A Skipjack in Ireland

[The Boattrainman]

Thanks my friend.

I've never built a boat kit from such good quality mouldings, both the Revell and Caswell parts. I usually spend half the time cleaning up parts on other kits or in some cases discarding and scratch-building replacements. My last project had over 1000 white metal parts plus I scratched another 300, took two years to build and it's only 95% complete. I built a Robbe sub a few years ago and it took me nine months just to get the hull together, the fit and finish on some kits leave a lot be desired.

Only slight niggle is I've no knowledge of Skipjack subs, I bought the kit because it was in my local model shop discounted to half price, couldn't resist.

This one is going together easy so far and the quality gives lots of options for upgrading and improving............!

[trout]

Nicely done sir! Love learning from others.

[The Boattrainman]

The Caswell rudder yoke has been well and truly butchered, there goes my lifetimes warranty!




As well as the notch to let the wiring out without fouling the prop shaft and the piece filed away to accommodate the dive plane clevis, I've glued in a tiny wire loop into a drilled hole to lead the wiring away up the hull.





The wiring comes down the tube, out the hole around into the wire loop and back up the hull through a plastic tube, I'll work up a cable strain fitting between the two clevises' attached to the roof, later, and of course would not have been possible without the new access hatch (sorry, had to get that in!!!).

The Boattrainman

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

You savagely hacked up that carefully designed yoke; found a rational for that (well crafted) access hatch; and have callously departed from our kit assembly protocol.

What's next? ... you going to irradiate this thing at CERN????

YOU PEOPLE!!!

(I'm lov'n those running lights)

M

[The Boattrainman]

Thanks David.

Sure if you follow the kit instructions what do you get?

The same damn thing as everyone else........................!

It's actually one of the things I like about model boat building, you never see two of the same models exactly alike, from minor modifications to paint schemes to wholesale changes to structures etc.

Goes to show that the whole concept of a 'scale model' is highly subjective.

Rob

[The Boattrainman]

Here is the final arrangement, with a cable strain made of a square piece of Plasticard glued to the hull up against the brace moulding and a small piece of 1mm card with two small bolts through to the square piece.



I can't work on a wiring route beyond this as I've no idea where the wiring for the sail lights will end up, but if needs be (and for painting), the whole top rudder, light and wiring can be pulled out.

That's three nights work for a 10 Cent LED!

The Boattrainman

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I would argue that the activity of scale modeling is an objective. The pursuit of an absolute -- the creation, in model form, of a prototypes copy, in every detail. An objective never attained (by the hands of man), but one well defined; defined by the physical attributes of the original, the prototype.

Subjectivity is a cop-out. I so hate the phrase, "I model what pleases me", when applied to SCALE modeling.

Now, if it's a concept creation your building, I have no problem. But when the word 'scale' is affixed to any modeling activity, there can only be one goal. Anything less is not scale modeling. We never attain perfection, but we strive for it. Anything else is just slapping parts together.

M

[The Boattrainman]

Points well made.

However, your comment 'the creation, in model form, of a prototypes copy, in every detail' contains the nub of the 'scale' debate.

What and how much detail can you get in the following popular scales 1/350, 1/76, 1/32, 1/16, 1/8?

Now you have the ship modeller who tries to get 'as much' detail as possible into his 1/350 scale Ship model, but you can bet he will not do the stanchions, or the 1/16 scale Tank modeller who can go much deeper into the detail, but again there are still limits, he probably won't make a working convoy light at the rear as they are so small and hard to make (although I've seen it done), these are all subjective calls by the individual modeller on how far into the detail he can go depending on size, skill, eyesight, budget, time etc. etc.

I take you point 'we never attain perfection etc.' I have never seen a 'perfect' model in any scale in any subject anywhere, every one is some sort of compromise (see above). Just as the real things are themselves a compromise.

I do concur that the modeller working on a 'scale; model who includes an obvious detail NOT on the original during any time of it's existance just because it tickles his fancy is probably working in 'stand off'' Scale (I don't know if that's the term used in the US).

The one aspect that gets my goat, is maufacturers selling 'scale' models that have glaring problems especially with dimensions and overall shape (which are near impossible to fix), the HO/OO scale model train world is bedevilled with this problem, the Skipkack is blessedly free of these issues.

