Skipjack 1/72

[Peter W]

Mark, it is a case of where to stop at the moment, After the Akula I have really got to get the Vengeance back on track. I did have plans for a sub after that but ..................?

I might do one as it is a fantastic looking model.

Peter

P.s. I reckon you should have little crew members that come out of the doors when you have finished sailing to help dock her.

[greenman407]

Peter, I can see that your working on the Akula, when are you, or are you, going to build a Skipjack?

[greenman407]

I have also been strongly considering a working garbage disposal for the cook. You know, its got to eject garbage under seawater pressure without flooding the sub.
Are you going to put the Zincs on yours? Itll disturb the water flow.

[Scott T]

And don't forget to add the sail doors.:wink: They should fly open when tied to the dock or lock trolley.

Scott T

I wonder if they have armed guards riding those trolleys when the sub is pulled through the lock?

[Peter W]

" Should I, or shouldnt I?"

Yes, yes you should. That would then make 2 of us that are going over the top.

Peter

[greenman407]

Theres one sticking up on the front of the top of the sail, one on the bow, one almost to the stern on deck and some kinda tapered box structure just behind amidships starboard of the exhaust fairing.

[greenman407]

Heres a picture of Shark in 1989. Notice all the extra sensors and doodads. Should I, or shouldnt I?

[greenman407]

Using Alecs and also Toms build threads to copy from, and from some pictures Ive seen Im endeavoring to add a little detail to the top of this sail. As you can see Ive already added the top of the ECM/DF antenna. As for the VLF loop antenna, that was an accident waiting to happen. I wanted to sand it down a bit to give it the illusion of being somewhat recessed(sneeky). I could see that going awry so I left the antenna atop the mast for sanding and gluing. That will make it easier to hold and then I can just snip the mast off when Im done. Im also going to leave a stub sticking out of the forward retractable whip antenna to imitate a picture that I have seen and to add a bit of variation. HEY! All these Skipjacks cant look a like ya know.

[greenman407]

Today at lunch I assembled the two top sections on the bottom sections and glued using the same procedures as before. Holding it in place until overnight dry using rubber bands. As has been suggested, I used two small pieces of wax paper to keep glue from dripping down into places that it dare not go.

[greenman407]

The next two steps will be to construct a wooden display mount. Also to glue the two top halves together using the bottom halves as a guide.
I also placed my order for (3) servos, a speed control, a lipo guard, a BEC and a water proof switch. The rest of the stuff I already have. Should have them by 10-24-13

[greenman407]

Its a start.

[greenman407]

Thanks, between paying the bills, Baker acting the kid, divorcing the wife, and keeping the blood pressure down, its hard to find time to squeeze a hobby in. I guess you can say this is good therapy for me.

[trout]

I was talking about hobby-shop air-dry putties like, Green-Stuff. It's crap!

The only thing hobby shops are good for today is glue, RTR toys, magazines and bad advice issued by tattooed idiots who would be better employed laying shingles atop roofs, doing web design for Obama, or flipping burgers.

M

Thank you David for the correction. I remember as a kid that if you put too much of the tube glue down, several weeks later or sometime down the road (I do not remember how long it took) the middle of the blob of glue would cause the surface of the opposing side to ripple or indent. That was a lesson to reduce the amount I put on. Later, MUCH later, as I got older I moved to liquid glues.

Mark, I love the renewed enthusiasm you are putting in the Skipjack and the way you are showing your steps and thoughts. Really well done sir! Thank you.

[greenman407]

Dave, why do they call the windows in the sail "Deadlights"?

[greenman407]

As far as the "glueing" of the two lower hulls together, This is what I have at my disposal. Notice the old wooden desk. I used a long straight edge to first determine that the table top is indeed ,flat. Then I marked out a centerline in pencil on the table top and center marks on the ends of the plastic hull for alignment. This handy little adjustable clamp squeezes the front hull together at the joint to mate with the rear hull piece. The clamp wants to fall over so I use various odds and ends to prop it up. The rechargeable cordless drill battery is used as a weight to apply downward motivation. Put your eyeball down at the joint so that you can see if everything is in alignment, so that you can make minor adjustments before it hardens. I followed HWSNBN instructions on first, applying the thin plastic weld liberally at the joint and then applying the model airplane glue generously but not excessively after that and then putting it all together. Now for at least 12 hrs. dont move it. Oh...and please note the wax paper under the joint and the large Mcdonalds sweet iced tea nearby, both essentials to this operation.....Kapeesh?:biggrin: