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Author Topic: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale  (Read 35766 times)

Edward Pinniger

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USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« on: May 11, 2008, 05:11:29 pm »

This is a 1/43 scale model (see below for the reason for the odd scale) of a WW2 US Navy 110-foot submarine chaser. It's my first fully scratchbuilt (other than the hull) R/C warship. I've quite a few R/C civil subjects either built or planned, but am mainly a warship fan and have always wanted to build a R/C model of a small warship - such as a minesweeper, sub chaser or gunboat - in a large scale like 1/48. I scratchbuild static ship models in 1/96 and 1/144 scale, and build kits in smaller scales like 1/200, but I much prefer larger scales like 1/48 for working models, as they allow fine details like railings, ladders and davits (and guns, radars etc. on warships) to be built "in-scale" without being too fragile.

This model is based on the 31" long "Victoria" steam launch hull available from http://www.myhobbystore.com (they also have a 1/24 HDML which I have my eye on for a future project...) I bought this hull a month or so ago, intending to use it for a model based on the steam launch "Eva" preserved at the Henley River & Rowing Museum. However, the Victoria hull turned out to be unsuitable for this as both the hull profile and the stern shape is completely different ("Eva" has a cut-away clipper-type stern) - which wasn't evident from the manufacturer's photos, so I decided to use it for something else with a similar hull shape. My original plan was to build a 1/35 US Coast Guard 95-foot Cape-class cutter - I built an approx. 1/72 static model of one of these from a Lindberg plastic kit last year - but I abandoned this idea due to lack of plans and close-up detail photos. The "Victoria" hull is also rather too shallow for a Cape-class.

My alternative choice was a WW2 US Navy 110-foot submarine chaser. This has a hull close in shape and very close in length/breadth ratio to the "Victoria" hull - the most significant difference is the stern, which is a "transom" type (angled rather than smoothly curved from the hull sides) and less rounded. However, I thought it would be close enough for a working model. (Other than this inaccuracy, though, this will be a fully detailed scale model - not semi-scale/standoff scale)

As the "Victoria" hull measures 31 inches long, a model of a 110' subject works out at 1/43 scale (actually 1/42.6). This is actually the same scale as O gauge (7mm) model railways, so I can use adapted 7mm model railway figures for crew.




The 110' subchasers (SCs) were wooden hulled, diesel powered patrol craft which mostly operated off the US coast (some also served in the Pacific and in the Mediterranean) and were armed with "Mousetrap" anti-submarine projectors, depth charges in K-guns and roll-off racks, and a fairly heavy AA armament (1x40mm,3x20mm).  I thought this subject would make an interesting + distinctive working model and should be fun to build - and, not being too large or complicated, it'd make an ideal first R/C warship scratchbuild.

Another advantage of this choice of prototype is that there's plenty of reference material available, including Fine Art Models's amazing 1/32 scale model. I found the basic but usable plan/line drawing (above) on a Russian website (a number of SCs were Lend-Leased to the Soviet Navy) - can't remember the URL but I'll e-mail the full-size image to anyone who's interested. The splinterfleet.org link below also has a cut-away profile drawing.

Here are some other subchaser links for anyone interested:
http://www.splinterfleet.org/
http://members.aol.com/lawman555/subchaser.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/01idx.htm

Anyway, on to the photos of the build!
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #1 on: May 11, 2008, 05:12:17 pm »

To provide the R/C gear, I bought a second-hand RTR speedboat very cheaply at a car boot sale. Though hardly top quality, and with the usual rudderless twin-prop steering, the gear in this boat is fairly good by RTR toy standards, with decent motors (connected to the prop shafts with universal joints), brass prop shaft tubes, and threaded props. It also has variable speed control, rather than the usual "forwards, backwards or stop". Currently, anything but the lowest speed setting is far too fast (subchasers weren't anything like as fast as PT boats - "chaser" might imply speed, but you don't need much speed to outrun a submerged U-boat!) but I hope that installing smaller props will at least partly fix this.

