yvesvidal
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Everything posted by yvesvidal
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A little update: It has been a lot of delicate work but it does not seem like a lot of progress. It is just a tedious phase of the construction, where the time is spent opening ports and vents in a very delicate and brittle material. Finally, it is at the point where I do not see anything else and need some primer to figure out where some fine sanding must take place, and that is true for both half-hulls. On the clear hull, all the flood holes have been carefully drilled, grinded from behind and filed to the correct shape. A coat of primer helps locate the numerous issues: You will notice the two holes on the bow, on the starboard side and three holes on the port side. It is the proper way, instead of the mistake that most kit makers do every time, when trying to replicate early Type VIIc submersibles. Yes, lots of fine sanding and puttying must take place, I fully agree. I am afraid Archer rivets are going to be necessary..... too. Yves
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A pure jewel! Congratulations on a fantastic job, well done and completed. Now, to the next one: Syren...maybe? Yves
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You could use wood putty and sand the hull smooth. Some wood putty can be stained easily and that will help it blend with the rest of the planks. Or you can spend a lot of time adjusting small pieces of wood to repair the damages. Finally, you could paint the hull after repairing it and sanding it carefully. I would try the stainable wood putty first. I am sure other members of the forum will come up with some good ideas. Yves
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I appreciate your attempts at restoring this beautiful ship. It has a lot of potential and you can turn it into a really nice model. Yves
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A few little progress, on the bow. A nice and clean cut, without breaking anything: And a few details. I really enjoy that PE set: Yves
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Folks, I am slowly starting to be more comfortable with the cutting of that transparent material. I will post a couple of pictures when I get home to show the latest progress. You definitely have to be more careful and patient than with the polystyrene side. On the other end, it produces a little bit less dust when working it. I have also decided to show all four torpedo doors (hull doors) open. I really like the aggressive look provided by the the four mouths ready to fire: To do that in a realistic way, I have decided to order a few more parts from RCSUBS in Czech Republic. In retrospect, I should have ordered the whole set upfront. With the Torpedo doors set and the torpedo door framing set, I will hopefully have something that resembles a true Type VIIc submersible. Below is a picture of the the Torpedo Door framing set, that goes inside the hull: I started installing these frames in the Port side of my model and will continue in the starboard side, very soon. The Torpedo inner doors is another set (on order) which is very interesting and allows you to replicate faithfully and accurately what real inner torpedo doors look like. That set is very important if you want to replicate the rear torpedo mechanism, correctly. I will then link the torpedo inner door mechanisms with the Pressure Hull front Bulkhead from RCSUBS (3D printed part), which I have already installed on my front torpedoes room module: The links between the bulkhead and the torpedo inner doors is not something you can find easily and after hours of searching the Internet, I found the following drawing done by a European enthusiast: It shows the levers and commands that are involved to control the outside doors and the external shutters, on the hull. I have to say that this is a big departure from the Trumpeter kit, which presents absolutely nothing of these parts. I am so grateful that the RCSUBS photo Etched sets are available as they allow the demanding modeler to complete a very accurate and faithful model of the type VIIc submersibles. Below is the complete offering of RCSUBS PE sets. Quite a comprehensive set and so much better than the simplified and approximate Eduard set. Each set comes with a complete set of instructions and templates, whenever applicable. Oto from RCSUBS has been enlisting a German veteran and expert on the Type VIIc and newer submarines, to get the most precise and accurate set of PE available. I also have the rear pressure hull bulkhead on order, a new part that was not available when I placed my first order. I like these 3D printed parts as they truly depict and make you understand how the Type VIIc was designed. I wanted to show the bulkheads and the control links and this is why I cut the Torpedo Room window the way I did. Yves
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Absolutely beautiful. Are you going to rig it ? Yves
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Yes, that was one of my first kit, the Renwall original model. I was so excited to have such a great kit. You could even shoot the missile in the air. What a treat. Yves
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For the simple reason that it is easier to adjust the cuts when you can see the modules inside. But do not worry, I will be shooting a coat of primer soon, on the bow that I am reworking. Yes, it is not easy to work on this transparent stuff. Yves
