Roger Pellett

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.
 
 

I made a very easy and amateur level 1/72 kit. I used a green screen to take the photo.  
 

 
Thank you for watching~ 🤠 
 

The completed deck ....

The rudder blade ......

Interesting history of this mail/supply boat.  Should be noted, they do not operate in the winter season (January - March).  Also....the man interviewed in this story (Sam Buchanan) is an amazing great lakes model builder - many of his builds reside in different great lakes museums.
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/westcott-150-years-1.7230731

Hi Kurt. I was looking for Crothers drawn plans called Sea Gull Plans and finally ended up here .I was thinking of buying the "masts" book too  but if it's too much like the clipper ship book then I already have the info. Wondered what you found in the 'Mast' book that was different from the Clipper book. Also do you have any idea if William is still alive? I can't find any info on that either. Currently building the Great Republic in 1:48.

Hello Everyone,
Thank you Jim Lad, Keith Black, and KeithAug.  And thanks everyone for the likes.
I have a small update on this project.  I have weathered the hull somewhat and drilled openings for steam and pump discharge and smaller holes for deck drains.  Pic#1.
Since I soon will have to hang fenders on the hull I had to determine a method.  I have no clear pictures of 'BLAIRSTOWN' that were definitive so I chose to use vertical bars under the 'caprail' to the deck.  Alternatively, there may well have been a continuous horizontal rail under the 'caprail'.  I am not sure.  I drilled through the 'caprail' into the deck at regular intervals all around the deck and inserted blackened, .012", phosphor-bronze wire.  Arrows show these rods in Pic#2.
Pic#3 is a shot of the steam derrick lighter 'CHESTER'.  Some of these rods can be seen along with some other interesting details.   (Photo Watson B Bunnell, Steamtown NHS,  National Park Service, Glass plate photo collection).
I hung the bow fender.  I don't remember the correct term for it but I'm sure there is one.  It is made from a piece of tack rag since its open weave resembles netting.  Pic#4.
The version of 'BLAIRSTOWN' I am going for is from the early 1960's so it will have old tire side fenders rather than old log fenders as on 'ISIS'.
Pic#5 is a part of the old tire production line.  Various sizes of styrene tubes sanded/carved slightly for an impression of texture along with a couple of castings a friend gave me.
 
I hope I get the pictures in the correct order.
 
Thanks for watching,
mcb
 
 
 

So I got a bronze for my little French torpedo boat; a ship won best in show! 

Hi Everyone, thank you very much for your Likes and Comments. The hull planking is finished. While the glue was drying I laid out the main hatch. Actually had a chance to use the repeater attachment on the sander. It worked very nicely. The perimeter pieces are made from 5/16” x 5/16” basswood that was left over from a Model Shipways kit. The sides of the center board slot are made from 2 pieces of 1/16” x 1/4” AYC glued together and mounted so that they will sit 1/16” off the deck to allow for the crown.
 

 


 
All of those pieces were assembled. Going to wait for the sub deck to be laid before tweaking it. Lots of angles and curves going on.
 

 


 
 I gave the hull planking a good scrub with 150 grit sandpaper. Probably go over it again with 220 grit paper.
 

 


 
This is her waiting for the sub deck which will be cut from 1/32” basswood sheets, and the main hatch getting a test fit.
 

 
 

 
Hope to see you next time.

In preparation for completing the topsides planking, the stern bulwark was "beavered-up" from a laminated block of cedar and then bonded to the hull at deck level, using masking tape to hold it stationary while the glue cured.
 


A set of deck beams were made up and glued atop the main deck clamps and to the additional raised foredeck pair of clamps. For the support provided while the planking continues, these beams span the full beam at their locations.  Once the planking is completed, the fitting of carlins to the deck framing will trim out the middle portion of many of them.

The rudder has been connected to the servo with a link to its tiller arm.

I will finish this update with a (somewhat washed-out) photo taken this afternoon showing TWILIGHT awaiting further planking in the days to come.

