SMS Helgoland by Papa - Modelik - 1:200 - CARD

[Papa]

This will be my first card model and will be slow as I am also working on finishing up my Granado. The SMS Helgoland is Austrian Austro-Hungarian light cruiser of the First World War and entered service in autumn 1914. The model is printed on heavy paper in magazine format. Some of the pieces are to be glued to 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm card stock. I found after a bit of experimenting that I could get a 1.0 mm thickness by laminating the front and back covers of an inexpensive spiral notebook. The instructions consist mainly of pictures. There is one page of general instructions in Polish that I am translating bit by bit with the help of Google Translate.  So far I have cut out one keel piece.

[ccoyle]

You going for waterline or full hull?

[Captain Slog]

Hi Ron,

 

Looking forward to following another card build log. Good luck.

 

Cheers

Slog

[Papa]

On 7/26/2017 at 10:06 AM, ccoyle said:

You going for waterline or full hull?

Full hull model.

haven't made much progress--spending time with the Admiral at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.

I have the keel pieces cut out and am cutting out and dry fitting the bulkhead pieces.

[Dan Vadas]

Yay, another Card build . I'll be following along as well Ron.

 

Funny to think that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a Navy, both countries now being land-locked . Although of course the Empire included part of Yugoslavia which is on the Adriatic.

 

  Danny

[Papa]

On 8/14/2017 at 2:41 PM, Dan Vad said:

Yay, another Card build . I'll be following along as well Ron.

 

Funny to think that the Austro-Hungarian Empire had a Navy, both countries now being land-locked . Although of course the Empire included part of Yugoslavia which is on the Adriatic.

 

  Danny

yes, that is interesting. The State of New Hampshire once had its own navy and it has only 13 to 25 miles of shoreline depending on who is measuring.

[Papa]

I think I am finally understanding how the hull is supposed to go together.

[Papa]

I finished the skeleton, except for the decks. The instructions say that the deck pieces are to be glued to 1 mm card but the schematics don not indicate this. (a "**" is attached to the part number if it is to be glued to a card; the deck pieces don't have this indication.) I decided to follow the written instructions and have glued them to a card. Hope it works out OK.

[Papa]

The instructs say to pre-drill the mast holes. It is not clear to me on the deck plan where the mast holes are.

[demetri]

Interesting theme. As a cartonist I will follow this thread.

[Papa]

15 minutes ago, demetri said:

Interesting theme. As a cartonist I will follow this thread.

???

[Papa]

OK, I studied the directions some more. A "W" indicates "cut".  The W in the attached picture is about where one of the masts should be. I am wondering about the other tiny white disks.  Are they to be drilled out for davits or rails?

[ccoyle]

It's quite possible that the tiny white spots may need drilling out later, but OTOH they may just be locator marks. Double-check with the plans and drawings. BTW, a "cartonist" is the word that many of our European friends use for a card modeler (carton/karton = paper/cardboard).

[Dan Vadas]

On 22/08/2017 at 5:45 AM, ragove said:

The instructions say that the deck pieces are to be glued to 1 mm card but the schematics don not indicate this. (a "**" is attached to the part number if it is to be glued to a card; the deck pieces don't have this indication.) I decided to follow the written instructions and have glued them to a card. Hope it works out OK.

You've done well . If you hadn't glued the decks to extra card you would have finished up with warps everywhere (trust me, I know. My first card model has a warp in one of it's decks because I wasn't aware of laminating them ).

 

As for the little white dots - if it works out that they are fixing points for rigging I strongly advise that you fit "eyebolts" to them before attaching the deck. I use 0.2mm blackened brass wire, bent double and both "legs" pushed through a 0.4mm hole, and then spread flat on the underside and CA glued in place. You can buy a huge roll of it cheaply on E-bay.

 

  Danny

[Papa]

Danny,  Thanks for the advice. The plans aren't very detailed, but, the more I stare at them the more I see.

[Dan Vadas]

No probs Ron . Can you put up a pic of a section of your plans (any section) so I can see what you're up against? The "plans" for mine are computer rendered "pics" which aren't very clear at all in some stages. I think I'd have preferred Line Drawings.

 

  Danny

[Papa]

I will scan the "directions" today.  I have figured out that the tiny white spots are for rigging.

[Papa]

Helgoland instructions

[S.Coleman]

Most interesting build. Your actually doing a great job. Looking good for a first card model. Some of the plans for card models are abit confusing but it all works out later. Good job.

