TITANIC by Force9 – Trumpeter - 1/200 - PLASTIC - White Star Liner

[Force9]

 

The Forward Well Deck Bulwark (Starboard)

 

Time now to install the starboard bulwark replacement… Let’s see how it fits.

 

I made the section a bit longer on the aft end so that I could carefully file the end a bit at a time to get a perfect fit.

Once satisfied, I first cemented down the forward upright side – paying particular attention to aligning the facing of the new section with the outboard hull edge.

Next, I cemented down three strips along the base and lined up the new piece with the hull across the bottom – again paying particular attention to exact alignment to the outer hull surface.  Since there is a slight curve to the hull along this edge, I divided the strip into three sections so that there wouldn’t be any tension pushing outward along the length of the new bulwark.

Lastly, I cemented the aft edge to align with the edge of the hull – paying particular attention… blah, blah.

The small gaps are fine… easily filled in and smoothed over at a later step.

You can see the significant improvement in the scale width of the bulwark.  Not to say it is exact to what the true scale would need to be – but close enough for me.  Using the .020” sheet gives enough stiffness to work without the risk of warping when the inner details are applied.

I did not add the inner stiffeners and other details “off the model” ahead of installation.  That would be wasted effort if for some reason I messed up the fit and alignment of the new section and had to start over.  (ask me how I know) Instead, I’ll add those details in situ after I’m satisfied with the fit.

 

The gap that is created with the thinner bulwark will be handled with filler pieces.  Once the Scaledecks piece is in place, the space will get filled with the “Limber Board” that overlays on top of the deck along the inboard edge of the bulwark.

 

I’ll follow up to show some of the detail in place, then move on to the aft well deck starboard bulwark.

 

Cheers,

Evan

Edited November 23, 2024 by Force9

[Jeff59]

Love the dedication to this, can see this build is going to be running for a while 😂 brilliant.

[Force9]

Aye @Jeff59...

 

I'll be at this for a while.  Should be able to bump up my progress over the holidays.

 

(Looks like you've taken on quite a bit in your Bismarck build... You've gutted her!)

 

Cheers

Evan

Edited December 17, 2024 by Force9

[Force9]

 

Fo’c’sle Railing Detail

 

Before proceeding I need to attend to another detail up forward… 

 

Around the Fo’c’sle there should be a lip that extends above the deck.  It serves as a wash plate and supports the base of the railings.  This is not accounted for in our kit, but I think KA or Pontos includes a solution in their photo etch offering.

 

We can see it in the detail of the Father Browne photo referenced earlier:

First, I’ll file down a bit of the existing edge of the Trumpeter kit -just down to the existing coping strip.  This will allow the new strip to be seated down a bit to be even with the deck.

Next, I’ll chisel away the kit coping strip.  This'll be added back later:

Everything is now prepped to add a strip of angle styrene:

I’ll extend it the length of the Fo’c’sle for now… I’ll eventually need to trim it back to allow for the details that affix to the very front of the bow.

 

Lastly, I’ll need to add the new coping strip to the very top outer edge of the angle strip. This should all align a bit better to the actual ship than what Trumpeter has in place.

 

Cheers,

Evan

Edited December 17, 2024 by Force9

[Jeff59]

All this hull plating must be driving you nuts 😂 not to mention the strain on your eyes. A really exceptional model indeed. I just know this is going to be very special.👌

[md1400cs]

Exceptional work - very much enjoying following your log 

[Force9]

@Jeff59 - The hull modifications have not YET pushed me over the edge... Stay tuned.  Speaking of temporary insanity - Great to see your progress on the Bismarck.

 

@md1400cs Thanks for keeping up with my build.  I appreciate the encouragement.

 

 

More Starboard Well Deck Bulwark Detail

 

I’ve made progress on the Well Deck.

 

Details have been added to the interior of the bulwark:

Sliding bolts, bulwark stay rods, etc. will be added at a later stage. I’ll likely utilize the KA PE versions of the rigging pad eyes.

 

The exterior has also been refined a bit.

 

You can see the doubling strake is in place as well as doubling plates.  These plates are only the underlying beds at this point… I will come back and add a top layer to these using the thinnest styrene sheet that will include the rivet pattern.

 

Additionally, the coping strip has now been extended across the new piece using .10” x .20” Styrene strip. This is also added along the top edge of the Fo’c’sle wash plate that was recently added. 

A bit tricky to keep it straight along the edge – a small metal ruler was a useful guide while gluing.

More fun to come.

 

Cheers,

Evan

Edited January 29 by Force9

[yvesvidal]

Trumpeter should definitely hire you to improve their models.... 😄

 

Amazing work.

 

Yves

[Force9]

@yvesvidal That might be a full time job!

 

Cheers

[Force9]

The Gangway doors

 

A quick thought exercise…

 

The future positioning of the open Gangway door on my model is a bit of a puzzle.

