Revell 1/232 scale Skipjack

[vital.spark]

Sam, Tom,

Just wondering why you are not putting in the switch? I personally could not live without a means of being able to switch on/off without having to open the S/D.

Myron

[KevinMc]

I can answer that one - there's a new switch in town! Tom/Sam have a Magnetic Mission Switch for that.
(Actually the MMS will even allow you to power on/power down your boat without even splitting the hull.)

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I can answer that one - there's a new switch in town! Tom/Sam have a Magnetic Mission Switch for that.
(Actually the MMS will even allow you to power on/power down your boat without even splitting the hull.)

And not enough can be said for Kevin's 'switch'. Much more than a simple magnetic-reed switch. It's also a latching type relay, and a self re-setting circuit breaker -- all on a tiny PCB. The thing has next to zip idle current draw and is so small that it easily fits within a 1.25" cylinder, such as Sam's small SKIPJACK SD.

Here's where you can buy the thing: http://www.sub-driver.com/electronic...tch-5-amp.html

OK, enough talk from me. Sam: show the good people how Kevin's Magnetic Mission Switch looks and works.

M

[vital.spark]

Kevin,

That's GREAT! I wish I had one when I did my small Skipjack. The normal toggle switch takes up so much room! The nest time I do a new sub it will be included!

Sam/Tom, yes show us this great new product from kevin!

Myron

[Von Hilde]

Thats a great idea. Looks like a "must have" for me. Corrosion is a big problem in my element

[trout]

Hopefully get to the install the innards of the sub-driver in the next couple of weeks.
Measured and drilled a hole for the screw that will hold the hull halves together.


Using that as a guide, drilled a corresponding hole in the flange of the upper aft piece. The drill bit that was used was a smaller diameter than the screw. I did not record the drill bit size. Sorry.

The screw was run in and out several times to cut the threads.

It dawned on me that we can rebuild the pieces we cut out, we still had the part that was removed. Using flush cut nippers we clipped out small pieces that would get us close to the picture/drawing posted earlier.

This worked well at locking the wtc in place.

I drilled out one plane using a .024" drill bit and found that was way to big. Used CA to coat the inside and re-drilled it using .020"
That is what Sam did with the other planes. When we tried the wire before we started all the drilling, the wire would not go in. I suspect that there is a small amount of shrinkage after casting the resin. The .020" drill bit is the perfect fit. It is very snug, but doable.

All the areas that the wire goes through or pivot points, we used the .024" drill so no binding.
I completely understand the concerns expressed earlier about getting the planes on the wire. In fact, I took over from here. I did not want it to go badly for Sam. It might not have been the best decision, but I felt it was difficult enough that if a problem came up I could stop it from being irreversible.

The initial testing there was some binding getting planes on the wire. Mainly because in wiggling the planes on, it would distort the arched area that goes around the prop shaft.



Once those were reshaped still had a little binding here on the aft planes movement.


Ground out the area.


That was enough to allow travel.



Now on one side, I was able to drill it out perfectly. Then the second try did not go as smoothly.


The pins are made out of .020" brass wire. The outside or outermost of the planes' holes were drilled using .024" drill only a short ways in. The hole on the end of the lower hull piece where the plane fits into, is drilled with the .020" drill bit. The larger hole on the plane will allow the pin to pivot easily while still being tight on the very outside edge. I hope that made sense.


Both sides are pinned. I will need to seal the ends.


Here is were we stand.

[MFR1964]

Tom, a wise decision to take over the divingplane wire issue, the time is not right to frustrate Sam with fiddling, still it's fun to see him at work.


Manfred.

[trout]

Thanks Manfred!
It was recommended to use .020" Styrene strips for the alignment tabs. I had .030" X .250" Styrene, so went ahead and used it. We cut out about 16 tabs figuring 4 per side, top and bottom.


A small curve was put into the styrene by wrapping it around the handle of a file. The thicker material got real hard for Sam pretty quick.


Sam got his first experience gluing his fingers together.


Back to work. Using a piece of brass rod, Sam put a line of thick CA at the bottom edge on the outside of the curve.


Once the tabs (worked on two at a time) were in place.


Sam closed the hull halves together to make sure it fit. We left it there to set up. Could not rush this.


Then the next set of tabs are put in.


We placed only three tabs per side instead of the four we thought we would need.


Went back and reinforced the tabs with more CA and let it set to dry. Testing fit one more time.
Not shown, but was done, using a couple of the extra tabs we reinforced the bow piece just forward of the cut.



Using small files, Sam cleaned up the small bumps and seam lines on the propellor.


This was a scary moment for Sam, after giving him the dangers of acid and safety tips, he held the prop under the acid.


