Roger Pellett

Thoughts? 

Evening all,   I have  placed  my Jager  after  cutting him away from his  base,  I  have stood  him in on of the  wheel ruts  and  added some water  around and over  his  shoes, so  he is assisting the  95th  firing on the  French  from about  30 yards.
I have  also  thrown in another arty shot  from the  front.
 
OC.
 

Evening all,  my Jager  figure  received  some  dusting  then a  few  light coats  of  Matt  top coat,   so he  is finished.
 
OC.

I can now look at assembling some of this heavy metal, as well as looking at how it'll be powered and displayed.
 
A substantial electric motor is hidden in plain view on this model, in the ancillary equipment which sits on the outside of the low pressure housing. Here you see the motor being fitted into that. You'll see the gearing too. I do pack this out with some model grease which isn't shown in the photos as it's fairly gunky.
 








One thing that doesn't need to be assembled is the control unit. This is a self-contained unit which has a shiny button on the left for engine sound, and a toggle on the right for simple engine on/off. In the middle is the working throttle. This is connected to the unit I just built to test that all is working. I left this for a minute or two to properly bed in.

The engine test cradle is now put together and the control unit bolted into position.




 
The engine needs to be built up before it can be mounted. The forward low pressure rings are now bolted together with a mix of both locking nuts and regular nuts with thread-lock applied.

 
 
Enter the large low pressure fan I built at the beginning. This is now slid into position and a high pressure rotor bolted into place from the rear.


 
More rotors now slid into position.


 
 
The electric motor needs to have a gearing system in place which turns the rotation through 90 degrees towards the main fan shaft. This little unit is now built and greased and then inserted into the intermediate green casing which will be seen in the next and last update.


...to be continued.

The cockpit seat & scuppers area is now glued in place, & mitred at the transom. The side sections of hull were laminated to a scale thickness of about 80mm, approx 7mm actual. The width between the footwell & hull is divided by the seating backrest, which does more to keep water out of the cockpit on a windy day than it does to provide sumptuous & ergonomic seating.
 

 

The width of the deck landings have been increased with strips of hardwood, Spotted Gum I think. I will use small screws to help the plywood deck to hold its camber while the glue goes off, so the screws can go into the hardwood rather than the edge of the ply. The mast sits on the 4th bulkhead back from the bow; the tripled strips are where the shroud chainplates sit. Although with a static model there's not a lot of load, it means I can have a leg on the back of the chainplates going down into the hardwood, & glued. Given it's not much work it's worth it for whatever additional strength it gives.

 
I'm probably ready for the deck, & then probably the timber to infill& finish off the propeller cutaway.
 
thanks,

Assembling the high pressure compressor
The previous two assemblies cab now be fitted together. Whilst one of these rotates within the other, there's no need to add any lubrication as the centre assembly will rotate on the main drive shaft and is clear of the outside casing. 
 

Combustion chamber
The first assembly also has a cutaway window so the modeller can see the interior parts while the engine is running. 




A few small external details are now added to the completed chamber, namely the fuel branch pipes and distribution ring. 

 
High pressure turbine rotor
You'll start to see a pattern of seemingly similar items being built. The assembly of these is very, very similar, even if the completed units are physically different. 






 
 
Low pressure turbine case
As before, this has another viewing window and there are more stator blade elements that sit within. These are held in place by a black ring which sits atop them and is secured by four screws from the outside of the casing.


 
 
The various stator parts can now be fitted in conjunction with the rotary units

 
Now a large section of the case is fitted onto this unit, trapping the rotors and stators within. All of these circular assemblies are first secured with a small number of bolts and locking nuts. When everything is guaranteed to be central, the remainder of the bolts are fitted with regular nuts. Again, all are thread-locked.

 
 
This unit is now fitted out with cooling pipes and their connection units. Extra clips are fitted over these which hold the pipes into the correct position to each other. The pipes are also numbered so you get them in the correct sequence, starting with the largest diameter ones. As with much of this engine, this assembly is quite heavy.


 
....to be continued.

With the beam for the swivels on the port side also installed and the frames made thinner, time to continue working on the transom.
The clinker planking that was previously installed has been removed. And the intention is to install two stern chasers here, the openings of the swivels will then remain empty.

Applying the same number of cannons as the Anthony drawing is not feasible. A nice drawing to show to a king, but not a practical design in reality.
Several attempts...

