Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Navy - Military - Battleships: => Topic started by: jonggd on February 15, 2023, 03:13:05 pm
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After an absence of several years as I pursued my other interests I have decided to start a new build project. I have several Fleetscale 1/72 scale hulls/semi-kits that have been languishing in my loft for some time. I acquired a partially built T45 Destroyer from my good friend Peter Ward several years ago and have decided to complete the build, as it is a relatively simple build it should not take too long to get in the water. I also have a T23 Frigate semi-kit that I may dust off and build at the same time. The builds will be a little sporadic as I am also planning to move house this year, and I am sure the boss will have a list of jobs to be completed in our new house.
The Partially build T45 I received was not built to my liking, so I decided to strip it down and start again, I began by cutting off the rear superstructure/hanger and building a new one with plasticard. I also removed the helideck so I could get to the rudders, and refitted the forecastle deck with better supports and cut-outs for adding ballast. Here are the first few pictures showing the progress so far.
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I Have a Sirmar from a few years ago !! to start, will be an interesting build to follow.
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Always nice to have builds to follow
I Have a Sirmar from a few years ago !! to start, will be an interesting build to follow.
not called L O N G build for nowt :-))
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Another interesting build in progress - I'll follow along too!
Hope it all goes well for you :-))
Ray.
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I'll pull up a chair as well :-))
Garry
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SO will i
chrisb :-))
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not called L O N G build for nowt :-))
Absolute slander, here it is in 2008, <*< <*< <*< amazing what about 30 pieces of Blu Tac can do , looks more complete there than it does now.. :D :D
Jonggd, any before pictures ?.
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No before pictures, when I received it, the decks had all been stuck down with car filler and the fiberglass hanger had been bonded on. I could have left it as it was, but there were a few issues with access and the decks were not flat or true, so I ripped it all off and started again.
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Absolute slander, here it is in 2008, <*< <*< <*< amazing what about 30 pieces of Blu Tac can do , looks more complete there than it does now.. :D :D
Jonggd, any before pictures ?.
Is that a 3d printed bridge
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Is that a 3d printed bridge
No, all the darker structures are resin cast, rest all Fibre glass.
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No before pictures, when I received it, the decks had all been stuck down with car filler and the fiberglass hanger had been bonded on. I could have left it as it was, but there were a few issues with access and the decks were not flat or true, so I ripped it all off and started again.
Bet that was fun.
HMS Duncan was the one I went to see get launched curtesy of the Scottish Lads, so mine will be HMS Duncan as well.
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No, all the darker structures are resin cast, rest all Fibre glass.
Damn was hoping someone had a 3d drawing of the bridge I. Old scale up and save a lot of work
Phil
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Had a productive day in the workshop, made a stand for Duncan (I'll paint or stain it eventually), and then fitted the rudders and stern lip. Ordered a couple of batteries that should arrive next week, after which I hope to get her in the water next week to work out the ballasting requirements.
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Is that a two piece rudder?
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Is that a two piece rudder?
Yes, the lower part is fixed to the hull.
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After refitting the forecast and main deck I had to consider how to access the hull internals, always a challenge with model warships. I am keen to hide the openings as best I can.
This is the plan: front access via the Sea Viper launcher, main access by removing the main superstructure, and rear access with a removable hanger roof. I hope this will give me sufficient access to the internals and allow for battery insertion.
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You need some soft rubber between the stand and the hull to avoid paint damage. I use closed cell door seals with self adhesive to fix to wood. Closed cell prevents water build up
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You need some soft rubber between the stand and the hull to avoid paint damage. I use closed cell door seals with self adhesive to fix to wood. Closed cell prevents water build up
Hello Brian, I have ordered some self-adhesive baize which I'll stick on once I have painted the stand.
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A quick update on the build. Received a nice package from ScaleWarships, who do a great range of photo-etch parts for the T45.
Started with the companionways and boat storage doors. Hit a slight snag, the cutouts in the hull don't match the size/shape of the photo-etch parts. For the companionway hatches, I decided to fill, flatten and apply the etchings over the top. For the boat compartments, I had to get the Dremel out and open the cut-outs slightly. I little filler and they should look OK.
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This weekend I have been focusing on the superstructures. I am using the fiberglass mouldings from Fleetscale which are good but require a lot of work to use. I was a little worried about the top weight, so started to build the structure with plasticard only to find the weight was almost the same, so reverted back to the mouldings.
The general shape and scale dimensions of the mouldings are good, but the issue is that they tend to shrink and become concave or distorted in places, requiring a lot of filling and sanding back. This in turn creates another issue when sanding back it tends to expose lots of pin holes in the fiberglass.My process was to use a straight edge and mark out all the depressions, these were then filled with car body filler. Then sanded back and refilled where necessary. This is a slow and messy process, but with patience, the structure starts to become a lot more straight and true.
