Force9

Anthony -
 
Good to see a log open up on the Bluejacket Connie... I've been utilizing some of the Bluejacket kit components for my plastic Revell Constitution in the same scale.
 
I will be watching with great interest!

Hello Jeff - You have an incredible Mikasa and your approach to her presentation looks promising.  Difficult, I'm sure, to get a smooth cut to match the hull contours...!
 
Cheers
Evan

Hello Jeff - You have an incredible Mikasa and your approach to her presentation looks promising.  Difficult, I'm sure, to get a smooth cut to match the hull contours...!
 
Cheers
Evan

Folks
 
I've got the port side bulwarks mostly complete - I'll add a ledge/shelf strip across the top and a few touch ups with a file are needed, but otherwise I'm pleased with the progress:
 

 

 

 

 
The candle in the background is not to set the mood... The dog managed to find a dead fish on the shoreline tonight and reeked to high heaven...  x20x    After a thorough bath in the garage washtub (the DOG, not me!), I needed to light the scented candle (orange flavored, I think) to overlay on the stench before proceeding to my project.
 
Thanks for looking

Drilling Holes
 
Regardless of whether I light the kit or not, I will be drilling out the portholes and inserting fiber optic filament.  Even without lighting the effect will be more realistic and practical for representing the glass.
 
Like many folks, I found my way to the LighthouseLED online store for my filament. I could order by the foot with reasonable shipping costs.  I’ve got 1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm and 2.5mm diameters to work with…
 
I’m not drilling all those holes with a pin vise… no way. Here is a critical tool that I’ve had in my toolkit for a few years – a small Tamiya battery powered drill designed with plastic in mind:
 

 
I bought mine on a Black Friday sale at a steep discount, but still worth the retail price.  (It comes as a kit for easy assembly) 
 
Regular drills and rotary tools have high RPM that creates too much plastic-melting friction… This drill is just right for the job at hand.
 

 
I’ve added a mini chuck for the micro-drill bits.  You’ll also notice that I’ve cut out a strip of thin card paper and folded it back on itself to create a small spring to protect the hull surface from the front of the spinning chuck if I push all the way through during drilling.
 
I am not concerned with exact scale port holes on my model.  I’m working backwards from the filament diameters to determine what size holes to drill.  For the smallest portholes I will use the 1.0mm filament and I want to drill a hole with a tight fit.  I tested on a piece of scrap styrene and determined that the #62 size micro-drill bit is just the ticket.  Not too loose, not too tight.
 

 
Since the smallest portholes don’t need to have a pre-drilled centering hole, I was able to jump right into it…
 

 
Nice clean holes drilled with no issues.  Took me about 45 minutes to complete each side – making sure to hold the drill at 90 degrees to the hull each time.
 
In addition to the kit portholes, I needed to add a few that were missing or needed to be relocated.  These locations were marked with a green Sharpie pen and some Tamiya tape laid down to help with alignment.
 

 
I used a common push pin to center a starter hole to guide the bit:
 

 
The remaining holes were easily finished off and everything looks good… I’ll proceed to the next largest portholes in my next session.
 
Cheers,
Evan

@LAHF1  Ahoy Loni... Thank you for popping in... I appreciate your interest in my Titanic.  I hope you consider adding your perspective in a build log or some other format.  I find that keeping some sort of log helps me to organize my approach and maintain the long view needed to make progress.  Hope you had a great holiday season!
 
 
@Jeff59 You have a great start on gathering some terrific enhancements for the Trumpeter kit... Good stuff.  I'm being cautious about how much investment I need to make on 3rd party add-ons.  At some point they can detract rather than enhance... I'll try to focus on acquiring elements that solve for issues that I can't otherwise handle with some scratch building - or at least gain significant time advantages.  Model Monkey is a terrific resource - I've utilized some MM 3D prints for my Old Ironsides build.  Certainly the Titanic funnels are on my radar.  I do hope that my build helps with your efforts in some small way... At least serve as some sort of inspiration.
 
@NavyShooter I checked in on your Titanic... That is a big boat.  Impressive 3D printing - must've taken days to generate! Thanks again for looking in on my build.  
 
@Roger Pellett Please let us know if Naval architects do discover the necessary engineering needed in order to sailor proof anything that floats. 
 
@md1400cs  I'm happy you found your way here... I suppose at some point I'll have to admit that I'm immersed enough in all of Titanica that I'm another in a long list of Titanicphiles... A fan.  She is a beautiful ship and the circumstances of her end makes for compelling research in my quest to enhance the kit and move it closer to an accurate representation.
 
To that end... I'm gonna double down on the research side of the hobby.  I've decided it was time to join the club:

 
I'm now a proud member of the Guild and have already benefitted from my first Journal issue... A great overview of a FFG build that will inform my own (eventual) kit build... An older brother served on a Perry class frigate while escorting tankers during the Persian Gulf war.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

@LAHF1  Ahoy Loni... Thank you for popping in... I appreciate your interest in my Titanic.  I hope you consider adding your perspective in a build log or some other format.  I find that keeping some sort of log helps me to organize my approach and maintain the long view needed to make progress.  Hope you had a great holiday season!
 
 
@Jeff59 You have a great start on gathering some terrific enhancements for the Trumpeter kit... Good stuff.  I'm being cautious about how much investment I need to make on 3rd party add-ons.  At some point they can detract rather than enhance... I'll try to focus on acquiring elements that solve for issues that I can't otherwise handle with some scratch building - or at least gain significant time advantages.  Model Monkey is a terrific resource - I've utilized some MM 3D prints for my Old Ironsides build.  Certainly the Titanic funnels are on my radar.  I do hope that my build helps with your efforts in some small way... At least serve as some sort of inspiration.
 
