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Author Topic: British S boats  (Read 2204 times)

Rodgearing

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British S boats
« on: March 03, 2013, 12:48:59 pm »

Anyone built a British S boat either from scratch or a kit?
After the contuining non success of my Sheerline Type VII I think I'll try something else.
Fred (ex Polycell)
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eddiesolo

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2013, 01:25:34 pm »

Hi Fred, are you wanting large scale to turn into RC? I'm sure there is a thread regarding a S type on here, somewhere.
I make static model subs, just done a type VII B and a Gato class-both 1:125 scale, both rusty :-)
What happened to the Type VII? I know Sheerline kits are suposed to be good quality, are they not 90% assembled with just detailing to do? They have a type 2 U-Boat going for £1050, expensive bit of kit.
Si:)
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My models are not nice, clean and ship-shape. They be mucky, grubby, rusty and smelly.

Rodgearing

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2013, 01:48:12 pm »

I want to have a go at a S class either from scratch or part /full kit.
I would like primarily to get the hull moulding and take it from there.
The Type VII has also been giving me grief trying to get the two halves of the hull to marry up with no gaps(see my posts in a former existance as Polycell) I tried magnets and various ways to get the hull to show no gap.
Fred
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Kazzer

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2013, 02:39:09 pm »

I have a 1:72 scale T Class mold that I am tweaking around with. I hope to have a vacu-form mold ready to operate as soon as I have my X Craft finished. We have several trial pulls of the X and each one gets better.

Can you wait a while?

How did you cut the VII? Have you tried tabs along the edges of the hull? Any photos?
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Subculture

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2013, 03:05:55 pm »

I'm afraid movement in GRP hulls is a fact of life. I'm not a chemical engineer, so I can't say for sure why the material tends to move and creep, but my first instincts are that it never truly cures, it just goes from a liquid state to a harder state, but it's still in a state of flux, influenced by fluctuating temperatures and stresses in the material. You can manipulate glass laminates using heat, but serious warpage is difficut to correct without serious surgery sometimes. If you purchase a boat secondhand, or don't build it right from the start, and the moulding are allowed to bow out of shape, then you may have to cut the hull, and rejoin. This can prove troublesome if the hull has a lot of detail moulded in, as bits tend to be wiped out in the process, requiring the detail to be reapplied.

Some models are known for being a problem from newe.g.the Engel Typhoon has a warp in the top half of the moulding which requires correction by the builder.  Warpage can occur though inadequate thickness of laminate, poor lay-up, incorrect storage, a bad tool, extremes of temperature and unequal stresses placed on the hull.

However I've yet to see a hull that can't be salvaged, it just depends on your level of skill and patience.

There are two S-Class kits on the market. The MBD S-class in the slightly odd scale of 1/38th, which was originally produced by John Darnell. £245

http://www.modelsbydesign.co.uk/model_boats.aspx

Then there is the slightly larger 1/32nd scale OTW kit. This benefits from photoetched deck and other details like rivetted conning tower, brass metal fittings etc. £695

http://www.otwdesigns.com/submarines/SClass/SClass.html

Both kits are moulded in polyester GRP, so they will move unless you take steps to ensure they are braced/pegged in some way. Epoxy glass hulls are less prone to this kind of movement, but they can still move, especially if they're left out in direct sunlight on a hot day. Both build into nice models at the hands of a skilled modeller.
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upscope

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2013, 08:17:26 am »

Hello Rodgearing, as Andy (Subculture) says, its a problem with dealing with GRP we have to live with, my Darnell "S" Class built in 1989 has always had the same problem, i've simply learned to live with it. I tried in vain to get the gap to as little as possible using pegs of GRP/Plastic/Brass etc etc under the deck that tuck in to the lower hull, go out on a hot day and guess what!
I know Chris at Sheerline very well, as he lives about 15 miles form me, trust me his hulls are some of the best fitting ive seen, but every batch of GRP is different.
The 32nd Parellel Gato has a warp in the deck where it was stored by the previous owner for over 20 years, I had that deck heated, clamped & braced with 10mm Stiff carbon rod inside brass tubes, I got it straight! I took it to Eaton Park last week, it was a hot day, looked down the deck - guess what - but its not as bad as it was.
Do I intend to bin a £5000 model, that took me 7 years to build?? No way.
Paul Cook
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Paul Cook
Norwich Model Boat Club
Association Of Model Submariners

upscope

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Re: British S boats
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2013, 11:15:43 pm »

See Gap in my HMS Satyr
 
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Paul Cook
Norwich Model Boat Club
Association Of Model Submariners
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