Working up 1/72 scale Propellers for the FOXTROT kit

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Rick has me working up the masters, tools, and production white-metal propellers for his great looking 1/72 FOXTROT kit. Here's some of the preliminary work.

Significant features of this Cold-War era diesel-electric submarine is the use of three propellers at the stern, two of them right-hand pitch and one left-hand pitch. That means I have to come up with two identical, but opposed propeller masters.

I want to thank Rick and Chuck Miller for helping by sourcing documents for me -- nothing beats accurate drawings and pictures of the prototype!

David,

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Today's work on the FOXTROT wheel masters:

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

One wheel master assembled, one to go.

[ATTACH]2722[/ATTACH
________
Ford svt contour history

[Outrider]

These last two batches of prop photos have some photos David put into the 1/20 Kairyu Type D Japanese Minisub thread. (Not that it matters that they've been reposted here.) The weathering photos are nice easter eggs for those curious enough to peek in on David's prop work. The variety of colors and applicators shown provides a useful reminder of what's needed to replicate the complex processes that beget weathering on a submarine. The dry transfers from the SSN-21 also beg comment, as they seem impossible to freehand, but really add to the appearance. Source? Comments?

When I saw the color wheel, I was reminded of (disparaging) comments David posted elsewhere about people who run around at contests with FSN paint chips criticizing color schemes. If something was painted from the builder to spec, that color is good for about a day. Then, reality takes over and the paint starts changing colors immediately. If accuracy is the goal, the only use for factory-fresh paint chips is to show off the colors that shouldn't be predominant. Like William Shatner finally said to his overzealous fans... "Get a life!"
________
HONDA CB1300 SPECIFICATIONS

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Jim is right on the money about the 'real' color issue. And he's dead on when he observes that when you paint your model the paint should be ANYTHING BUT the FSN sighted in the factory/government painting schedule! The worst thing about an IPMS type model contest is the bickering between arm-chair kit-assemblers, pulling each others short-hairs over a rivet count or paint issue. The "equipment" size of these guys is inversely proportional to the degree of passion they bring to such sand-box arguments.

Learn how to fill seams, and achieve symmetry ... only then sweat the rivets and paint job!

Yeah, I posted that late and forgot to pull the KAIRYU shots out of the post. Sue me!

Oh, and the KAIRYU kit was sold as 1/16 scale. To match the common r/c armor scale.

The SSN 21 dry-transfers came from Woodland Scenic I think. I'll have to dig around to find the word description on the font and size.
________
Fchv

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I finally assembled the left-hand pitched wheel for Rick's 1/72 FOXTROT kit. The trick to propeller fabrication -- on boats or ships with more than one propeller -- is that when you are faced with a left and right hand pitched set of propellers, you are not only faced with the task of accurately fabricating a practical, scale-like propeller, but two propellers, symmetrical, but opposite of pitch. A task that will test the most exacting and talented of model-makers. Of course, I'm up to the task. here's how I do it ... assuring symmetry of propellers of opposed pitch:


________
LIST OF FORD VIN CODES SPECIFICATIONS

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I'm building the masters, tools, and parts that will fit aboard the fiberglass hull kit Rick is producing of the 1/72 FOXTROT. The FOXTROT is my most favorite looking diesel boat ... maybe I'm biased; once my ship, the USS RECOVERY (ARS-43) was shadowed by a Libyan unit of the class for a couple of days while we towed a barge to Turkey in the early '80s. Had plenty of time to put the big-eyes on that scruffy looking boat and the pirates who aired themselves out within the bridge and mast well of the sail. Pretty boat. Ass-hole client nation operating it.

Anyway ... when I found out Rick was going to kit this iconic Cold-War boat, I had to jump on board and help where I could. Big, massive structures and the associated tools and lay-up is Rick's game. Detailed, little **** items is my specialty, so the match between Rick and me was a good one on this project (and future projects, I hope).



All the best intentions and talent are for naught without good documentation. Gantu and Herrmill to the rescue! Between these guys they collected and e-mailed me everything I needed to render faithful FOXTROT propellers, masts, and deck detail fittings. Thanks, guys! Above are just some of the shots of underway and museum boats of the class. Thank God Russian boats break down so much, as wallowing on the surface they make great photo-ops for patrolling NATO floating and flying assets.



For the DF loop-antenna I lathe turned a machine brass rod to form a quad attachment disk a the bottom and top. I then worked the discs into the distinctive four-point units seen on the picture of an actual unit. You can see I've already given that form to the upper attachment disk, but not to the one at the base yet. It was easier to drill the four opposed holes in the disks before turning down the central column -- only after the holes were drilled and the antenna quad's test fitted did I go about the delicate task of turning down the central column and grinding away the discs to correct quad shape.



As you can see, the plans are a good start, but not at all detailed in some areas. I'm holding one of the failed turnings of the central column and quad discs. I had to hand-drill those holes, and I kept getting things out of register -- after about the third attempt I was getting good at it.



A closer look at the brass DF loop-antenna. The Caswell rotary diamond bits were a big help as I shaped the quad foundations.



The radar antenna master was the ***** From Hell: I have to produce a parabolic reflector, mount it atop a complicated foundation piece, and then back the antenna with a skeletal support structure. Lots and lots of little tiny pieces. The Gantu supplied drawings were a good start for basic arrangement and layout, but the detail stuff came again from the shots of actual FOXTROT units Gantu and Herrill found for Rick and me. Here I'm working up the central back-side support elements that attach the antenna to the foundation. Those two will eventually be soldered together, then the styrene plastic antenna will be glued to the support element, and the rest of the little ribs and stringers will be cut from plastic and glued in place.



The parabolic shape of the antenna was captured by heating a piece of .020" styrene plastic sheet, and jamming a Renshape puck (plug, buck, master, positive, pattern, whatever the hell you want to call the god-damned thing!) into the heat-softened plastic before it cooled. This is called ... duh! ... heat forming. After cutting out the antenna away from the rest of the plastic I temporarily glued it atop the turned brass antenna foundation and used it to guide me as I cut out and formed the brass central support structure.



Soon after jamming the form into the softened plastic sheet. The frame keeps the plastic from folding up around the point of entry, ruining the piece.



Notice how the plastic bulkhead out as I pushed the form into the heat-softened plastic.



The frame used to clamp the plastic sheet blank in place as it's heated and the form pushed in to produce the required shape.



You can stick the work into an oven, use a blow-torch, or like here use an industrial grade heat-gun to heat the plastic.



Almost ready to remove the formed antenna foundation piece from the rest of the bar. Lots of work with micro-drill and Jeweler's files required for this kind of work.



Oh, yeah!
________
Ferrari F310 Specifications