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Author Topic: HMS Ready Build  (Read 44192 times)

ballastanksian

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HMS Ready Build
« on: April 09, 2015, 11:16:44 pm »

I started this build last year and have updated and moved it lock stock and barrel to the right room on the forum.

HMS Ready was an M class destroyer built in 1916 as part of a large class of destroyers whose building programme lasted from 1913 right through to the end of 1916 incorporating some improvements along the way that were to fruit fully in the later R and V&W classes.

So, we start with an EBAY bid in March 2014 of an anonymous plastic ship hull. I had wanted to build something to sail while I built my HMS Rupert, which I knew would take a few years to complete, and the Glynn Guest article on HMS Mandate inspired me to have a go at a WW1 destroyer. This hull turned up for sale by chance at the same time and I won it for a very good price.



Sadly, it had not been packed that well, and so upon arrival, it sported a large crack down one side. I was initially dissapointed, but the price and the fact that it was too long to scale reasonably for a WW1 destroyer meant that I decided to keep it.

So, having scaled the length of an average M class, I marked the amount of hull I hade to remove. This incorporated the damaged section and meant that I did not have to make any major repairs, just rejoin the hull along two straight edges.






I used strips of 2mm styrene as doublers to reinforce the join with lots of plastic weld all held in place with clamps.

With the hull now at the right length, I started work on the bow. The hull would need to be deepened to incorporate a foredeck and higher quarter deck and so the bow needed to be finer at the point where the existing hull met the new extension. I had found an image in a Janes warships of the world 1919 purporting to show Ready with a Ram bow! I was hooked and wanted to build this ship, so the design had to incorporate a ram bow as well.


The image above shows how round the bow is at deck level.

The bow is raked quite sharpley compared with the ship pictured in the book, especially with the ram, so I marked the hull and removed the rounded end.


I removed a platic reinforcing plate from the hull, made a new piece from plastic and proceeded to pull the halves of the bow together and glue them. I used plenty of tape to keep them together as clamps would not grip the hull at such an angle. Therefore, I had lots of tape gum to wipe off when the bow halves had dried.


With the bows glued together, I added the peice that would form the ram bow once I had filled and sanded either side to fair it into the exisiting hull. It incorporated the height of the new work to be added and also the peice of round bow that I removed. This was slit in half and stuck ither side of the new bow peice.



Next up came the new sections of hull and a dilemma if I recall correctly {:-{




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derekwarner

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2015, 11:34:41 pm »

Well certainly nothing has been lost with the cracked hull & you are more on track with scale for the M Class  :-))....however just a few questions......

a. what did you make the ram bow plate from?
b. is it or will it be compatible with the hull  material for strength & rigidity/reinforcement?

Keep us posted with the build images  %).......Derek
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2015, 11:40:52 pm »

Hi Derek, The ram bow is made from 2mm styrene and glues readily to the grey styrene plastic. I was concerned that the hull might be of another polymer, but thankfully not and I am free of large clouds of superglue fumes <:( . I have dropped the hull at least once since the cut and shut job was done, and she remains in one piece. The work you will see in the coming days adds to the strength as well.

Sorry for those who have seen it in the warships research room, but I felt it ought to be moved here, so I will crack on and add fresh pictures.

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radiojoe

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2015, 01:22:19 pm »

Hi Ian,  just found it, I've heard you mention your build before but wasn't sure where it was, nice cut and shut, did you used to work in a dodgy garage  {-) {-)    a bit of fairing in on that new bow piece and it will look the biz, be watching this one.  :-))
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #4 on: April 10, 2015, 08:41:13 pm »

Its funny you should say that......... It was a challenge cutting a large slit twice by hand using a small razor saw but it came out very tidily.

The fairing will come later Joe, but first lots of frames.

With the Stem post fitted, I made and added a bulkhead to define the length of the forecastle. This had a large hole in it so I could add ballast in the bows if needed.

The hull is a bit out of true due to the casting and so the bulkhead is a bit squiffy. I dealt with this later when I also furred the frames.

The frames were made from strips of 2mm styrene glued to the sides of the hull and reinforced with square bar.


The deck frames were added from the same material.

