yes Jeff i think it wise to check any kit from any manufacturer . i know its a time consuming and sometimes dificult task. especialy if you not only check the premade parts but make sure that the supply of wood /thread/wire is enough.
This is the build log for Hr. Ms. O 19, one of only two submarines in her class of the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Navy). Please forgive me for making this introduction very personal because she was part of my life and therefore holds a very special interest for me. My father, Opperschipper (Adjudant) Petrus W. van Warmerdam, was with her from about one year before her launch September 22, 1938 till his promotion to Opperschipper in January 1941.
At the time he was placed on the build he had the rank of Schipper, with the added function of Quality Control and Assurance Inspector and liaison between the Navy and the ship builder Wilton-Fijenoord in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
His second tour of tropical duty started right after his marriage to my mother in October 7, 1931, and they started a family while in Surabaya, the former Dutch East Indies. My sister and I were born there, November 14, 1932 and April 15, 1934. When his second six-year tour of tropical duty ended in the end of 1937 he had to return to the Netherlands. Of course his family, my mother, sister and I, followed shortly after on the passenger liner M. S. Christiaan Huygens of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland, Amsterdam.
When we arrived in the Netherlands we first stayed in Den Helder, the Royal Navy Base, but after hearing about the new class of submarines being build he immediately requested to be placed on them. Because of his expert technical knowledge of submarines the Royal Navy agreed and he and his family moved to Vlaardingen Ambacht, Narcisplein 3 to be exact, a small town near Schiedam, in March of 1938. Sjors and Anja know this area quite well.
The shipyard was located in Schiedam, the Netherlands and the boat he was assigned to happened to be the furthest along of the two in that class, mine laying submarines.
The original design concept for a mine lying submarine was completed in December, 1934 and assigned numbers O 17 and O 18. (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section) However, the design was altered to a more squarish form amidships for better loading and discharging of the mines by engineer G. de Rooy. (Reference pictures can be found in the DRAWINGS section) Rumors have it that it is based on the design of the Polish submarine Orzel but cannot be confirmed. The Orzel was also a mine-laying sub but I believe that the mine tubes were carried inside the main hull and not on the side as the O 19 class subs.
The O 19 and O 20 were also the first subs equipped with “getrimd diesel system ,” where the boat could run on diesel power while submerged to charge the batteries and for ventilation. This is commonly known as “Snorts,” or “Snorkels.” Navigation was done via the navigation periscope.
The KM (short for Royal Navy in Dutch) used to classify submarines for domestic waters with O and those for the colonies with K (K stands for “Koloniën ” which means colonies). They were originally assigned the numbers K XIX and K XX, which was changed to O 19 and O 20 sometime during their fabrication. All subsequence submarines received the O designation till the end of WW II. After the war all subs received names instead of numbers.
The O 19 was launched September 22, 1938 with my father onboard of course and officially commissioned on July 3, 1939, my mother, sister and I were present for that event. I was standing on extreme left of the photo, hidden behind the bow flag, next to my mother. The ensuing trial runs were successfully conducted near de Scandinavian coast and the fiords where proof diving could be done more successfully. Although the boat was designed for a maximum depth of 100 meters these proof dives were limited to 60 meters.
Special tests were to be conducted on the voyage to the Netherland’s East Indies to measure geological differences in the Earth’s crust when sailing over the continuation of a mountain range underwater as well as wave action while submerged. She and her crew arrived safely and without any technical difficulties at the Navy Base in Soerabaja (old Dutch spelling) in September 1939.
My mother, sister and I followed in December of 1939 on the passenger liner M. S. “Johan van Oldenbarnevelt,” of the Stoomvaart Maatschappy Nederland. Both the Christiaan Huygens and JVO served as troop transports during WW II.
