Flower-Class Corvette by king derelict - FINISHED - Bensworx Virtual Kit - 1/48 - a log for the less gifted

[Kevin-the-lubber]

That was another thing - previously I had to use a raft on everything. I’ve forgotten what it’s called but now I just have it run that perimeter a few mm away from the actual part, so I don’t have any messy printing right at the start, which means I can have no cleanup whatsoever.

 

If 3DLAC was $40 I’d try something else too! Here in the UK it’s about £10 a bottle and I’d expect one bottle to last maybe 5 or 6 reels of filament.

[Prowler901]

On 6/9/2022 at 1:45 AM, Kevin-the-lubber said:

That was another thing - previously I had to use a raft on everything. I’ve forgotten what it’s called but now I just have it run that perimeter a few mm away from the actual part, so I don’t have any messy printing right at the start, which means I can have no cleanup whatsoever.

 

If 3DLAC was $40 I’d try something else too! Here in the UK it’s about £10 a bottle and I’d expect one bottle to last maybe 5 or 6 reels of filament.

I believe it's called a "skirt".  I use this method.  just 2 passes about 4mm away to make sure the nozzle is good and primed.

 

Todd

[Kevin-the-lubber]

1 hour ago, Prowler901 said:

I believe it's called a "skirt". 

Oh yes, that's the one. Very useful.

[king derelict]

After a long absence I am back. June seemed to be the time for visitors from the Uk coming over to take advantage of the beach and warm surf temperatures so there was rather too much of this

and this

Some progress was made on the Campanula but I didn't find time to update the log. As part of accommodating visitors the printer had to be moved from its previous home in the guest bathroom where it was safe from the cats and could run long prints undisturbed.

I took advantage of the move to change the nozzle - been using the original all through this build. Naturally after setting it all up again I had trouble getting a decent print and it looked like the filament was slipping. I checked the extruder gear and it looked a bit chewed again so I replaced that. 

I think I have room now to use the filament heater instead of the spool holder. From the test prints I don't see any improvement from changing the nozzle so I'll hang onto the old one.

I now get good prints but I occasionally get a kick back and click from the extruder which is supposed to be the result of attempting to over extrude but checks show I am extruding close to what is commanded. Other possibilities I read on the web include damaged stepper motors or drivers etc. I don't have much to print now for the corvette so I'll dabble in the voodoo on the side.

So - the boat. I added the remaining two major elements to the hull. There was a lot of room around the decks. I think the original intent was to have the decks mounted on caulking so they could easily be removed if work was need on the RC components. I used superglue to fix the decks in place and then putty to fill the voids. I found Bondo Plastic Metal to work well although the useable working time is very short. About half a tube was needed but it bonded well and was easy to fair into the decks. Significant paint touch up then followed. My plan is to finish the corvette in a heavily weathered appearance; Atlantic convoy style so I have not attempted to get a uniform finish on the decks and hull rather the opposite with slight changes of shades and some simple chipping on the hull (with mixed results) The main weathering effort will be done at the end when I can make sure it all blends together.

The railings have been installed along the fore and side decks. I used 0.5 mm brass rod for the railings on the engine room roof and around the bandstand but with no significant bending needed i used 0.5 mm plastic coated stranded beading wire which was easy to work with and didn't tie me to fixed lengths of rod. I have a nasty feeling I am going to be four stanchions short to finish the rear of the foredeck behind the boats.

I'm now into unknown county with the details. Photos of Campanula have been great for locating the Lewis guns and the life rafts but do not show the position of lockers around the ship. It seems that there were very few on the engine room roof but there must have been some on the side decks and aft deck. There must have been somewhere handy to stash the Lewis gun magazines for example)

I have started detailing the ships boats. I used thin strips of wood to cover the printed floor and slightly thicker strips of make the benches using the printed part as a template. These were then weathered a little. Oars are yet to be painted.

I would like to add man ropes along the sides of the boats but so far I haven't found any good photos showing the size of the loops as a reference.

Depth charges are printing. I need to source anchor chains and 1/48 scale Lewis guns

 

Thanks for looking in

Alan

 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Really nice work mate.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

23 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Really nice work mate.

 

OC.

Thank you for the kind words OC. Its starting to feel like progress at last.

Alan

[king derelict]

Moving into the details. Campanula life raft stowage is different from the generic kit layout; its more like the Snowberry as built by @yvesvidal. Actually the configuration on Campanula seems to have changed during her years of service. I have photos showing a set of double banked rafts on each side and other images show two single rafts stowed on each side.

I am trying to stay with this version of the ship where possible

So I spent time today with strips of styrene making up racks for the life rafts. Working with styrene and solvent glue was quite relaxing after dealing with PLA, epoxy and CA glue. 

The forward rack might be a bit bulky but it looks quite hefty in the pictures so I will go with it. The racks are just placed along with the boat, They go off to the paint queue now along with davits and other sundry parts.

