Zebulon B Vance by ESF - FINISHED - Dean's Marine - 1:96 - PLASTIC - RADIO

[Rcboater Bill]

I’m a latecomer to this thread- just found it!  A couple of (too late?) comments:

 

“Music wire” does not come on a roll. It is a hard steel wire, often sold in 3 foot lengths, and comes in a variety of diameters.  It is used in the Flying models hobby for pushrods, landing gear, etc.  Hobby shops that cater to RC aircraft will have it.  

Having said that, I seldom use it on an RC boat, except maybe for pushrods.

 

I would vote against leaving the brass unpainted. You’re not building a mahogany yacht here!  Plus it won’t stay shiny for long-  it will weather unevenly over time.

 

I would make a jig that has two purposes- to hold the stanchions while assembling and painting a section of rail, and as a jig to drill the holes in the deck. If you use the same jig for both jobs, the holes will have to line up.  To paint the brass , I would clean it, then prime it with a good metal primer, then color coat it.  ( Might be worth googling how the model RR guys paint their brass locomotives.)

 

-Bill

 

 

 

[cog]

Steve,

 

With regards to your CA application to the stanchions. If you go back on your decision and heat sink the stanchions, you run the risk burning the CA off, not just the paint. Hence our reference to silver soldering earlier in your log.

Try at which size drill you can still press the stanchion in, or if you use a drill size where it slides in easily, use thick CA it will act as a filler

Edited December 6, 2018 by cog

[Kevin]

depending on the final colour, if white or grey, just use the appropriate primer and leave at that

 

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Bill, welcome and thanks for the suggestions.  It’s never too late for me to learn anything.  Interestingly, when I went to a piano store to look for some wire needed early in the build, the proprietor went in the back and cut it off a roll.  He said it would straighten out but it seemed like you would need a piano on both ends to keep it taught.  Later on while walking through my LHS I discovered a box with all sorts of straight wire.  I picked up a few bits but I’ll need a lot more to cover all the railings on three decks.  My experiment used wire that came with the kit.  Stretching it between a vice and pliers straightens it pretty quickly but I don’t think there will be enough to do the entire ship.

 

I’m feeling appropriately chagrined about my suggestion to leave the brass unpainted, so I’ll probably cave in and paint it.  My only choices are rattle can or brush since I don’t have an air gun.  What do you use to clean assembled wires before priming?

 

Carl, I’ve decided to drill and fill, rather than heat sink.  I’ve ordered up a stash of drill bits to match the stanchion dimension.  I’ll probably use medium CA since the stanchion is flat but the hole is round.

 

Kevin, thanks for the suggestion on using a single primer coat.  I guess the question is whether white primer would yellow over time.

 

Steve

I bit the bullet tonight and decided to see if my pipe soldering experience could translate into working with teeny tiny wires.  I stuck some wire bits into a stanchion, blobbed on a little flux, touched the 30 watt solder iron pointed tip into a minuscule bit of solder to tin the end, and voila!  The solder sucked into the stanchion/railing connection just like doing the big pipes.  The photo is immediately after soldering, with no effort to wipe the joint or remove excess flux.

Emboldened I tried end to end solder on a railing.  Almost had it but I didn’t hold the free hanging railing long enough to let the solder set up so it ended in a jig-jag.  But I know I can do it.  I also tried adding a third leg to a soldered fitting and that worked too.

 

And I didn’t even have finger-frying collateral damage.

 

It takes me awhile guys, but with your encouragement and guidance, at least I feel I’m at the entry to your playing field.  Hope you have a productive weekend.  Thanks.

[Rcboater Bill]

When I did the brass on my Revell Coast Guard Cutter (build is on MSW),  I followed the tips I found online on several sites when I googled the topic.  The consensus was to soak the brass in full strength vinegar for 10-20 minutes. This will remove any finger oils, etc, and microscopically etch the brass. 

After the soak, rinse with water and dry the parts. ( I let them sit in a paper towel sandwich.)

Then prime them using a good quality spray can metal primer. I use Tamiya fine white primer on small scale work like this.