The frames for the quarter deck were much smaller being made from 4x2m styrene strips. I reckon the quarterdeck will suffer less than the bows, so need less reinforcement.


Many WW1 destroyers had a reversed slope stern varying in shape, so as the 'Blue Devil' destroyer hull I had discovered the identity of the donor kit by this time thanks to this forum:O) has a rounded stern, I had to modify it. I began by cutting the end piece off.


And adding a rounded plate at the bottom and a curved piece at the top joined by sloped uprights.

More soon.
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2015, 07:08:14 pm »

The sides were raised with strips of 1.5mm styrene. This is the bow so clad.

Here the quarterdeck and stern have been clad, again in sheet styrene and strips with their edges bevelled to ease the job of cladding the curve.






A bulkhead was added to push the hull out a bit and straighten the deck edge.

While working on the hull, I began to think about the detailing including weaponary. The common armament of M class destroyers is three 4inch guns, a 2pdr Pom pom and four torpedo tubes in two twin mounts. I found some good images of the 4inch pertinent to this vessel as there are so many marks of 4inch gun, probably more than any other.


The masters are made from styrene strip, sheet and rod of various types. Evergreen make splendid square and strip, while Plastruct USA make excellent styrene rod that is perfectly round and without the elongated gas bubbles sometimes found in Evergreen rod.
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2015, 08:40:09 pm »

I am really cooking on gas now! Here are the latest piccies of progress.

A while back I found out that HMS Ready was unlikely to have had a ram bow, so this was cut off and the hull was filled and faired in with Isopon filler.


I have said many times, I learn lots of tips and ideas to use on my projects from MBM, and this one for sealing the hull where the stuffing tubes enter the hull is a case in point. Pictures speak loudest.

To gauge where the holes in the hull should be, I first made a case to sit the motors. Imade this from styrene sheet using a compass cutter to make the holes that the motors sit in. All the centers were the same for the motors and shafts, so all I had to do was make sure the holes for the various parts were in the right place in each peice of plastic.


The central shaft was cut slighty shorter than the others so that it's propellor sat behind the outer two by one prop depth. The whole mounting was sat onto sloped pieces of plastic and glue.

You can see the rudder blade in the above picture. It was cut out of a piece of copper plate.
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radiojoe

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2015, 04:56:25 pm »

Looking very tidy Ian,  especially the motor installation, are you using water proof prop tubes, or are all the inboard ends above the water line, as I don't see any greases.  ;)
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2015, 08:47:14 pm »

I plan to pack them with silicone grease and now you mention it, they could do with grease cups!

I have some thinner brass tube that I plan to make the tube my rudder post will go through, so that will be a job I can work on next week.

I was told by a chap from Portsmouth MBC that Silicone grease has less resistance than traditional grease.

I did a bit on the bridge last week.

The chart house (Is that what the bottom part is called?) is hollow and will have the windows blanked off with black plastic and eventually gloss varnish to add some pazzazz.

The bridge has wings and the small bit at the back where the search light mounting lives. The dodgers are still to be fully cut out and detailed. I look forward to adding the bast absorbant pads.
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radiojoe

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2015, 09:06:22 pm »

Good progress there Ian, when it comes to simulating  glass windows I use green paint with a little silver mixed in, just a thought. ;)
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2015, 09:11:13 pm »

Thankyou for that tip Joe. I will remember that when the time comes to slap the paint about.
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derekwarner

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #11 on: April 17, 2015, 12:51:06 am »

Yes Ian.......the propeller tubes interface with the hull [for the epoxy casting block formwork] is very tidy indeed :-)).......super strength & clean  [just rough sand the OD of the brass tubes first]  ......we see so many where the epoxy has been troweled on >>:-(  with paddle pop sticks

It is also of the standard of the other structural reinforcement modifications you have made..........keep the images coming.... Derek
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #12 on: April 17, 2015, 08:19:55 pm »

Taa Derek, I will sort out the 'oilers' first and while I am at it, I will rough the tubes up.

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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #13 on: May 11, 2015, 08:14:21 pm »

Just a quick update on the armament with some images of the 4inch guns painted up and awaiting their ship.

