1/48 3D Printed USS Jimmy Carter

[SubDude]

I have started a new build. This is going to be the USS Jimmy Carter in 1/48 scale which at 200% in my slicer should net out at 113.2" in length with a 10" beam. By far the biggest sub I will have printed yet. It will be made of ABS as usual using the Seawolf files from The Nautilus Drydocks. I will print 3 additional sections of the hull 4 top and bottom at 211.6mm each to make the necessary extension inserted in hull sections 5 that distinguishes the JC from the first two boats in the class.


I plan to use the same joining method I employed on my Columbia for each section. At this scale the walls are coming out at 4mm thick which is about right. The hull sections look like they were designed very similar to the Thresher which turned out to be one of my favorite boats. I plan to reinfreinforce the hull with strips of fiberglass or carbon fiber cloth and possibly carbon fiber spars under the flanges. I am still considering if I will do a Z-split hull like I did on my Thresher or if I will employ a different method. Based on past experiences printing big boats I estimate it will take approximately 10 spools of filament and about 1200 hours to print. My desire is to have it printed and at least primed by Subfest and possibly painted but not functional. Here is the bow at about 25% so far.

I have always liked the Seawolf but the covert mission functionality of the Jimmy Carter makes it more intriguing to me. I should be able to utilize the power module (motor/ESC/servos) from my Thresher and either the water tight box from my Columbia or the Thresher with a couple of the 140mm spheres for ballast tanks which will make for a quick outfitting of the running gear. Still contemplating bow and stern thrusters.

[Sinksalot]

Good god Steve, you don't play around. That is going to be a very long sub. You may need a few bow and stern thrusters lol. Its going to look dam nice.

[rwtdiver]

I have started a new build. This is going to be the USS Jimmy Carter in 1/48 scale which at 200% in my slicer should net out at 113.2" in length with a 10" beam. By far the biggest sub I will have printed yet. It will be made of ABS as usual using the Seawolf files from The Nautilus Drydocks. I will print 3 additional sections of the hull 4 top and bottom at 211.6mm each to make the necessary extension inserted in hull sections 5 that distinguishes the JC from the first two boats in the class.


I plan to use the same joining method I employed on my Columbia for each section. At this scale the walls are coming out at 4mm thick which is about right. The hull sections look like they were designed very similar to the Thresher which turned out to be one of my favorite boats. I plan to reinfreinforce the hull with strips of fiberglass or carbon fiber cloth and possibly carbon fiber spars under the flanges. I am still considering if I will do a Z-split hull like I did on my Thresher or if I will employ a different method. Based on past experiences printing big boats I estimate it will take approximately 10 spools of filament and about 1200 hours to print. My desire is to have it printed and at least primed by Subfest and possibly painted but not functional. Here is the bow at about 25% so far.

I have always liked the Seawolf but the covert mission functionality of the Jimmy Carter makes it more intriguing to me. I should be able to utilize the power module (motor/ESC/servos) from my Thresher and either the water tight box from my Columbia or the Thresher with a couple of the 140mm spheres for ballast tanks which will make for a quick outfitting of the running gear. Still contemplating bow and stern thrusters.

WOW Steve!

What a journey you are going to take with this one! Having built several 3D printed 1:72 and 1:96 scale boats, and realizing the time an effort I put into those boats, I am just blowen away with what you are doing with your builds! Every boat has been massive to say the least. I am having a hard time comprehending 10 spools of ABS and 1200 hours of print time on this new build of yours!

I will certainly be following this build from you! I just hope your printers will hold up! Knowing you it will be another great success for sure!!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

[SubDude]

WOW Steve!

What a journey you are going to take with this one! Having built several 3D printed 1:72 and 1:96 scale boats, and realizing the time an effort I put into those boats, I am just blowen away with what you are doing with your builds! Every boat has been massive to say the least. I am having a hard time comprehending 10 spools of ABS and 1200 hours of print time on this new build of yours!

I will certainly be following this build from you! I just hope your printers will hold up! Knowing you it will be another great success for sure!!

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"

The 1/6th Seehund I recently finished printing for Mike Martin took 18 spools of filament and about 1750 hours and the 1/6th Hecht I just finished for my buddy Darrell was 10 spools and 1100 hours so I am definitely putting my printers through their paces.

[SubDude]

Good god Steve, you don't play around. That is going to be a very long sub. You may need a few bow and stern thrusters lol. Its going to look dam nice.

Yeah David, a 1/48 I-400 will be a piece of cake when the time comes.