 

In your case, I would assemble sections, then do the vinegar soak and prime.

-Bill

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Bill, thanks for your recommendation on vinegar.  I'll put it to use when I get back to the railings.

The accommodation ladders are installed, but there needs to be some housekeeping to remove dust specs.  For the deck in the ladder area I wanted to use the same color as the hull but found out that the manufacturer only makes it in a spray can.  I went online and found a method for “decanting” spray paint into a jar.  Cover the jar with tape, slice a small hole in the top, insert a cut-down bendy straw in the jar, bend the top 90 degrees, hold the spray can nozzle up to the straw and spray away.  The trick is to then let the paint in the jar sit for about two hours to let the propellant bubble out of the paint.  And it worked.  The paint was a bit thin when brushed, probably because I only waited about an hour, but several coats later there was a good color match.  The patch needs a bit of fine tuning and some dullcote, but overall it seems a good workaround.

Photos of the ship show an edging along the roofline of the Air Conditioning room so a bit of Evergreen strip was tacked place.  Unlike wood the thin plastic takes a tight curve nicely.  The room is just resting before final trimming and gluing, and the railing is awaiting its installation opportunity.

Boat deck assembly was next, accompanied by much angst, hemming and hawing.  The instructions call for building up the deck edge with two extra strips, and then CA-gluing the edge of  the deck to the inside face of the promenade opening.  The questions were how to support the deck edge while installing, how to keep the CA from setting up over two long joints, how to keep the CA from oozing out over the top, or worse down the inside, since the deck is a fairly tight fit, and how to clamp both sides at once.  Oh the agony.

 

The photo shows the deck under construction before the big moment.  The plastic pipe maintains the deck sheer while it is inverted to add horizontal stiffeners to the hatch coamings, and to install the perimeter beams.  Despite efforts to cut the promenade columns to the right height I discovered I needed to notch the deck beam at each location.  A few columns popped loose when I was test clamping the promenade wall to the deck edge, and were duly reinstalled with medium CA on both sides.

I contacted the manufacturer who suggested adding support triangles along the promenade walls.  Combined with the brass columns this gave a nice bedding for the boat deck.  The triangles are not visible from the exterior since they are located between the promenade openings.  After some Dremel grinding to take the paint off the promenade wall at the joining line things were more or less ready for the boat deck placement.  Then the lightbulb went on.

 

The procedure was to run, and I mean run, a bead of medium CA straight from the squeeze bottle, along one deck edge, set that edge in place, insert some craft sticks flat under the other deck edge to hold the edge above the promenade wall, then clamp the first edge with a generous amount of blue tape fastened to the hull and to the hatch coaming.  That started the bonding on one edge and bought time to run a second bead along the other edge, and work the deck into place, removing the craft sticks as I went along.  The second edge was taped to the hull and coaming, and then a second layer of tape from hull to hull pulled the whole assembly tighter.  The photos below show the trussed up hull, looking like a wrapped lump of meat, and the after view showing the boat deck ready for its beauty shot.

Boat deck edge filling is underway, using autobody glazing putty, a one-part mix that is very fine in texture, but boy does it set up quickly.  One side is wet sanded in the pic.

 

The boat deck is the last deck that is permanently fastened.  The boat deck cabins will be attached to the underside of the bridge deck, which allows the entire upper superstructure to be removed for access to the innards; so the boat deck requires a built-up curb to receive and stabilize the cabins.

Flush with the success of the boat deck I gave myself a little R&R working on highlights for the PE watertight doors.  Some good, some fair or not finished yet, lots more experience needed in the highlighting business.

Edited December 17, 2018 by ESF
fix some typos

[cog]

Deck looks a bit clean for the shady doors ...

[ESF]

Carl, you're a master at this stuff.  Do you think a dilute whitewash would tone down the doors?  Bear in mind I am not airbrush enabled. 

Thanks

Steve

[cog]

Fortunately I am not a master, for there wouldn't be anything left to learn.

