Force9

The Bilge Keel The kit provided bilge keels are – no surprise – subpar. No hate on Trumpeter here… It’s nearly impossible to create an accurate keel using injection molding. It’d be too thin and would likely warp as it cooled on the sprue. So, the kit version is very thick/heavy and lacks any of the detail that the actual keel would show. Here is what TITANIC – TSM shows for these keels: You can see that we need thinner representations with doubling strips top and bottom along with a narrow cope along the outer edge of the underside. I think there have been 3D print versions for these, but that seems like overkill. These are very easy to scratch build at minimal cost. Any modeler can (and should) make these. I purchased some Styrene T pieces from PLASTRUCT: These are long – 24” – so that I don’t need to combine smaller lengths. Just trim the piece to fit the outline on the model. I found these at the nearby Model Railroad store. Those guys build model bridges with this stuff. First, I shaped the curvature on both ends using my hobby knife and a quick pass with a medium metal file. Next, I dipped into my stash for various strips to add the cope and doubling/reinforcement: I’ll use the wider .080” strip for the top surface and the slightly smaller .060” on the underside. That’ll generally align to what the TSM diagram shows. A quick test fit to confirm that the basic dimensions align to what is needed for the scale: Couldn’t be easier to lay down the topside .080“ styrene strip… Just rest it in position against the inner corner of the T, apply some thin cement, and let the capillary action fill in underneath. It takes two pieces to cover the distance. I just matched the factory ends together for a tight fit. The seam is basically invisible. Let the smaller length extend a bit beyond the end of the T piece and trim to fit after it sets. Flip it over and do the same on the underside using the .060” strip. Finally add the .010” x .020” cope to the underside edge. I used a small metal ruler to help align to the edge as I applied cement: The underside completed: A meaningful improvement over the kit version, I think. It just takes a few minutes to whip these together. Fun to build for anyone wanting to try a little scratch building on their Titanic. I’ve decided to hold off a bit longer on installation… These would be vulnerable as I continue to flip the hull around on various other add-ons. The starboard after well deck bulwark is up next. Cheers, Evan

@MisterMeester Thanks Mark. I continue to try to get smarter about the details of the Titanic. I've got some catching up to do. Cheers Evan

@MisterMeester Love seeing the progress... And I appreciate the observation that improving the kit accuracy is likely to be a never ending quest. I do, however, like the choices you're making in the near term. (and I see that you've figured out the Mini-Brass TEMPLATE provided for the placement of the discharge openings. Interesting how many modelers think that is an additional part to be placed somewhere on the model!) Fun stuff Cheers Evan

The Gangway doors A quick thought exercise… The future positioning of the open Gangway door on my model is a bit of a puzzle. My initial understanding was that these gangway doors were REMOVABLE… slide out the upper bolts, loosen the detachable iron stays, lift the gangway door away and stack it off to the side while loading cargo. I see these referenced as removable doors in many Titanic forums. This is supported by a caption on a photo in TITANIC THE SHIP MAGNIFICENT book: But alas… This is contradicted by the diagram on the opposite page where these are described by the author as FOLDING gangway doors: Hmm… If these are indeed folding doors, then how do they work? It might make sense that these gangway doors hinge 180 degrees outboard and lie flat against the hull during cargo transfers. That would keep the doors out of the way and the deck clear. But these are heavy and could be problematic to pull back up into position. They could also damage the sides and paint if they swing all the way down. Alternatively, there seem to be photos/video from the wreck showing these gangways swung 90 degrees outboard and resting on their hinges. Presumably the sliding bolts melted away and the detachable iron stays rusted thru leaving these doors hanging precariously outboard. But that can’t be the correct position while loading cargo. They’d be in the way and subject to damage as loads were swung up and inboard by the cranes. Hmm… I think Robert Read provides the answer. His excellent overview of the Titanic Hatch Coamings (“Titanic-Hatch-Coamings-Color” that can be found in his Titanic CAD collection) includes a grainy historic photo showing the handling of cargo on the forward well deck: Have a look at the circled portion of the photo… Aha. We see the gangway door folded inboard and lying flat on the deck with the detachable iron stays protruding out from underneath. Note the white coaming strip and the yellow sheer stripe painted on the outer surface of the gangway door. This seems to undermine the idea that these doors were removable. Instead, it looks like these are folding doors that stay attached to the bulwarks and hinge inward to provide the pass-thru for cargo being swung on board. I’ll replicate this when I eventually reach this stage. Next up – The Bilge Keel: Cheers, Evan