@NavyShooter I checked in on your Titanic... That is a big boat.  Impressive 3D printing - must've taken days to generate! Thanks again for looking in on my build.  
 
@Roger Pellett Please let us know if Naval architects do discover the necessary engineering needed in order to sailor proof anything that floats. 
 
@md1400cs  I'm happy you found your way here... I suppose at some point I'll have to admit that I'm immersed enough in all of Titanica that I'm another in a long list of Titanicphiles... A fan.  She is a beautiful ship and the circumstances of her end makes for compelling research in my quest to enhance the kit and move it closer to an accurate representation.
 
To that end... I'm gonna double down on the research side of the hobby.  I've decided it was time to join the club:

 
I'm now a proud member of the Guild and have already benefitted from my first Journal issue... A great overview of a FFG build that will inform my own (eventual) kit build... An older brother served on a Perry class frigate while escorting tankers during the Persian Gulf war.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

@LAHF1  Ahoy Loni... Thank you for popping in... I appreciate your interest in my Titanic.  I hope you consider adding your perspective in a build log or some other format.  I find that keeping some sort of log helps me to organize my approach and maintain the long view needed to make progress.  Hope you had a great holiday season!
 
 
@Jeff59 You have a great start on gathering some terrific enhancements for the Trumpeter kit... Good stuff.  I'm being cautious about how much investment I need to make on 3rd party add-ons.  At some point they can detract rather than enhance... I'll try to focus on acquiring elements that solve for issues that I can't otherwise handle with some scratch building - or at least gain significant time advantages.  Model Monkey is a terrific resource - I've utilized some MM 3D prints for my Old Ironsides build.  Certainly the Titanic funnels are on my radar.  I do hope that my build helps with your efforts in some small way... At least serve as some sort of inspiration.
 
@NavyShooter I checked in on your Titanic... That is a big boat.  Impressive 3D printing - must've taken days to generate! Thanks again for looking in on my build.  
 
@Roger Pellett Please let us know if Naval architects do discover the necessary engineering needed in order to sailor proof anything that floats. 
 
@md1400cs  I'm happy you found your way here... I suppose at some point I'll have to admit that I'm immersed enough in all of Titanica that I'm another in a long list of Titanicphiles... A fan.  She is a beautiful ship and the circumstances of her end makes for compelling research in my quest to enhance the kit and move it closer to an accurate representation.
 
To that end... I'm gonna double down on the research side of the hobby.  I've decided it was time to join the club:

 
I'm now a proud member of the Guild and have already benefitted from my first Journal issue... A great overview of a FFG build that will inform my own (eventual) kit build... An older brother served on a Perry class frigate while escorting tankers during the Persian Gulf war.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

@LAHF1  Ahoy Loni... Thank you for popping in... I appreciate your interest in my Titanic.  I hope you consider adding your perspective in a build log or some other format.  I find that keeping some sort of log helps me to organize my approach and maintain the long view needed to make progress.  Hope you had a great holiday season!
 
 
@Jeff59 You have a great start on gathering some terrific enhancements for the Trumpeter kit... Good stuff.  I'm being cautious about how much investment I need to make on 3rd party add-ons.  At some point they can detract rather than enhance... I'll try to focus on acquiring elements that solve for issues that I can't otherwise handle with some scratch building - or at least gain significant time advantages.  Model Monkey is a terrific resource - I've utilized some MM 3D prints for my Old Ironsides build.  Certainly the Titanic funnels are on my radar.  I do hope that my build helps with your efforts in some small way... At least serve as some sort of inspiration.
 
@NavyShooter I checked in on your Titanic... That is a big boat.  Impressive 3D printing - must've taken days to generate! Thanks again for looking in on my build.  
 
@Roger Pellett Please let us know if Naval architects do discover the necessary engineering needed in order to sailor proof anything that floats. 
 
@md1400cs  I'm happy you found your way here... I suppose at some point I'll have to admit that I'm immersed enough in all of Titanica that I'm another in a long list of Titanicphiles... A fan.  She is a beautiful ship and the circumstances of her end makes for compelling research in my quest to enhance the kit and move it closer to an accurate representation.
 
To that end... I'm gonna double down on the research side of the hobby.  I've decided it was time to join the club:

 
I'm now a proud member of the Guild and have already benefitted from my first Journal issue... A great overview of a FFG build that will inform my own (eventual) kit build... An older brother served on a Perry class frigate while escorting tankers during the Persian Gulf war.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

@LAHF1  Ahoy Loni... Thank you for popping in... I appreciate your interest in my Titanic.  I hope you consider adding your perspective in a build log or some other format.  I find that keeping some sort of log helps me to organize my approach and maintain the long view needed to make progress.  Hope you had a great holiday season!
 
 
@Jeff59 You have a great start on gathering some terrific enhancements for the Trumpeter kit... Good stuff.  I'm being cautious about how much investment I need to make on 3rd party add-ons.  At some point they can detract rather than enhance... I'll try to focus on acquiring elements that solve for issues that I can't otherwise handle with some scratch building - or at least gain significant time advantages.  Model Monkey is a terrific resource - I've utilized some MM 3D prints for my Old Ironsides build.  Certainly the Titanic funnels are on my radar.  I do hope that my build helps with your efforts in some small way... At least serve as some sort of inspiration.
 
@NavyShooter I checked in on your Titanic... That is a big boat.  Impressive 3D printing - must've taken days to generate! Thanks again for looking in on my build.  
 
@Roger Pellett Please let us know if Naval architects do discover the necessary engineering needed in order to sailor proof anything that floats. 
 
@md1400cs  I'm happy you found your way here... I suppose at some point I'll have to admit that I'm immersed enough in all of Titanica that I'm another in a long list of Titanicphiles... A fan.  She is a beautiful ship and the circumstances of her end makes for compelling research in my quest to enhance the kit and move it closer to an accurate representation.
 