And after three attempts it became this.

Finish the holes for the swivels with a beam on top
First i make grooves. This is more work, but positioning the beam correctly is much easier.

And above this beam back to clinker planking. This will provide more strength when the frames are made thinner later.

Talking about launch parties: I always found it quite daring to be on a ship the runs down the launch-way, particularly, when it is a side-launch. The risk of capsizing is definitely there.

Hello Roger.  I was cruising around the Library of Congress website and came across the two images below from the Detroit Publishing Company.  I'm sure you've seen these before, but I didn't see them in your log so . . .
 
Below each photo is a link to the high-res images.
 

Launch party - Benjamin Noble – Detroit Shipbuilding, Wyandotte, Michigan – April 28, 1909
 
Launching party, Ben. J. [sic] Noble, Wyandotte, Mich. (loc.gov)
 
 

Benjamin Noble on the ways – Detroit Shipbuilding, Wyandotte, Michigan – 1909
 
Str. Benj. J. [sic] Noble on the ways, Wyandotte, Mich. (loc.gov)
 
 
Gary
 

You might have trouble finding 'true' Silkspan these days, unless you purchase an old model airplane kit, from the seventies, and rob the Silkspan from the kit. A better alternative might be Esaki, or Gampi Japanese tissue. This stuff will be considerably thinner than Silkspan if scale appearance on a small model is your goal. These thin tissues are used for tiny, indoor flying model airplanes today. Readily available!   

Thanks, Keith. It's a long road ahead, but I'm really looking forward to seeing her grow. I'm starting to think that my biggest problem will be finding work time at the museum. She's a real hit with our visitors and I'm finding myself spending a lot of my museum days just talking to visitors about the ship and the model.
 
John

Thank you, @Keith Black, @Knocklouder, @BANYAN, @Ian_Grant, @Canute, @Rick310, @berhard, for the comments.  Very much appreciated.
 
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was not thrilled my work on the wheel covers.  So I decided to bite the bullet and make new ones.  It was a 4-hour time investment, but I like the new ones a lot better.  There were 2 things I wanted to fix.  First, I needed a little more material across the bottom to fit an axle since the wheels must actually be able to spin!  Second, the vent slots were bugging me and it took me a while to figure out why.  After staring at them endlessly, I finally realized they needed to fan out to conform better with the round shape of the cover rather than simply being rectangular slots.  The first pic below has the original ones on top and new ones below.
 


 
 
The bad news is the width of the sidewheels make each half  of the split hull too wide to fit inside the very narrow bottle opening.  So the new plan is to connect the 2 wheels with their housing structure to make a one-piece subassembly.  Then I can insert it sideways into the bottle, turn it 90 degrees, and drop it in place onto the hull. 
 
The further I go, the more complicated this thing gets!  But I do not want to scale down the sidewheels to make them fit.  To me, they are what makes this ship (or these types of ships) really unique.  When this project is done, I think the sidewheels will be the thing that catches your eye, so I want them to be prominent.
 
 
   

Thanks, Keith and Pat.  I think y'all are being generous, but I'll take it!
 
For the last few days, I've been bouncing around ideas in my head for how to make the paddle wheels, but couldn't come up with what I thought was a great plan.  Finally, I said WTH and just started building one, kind of making it up as I went along.  I started with a 3/16" dowel for the hub which I decided was a good diameter.  Then for the blades, I scrounged around and didn't find anything around here really suitable.  So I went to where I go when I'm desperate - my unstarted Artesania Latina kit for the USS Constellation.  And there I found exactly what I was looking for.  The planking strips are super thin (0.5mm) and the perfect width (5mm) to fit in the wheel housings I'd just completed.
 
The pics below show the sequence of steps involved.  First was to put the dowel into a vise and, using a fine kerf saw, cut a slot to slide the blade into.  I did this one slot and one blade at a time.


 
 
My original plan was to do 6 blades.  With a hub of only 3/16", I figured that's all I had room for.  But things went surprisingly well so I decided to try and double the number of blades to 12.  Trying to go from good to better is usually when I get myself in deep trouble.  But I closed my eyes and kept going!

 
 
And somehow, things worked out pretty well.