Primed in Humbrol 87 Enamel as a primer/base, and then followed by a top coat of a similar grey mixed from Vellejo model colours with details picked out again in said acrylics topped off with a coat of Burnt Umber/Lamp Black tinted Humbrol 49 Matt varnish. The tint acts as a wash suspended in the varnish.






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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #14 on: May 11, 2015, 09:21:20 pm »

I forgot this image. Its of the first batch of anti shrapnel bags for the bridge. I have sculpted them from Milliput. I have already stuck fourteen on and will sculpt some more in the near future. More piccies to follow.

TTFN, Ian:O)
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raflaunches

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #15 on: May 11, 2015, 09:28:12 pm »

Looking good Ian


I especially like your guns- they look fantastic- she'll look brilliant when she's finished :-))
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radiojoe

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #16 on: May 11, 2015, 10:47:04 pm »

Yes those guns do look good I especially like the rivets they look the biz. :-))
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2015, 10:44:28 pm »

How do. Just a little reportette on progress.

I spent the last week or so sculpting the splinter protection for the bridge. As you saw before, they were sculpted flat on a metal plate and then prised off, fettled and stuck onto the structure. I then came upon a problem whereby some of the dodgers need to bend around the angles and corners, so I found that if I was careful, I can pop them in place with a bit of superglue and then bend them to my will with sculpting tools.

Here are the first two.




More soon of the completed dodger installation. The next images should show the work better.
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steve pickstock

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #18 on: May 19, 2015, 07:20:18 am »

Next time you do that sort of thing, use the metal plate but cover it with plastic, like a piece of a pocket wallet. They will peel off much more easily.
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #19 on: May 19, 2015, 07:36:06 pm »

Thnks for sharing your tip Steve. I do not usually have any issues with putty sticking to the plate, probably as I am still worrying through the rust! I could see the plastic layer beign very useful if very very thin pieces were being sculpted.

Again, Ta!
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #20 on: June 05, 2015, 12:35:33 am »

The tiller flat went in this week.

I put two plastic rings around the hole that the rudder tube will enter the hull. the outer one was filled with epoxy and then once the plywood parts had been cut and prepared, and the rudder tube cut, cleaned and abraided, I glued the tube in place with epoxy and while still soft, I glued the platform together with its spacers and fitted it in place in the stern. The tube is a little out of true, but not hugely.







The space under the plaform is available to stick some ballast if needed. Next job to do is to cut the rudder shaft to length and make a tiller for the post. The standard servo arms have holes that are too large for the size of brass bar I am using, so I will look at something else to make it from.

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warspite

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #21 on: June 05, 2015, 07:11:59 am »

I tend to use aircraft control surface linkage rod, its 2mm reasonably sturdy stuff, usually threaded M2 at one end, doesn't flex much at over 150mm any thing less and it doesn't flex at all, servo holes just need opening a tad, a "xxxxx" to bend to a tight radius but not a great disadvantage.
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #22 on: June 05, 2015, 05:01:24 pm »

I keep meaning to use those ball and socket end connectors but so far I have not had enough room to fit them in anything I have built! No worries, I am not fitting out steam plant, so the linkages need not be as hi tech as all that. I will look out some when I next visit Yeovil. Thanks for the tip Warspite:O)
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #23 on: July 11, 2015, 07:07:40 pm »

Today I mainly spent machining metal to make the control for the top of the rudder post.

I will take photos soon but I drew this diagram to what I did made.



I turned a brass boss on my little lathe with a bore of 3.2mm (1/8th inch) and a shoulder of 5mm onto which will be soldered a copper arm with holes to accept actuator rods from the servo. I used copper because I had some. It should be man enough to take anything the pond can throw at it.

I will drill and tap a hole in the wider setion of the boss to take a grub screw and this will be thread locked in place to prevent loss of control in the middle of the pond {:-{ I have made the holes on the tiller arm nearer together than those to be used on the servo arm to get a better throw but if this proves to be useless/ unhelpful then I will move the rods in on the servo arm to match.



The orientation of the blade is wrong but it is to show what the shaft is for just in case.
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kpnuts

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Re: HMS Ready Build
« Reply #24 on: July 12, 2015, 07:48:30 pm »

Great work, I could never do anything like that.
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