HMS Lion by Ian_Grant - 1/150 - RADIO - RESTORATION - WW1 Battlecruiser

[Javelin]

You definately built that hull sturdy 😵. What is her empty weight (without that ballast)?

[Ian_Grant]

15 hours ago, Javelin said:

You definately built that hull sturdy 😵. What is her empty weight (without that ballast)?

I wanted lots of framing because the skin is only 1/32" plywood.

 

Don't know the weight yet; by the heft of her there's more ballast under the after deck which I haven't torn off yet. 😶

Edited October 29 by Ian_Grant

[Ian_Grant]

Removed the aft deck to find more ballast and more sytrofoam in the inaccessible aft compartments, and also a time capsule note for posterity...... 😏

 

Aft compartments, with rudder linkage.

Here's how much metal ballast was enclosed aft.

Speaking of posterity.....

Here are the timing gears and belts involved in pivoting A and B turrets in unison.

I laser cut a plywood baseplate to set A and B shafts at the correct centres for the first belt, and also set the micro servo's arm axis at the correct centres for the second belt to B shaft. I hope to assemble and test tomorrow.

 

Edited November 1 by Ian_Grant

[Ian_Grant]

On 10/28/2024 at 5:15 AM, Javelin said:

You definitely built that hull sturdy 😵. What is her empty weight (without that ballast)?

Now that all the ballast is out, the hull weighs next to nothing. I'm guessing 1-1/2 pounds, maybe? Maybe even less?

[Ian_Grant]

Short update. I needed to patch the bow but while doing so I found it is balsa ahead of the first bulkhead. Delicate choice; I decided to chisel off the balsa and will replace with pine. I did cut the curve of the forefoot into the proper shape . Before I removed the balsa she looked much better than the old squarish forefoot.

 

Also found a dip along about 4" of the port forward sheer while I was trying to align supports for the A/B turret baseplate. Clamped on a thin piece which I will shave.

 

This project has evolved into more work than I expected initially but I'm excited about the final outcome. Still thinking about the smoke unit.

 

We're going away until later in Nov so this log will be quiet for a while.

 

 

[KeithAug]

Ian - 1977! - I think I can remember that far back. Interestingly I bought a set of plans for Hood in 1970 and they survived many house moves. About 2 years ago I went looking for them and they were gone. I blame my wife!

I love the archaeology.

[Mike Y]

A lovely time capsule! Can only imagine what it feels like to revamp your own project.

Incredible build quality for a teenager, hats off to you sir!

[Ian_Grant]

2 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Ian - 1977! - I think I can remember that far back. Interestingly I bought a set of plans for Hood in 1970 and they survived many house moves. About 2 years ago I went looking for them and they were gone. I blame my wife!

I love the archaeology.

I think I had David MacGregor plans for Hood too!  Many more sheets than the two for Lion.

[Ian_Grant]

2 hours ago, Mike Y said:

A lovely time capsule! Can only imagine what it feels like to revamp your own project.

Incredible build quality for a teenager, hats off to you sir!

Yes it was nostalgic to find the note, and remember my young self.  When the time comes I will put the note back, along with a new one dating the rebuild.

 

Full disclosure: build quality was helped by my dad. He turned the main gun barrels from aluminum in spare time at work, and made the turrets on a mill.

The secondary armament and fittings I bought somewhere. The rest was me. I think the funnels are balsa too; I recall wrapping them in silkspan to improve the finish.

[rookie]

I had forgotten Dad made the gun barrels.

I remember the fold-up picnic table in Dad's workshop[ with the keel laid out.

[Ian_Grant]

Boy, even I don't remember the table I built on.

Any motorcycle yet?

[rookie]

yes, the green metal table.

 

No bike yet.  

wait till the spring since cant ride it over the winter

looking at Kawasaki Eliminator 500 or the Vulcan S 650 (not sure about that one)

[NavyShooter]

That's some cool history there - in 1977 I was 4 years old.  

 

I wonder if I ever saw that ship in person when I lived in Ottawa...I recall being involved with the RC Boat group that met at the Canoe Club in the 89-91 time-frame as a kid.  

 

[Ian_Grant]

1 hour ago, NavyShooter said:

That's some cool history there - in 1977 I was 4 years old.  

 

I wonder if I ever saw that ship in person when I lived in Ottawa...I recall being involved with the RC Boat group that met at the Canoe Club in the 89-91 time-frame as a kid.  

 

No, you can't have seen it because I grew up in Bramalea just north of Toronto airport. Moved to Ottawa in 1981 after university but Lion hasn't seen water since. I just started on ship models again a few years ago and only joined the local RC club last year.

[NavyShooter]

Gotcha.  There was a hobby boat show at the old Museum of Science and Tech once upon a time that I was thinking about, but I guess not.  

 

All good, and hopefully she turns out well after the refit! 

 

NS
 

[Ian_Grant]

Back on the project after a lengthy pause. Had a great trip to Italy; Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Amalfi coast, Pompeii. So many things to see in Rome. We had five days in Tuscany with a rented car and I loved driving a standard again especially up and down switchbacks, and tooling around traffic circles.

 

One anecdote: First morning in Rome, after breakfast, I approached the front desk unfolding my Rome map.

 

Me:    "Bonn-Jhur-no".

Clerk: "Bonjourno".

Me:    "Can you please show me on the map where I would find Tra-Jan's call'em?"

Clerk:  (Puzzled frown).

Me:    "Tra-jan's call'em?  The call'em that Tra-jan built?"

Clerk:  (Brow clearing)  "Ah! La  Co-loan-ah  Tray-anne-no!  Si!"

 

Boy we butcher names when we anglicise them. Why not "Trayan" instead of "trajan"?