@yvesvidal That might be a full time job! Cheers

@Jeff59 - The hull modifications have not YET pushed me over the edge... Stay tuned. Speaking of temporary insanity - Great to see your progress on the Bismarck. @md1400cs Thanks for keeping up with my build. I appreciate the encouragement. More Starboard Well Deck Bulwark Detail I’ve made progress on the Well Deck. Details have been added to the interior of the bulwark: Sliding bolts, bulwark stay rods, etc. will be added at a later stage. I’ll likely utilize the KA PE versions of the rigging pad eyes. The exterior has also been refined a bit. You can see the doubling strake is in place as well as doubling plates. These plates are only the underlying beds at this point… I will come back and add a top layer to these using the thinnest styrene sheet that will include the rivet pattern. Additionally, the coping strip has now been extended across the new piece using .10” x .20” Styrene strip. This is also added along the top edge of the Fo’c’sle wash plate that was recently added. A bit tricky to keep it straight along the edge – a small metal ruler was a useful guide while gluing. More fun to come. Cheers, Evan

Fo’c’sle Railing Detail Before proceeding I need to attend to another detail up forward… Around the Fo’c’sle there should be a lip that extends above the deck. It serves as a wash plate and supports the base of the railings. This is not accounted for in our kit, but I think KA or Pontos includes a solution in their photo etch offering. We can see it in the detail of the Father Browne photo referenced earlier: First, I’ll file down a bit of the existing edge of the Trumpeter kit -just down to the existing coping strip. This will allow the new strip to be seated down a bit to be even with the deck. Next, I’ll chisel away the kit coping strip. This'll be added back later: Everything is now prepped to add a strip of angle styrene: I’ll extend it the length of the Fo’c’sle for now… I’ll eventually need to trim it back to allow for the details that affix to the very front of the bow. Lastly, I’ll need to add the new coping strip to the very top outer edge of the angle strip. This should all align a bit better to the actual ship than what Trumpeter has in place. Cheers, Evan

Aye @Jeff59... I'll be at this for a while. Should be able to bump up my progress over the holidays. (Looks like you've taken on quite a bit in your Bismarck build... You've gutted her!) Cheers Evan

Ahoy Mark - Looks like some terrific adjustments to bring everything into alignment. A tricky business with the overlaps needed for each plate. Great to see the progress. Cheers Evan

The Forward Well Deck Bulwark (Starboard) Time now to install the starboard bulwark replacement… Let’s see how it fits. I made the section a bit longer on the aft end so that I could carefully file the end a bit at a time to get a perfect fit. Once satisfied, I first cemented down the forward upright side – paying particular attention to aligning the facing of the new section with the outboard hull edge. Next, I cemented down three strips along the base and lined up the new piece with the hull across the bottom – again paying particular attention to exact alignment to the outer hull surface. Since there is a slight curve to the hull along this edge, I divided the strip into three sections so that there wouldn’t be any tension pushing outward along the length of the new bulwark. Lastly, I cemented the aft edge to align with the edge of the hull – paying particular attention… blah, blah. The small gaps are fine… easily filled in and smoothed over at a later step. You can see the significant improvement in the scale width of the bulwark. Not to say it is exact to what the true scale would need to be – but close enough for me. Using the .020” sheet gives enough stiffness to work without the risk of warping when the inner details are applied. I did not add the inner stiffeners and other details “off the model” ahead of installation. That would be wasted effort if for some reason I messed up the fit and alignment of the new section and had to start over. (ask me how I know) Instead, I’ll add those details in situ after I’m satisfied with the fit. The gap that is created with the thinner bulwark will be handled with filler pieces. Once the Scaledecks piece is in place, the space will get filled with the “Limber Board” that overlays on top of the deck along the inboard edge of the bulwark. I’ll follow up to show some of the detail in place, then move on to the aft well deck starboard bulwark. Cheers, Evan