I then applied a filler primer which just reveals all the pin holes and other flaws in the surfaces. I then used car putty filler to fill the holes. After numerous sessions of painting/putty filler and sanding, I finally achieved the finish I required.
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Managed a few hours in the workshop and finished filling/priming the superstructures, and started with the plasticard adding some details. Also made a start on the main deck gunnels, which I hope to finish this weekend.
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Managed to finish the main deck gunnels today, took a while but got there in the end. A quick coat of prime for now and on to the next stage. I had hoped to get her in the water this weekend and sort out the ballasting, but that will have to wait until next week now. This evening I'm going to attempt to build some doors from the photo etchings I received from Scalewarships, Lord the parts are small!!
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Finally got the model in the water and installed the two 12v batteries, but she still required some additional ballast in the front and rear to get her trimmed. I can now build the internal cradles for the batteries and install the electrics ready for her first power sea trials.
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Been working on the challenge of Hull access for maintenance and battery insertion. Gone with a removable hanger roof and a panel in the helideck. This should give good access to the motors and rudder tillers, batteries will be inserted via the removable main superstructure.
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Completed the build of the bridge today, I'll leave the bridge roof off for now, and glue it down once I have detailed the internals.
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enjoying this build :-))
looking good
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Great progress, she is looking really good.
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Cheers guys :-))
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After completing the ballasting with the batteries installed I created the nests to locate them, then installed the tillets and stabilizers. I can now fix down the helideck and start work on the hanger, which will be removable to allow access to the motors.
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HI WHATS in the orange box ? an i just wondered why you have such long push rods on your rudders mounting an this is not critisum of your build but just an observation
chrisb
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Hello Chris,
I assume you are referring to the orange box in the first picture, that's one of the 12v batteries. I inherited the model and the rudder servo was already installed, did consider moving closer to the tillers, but then it would be hard to reach if it needed to be changed. In its current position, it can be reached via the removable hanger floor. Tested it and works OK, with no noticeable flexing. Regards Jon
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Made progress on the hanger internals, which is made in four sections so that they can be removed once the hanger roof is lifted off. I did a trial assembly and found it a challenge but possible to install and remove. This will give access to the motors if ever needed, hopefully, I will never need to take it all out once finished. Just a little more detailing and some paint and the hanger can be completed. I hope to start painting the hull, weather permitting this weekend.
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Made progress on the hanger internals, which is made in four sections so that they can be removed once the hanger roof is lifted off. I did a trial assembly and found it a challenge but possible to install and remove. This will give access to the motors if ever needed, hopefully, I will never need to take it all out once finished. Just a little more detailing and some paint and the hanger can be completed. I hope to start painting the hull, weather permitting this weekend.
HI very nice work in the hanger bay with the walkways an railins an yes good idea about makin it removeable to get to the motors an such as some time the motors may burn out as access to this area is a must as i also am back to motor probs on my tiger so im busy today tryin to find out whats causin the prob as the rear motors go great but the other have always been a prob so i have replaced them with grupner 600 motors an they work great so if still a prob then it must be the esc but your model is comin on great keep pics comin
chrisb :-))
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Chris
Have you still got them running from the one esc?
Bob
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Chris
Have you still got them running from the one esc?
Bob
HI Bob ive never had the motors running from one ESC as ive two ESC 's in the ship but ive now found out the problem an now all 4 motors all go perfect thank god but the problem was a bad lose connection on the cutoff switch but this i fitted in under the flight deck so could not see it only way i found it was with a circut tester but they all work now fine but that lose connectin was buggin me for months AN HOPE YOU ARE WELL BOB
chrisb
ATB
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loose connections can be a nightmare, so know what it must have been like, had one on Bristols and it took ages to find
Yes still ok here hope Jen is ok as well.
Bob
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Finally had some decent weather this weekend and managed to get the hull painted.
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She's looking really good Jon, well done.
Garry
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Looking good there Jonggd! :-))
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Very smoooth :) Lovely work.
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Continued with painting the Hull, I've been working on the deck hazard markings. I have in the past used self-adhesive hazard strips but found they can lift off over time and so have decided to go back to my old method of painting them. I start with a base coat of yellow and then mask off each spacing and apply the black. Once dry I remove the mask and then reapply the mask where the hazard marking should be, then spray the main deck medium grey.
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Added the pennant number and depth marking today, just requires a coat of lacquer to seal and she is ready for her first sea trials.
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Made a start on adding some of the fine detail to the model. Been working with the etched sheets from Scalewarships, which are very good, if not a bit fiddly to work with, especially as the eyesight is not what it was, definitely a case of "Should have gone to Specsavers" %)
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Jonggd,
Yes! ScaleWarship do produce very good PE Frets and you have done a nice job fitting them.