To that end... I'm gonna double down on the research side of the hobby.  I've decided it was time to join the club:

 
I'm now a proud member of the Guild and have already benefitted from my first Journal issue... A great overview of a FFG build that will inform my own (eventual) kit build... An older brother served on a Perry class frigate while escorting tankers during the Persian Gulf war.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

Hi all,
 
Patrick – yes, the magnetic panels - seemed to be the best idea given that I much later in this build decided to add lights. 
 
Peter – as always thanks
 
Mark - thanks as well - your work is so excellent happy that you like how this bit of the build is looking
 
Richard – so glad that you dropped by and are again working with your awesome Bluenose - thanks for the kind words.
 
--------------------------------------
 
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted an update.
Started work detailing the carriages. Short text - images have some notations.
 
Thanks so much for your still continued interest in this very “slow boat to China” build log.
 
Enjoy your year-end holidays….
 
Cheers,
 

I'm working on a Titanic model as well (other thread below) but mine is no-where near this level of precision or detail.  I'm literally building a pond-float display model that'll be seen from 50+ feet away.  
 
Your model will stand up to 50mm away inspection.  
 
Impressive work, and well done on the hawse-pipe!
 
NS
 

Propeller Wings
 
The propeller wings on the Olympic class liners were graceful appendages that blended smoothly into the hull plating while supporting the massive prop shafts and propellers.  

The Trumpeter kit representations…not so graceful.  This is one of those Trumpeter adaptations that don’t match well with the actual ship.  The kit wings meet the kit hull abruptly and look a bit out of place.  In fact, the Trumpeter kit has these placed a bit too low and they don’t align well to the nearby hull strakes – which are also out of alignment with what was in place on the Titanic.
 
The detail on these pieces is subpar… The plating is wrong and a little overscale.
 
There seem to be some 3D printed versions available online, but I think this is another case where these versions are too accurate – they’ll look out of place on the model.
 
I’ll reach back into my bin of styrene sheets and strips and try to make the best of what the kit provides.  I won’t try to correct the hull strakes and the prop wing placement, but I can add better detail and get things to blend more seamlessly.
 
First, I’ll remove all the surface detail from the pieces:



I cemented the pieces together and added half round strips to the ends:

After attaching the wings to the kit, I was worried that there wasn’t enough surface contact where they meet the hull. I’ve reinforced them by adding thin half round strips into the crease where they meet the hull.  The curved side faces into the kit to maximize the surface contact:


 
Next, another larger half round strip was added above the first to fill in the gap and provide an angled surface for the styrene strips that will blend into the hull strakes.
 
I laid the first strip on the upper surface to serve as the baseline for the other elements. This was a .010 x .156 strip that was liberally doused with cement and pressed flat.  The top edge was trimmed to match the adjoining hull strake.

The remaining elements were fashioned from .005” Styrene sheet that I ordered directly from Evergreen… Hard to find these thin sheets at local hobby stores or model train shops.

The next “plate” was traced using Tamiya Tape to make a template for a tight fit:

…then transferred to the .005 sheet.

 
 


The remaining plates were added using the same process.

For the underside, strips of .010 x .156 were used. The ends were all trimmed to align with the bottom edge of the nearest hull strake.


Any gaps or blemishes were filled with Tamiya modeling putty and sanded smooth after drying overnight:


Some sample views:

 
 
 

 

Still a bit more work to do… Including the starboard side wing.
 
I’ll define the individual plates and add final details on the next post.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Center Keel
 
Time to lay the keel down… Obviously this is where the actual ship began construction, but I’m only now getting to this critical element on my build.
 
I laid the keel down in manageable sections using .030 x .080 Styrene strips.  Not sure this would be exact to scale, but it closely lines up to the width shown on my 1/200 scale print of the hull bottom.

The critical thing is to keep it straight all the way down the length of the underbody.  I taped a straight edge against the styrene and began cementing down the aligned strip in two-inch increments – moving the straight edge along as I worked my way from bow to stern.  I also had a small piece of scrap styrene that perfectly fit into the needed gap between the keel and the inner edge of the hull plating that I test fitted as I glued each strip.
 
The forward most keel section was tapered to meet the kit keel at the bow.  

The stern section was angled down toward the sternpost and filed to blend.


It really takes some effort to make sure that the keel stays straight and true all the way across the length of the hull.


Butt Straps
 
Generally, the hull plates were overlapped and riveted together across the length of the hull.  There was, however, a section of strakes lower down in the hull that had the butt ends set flush together without the overlap.  These plates were held together with “butt straps” – small plates riveted to the ends of the abutting hull plates.
 
See my orange highlights in Bob Read’s hull plan:

(Note that the port side butt straps are indicated with dotted outlines in Bob’s drawing and are offset port vs starboard.)
 
The Trumpeter kit seems to include faint outlines of these straps in the approximately correct location forward of the bilge keels. No indication, however, on the strakes aft of the bilge keels.  
 
Bob’s drawing shows five of these forward and four aft.  In a perfect world these butt straps would all line up against a single strake across the length of the kit underbody. This would include the tops of the butt straps that peek out above (and below) the bilge keels.  Unfortunately, the compromises made by Trumpeter in molding the hull have made it tough to add these butt straps with all the top edges aligned against one hull strake.
 
I’ll need to fudge things a bit to get these represented on my model. I’ll go ahead and use the kit outlined versions forward of the bilge keels for positioning my straps.  Aft of the keel I’ll align them against the existing kit hull strakes - marked first with a pencil.  

Thin .010 x .156 strips of styrene will be used for these butt straps:

These will all sit in line with the “in” strakes of the molded hull.  I inserted small snips of styrene to fill the gap to create a flush surface before overlaying the butt straps:

The corners of the styrene were first rounded and then cemented in place.