[Dan Vadas]

Ron, when you said the instructions were basic, you weren't kidding - I hope you can work them out . There are far fewer diagrams and more written directions than in mine, so Google Translate is going to get a workout, lots of luck with that . I've translated (most of) mine successfully, if you have a problem with a word that won't translate into anything sensible, just ask and I or someone else may be able to help. Here's a start for you - "cz." means "part/parts".

 

Basically, if you follow the numbering sequence you will be on the right track. But sometimes it's better to skip ahead a step or two to make parts fitting more logical (i.e. less chance of damage to parts/assemblies already fitted etc). When I work on a sub-assembly I try to fit as many parts as possible to it before gluing the sub-assembly to the deck - this lessens the chances of damaging already fitted assemblies.

 

Also, try and work out where all the rigging points on the decks are before doing much else with them. Then fit the afore-mentioned "eyebolts", making sure that the "tails" don't interfere with anything under the deck (some trimming of bulkheads etc may be necessary to clear them).

 

  Danny

[Papa]

Thanks. Generally google translate is doing ok.  I just have to take the build slowly and double check everything

[reklein]

I'm pretty sure that "carton" is the German word for card or cardboard . The a cartonis is one who builds from card. The best wine to drink while building is  "Cardboardeau" Cheers.

[ccoyle]

37 minutes ago, reklein said:

"Cardboardeau"

**groan**

 

(But with puns, groan is good.    )

[Dziadeczek]

I took a liberty of translating these Polish instructions for you (page 1 of your scans).

Hopefully, this will be of help for you in building your model.

Regards,

Thomas

 

 

SMS „Helgoland” entered the service in Autumn 1914, stationed in the Sebenico base. Her active duty ensued with the bombardment of Italian Coast and continued throughout the entire war time; till its end she was conducting very intensive activities, having both, successes (e.g. sinking an Italian destroyer “Turbine”, raming a French submarine “Monge”, sinking five and damaging three luggers in the Otranto narrows, participating in sinking several other warships and civilian ships. She also had suffered from enemy artillery and airplane bombs  but overall she was rather a lucky ship and had survived till the end of the war in a pretty good shape.

In between 1st through 3^rd of February 1918 the crew rebelled and together with crews from other ships anchored in the  Cattaro Bay, tried to begin an uprising. The control on the “Helgoland” was eventually regained, and the leaders of the mutiny were shot.

After the war, according to the peace treaty, the ship was acquired by the Italians. After a major rebuild and rearming, she became an auxillary ship. During the Abyssinian conflict, she was securing the Adriatic Sea from the Yugoslavian fleet joining the war efforts on the British side.

In March 1937 she was struck from the fleet list and soon after, scrapped.

 

Technical/tactical Data:

Length: 130.6 m

Width: 12.77 m

Draught: 4.55 m

Displacement: 3500 t

Engines: 29.000 KM

Speed: 27 knots

Armor: 60 mm bulwarks; 20 mm decks

Armament: 9x100 mm; 1x70 mm; 3x2 torpedo tubes

Crew: 340

 

General notes:

The model is easy to build and is suitable for medium advanced modelers. They can do away with rails and simplify masting and rigging, if desired.

In the model instructions additional symbols were utilized:

*-glue onto a 0.5 mm cardboard

** - glue onto a 1 mm cardboard

W – cut

(scissors symbol) – cut through

L; P – left part, right part

 

Descriptions of the construction

Following the pic. (rys.1), assemble and glue the hull skeleton with decks. As indicated by the symbols, all parts of the skeleton and decks have to be thickened by gluing them earlier onto 1 mm cardboard. Before cutting them out, pierce or drill holes for the stanchions of the railings, cranes, masts, flagstaffs, and so on.  Finished skeleton should be then covered with bottom planking, using joining strips – parts 1 thru 9. Glue elements W4a and D3a in the indicated places. Now glue bulwark strips: first at the bow and stern, later on the middle one, which is deliberately longer (reserve). From the inner side, glue part 12a. Thicken and glue bulwark armors, parts 13 and 13a. I advise to retouch edges with water paints before gluing them. Along the hatched lines glue to the keel antiheeling (?) elements K. Due to the risk of damaging the rudder and drive shafts at this time, I advise to postpone their assembly until later.

