SMS Karlsruhe by Wreck1919 - 1/100

[Wreck1919]

Hi all, hope i can get this to work. (The post). 
Some years ago i started building this one. Hull is wooden frames, balsa planks and epoxy (w mats) coating. My toolset is a bit limited so all „handmade“ - as you will see with the missing accuracy. Better with next one. Also am trying how to post, so will stop here and try attach some pictures for starters. Will put one more later if this works.

ah, on the ship: light cruiser, built 1916 and scuttled 1919 in internment . It will be RC, so i have to build lightweight as max is 5.5kg. So far with engines, batteries, servo etc it will reach a calculated 4.5kg , so plenty of reserve. 
so here the first pictures from when it began 😎

mmh sorry two are upside down . No idea why nor how to turn them around.

 

[Wreck1919]

The second try . As its a little known ship, i include a picture of the original.

once the hull was done  - having built it twice as the first one had a messuring error 🙁 - i started with the superstructure. As you may guess, i did it twice too.. first in aluminium then in wood. Mainly because the area for access to the rc ewuipment is so small, i had to go back to the drawing board. Still not ideal, but now it seems a good combination between access and being water tight. 
the next big thing was the wooden main deck which is made from pear (?) 1.5mmx50mm planks. That took a while but i am happy with the result. So here next try with pictures, hopefully right way up. 
cheers sascha

[Wreck1919]

[ccoyle]

Great work so far! I note that in your upside-down photos, the hull displays right-side up, so it all evens out.

 

Cheers!

[Wreck1919]

Thanks for you nice words chris. Next were bulwark, storage containers and the bases for the davits.

 

[Wreck1919]

Thanks for you nice words chris. Next were bulwark, storage containers and the bases for the davits.

(mmh text appears again?)

struggling a bit with the software i guess.

next the first funnel…

 

[Wreck1919]

Some more catch-up. The bridge.Windows from old photo etch parts 

 

 

[Wreck1919]

Then my first try with making a linoleum flooring. The pieces were max 2x5m and held down with brass pieces. That translates to a puzzle.. (again thanks martin for the tip). 
then it was time to throw my machinery 😎 at making the portholes. Sometime i‘ll get a power-tool for things like this . Brass tube, then filled with epoxy. Just 120 …took me a while but its a hobby not a job. Oh and yes, (quite) some of them are not aligned. With practice that might improve.

 

[Valeriy V]

Interesting model!   

A little surprised by the thickness of the plywood on the deck. It seems to me that this makes the hull of the model unnecessarily heavier.

[Wreck1919]

Agreed  valery .. also the frames are 5mm - way too much. But the germans were known for their strong build..😎, seriously: i didnt know better at the time and had the material available.  Another thing to improve next time. 

[Wreck1919]

Thanks for your thumbs up gentlemen. Further catch-up. 
the next pieces were the boat racks (sorry dont know the english word). There‘s quite a few to make and most are slightly different. On top comes the consideration of how/where to attach as the middle section (superstructure deck with funnels 2 and 3) is removable to get some access to rc. I‘ve tried brass and wood and settled for „brass reinforced polystyrene „😎 . Another case of available tools and my skills. The ones toward the bow also had loading cranes for torpedoes but i left those away and only built the mounting for them. This because a) they would have been stored somewhere when sailing and b) they would likely be the first thing to be ripped off when sailing the model.

[Wreck1919]

Then i got distracted a bit and gave my building inspector a new uniform and tried to make a voicepipe from brass 

[Wreck1919]

And then the next linoleum puzzle plus breakwater.by way of experiment i wanted to show the hatch in the open position just to see if i can do it. 

[Wreck1919]

And that is pretty much the status now. 
cheers and have a great week

sascha

[yvesvidal]

Impressive model. So well done.

 

Yves

[lmagna]

Very nice work Sascha This is going to make a very impressive model sailing the local waters.

Edited July 13, 2021 by lmagna

[Guest]

Sascha, 

nice to see your build here on this forum 

as said before. Beautiful work,

looking forward too see further updates. 
 

 

[Wreck1919]

Thanks for the nice words guys.

Hi Martin, am trying to copy your technique for the deck (and some others 😬). It is indeed a puzzle, and with a steep learning curve 😎. 
Also now wrestling with a problem with bridge complex, as the plan i have shows - i think - partly a different ship and then the plan author invented a bit. Photos i have look different. Will keep looking for answers (which is how i came to find this forum).

 

[Wreck1919]

Made a bit of progress, air vent, some more linoleum decking  and (almost) finished the boat racks . Just a few details missing which will follow later. 
happy weekend
Sascha

[yvesvidal]

You are resourceful when it comes to build parts.... I like the funnels made with wood sticks.

 

Yves

[Wreck1919]

Thanks yves, i have to match with my skills (no forms making, no soldering etc) and machinery (fretsaw, drill).Both of which are somewhat basic. But someday i will upgrade 😎 .

 

[Roger Pellett]

Sascha,

Upgrading might make your job easier, but the work that you do with the basic tools that you have at your disposal is remarkable.  You are on the way to producing an outstanding model.

 

Roger

[Wreck1919]

Just a quick update. More work on the superstructure and then start to work on the trim. Some weights are fixed in the hull, as its tricky to grt to some parts. But anx „ses trials“ will have to wait until 2022. 

regards sascha

 

[KeithAug]

An interesting build which I will be pleased to follow.

[Valeriy V]

Sasha, I follow your work with great interest.  
Looking at the photo where the model is on the water, I am concerned about the issue of wooden superstructures and other wooden details.
Water can spoil them. Why don't you use plastic and brass?

[Wreck1919]

Thank you for your likes guys 🙇‍♂️. 
Valeriy, the answer is simple and no sophisticated background: i‘ve always built with wood and some brass as i didnt know different. Only learned last year that a company like evergreen exists 😬. With brass i can only do basics since soldering is rocket science for me and no machinery (lathe or mill). Jeweler‘s saw and drill currently. But all - i hope - wooden surfaces inside or out are treated with epoxy or similar so i hope that this works. The wooden decking has a triple cover of clear paint (dont know the exact english term) so that should suffice for occasionally getting wet (not sunk😎). 
Watching builds here and on a german forum shows me how much more there is to learn. 
cheers 

sascha

 

[mikegr]

this is a fantastic built. Did you cut the 1.5mm wide wood pieces by yourself or have them cut at the shop?

[Valeriy V]

4 hours ago, Wreck1919 said:

 wooden surfaces inside or out are treated with epoxy or similar so i hope that this works.

 

Sasha, is the body of your model covered on the outside with fiberglass with epoxy resin, or is it just impregnated with epoxy resin?

 

If the housing is only coated with resin without glass cloth, there is a huge risk of water damage.

[Wreck1919]

Thanks for the interest guys😀

mikegr, through a tip i found a company that delivers (mostly) precision cut wood in 1m lenght. So these are 1.5x1mm pear. Planks then cut to 6cm lenght (knife), caulking applied w black crayon. 
 
Valeriy, no worries j hope. Outside is fiberglass/epoxy over wooden frame, and inside just painted epoxy. Some areas in bow and stern reinforced with fiberglass. wood is btw balsa on (too thick as you mentioned😎) plywood frames.

greetings 

sascha

 

[Valeriy V]

1 hour ago, Wreck1919 said:

Valeriy, no worries j hope. Outside is fiberglass/epoxy over wooden frame, and inside just painted epoxy.

 

Sasha, now I am calm for the safety of your corps.