 

airbrush would make it a lot easier, a thinned solution would do it, even with a brush. OC (Old Collingwood) does a lot of hand painting his models, and works in layers. I can't see any reason why you can't. Airbrush, you must take care not to add to much layers as you cover it up again, whilst you only want to make an adjustment

 

brand of your paint and the type play a role, besides the fact that curing is imperative if you work with layers

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Carl, thanks once more for sharing your wealth of knowledge.  I have received many good ideas from all the members and look forward to testing my skills.

 

Steve

Work started on the boat deck cabins after drilling more portholes and extracting parts from the carrier sheet.  All pieces must be marked on the back.

The boat deck cabins are installed upside down on the underside of the bridge deck.  As noted before they will not be glued to the boat deck since everything above the boat deck must be removable for access to the RC innards.  During thinking time, while pedaling the exercise bike, it occurred to me that there will be a big challenge to remove the upper decks after they are detailed with railings, ladders and other bits.  Where do you grab it?  How do you squeeze it up off the boat deck when the boat deck is surrounded with 16 life boats on davits?

The cabin tops are anchored to continuous strips glued to the bridge deck and the walls are stiffened with triangles.  After all walls are placed a series of cross braces will be installed too.

An overview of progress.  The boat deck is primed and has one finish coat.  Needs another.

A closer view of the forward area with temporary placements. 

A view of the stern.  The aft balcony(?) area of the bridge deck is shown with no visible means of support at each end, but ship photos show there were three pipe columns at each end, extending from the boat deck to the underside of the balcony.  This is what got me thinking about deck removal/replacement and all the bits and pieces.  If I install the columns they must be attached to either the boat deck or the underside of the bridge deck, but how do you keep them stable while the decks are separated?  That probably explains why the columns were ignored during model development.  Decisions decisions.

[lmagna]

Hi Steve

That is one long cabin to have to remove all at once! Have you considered breaking it up into three or possibly even four lengths of cabin that can each be removed? Or possibly just removing the cabin roof and leaving the walls in place? Have you at least placed all of the needed items inside the hull and see if you will be able to install and remove them later  when the superstructure is opened? This is one of the two big deals in RC construction. How to determine just how much of an opening you will need and how to disguise it. It may be that you need not remove the bridge at all or the cabin at the stern either. most of the stuff you place inside should be as close to the center of gravity fore and aft and as low in the hull as possible. If you think it will need frequent servicing then mount it on a platform that is removable so it can be worked on outside the hull. If you think it will be in a hard to get to place, build it like a tank! The rudder and rudder linkage most often falls into this category. You may be surprised just how small of an opening you can get away with. I have ran a four foot model ocean going tug in weather that had waves breaking over the bow and spray over the pilothouse and everything stayed dry inside, yet when people saw it on the shelf they had no idea it was an RC model.

[cog]

Steve,

 

with regards to your columns, I would use hollow styrene tubes glued to the lower decks. Take an undersized tube  or rod  - styrene/wooden dowel -which fits in the other one and glue/screw  that one to what you call the balcony - usually refered to as bridge(s) if I recall well - so they slide down into the support tubes

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Steve

 

Lou, I was sure I had checked it, but in a panic after reading your access comment I hustled to the boatyard to confirm battery and other access.

The aft access panel (I don’t know as I would call it a hatch since it has no coaming) in the main deck allows fiddling with the rudder arm.  Take comfort knowing the panel will be painted gray to match the deck.

The midship hatch in the boat deck allows good access to the motor, on-off switch, electronic bits and power battery.

The forward hatch in the boat deck allows ample access for the spare battery used for ballast.  BUT…

Once the bridge deck is in place all bets are off. Bear in mind that the bridge deck also supports the progressively narrower bridge cabins, and a still narrower top deck, all of which are glued together, wedding cake style.  If I cut the bridge deck I’d also have to cut everything above it which would give a much larger slice of cake than I could probably swallow

 

One thought is whether the forward bridge wings and aft bridge could be stiffened enough to act as handles, but I’m guessing there would be too much load.  Maybe I’m overthinking this.