 

The hull is now completed, it is time to begin assembly of deck equipment. Begin with smokestack bases, parts 14-17 Glue stacks, following drawing (Rys.) 2, from parts 18 and 19 + wire I.  Next to the last smokestack glue two columns with gangplanks and stairs, part 20  (see drawing 3). Complete with elements 21a, 21b the superstructures of boilerhouse ventilation 21 and glue them onto the deck. Glue in the indicated place on the fore deck ventilation shaft 22. Following drawing 4 glue deckhouse with ventilation shaft, part 23, and acc. to drawing 5 deckhouse with skylights p. 24-25.

Notice: glue deck 24a 3 mm below the edge of the wall and paint over visible inner surface of the wall. Skylights, p. 26, 27, 29, 30, 35 and 37 glue onto the deck in the indicated places. Glue two stern lifts with p. 28 (drawing 6) and attach (glue) them on the deck. Details p. 31 and 36 glue in the indicated places, part 32 acc. to drawing 5.

Assemble and glue stern deckhouse p. 38. In the decks make an opening for a mast. On the deck there is an indicated (with a line) place to attach stairs. Acc. to drawing 7, assemble a main (commander’s) deckhouse from parts 39-42 and mount it on the deck. Support the gangways with columns made from wire. Glue in the indicated places parts 43, 44, 46 breakwater p. 45. From p. 47 make and mount two anchor hoists, similar with part 48. Part 49 (pic.8) glue on the bow. Acc. to pic 9 assemble the barrels of main artillery cannons cal. 100mm and place them on the deck. Glue 3 double torpedo tubes with  or without torpedoes from parts 51 and place them on the deck (pic. 10) Following pic. 11 assemble from part 52 and a pin, a gun cal. 70 mm and glue it on the stern. Acc. to pic. 13 assemble three reflectors from part 53 and glue them in shown places. From part 54 assemble two drums for firehoses and glue them to the smokestacks bases, p. 14 and 15. Subsequently assemble and glue the following: from p. 55 ventilators (to the deck); from p. 56 drums (to the deckhouse 24 – see pic 5 and to the wall W4a. Details 57 and 58 glue onto the main deck and deckhouses’ decks – see pic. 7 and a general pic. Glue into them pins with grey heads. In indicated places glue on the deck subsequent elements: 59, 60 and 61. Gangplanks 62 glue acc. to general pic, suspending them by a thread on wire zurawiki. IV.  Assemble and glue from p. 63 davitts for lifeboats wrapped around a wire II and III  (Smaller for hanging boats). From parts 64-70 assemble 8 lifeboats and motorboats acc. to pic. 12, 13 and 14 (assembled together in similar fashion) and glue them on their bases or suspend them by a thread on the davitts (see general pic) Anchors p. 71 and 72 glue to the bulwarks.

Now from p. 73, 74 and 75 and wire or wooden dowel assemble and glue a rudder (pattern VI) and two propulsion shafts with propellers.

 

What remains now is gluing stairs leading from the foredeck onto the maindeck p. 76 and modeling the masting/rigging. A flag p.77 should be glued to the flagstaff V on the bow. Acc. to the drawings, make a mainmast and mizenmast from wire or dowels and mount them acc. to the general drawing. Glue a gangplank 78, a top 80 and flags 79 and 80.  Make remaining elements from dowels, wire and threads, specifically rigging, rails, suports for propellers (pattern VII) an arm of a crane (pattern VIII).  Lastly make liferings p. 82 and mount them on the rails acc. to general pic. The entire model finally should be carefully retouched with water paints.

[Papa]

OH WOW!!!!!  Thanks so much.  Google gets a bit confused sometimes, and this is so much clearer.  Thank you thank you

Edited August 24, 2017 by ragove

[Dan Vadas]

Nice translation Thomas, this should help Ron immensely . Perhaps you should be our resident Polish Card Kit translator .

 

  Danny

[Papa]

I followed Danny's advice and inserted some tiny brass "eye bolts" in the deck at the marked points. You can't see them in the photo

[Papa]

I am finding that putting the bottom plates on is fussy work. Not happy with the first 2. Trying a new technique on plate 3. align and glue the center-line first. Then do the ends and sides.

[Dan Vadas]

Yep, that's the best way I found to do them too Ron .

 

It's probably a bit late now, but I would have added at least one extra longitudinal brace from some extra card between each bulkhead to prevent any accidental "squashing" of the skins, especially where the bulkheads are a long way apart.

 

Also, don't do the stern skin last if it's rounded (a bit hard to tell from the pics) - it's better to finish in the middle somewhere. A rounded stern can be a bit tricky to fit.

 

You've probably already skinned half the hull by the time you read this post .

 

  Danny

[Papa]

Actually, i have made no more progress. Too much going on right now,