Thanks for looking in

Alan

 

 

 

 

[king derelict]

A step backwards to start the day. I realised that my interpretation of the forward raft rack did not really capture the look of the rack in the picture in the previous update. It was too far forward so I disassembled the Mark 1 version (after sticking it in the freezer for a while - thanks for the tip) and rebuilt it to look rather more like the real thing

They have been primered and dry fitted and look quite a bit better.

I have a bit more room for the boats too which is a help.

And with the rafts temporarily in place.

Thanks for looking in and the likes

 

Alan

 

[king derelict]

The build continues at a slow pace. It seems each detail requires hours of research before placement. Some of the results are still frankly guesswork or borrowed from the layout of other ships

Thankfully the dockyard inspector passed the work to date

"One good nudge should test his sense of humour"

 

The raft racks have been painted and installed. Lockers have been placed around the ship. See the comment above about guesswork!

I decided that trying to print and use the mast would probably result in tears so I made one up with hardwood dowel and is dry fitted.

The last four stanchions have been used to add railings to the aft end of the foredeck and now need painting.

I found some decent drawings showing the man ropes on the dinghies and added them It seems very variable whether a given ship had man ropes on their dinghies but I liked the way it added detail to the boat - which should have been clinker built anyway😁

The rafts were given a cream coat to simulate the canvas covers in the weather and I started painting the man ropes. It is hard to get a neat finish because of the rough texture of the printed part. I probably should have scraped them off and added ropes made from thread.

I found two candidate anchor chains (jewelry supplies but they look reasonable). I need a little feedback on which is the more appropriate. The smaller link scales out at about 6 inches full size which I think is too small. The larger size is about 11 inches full size which seems a better fit. Any input would be very welcome

I'm working on adding details to the davits and painting the stowed depth charges and the throwers.

I'm almost at the point of weathering and shadowing the ship. That scares me a little but I'm also looking forward to it.

Thanks for looking in

Alan

[mtaylor]

Looking good and the inspector doesn't seem displeased since it didn't get tossed to the floor.    As for the chain... I'd say go with the larger.

[Egilman]

55 minutes ago, king derelict said:

The larger size is about 11 inches full size which seems a better fit. Any input would be very welcome

I would go along with Mark's suggestion, the larger one will be more appropriate for the size of the ship US Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts used 14' to 18" link chain... 

[Veszett Roka]

The bigger chain looks better to scale but the links are too thin for my taste. I'd search a more robust chain instead.

[gjdale]

I see your work has been cat scanned and seems to have passed that test! 🤣

[NavyShooter]

I think the smaller chain - have a look at this site:

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234987388-flower-class-corvette-hmcs-sackville/  

 

Here's a couple of images of the capstan and anchor chains:

 

 

Edited July 17, 2022 by NavyShooter

[ccoyle]

Neither chain has stud links, and that fact is easily visible on the larger chain. It is less obvious on the smaller chain. It's a minor point, but something to take into consideration.

[Egilman]

1/72nd scale anchor chain...

 

https://kilokits.com/products/model-ship-anchor-chains

 

Looks a bit small to me I, what I would do is measure the gap between the lips of the anchor winch and divide by two then order the correct size...

[lmagna]

17 hours ago, ccoyle said:

Neither chain has stud links, and that fact is easily visible on the larger chain. It is less obvious on the smaller chain. It's a minor point, but something to take into consideration.

Might take a looks at this selection. It's from China but may fill the bill.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203895063255?hash=item2f7917c2d7:g:r1gAAOSwYyNiu6ML

[king derelict]

On 7/16/2022 at 8:51 PM, mtaylor said:

Looking good and the inspector doesn't seem displeased since it didn't get tossed to the floor.    As for the chain... I'd say go with the larger.

Thank you Mark. I think she is quite tolerant of my mistakes. Thanks for the chain vote too. The small one is really too small

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/16/2022 at 8:59 PM, Egilman said:

I would go along with Mark's suggestion, the larger one will be more appropriate for the size of the ship US Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts used 14' to 18" link chain... 

Thank you Egilman. Please don't ever leave the forum. You are a complete and comprehensive reference source

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/17/2022 at 1:15 AM, Veszett Roka said:

The bigger chain looks better to scale but the links are too thin for my taste. I'd search a more robust chain instead.

Thank you. I think the large is too big and the small is too small. I am trying a couple of better options

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/17/2022 at 6:03 AM, gjdale said:

I see your work has been cat scanned and seems to have passed that test! 🤣

She is waiting until there is rigging to play with. No point in showing your hand too early

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/17/2022 at 9:10 AM, NavyShooter said:

Here's a couple of images of the capstan and anchor chains:

Thank you very much Brad. The chain photos are really useful. The links are smaller than I thought but I have only seen carrier chains up close and they would be a bit excessive on a corvette.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/17/2022 at 9:23 AM, ccoyle said:

Neither chain has stud links, and that fact is easily visible on the larger chain. It is less obvious on the smaller chain. It's a minor point, but something to take into consideration.