 
 
With a big sigh of relief, it was time for some tedious work - making the outer ring near the ends of the each blade.  I didn't really have a plan for this either when I started, but I figured I'd try something with the planking strips again.  I took one and cut a bunch of pieces that were about 2mm long purposely varying the length of each by a hair or two.  Then it was a matter of trying different ones till I found the perfect fit between each blade, then inserting it.


 
 
And the final result:


 
 
I'm really happy with how the wheel turned out.  Now I just have to do it again.  
 
 
 
   
 
 

I ordered some of the Bare-Metal foil that @Landlubber Mike suggested.  Thank you, Mike!  While waiting for it to arrive, it's time to take on the first real challenge - the sidewheels.  I'm starting with the housing that covers the actual wheels.
 
The first chore was making the semi-circle part that covers the top half of the wheels.  I penciled them on a 1/4" thick piece of basswood, reamed out the middle, cut them out, and sanded to their final shape.  You can see I began making 4, expecting a yield of 50%, which turned out to be right.



 
 
 
Next step was the side covers.  They were relatively easy to cut, but carving out the vent slots was a bit of a challenge.  They did not come out perfect, but I think they will do.  
  

 
Everything in the last pic above will be covered in the Bare-Metal foil and painted gray.
 
 
   
 
 
  

Staples has a drafting chair that I have found to be comfortable. Its lowest height works for bench level work and it adjusts upward for working aloft. 😎

https://www.staples.com/Ergonomic-Mid-Back-Mesh-Drafting-Chair-with-Black-Fabric-Seat-and-Adjustable-Foot-Ring-GO-2100-GG/product_2607258
 
 

Work begins!
 
Fan and main shaft
We are immediately thrown into the main event on this kit, namely the engine's driveshaft and the intake fan (first low pressure rotor). The driveshaft is first bolted to the fan drum. Whilst you see a lock washer here, I have used thread-lock throughout this build to protect bolts from rotating parts, coming adrift, and also static bolts which could be affected by vibration. Oil bearings are lightly oiled and modelling grease compound has been added where appropriate. 
 



 
 
All of the fan blades are perfectly created so they are balanced. You'd have a real problem if the main fan was unbalanced. All of these blades are slotted into the drum. There is a little 'play' in these, as there is in the numerous other fans. This is perfectly normal. 


 
 
The blades are now fixed in situ with these fastenings which sit between the blades and are screwed from the rear of the fan drum. 

 
 
There is still a little unevenness in the position of the last parts, but this is entirely removed when the fan spinner is screwed into place. Note the spiral which is a safety feature of the real thing. 

 
 
This is already a heavy and substantial subassembly. I put this to one side while I worked on the rest, making sure I didn't rest it on its fan blades. 


 
Second Low Pressure Rotor
We all know thatches engines have various high and low pressure rotors/compression, and this assembly is the rotor which will sit to the rear of the main fan. The parts to build this are seen here, with the separate blades. The two turntable parts are first bolted together and then the blades slotted between them in the correct orientation. Finally, a stopper is fitted to complete the turntable and prevent the blades from escaping. 
 
 



 
 
Second stage low pressure rotor
This assembly is built in exactly the same way as the one above. The only difference being the blade angles and the turntable drum shapes. 
 

 
 
First low pressure stator
Whereas the previous assemblies were moving items, this one is static and will sit between the others. This consists of a static low voltage connector ring in which a set of stator blades are slotted into an internal recess in the ring. These seem a little loose until the securing ring is tightened up onto the blades and they form a complete circle which droops from the ring. EngineDIY sent me a set of replacement parts for these as the original ones  and their customer service was super fast. No complaints whatsoever. 



 
 
High Pressure Lower stator Case
We now turn attention to a part of the engine's outer case. This will sit just to the rear of the main fan casing and consists of two nicely machined halves into which clear viewing windows are inserted. Inside these sit two more rows of static stators, seen here in black. These are simply pushed into place and will move about, so it's a case of making sure they stay still until the halves are eventually bolted together.


 
 
High Pressure Rotor
Inside that housing sits a high pressure rotor assembly. This is essentially a set of drums and rotors which are bolted together into a single unit. These are all slotted onto three rods which are then secured at each end of the drum. 




 
....to be continued.

i need one under my backside to get some projects moving, great review @James H

1:10 Turbofan Engine
Teching
Catalogue #33ED3479934
Available from EngineDIY for $999.99USD (minus discount)
 

A turbofan or fanjet is a type of air-breathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet, and a reference to the additional fan stage added. It consists of a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical energy from combustion, and a ducted fan that uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to force air rearwards. Thus, whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion chamber and turbines, in a turbofan some of that air bypasses these components. A turbofan thus can be thought of as a turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these contributing to the thrust.

