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[Dan.Lord]

Hi all, well I ordered the Zulu yesterday about 10.30, & it arrived this morning at 9.25, so you can't complain about the prompt service that Deans supplies 


Anyway, on opening the box, I found a well packed kit, comprising of a nice hull, comprehensive instruction book, laser cut decks, 3 trays of fittings in white metal , resin & etched brass all nicely sealed so not to loose any bits  some vac formed bits n pieces, a good full size plan & even a complimentary cd with plenty of pictures of her being built a various stages.
All in all very pleased with what I see so far. As RadioJoe mentioned in his build log, the hull bottom is a tad concave, so I've ordered some 3mm ply to re enforce it, so I won't actually start building until it arrives  , I can make a stand etc though    Cheers & more to follow soon ( I hope ) All the best Dan.

[Colin Bishop]

With regard to the concaveness in the hull, put it on a flat surface, lay a narrow piece of wood inside (such as a bit of 25mm stripwood) and then add enough weight to the wood to flatten the bottom. Next use a hairdryer on full heat to apply hot air to the bottom until the hull is warm to the touch (it won't melt). Allow to cool then remove wood and weight and you should find that the hull bottom will remain flat. You might possibly have to repeat the treatment.

You may also find that the tops of the hull sides have curled in a bit making it difficult to fit the deck. A similar technique can be used to remedy this too but you will need to be more careful as the plastic deck WILL melt if heated up! Apply the heat to the outside of the hull to avoid this. An alternative method of straightening the sides is to use stripwood on each side temporarily wedged in place to straighten them before applying heat.

It is common for GRP hulls to slightly distort after being removed from the mould as the curing process continues but easily put right as above.

Colin

[Dan.Lord]

Thanks for the tip Colin    The top edges look fine on this one, in fact the hull's pretty good all over, apart from the slight concaveness of the bottom. I was going to "borrow" Joe's idea with the ply, & use it t mount the motor & battery's etc.
Went looking for a bit of wood to make the stand with & got collared into tidying up the garage before I make anymore mess    oh hum !!!!

[Dan.Lord]

Also just ordered this from the States, 1/96th wasp created on a 3D printer. about £28.00 inc shipping but looks the dogs do-dars 


https://www.shapeways.com/product/TW3LULPQ6/westland-wasp-helicopter-kit-1-96?li=search-results-3&optionId=42881413

[Bob K]

Shapeways do really nice work. Had several of their excellent 3D printed parts.

Went looking for a bit of wood to make the stand with & got collared into tidying up the garage before I make anymore mess    oh hum !!!!

The trick is, I have found, is never let the level of 'mess' fall below a certain standard.  That way a bit more never notices.  If you have exposed the floor surface you had 'overdone' it.

[Dan.Lord]

Lol yes I certainly over did it today    hard work esp with    watching over you.  Done now though, out tomorrow so hopefully make a start Thurs    
Oh yes I'm looking forward to getting the wasp to see just how good it is 

[ballastanksian]

The idea of using the base that the parts are printed on as a jig as well is brilliantly inspired. I take my hat off to the designer as he has really thought the model through.

The kit looks lovely, I can't wait to see the beginning of the saga.
TTFN, Ian:O)

[deadbeat]

Before you get too far into the build you'll need to decide how accurate you want the underwater portion of the ship to be. My Nubian came with Dean's bog standard white metal propeller (the same as came with my Solebay) this prop is wrong for the ship. I fitted a five-bladed brass prop.

Also the rudder supplied with my Nubian was also bog standard (same as my Solebay) but it also is wrong for the ship although I did use it before I discovered that these ships had twin balanced rudders.

You may also want to consider bilge keels; these ships also had stabilisers. I didn't bother fitting either but bilge keels might be useful.

I wish that Shapeways Wasp was available when I needed one. I ended up buying on fleabay an Airfix 1/72 Westland Scout and cutting it down to 1/96 and making a Wasp out of it.

[TailUK]

The idea of using the base that the parts are printed on as a jig as well is brilliantly inspired. I take my hat off to the designer as he has really thought the model through.

The kit looks lovely, I can't wait to see the beginning of the saga.
TTFN, Ian:O)

He occasionally posts to Mayhem and his own model boats are pretty good too!

[ballastanksian]

There's an English bloke who does the same. I saw his model of HMS Kent at Shepton, and that is gorgeous. I think it is from the Deans kit.