Installing the prop shafts and aligning + securing the motors in place was tricky at times, but I learnt a lot from it (this is only the second time I've attempted to install R/C gear in a model boat, and it now runs very smoothly and appears to be watertight!


The prop shafts are supported with "skegs" made from 2mm styrene sheet triangles. I added similar supports under the prop shafts inside the hull. Note that these are the original "racing type" props from the RTR boat, I intend to replace these with smaller 3-bladed props to reduce the model's running speed.
The prop shafts are glued in place with epoxy resin glue, I added three layers of glue, on both sides of the hull, so the join should - hopefully - be strong + watertight.


The motors are attached to the prop shafts with screwed-in clamps, and are held in position with balsa-wood blocks and a length of square styrene rod at the aft end.


The battery pack provides most of the model's ballast, and is positioned as close to amidships as possible (under the conveniently positioned 20mm gun platform!). It's held in place with a bracket salvaged from the original RTR boat and duct-taped to the hull.
Also duct-taped (I prefer this to glue where precision + structural strength isn't needed, as it makes removal or repositioning of the components much easier) in place are the receiver box and a small amount of ballast (sheet lead) in the bow.


This is an overall view of the components in the hull.


A strip of styrene has been glued to the top edge of the hull. I couldn't manage to cut the hull out with a perfectly straight edge, and it's too large + flexible to sand easily, so this will give a flat, even surface for the deck to glue onto. It also reduces the chance of water getting in around the hull/deck join.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2008, 05:13:33 pm »


The deck has now been glued to the hull and trimmed to shape, with access holes cut out for the motors and battery/radio unit. It's 2mm styrene sheet which adds a lot of structural rigidity to the hull. As the sheet I had wasn't quite long enough, the forward 5-6 inches of the deck were made as a seperate section.


A strip of styrene is glued along the top of the hull, to cover up any roughness or gaps in the deck edge. A thinner strip is also glued to the edge of the deck (not really visible in the photo)



The rubbing strakes are added to the hull using Evergreen half-round styrene rod (the lower strake is slightly wider)


The basic structural shapes of the wheelhouse/bridge, amidships and aft gun platforms. These are made from 1.5mm styrene sheet.


The removable wheelhouse and amidships platform fit tightly over these strips, which also reduce the chance of water getting into the access hole. The cover for the motor access hole is duct-taped in place from underneath, as this will only need removing occasionally (hopefully!) in the event of a problem with the motors or prop shafts.
The locations of deck fittings and other structural parts have also been marked out in pencil.



Superstructure in place on the deck - early days yet, but it's starting to look like a subchaser!
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herrmill

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2008, 12:22:12 pm »

Edward,

Looks like you've got a nice build in progress with a very interesting subject.  I'll be newbie watching from the sidelines for what I can learn on scratch building. 

Not sure if you are aware, but Microglass offers both the WW1 & 2 hulls in 1/32 scale along with a nice selection of other patrol craft.   Based on the current dollar, their prices are a steal if the shipping doesn't kill you.

Chuck




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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2008, 07:11:28 pm »

Based on the current dollar, their prices are a steal if the shipping doesn't kill you.

For a 4-5' fibreglass hull, from the USA to the UK, it probably will! (and that's before the customs charges >:( ) 

Anyway, I've done some more work on the superstructure + deck details and will hopefully post some more photos tomorrow.
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herrmill

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2008, 02:51:04 am »

That's a shame the shipping & tax man bite so deep!   :(  Have been told Chinese factories (TJ, VM) south of here ship via Hong Kong Post EMS to the States & it costs a pittance ($30-70) depending on size.  My son was shipping 1/16 metal tank tracks & accessories to the EU last year that were delivering at a third or half of the local market pricing due to the exchange. 

Looking forward to seeing more of your build.   O0
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2008, 06:38:07 pm »


The breakwater (and splash shield for the 40mm mount) is constructed from styrene sheet and detailed with Evergreen + Slaters styrene strip. I've also added some of the forward deck detail, including the base plates for the Mousetrap launchers. I'm not sure what the circular hatch is for; there's another one immediately forward of the aft gun platform.



