Working up Joel's Excellent 1/72 PERMIT

[crazygary]

No problem-o there!!

CG

[Subculture]

Was the sail not scribed in the kit, or are you just being fussy?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Was the sail not scribed in the kit, or are you just being fussy?

Well put, Andy. Yes, yes, I was being fussy (love the way you Brit's talk!).

M

[ManOwaR]

Just to clear things up, Dave's working on the original MK1 version of the Permit I initially made back in the day. The MK2 is the version that John is working on...essentially, all detailing was redone and added to, control surfaces were redone, sail was redone, photoetch was redone, and especially the propeller was rightfully remastered from scratch. All the same, I've been looking forward to the day when Dave would finish this thing off and to see how it looks. Its simply an honor to have him working on one of my kits and documenting the work.

Joel

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Just to clear things up, Dave's working on the original MK1 version of the Permit I initially made back in the day. The MK2 is the version that John is working on...essentially, all detailing was redone and added to, control surfaces were redone, sail was redone, photoetch was redone, and especially the propeller was rightfully remastered from scratch. All the same, I've been looking forward to the day when Dave would finish this thing off and to see how it looks. Its simply an honor to have him working on one of my kits and documenting the work.

Joel

Check's in the mail Joel.

Seriously though ...

... I was loath to push Joel in front of the bus by hitting on this pre-production kits shortcomings -- I was well aware that the product in my hands was a beta-tester. As you all have seen it's taken a bit of work to get the assembled model up to my standards. I've presented this initial version of his 1/72 PERMIT kit as a bare canvas upon which a Rembrandt, such as myself, could paint. What you see in this WIP is atypical for one of his production kits -- those pretty much fall together once you dump the boxes contents down onto the bench.

I want to assure everyone that Joel's production kits are anything but a bare canvas -- his r/c submarine kits are symmetrical, true to scale, highly detailed works of the kit-makers Craft. Joel is a frig'n Craftsman! I have one of his 1/72 SEAWOLF kits and it is so rich in detail, you need a spritz of insulin after handling it or you would pass out in astonishment!

Anyway, I'm almost done with the scribing on this thing; I've got it working mechanically (other than the sail plane linkage -- that happens tonight); it should be in black-red by next week; and I've already started in on its storage/transportation box.

There are only a few worth-while GRP kit makers on this side of the world still active: Me, Joel, Darrin, Pete, and one or two others. Joel and Darrin are the most prolific and their work, as the rest, should be bought ASAP as we all are perishable entities -- if you want a good GRP kit, you had better get it while the getting is good!

Contact Joel at, juggernaut30@shaw.ca. Pete advertises at the SC and SubPirates sites; as does Darrin, through OTW; and my stuff is sold through the Great and Terrible Caswell Empire.

M

[Slats]

Indeed - have to second David on Joel's work.

I have been thinking for some time about providing a list of items that Joel works into his kits to make assembly a dream.

So here goes:

Matched upper and lower hulls – yes most good kit makers do this – Joel’s however, I find are exceptionally well aligned.

Indexing lips – Joel provides indexing lips that pretty much run most of the length of the hull, and these are contoured precisely to each side of the lower hull half. The advantage here is because these are contoured so well installation is a glove like fit.

Registry tabs – In addition to the indexing lips – Joel provides these tabs to align the upper and lower hulls. I have never found a use for these Joel, the indexing lip does a much better job.

Water line is scribed in – this makes your job at ballasting / painting / weathering **** easy

Detail – everything on the boat is either scribed in or photo etched / cast. You do get the whole kit.

WTC saddles – yep these are standard
Hull supports upper and lower – lower ones are used as WTC saddles – upper ones reinforce the upper hull shape. BUT I honestly have never installed the upper ones – the upper hull alignment is too darn perfect. Nonetheless they are there.

Geared tabs for each hull half – these transfer a lower hull mounted pushrod force to the upper hull. This is a great for translating this force to activation for bow planes and sail planes mounted in the upper hull.

