Author Topic: VIIC "On the Ways"  (Read 75963 times)

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TopherVIIC

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VIIC "On the Ways"
« on: 23 Dec , 2011, 14:57 »
Hi all. I have a few pics of my rebuild in progress, and I will start a proper build thread here if it is ok.

The project is a VIIC/41 that I am building in 1:35th scale. I chose that scale because I am familiar with it from building armor, I have a billion spare parts that might find their way onto this boat at some point, and I figure I will be able to modify 1:35 scale figures to suitably man this vessel.
It will be a cut-away project, showing through major portions of the Stb. side, with as much framing, structural detail, plumbing, and the like visible through that side. The Bb side (Port) will be skinned, so I can paint and detail the exterior portions and play with weathering.
I am building this section from D.Spt 63 forward, which is the waterproof bulkhead at the aft end of the forward torpedo room.

Having said that, and having looked at the many builds I have seen on this forum and others, I decided to scrap my initial build. As mentioned in the other thread, I just did not like how it was going, and a total re-start from this point would be better than trying to fix what was going bad. Lessons learned!

Here are some pics from the initial work and the rebuild.

I kept the anchor and anchorwell... The anchor is built up from several laminations of .025" styrene and putty. For the large rivets at the base, I drilled tiny holes, inserted some stretched sprue, and when the cement was dry, helt near a candle to make the rivet head. The sprue mushrooms back and taadaa! Rivets!

The anchorwell was made of some carefully cut .015 styrene, shaped and folded origami style, and puttied.
Welds were added from stretched sprue melted with liquid cement and prodded into weld beads with the back of a pointy file


Wooden Torpedo Rohr proxies in the proper position, with a removable placement only bulkhead. This keeps everything aligned and in place till I can get the druckkorper in place.
Let me tell you - it was an exercise in trig to lay out and cut the holes in the metal end cap to fit the tubes. Three dimensional spherical elliptical nightmares to do by hand!


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Decks A,B,C,D, keel parts, and partial frame 106 bulkhead.

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Underside of Deck E showing supports, side stringers, and anchor chain locker...



Dry fitting decks and structural members.



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Opting to do more research on the interior stringer III section between decks B and C lead me to remove this cool looking but wrong truss.
It will only be seen through the oval shaped holes between torpedo hatches, but I want it to be right...
The thin brown paint is to relieve the starkness of pure white plastic, and to make photography slightly easier. These are not final colors! :-)


Pieces going together. Old HP air bottle and forward dive planes saved from old build.
Dive planes are made from laminations of .025 styrene, but I am currently applying Roland's texturing technique to them. More pics of that in the near future!


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Adding strengthening vanes to tubes I and III, plus outer door opening shaftwork, flanges,  and drainage tubes.
I intend to ad Grandt Line bolt castings as needed in the near future (they are ordered) I will lay in lubrication lines for the shaft-work, and texture the tubes so it looks more like castings. I have a lot of work to do.
Tubes II and IV will only get the detail needed that can be seen from the planned openings on the Sbd. side, as the Bb side will be closed off.

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Here the old scrapped deck E is in place to evaluate stuff I need to do for Bb torpedo tubes - and my initial evaluation was that I needed to rebuild Deck E!

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Below is the start of the new Deck E. I will add connections to the sensors and other obvious parts, but I like this new deck better than the old!




Thus is the current state of the build.
I Still need to pick a particular boat, and am looking through available info to find a suitable boat to build this into. I planned on a VIIC/41, but that is not set (yet) in stone. I like the story of U-250 and its sinking, then salvage by the Russians. I know U-250 was a VIIC not a VIIC/41, but the pics I have seen of her show what looks like an Atlantic bow and Turm IV. My boat at this stage is still flexible enough to continue as either a VIIC or a /41.
It would probably be better to pick a boat that there are numerous references and pics of, but I am still looking.
Any ideas gents?

Thanks for your encouragement in the other thread - It helped me to decide to go on and do the best I can do with this project.
Cheers
Christopher
« Last Edit: 27 Dec , 2011, 08:08 by TopherVIIC »

Offline Rokket

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #1 on: 23 Dec , 2011, 23:53 »
WoW!!! As I said before and others, it's a GREAT idea, something unique, and so well done. We want to see much more of this, and hopefully you will submit to some model mags!
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Offline Greif

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #2 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 01:41 »
This has to be one of the most awesome scratchbuilds I have seen!  You have some wicked skills Chris.  At 1/35 scale it is going to be really big; just short of 2 meters is my guess without doing the math.  I take it that the frames, stringers, decks, etc. are made out of evergreen plastic.  Did you use a punch and die set to make the round holes and a scribing templete the ovals?   

