AMP - Accurate Model Parts
SEA => SUBS: Uboats => TYPE VII => Topic started by: GlennCauley on 04 Nov , 2008, 08:59
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Hi folks,
For anyone interested, I have resurrected my U-673 build for the wintertime, now that my motorcycling season is over.
I have a website dedicated to the build at: http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673
(it follows the build site I did for my U-625 model)
Comments, questions, and recommendations are always welcome!
Glenn Cauley
Ottawa, Canada
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Hi Glenn,
I've followed your U-boat models with great interest. Very glad to see such detailed builds. I especially like the U-Brass parts on your model.
I wonder if anybody has every modelled U 673 before?
Looking forward to watching progress.
Cheers,
Dougie
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Thanks Dougie,
Next phase is cleaning up the hull seams, adding the fins & props, PE details, etc. Then adding all the hatches to the top deck. Then re-adding all the lost rivets.
This build has been fun so far, but it's very difficult to find information about U-673, and even more difficult to find good pictures!
I'm VERY happy that you created the U-brass set, and even happier that you posted all your research documentation. Especially the painting guide... all U-boat modellers should have this as their first and foremost reference.
Glenn
:)
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Hi Glenn,
Very welcome on the U-Brass and painting guide - very glad that others refer to it. Do you have the photo of U 673 with the UAK markings on the tower? I loose track of which photos I have sent to people over time. :)
During her training U 673 had two jumping wires above the forward deck and possibly only one over the rear deck. Quite unusual this. When it was converted to the Flak boat it had the more usual one jumping wire at the front. But did it have one or two at the rear at this time?
U 673 was very dark during the Flak boat period. Can I ask what paint you are thinking of using for the upper colour?
Cheers,
Dougie
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The painting guide is one of THE most useful documents I use for painting my U-boats. Pretty much everything is covered in it.
The 1 good photo I have of U-673 does not show any tower UAK markings... or at least any that I could see. Is it possible it did not have any? Or perhaps they were covered by the bins that were added along with the forward gun platform? If you have any pictures that you could pass along, it would be very helpful to me.
Again I'll need to look at my reference picture(s) about the jumper wires, but I recall it is quite an unusual configuration at the front (much like the 4 U-flaks). I think it had two wires at the rear, though.
I was going to paint the upper Schlickgrau, as per the information in your colour report.
I got the proper colours from the WEM Kriegsmarine collection.
:)
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Hi Glenn,
The U 673 photo is below -
(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc118/dougie47/U673_UAK_training-1.jpg)
This might not help you directly with your Flak boat model as this photo of U 673 was taken before it was converted to a Flak boat.
Schlickgrau 58 would be a good choice for your model, though the upper colour might even have been darker. WEM's paints are really good.
Cheers,
Dougie
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I like Your new bollards Glenn. ;)
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Thanks! ;D
But I just realized the bow bollards are wrong... goes with the deck design I selected.
My current deck has a single bow bollard on the starboard side at the very forward edge of the wooden deck... goes with the older Nautilus deck design.
The proper config (from what I can see in photos like U711, etc.) at the bow is to have a pair of two bollards on the PORT side, slightly back from the forward edge of the wooden deck.
Looks like I'll have to blank off the incorrect bollard deck plate, make a new double plate in the proper position, and sink in TWO bollards instead of one. Easy, breezy.
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Bollards look fantabulous! I realise now that mine have a lip, which i thought was correct, but isn't. I also never thought of soldering to metal, and ended up making the tops by hand (teardrop OK, handle in ctr reeeeeeeally tiny), I should have used your method! Build is really coming along, really nicd work!
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Thanks! ;D
But I just realized the bow bollards are wrong... goes with the deck design I selected.
My current deck has a single bow bollard on the starboard side at the very forward edge of the wooden deck... goes with the older Nautilus deck design.
The proper config (from what I can see in photos like U711, etc.) at the bow is to have a pair of two bollards on the PORT side, slightly back from the forward edge of the wooden deck.
Looks like I'll have to blank off the incorrect bollard deck plate, make a new double plate in the proper position, and sink in TWO bollards instead of one. Easy, breezy.
Is this common with other boats? Namely the U-552.
Can You share some pics to show exactly where the bollards should be located please. Like You- i was going to do the single bollard.
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Is this common with other boats? Namely the U-552.
Can You share some pics to show exactly where the bollards should be located please. Like You- i was going to do the single bollard.
If you look at that pic of U711 on this site (with the 4 U-boats side-by-side in port) you will see the location of the bow bollards.
My issue was that I had sanded down the wooden deck so that the detail was gone. In the starboard front corner I saw a hole, so assumed that's where the bollard was.
But after seeing photos I knew I had it wrong. I then looked at the stock kit plastic deck and voila there were the dual bollard on the port side. D'oh! ;)
Here's a pic of my forward deck taken last night.
Note that I'm transplating details from the brass Modelbrass deck onto my wooden deck (following Siara's footsteps). :D
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One good thing about having to spend time at home for surgery recovery is that it gave me time to work on U-673.
Even though 1 arm has been in a sling, I still managed to get a lot done! LOL
I have posted all of my latest progress on my U-673 build site at:
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673
updated as of April 18th.
I'm nearly at the point of priming the hull and ... GASP ... replacing all of my lost rivets!!! ;D
woo hoo!
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I'm nearly at the point of priming the hull and ... GASP ... replacing all of my lost rivets!!! ;D
woo hoo!
Good progress Glenn!
Replacing rivets should be easy with the Archers set you designed. I wish i had the oportunity to try it on my boat.