 

Bridge, not balcony.  Duh, I guess that’s why they call it the bridge deck.  My architectural background tried to trump my naval knowledge, but Carl, you are keeping me on the path to righteousness.

 

I like your idea of using plastic.  In scale the columns should be about a 1/16” in diameter (6 inch pipe) and the challenge would be how to align six less-than-needle sized posts with six tubes while maneuvering the bridge deck on and off.  I’m thinking maybe I should drill and pin the columns (three at each end) to the deck, and to a top plate to hold them in alignment, and provide a fascia around the underside of the bridge to receive and hide the top plates.  Or maybe a single long top plate attached to all the columns, that the bridge would rest on.    

[cog]

18 hours ago, ESF said:

In scale the columns should be about a 1/16” in diameter (6 inch pipe) and the challenge would be how to align six less-than-needle sized posts with six tubes while maneuvering the bridge deck on and off.

Oeps ... forgot scaling 

 

I like your last idea, Steve On the subject of language/words ... I am a pain in the ... neck

[ESF]

To my fellow builders, I wish you and your families the Merriest Holiday and the Happiest New Year.

 

Steve

[lmagna]

I am trying to visualize everything before it is built. Sorry if I am a little muddled in my suggestions.

 

For the hatch over the rudder linkage, it is a bit of a weather hazard as it has no combing to allow water to run off if it makes it to that level. I would just glue it into place using clear silicone glue. That way it should be water tight while still allowing emergency access at some later date if needed by cutting it open with a sharp knife and prying it up. If you built it right and got everything adjusted you will probably never need to get in there, I still see the main cabin as possibly more than one section. You have several recessed doorways along the cabin. If you were to separate the cabin into sections at the forward end of these recesses, (Or the aft end it probably doesn't really matter) and add full bulkheads all the way across at this point for each new section you would have a forward section that would be the bridge, including the bridge wings, and everything aft to the first doorway recess. Then you can add a short combing lip would fit inside that section of cabin to help locate it and act as a water proof barrier to stop water from running into the hull should it get that high for some reason. Then you would do the same to the next section back to the next recessed doorways, and finally the last that would incorporate the last section of cabin including the docking catwalk. You need not separate the next cabins up at the same location but you can use the closest inset doorways in the same way as you did on the lower boat deck. As this level of deck will be permanently attached to the deck below there is no real reason to build an internal bulwark if you do not wish to . You would do the same for all the levels above. I went to the first pictures you posted and it kind of looks like it could be done with little or no evidence of the breaks in the superstructure.

 

It also looks like there is nothing located forward of the battery. (Even though you may need to add ballast up there to obtain a proper draft fore and aft) and could just make one break in the cabin with one long and one shorter length.

 

Your last choice would be to build as you have been and make all three feet removable. In that case I would make the connection between the boat deck section and the next section very rigid and strong as possible with plenty of reinforcing bulkheads and strong corners. it will have to be able to hold its own shape even when removed and set down on its own.  

 

As for your stern docking catwalk support. I think I would just make them from brass rod bent into a flat U (Or n), affix the inboard vertical leg to the outside of the cabin wall with the horizontal bend flush at the top and just provide a hole in the deck to glue the base of the outboard vertical leg.  You could join them together at the top for added strength as the whole thing will be covered by the catwalk when the cabin is in place.

 

Kind of hard to come up with ideas and explaining them without being able to see the ship. sorry if it is no help.

 

Have a great Christmas and New Year

[reigels]

Hi Steve - 

 

Very happy to have discovered your build!  I'm working on a much smaller conversion in 1/700 of a Trumpeter Liberty Ship kit to the St. Olaf, and will follow this with great interest.  I think these conversions were fascinating ships (and quite attractive, in their own right).

 

Very nice work.

 

--Scott

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Scott, thank you for your interest and your compliment.  I wish you best of luck with your Liberty ship.

