Monstrosity! 1/72 Seawolf

[ManOwaR]

Hello again folks,
Not many reports from my way lately but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy with the Wolf. Most of my free time has been used by doing quite a bit of digital work on the computer and learning to use my new Corel vector drawing program. This has allowed me to start making up my future scribing templates and detail art that will comprise the photo etching for this project...more on that later though when it’s more applicable.
Currently, here are the results of the cured intermediate hull moulds. These were a real pleasure to release from the plug as there are no details to get stuck into anything. Basically, I was able to work a small gap between the hull and mould with my hands using pressure then forced a few strips of cereal box cardboard in as wedges. Long strips of this cardboard were then slipped in underneath the hull and worked its way forward. It worked like a real beauty! It always pays to have big boxes of Lucky Charms kicking around, although my wife isn’t fond of all the box-less cereal bags in the pantry lol!





I need to do “negative” detailing in these female moulds and that means I have to mark things out so I know where to place my objects. Again more cereal box is used by drawing circles of appropriate diameter with perpendicular lines drawn on them. The long line across the top is used to align the template with the flange of the mound. The center line on the templates is used to mark the center of the bottom of the mould.





Tape is ran along my new marks and a final line is drawn long this to give me my center reference line.





Lot and lot and lots to come,
Joel

[Slats]

Nice work Joel, I can see her now - this is going to be your best yet.
BTW - I like the white coloured molds. Just different from the norm.

The Seawolf is going to be one of the best platforms for nice additional features. Heaps of room.

J

[Slats]

Build Joel Build - any updates?
J

[ManOwaR]

AS soon as the garage overhaul is done John. I hope to get lots of work done on her over the summer with a better organized workspace!

Joel

[Slats]

Yeah I know - hope you don't mind what we call here in Australia a G UP from time to time.
Dead keen on this boat - but I really have to nail off your Permit so I'll STFU.

Best
J

[ManOwaR]

Hello Everyone,
We’re back in some form or another with some new updates to report and a little new work to show.
In the spring it was decided that the shop/garage had to be cleaned and organized as it was to the point where no kind of work could be completed in any sort of manner in which frustration was not involved. It took a long time, but what a nice feeling to have that job accomplished!





Summer time is not usually peak building time for me as we usually like to take vacation and do mostly family orientated stuff...same thing most people do I suppose. The first week of August brought a nasty surprise...When out skateboarding (yes skateboarding, you read that correctly) with my boys out front of the house, I snapped my Achilles tendon clean in half while doing a push-off. I had the injury surgically repaired and am now off for another three months for healing and rehab. Virtually useless, I am now and as it’s my right foot I can’t even drive. I am however, able to sit on a stool in the garage and do things at my workbench...so that means I am back on the Wolf, albeit in a somewhat limited capacity



I am going to represent the anacoatic bevelling shown on the hull where the coating stops and pressure hull begins, just as a way to show as much detail for this boat as I can. To show this detail it has to be done on the negative intermediate moulds I have made, a far easier alternative than removing material from a positive plug.
To start, the mould must first be marked out...not such an easy task for a rounded with compounded shapes. Perpendicular lines in relation to my length-long center line are needed at my forward and aft reference points. This simply done using a long square using the straight long part of the hull as the reference
Straightedges are placed on these lines and then measurement can be transferred from print to mould. To mark the lines a straightedge is clamped to the hull minus the thickness of my pencil. Measurements are checked over, referred back to the prints and confirmed. Mistakes are found and corrected or a plan to correct them can be developed. In my case I have found that the hull will need to be extended exactly 13/16” to make it more accurate. This will mean making the positive hull halves in two pieces just like I did with the extended USS Jack. No big deal, I’m getting damn good at that!







Regards,
Joel

[Slats]

Hi Joel,
photos are not showing up mate?
J

[Slats]

Joel,
the photo problem is as follows - seems the URL of the photos is including the image HTML end tag i.e.
URL of the photo is http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u.../P1012554a.jpg
URL being captured http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u319/Rapperkiller/Seawolf/P1012554a.jpg[/IMG]
You still need the for and after image tags around the URL [IMG]URL[/IMG] but what appears to have happened is that the after tag, [/IMG] is being picked up and included as part of the URL

Fixed:

[Slats]

PS...Nice work mate -
Bloody nice work

J

[ManOwaR]

Allllright...I finally figured this out. I had to copy and paste from my SC post edit in order to get this to work. If the link line is shown at all the picture won't work.

Thanks John btw

Joel

[Slats]

Joel and others was looking at the plans over the w/end the large fins aft that come out at an angle was wondering what these are for? I was thinking that these might make the boat to be a bit hard to turn? Was thinking does the real one have moving sections of these parts, am thinking that IF they were employed to turn the boat would have significant additional turning surfaces exceeding the standard upper and lower rudders by quite a bit.

J

[ManOwaR]

You are thinking of the anhedrals. They were designed to counter roll when the boat is turning. They are also handy locations for dispensing towed arrays and keeping them away from the propulsor when doing so. As far as I know, because the Seawolf is meant for deep sea operations and is very fast, manouverablity wasn't as high a priority as say perhaps, the Permit or Skipjack (compare rudder sizes of the Wolf and Permit, they are almost the same!). But hey, the Virginia is designed for shallower water and it has little fins too, so who knows for sure. One way or another, I'm going to try to improve what I know will be poor handling.

Joel

[Slats]

One way or another, I'm going to try to improve what I know will be poor handling.

Joel

Yes - and after running all of last summer Rankin with x fins, I might have ago Joel when I get mine of sticking some bearings through the anhedrals as secondary rudder system - heck on the bench you won't know. A simple opposing system will render both port and starboard anhedrals operating in union for extra rudder surface area....BUT to begin with I'll just try nailing the ballasting right COG on COR and keeping her light. The 3.5" WTC will help too.

J

[Subculture]

A swivelling nozzle/shroud would give exceptional manoeuvrability. Dave Jacques did this with his Resolution class back in the 80's, he made it tilt too, but found that made things a bit too lively.

[ManOwaR]

Wow, I imagine with that setup the boat the manouver like a torpedo! I think for the Wolf what I might end up doing is including 2 sets of rudders...one set would be scale and another would be scale rudders encapsulated in clear plastic. Or...maybe scale rudders only with 2 piece streamlined clear rudders that would bolt on.