Author Topic: 1/72 Revell Type VIIC/41 (Read 40968 times)

TristanR · « **on:** 13 Aug , 2015, 00:20 »

Hello, I am new here! I hope it's ok that I just jump in with a WIP thread?

Inspired by some of the fantastic builds I've seen on the internet (mainly here), I thought I would start my own.

I am not building a specific boat, I have not found a boat number that jumps out to me, maybe one will become appropriate as I progress.

The extras I have are below, click on them for links.
nautilus laser cut wooden deck
Griffon models gun set
White Ensign Models flood,drain and vent PE
Caswell's outrageously priced Flood hole PE
Eduard's PE bits
Resin Pressure hull top
Archer decal set

This sheet for the drain holes is the closest I got to the modelbrass set I see in other builds, that I was unable to get a hold of. The forward draining holes are not triangular in the modelbrass set, but are closer to the revell pattern.

Griffon guns, nice barrell in a bag, and more PE, I hope I like doing this much PE work...

The archer decals, the long lines are welds.

Eduard Pe set, nice big pieces for the fore and aft decks.

Resin Pressure hull. This is a little bit wonky, but for all you see of it, I bet it'll do fine.

Nautilus wooden deck. This broke in transit, easy to fix with wood glue I think, but I'm looking into making my own.

TristanR · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Aug , 2015, 00:26 »

I am doing the oil canning now, I might be going in a bit heavy, but the plastic is nice and thick, I should be ok

I decided to try and install some of this PE, starting with the torpedo bay doors.

After hacking around with the dremel, I am trying to wittle away the exact shape.

Slightly too big but the step I have carved will help a lot, this nice thick plastic should add a lot of support. The brass piece is thick, but bends easier than I thought it would.

It fits pretty well, the instructions mention using epoxy to secure the brass, which I don't have any of yet. Superglue should do it, but that's a job for another day.

Cheers!

iceonaboy · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Aug , 2015, 01:04 »

Looking good

SG · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Aug , 2015, 06:19 »

Hi and welcome aboard TristanR! A great start indeed! you seem fully equipped to build a great-looking model. I like the good quality shots of both the materials and the WIP you've taken. My advice is not to overdo the oil canning, as many experts here have pointed out before me after examining the pictures of the real boats. Great work with the torpedo bay doors.
Standing by for the next updates, keep up the excellent work!
SG

TristanR · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Aug , 2015, 15:36 »

Thanks for the advice on oil canning SG, I appreciate the feedback, I guess it's too late for this side but I will hold back on the other side when the time comes, thanks!
I decided not to install more delicate brass bits until I'd dinged up the ~~fusleage~~ hull. I'm using a dremel to make dings, just as many of you have done before.

Then I scrape over the dings with the scalpel blade to blend and make then not look like uniform dremel dings.

Finally I am sanding the result, to not make it look like I just scraped dremel dings with a scalpel.
I think this is going to take a while.

I decided to have a go at installing some of the drain hole brass. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves. I dremelled and filed the hole, I was able to cut an effective step on the plastic to recess and hold the brass.

It sort of worked, but there will have to be a lot of filling and sanding. I used lots of CA glue to stick the brass in, and fill the gaps a bit.

Finally I painted on some unthinned tamiya surface primer to get started with the clean up job. Hopefully if this goes well I will be less scared of the rear drain drain hole which look a lot more complicated.

Cheers!

SG · « **Reply #5 on:** 14 Aug , 2015, 04:02 »

TristanR, how do you manage to bend the PE parts to obtain the desired shape? do you bend the brass parts over a jig? do you pre-heat the PEs to make them lose their shape-memory?
I like the way you carved the step to hold the PEs, very effective, and clever. Well done!

TristanR · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Aug , 2015, 12:41 »

Hi SG, I am not heating the brass, I've heard it helps, but I'm not experienced enought to try that yet! I am rolling the peices on a mouse mat to get it to curve a little bit. For the aft drain peice I am using a PE bender to help with the tighter bend.

I didn't cut the hole big enough back here, so I'm having to cut away behind it.

Also, I have a bad step around the back of this brass cheek piece, I guess there is just going to be lots of filling and sanding

Also filling the other holes to be corrected with the WEM guides.

I also found that if I turned the dremel to it's lowest speed, the burr sort of skips accross the surface giving a fairly uniform (and quick to do) hammered effect, the high speed just cuts it, a combination of the two should bear fruit. Mainly I'm looking to create a surface that washes can follow when I get round to painting.

Cheers!

SG · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Aug , 2015, 02:49 »

TristanR, you've done a fantastic bending work with the aft drain PE! Perfectly reshaped and fitting beautifully. Am sure the filling/sanding process on the fore torpedo tube doors will turn into a major victory
On standby for further progress

TristanR · « **Reply #8 on:** 22 Aug , 2015, 21:45 »

Hi SG, It's not fitting perfectly but it's good enough. The scary part is that the drain hole PE from sub-driver is really expensive...I was looking for the PE vents for these doors, but there isn't any! That's because these are the saddle tank doors that hinge inward, at least I think they do, if anybody knows for sure let me know! Anyway, I started drilling them out.

The White ensgign brass kit includes drilling templates for the bow vent holes that are apparently more correct, so in they go. For the slots I drill out either end, dremel out the back so the plastic is thinner, and then carefully file the middle out, finally cleaning up with a flattened roll of sandpaper. seems to work ok, but I think I removed the brass teplate too quickly on the front most slots, and they are a bit wonky :/

It's also a good job I got those Archer rivets because there ain't any left on this part of the model now!