On January 1, 1941, my father was promoted to Opperschipper (Adjudant) and had to be transferred to a surface ship of the KM, which was the light cruiser Hr. Ms. Java. The reason for the transfer was dat that rank was not maintained on submarines. That was the second time in my short life that I saw my father shed a tear. He loved the submarine service that particular boat and the crew. As all submariners know these small crews on the subs become like a family. He hated the Java, that “old rust bucket,” as he called it and he was subsequently killed in action on that ship during the “Battle of the Java Sea,” 5 minutes before midnight on February 27, 1942. A long-range Japanese torpedo hit the Java in the rear port side just where his battle station is. Fortunately he never knew what hit him when the powder room exploded and 20 meters of that part of the ship just evaporated.
I have photographs of the wrecked stern section that lies 70 meters down on the sea floor and now have closure and sort of a “grave marker.”
Our lives changed dramatically shortly afterward when the Japanese successfully invaded the Dutch controlled Indonesian islands and made us “guests of the Emperor” of Japan, i.e. prisoners of war, and placed us into concentration camps for the duration of the war. Yes, even women, and children, all non military people were classified as combatants and came under military rule and in charge of the Kempeitai.
Fellow ship model builders, something you may not know but the Japanese High Command gave orders in the beginning of 1945 to exterminate all POWs in September of 1945. As terrible as the two atom bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki are, it saved millions of lives and is the reason I am alive today with two beautiful daughters and a grandson. My wife too was a “guest of the Emperor” in a concentration camp in Semarang, Java. It is also giving me the great pleasure counting all of you as my friends.
The O 19 served with distinction during the entire war and I am sure that my father would be proud of her and the crew.
Well then, this model is in memory of my father and I dedicate it to him and the crew he loved. The boat is still with us today, albeit as a wreck on Ladd Reef in the South China Sea (19.93 Lat, 174.57 Long). Due to a navigational error she ran right smack in the middle of that reef at low tide. And yes, the crew survived and was rescued by the USS sub “ Cod,” which is moored permanently in Cleveland, Ohio, as a museum. There are some interesting films on “YouTube” of the rescue
My model will be at a scale of 1:50 which translates to 1.6 meter and only shows the exterior of the boat, except for the side-launch torpedo tube assembly. This unit is mounted outside the main pressure hull, between the hull and the deck structure forward of the deck gun location.
It will be plank on bulkhead, using poplar wood for the majority of the build. For the deck structure I may use 1/32 inch plywood over a frame of poplar, covered with epoxy resin. The simulated hull plating will be 150 lb hot pressed watercolor paper over 1.5 mm poplar planking and epoxy resin. Other materials will be brass rod, brass and copper wire, plastics, cardboard material and whatever comes to mind to achieve the desired effect.
I’ll be using red Titebond glue, Elmer’s Carpenter’s WoodGlue Max, which is an interior/exterior glue and waterproof. Of course CA will also be used when appropriate.
I am still doing research on the original paint scheme at the time of the commissioning but that point is still in the future.
Found it - "The Railcar" at Corlette, about half an hour north of Newcastle. They list the Chopper II at $69.95. Here's the link to their web page : The Railcar
it starts with one deck the next thing you are scratch building a whole ship
@Wim i havent dealt with AL themselves but always went through the store i bought the model and so far i have had everything replaced . just needed to keep reminding them.
first of all most models in the hobbystore closest to me is AL so that choice was made for me
so far i have bought 4 AL models (3 ships 1 stagecoach).
the virginia apart of some missing parts was a good kit for me to start. the rigging instructions though where lacking
the stage coach instructions are pretty good and all wood and parts are ok except for the 30mm wide mahavgony veneerstrips which break by only looking at them
the mississippi and the endeavour have many errors in instructions and accuracy but i dont think the wood is of a bad quality
I went to the hobby shop this weekend and the closest thing they had was 3/32 x 1/16. My preference would be 3/32 x 1/32 which I have found online. As far as scale goes it would be tough but I think I could pull it off especially since I would be painting it. Then I saw that it would cost $20 to experiment with this and I got cheap and chickened out. Now two days later I am reconsidering. I never thought I would have to deliberate on decision like this. Should I buy a home or rent, have children or not, go to school or the military, or should I plank the hull or not?