Carbon fibre propeller –I happen to love the carbon prop Joel supplies. In tests versus brass I find the carbon fibre propeller has much more thrust at lower RPM – no idea why???? I also don’t mind the shape of it. And its significant less weight than a brass unit.

Hardware - every conceivable nut / screw etc that is required for the model to be assembled is included. You need of course tools, various adhesives, and paint - but Joel has pretty much thought of everything.

Only thing I would add – there is a tendency in all boats who have a Z cut for the lower hull (where it aligns to the lower bow which is connected to the upper hull), to have a minor inward bowing. This is perfectly normal, as the lower bow was preventing this. Since we cut it off the lower bow for the Z cut, the support is no longer there. I think a semi-circle support, similar to that of say a WTC saddle could be included to be installed prior to lower bow removal. You’d still have to leave space for the forward indexing lip that allows the screw to pass through the hulls to connect it together. On my SW I made this out of 3mm Styrene card.

Joel’s boats are simply bespoke. David I fully expect your GRP Albacore to be every bit as inclusive as the Stadnick thoroughbreds. The bar is set very high and as assembler of subs - not a builder, I am extremely humbled by the craftsmanship that makes the assembly - Easy.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

No pictures of the work I did making up the linkage between SD and sail planes. Tomorrow for that. Most of the day was spent working out how to scrib in the recessed portions of safety-track -- one section at the bow, the other back aft just forward of the engineering spaces deck hatch.



Just about done with all the scribing to the sides of the sail. Now to do the top. First task is to loft positions and shapes of the eventual engraved lines onto the work with pencil. I have such a massive collection of commercially made and hand-made stencils that rarely do I have to cut a new stencil.

I play with with it, in pencil, till things are right, then I switch tools and attack the work with the scratch-awl.




Most combat type submarines have some means of securing the crew-members via harness to the deck of the submarine in heavy seas. This safety-track on US boats is of 'T' section and is either set within the deck (the top of the 'T' flush with the deck) or stands proud of the deck. The portions of the safety track set within the hull are on the 'soft' skinned area of deck that girdle the ballast tanks. The long, center section of safety track is welded directly atop the pressure hull.

To lay down the narrow parallel engraved lines at the forward and after ends of the safety-track I manufactured scribing stencils cut from thin aluminum sheet; and made a two-point scribing tool. Piece of pie!

To insure a non-slip attachment of the two safety track stencils atop the hull I bolted them down in place. Don't panic, I used 2-56 screws; the small, taped holes in the hull were easily filled and faired over once done with the scribing.



I scribed in the flush portions of safety track, removed the stencils, filled the stencil screw holes holes, laid down some air-dry putty, wet-sanded the work, and applied a check-coat of primer.

Screw it .... I'm going to bed!

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Scribed the top of the sail, did some preliminary finishing work on the propeller, and have started to over-detail the forward and after access deck hatches -- God Damned AMS flared up again. Some day science will find a cure for this horrible affliction.



After finding some old mast outline templates appropriate for this submarines sail, I went to work scribing those outlines into the top of the sail. Looks a little raty here, but after repeated cycles of sanding-putty application-chasing out I eventually get nice, straight, crisp engraved lines like those you see on the side of the sail here.



The flashing had to be filed off the face and edges of the cast white-metal propeller -- that work best done with diamond-just files which, for some reason, cut the metal much quicker than the traditional second-cut type metal files. Go figure. Once I had all the bumps and flash off I dunked the propeller into Ferric Chloride acid. While doing so I scrubbed the acid int the work with a stiff brush. Once a very dark gray -- sign that I had oxidized the complete surface of the part -- the propeller was pull from the acid and dunked into some fresh water that had been spiked with baking soda, to neutralize the acid. The propeller was dried, then primed using my old trusty Paasche H-model Master-Blaster!



I made little eye's out of .021" brass wire -- these would represent the four hold-down padeyes that surround an escape trunks upper hatch, they are used to hold fast the McCain Rescue Bell down tight onto the escape trunks seating surface during an underwater personnel transfer. Yup, that's how old the PERMIT/THRESHER class boats are, boys and girls. Man! ... I'm getting old!