[Dan.Lord]

Before you get too far into the build you'll need to decide how accurate you want the underwater portion of the ship to be. My Nubian came with Dean's bog standard white metal propeller (the same as came with my Solebay) this prop is wrong for the ship. I fitted a five-bladed brass prop.

Also the rudder supplied with my Nubian was also bog standard (same as my Solebay) but it also is wrong for the ship although I did use it before I discovered that these ships had twin balanced rudders.

You may also want to consider bilge keels; these ships also had stabilisers. I didn't bother fitting either but bilge keels might be useful.

I wish that Shapeways Wasp was available when I needed one. I ended up buying on fleabay an Airfix 1/72 Westland Scout and cutting it down to 1/96 and making a Wasp out of it.

I've brought a 5 bladed prop for her, & will most likely build a bigger rudder too. As for the other bits I'll probably just put whats in the kit    The Ply arrived today, so might make a start tomorrow

[Dan.Lord]

The Ice has been broken    Not by much though, made the stand & sanded the hull to the correct shape etc. Next job mow the lawn     me wants to do more boat !!!

[ballastanksian]

Confucious, he say, a journey always starts with the first step. Much like mowing the lawn (earning hobby time points) and starting a project.

That hull is lovely.

[Dan.Lord]

Thanks Balla    Next job get some ply inside to flatten out the concaveness 

[Netleyned]

I will be watching this build as an Eskimo first commission.
The propellor she started with got a bit bent on a reef in Bahrain
and we had to sail at five knots to Bombay to dock and replace
the screw with a shiny new one.
Please use twin rudders Dan if only to keep little bro happy.
It will sail a lot better.

Ned

[Dan.Lord]

lol what are you like making me more work  I've just put a floor in her to pop out the concaveness, now allowing that to dry over night. I've already drilled the hole for the rudder, but I suppose I could always plug it & drill a couple more    I think I'll make the rudder(s) slightly bigger as Joe did, might as well follow tradition    Right I'd better go n look for some brass tube, or I'll have to order some toot sweet    Cheers Dan

[Dan.Lord]

Ok Ned, I've just made 2 rudders    managed to find just enough brass tube for the posts    Happy days !!!

[Dan.Lord]

Not much done today as been out    did manage to fit the prop shaft & rudder tubes, just plopped some filler around it to tidy it up !! Also Wasp arrived today too, came from Holland, pretty good turn around, only ordered it Tuesday, thought it was coming from the USA. The detail is fantastic, It's hollow, & only weighs 8.8 grams, so hopefully shouldn't affect the stability much if at all    Tried to take some close ups, really impressed to be honest ( wasp not photo's )

[Bob K]

Looking really good Dan.  Glad you've opted for the twin rudders and brass prop, which I am sure will work more effectively in the water.  Keep up the excellent work 

[ballastanksian]

The arrangement definitly makes the model Dan. The propellor is a work of art, like a submarine prop as used in the modern era.

This is definitly a rich period for warship build logs:O)

TTFN, Ian.

[Niall]

Take care when cutting the Wasp parts from the sprue. The resin Shapeways use is very brittle.

When printing the resin is supported with wax, this leaves a greasy residue on the printed parts. I soak them in soapy water overnight before using them.

[Dan.Lord]

Cheers for the advice Niall    I've never used these before, so any advice always welcome. I noticed that it has a strong smell of almonds, must be the wax 
Anyway, yesterday was spent cutting out the anchor recesses & making up the inner bit, I also fitted the front deck to help strengthen up the hull. After a bit of faffing around all seemed to go ok  Got to trim back the hull a bit more where it meets the upper deck, as this seems to be over sized, no hardship though 

[ballastanksian]

  Great stuff, it takes shape very quickly at the beginning.Were the recesses etched into the hull or did you have to mark them on by measurement?

I often draw in recessed lines with pencil to make them clearer for cutting etc and wondered.

[Dan.Lord]

The recesses were marked on the hull, sort of a raised shape which I drew around with pencil to make stand out. I just used a drill & file to shape them. made the inner bits from scrap plasti card. There is no mention on these in the plans or instructions, so I guess you're either meant to leave them or  do what you fancy 

[ballastanksian]

It would just look wrong with them raised. I can appreciate that recesses are not fun to cast especially in a brittle resin like polyesther, so it makes sense to give you the option of cutting them and doing what you dooded.