Animation of a 2-spool, high-bypass turbofan 
A. Low-pressure spool
B. High-pressure spool
C. Stationary components
1. Nacelle
2. Fan
3. Low-pressure compressor
4. High-pressure compressor
5. Combustion chamber
6. High-pressure turbine
7. Low-pressure turbine
8. Core nozzle
9. Fan nozzle
 
The turbofan was invented to improve the fuel consumption of the turbojet. It achieves this by pushing more air, thus increasing the mass and lowering the speed of the propelling jet compared to that of the turbojet. This is done mechanically by adding a ducted fan rather than using viscous forces by adding an ejector, as first envisaged by Whittle.
(Information abridged from Wikipedia)
 
 
The kit
This is a large and heavy kit. It's also very expensive and I make no secret of this. The box with contents, weighs in at about 5kg, and the completed model at around 4kg. In all, there's over 1000 parts, including the various fittings of course. That product box is extremely sturdy and takes a real effort to get that lid from the base. You can get an idea of the size of this kit with my magnifying visor sat on top. The engine seems to be based on the CFM International LEAP turbofan engine, as fitted to the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 Neo. The finished model also features a test stand and a throttle unit with full engine sound. 

 
Here are a few more specs, supplied by Teching.
Material: Aluminum alloy + Stainless Steel Model: Dual Rotor Turbofan Engine Scale: 1/10 Model Length: 380mm Fan Diameter: 165mm Number of Parts: 1000+PCS (Components: 400+PCS, Screws & Nuts: 600+PCS) Drive System: Motor-driven Battery: 3.7V 800mAh Lithium Battery Power Charging Cable: DC 5V USB Cable Charging Time: 3 hours Battery Life: 1 hour (at Full Charge) Assembly Time: Approx. 10 hours
 
Underneath that heavy lid are several trays of parts, all numbered so you know exactly where to find the parts you need. A number of parts are fairly similar, so it's important you use the correct ones as you go. On top of the parts trays is a clear acetate sheet to make sure nothing comes loose, and lastly, the colour instruction manual is provided.

 
 
Here you can see just how those parts are supplied. Many smaller parts, such as stator blades etc. are packed into clear wallets and then sat within their numbered recesses. One point to note here is that there is a little fine, slightly powdery debris on many parts, from that foam. I found that blowing the parts with an aerosol cleaner helped first...especially as the construction is precision. 
 
Tray 1

 
 
Tray 2

 
 
Tray 3

 
 
Tray 4

 
 
 
Tray 5

 
 
I've now laid out the trays so you can see the parts a little clearer. the main parts have either an anodised, dipped, or painted finish. All of the finishes are robust and not easily marked. All of the black parts you see are also metal. The only plastic parts I believe I encountered are the clear viewing windows for the various cutaway sections. 





 
 
As you can see, many of the cutout have more than one part, but all are so carefully packed that nothing whatsoever is marked or damaged. 

 
 
Instructions
This comes in the forum of a full colour, glossy 124 page publication, which details every single stage in wonderful clarity, with sometimes more than one single image to show a particular stage. The manual is published in both English and Chinese text, and not only includes the instructions, but also a little about the engine, some safety notes, and also a full colour parts key at the end of the manual. I didn't find a need for the latter, but it's there if you feel you need to reference it.












 
 
Tools
The model is also supplied with a set of tools. I did have problems with the 1.5mm hex driver as the head sheared off. That's no problem for me anyway as I wanted to use my own Wera tools. Some small spanners are also supplied.

 
Fittings
Two plastic compartment boxes are included. As well as the screws, bolts, nuts etc, the boxes also contain bearings and other parts specific to this particular kit. All in metal. 