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HI Jon she's lookin good excellent paint finish an in 1/72 scale like my tiger how long is she ? an beam ? an yes them scalwarships p/e really sets the model off brilliant an glad to see she passed her test tank trials ok as im at that point at the moment on my tiger waiting
for warm sunshine so i can get tiger in the test tank to check how she sits an stability an for leakes an me an boat chums went over HMS DAUNTLESS when she came to gr yarmouth an i must admit i dint like the T 45 with that massive mast an the design of the ship but i see her in real i have changened my mind an think they look less clunky an more gracefull than i imagined the real thing would be an a question please why have the R/N not fitted safetey railins right up to the bow as yes i know the ancor chain capstans an chains are all in side the bow but just seems strange to see them stop just past the gun
ATB
chrisb
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Hello Chris,
The model is nearly 7Ft long and has a beam of 12inch. I was not a big fan of the T45 design, but it has started to grow on me. I believe the railings do not continue all the way to the bow as she has an enclosed forecastle, so there is no need for crewmen to work in this area.
I hope to get her in the water soon once we get a dry/warmer weekend. I have yet to check if she will fit in my car :o .
Best Regards
jon
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Hello Chris,
The model is nearly 7Ft long and has a beam of 12inch. I was not a big fan of the T45 design, but it has started to grow on me. I believe the railings do not continue all the way to the bow as she has an enclosed forecastle, so there is no need for crewmen to work in this area.
I hope to get her in the water soon once we get a dry/warmer weekend. I have yet to check if she will fit in my car :o .
Best Regards
jon
HI Jon thanks for your reply an yes ive also got to hope tiger will fit in my car also so we both got the same probs
ATB chrisb
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Continued with the detailing, and started on the Sea Viper missile silo.
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What excellent detailing your are achieving there John! I love how smart those hazard markings came out as well.
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Nice build John, any more progress?
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I've not posted an update for a while, other commitments this summer have resulted in the build taking a back seat. Now the winter evenings are with us I'm finding more time to continue the build, so thought I would share a few pictures showing the (slow) progress I've made recently.
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The shell of the 4.5" Gun House with the facated shaped sides looks :-)) ....
Pretty sure that during action, this a totally unmanned Gun House, with ETS Sailers involved in loading operations only, below deck
Even the Gun Captain is remotely located in the FCS [Fire Control Systems] Center
Derek
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That's looking really good!
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So much detail, even for a supposedly low signature vessel. Super work!
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The shell of the 4.5" Gun House with the facated shaped sides looks :-)) ....
Pretty sure that during action, this a totally unmanned Gun House, with ETS Sailers involved in loading operations only, below deck
Even the Gun Captain is remotely located in the FCS [Fire Control Systems] Center
Derek
Hi Derek, You are right the gun is unmanned and loads automatically. This 4.5-inch gun is a very old design originating back to the 1930s and the Mark 8 version fitted to the T45 was first fitted to the T21 (Amazon Class) frigates of the early 1970s, as well as HMS Bristol, the only T82 built. It has a lower rate of fire compared to the US Navy gun but has been retained by the RN for so long due to its reliability and is generally less susceptible to jamming in action. The RN went through a phase of building ships without a gun, the early T22 frigate for example. It was expected that missiles would be the main weapon, but the Falklands War changed the thinking, as shore bombardment was required and the 4.5" proved to be ideal for this. After the batch 1 T22, all RN ships (Frigates/Destroyers) have been fitted with this gun.
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My last involvement with a 4.5" mount was a Mark 6 Vickers twin, during the refit of HMAS Paramatta [DE 46] in ~~1988??.......
The gun house Mantlett arc plates were coated with a product termed as Perddite-X [a dark grey film of what would now term as 'Teflon'....these were sealed on each edge, plus top & bottom with sewn leather bladder tubes which were imported from UK.........but when drawn from Naval Stores required a week soaking in Neatsfoot oil to soften before installation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil)
These sealing tubes only required 15PSI inflation to keep heavy rain water out of the mount house, but in heavy seas, the mounts were trained away from the oncoming storm or heavy weather
The ETS Sailors below around the rotating magazine & shell hoists wore rain-coats during action {-)
Derek
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Not much progress on the build, started a new job and this does not leave me much spare time. The build continues at a slower pace, but hope to have her finished for the spring. A few pictures showing some of the work, nearly finished the Heli-deck netting and started to add the hand rails, and a few other details.
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Finally Finished the T45, a few pictures of the finished model.
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And a few more.
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Superb detail :-)) & lots of it! O0
Derek
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Jonggd,
She coming along nicely. :-)) :-))
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Very nice Model, finished to an excellent standard.
Nige
:-))
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Looks Great!! :-)) :-))
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Looks amazing! What batteries did you use on this?
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That's a really lovely, shipshape build. Many congrats!
Tony :-))
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Really nice :-))
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Keep the pictures coming I'm using them as a reference for my dragon
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Very nice indeed, well done.
Cheers
Geoff