Window frames have been added to the bridge. The dividers between the windows are made from 3mm strip cut very carefully to length, the frames themselves are thin square rod. The raised platform in front of the bridge will house the storage lockers for the Mousetrap rockets as well as a couple of 40mm ammo lockers. A "kick strip" has been added to the base of the wheelhouse as well as the aft gun platform.


More work done on the gun platforms. The planks are Slaters 3mm plank-textured styrene sheet, this is pre-coloured but will be painted later. The planks were usually painted Deck Blue on the real ships, like the rest of the deck, but I may paint them with a weathered teak effect to give a more interesting visual appearance.


Another overall view.
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DickyD

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2008, 06:48:33 pm »

Very nice, coming on well.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #8 on: May 23, 2008, 04:57:38 pm »


A small update - the companionway structures have been added (no hatches or other detail yet) and I've completed the raised coaming/waterway all around the deck (fairleads and scuppers still need to be added to this, you can see the cut-outs for the fairleads) I've also added the mast, this is removable and made from copper tube.


I bought some Carley floats, a lifeboat, and depth charges at the Merstham show last Saturday. Some of these were second-quality castings, so the total cost was only about £6.

I'll be away from Saturday to next Friday, so this is the last update for a week at least. I should hopefully be able to test the boat out on the water soon.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #9 on: June 02, 2008, 07:55:06 pm »

Unfortunately I've hit a serious snag with this build in that the "running gear" salvaged from a cheap RTR speedboat has proven to be extremely unsuitable for a scale warship. (You could say that's what you get for being a cheapskate, but most RTR twin-prop drives would have been a lot more suitable; all the same I should have tested it thoroughly first, if I'd realised its limitations I'd have sold the RTR boat and bought another).

The problem isn't the extremely high speed (the "HT" RTR warships also have this problem out of the box) as I fixed this with smaller replacement props, but the huge turning circle, lack of reverse ability (most model boats don't run well in reverse, but it's still invaluable from getting out of pool corners, patches of reeds, etc.), and lack of seperate prop control (which exacerbates the first problem by preventing you from turning in place, tank-style, by running the props in opposite directions).
These problems basically mean that the boat can only be run (safely) on a large swimming pool or purpose-built boating pond, neither of which I have access to, running on natural ponds would be very difficult due to the likelihood of getting stuck in weeds or stranded in deep water.

Short of installing a new set of motors and R/C gear (not very practical as the deck has already been glued in place) is there any way to increase the manoueverability/decrease the turning circle of a model with twin-prop steering? (See my post in the Technical sub-forum)

I may end up having to build this as a static display model (in which case I'll reshape the stern, add accurate prop shafts, keel, rudder etc.) I'm certainly not giving up on the build, though, as it's looking too nice already and I've put too many hours of work in to simply abandon it.
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Robert Davies

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #10 on: June 02, 2008, 08:32:15 pm »


The only straightforward answer I can think of is installing an Action Electronics P94 combined speed controller and mixer.

In the unlikely event that the white box of tricks from the original rtr includes an easily accessible 'rudder' channel, you could fit a servo actuated interrupter switch into the  motor feeds - such that when you move the rudder left or right it cuts out the right or left motor. Unfortunately, it's a bit late now to notice you've got no reverse I'm afraid, apart from the P94 option above.

http://www.action-electronics.co.uk

-Rob
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/45 scale
« Reply #11 on: October 30, 2010, 04:33:15 pm »

Well, my first attempt at this build was a complete disaster, but it did at least teach me (the hard way) some important lessons - most importantly to always thoroughly test the motors, radio and running gear, and make sure everything's working correctly, before getting started on the modelling/detailing work. Also, that RTR "fast electric" hardware is not suitable for scale boats!