I tightened up the fit between stern plane inboard operating shaft bearing foundations with some thick CA adhesive catalyzed by some zip-kicker -- the resulting mess knifed and filed to form, then primed, and spot-putty used to fill any holidays left in the work.

Note how the air-dry Nitro-Stan red touch-up putty is used to fill the over-strikes left from the scribing operations.

M

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

This is the mind numbingly boring part of a kit-assembly: identifying all the little nicks, scratches, file/sanding marks, dings, and other pits in the surface of the hull and appendages. Examination, putty application, filing back the dried putty, sanding the filed areas, hitting the sanded areas with a 3M abrasive pad (used to use 000 steel wool -- but that stuff fouls the magnets I use today for linkages and appendage attachment), and finally shooting the work with primer. Then, oh God!, doing it all again. And again... and again!

Argh!



By this point in the job all of the significant contouring, gap-filling, and ding repair has been done with a two-part polyester filler. Now, that all the appendages and hull are assembled and getting close to the point where they are ready for paint, it's time to address the little dings with air-dry putty.

For the very fine scratch-marks and the like I've found it easier to apply the putty with a small spatula or semi-stiff brush. When using the brush you will find it a bit easier going if you lay some fresh putty down on a pallet, then cut it with a little lacquer thinner to a consistency that still has some body to it, but will also flow off the brush in a controlled manner. An acquired skill, but one that will permit precise placement and amount of putty where it will do the most good and present the least clean-up later.

NEVER back up the sandpaper with a finger or fingers. ALWAYS back the sandpaper with a flat or contoured sanding-block. Whenever possible, if it's a choice between sand-paper and file, go with the file. Control is the name of the game here.



Work goes a lot easier when you have elbow room and tables, benches, and tool cabinets that can be adjusted in height, rolled around the shop floor, and can be easily modified for specific work or tool positioning needs. Particularly when you're dealing with the larger models, as this 1/72 THRESHER class kits.

The main work-table is a converted hospital stand -- a neat piece of furniture than can be set in height to accommodate me when either standing or working seated. Also, when doing fine work, you want the work-table at chin-height so you can rest your arms on the table to stabilize your hands as you do fiditchy things to small parts. I got five of these stands at a defunct hospital auction. They are like gold in this game. Look for 'em!

Note that, atop the work-table, I make a crutch out of two lengths of wood, screw them to the wooden table-top, cover with one of Ellie's fine guest towels, and I have a non-abrasive, non-slip work surface for round hulls.

Towards the end of the photos you see that I've placed a length of shelving over an open drawer of the tool cabinet, serving as a platform for the tools as I work the big hull. That's another thing you should be on the lookout for: wheel equipped tool cabinets. Very useful and consolidates a lot of stuff storage within a very small shop foot-print -- I work in a converted one-car garage, can you tell?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Just under the forward and after deck hatch fairings can be seen, through an opening within each fairing, portions of the deck hatch. The opening is to afford access to the hatch latch, hand-wheel and for passage of the down-haul cable, through the hatch bail -- if ever the escape marker-buoy should be released.

I wanted to show some of that detail, so I crafted a generic escape trunk upper hatch from turned brass, some plastic sheet, and a length of machine screw.



The hatch master is now being used to give form to a curing rubber tool which I'll use tomorrow to make two cast resin hatches which will be used to detail Joel's 1/72 PERMIT/THRESHER kit.

M

[crazygary]

Pretty sweet there, M!!

CG

[greenman407]

Dave, your fingernails a cleaner than usual. Either Ellie has been getting on to you......................or your slacking up on the work.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Dave, your fingernails a cleaner than usual. Either Ellie has been getting on to you......................or your slacking up on the work.

Stop posting here and paint your *** Model!

M

[crazygary]

Oooo!!

Ya musta hit a nerve there, greenman407!

( chuckling, big time here!!!)

CG

[matthewnimmo]

David, super cool to see you at work on a build yourself. Ive typically just seen you help all us noobs out:). Now that ive been through a lot of these steps myself i can appreciate and emphasize with the mundane aspects lol. Not that my opinion counts, but this is looking nice:)