Once put in place, I came back along and sanded down the straps to reduce the dimension – didn’t want these to stand out too proud against the hull. Tape protected the hull while I used an Emory board.

Sample views:

 
 

I’ve decided to hold off on adding the bilge keels for now.  There is much abuse left to deliver on the hull and I think these keels will be fragile and vulnerable as I flip the hull on its side and upside down to make more modifications.  I can be patient and add these (along with more butt straps) at a later stage.
 
Miscellaneous Detail
 
I’ve also been tending to some of the smaller details along the hull.  
 
The historic photos show a small crease near the hull stern plates:

I grabbed the hobby knife and a micro chisel and went to work.

Thanks again for the interest everyone has shown (and the patience between updates).
 
Pondering next steps – probably the propeller wings.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Bottom Plates
 
Up next, I needed to blend the outer edges of the new bottom plating with the kit hull… I didn’t like having that .010 lip all around the bottom of the hull.
 
Out came the Miliput again…

After taping around a narrow band that encompassed the outer edge and enough area for a smooth transition into the kit, I mixed up a small batch of the Miliput and spread a thin coat the length of the edge – port and starboard.  I was careful to keep it wet and kept smoothing it down and scraping with a scrap of styrene until it was reasonably thin and just covering the styrene edge.  I then removed the tape and let it all dry overnight.
 
Came back the next day and sanded the Miliput down using various grit sandpaper – coarse, medium, fine until it was blended into the kit surface and smooth to the touch.  A lot more effort than I thought it’d be before I started!  Another part of the kit that will be refined after a layer of primer.
 
In the meantime, I cut a length of .250 wide styrene to match the general length between butt joins on the upper hull to use as a marking template.

I then marked off the individual plates in pencil across the hull bottom mid-section.  Adjustments were made at the bow and stern to accommodate the more complex shapes.

Next, I snipped many dozens of .250 width strips of .010 x.030 styrene to approximate the kit butt joins.  I used some scrap styrene as a template:

These were cemented to the hull in the marked positions…

It took about four days’ worth of my modeling time, but the plates are complete (except for a few on the outer edges that will wait until final tuning).
 
Here is a view of my bottom plate butt joins along with the kit side versions:

Not too far off.  Some sample views:



Butt Straps and bottom keel up next.
 
Cheers,
Evan
 

Fun with Frames
 
One of my quirks is that I try to incorporate into my ship models a view of the framing to give a sense of the underlying construction.
 
In my Old Ironsides build, for example, I have stripped away some of the outer planking to reveal the stout girth and tight spacing of her Live Oak frames.

It seemed to me that I could break up the monotony of the Titanic bottom plating by hacking out an opening and adding some exposed framing to highlight the double hull construction.  (And continue my quirky streak…)
 
The double bottom framing on the Titanic was not only a key component of the overall structure of the ship, but also served to divide up the water ballast and distribute weight across the various compartmented tanks.  
 
The frames were numbered from the middle out to the ends. So, the first frame aft of center was 1A (Aft) and the first frame forward of center was 1F (Forward).  I don’t think there was a frame zero.  I think the aftmost frame was 149A and the forwardmost was 154F.  They were spaced about three feet apart through the midsection but were spaced closer toward the ends.  It may be that “floors” is the technical term for these frames and “intercostal” is the term for the fore/aft frames that subdivide the tanks and create the cellular structure.
 
I whipped together a simple jig to help me drill holes into strips of styrene to represent the framing. This was all done by hand with a pin vise.  I could stack four strips at a time and figured I’d need to do twelve to get eight or nine good ones. 

I tried to open the hull around frame 18A which is Watertight bulkhead “J” that separates ballast tank compartment #8 Port from ballast tank compartment #9 Port.  I’ve approximated the location so don’t hold me to account.  I chose to add this feature on the port side aft section hoping to deter some folks from thinking this exposed framing is representing the gash from the iceberg.  We’ll see…
 
Before drilling, the rectangular dimension was outlined with blue masking tape.  More narrow Tamiya tape was used to define a “Drill free Zone” to help ensure that I didn’t get too close to the final outline.
 
I grabbed the power drill and went to work…
 

Once the section had been drilled out, I came back with a utility knife to eliminate the jagged edges.

Next came a heavy file to get the final smooth outlines against the blue tape.

The perimeter was then outlined with .030 x .250 strip and reinforced on the inside with scraps of whatever thick chunks of styrene I had at hand.
 
I’ve fudged a bit on the frame dimensions and the spacing. I didn’t do the math to determine the exact scale size.  The final frame size and spacing was determined by the styrene stock I had at hand. I had one strip of .020 x .250 styrene in my stash that seemed an easy fit. The .010 thin version probably scaled better, but it seemed to distort when I drilled holes into it and otherwise didn’t give much surface area for attaching to the sides. 
 

I used the same .020 x .250 strip to insert spacers between each frame to evenly separate them and help lock them in with more surface area for the cement.  .020 x .188 strip would probably have been a bit better to represent the 36” spacing between the actual frames, but I had none in my stash.
 
I included one row of the intercostal cross framing, but elected not to put all the rows in place… It would get too crowded and would be difficult to keep it all aligned as I went along.
 
Here is where things stand:

 


 

I will overlap the edges with strakes and leave some of the strake ends extended slightly beyond the outer frames.  Exposing these ends will help with the illusion that the hull strakes are all thinner than the thickness of the model molding would suggest.
 
Here is a mockup without any strakes cemented down…. This is the effect I’m trying to achieve.

Based on our recent discoveries, I’ll come back behind and use some .010 x .020 strips to add the joggling to the edges of the frames.
 
