USS Tucson

[wlambing]

That's the beastie! The light cover is a sheet of 5/16" thick Lexan screwed in place with a butt-ton of stainless flat-head screws. They are constantly being replaced when those vessels come in for refits.

Herr Doktor- The chunks you see missing are anechoic tiles that have torn off from water flow. Has been a problem for the 688 class since they started carrying those tiles. All of these coatings, for all nations using such, take a terrible beating in their natural environment!

[DrSchmidt]

Why does the surface of above sail look that funky? As if plating got lost....

[SSBN659]

Thanks Bill, like this ?



Will Rogers
SSN659

[wlambing]

You may be already planning for this, so just a reminder that the running lights were raised on 751 & following by a ShipAlt, 'cos the "bow" wave when running at speed on the surface completely obliterated any light projection, thus making the lights verrrrrryyyyyyyy hard to see!! Any recent/current pictures of the forward 1/3 of a 688I sail should show those light positions and outlines. Keep pluggin', this is gonna be a nice model!!!

Take care,

Bill

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Thanks for the comments. I've used both of these products and I agree crumbling is a problem with the air dry putty. The Evercoat 2 part does work better on most parts but the sail is where I run into difficulty, probably because there are so many details to scribe at this scale. Anyway, I appreciate all the help and suggestions I get.

Will Rogers
SSBN659

... and the tools you use to engrave -- stencils and scribing tips -- make a big difference as to success or failure. And layout with use of a flat surface, machinist's surface gauge, proportional dividers, and 1-2-3 blocks are aids in assuring exacting lofting from two-dimensional drawing to three-dimensional subject.

[SSBN659]

Thanks for the comments. I've used both of these products and I agree crumbling is a problem with the air dry putty. The Evercoat 2 part does work better on most parts but the sail is where I run into difficulty, probably because there are so many details to scribe at this scale. Anyway, I appreciate all the help and suggestions I get.

Will Rogers
SSBN659

[CC Clarke]

This has been a fun build to watch unfold as you work your way through each challenge!

It was 111 here in Anthem yesterday. Luckily, my garage is air conditioned, so I can work on my current project comfortably.

Keep up the great work!!

[Subculture]

Are you using a 2k glazing putty or the air dry stuff? The latter and paint are not rigid enough to provide a good scribe line.

The putty tends to crumble and give way, and paint is often a bit too soft (unless it's 2k stuff).

Polyester putty will work well, but you need to ensure the scribe line is entirely within the putty area, if you cross into harder or softer substrates, it'll make the line wander.

[SSBN659]

Thanks David, I've tried filling in with glazing putty after first scribing but it's tough to make that work with glazing putty. i've also tried several layers of primer without luck. I haven't done scribing in several years so all this is taking more time than I thought it would. I just want to make this my best work. It will take more time than I thought - already been over a year since I started this model.

Will Rogers
SSBN659

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

On the few occasions where I have to scribe/engrave over a wooden substrate I first dig out 3/32" wide channels where the eventual scribing will take place, then back-fill those channels with Bondo. Much easier to scribe Bondo than cantankerous wood with its wavy wood grain patterns, knots, and sap

.

David

[SSBN659]

Scribing the details on the sail is a challenge. In an early post I said that scribing into wood would be difficult and I've proved myself correct. The sail is going to really make the model and I want it to be right so I'm trying a couple ways to see which works best. In the first picture you see the sail sitting in place in grey primer and glazing putty where I've made some corrections. In the next picture on the left I've filled in all the scribing with glazing putty, sprayed it with flat black primer and laid out the detail with pencil. You have to look closely to see that details are not scribed in. Might work but I've formed another sail out of a pink material similar to Renshape to see if it's easier to scribe. With temps over 100 F for last week and this I won't do much, if anything, until it cools down a bit.



Will Rogers
SSBN659

[wlambing]

Ah! Very nice work in any case!

[SSBN659]

Good catch, and thanks Bill. I'm working with three different drawings in different scales which makes it confusing. I'm going back to the drawings and convert the measurements to a common scale with the same diameter. Once I've done that I'll check the measurements against the model and make any corrections. That's why a look at the Docking Plan would be nice.

The two 3/4" openings on the underside centerline are for the model mounting posts. The base will be walnut but that's probably weeks away.

Will Rogers
SSBN659

[wlambing]

Wayyyy tooo far aft! There are some very good illustrations floating about in the ether that show the placement of the sea chests. The Greg Sharp drawings come to mind, locatable in long past issues of the SCR. There are also several renditions in different scales of the 688 hulls that have the locations marked. Years ago, I had a Thor 1/96 I started as Tuscon and sold it to a USMC Sergeant who worked at Fleet Headquarters in Pearl Harbor. What are those monstrous holes on the keel for? Faster flood/drain of the hull? Not really necessary! All of the teardrop hulls produced in 1/96 and larger have no problem filling/draining via the free flood ports! Perhaps you are gonna surprise us with a neat feature, or two? Like maybe dropping M-80s on unsuspecting opponents? I always wondered why we hadn't thought up some nasty thing to drop on Ivan that could be deployed via the TDU. THAT woulda been fun!!!!

[SSBN659]

Without a look at a Docking Plan I made a guess based on cooler seawater intakes being forward of and higher than the warmer seawater discharges. Work on the underside (in red primer) is almost complete except for a few spots needing touchup. Then I will install grates on the intakes and discharges and do a final coat of red on the underside.



Will Rogers
SSBN659