[CC Clarke]

In 2010, I built a 3D model of the Carter for the Navy to use in classified briefings. They supplied all the reference material and I think it took about three or four months to knock it out. The original was desined in Catia by EB. I was supplied with a lot of their engineering renders too. All of the Ocean Engineering mechanisms were animated as well.

It's an awesome platform; way more versatile than the Seawolf which I served on. There are four thrusters, housed inside the free flood areas in the MBTs fore and aft, two on each side that extend when needed. These are shown in the Navy's open source images online.

Good luck with your build!

[James Wittaker]

In 2010, I built a 3D model of the Carter for the Navy to use in classified briefings. They supplied all the reference material and I think it took about three or four months to knock it out. The original was desined in Catia by EB. I was supplied with a lot of their engineering renders too. All of the Ocean Engineering mechanisms were animated as well.

It's an awesome platform; way more versatile than the Seawolf which I served on. There are four thrusters, housed inside the free flood areas in the MBTs fore and aft, two on each side that extend when needed. These are shown in the Navy's open source images online.

Good luck with your build!

Maybe when the Seawolf class submarine is decommissioned, I'll know what its pumpjet propulsion looks like. It's just too hard for someone like me who likes the real thing to rely on my own guesses.

[SubDude]

Maybe when the Seawolf class submarine is decommissioned, I'll know what its pumpjet propulsion looks like. It's just too hard for someone like me who likes the real thing to rely on my own guesses.

That certainly brings up an interesting point and one I am sure has been debated over and over again. To what extent does or should detail or a lack there of determine what we build or how? Clearly where detail is lacking there is creative liberty in my opinion. My entire Columbia build was a classic example of that but I am glad I built it none the less. Everyone is entitled to their views on this subject and I would love to hear others thoughts. Heck, even a specific boat or class can change features and colors or markings over the course of its life making it difficult to duplicate in every detail. My Thresher was modelled as she might have looked at the time of her loss based on photographic evidence from the wreck and some speculation on my part. I have argued with individuals over the presence of PUFFS Hydrophones on the horizontal stern planes even with clear evidence proving their existence. What propellor it was outfitted with is less certain since the Navy is so secretive about that feature. I went with a 7 blade like was outfitted on later boats in the class. I am sure somebody knows exactly what it had and there are some who say it was the Skipjack 5 blade. I don't deny it had one initially but I have my reservations that she went down with it. Personally I have never considered myself a stickler for detail and I have seen enough projects shelved over attempts to detail them with functional or scale everything. Sure the idea of firing torpedoes or missiles is cool and I admire those modelling giants that take such things on to completion because it is not easy to engineer and fabricate efficient, repeatable and reliable systems for such. Clearly though some features are easier to design and fabricate than others. So what are some others views on this? I want as much detail as I can get but I also don't want appearance unknowns or non functional features preventing me from tackling or completing a particular subject but that is just me.

[SubDude]

Bow is done. About a 90 hour print. Turned out good in spite of a power outage about half way through (85mm) so started the print again from there and glued them together. A little filler and you can't even tell.

[SubDude]

Ok, question on the Jimmy Carter or maybe Seawolf in general. Hull Bottom and Top 7 files have torpedo doors on the Starboard side only. 5 total. Does anyone know of if that is correct? I see images on the Internet claiming to be the JC and it appears there are torpedo doors on the Port side as well. Curious if they may have gotten missed?

[RanSan]

That is a mistake in the files. I will correct them in the next few days and forward the corrected file to Bob. My apologies.

RS

[SubDude]

Thank you Randy. Good to know.

[SubDude]

Ok, Randy got me the corrected files and they look great. Reprinting Hull Bottom 7 now. I let the original part finish printing because I wanted to see how the front flange with the beveled back side would print and at this scale it did the same thing I had experienced on the Typhoon although not as bad. As a result I have flipped the orientation so that the beveled flange is on the bed. It should print fine now without drawing in the outside surfaces where the beveled flange is.

[SubDude]

Three parts into this project. At this scale the holes in the front and rear flanges will fit 6mm Carbon Fiber tubes so I am going to build the hull using three tubes in the top and three in the bottom for each straight length of the hull. Not only will they be used for alignment of the sections but they will add considerable strength.

Don't be deceived, that hull is almost 10" wide.

[rwtdiver]

Hi Steve,

What a boat that will be! Nice job!

I used the same type holes with 1/8" brass rod on both my Alfa boats and they really work well keeping everything lined up, especially using PLA.

Rob
"Firemen can stand the heat"