After building the Glencoe 1/72 WW1 Subchaser (the predecessor of the WW2 type) and buying a copy of the Squadron/Signal booklet "US 110' Subchasers in Action" I was inspired to get the incomplete SC out of the loft where it had been gathering dust, and make another attempt at completing it, this time with a bit more experience with R/C installation and hull construction!


Firstly, most importantly, I got rid of the toy RTR electronics (keeping the motors and running gear, which are usable) and installed a proper radio with ESC and rudder servo. I used the same 9.6v ni-cad battery as before (and made a new battery holder out of styrene card), running at scale speed with an ESC you get a lot more running time out of it, and I also have a couple of spares of this battery type.

Secondly, I sawed off about 2cm of the curved stern and made a new transom stern from styrene sheet (sealed + reinforced with epoxy) The hull is now reasonably accurate in shape for a WW2 SC above the waterline - the stern below the waterline is still completely wrong, but you don't see this when the boat's in the water!

I've got plenty of reference material - both drawings and photos - including the above mentioned "In Action" book and photos of the very impressive Fine Art Models 1/32 model here, so references for detailing shouldn't be a problem. I'm planning to scratchbuild as much as possible - including the guns - but the scale is close enough to 1/48 (actually 1/45, not 1/43 as I originally calculated - probably partly due to the sawn-off stern!) that I can use commercial fittings, and crew figures, in this scale.





Here's the interior of the refitted model. I had to cut a large hole in the aft deck to provide access to the motor + steering gear - unlike the radio + battery areas, there are no convenient superstructure parts over this area so I made a removable, overlapping deck plate held in place with small "rare earth" magnets.




It uses a removable RX/ESC unit (I use this setup in most of my non-sail boats now), the 27mhz RX shown has now been replaced with a 2.4ghz one.








The motors, couplings and prop shafts/stern tubes are the same as before, though the props are now 3-bladed scale types. The single rudder (the real SCs had two, but I didn't think it was worth bothering with a scale rudder setup given that the hull below the waterline isn't accurate in shape anyway) is a commercial brass one cut down in size a bit. The steep angle of the prop shafts is not optimal, but was how I originally installed them (in an abortive attempt to get more manouverability from the twin-prop steering system) and the shafts and motor mounts are so solidly installed that I didn't really want to remove them (as it turned out, the model runs and steers fine, anyway)

The last 2 photos above also show the new stern and keel.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2010, 04:45:18 pm »







I then gave the model a test run at Black Park - it performed + steered very well, as well as being stable and floating at the right waterline level. The two 540-type motors give plenty of "reserve power" but, with an ESC, can still run at a realistic scale speed. Now I've upgraded to 2.4ghz radio it no longer needs the aerial wire wrapped round the mast!




Now I knew the model worked OK, my first priority was to get the hull painted and varnished. Before I did this, I added the surface details to the hull (I'd already made a start on this in 2008).



This photo shows most of the hull details: two half-round rubbing strakes (the lower one only goes about 3/4 of the way to the bow), a strengthening plate(?) at waterline level, engine exhaust (square) and coolant water discharge (round), and the rectangular detail above the exhaust which I have no idea of the purpose of!



This shot of the bow shows the bow fairlead or "bullnose" and the triangular strengthening plate at the bow.




Overall view of the unpainted model, with the superstructure parts I made back in 2008 (and which luckily needed very little modification). The centre of the aft deck is removable (held in place with rare-earth magnets) to give access to the rudder and motors.
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Dreadstar

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2010, 08:22:23 am »

The good thing is Edward,that you now know that she'll sail ok. An interesting build,which will be great to see finished,keep up the good work.

David.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2010, 11:20:04 am »



The majority of SCs were painted overall grey, but I decided to finish mine in a variant of Measure 32 which gives a very striking appearance with a three-tone grey "dazzle" pattern. References used for this were an original WW2 camouflage pattern and a drawing in "Subchasers in Action".



First I sprayed the hull with Halfords grey primer, then brush painted the area of the black boot topping. Once this had dried, I masked it off with a strip of masking tape of the correct width, this can be removed once the lower + upper hull have been painted giving a neat black stripe of even width!.