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Now that the Port side is more or less completed, it is time to work on the starboard half-hull. This piece is made of acrylic or plexiglass and is a nightmare to rework. My tools although running at the lower possible speed (5,000 RPM) tend to melt the plastic if you stay too long on one spot. You have to keep moving, stop frequently, cut the melted blob around the bits, and start again, a tedious and delicate cutting. In addition, the part is not as resilient than the regular polystyrene and I am always concerned of risks of shattering the part. Not a pleasant section of the construction. It is nerve wracking and my teeth are clenched way too long. How much I wish they had provided two starboard hulls: one transparent and one made of regular polystyrene that you could cut to your desire. Also, working on a semi-transparent part is not exactly easy and I cannot wait to prime that section. It is truly difficult to see your mistakes. First, the torpedo doors: Then the large cut to show the front torpedo compartment: And an appetizer of what will be the final result: My plan is obviously not to use the transparent hull as provided in the kit. Let's be honest, you don't see much through that plastic, even though it may look a little bit better with the lights on. Instead, I want to paint the hull and leave open some sections that show all the action taking place inside the submersible. A little bit like these books of our childhood, showing you a cutaway of ships, cars, planes and submarines. Yves
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Folks and followers, Thank you for the appreciations and thumbs-ups. I encourage you to go back to old posts as I usually improve them with additional information and archive elements that I find, in my ever lasting quest on these machines. I recently added some schematics on the fuel system, a few posts back. I am trying to make this BLOG interesting by offering historical and technical elements in addition to the build properly speaking. Yves
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You are making good progress, Christian. Yves
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Well, I could not wait..... First two pieces of deck: These are glued with two components epoxy glue. It gives you plenty of time to position perfectly the parts and clean very easily with isopropyl alcohol. The end result is very sturdy although somewhat flexible. Just what I needed. You have to apply the glue very sparingly, as it will try to seep through the gratings. A soft and clean rag with alcohol, and it is all clean. Now, for the claustrophobia lovers, an inside shot: That hull is massive. Yves
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Some progress: 1) installation of magnets to hold the starboard half hull to the deck and port hull. It is working very well and give me a sturdy and full hull to work with. This is very important to position perfectly the PE on the deck. In the end, I may glue the other half, but there is no certainty. It could stay like that and be fine. I may still add a couple of magnets towards the bow, below the torpedo doors. The half hulls are so big and long, there is a slight warping that irritates me. 2) There is the whole enchilada, holding with just the magnets: Now is time for the exciting part: THE PEs !!!! A novelty for me. For the time being, they are just resting on the plastic deck. Maybe tomorrow, I will start gluing them, starting from the bow. Yves
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Yeah. This is going to be exciting. You are going to have an indigestion of PE, for sure. Yves
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The Haynes manual on the Type VIIc seems to go along with your understanding, Imagna. So, I also have access to the original German Manual for the Type VIIc, translated in English. Below are a few schematics showing the intricacies and complexity of the fuel system and the respective positions of the various fuel tanks: I did not study them in details, but it is a good starting point to figure out how it works. Knowledge of the language of Goethe may help too. Yves
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Imagna, Thank you for these explanations. It is somewhat difficult to understand exactly how these Type VIIc submersibles were used and operated. Yes, apparently the RFO (Reserve Fuel Oil) tanks were located with the main ballasts, on each side of the hull. I found that picture (not very good) of a slice of the U-534 (Type IXc) which was rescued recently and is being restored by a wealthy and "crazy" organization. It is still quite close to the Type VIIc, just bigger: Nice view of the two Turbos above. Yves
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I have seen this appearance on some pictures of units in dry-docks. The effect may be over-exaggerated on my model but will be more subtle once I sand them a little bit and after the painting. I also do not like the sleek and smooth side provided by the kit. The crater like effect is due to multiple reasons: - Foundry was not always perfect. - Occasionally these submersibles landed on on the bottom of shallow waters. - Barnacles and shells hanging there... - Dry-dock maintenance between two missions. - Possible explosions and shrapnels being received. The ballast (above) did not have these appearances, although they were bumped at port and at sea (during re-fueling/replenishing), quite frequently. The typical oil canning was found on the ballasts, being made of a softer material. Below are a couple of picture of the U-995 that survived the war and did not see too much action: Yves
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The half hull (Port side is pretty much completed: All holes (with the exception of the rectangular openings above the main ballasts) have been drilled and filed. A few details: My camera really sucks in Macro mode....☹️ I just have to finalize the gluing of the magnets to secure the two halves together. Then, the main deck can be assembled. Yves
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Coming along nicely and steadily. Yves
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Guys, You may not know it, but Greg will be attempting a SS GATO class submarine in 1/350, with all the internal piping 😉 Yves
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Beautiful model. This is a jewel of precision and beauty. Yves
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