I might need to bulk up the solid center frame… This may have been a heavier frame as part of the ship’s watertight system. 
 
I won’t add the double bottom interior until after I have primed and painted the frames – I need the access.
 
More tracing, transferring, cutting, cementing this week.
 
Cheers,
Evan

The Rudder Continued…
 
Let’s make a scratch-built rudder for the Trumpeter 1/200 Titanic.
 
I started with a sheet of .030 thick styrene.  This is not so thin that it’ll warp, and not too far off from scale.  It is also easily cut with common paper scissors.
 
Step 1
I traced the general outline on the sheet using my previously modified Trumpeter rudder as a template.  This provides a good shape while allowing exact alignment of the pintles to fit the kit.

Step 2
 
I cut out the gaps between the pintle positions and did some initial test fitting:

Step 3

The rudder outline was snipped using scissors to get a rough outline that was refined with a hobby knife and smoothed using a coarse flex file.
 
Step 4
Before adding the bolt flanges, I cemented some half round strip to the pintles to give them a cylindrical shape…
 

I used .080 No. 242 half round Evergreen that was filed a bit thinner to better match the scale before cementing.  I affixed a single length and used a chunk of styrene to press against the rudder edge for tight alignment of the half round strip.  After a few minutes I came back and snipped between the pintles to remove the excess.  Worked one side at a time.  These will later get filed flush on the ends as I fitted them to the kit.
 
Step 5
Now to attend to the bolt flanges.

I needed to find a method that would produce consistent wedge shapes for all the needed elements.  I determined that strips of .020 x.060 could be stacked in the approximate shape and glued side by side to some scrap sheet (only glued down at the ends) to allow me to file them all at the same angle to shape the flanges.

I needed ten for the job, but I made them in two batches of 7 each to get some extras just in case.  The thick chunk of styrene in the picture was used to press against each stack during gluing to make sure everything stayed aligned.
 
Step 6

Once dry, I came back and filed the wedges at a consistent angle and then cut them free from the sheet.  They didn’t need to have a perfectly smooth slope – just enough to represent the wedges.
 
I carefully separated them with the hobby knife blade:

Step 7
Next, I flipped over each of the newly made wedges so that the factory smooth side was on top and cemented them to the rudder with plenty of overhang:

These were carefully positioned in relation to the pintles according to the historic photo references.  Note that the last flange is set slightly BELOW the last pintle.  The overhangs were trimmed to fit and the whole process repeated for the other side.
 
Additionally, small styrene rod was used for the bolt heads on the pintles.

Step 8
I added the zinc anodes based on what appears in most of the historic photos. These were .010 x.030 strips that were pricked with a push pin to represent the small bolts and flipped over and cemented in place.
 
As @Tsm209 noted in an earlier post, there are discrepancies in how some folks think the rudder anodes should be represented.  Robert Read shows a “double-wide” version rather than what is seen in most historic Titanic photos.  It may be that Mr. Read has access to other photos and/or documentation that he used to source his drawings.
 
The talented digital artist Vasilije Ristovic’ also shows this type of rudder anode in his stunning 3D illustration:

(Image from Mr. Ristovic’s terrific Facebook page )
 
I chose to stick with what I could see on the historic Titanic rudder photos that are most referenced in online searches.
 
Step 9
I added the rudder stock to the top of the rudder using Evergreen .080 rod (No. 212).  The stock was made long enough to easily extend into the hull.

Step 10
Adding the details

The Titanic had stops mounted on two of the pintles to limit the maximum rudder angle to 40 degrees on hard turns.  Small snips of .020 x .040 styrene were added for these.  There is also a small piece of .010 x.020 strip on the outer edge for a future hasp (?) ring that mounts here.  I’ll add that just before priming/painting since it’ll be fragile.

Also included are the small stops mounted on the kit where the rudder pintles would meet the hull.  I should also note that the small hole under the counter was drilled wider to accommodate the new rudder stock diameter.
 
Some sample views from aft to show the overall effect:


Not quite up to the level of a 3D printed version, but it was fun to build and likely cost me less than $5 US in materials that I already (mostly) had on hand.  (I did need to purchase the half round and smaller rod for the pintle detail.)
 
Thanks again to those who’ve been following along.
 
Bow Hawse up next.
 
Cheers,
Evan

The Rudder
 
The Olympic class liners had serious chunks of metal for rudders…
 
The Titanic's rudder was nearly 79 feet tall, more than 15 feet at the widest point and weighed in at around 100 tons. It was controlled using two steering engines (one backup) connected via tillers to the rudder quadrant.
 
Some have argued that Titanic’s rudder was far too small for the job and contributed to her inability to avoid disaster.  Others claim otherwise... They say that the math works out well and the rudder surface area was only slightly undersized in relation to the waterline length and other factors that naval architects consider these days when sizing a rudder. They point out that Titanic likely turned at least two compass points in the very brief interval between "Hard a Starboard!!!!" and contact.  Pretty good considering her overall length and Titanic’s relative speed at the time of sighting the berg. It is also relevant that the Olympic had a long career and was thought to be very maneuverable by her multiple captains.  The rudder was probably very serviceable and not a significant factor in the collision.
 
Here is a historic photo of the rudder showing human scale.  Note the large bolts on the flanges that hold the five large panels together.


In this view by photographer Robert John Welch, we see that the bolts are now encased in cement (note the lighter color on the outer edges) to streamline the water flow over the rudder surface.
 
So how does the Trumpeter version hold up to the historic record?  Not great.  The shape is too wide across the entire form, the bolt flanges are much too thin, and the rudder stops and other details are missing.  Not to mention the out of scale thickness of the entire piece and the lack of any dimension on the rudder pintles.
 
I first considered modifying the kit rudder to improve the shape and add the missing details.  I assembled the necessary tools and marked a pencil line to refine the shape and went to work.