 

My initial understanding was that these gangway doors were REMOVABLE… slide out the upper bolts, loosen the detachable iron stays, lift the gangway door away and stack it off to the side while loading cargo.

 

I see these referenced as removable doors in many Titanic forums. This is supported by a caption on a photo in TITANIC THE SHIP MAGNIFICENT book:

But alas… This is contradicted by the diagram on the opposite page where these are described by the author as FOLDING gangway doors:

Hmm…

 

If these are indeed folding doors, then how do they work? 

 

It might make sense that these gangway doors hinge 180 degrees outboard and lie flat against the hull during cargo transfers.  That would keep the doors out of the way and the deck clear. But these are heavy and could be problematic to pull back up into position.  They could also damage the sides and paint if they swing all the way down.

 

Alternatively, there seem to be photos/video from the wreck showing these gangways swung 90 degrees outboard and resting on their hinges.  Presumably the sliding bolts melted away and the detachable iron stays rusted thru leaving these doors hanging precariously outboard.

But that can’t be the correct position while loading cargo.  They’d be in the way and subject to damage as loads were swung up and inboard by the cranes.

 

Hmm…

 

I think Robert Read provides the answer.  His excellent overview of the Titanic Hatch Coamings (“Titanic-Hatch-Coamings-Color” that can be found in his Titanic CAD collection) includes a grainy historic photo showing the handling of cargo on the forward well deck:

Have a look at the circled portion of the photo… Aha. We see the gangway door folded inboard and lying flat on the deck with the detachable iron stays protruding out from underneath. Note the white coaming strip and the yellow sheer stripe painted on the outer surface of the gangway door.

 

This seems to undermine the idea that these doors were removable.  Instead, it looks like these are folding doors that stay attached to the bulwarks and hinge inward to provide the pass-thru for cargo being swung on board.

I’ll replicate this when I eventually reach this stage.

 

Next up – The Bilge Keel:

Cheers,

Evan

[MisterMeester]

Looking good, Evan. Excellent sleuthing on the gangway doors. Excited to see what you come up with for bilge keels.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Force9]

@MisterMeester Thanks Mark. I continue to try to get smarter about the details of the Titanic.  I've got some catching up to do.

 

Cheers

Evan

[Force9]

The Bilge Keel

 

The kit provided bilge keels are – no surprise – subpar.  No hate on Trumpeter here… It’s nearly impossible to create an accurate keel using injection molding.  It’d be too thin and would likely warp as it cooled on the sprue.

So, the kit version is very thick/heavy and lacks any of the detail that the actual keel would show.

 

Here is what TITANIC – TSM shows for these keels:

You can see that we need thinner representations with doubling strips top and bottom along with a narrow cope along the outer edge of the underside.

 

I think there have been 3D print versions for these, but that seems like overkill.  These are very easy to scratch build at minimal cost.  Any modeler can (and should) make these.

 

I purchased some Styrene T pieces from PLASTRUCT:

These are long – 24” – so that I don’t need to combine smaller lengths. Just trim the piece to fit the outline on the model.  I found these at the nearby Model Railroad store.  Those guys build model bridges with this stuff.

 

First, I shaped the curvature on both ends using my hobby knife and a quick pass with a medium metal file.

 

Next, I dipped into my stash for various strips to add the cope and doubling/reinforcement:

I’ll use the wider .080” strip for the top surface and the slightly smaller .060” on the underside.  That’ll generally align to what the TSM diagram shows. 

 

A quick test fit to confirm that the basic dimensions align to what is needed for the scale:

Couldn’t be easier to lay down the topside .080“ styrene strip… Just rest it in position against the inner corner of the T, apply some thin cement, and let the capillary action fill in underneath. It takes two pieces to cover the distance.  I just matched the factory ends together for a tight fit.  The seam is basically invisible.  Let the smaller length extend a bit beyond the end of the T piece and trim to fit after it sets.

Flip it over and do the same on the underside using the .060” strip.

 

Finally add the .010” x .020” cope to the underside edge.  I used a small metal ruler to help align to the edge as I applied cement:

The underside completed:

A meaningful improvement over the kit version, I think.

 

It just takes a few minutes to whip these together.  Fun to build for anyone wanting to try a little scratch building on their Titanic.

 

I’ve decided to hold off a bit longer on installation… These would be vulnerable as I continue to flip the hull around on various other add-ons.

 

The starboard after well deck bulwark is up next.

 

Cheers,

Evan

Edited February 13 by Force9

[MisterMeester]

Looks great, Evan. Will probably follow your lead on the keels. I have a set purchased from Shapeways, but they are very brittle and no doubt will break at some point. Leaning toward scratch building them also.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Hubac's Historian]

Hello Evan!  Ironically, yesterday I found an entire Pinterest page dedicated to your Connie build, by another fan of your work.  Great stuff!

 

I really love all of the scratch modification work you are doing here.  It is the aspect of plastic modeling that I love the most.  Your work is do crisp!

 

Best,

 

Marc