yvesvidal
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Everything posted by yvesvidal
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Thank you. Yes, of course, I do have the so called Type VIIc Manual by Haynes. Very interesting book. Yves -
We are at a welcome point, where the "butchering" of the main deck has been completed: Not much of the deck is left overall. The hatches have to be also reworked as the PE set offers a nicer alternative than the gross molding of the Trumpeter. The Hatch mechanisms have to be installed before gluing the PE decks. It was not easy to remove the molded hinges without damaging the spherical shapes. At this stage, I need to finish the work on the port hull, with a few more openings: I still have a few elongated vents to open towards the stern and work on the openings that you can see on the picture. I am NOT touching the square/rectangular vents above the two main ballast tanks. These are too tedious and would weaken the structure in a very negative way. I will simply paint them black to simulate holes. Finally, I started installing some small but very powerful magnets to hold both half hulls together. I think I will be using that approach all around to obtain a solid assembly that can be opened if need be. This picture found on the WEB is very interesting and revealing of the details underneath the deck. These submarines are very similar to the one I am modeling. One can see that the cuts I did on the deck, may resemble what was done on the real submersible. Yves
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It does. The difference between the original Trumpeter plastic deck and this one, is like night and day. Yves
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I do not know about you guys, but I had the urge to see what all this PE would give. So I put the two halves together and added the tail: Yes, almost 5 feet of PE deck. A pure marvel, if you ask me (okay, I am biased). Impressive beast to say the least. Yves
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I decided to build some re-enforcement, inside the hull to support the delicate lace: It is not visible from outside, but it gives me a piece of mind and should strengthen the deck significantly, until the PE deck is glued (and even after). I am getting ready to cut the final openings for this section of the hull: After this, we are moving to the clear section of the stern. I am not looking forward to that part (same with the starboard side of the hull) as it is very brittle as all clear plastic are. I have ordered special cutting bits for my Dremel and I hope they will be efficient at biting into the clear polystyrene. Yves
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C'est tres beau Cri-cri. Superbe travail. Yves
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- confederacy
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Very true, but I am getting to the end of that structure. A few more cuts and it will be finished. I can then move back to the hull and complete the installation of the PE parts. Gluing the PE deck parts will be done last. I am also thinking about how to secure the other half of the hull, while allowing the opening of it, for access to the modules or for maintenance if something gets broken. I think miniature screws (near the keel) and micro magnets (under the deck) may be the way to go.... To do that, I need to have access inside the hull, through all the openings I created. Yves
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That is a good question.... I do not know yet....☹️ I found that interesting picture, showing the pressure hull and the base of the main gun on top of it. The kiosk and periscope framing is also clearly seen. The rear is more difficult to examine for details. In a way, I am glad that the U-552 did not have a snorkel as it adds a definitive level of complexity. The Revell kit representing a different submersible has the snorkel installed on the Port side. Yves
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Another section of the deck has been completed. Now, we are approaching an extremely fine "lace" and this is becoming critically fragile: Not cutting the bottom openings first (away from the hull) will definitely collapse the entire deck. A methodical approach is required. The result is worth all the efforts and risks taken: Yves
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Little more progress on the hull. I finished drilling the 100 some holes to open up the vents: Each opening requires 4 holes (#53), a careful couple of cuts and some sanding with a flat file. Edges are finished with a round micro file. Back is sanded and then brushed to get rid of as much dust and plastic barbs as possible. Moving along towards the stern. Preparing more cuts behind the kiosk: When it is over, it will be all "lace". Yves
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After producing about 2 pounds of dust, I just completed the lace cuttings around the Gun. There are five little spots that I decided to not cut, as I think it may turn into a disaster and weaken the deck too much. Let's not forget that the deck also holds the starboard side of the hull. You can see the five spots easily. They will be painted the color of the pressure hull before gluing the PE deck, and will then later on be blended with the deck painting. The final result is very nice and you can clearly see through in most places: It definitely brings a different flair than the original Trumpeter deck. I wish The Trumpeter would have done this when designing that kit. It would have saved a ton of time and efforts in making this model the most realistic possible. As far as gluing these large pieces of PE, I do not think I will be using CA glue. I need time to adjust precisely and also need a strong and somewhat flexible bond. I am leaning towards the two components Epoxy glue with 12 hours curing time. Most of the gluing will also be re-enforced from below. The brass pieces are large and thick. They will contribute to the rigidity of the deck. What are the experts thinking about this solution? Yves
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Let me explain briefly how I am approaching the butchering of the deck. First, we take a deep breath and try to forget how much this kit is (+PE)...☹️ This is our starting point, a deck already butchered at the bow: Using a large file, we file away a few of the protruding molding, preserving the hatch. At that stage there is no coming back: The base for the kiosk also has to go, since the PE will cover everything. Then, we tape the template to the deck and I drill some holes to delineate the shapes that will have to be cut. Basically a hole in each corner: Then a rough contour of the shapes is done and we start cutting. Of course, we start with the starboard side (away from the hull), since the fabrication of the plastic "lace", weakens drastically the entire deck. At that stage, I am actually happy that Trumpeter molded the hull in a very thick way, even though it is nightmare to grind, cut and file. Every time an opening is done, I verify with the PE that everything lines up nicely. The hole for the gun is my reference. That is all for tonight, folks. Yves
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The bow is starting to come along: as well as the deck. Of course, PEs will be glued at the last minute, when all the butchering of the main hull has been done and completed. The real stuff: Yves
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The port hull is in full swing. I have puttied and sanded a few seams: It is now a lot smoother. I started working on the beating of the main hull, and its moon like appearance. This is due to quick foundry work, lots of maintenance, underwater mines and all kind of abuses these machines were submitted to, during their very short lives: On the deck, we are fabricating a Nice slice of Swiss cheese, following the templates given by RCSUBZ: The amount of dust produced is insane. The fitting of the PE is perfect, once again, and the openings match ideally the template and cuts: Lots of cuts still to be done. And then we start all over on the starboard side..... Yves
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Looking good Christian. That is a big beast. I still remember seeing the original model made by Chuck, at Model Shipways in Florida: Very impressive. Yves
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Another delicate PE insertion: That Trumpeter Hull is massive and so thick. We are talking about 3 mm or close to 1/8 inch. It takes time and energy to go through it . After a coat of Vallejo Primer, I can see the areas requiring some putty and sanding: Almost like the real stuff: Yves
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Working on the torpedoes doors and the bow. Before as provided by the kit: I just acquired a Dremel 4300 with a flexible cable extension and a few bits. I wonder why I waited so long to own one. It is such a fantastic tool. I am trying to remove some of the plastic to allow the insertion of the PE. Very tedious and delicate work. The Trumpeter plastic is very thick and robust. It will definitely require some putty, but not too much. Now, to install the framing of the torpedoes doors. This is a supplement PE set provided by RCSUBZ: From there, I have been thinking about how I will be presenting the model. The top door will be open and a torpedo will be pushed out of the tube. The lower tube will be also open but the inner door will be closed, showing the internal arrangement: It is starting to become difficult to see the imperfections of my work. I may have to spray some primer over this area, to figure out what needs to be puttied and sanded. Yves
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I decided to start working on the hull. Port side first. There is an enormous amount of work to make it presentable. There are hundreds of holes and openings to drill and file. I wish the "Trumpeter" would have done these for us. Maybe he should play less Trumpet and complete his casting work. Anyway, I am working from the bow to the stern, little by little: I wish to give the hull a slightly beaten up appearance with some oil canning. I started scraping each panel with a round X-Acto blade. We'll see how this goes. I have never done anything of that nature yet. The bridge is a daunting task as well. I filed the bow deck and drilled a large hole for one of the vent. I thought about it twice before butchering a kit of that magnitude.... and finally went for it. This is just the beginning as far as butchering the hull, as we will see later on: The Photo-etched parts from RCSUBZ fit perfectly: Next, I will concentrate on the front torpedo doors, which is a puzzle in itself. Yves
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Allons Christian, ne soyez pas si fataliste. Vous faites de superbes maquettes, dignes d'etre presentees dans un museum local ou le hall de votre mairie. Il serait dommage et regrettable pour la communaute des maquettistes, que vous mourriez. For the missing part, I would contact Model Shipways. They are usually responsive. Of course, the fastest will be to build it yourself. Yves
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Valeriy, You are not painting the hull before gluing the deck planks? It seems to me that it is going to be a daunting task to mask all the decks. Yves
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A final picture for this module, inserted into the main hull: I still have a couple of details to finish: The Pressure hull under the front planes link, some weathering and a couple of details inside the torpedoes room, to make it even more realistic. Most likely my next efforts will be directed towards the hull. It is a big piece, to say the least. I hope you have enjoyed the building of the first part of that enormous kit. Yves
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The front torpedoes room module is pretty much completed. I just have to attach the structure for the anchor windlass and build a simulacrum of pressure hull, under the front control link to the bow planes. Most likely this will be visible through the louvers of the main hull. This a big module and most likely the biggest in the assembly. I finally got rid of 3 sprues out of 29 !!!! Yeah. The 3D printed front bulkhead helps a lot in making the kit more realistic and prototypical: The protruding outlets are used for the control of the tube external doors. I will see what I can re-create when the module gets inserted into the hull. If you are building this kit, I strongly encourage you to purchase that 3D printed bulkhead. It is unfortunate that the rear bulkhead is not available. I probably will have to fabricate one, when the time comes. Below is the top of the module, with its air tank (right) and main storage tube for extra torpedoes or other things. All this will be slightly visible through the deck openings. I realize I forgot to add the watertight door to the storage area. Pictures help reveal mistakes or mishaps. Below are a few shots of the inside of the compartment, showing its intricacies and extremely tight arrangement: The "Trumpeter" only provides one winch to lift the torpedoes, whereas two (at least) are necessary. I had to build another one, using spare parts. I also had to rework the original winch which is totally incorrect and incomplete as provided in the kit. These winches use a closed loop chain for the control by the hands and a beefier open chain to lift the rail carrying the torpedo. Two little brass straps have been added to brace and lift the torpedoes. The longitudinal movement of the torpedo is done by the two sliders mounted on the rail. Each slider is connected to one brace and moved on the rail, using the small hand wheel (the rail has a geared column on the upper side) This system allows a close approach of the tube opening and a slow and careful insertion of the eel in the tube. Note that eels were always installed with their fins in a vertical position and the plates facing upward, for the final settings. As indicated before, a piston was pushing the eel outside of the tube, once the water pressures had been equalized. The grease was used to prevent the torpedo from being stuck inside the tube and to help its penetration of the water (drag reduction). To give a little bit more action, I decided to represent the loading of a torpedo in the lower tube. One man is busy watching and controlling the insertion of the torpedo into the tube, while his bearded (and sweaty) companion is lathing the marine missile with heavy grease and oil. A third lad, probably a petty officer, is in charge of controlling the rear winch. One sailor tries to sleep, while another one just woke up, disturbed by the maneuver. The original torpedo room had 24 people in it (12 sleeping or trying to and 12 working). A real nightmare of promiscuity and claustrophobia. Below is an extremely rare picture of the front of the pressure hull, showing the characteristic shape of the bulkhead: Finally, some original pictures showing the living conditions of the German sailors: Out of 40,000 underwater sailors, less than 10,000 survived. A terrible outcome, illustrating the absurdity and insanity of wars in general. Yves
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