Until again,
Craig
 

During many years of model building I have built many more models in my head than on the workbench.  A result of one of my mental exercises:
 
It seems to me that coppering a hull with real copper is a weak link in the modeling process.  Gluing copper over a wood substrate is problematic as both  Rubber cements and pressure sensitive adhesives have doubtful longevity.  Nothing is more discouraging for corners of plates on a tediously coppered hull to begin lifting up.  Then as Bob Cleek points out there is the scale factor.  If you are building at a scale of 1:100 scale thickness of the copper could be .001in or less thick.
 
I would suggest that you instead use plates cut from thin paper.  These can be glued on with any good wood glue including PVA.  You can paint the plated hull as needed.  An airbrush would work well for simulating different weathering effects.
 
Roger

There is no 'scale' for rivets, only size. So the question is how big on the prototype would these rivets be?
 
Second question: what type of rivet? There are many ways in which rivetting and forming their heads can be performed: half round, countersunk (barely visible on a model), half countersunk, flush (which then would be invisible on the model), hollow rivets, etc. 
 
So a picture of the prototype you want to achieve would be needed to give you informed advice.
 
I would, however, suspect that rivets in 1/200 scale on AA gun mounts would be rather small, with heads of a diameter somewhere around 20 mm max. This means, that in at a 1/200 scale we are talking of diameters of less than 0.1 mm. Assuming that we are talking of half-round heads, the only practical way would be tiny (really tiny) blobs of paint or white glue. It would be a challenge to achieve consistent sizes. In summary, I think I wouldn't bother.
 
The tool you showed, although I don't know it, seems to be the kind used by aircraft modellers to indicate flush rivets by slightly marking the surface. This is not what you (presumably) need and the resulting marks would be grossly overscale anyway.

A Little more planker's progress.
 
The tapered planks continue to go on.

I got to the point where more 1/32" ply backing could be added behind the planks in the boiler room area.


As the taper planks were fitted they began to fill central section of the hull relative to the bow and stern.

The taper planking at the stern can be seen quite clearly in the following photo. Seven taper planks were in position at this stage.

By the next photo I was starting to encroach on the area of the Skeg slot. This slot can't be closed up until I have permanently attached the skeg which I don't want to do at the moment.

The next photo shows how the taper planking is going at the bow.

At this stage I did some further checks on progress towards the string line and concluded that an additional filler plank needed to be inserted over the central section of the hull. This plank was full width at maximum beam tapering to nothing about 15" either side of maximum beam. In the next photo I have inserted a short section of full width plank at maximum beam and then temporarily installed a further long plank above this.

Then over the gap in the planks I attached a piece of paper and with some graphite I did a "rubbing" before cutting out the required plank shape as a paper template.

I then pasted the cut out piece of paper on to a pair of planks and shaped the planks to match the paper. One of the shaped planks with the attached template can be seen inserted below.

The fine tapers at either end of the inserted planks were then cut and installed.

The next plank was then glued in place.
I am now back on track with closing the gap to the string line.
 
 

Hi, Robert. First, allow me to offer my condolences on the loss of your father. It's a commendable desire to have his model completed in his memory. It's a bit daunting that the model requires essentially all of its rigging work done, as that is no easy task. Another option to consider is to display your father's model as a hull model, which as the name suggests is simply the hull of a vessel sans masts and rigging. Finishing your father's model in that fashion would entail considerably less work. Hull models often include stump masts, essentially just the lower portion of each mast. Your father made the masts already, so that would be a straightforward fix. I'll add some links to hull models in the gallery so you can see what I've described.
 
https://modelshipworld.com/gallery/album/2836-enterprize-1774/
https://modelshipworld.com/gallery/album/2824-hms-winchelsea-finished-1764-by-baribeaujm/
https://modelshipworld.com/gallery/album/2736-hms-fly-1776-by-ccoyle/