I then painted the lower hull with Lifecolor "Raw Sienna" which is a close match for the "Copperoyd" anti-fouling paint used on the SCs.







The camouflage colours were then painted on the upper hull. Straight edges were masked, curves painted freehand. Paints used were Revell Grey, Tank Grey and Tar Black.














Here's the finished, painted hull, with a coat of satin varnish (a matt finish would be more to scale, but is less water resistant)
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steve pickstock

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #15 on: November 01, 2010, 11:38:39 am »

One of the things I do with 1/72nd scale figures is to gloss varnish to protect the figure and bring up the paints, and then they get matted down, which makes them more realistic looking. Can you not do something similar with the varnishes on this?


Nice model by the way.
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SinWin

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #16 on: November 01, 2010, 12:13:57 pm »

Very nice work, Sir! I wonder where you all get these ingenious servo linkages and shaft connectors? I always have to make them myself, with rather variable results!

Here is the single digital picture I had of KNM «Hitra», which was a sub chaser of the same class you are modelling (originally USN SC-718), until she was commissioned in the Norwegian Navy as «Hitra» in 1943 (and KNM «Hitra» from 1946). She used for the rest of the war in traffic to Norway from Shetland, where she carried agents, supplies and refugees. The sub chasers took over from the traditional fishing vessels that had been used in this traffic earlier.



She was modified when in Norwegian service, since she was no longer used as a sub hunter. I think they installed heavier anti-aircraft guns, for instance. My picture here was taken in 2005.
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rathikrishna

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #17 on: November 01, 2010, 02:00:20 pm »

an excellent one sure...friends..why such craft known as a subchaser..?..a submarine chaser..? advice..
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #18 on: November 01, 2010, 05:43:21 pm »

Some replies to questions:

- The servo connectors etc. are all bought from R/C model shops, Howes in Oxford are the one I normally use. Not sure if there are any supplies of these parts in Norway though!
I've heard of KNM Hitra (and its sisters) - it's quite a remarkable survivor considering it was wrecked and out in the open for many years before being recovered and restored.  I was trying to find some good photos of Hitra as reference for my build as it doesn't appear to be modified much from its original wartime configuration. However, I couldn't find many photos online.

- I find a matt finish (as well as being less durable) tends to attract mud, water surface gunk, etc. and is much harder to clean than a satin or gloss one. It's only the hull that has a satin finish, the deck and superstructure will stay matt once painted.

- These boats were known as submarine chasers (sub chasers) as they were designed for the role of anti-submarine patrols ("sub hunter" would probably have been a more appropriate title)

On to the build photos:

Now all the basics are done, it's on to detailing and finishing the model. I decided that this time, rather than haphazardly adding bits here and there, I'd start at the bow end and work backwards, building separate sub-assemblies like guns and boats/rafts in between working on the main model.









Starting at the bow end, this is the "forecastle" area forward of the breakwater. Details added here include mooring cleats (commercial plastic fittings), anchor windlass (modified commercial resin casting) and chain stopper, ventilators, anchor davit and supporting brackets. The anchor itself is another plastic fitting which happened to be the right size and style. SCs also carried a Danforth-type anchor on the port side, which will be scratchbuilt.
The large rectangular plates are the bases for the "Mousetrap" launchers, which I'll add at a later stage of the build.

The crew figure is plastic and from an old Monogram sailing yacht kit I built earlier this year!
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tassie48

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #19 on: January 01, 2011, 12:21:57 am »

Lots of O GAUGE 1/43 scale model railway fittings crew etc to be found for your Subchaser
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unbuiltnautilus

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #20 on: January 02, 2011, 03:41:45 pm »

Very tidy build, one of our club members purchased the 36" HDML hull from My Hobby Store and when I looked at it my first thoughts were to build one of these, not that I dont have enough projects on at present. Reading the thread I thought " that stern has to come off" then, hey presto, off it came... Keep up the good work on an interesting subject...
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #21 on: September 02, 2011, 07:31:21 pm »

I haven't got round to posting here (or on any other modelling forums) for ages, but have been making steady progress on building the SC.