Also finished opening up the saddle tanks flood doors, still needs a bit of cleaning up.

Cheers!

TristanR · « **Reply #9 on:** 22 Aug , 2015, 21:54 »

Since I am doing the other side now, it's not going to make for interesting posts, apart from this side has an anchor well.
I did think I would try and document the entire torpedo door process, lots of very similar pictures to follow.

Bending. Too scared to try annealing! The other side worked out ok without it so I'm going to stick with what I know, plus I bought this bender tool that I should use!

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Step2, using a piece of 6mm tape to keep the top of the PE level as I find the right spot.

Step3, after careful consideration, marking the plastic to be cut.

Step4, Using the dremel with the cutting bit I try to create a step in the plastic.

Step5, Since the brass goes right up against the rear of the kit's torpedo door opening, I file a step into the middle span to help seat the brass. Don't want to cut too deep so no dremel.

Step6, Place brass in recess, after lots of cutting and measuring, I mark the plastic and brass for placement when I glue it

Step7, I dremelled to deep, the brass sits too recessed, I don't want to have to fill it so I installed thin strips of plastic to make the brass flush

Step8. Apparently the anchor recess is supposed to come forward with the new shorter doors I have. Not sure I care..

Step 9, Glued in, using medium (green) zap z gap filler Ca glue. I have debonder at the ready

Step 9a, I have an unpleasant lump in the lower brass, I think it's a lump of ca glue under it

Step 9b, I'm removing plastic from the back of the lump so I can tease it back into shape

Step 10, Added more glue, after it's gone off I do the first round of sanding.

Step11, First round of Filler, I'm using Tamiya putty.

Step12, First sanding of filler, I'm begining to see where to problems are.

Step13, Second round of filler. You can also see I've used styrene rod to fill the upper drain holes

Step14, after a sanding, first coat of paint. Now I can really see how well/badly it's working

Step15, a light sand to see where the high points are...

Step 16, using the bif tamiya file I grind off brass from the high ridge to the back of the piece, you can see how shiney it got

Step 17, Third Filler, made a little applicator, I'm trying to get an even layer of filler over the whole area

Step18, sanding

Step19, second paint layer. a bit too thin though.

I am probably 2 more rounds of filling and sanding away from final, but this post has gone on long enough.
Cheers!

billp51d · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Aug , 2015, 06:21 »

TristanR.... Not only quality workmanship, but great step by step photos.
Excellant "tutorial" says it all.. Hats off to the new guy!
Regards.. Bill from Delaware, USA..

SG · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Aug , 2015, 08:54 »

TristanR,
thanks for the excellent tutorial, i totally agree with Bill!
You are right about the saddle tanks kingstons or Flutklappen, they open inwards. The Kingstons were very well covered in Tore's thread, pages 174-175, here on the AMP forum:
http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=921.2595
http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=921.0;attach=6847;image
You can take some more modelling inspiration at Siara's U-552 blog:
http://u-552.blogspot.it/2008/11/saddle-tank-vents-take-2.html
Cheers, SG

TristanR · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Aug , 2015, 12:51 »

Thanks Bill and SG, And thankyou for the info on those doors, very helpful!
I'm trying to decide which exhaust option to go for, there are two on the white ensign PE sheet. I think I am going for this one, although, I realize I might be painting myself into a corner down the road as I still have not chosen a boat number yet. I do like this exhaust the best. I think I read somewhere (probably here) that these exhausts are for earlier boats?

Also I have to drill out these small slots. drilling either end is easy, but getting the middle isn't.

So I make a little flat roll of tamiya 800 sanding paper, and run it through with tweezers until the inner bumps are gone

Cheers!

SG · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Aug , 2015, 01:49 »

TristanR,
just in case you havent done it already, you can check THE Reference Book "the Wolf Pack: A collection of Uboat modelling articles" here on the AMP site: http://amp.rokket.biz/docs/the_wolf_pack_compr.pdf
It's about time you pick up the real boat to represent in order to choose the various details on your model

Cheers
SG

TristanR · « **Reply #14 on:** 25 Aug , 2015, 03:00 »

Thanks SG! I have skimmed those docs, but it was very useful to go through them again. I think I want to use this exhaust, maybe to an arctic paint job (or once had), have have a boat that was generally around for a long time. Going through all the boats on uboat.net trying to find one that fits, and has an interesting emblem. Like U-300 which had an owl. I am open to suggestions!

I've been stalled a bit recently, now that the hull halves are modified I think I can stick them together, but first I need to fix the torpedo tubes.

These are the kit's bulkheads, the one on the left is for the torpedo tubes.

You can see that the instructions have this piece hold all the open door parts too, and a ledge that this bulkhead slots nicely into.

Unless you filled those ledges with tons os superglue...

Also, the brass cheeks shorten the torpedo openings in the hull, which means that even if that kit piece did fit, it's tubes would need extending.

Anyway, I'm going to have to build something to hold some nice aluminum tubes I have for the torps, and if it can some how involves lasers, than so much the better.

Looking at these internet plans, the pressure hull is quite far back, so the tubes extend quite a ways forward from it. Maybe I can make something that attaches to the next bulkhead, that extends forwards and holds the tubes. This structure could also serve to support the aftermarket resin pressure hull top that I got.

One of the great sub builds out there is this one by Glenn Cauley, who also included his pressure hull plans, which I have modified slightly to hold my tubes
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/

After lots of faffing about on the computer, I have snuck into the laser cutter with more basswood. I added tabs and slots wherever I could so it holds together by itself, sorta.