Tried to keep just the prop in and not the brass rod. Every now and then, we would check the progress.


It did not take long and we had a nice dark gray color. Time to remove it from the Ferric Chloride and put it in a bowl of water and baking soda. This neutralized the acid. It then was thoroughly rinsed in tap water and allowed to dry.


A primer coat of paint was sprayed on from a rattle can. This will be the base for following colors. We will let this sit for a couple of days to make sure it is fully cured/dried.

[MFR1964]

Excellent Tom, the joy of glueing your fingers instead of your model, he ain't the first and sure won't be the last, wait untill he wants to build a bigger model, then you're in trouble my friend.

Manfred.

[trout]

I am not sure when the joy of gluing your fingers together becomes frustration, but I loved how tickled he got.
Today was the big day for using the metal glaze and one I thought was going to be the biggest battle. Sam was shown on one side how to use the glaze and screed, the rest he ran with and it was really a fun time. He had been wanting to do the nose of the sub for awhile.

When I did the demo for Sam I took some of the extra Evercoat Metal Glaze and filled the switch hole. Painter's tape was used on the inside of the end cap to keep it neat (and of course in place). The other side not so clean, but it works.


Now it was Sam's turn to do a side. The ratio used for the mix was made to be a little slower by using a smaller amount of catalyst. This gave a bit more time to place the stuff on the seam.


We made this screed earlier by tracing the hull onto this piece of recycled computer plastic (sure acts like styrene). Sam is pulling the screed evenly over the side of the hull.


As the mix begins to start to gel, Sam uses a feeler gauge (.005") to make a nice thin separation between the hull halves.

After he made the line the hulls were taken apart and allowed to dry.

I prepped the nose of the sub by first marking the center of the nose and drilling a small hole. It was slightly smaller than the 3/64" brass rod I inserted into it. This seemed to be the best fit for the screed and guide. The rod was used to finish the the hole and make a nice snug fit. Inserting the guide into the bow was easy since the rod held firm. The tricky part is getting the guide even and not tilted. Once I was happy with the way it was sitting, two spots of CA glue was applied. This was a small amount of CA because this guide will need to be removed (at least I think it is to be removed) after the front is done. On the top of the bow are what look like cleats, you will need to remove the most forward one (they will all disappear for me) so the screed can travel around the nose smoothly. I sanded the nose to create a rough surface for the glaze to grab.


When the glaze was mixed, more catalyst was used than normal to speed up the hardening. It was gooped on and the screed was turned. Sam did a great job on this. He turned until it began to set.


Here is where it was after the first application. I thought this could be done in one attempt, but now I do not think so. The viscosity of the glaze combined with the time needed to set would make that really hard to achieve in one try.


The second application of glaze.


Left us at this point, much closer, but still not done. On this try, Sam continued to turn maybe a little too long. It seemed to dig out some areas. Then again, we are not sure, it was his first try and I have not done a nose of a sub before so I am not the expert.


On the third application Sam got to this point. This application filled most of those rough areas from the second application. All that needed to be done was remove the wire, screed, and guide. Then to finish, put a dollop of glaze in the tip (where the screed was) to seal it.


The tip is sealed and the whole thing is set aside to dry for a bit.


A quick sanding was done to get it to this point using 120 grit sandpaper.

Sam wants lights on his sub. I think for a kid it is cool to have lights (who am I kidding - I like them too!), so, I need to mull this over on the best way to achieve this. I might be able to use a couple of lithium button batteries and make it all fit in the sail. That way I am not having to connect the lights to the sub-driver. I don't know. We have a little bit of time.
I ordered the ADF2 or pitch controller (http://www.sub-driver.com/pitch-controllers.html) and the microbe linear servos (http://www.sub-driver.com/electronic...obe-servo.html) for the sub. I opted for the linear servos so I can put the receiver under them.
Not sure how the performance is with these little servos, but I like the idea of small compact components. We will try them and report.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Start'n to look like a proper submarine, Sam!

M

[Von Hilde]

Sam, My dad started me building models when I was your age, and I still love getting the glue on my fingers. Plus its fun to peal off and look at the fingerprints, after you clean up. And I know several old modelers like the smell of the filler. Try not to smell it too much, its toxic, and will warp your brain when you get old. I heard it makes you want to build models the rest of your life.

[Trout Fry]

Thank you Mr. Merriman and Mr. Von Hilde. I liked gluing my fingers together, but I really liked putting the nose on the sub and screening the hull.
Sincerely,
Sam

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

screeding, kid. Not, screening.

M

[trout]

Must have been spell check! My boy likes saying screeding. Yup, it just tried to change my text! Fix the dictionary! Haha
Thank you for supporting Sam. He really is enjoying the build and learning different techniques.