 

The shape was easily improved, but at this point I thought it didn’t make sense to proceed since the piece was just too thick for the scale.  Why bother?
 
So on to the KA resin version.  This rudder was much improved in terms of shape and detail, but mine was a bit warped and needed a bath in warm water to get it (mostly) straightened.

But alas… Inexplicably the KA rudder pintles don’t align with the gudgeons on the kit and the rudder stock at the top doesn’t extend far enough to reach into the hull.  Ugh. 

I’d need to extend the KA rudder stock and relocate the gudgeons on the kit.  And I'm a bit worried about future warping since the piece is so thin (but likely accurate to scale).
 
Hmmm… I have a varied collection of styrene strips and sheets built up over years of plastic modeling.  How about I try my hand at a scratch-built rudder?  I can control all the details, make sure it fits cleanly to the kit, and make it a bit thicker than the KA version, but not as thick as the Trumpeter one.
 
And it’ll be fun.
 
Onward.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Hull Corrections – Portholes and Doors
 
The relative accuracy of the hull details on the Trumpeter kit are…perplexing.  The starboard side seems to be nearly spot on as far as I can tell from various sources. Maybe one wayward porthole to fill and one small porthole to add. Portholes are in the right place and are the right size for the given deck level.  The doors all appear to be correctly positioned.
 
The port side on the other hand… Hmmm.  
 
I’ve relied on the work of a gentleman named Graham Boyd who posted a terrific set of detailed references on the Trumpeter TITANIC 1/200th model ONLY building tips and tricks Facebook site hosted by Gene Davis.  
 
I’ve done a cursory comparison of Mr. Boyd’s notes to some of the Titanic profile views available online and almost everything appears to align.  There might be a small discrepancy on the port side superstructure where a door needs to be removed and replaced with a window, but otherwise all good.
 
Here is a sample of Graham’s reference material:

What to keep, what to remove, and proper drill sizes are all called out.  Very useful.
 
There are a lot of errors on the port side - portholes out of place and some mystery doors. You’ll see that I have marked up the kit hull with a black Sharpie pen to indicate portholes that need to be filled and doors that should be removed.

 
The marked portholes are now filled and new portholes will be drilled nearby to more accurately reflect their actual position. 
 
I protected the rivet detail with tape before I sanded the filled portholes smooth.
 

 

The port side has a couple of unneeded doors…  
 
The starboard side of the Titanic had a baggage door on the D deck level that opened into the 3rd class covered promenade area underneath the forward well deck.  The kit is accurate on that side. However, there shouldn’t be a corresponding door on the port side, but Trumpeter put it there anyway.  No big deal - easily removed.

 
But it isn’t as though the Trumpeter designers just copied and pasted the starboard side details over to the port side resulting in all the errors...  There are clear differences to the two sides that were intentionally made.
 
Here is an example:
 
The Titanic had four narrow doors that opened out from the “Ash Places” – two on each side at the E deck level.  When Titanic was out on the open ocean the spent ash was disposed of using hydraulic ash ejectors.  The ash was shoveled into deck grates near the coal bunkers where it was mixed with seawater and the slurry ejected under pressure 20 or 30 feet away from the ship. While in port, however, this practice was obviously frowned upon…and regulated.  Probably not so much out of environmental concerns, but who’d want 30-foot arcs of sludge raining down on nearby ships or pleasure craft?  Instead, while in port the ash was shoveled into canvas bags and hoisted up to one of the Ash Places to be eventually lowered into a lighter pulled alongside that presumably led to proper disposal ashore.
 
These Ash Places and their outer doors were not symmetrical between port and starboard.  Trumpeter got that right.  The doors are in the right spots on either side, but inexplicably they’ve added a third narrow door on the port side that leads to a phantom Ash Place.
 

 
I marked it for removal and put some tape on the hull to minimize the chance of hull damage if my blade slips.
 

 
The remaining doors on the port side hull look to be correctly placed.
 
Obviously most (all?) casual observers seeing my completed model are not gonna know whether the portholes are all correctly located, or any extraneous doors are included, but it gives me satisfaction knowing that a little more effort put things right.  
 
Some additional hull details need to be attended to, but I can’t put off drilling out the portholes forever…
 
Cheers,
Evan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I decided to start a build log for this project after tinkering around a bit with the kit across the past year or so.  I’ve hesitated because I know that there are many passionate folks out there who scrutinize every aspect of the great ship and can be very strong minded about the myriad details in play.  I will make plain my intention to do justice to Titanic but will likely fall short on complete historic exactitude… Especially considering that the ground is constantly moving as scholars and enthusiasts refine our understanding of the ship’s details.
 
I need to confess up front that I am not a Titanic guy.  The great tragedy and human folly of her demise has always pushed me away from the subject… Just too sad.  Additionally, I need to confess that I have never seen the entire James Cameron movie.  I went with my wife to see it in the theater back in the day, but we left halfway through – literally right after the ship struck the iceberg.  I leaned over to my wife and whispered “spoiler alert – this doesn’t end well, and I couldn’t care less if all the spoiled and selfish main characters go down with the ship.  Let’s get outta here and beat the crowd to the good restaurant nearby”. I’ve never seen the rest of the movie.
 
That is not to say, however, that this project won’t be a labor of Love.  I am building this for my daughter.  She has been fascinated by the Titanic tragedy from a very young age.  At age six she could tell you all about Captain Smith going down with the ship and nurse Jessop and her surviving multiple sinkings, etc. She made me get up in the wee hours on the exact date/time of the 100th anniversary of her sinking to ring a bell in commemoration. We’ve even toured Margaret Brown’s home in Denver (nobody called her “Molly” in her lifetime).  She is more interested in the human stories than the ship itself but will very much appreciate this representation when it is finally completed.
 
It was always a head scratcher for me that Trumpeter started their new line of 1/200 scale ships with the USS Arizona back in 2012.  It seemed to me that Titanic would’ve made more sense.  It was the 100th anniversary of her sinking and is clearly a very popular subject as we can see with the explosion of 3rd party add-ons and doo dads that have proliferated in the marketplace to enhance the model. There is a significant cottage industry that has since formed just around this kit.  I suppose better late than never for the folks at Trumpeter.
 
The workshop out in the garage has been reorganized and made shipshape:
 

 
Hopefully you get some sense for the size of the model.  It is big.
 
I have thrown all the relevant documentation into a binder so that I can have quick access to key references.  Sliding the pages into clear sleeves also allows me to overlay notes with a grease pencil or Sharpie pen.
 


 
 
I will forego the box opening and contents review – folks can find all that in many other logs and online resources. I will however include this quick view of the Trumpeter packaging… All very neat and carefully laid out (as is the case with all their kits that I’ve got in my stash).
 

 
Most modelers will splurge and invest in either the KA Models upgrade set or the one made by Pontos.  Both have their pros and cons, but I have opted for the KA set.  I like the extensive 3D print and resin components and the etched brass is very comprehensive.  Again – I won’t lay out all the contents here… That is easily found in other logs or the KA website.
 
I do have various other add ons including several brass sheets from Woody’s Model Works.  Very nice stuff and highly recommended.  (Neil Woods is in a bit of a hiatus right now as he figures out how to deal with UK VAT requirements).
 
I’m not sure I’ll go down the LED route.  Certainly, Titanic is the perfect model for LED treatment, but it generally isn’t my thing – not sure the extra time/effort will be worthwhile.  Still pondering…
 
A note about online resources.  Ken Marschall has long been a great visualizer of the Titanic, but anyone who is taking this kit seriously will find their way to three key players:
 
Robert Read – Mr. Read has a great catalog of white papers and research material that he has created and maintained on his website Titanic CAD Plans.  He illuminates many fascinating details, resolves conflicts and controversies, and explains many of the inner workings of Titanic’s systems and gear. Terrific resource.
 
Vasilije Ristovic’ – Most Titanic aficionados will know Vasilije’s work.  His digital renderings of Titanic bring the great ship back to life and are breathtaking. His thoughtfully researched images shed light on many unique details and provide a terrific color guide for those of us trying to navigate our paint choices. He also has a very impressive 1/200 Titanic model of his own in progress.
 
Cyril Codus – Mr. Codus is a gifted digital artist who has created some outstanding full-length profiles of Titanic and her sisters. He also has very detailed overhead deck views that highlight the positioning of deck equipment and rigging.  Incredibly useful stuff. You can find samples on his website RMS Titanic Art Work.
 
For those who can stomach Facebook, there are several terrific resources utilized by the Titanic community:
 
RMS Titanic Model Research and Tech hosted by Zeno Silva and friends.  You’ll find Bob Read, Cyril, and Vasilije all contributing here.
 
Trumpeter TITANIC 1/200th model ONLY building tips and tricks hosted by Gene Davis.  This is an essential meeting place for the Titanic modeler community with extensive Guides and downloadable files to facilitate enhancement of the kit.  Gene shows remarkable patience and perseverance amongst the wide spectrum of modelers that post on his pages. (Although I’m sure that Gene’s head will explode if one more novice jumps in to ask about three bladed props versus four…)
 
RMS Titanic – 3D Illustrations by Vasilije Ristovic.  This is where Vasilije posts most of his incredible Titanic renderings (and offers images for sale).
 
Visiting the Midwest Model Shop Youtube channel is also recommended.  Ben and his charming wife Nora walk through every stage of their 1/200 Titanic build and give a terrific overview of their process along the way.  It is refreshing to see an experienced modeler identify his own mistakes and show how he goes about correcting for them along the way. Includes terrific episodes about 3rd party upgrades – in particular the brass sheets from Neil Woods.
 
Regarding more traditional resources I do have a small library of books with lots of photos and tech specs:
 

 
I have not invested in the two-volume set TITANIC – The Ship Magnificent.  I think I have other sources for most of what I would glean from those pages and the investment just seems a bit much for now.  I’ll use those funds to purchase additional upgrades instead.
 
Give me a few days and I’ll start to catch everyone up on my progress to date.
 
Cheers
Evan
 

Hi @ddp, Yeah... Initially when I was researching the subject, I came across this website, https://www.seaforces.org/usnships/ddg/DDG-54-USS-Curtis-Wilbur.htm, which is a treasure trove of pictures. The second to last picture of the ship spotlighted that issue quite well too. I wasn't in the mood for major surgery and I'm relatively sure most people wouldn't have noticed. For that matter, I won't me making any real intentional modifications from how the construction of the kit is laid out other than my own choice in paint colors and omitting unseen ridiculousness. The ATC windows in the rear turned out better with my replacement of their photo-etch with my styrene. There doesn't appear to be many other really pieces of photo-etch in front of me, but the universe has this habit of laughing at my plans and perceptions. 🤣
 
And with that, I do have some pics to share!




Thanks for looking in and Happy New Year!!!!  
 

@Roger Pellett
 
Look what I finally found!
 

 
Your book recommendation started to seem familiar to me... I searched all over for it.  Turns out my daughter had it with her at college!  Demonstrates her interest in all things Titanic related...
 
I now have it  bedside and am reading several chapters a night... Fascinating stuff.  Great to get the perspective of Naval architect types.
 
In the meantime...
 