 

I took pics of any ship stuff I noticed. Will post in "Naval History" when my wife gest around to downloading her fancy DSLR.

 

Anyway, to the ship:

 

The plan has these horizontal strakes described on the lines drawing as "caps over the seams between armour belts".  They're not very evident in photos but I decided to apply some strips to add to the "retro" WWI look, as a contrast to the sleek all-welded hulls of WWII. Instead of using CA to attach the strip on top of existing paint (which is difficult on long strip because CA sets so quickly) I sanded off most paint in the affected areas and used wood glue. The hull looks like hell right now. See below.

 

Here we see the horizontal "caps" and also some vertical bits. There's a 3rd horizontal hidden in the shaded boot stripe.

The new bow, and start of the strips.

The strips amidships.

I also found time to assemble the A and B turrets on the laser-cut baseplate with the micro-servo.

Here's a little video of the belt-driven movement. Servo can move them crazy fast but I'll just have to move the stick slowly.

I will have an Arduino if I add sound effects, in which case the Arduino can "intercept" this signal and slow the turrets down.

Sorry if the sound doesn't work?????

I removed my crappy "canvas bellows"where the gun barrels exit the turret; new ones to be added.

 

Thanks for following!  Merry Christmas to all!

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 06:33 PM by Ian_Grant

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Italy - me too, twice this year, though not as far south as you went. Turin first, in the spring to visit a friend, then an interrail redux from Milan to Rome over a two week period, via Cinque Terre, Lucca, Florence, Perugia and Spoleto. I don't think I'll ever tire of Italy, though I'd take Turin or Perugia over Rome every time. I'll also do the train thing again, found it much less stressy than driving and ridiculously cheap.

 

Nice work on this old boat. It looks like you did a pretty decent job first time round, and I love the note. It's a bit like finding old newspapers when you lift floorboards, or messages on walls when you strip very old wallpaper.

 

I'm back to finishing off the stern on the Victory that I parked 3 years ago. As I'm sure you're finding with this project, everything's a little easier with a bit of added experience and I think I might make headway now.

 

Happy Christmas to you too, I hope 2025 turns out well.

[Ian_Grant]

Hi Kevin; yes I enjoyed Rome but no need to return now unless I can miraculously snag tickets to see the houses of Augustus and Livia.

 

Funny you mention messages on walls - every time I did a bathroom in someone's house, I wrote my name and the date on the back of the drywall in the adjacent room, to be discovered by whoever does the next reno. I even quoted "Ozymandias" on someone's wall on a large bathroom gutting.

 

One time I removed some wood from a wall and found a piece on which someone had written, "If you knew how much trouble I had putting this in, you wouldn't have torn it out". HaHa.

 

Look forward to seeing your Victory build continue......

Edited Wednesday at 06:37 PM by Ian_Grant

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up on your fascinating rebuild, Ian.  Great work!

 

John

[Ian_Grant]

Thanks John!

 

Does anyone know how fast these turrets could rotate? Say, elapsed time for 90 degrees?

[rookie]

Found this video of uss iowa turret being rotated recently

looks like about 90 seconds through 180 degrees from starboard to port 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian_Grant]

That's great!  It is pretty slow as I imagined. Thanks Bro!

[Ian_Grant]

On 12/17/2024 at 7:29 PM, Kevin-the-lubber said:

........... though I'd take Turin or Perugia over Rome every time. I'll also do the train thing again, found it much less stressy than driving and ridiculously cheap.

One more Italian anecdote:  When we booked the vehicle they said we would get a VW "T-Roc", an SUV model I never heard of; maybe the European version of Tiguan?  Anyway when we clunked along the cobble sidewalks to the car place in Florence with our luggage, the guy took our reservation form and consulted his computer. Then he said, and I quote, "We don't have any Volkswagens left so I'll give you an MG". Huh? "How the hell are we going to fit with our luggage into an MG?", was my immediate thought. 🤔

 

Turns out "MG" is a Chinese auto manufacturer, which I also never heard of. Did they buy the "MG" brand?

[Keith Black]

4 minutes ago, Ian_Grant said:

Did they buy the "MG" brand?

 Yes they did. 

[Wintergreen]

Oh, a re-comission. Interesting. I have an old Wasa (Billings) that I ponder doing the same to. Well, not RC, just rebuild to some higher standard than mine teenage me mastered.

I must say your teenage you did a darn good job with that hull Ian! Okay it lacks details but the lines are there. Well done Sir!

 

Keep it up!

[Ian_Grant]

3 hours ago, Wintergreen said:

Oh, a re-comission. Interesting. I have an old Wasa (Billings) that I ponder doing the same to. Well, not RC, just rebuild to some higher standard than mine teenage me mastered.

I must say your teenage you did a darn good job with that hull Ian! Okay it lacks details but the lines are there. Well done Sir!

 

Keep it up!

Thanks! Lion was my 4th RC build but the first scratch, so I had some experience with kit hulls. Luckily my dad's friend Jim worked in a large drafting office and he had the David MacGregor plans enlarged for me, to the size I wanted.

 

Re-doing a sailing ship sounds pretty daunting I must say. I had that old Wasa kit in the 70's too but I made a pretty poor job of the planking. I gave up when I got to the point of "Carve these two balsa blocks into a pair of lions as shown". 🙄   Might be easier to buy a newer Wasa kit; that old one was very inaccurate.

[Wintergreen]

1 hour ago, Ian_Grant said:

Might be easier to buy a newer Wasa kit; that old one was very inaccurate.

Very true for the first kit that was produced. A lot of guesswork. My kit is from the 1980s and my Wasa was finished in 1989. All details are more or less correct but not the colour scheme. It was believed she was Royal Blue but later science reveals she was painted in a more traditional 1600 style. Lots of vivid colours.

Now back to your HMS Lion 😉