELLTEICH
The harbor module
As my fleet has grown steadily over the years, I wanted to find a suitable harbor module to make maneuvering in my home basin a little more exciting. Looking at the various scales in my model collection, I decided on the 1:18 scale, although this also goes well with 1:20 models, for example. Basically, the layout should consist of a central harbor area on a foam board and be expandable via attached walkways. After a short period of planning on the drawing board, I started to design a suitable plate, the central features of which are a small harbor shed and the associated cargo crane. The building was designed using 4mm plywood panels, which were given a Scandinavian look using thin strips. It was painted in the typical Falun red and aged using oil paints and sandpaper. The roof is made of sealed corrugated cardboard with a rust finish.
Left, the shed in unfinished state. Right, aging effects for authentic harbor flair
The foam board on which the building and the crane stand was treated with the help of a hot wire and granite effect paint to achieve a rock look. One side of the surface was clad with thin wooden strips, while the other was covered with fine granules. Here too, weathering effects were incorporated using acrylic paints. The crane is an in-house construction consisting essentially of three micro-servos: one for raising and lowering the crane arm, a 360-degree servo for rotating the entire cockpit and a further 360-degree servo for winding and unwinding the crane cable. A test setup was first created to test the mechanics. Once everything was working smoothly, a crane housing with a three-legged platform was built around the mechanism. The crane arm is a construction of soldered brass tubes. The crane's control electronics are housed in the harbor building, the cables to the crane run in a hidden shaft under the cover plate of the harbor module.
Left, the soldered crane arm. Center, finished harbor crane. Right, installation of the crane on the harbor module
While the harbor building was designed to be removable so that all the electronics could be accessed, the crane was firmly attached to the base plate for stability reasons. The crane was given a rust patina and the base plate was visually enhanced with tufts of grass and weeds. Next came the construction of the footbridge leading from the slab out onto the water. This consists of emptied cola cans, which were sealed airtight with hot glue and treated with a rust color. A construction made of stained strips was placed on top of this. A connector plug ensures that electricity can be fed from the base plate via the bridge to any other modules.
Recycling in model making: The jetty made from Coke cans and strips,
The harbor was intended to provide a bit of fun in addition to the pure mooring and unmooring, which is why more and more special functions were added in the course of construction: in addition to the remote-controlled crane, the exterior and interior lighting of the building can be switched, a steam generator provides smoke from the chimney and the small side door of the shed can be opened and closed by servo. A small changing room has been set up behind this door where a lady is changing her clothes and looks out startled when the door opens. A simple function that has already caused many smiles...
Other figures enliven the harbor and create a lively atmosphere.
The inhabitants of the harbor. Small stories can be hinted at through the use of figures
Once the basic module and the jetty had been built, I thought about how the module could be extended to create a more sheltered harbor basin on the one hand and to integrate another theme into the layout on the other. I decided to add a pier light at the end of the jetty. This was again to stand on a polystyrene base and be connected to the existing jetty at a 90-degree angle with a short walkway. After briefly researching pier lights, I decided on an octagonal, tapered base body. Although this looks good, the various angles mean there are a few construction pitfalls. I used 4 mm plywood for the material and the access door was made from polystyrene. The upper platform of the pier light was fitted with a railing soldered from wire. The glazing of the later signal light consists of a used cosmetic bottle, on which a dome made of a polystyrene hemisphere is mounted. Contrary to the original idea of drawing power from the main module via cables, the pier light was now designed to be battery-operated and can simply be placed on the base using small magnets.
The pier light in its raw form. On the right, the corresponding base which can be coupled to the jetty
After completing the pier light, a few more additions were made to the main module: a seagull is now doing circles above the roof of the shed and a small petrol pump has found its place on the pier. The modular harbor is now complete. I'm delighted with the harmonious atmosphere it creates and the variety it brings to operations thanks to its numerous functions. Who knows, maybe one day it will be extended with further modules, there are no limits to the imagination.