Anyway, enough theory, back to the practice............!

Rob

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

What a pleasure it is to cross swords with someone as impassioned with the Craft as I am. I agree with your assesment. All we can do is identify a standard (usually a respected Modeler -- my guy is Gerald Wingrove https://www.google.com/search?q=gero...hrome&ie=UTF-8 ); examples that approximate our reasonable ideal of perfection, and strive to match it.

I regard you as a peer (if that's not too presumptive of me) and look forward to each post in your thread. I'm a student.

M

[The Boattrainman]

Thanks for the kind words, it's great to correspond instantly over such long distances (and time zones).

That guys model car work is awe inspiring, really model engineering with a twist of the true artist for good measure, going to try to get one of his books on the web.

I got into model making via Railway Modelling in my teens and my all time hero is the Rev. Peter Denny. This guy built a single model railway over 40 years in his vicarage in the UK and did it during a period when there was virtually no commercial products, kits or parts available for the period or location of his masterwork. He made everything from scratch, track, locos, stock, buildings, signals, scenery, people and animals, the lot. He turned the wheels himself on a mini lathe and even wound his own armatures for the electric motors for the locos. It needed two operators to run the layout properly, so when his son departed for college, he constructed a mechanical computer to fulfil his tasks. There are better layouts out there, but who can claim they made it all from zero!

Nice of you to consider me a peer, not so, by comparison to you I'm just stumbling around in the dark.

Happy modelling and developing........!

Rob

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thank you so much for the link to his work. I'll check that out. You may be new to r/c submarines, but your credentials are well established.

Your methodical approach is a breath of fresh air -- so, so many people approach this hobby with an ingrained sense of chaos about them. You know the type: has yet to cut a straight line but insists his first boat will shoot torpedoes, run autonomously, have operating masts, and will also flip the morning egg. They never get past square-one yet manage to waste everyone's time (you can see some of that activity at the other r/c submarining boards right now).

M

[The Boattrainman]

I've tried to come up with away a way of keeping the rudders off the hull when moving as they will mark the paint.

I tried using a brass washer as a bearer by bending it to the shape of hull but the radius is too sharp, so back to the old reliable Plasticard again.




I made two bearings from circular 0.5mm pieces and glued them to the hull and re-drilled the shaft hole. It's hard to see but the top is filed flat to take the base of the rudders, yet it conforms to the hull shape at this point.




It keeps the rudders about 0.3mm off the hull, plus acts a thrust bearer, a blob of silicone grease will be added later. The access hatch is finished, that's as flush as I can get it, almost no seams.

In case I'm overdoing the Plasticard, here's what you can achieve with the stuff if determined.







The life boat and dinghy are entirely made Plasticard with the exception of the oars and masts (cocktail sticks), every rib and strake is modelled.

The Boattrainman

[The Boattrainman]

There are a couple of areas of concern regarding the storage of air, which will act as buoyancy when the sub is submerged.




This section under the sail at the upper join is one such area. I've seen someone cut this section away, I'm not doing that as it's a seam point and I think it needs all the structural integrity it can get, so I've drilled a series of flood holes to let water and air in and out. The four to the left are through the hull but exit under the long exhaust on top and are hidden, the ones on the seam are only through the fitting NOT the hull. After drilling, a larger drill bit is used to finish the holes by running between thumb and fore finger gets rid of the sharp edge of the holes.




A photo I uploaded showed me something I hadn't spotted, there's a large void in both rear dive plane supports, where air will gather.




I drilled four small holes 1cm apart in the curved space where the moving dive plane will sit, there is a seam here so I drilled just over it so as not to crack the filler and it's at the top of the void space. The holes will be entirely hidden by the rear dive planes.



The best solution would be a small hole on top of the supports but that's not an option.

The Boattrainman

[Slats]

Rob,
been following this thread and discussion with keen interest and see from your posts you like railways too :). The scale question and discussion I love especially as a N scale train man and a blinked 1/72 ship and sub builder. Lovely assembly here and great description.

Cheers
john

[Slats]

You savagely hacked up that carefully designed yoke; found a rational for that (well crafted) access hatch; and have callously departed from our kit assembly protocol.

What's next? ... you going to irradiate this thing at CERN????

YOU PEOPLE!!!


M

Don't ever change David.