 

Lou, you read the manufacturer’s mind.  The photos below show all the structure under the top and bridge decks.  I’ve also included a closeup of the aft bridge area to show where the column question was.  Regarding the flat deck opening over the rudder arm, I will seal that with silicone.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Steve

Sorry for the bad pic but the Vance is hanging out on the dining room table to make room in the shipyard for fabrication of the upper decks.  The photo shows the aft bridge which is attached to the first removable (bridge) deck.  The build photos show no columns below the bridge but I’m sort of settled on attaching the columns to the boat deck below and landing them with a top plate in a pocket under the bridge.  We’ll see how it goes.

Another low light pic showing the overview of progress.  Pieces are set in place with no glue or paint.  Work this period focused on internal structure for the bridge deck, finishing the boat deck cabin walls which are attached to the bridge deck, work on the underside of the top deck and fiddling with the starboard navigation light housing.  Oh, and the never ending job of porthole drilling....

Bridge deck and top deck side by side.  The assembly is as follows:  Boat deck glued to hull.  Boat deck cabins installed to underside of bridge deck.  Bridge deck cabins installed to underside of top deck.  The bridge and top decks will be glued together, then the assembled unit is placed loose on the boat deck - well not really loose since the boat deck cabin wall fits tight to a curb around the boat deck.

I’m happy with the bridge portholes.  Multiple big holes, small wall, lots of opportunity to mess up.  I tested the new brad point drill bit on some scrap and found it had a propensity to gouge the surface with the two perimeter cutting points, so I taped everything except the awl-marked centerpoints and drilled very, very slowly.  Worked well although there was a tendency for tape bits to get carried along by the cutting points, especially where there was more than one layer of tape.  And the really good news is that the wall didn't split when it was glued to the curve.

This high view shows the structure under the bridge and top decks.

The top deck (shown above upside down) receives the bridge deck cabin walls after a locating strip is attached to the underside of the top deck.  In addition to the strip the structure consists of stiffening triangles at the top of the walls, cross-deck full depth bulkheads and a continuous 10 mm strip along the inside wall base to ensure the wall line is straight.  Remember this is all being built upside down.  All in all a pretty rigid structure.  The underside of the bridge deck gets the triangles and the bulkheads, and the wall base slides over a triple layer of continuous locating strips attached to the boat deck.

The starboard navigation light housing with attached room is interesting.  A few bits with a very sketchy drawing to show how they are assembled.  It’s strange the wall tops don’t line up.  The placement is under the forward bridge deck wing and I may need to “supplement” the wall tops to close the gap if it is not concealed by the dodger wall around the wing.

[cog]

No dinner with friends it seems ... though your build progresses quickly.

You should keep your head with it when drilling upside down. I use a file to ream holes in styrene, I presume you would need a rather large one to establish that on those big portholes ... never the less you managed well

[ESF]

Carl, even with notes littering the parts I managed to install one aft wall upside down (downside up?).  Fortunately I realized knee high portholes were inappropriate on a war bride ship, before the glue fully dried.  The drill bit for the bridge portholes was 5/16".  It works okay as long as the drill turns very slowly - I can watch each revolution.

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.  For my long-timers, thanks for hanging in there.  I truly appreciate your ongoing interest and support.

 

Steve

 

Part two of the aft bridge column story.  For those arriving late, the issue is that photos show the aft bridge had columns down to the boat deck level, but there is no mention of them in the model instructions or model build photos.  It appears they were left off because the bridge deck and everything above it must be removable to access the RC bits.  The aft bridge looks odd with no visible means of support so I thought I would try to develop a way to have my column cake and eat it too.

I started with constructing a fascia, or apron, around the underside of the aft bridge.  I blocked off within the fascia to create a pocket at each end of the bridge.

I placed the bridge deck on the ship and transferred the aft, port and starboard boat deck edges up to the bridge deck fascia.  This established an alignment angle for cutting the column top plates that will fit into the pockets.  I cut out the top plate for one of the fascia pockets and drilled three holes in it to receive columns.  I will also use the top plate as a template for laying out the column holes that will be drilled into the boat deck.  The idea is to anchor the columns solidly on the boat deck, but allow them to float within the bridge pocket.  When the bridge deck is removed the columns and column top plates will stay behind.  As the bridge deck is reinstalled the columns and top plates will slide into the bridge fascia pockets.