 
 
Conclusion
You really have to like assembling mechanical models to get the most from this kit. There are LOTS of nuts and bolts to tackle and you'll need a reasonable bench area to store the various subassemblies as the build commences. The model is all metal in construction (apart from the clear viewing panels) and is something that really should not be rushed, and why would you want to if you are paying a premium for such a project. Tools are supplied with the kit, although my 1.5mm hex driver head did shear off and I continued with my Wera hex head set for most things. This is very much a precision kit and the excellent instructions need to be followed at each step. There are more than enough images for you to get orientation correct, and the text is very easy to follow, with no ambiguity. The only thing I would suggest is that you get a little model grease for the various gears, and a little lube oil for the bearings. The kit does have a space in the accessories box for that lube, but it's not included in the UK shippings, for reasons I don't know. If you've ever wanted to buy a model engine of a turbofan, then it gets no better than this one. 
 
So what do I think of the kit in terms of build-ability? Well, we'll look at this over the next posts I make, culminating in a full build and video test startup. 
 
My sincere thanks to Lucas at EngineDIY for the opportunity to build this remarkable kit on Model Ship World. To buy directly, click the link at the top of this article.

To get a nice fat discount on this kit, use the voucher code JAMESHATCH at checkout.
 
...TO BE CONTINUED.
 

 

The next step was to build the rudder and shaft, a few shapes were laid out from the drawings, cut and glued. The goal here was to build the rudder as close to the design shown, the correct number of stiffeners using plastic that is as close to scale as possible:
 

 
The keel below the rudder was built up per the drawings as well. A strip of brass as glued to the underside to help hold the shape below the rudder:
 

 

 

 
Next using the boss glued to the keel a drill bit was used to align another piece of tubing inserted into a hole crudely cut through the hull. Once the glue set this fixture was used to drill straight through the ribs which would intersect the rudder shaft:
 

 
The rudder assembly, a piece of brass rod was chucked into the drill press and small file used to cut a couple o-ring grooves. A piece of 3/16 brake like was cut to length. The brake line would be fixed in the hull and act as a bearing surface for the o-rings. It can't be seen in the photo but the brass shaft is continuous, it will need to be cut in half, keyed and the lower half glued to the inside of the rudder:
 

 
The rudder installed in the hull for a test, it will need to be removed to tidy up the hull. Without the splice in the rudder shaft it has proven quite difficult to remove the rudder without bending the keel. A bit of lube down the hull mounted rudder tube to release the o-rings from the steel brake line should allow me to get the brass rudder shaft out to cut in half.
 

Yes Eberhard they did explain that. They commented that the original would have been built by eye. No plans and no templates, and of course no two boats the same. They are indeed using templates to assist in accurately reproducing the original.

Somehow I haven't been aware of this project, thanks!
 
One process that seems to be not so in line with how they did it in the old days is the use of templates. OK, they try to replicate an existing ship. In those old days they probably strung a cord from bow to stern and used this as reference to ensure that the boat turned out symmetrical, but otherwise everything would have been shaped by eye, I think.
 

Visible progress continues to creep ahead!
 
While there have been quite a few unnoticeable repair jobs being completed, some visible progress has also been happening.  The already fitted mast sections have been painted the correct colour (brown); the anchor crane has been rigged with the crane positioned to pick up the port anchor and the first pair of shrouds are at least over the mast with the remainder of the lower spanker shrouds just draped over no.5 hatch.
 
I would normally start rigging from forward, but because the fore stays are all double and secure at deck level forward of the next mast forward, it's necessary to start from aft so I can get at the fore stays to tension them.
 
John
 

Hello everyone.
My name is Dave, I'm from Ukraine.
I want to introduce you to my first model - the Columbus caravel "Nina" (real name Santa Clara) scratch. I've been working on the model for a little over a year now and I'm slowly finishing it. My tools are the most common; the only power tools I have are a screwdriver with a flexible shaft.
I will be glad to receive advice, tips and criticism 🙂Further in real time...
 

I will be following along with your R/C progress since I would like to get a better appreciation for the wiring sequence as well as the "do's and don't's" as I build the system into my current build.  Since home for me is relatively close to yours, I look forward to perhaps seeing your project underway.  Very nice work!
 

Rick - I have been doing a bit of head scratching trying to locate the position of various hull appendages. From the geometry of this feature it is located near the keel on the starboard side. From the angle the keel makes with the hull it must be somewhere towards the stern. It is one of the photos you provided and I am wondering if you recall its approximate location?
 
For the rest of my friends please feel free to speculate on what it is and why it is this shape. Without knowing what it is It doesn't look terribly well designed to me.
 
Keith, Rick, Eberhard, Pat, Roel, Nils - thank you all for taking the time to comment and thanks to all my other visitors.