I've been wanting to do an update for ages now, but the foggy, damp and generally miserable weather on the NE coast hasn't been all that good for getting the beast outside to photograph. So I bit the bullet and took these with flash inside the "shed". Not the best, but hopefully will give an idea on how it's going. All the exterior painted surfaces are 20 or 40 though plasticard pre-painted and affixed to 1.5mm or 0.75mm ply (as appropriate) with my favourite double sided tape. I KNOW I keep banging on about this stuff, and am still totally bemused why so many modellers turn their noses up at its use. Even got brian_c using it now and again!
Before anyone asks, the window frames are just simple 1/8" plasticard strips carefully fitted so they are flush on the inside and project a little bit on the outside. The inner frames are 40 thou square sections fitted the same way. Getting everything to be a neat sliding fit was a long job....but I think that is what modelling is all bout anyway, so no complaints.
Pic 2418 is just a general view of the superstructure lay-out. The aft section lid (top deck) will lift off to give access to the main lifting handle for removing the big deck. The rest of the superstructure will lift off with the main-deck.
Pic 2420
The aft section is now araldited in place. The "slots" are to locate the removeable upper aft deck.
2420a
Just showing my way of fixing the large curved forward bulkhead. When fitting the angle brackets I clamped the vertical parts to the bulkhead, so when the screws are loosened the brackets move back a little so freeing the bulkhead for removal and further work.
2423.
A view along the main deck. The bit on top is the removable part. I think I'm going to have to put some lighting under the deckhead otherwise it will be in permanent semi-darkness.
2425.
The removeable deck from above. Just started planking the deck. As this deck was used only by people and not vehicles there were no oil stains and so on, but the planking was weathered and old.to get the "grey" shade of weathered wood I used Obeche (the main deck is Spruce), sprayed two 4" x 36" planks with a fairly light coat of matt black and then sanded most of the paint off, leaving a sort of blotchy grey. Then cut the whole thig up into 3/16" planks, mixed them up a bit to avoid repitition and got ready to glue them down. The "caulking" is, as usual, black insulating tape. The 4 "squares" are where the main cowl vents will sit (all guide holes are already drilled and visible from undeneath, so no need for more marking out). The big hole is to take the Engine Room skylight, and the 2 smaller ones will be for gratings. The 50p shaped thing is where the funnel goes.
2430.
This just shows the size and style of the stanchions. Obviously this is just a "mock-up" . You can get away with all the rails being the same diameter at 1:48 scale, but at 1:24 the larger dia. top rail has to be shown. Jim Lane re-jigged and made me the 70 that I need.
On the "recommendation" of another Mayhemmer I bought the Proxxon torch. I'd been humming and haahing about it for awhile but it really is a nice bit of kit and worth the £37 price. Unfortunately the little "Instruction Book" is printed in script about the size of the small print on the back of a credit card. So I couldn't read it without scanning and re-printing. As I have been diagnosed with the "dry" version of ARMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration) for which there is no cure perhaps I will be the 1st "one eyed" modeller on the Forum. Not nice. Makes modellig very slow and drillilling little hole very difficult. But just have to accept it.