The plastic columns (Evergreen) are 1/16” diameter (6” pipe columns) x 28 mm long.  The actual dimension from the boat deck to the underside of the bridge fascia is 20 mm.  28 mm allows a small drilling distance to set and glue the columns into the boat deck, and allows the top plate to slide up and down a bit within the fascia pocket for final fitment, before gluing the plate to the column tops (but not to the fascia pocket).

I test fit the column/top plate assembly into the fascia pocket.  Then I reinstalled the bridge deck on the ship and wiggled the column/plate assembly into the pocket.

Since the columns aren’t drilled into the boat deck yet they are holding the bridge deck (and boat deck cabins which are attached to it) slightly above the boat deck.  Depending upon how deep I drill the boat deck holes I may need to trim the column tops a bit, but it looks promising as a way to have columns between the boat deck and bridge deck, but still allow the bridge deck to be removable.

[cog]

Looks like you got that one in hand. So, what's your next problem  

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Carl, ignorance is bliss when it comes to my next problem, but I do see the construction of 16 vac-formed life boats with their attendant davits as a good bliss destroyer.

I noticed that the aft bridge posts were a bit willowy in plastic when they were not locked in place by the bridge, so I changed over to brass rod.  After drilling the boat deck to receive the posts, and installing the posts into their top plates, the assembly became quite rigid, even when standing free.

Now if I could figure out what is keeping the aft cabin from setting fully on the boat deck.  The posts have some clearance at the top so I know it is not them.  I sanded tight spots along the base of the side cabin walls and trimmed the mounting curbs but I still can’t get the aft cabin to set.  I’m thinking it might be the joint between the aft wall of the main cabins and the side walls of the aft cabin.  Of course, once the upper section is removed and replaced a few times for sailing, the joining area between cabins and boat deck will probably get out of whack anyway.

The doors have been whitewashed to soften the grungy highlights.

After much trepidation I finished the assembly of the air conditioning room roof railings.  It’s a hybrid, with CA for most connections and solder where the two sections join at the right hand stanchion in the foreground.

The railings dead end at the forward wall of the boat deck.  To make a clean joint that would maintain the spacing between railings I marked drill holes using a stanchion with the base cut off, and taped in place on the wall.  I left the railings long and started the final installation by pushing them through the wall holes. I set the stanchions in medium CA’d drill holes (I gave up on the idea of heat setting) and trimmed the excess railings at the inside of the wall after dabbing the wall penetrations with some thin CA.

Painting consisted of an apple cider vinegar bath (it was all we had), soap and rinse cleanup, followed by BIN primer and flat white topcoat, both from rattle cans sprayed very lightly.

 

I learned a lot with the first railing assembly, among other things that the corners need much attention to ensure everything is plumb and square.  Corner bends were made after a section of railing was assembled, using a nail driven into a piece of wood for the radius, but I’m inclined to allow one stanchion to act as the corner support rather than trying to set two stanchions in different planes so close together.

[ESF]

Almost forgot, a belated thank you to reigels for sharing some photos (sorry Scott).

 

Steve

[cog]

The triangles you use for strengthning ... could those be a tad to long down the inside wall ...

 

If you bent the railing round the nail, you have had the stanchion crooked before bending. On the Smit Nederland and Rotterdam I only fixed the first few stanchions, then mount it, so you get the bend at the right spot, and can still move the stanchions around. If you want to paint it before you do the final mounting, you kan fix the stanchions with a drop of CA and take the railing of for painting

Edited January 10, 2019 by cog

[ESF]

To all who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Carl, thanks for the bending tip.  I was so concerned about whether I could bend the assembly without kinking it that I lost focus on the fact that the  bending angle needs to be in a very specific plane, vertically as well as horizontally.

 

From the boat deck up, the strengthening triangles are located at the roof/wall intersection.  The bottom of each wall is anchored by the continuous curb running around the deck (here I am!  here I am!  watch me run! - okay - punchy time over; curb your curb).  Apart from the forward bridge area, which has large triangles but is experiencing no placement gaps, the triangles are very small and come nowhere close to the curb.  I looked at the aft cabin gap again tonight.  I'm beginning to think it is a function of the sheer slope that is built into the top and bottom of every laser cut sidewall strip.  While working upside down, and while attaching the wall top to the underside of the next deck above, the instructions call for placing a dowel (I use a piece of plastic pipe) at about mid-point under the inverted deck, to maintain the upside down sheer.  This method is an approximation at best of  the deck sheer and as you go aft the gradual increase in sheer slope may not match between the wall strips and the deck.  Some judicious sanding all around the cabin wall bottom edges may be needed to help close the gap.  I don't want to do too much since most of the walls maintain a tight joint.  I thought the gap might go away when the bridge and top decks are glued together and weighted down to dry, but when I added some weight to the center of the top deck (no glue), the aft cabin gap didn't improve, but the forward bridge area started showing a gap where none existed before!  Perhaps I have built a little see-saw into parts of the cabin sidewalls.  The investigation continues.

[ESF]

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.

 

Steve

Much time was spent sanding the bottoms of the bridge deck and top deck walls to make the long runs as tight as I could.  I also painted the walls on both decks.  Unfortunately it doesn’t make much of a photo change from the white styrene.

 

I’m reaching the saturation point with portholes.  After carefully drilling them (I think there will be upwards of 300 by the time I’m finished)  they have to be glazed from the inside with 10 x 12 mm bits of hand cut acrylic.  Not very difficult, but really boring.  The good news is I’m within shooting distance of the end.  The bad news is I will run short with the sheet from the kit and I had to buy an 18" x 24" piece of thick acetate at the local art supply store so I'd have it to work on over the weekend while the blizzard comes through the area.  I'll have a lifetime supply for any other glazing-intense ships.

To have a few port-holeless evenings I worked on various bits and pieces.  The navigation light housings/rooms are almost finished (only one porthole each plus a door).  There is a little cast light for each one and I’ve seen some pics, not of this ship, where the recess is painted to match the nav light color.  Is it green starboard, red port, and should I even paint the recesses?

The radio room is built, with trim to match the main deck forward A/C room.  Still needs gluing in place and a railing along the walls.  I think I need them for most other walls too if that’s appropriate.  The bridge deck and top deck still need their gray paint.

A view of the three doors under the bridge deck aft bridge.

The main fore and aft decks were not quite tight to the hull, even after wrapping the whole shebang with tape while the glue dried.  I’ve added a small edge trim (0.5 x 3.2 mm) to the fore deck and am working on the other end.  After setting the first edge trim I experimented with the bulwarks which come as laser cut triangles, but need fettling, first because of the edge trim and second to align with the changing slope of the hull.

The fore deck bulwarks are finished.  It seems a bit odd that they are not evenly spaced.  The lasered layout lines show some boxes in the gaps.  Is this how a ship would actually be built?

[lmagna]

11 hours ago, ESF said:

Is this how a ship would actually be built?

Hi Steve

 

I fell behind for a while and it is great to see that you are moving right along. 

 

Yes the bulwark supports would in all probability be spaced unequally to allow for the placement of bollards and cleats needed for tying up to docks and such.

 

It is also nice to see you switch over to brass on your wing support columns. As you are building for the rigors of RC I would suggest that you use that kind of thinking at all times. It will become even more important when you get to the more delicate items of the ship like masts and such. Brass is your friend! 

 

I can sympathize with your porthole enjoyment issues. I am at last working in the 1/350 Titanic that I stupidly promised my wife a couple of years ago. At present time I have drilled out somewhere in the range of 800 portholes just in the hull, with a few more to go yet! 

 

Keep it up, it's looking good. 

[ESF]

Lou:

 

Thank you for the compliment and your suggestions.  800 p😲rtholes at 1/350 - I'm humbled and will complain no more about my measly 300.  I wondered if floating a number might trigger a porthole competition, and will scan the horizon for any contenders.  Likers, you're on the spot!  

 

Steve

[Roger Pellett]

This deserves to be classified as an honorary scratch build!

 

Roger