Trumpeter KILO: Complete!

[KevinMc]

After running for nearly a year in primer finally I've busted out my airbrush and rattle cans and I can now call my Trumpeter 1/144 scale KILO complete.





I haven't done anything really "out of the box" with this one. It was built up using Merriman's fittings kit and by following his Cabal reports on how to finish things off. Some minor changes I made were to correct the sail navigation lights and add the sponsoring city's crest for the particular boat I chose to model (B-808, one of the last of the 877 series KILOs.)



The only change of substance I made to the kit was to add the "step" in aft part of the deck, a feature normally associated with the 636 (export) version of the KILO.



To anyone who's been thinking of trying a Trumpeter KILO, you won't be disapointed if you choose to give it a whirl. Since the first time I dropped her in the water nearly a year ago this boat has been solid and true and a real blast to operate.



XO, take her down!

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Well done sir! How did you apply the bar draft markings and numbers? And thanks for the plug -- we'll compare notes at the SubRegatta.

David,

[KevinMc]

Well done sir! How did you apply the bar draft markings and numbers? And thanks for the plug -- we'll compare notes at the SubRegatta.

David,

For the bar markings: (Get ready for it...) I followed the instructions. (Imagine that! :wink:) I realized that I had the type of ink-pen your Cabal report described in a drafting set I'd had kicking around since high-school so I pressed that into service. I think the only place I differed from your application approach was I hard masked both ends of the bars with masking tape. This did result in some capillary bleeding along the tape edges, but that was easy enough to clean up with a knife after the fact. The advantage of course in this approach was that I automatically got all the bars exactly the same width. In the end I figured it would look better and be less work to trim away some bleeding of the lines as long as they were all exactly the same length than to 'free hand' the start and end points and then have to 'trim' their lengths to match each other.

The draft numbers were from a LettraSet sheet that I'd saved for future uses just like this.

[redboat219]

Absolutely beautiful Kevin. Love the subtle weathering. Hope I can come close with my KILO. BTW, I drilled out the sail windows on mine. I'll fill them in later with clear epoxy.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

For the bar markings: (Get ready for it...) I followed the instructions. (Imagine that! :wink:) I realized that I had the type of ink-pen your Cabal report described in a drafting set I'd had kicking around since high-school so I pressed that into service. I think the only place I differed from your application approach was I hard masked both ends of the bars with masking tape. This did result in some capillary bleeding along the tape edges, but that was easy enough to clean up with a knife after the fact. The advantage of course in this approach was that I automatically got all the bars exactly the same width. In the end I figured it would look better and be less work to trim away some bleeding of the lines as long as they were all exactly the same length than to 'free hand' the start and end points and then have to 'trim' their lengths to match each other.

The draft numbers were from a LettraSet sheet that I'd saved for future uses just like this.

You followed the instructions ... You followed the Instructions?!

What the hell is wrong with you!?

David,

[actioncia]

RE

Awesome looking Sub you've got there Kevinmc

[KevinMc]

Thanks - these things are a real hoot to run. Once yours hits the water you'll be glad you decided to take the plunge!

KMc

[actioncia]

RE

I hear you Kevinmc I have been trying to get my to run for the last three years and still running into all kinds of obstacle so mine is still sitting in drydock.