Thank you Chris. I had overlooked the stud link isue so your input is very helpful. I think I have a better option now

Alan

[king derelict]

On 7/17/2022 at 1:18 PM, Egilman said:

1/72nd scale anchor chain...

 

https://kilokits.com/products/model-ship-anchor-chains

 

Looks a bit small to me I, what I would do is measure the gap between the lips of the anchor winch and divide by two then order the correct size...

Thank you for the link Egilman. I think too small also. I looked at YX resin chains and theirs are much too small and Caldercraft have some I think the sizes are either too big or too small.

Alan

[king derelict]

16 hours ago, lmagna said:

Might take a looks at this selection. It's from China but may fill the bill.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203895063255?hash=item2f7917c2d7:g:r1gAAOSwYyNiu6ML

Thank you so much Lou.

I think you found the best option. I ordered two of their offerings. They are stud link chains and one of them should work. Just have to wait for the boat from China now.

Alan

[king derelict]

Thank you all for input regarding the anchor chains. I think I can do better than the above options so now I'm waiting on the postman. 

Today was spent continuing with the details; rafts, hoists, depth charge throwers and painting the stowed depth charges. The binnacle is painted and I need to make some serious revisions to the pelorus (seen lurking in an embarrassed way at back top right of the photo below

The forward hoists and the depth charge hoists are in progress. he pullies are styrene rod cut and drilled. It is still a bit simplistic but generally follows the images I have for them. Its better than the bare hoist frame. As usual I have trouble getting thread to behave like rope. A few coils will be added to finish them off along with a bit of metal painted onto the pulley surfaces

The rafts are almost finished with the basic paint. I think they need some washes to break up the uniform canvas colour.

Thanks for looking in

Alan

 

 

 

[Nirvana]

Alan, this is looking very nice.
How did you create the davits?

[king derelict]

On 7/18/2022 at 10:17 PM, Nirvana said:

Alan, this is looking very nice.
How did you create the davits?

Thank you very much Per. It has been a bit of a saga

The davit frames are printed from the "kit" files along with the bases in the case of the hoists.

I used sections of styrene rods drilled down the centre to make the pulleys along with some brass rings and hooks from my wood model bits and rigged them with rigging thread. The bare frames looked a bit unconvincing

Alan

[king derelict]

Yesterday was not a very productive day. I think I am becoming sensitized to CA glue and I have been using a lot on this build. I spent a lot of yesterday with streaming eyes and nose which thankfully disappeared overnight.

I don't like CA glue and try to minimise my use of it. Generally a small dab if I have a piece of PE that is too big for Gators Grip to hold immediately and can't be clamped in place somehow. This build has seen me use an entire bottle of Gorilla Glue gel CA.

So today I decided to try a bottle of Gold low odour CA which I had struggled to use because it is so thin.

This time with a few drops of the glue in a tattoo ink cup and applying with pins I was able to get reasonable results. This may be the way forward for the future.

The returned to the printer to print the last (maybe) parts for the ship. The side pieces for the rope and hoe reels for the aft deck and davits. I printed the davits at 75% to scale them down a bit

So far the voodoo is holding and I seem to be able to print without a brim which results in a much cleaner print for items like this which would be tedious to trim the brim away.

Rather than print the drums I used short sections of styrene tube which was on hand 

These will be wrapped with thread for the rope drums and insulated wire for the hose reel.

The depth charge hits were painted and the remaining two were rigged

The rafts have been painted and now need washes.

Now that I think I have the printer adjusted a little better I printed a raft for comparison

 

The man rope definition is better so I think I am talking myself into reprinting them and painting them. I guess I can experiment with washes on the original set. Shame really, although the manropes didn't paint up well I was very pleased with the way the bottom boards came out. Hopefully its repeatable.

This is a recurring issue with this model. Where to draw the line about reworking and replacing earlier less competent prints. I should have taken more time to really learn about the printer before diving in.

I ordered a pair of 1/48 scale Lewis guns by Eduard. They are aircraft guns but should serve the purpose.

Thanks for looking in

Alan

 

[king derelict]

So far I'm continuing with the Gold label CA and no adverse effects. Of course the inevitable happened. I upset the tattoo cup containing the CA. Luckily it only spilt into the container lid. So I got the drill out and created a holder for the tattoo cups which should be harder to spill. It even has a well to hold the pins 😁

The cup can be popped out to be replaced

I added some gunmetal and bare metal paint to the pulleys and hooks of the hoists and added them to the ship along with the depth charge throwers and the stowed depth charges. The binnacle was also added, Its beginning to look a bit busier

While this was going on I also printed four new rafts which came out quite well. The printer is printing nicely although the extruder is still slipping at intervals and the Benchy test print fails part way through. I think I may have the nozzle too close to the print table or over extruding slightly. Or both. Or something completely different. 

So back to the air brush tomorrow and maybe get out the Mig Oilbrushers and start adding rust.

Thanks for looking in

Alan