A great resource for uboots in general is uboat.net.  You can select uboat types on the start page and select Type VIIC/41.  On the page theat comes up you can look at each of the 91 Type VIIC/41 uboots that were commissioned.  Each has a short, in some cases very short, history.  That may give you some idea as to which uboot you want to build.  Whichever one you decide upon I will follow your progress with interest.

Cheers,
Ernest

Nevermind4712

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #3 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 01:51 »
Hey!!..great Work!!

Im waiting for Updates:)

Quote
Any ideas gents?


Why not a VII/D?...a Minelayer.
Only 7 Boats and i think than you are the first who build one in 1/35 ;D


TopherVIIC

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #4 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 09:33 »
Hmm a VII/D? I will have to research just how much info there is on the mechanisms and storage areas of the mine bay. I may need real estate to house it! I will likely tour the yards over the next few days but the Werft is observing the holidays.
You know how it is.

Well, I will just clean up a little and admire the work. Hmm, didn't notice that support plate is mis-aligned. I'll just fix that... Take a sec.

Hmm, there is some plumbing I need to add. Better fire up the computer and dig out the drawing. Just take a sec. There it is... Oh, what a great pic!!! that has exactly the reference I needed for the anchorwell!

(to wife...) "Honey-I will be out in a few minutes..."

The Happy Times indeed!
Merry Christmas and "Fr

Offline wildspear

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #5 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 10:37 »
Great work so far. where did you get the drawings that your working with? Merry Christmas to you and a happy holiday  season .

bracco_n

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #6 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 10:50 »
Now that's something I've never seen before and it's looking great! I'll be following your build with great interest!
Merry christmas to you all!

TopherVIIC

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #7 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 11:33 »
Quote
... where did you get the drawings that your working with?
I am taking refs from all over the place - the K

Offline wildspear

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #8 on: 24 Dec , 2011, 12:02 »
that would be awesome

Offline NZSnowman

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #9 on: 26 Dec , 2011, 10:41 »
Look great! It like see my drawing in 3D ;D

Look forward to more pictures.

TopherVIIC

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #10 on: 27 Dec , 2011, 08:19 »
As promised, here are a few pics that I drew and use as reference drawings. If these are too large for this forum I will gladly provide links instead -

These Drawings are in 1:35th scale, and for here are @ 72dpi. If anyone wants higher resolution drawings I can make them no problem.

]https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/TopherVIIC_Dwg001.jpg]


]https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/TopherVIIC_Dwg002.jpg]


]https://www.kabutographics.com/_VIICBuild/TopherVIIC_Dwg003.jpg]

I am making my drawing in layers, and have layers for each of the frames and D.Spt so I can turn them on and off at will.
I do not have all of the drawings I need yet, as I am still gathering references. I need to acquire a full set of the K
« Last Edit: 27 Dec , 2011, 08:25 by TopherVIIC »

Offline Rokket

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #11 on: 29 Dec , 2011, 02:31 »
As much work on the dwgs as the boat!
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TopherVIIC

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #12 on: 29 Dec , 2011, 15:48 »
Hi!
Here is some more work I have done in the last few days.

Firstly, I have settled on a Rot Rostschutzgrundfarbe that I like. It is similar in color to refs I have found on the web from rust-proofing manufacturers in Europe.
The 1944 regulations state that for "Regel-, Tauch-, Trimm-, Untertrieb- und sonstige Seewasserf
« Last Edit: 29 Dec , 2011, 16:58 by TopherVIIC »

bracco_n

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #13 on: 29 Dec , 2011, 16:55 »
Great job Chris! The colour looks fine to me but I would give it a brown/black wash to darken it a bit but that's just me. Could you tell me what are those "black boxes" on deck E?
Happy New Year!

Offline NZSnowman

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Re: VIIC "On the Ways"
« Reply #14 on: 29 Dec , 2011, 18:14 »
As you can see, I used a copper colored coated cable (.025") for the connections for the GHG, but have a question...
Were they sheathed cables in real life or were they a rubber coated electrical cable? I can find no refs that say what the material was.
Now I need to work on the windlass and vent fixtures for Deck "E".

I also have never seen any information on the outside electrical cables. In my drawings I use a copper colour, but I am going to change it when I get time. I am thinking more like either:

Rubber with hemp filler fabric cord

Or

Rubber with spiral wrapping

I am also planning to redraw some of the under deck piping in it original galvanized colours.