Folks - I apologize for the lack of updates.  I've been stalling while I consider adding a YouTube series about this build.  I need to build up the necessary equipment from scratch so I've petitioned St. Nick to add some packages under the Christmas tree.  There is the sticky matter of being a "Good Boy" this year... I've done a back of the envelope calculation and I'm optimistic that on balance I have a net positive rating across the year.  In the meantime, I'm getting up to speed on video editing.
 
Stay tuned!
 
Cheers all
Evan
 
 

@Paul Jarman Thanks for the note... It seemed to me that there were a million portholes as I was drilling them out... Gawd forbid I have to add the rivets!!!
I popped in on your build - great to see a wood kit that lets you construct a much more accurate hull underbody.
 
@richardhd Thank you for popping in too.  I appreciate any encouragement.  I suspect you're not the only lurker... Unless 7 people are clicking on my build a thousand times each.  
 
I'll say that this kit can never be 100% accurate - but I will try to move things a bit closer to the historic ship where possible.  Most purists would probably not take this on because of the discrepancies - or abandon ship midway thru in exasperation.
 
Don't hold your breath awaiting paint... I'll likely put off painting the hull as long as possible.  It'll become a much more fragile thing that will be susceptible to scratches, blemishes and dust... I'll avoid those risks until I absolutely have to apply paint in order to proceed.
 
Thanks to all for the Likes and the patience between updates.
 
Cheers
Evan

Propeller Wings
 
The propeller wings on the Olympic class liners were graceful appendages that blended smoothly into the hull plating while supporting the massive prop shafts and propellers.  

The Trumpeter kit representations…not so graceful.  This is one of those Trumpeter adaptations that don’t match well with the actual ship.  The kit wings meet the kit hull abruptly and look a bit out of place.  In fact, the Trumpeter kit has these placed a bit too low and they don’t align well to the nearby hull strakes – which are also out of alignment with what was in place on the Titanic.
 
The detail on these pieces is subpar… The plating is wrong and a little overscale.
 
There seem to be some 3D printed versions available online, but I think this is another case where these versions are too accurate – they’ll look out of place on the model.
 
I’ll reach back into my bin of styrene sheets and strips and try to make the best of what the kit provides.  I won’t try to correct the hull strakes and the prop wing placement, but I can add better detail and get things to blend more seamlessly.
 
First, I’ll remove all the surface detail from the pieces:



I cemented the pieces together and added half round strips to the ends:

After attaching the wings to the kit, I was worried that there wasn’t enough surface contact where they meet the hull. I’ve reinforced them by adding thin half round strips into the crease where they meet the hull.  The curved side faces into the kit to maximize the surface contact:


 
Next, another larger half round strip was added above the first to fill in the gap and provide an angled surface for the styrene strips that will blend into the hull strakes.
 
I laid the first strip on the upper surface to serve as the baseline for the other elements. This was a .010 x .156 strip that was liberally doused with cement and pressed flat.  The top edge was trimmed to match the adjoining hull strake.

The remaining elements were fashioned from .005” Styrene sheet that I ordered directly from Evergreen… Hard to find these thin sheets at local hobby stores or model train shops.

The next “plate” was traced using Tamiya Tape to make a template for a tight fit:

…then transferred to the .005 sheet.

 
 


The remaining plates were added using the same process.

For the underside, strips of .010 x .156 were used. The ends were all trimmed to align with the bottom edge of the nearest hull strake.


Any gaps or blemishes were filled with Tamiya modeling putty and sanded smooth after drying overnight:


Some sample views:

 
 
 

 

Still a bit more work to do… Including the starboard side wing.
 
I’ll define the individual plates and add final details on the next post.
 
Cheers,
Evan

Propeller Wings
 
The propeller wings on the Olympic class liners were graceful appendages that blended smoothly into the hull plating while supporting the massive prop shafts and propellers.  

The Trumpeter kit representations…not so graceful.  This is one of those Trumpeter adaptations that don’t match well with the actual ship.  The kit wings meet the kit hull abruptly and look a bit out of place.  In fact, the Trumpeter kit has these placed a bit too low and they don’t align well to the nearby hull strakes – which are also out of alignment with what was in place on the Titanic.
 
The detail on these pieces is subpar… The plating is wrong and a little overscale.
 
There seem to be some 3D printed versions available online, but I think this is another case where these versions are too accurate – they’ll look out of place on the model.
 
I’ll reach back into my bin of styrene sheets and strips and try to make the best of what the kit provides.  I won’t try to correct the hull strakes and the prop wing placement, but I can add better detail and get things to blend more seamlessly.
 
First, I’ll remove all the surface detail from the pieces:



I cemented the pieces together and added half round strips to the ends:

After attaching the wings to the kit, I was worried that there wasn’t enough surface contact where they meet the hull. I’ve reinforced them by adding thin half round strips into the crease where they meet the hull.  The curved side faces into the kit to maximize the surface contact:


 
Next, another larger half round strip was added above the first to fill in the gap and provide an angled surface for the styrene strips that will blend into the hull strakes.
 
I laid the first strip on the upper surface to serve as the baseline for the other elements. This was a .010 x .156 strip that was liberally doused with cement and pressed flat.  The top edge was trimmed to match the adjoining hull strake.

The remaining elements were fashioned from .005” Styrene sheet that I ordered directly from Evergreen… Hard to find these thin sheets at local hobby stores or model train shops.

The next “plate” was traced using Tamiya Tape to make a template for a tight fit:

…then transferred to the .005 sheet.

 
 


The remaining plates were added using the same process.

For the underside, strips of .010 x .156 were used. The ends were all trimmed to align with the bottom edge of the nearest hull strake.


Any gaps or blemishes were filled with Tamiya modeling putty and sanded smooth after drying overnight:


Some sample views:

 
 
 

 

Still a bit more work to do… Including the starboard side wing.
 
I’ll define the individual plates and add final details on the next post.
 
Cheers,
Evan