Here are two overall views of the model as of late May 2011 - since then a lot more detail has been added (bridge fittings, depth charges and so on) and the upper works are fully painted and weathered. The following posts will show the progress of the build this year. Currently I'm working on the ship's boat and 2 liferafts, also to be done are the 40mm and 20mm guns (the basic shape of the 40mm is already in place), Mousetrap projectiles, rigging + flags, crew figures and a few other small details.

The boat also runs rather better now (it had a sail at Black Park the other week) as I've replaced the 7.2v ni-cad pack with a small "Powersonic" 6v SLA battery from Howes, which (for about the same size and weight) gives a more scale running speed (i.e slower!) and much better endurance.

In the last update I added the details on the forward deck - continuing aft towards the wheelhouse, the next stage is the area around the 40mm gun mount (the gun itself will be a later project). The basic shapes of the breakwater and splash shields are already in place, but they need a lot of fine detail adding, and there are also 8 storage lockers of various shapes and sizes that need to be made. Here they are:



There are actually 11 here as I made the three 20mm ammunition lockers (which go on the aft gun platforms) at the same time. These are the long ones with 4 catches on each side. The other types, in order of size, are the Mousetrap rocket, 40mm ammunition storage and 40mm ready use lockers.
All the lockers were built up from styrene sheet, with catches, hinges etc. made from styrene rod and strip.







3 views of the 40mm gun area with the lockers in place. The rocket storage lockers are supported on stanchions at an upwards angle, presumably to prevent the rockets from sliding out when opened in heavy seas! Also visible in these photos are the other small details I added, including the guard rail for the 40mm gun, on top of the breakwater (restricting the barrel's downward movement so it can't be accidentally fired into the deck!), and hatches, including one in the deck for ammunition to be passed up from below.

Next is the wheelhouse detailing - some of this (cabling, etc.) is visible in the above photos.
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longshanks

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #22 on: September 02, 2011, 10:28:48 pm »

Looking very fine !

Keep up the good work and keep the pics coming  :-))
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #23 on: September 03, 2011, 04:28:18 pm »





This is the basic wheelhouse structure, before detailing (only the side rails and one cable have been added). Like the other main superstructure parts, it's removable to access the hull interior (the RX and ESC are under the wheelhouse).



Front view of the completed wheelhouse - visible here are the "windscreen wipers" and one of the navigation lights, with associated electrical cabling. The "flying bridge" on the wheelhouse roof will be detailed at a later stage.



Port side view. The vertical cylinder is the base of the radio aerial (not functional!), the small clips are for a fire axe which will be added later. The fire hose reel is a slightly modified commercial casting.




Aft view, showing the wheelhouse door/hatch, the base of the mast, and the flag locker. The ventilator grating above the latter is made out of plastic railing from a Heller plastic kit! The two small cleats are for the flag halyards.



The base of the mast can be seen in the photos above, here's a view of the complete article before I glued it in place. For structural strength (since this is probably the part most vulnerable to accidental damage) it's made entirely from metal, and held together with brass pins as well as CA glue.
The completed mast will have a radar housing at the top, and numerous other small details, such as ladder rungs.
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Edward Pinniger

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Re: USN 110' Sub Chaser in 1/43 scale
« Reply #24 on: September 04, 2011, 06:20:56 pm »






Next to be detailed are the two gun platforms aft of the wheelhouse. This is the amidships one which carries two 20mm guns (they go on the square platforms). As well as the two 20mm ammo lockers I made earlier, additions include the hatch and other fine details on the companionway, the chart locker/table (at least I think that's what it is!), gooseneck vent and galley stove chimney.






Here's the platform in place on deck. Visible here are the small supporting stanchions under the sides.






The aft "bandstand" platform has a single 20mm. The circular objects at the edge are the mounts for the life raft storage racks, to be added later.
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