The Forward Well Deck The Well Decks were a key feature of many steamers during the period when the Olympic class were built. These decks were optimized for handling cargo and included large hatchways and service cranes. The decks were situated lower down at the Shelter Deck (C deck) level to minimize the distance that cargo would need to be hoisted. To further ease the process, the Well Deck bulwarks included gangway doors that opened to create a pass thru so that cargo didn’t need to be hoisted over the bulwarks. There seems to be some confusion with some Titanic modelers about passenger access to these decks… Certainly, these would be restricted areas and off limits to passengers while dockside and cargo handling was ongoing, but once everything was stowed below and the hatches were battened down and the tugs were easing the ship out into the harbor channel, these became the open promenades for the third-class passengers. We can see passengers lingering on the Well Decks in multiple photos... The famous Father Browne photo of the tugs pushing Titanic away from the unmoored steamer New York clearly shows third class passengers at the railing of the forward well deck. Take notice of what we DON’T see in the photo… Women or children. I don’t think they were restricted from using the forward well deck as a promenade, but the forward berthing below this area was set aside primarily for unaccompanied gentlemen traveling in third class. (I think married couples traveling in third-class without children could also be berthed in the forward section). Hence the concentration of men in this area. Third class families and single ladies were berthed in the after part of the ship. Something to keep in mind for modeler’s wanting to add figures to their decks. The first order of business is to address the overscale thickness of the forward well deck bulwarks. These thick sides would make the Yamato envious. It really detracts from the overall accuracy of the kit. I hate ‘em. I’ve got to solve for this. I determined that I could remove a section and replace it with thinner styrene versions using .020” sheet. It may be that thinner sheet (.015” or .010”) could be used to get even closer to true scale, but I felt the risk of warping was too high. Firstly, I created an outline of the existing bulwark onto the sheet: This was cut and filed to shape and positioned into a hastily assembled jig to help keep the piece aligned while the wash ports were marked using the KA brass version: I carefully cut out the marked wash ports using the edge of a sharp micro-chisel that closely matched the required dimension. This piece became the “master” that was used going forward to create the versions that would be used on the kit. Using the master, I first created a mockup to test the application of detail on the inner and outer surfaces. I wanted to make sure that the thin piece did not warp or otherwise get distorted when I glued the details onto the inboard side or when I etched the outline of the doors on the outboard side. All good. You’ll notice that I have opted to include an opening for a gangway door. I think this’ll make the model more informative and visually interesting. I did a test fit before I removed the kit bulwark to make certain the wash ports align. The area is marked for removal and the drill fitted with a small diameter drill bit – not too small, but small enough to allow for accurate and precise holes. Those of you who are squeamish will need to avert your eyes: Next up was the heavy file: Then the finer file: Lastly a small detail file for the corners: Remnants of the partially sliced doubling straps were chiseled away: Nice clean outline – ready for the new bulwark. This is fun - stay tuned. Cheers, Evan

Hello @md1400cs - Thanks for your continued interest! I think that plastic kits have advantages for certain ships - particularly large scale representations like the Trumpeter Titanic. However, they do generally have the associated disadvantage of the injection molding process - some contours just don't come out right. The level of detail that photo etch and 3d resin provides is next level - but has also bled over into high end wood kits as you well know. I remember a note from Chris Watton on my Revell Constitution calling out the excellent detail that can be added with styrene scratch building. All done in the interest of improving the interest and accuracy of our models! And yes - I'll likely add a 3rd party wooden deck. I have both the KA and Scaledecks at hand to choose from. Thanks also to everyone for the LIKES. Much appreciated. Check back this weekend for new updates - thinning out the Well Deck bulwarks. Cheers, Evan

Ahoy Mark... It is great to see all of the details associated with this plating kit from Maritime Models. It looks to be a terrific solution and your insights will surely help those who follow behind you... Should save lots of confusion and wasted effort for future modelers. My understanding is that some folks have come along behind and sanded down some of the prominent edges where the plates overlap to better blend everything to match the kit. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the result. Cheers, Evan

Thanks all for the likes! Double Strakes I added some styrene strips to represent the additional double strakes along the upper hull. These are only represented with faint outlines on the kit – likely a last minute addition by Trumpeter. The locations of these appear to accurately align with Robert Read’s ship profile drawings: I’ll assume that these were part of the suggestions submitted by the Titanic Honor and Glory folks and Trumpeter tried to accommodate them without completely redoing the initial plastic injection molds. I sized some strips from a sheet of .010” styrene and used a sharp blade to cut the angled shape of each end. I’ll come back along and fill the narrow gaps with thinned Tamiya Putty before priming the hull. Very simple to do and adds some good detail. Cheers, Evan

Hello Everyone... The summer heat has abated and I have been able to get back into the garage workshop and work comfortably... I've been busy. Let me start catching folks up on my project... 1st Class Lobby Entry Doors To add more “depth” to the model, I’ll be cutting open various doors and hatches to reveal some of the ship's interior. The first-class entry lobbies are a good place to start. Initially I just opened the doorways on the kit: But this exposed the thick plastic sides… Probably not a big deal for some of the other doorways I’ll open, but these doors have some ornate gates that I’d like to add, and I want to thin things out a bit… So, some surgery is needed. I used a drill to remove the area around the doors (but NOT the top or bottom edges) and filed the edges smooth. Then I carefully matched the dimensions using thin Styrene (.015”) to fill the opening and size the door openings. Everything is supported from behind with some small angle strips: Next, I used a 1.0mm Riveting wheel to replicate the rivet pattern onto the back of .005” styrene sheet and trimmed to match. Flipped it over and aligned the edges to match the kit then glued the .005” on to the underlying .015” elements. The edges weren’t perfect, so some Tamiya putty was smeared into the gaps and filed smooth. Here’s where it stands now: Likely needs some fine tuning after a coat of primer. Cheers, Evan