Im not saying that the rivets i have done on my boat are not good, but using the Archer set could have save me lot of time.
I had the quick look at earlier updates, and realised you are missing two handles on the capstan- c`mon Glenn you slacking a bit here mate! ;D
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I had the quick look at earlier updates, and realised you are missing two handles on the capstan
Funny you mentioned the capstan... I was thinking this morning that I was still not happy with it.
Ahhh.. now I see the handles... the 2 semi-circular handles on the sides.
Done.
BTW, thanks for the link for the Koki paste... I ordered some from that store and am *eagerly* awaiting it!
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where's the link on that paste? where, man, where???
Glenn - keep up the great work! You must be as busy as a 1-armed modeller!
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Here's where I ordered mine from:
http://www.techgsm.com/Solder_paste_for_SMD_KOKI_40g,3937.html
Many thanks to Siara for this. :D
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Well, I am finally starting to prime my U-673 hull... and of course finding out all the tiny things I need to refill & putty! I found Tamiya Surface Primer or Mr. Surfacer 500 are great pre-thinned putties that are SO easy to use.
Thank you to everyone on their advice for primer. I am currently using Tamiya Fine Surface Primer out of a spraycan... turns out I had a few new cans! So far it is working fairly well, though I find it does not really bite into some of the PE pieces (esp. the lower bow vent pieces). I may try using the Alclad II Grey Primer/Microfiller or Mr. Surfacer 1000.
I must say that I am relieved that all the puttying & sanding work on the bow section has resulted in a fairly smooth surface. Once I'm happy with the finish, I'll be putting a gloss on it and then adding my Archer rivets. I'm VERY excited about that!!! It's very odd to see a smooth, rivet-free bow section. :)
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Hey Glenn-as usual your work is top drawer- You Wink and Siara set the standards. My 1/72 Corvette project goes well. The Hull Plate rivet detail work very time consuming,but the overall effect looking good.I hope to have that stage done over the summer.
Type VII-C Sub will be next and as per our past E-mails,I am purchasing the aftermarket details for that portion of the total diorama.
P.S. Those Archer decals look great. Woody was very helpful.
Take care and stay well.
Jeff
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Glenn- if you need the primer that covers anything from resin to PE, and does not chip- use the Citadel Chaos Black Primer.
It is the stuff thet they use in the Games Workshop dioramas to prime their figures, and tanks. Top stuff!! ;)
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Glenn- if you need the primer that covers anything from resin to PE, and does not chip- use the Citadel Chaos Black Primer.
It is the stuff thet they use in the Games Workshop dioramas to prime their figures, and tanks. Top stuff!! ;)
Oooooohhh okay! I'll check with my LHS on the way home to see if they have any.
Thanks! :D
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Mr Surfacer - I use for touchups and light puttying, but a mate has used very successfully for priming, he's happy, airbrushes smooth and thin and bites. Pretty smely and laquer thinner/acetone are best for cleanup, but...
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I started to replace the lost rivets on the bow yesterday.
I can honestly say that all the time & effort spent on creating the Archer Surface Detail Set for the U-boat was well worth it!
Wow... so easy to replace the rivets. :)
1. Determine the area where you are going to put the new row of rivets.
2. Look on the layout diagram to determine which "rivet group" to apply.
3. Measure the length of the rivet row that you need.
4. Cut out the appropriate length of rivets from the appropriate "rivet group" on the decal sheet.
5. Apply the rivet row like a regular waterslide decal.
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Fantastic rivets Glenn. More pictures please. ;)
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Great picture & the rivets do look fantastic :)
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glen ' great job with the transfers .they work ! :D
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I have updated my build site at:
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673
Go to the "Rivets" page.
Probably one of the coolest "special patterns" included in the set is the 1-piece pattern for the forward edge of the bow... check it out!
;D
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glen ' i just checked out the pattern you were talking about with the new transfers .niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. how do those little rascals come off the sheet with the micro sol as opposed to regular water ? they look great! ;)
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It was fun trying to apply that bow pattern, given the size and curvature. You have to cut the decals very close to the rivets to minimize the amount of decal film.
I dip the decal in lukewarm water for about 5-8sec to loosen the glue, then put it on piece of tissue to absorb excess water. After that, I apply a fairly heavy amount of Micro-Set to the area where the decal will go. It acts as a wetting agent so the decal will not stick right away... I don't use Micro-Set to further loosen the decal on the backing paper but rather it is fairly loose by then just from the water. I'll use a paintbrush or tweezer tip to move the decal onto the model. With the Micro-Set on the model, I have several minutes to move the decal into place. When the decal is in place, I use a tissue to wick away the excess Micro-Set. If I find that I can see excess decal film, I'll wet the decal with Micro-Sol to dissolve it more.
Not sure if this rant answered your question? :P
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Call me stupid, but I tore apart the bullnose out of my U-673. (The forward upper tip of the bow.) This after the nose was all completed, filled, and primed. I had a piece of brass tubing CA'd through the plastic hull, so removing it was... fun. I ended up cracking the top part of the deck at the nose. Arrggghhhh! Of well, a quick application of epoxy putty gave me a fresh surface to start again.
I just wasn't happy with the bullnose I made... the inlet is still too small.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Bullnose.jpg)
After looking at my Type VIIC "Warship Pictorial" book again, I found a few *excellent* pictures of the bullnose inlets (esp. on page 34). I'll be reconstructing the bullnose this week, using a much larger inlet depicted in the photos.
The bullnose inlet on the stock VIIC kit is about 1/4 the size it should be, and is too far back from the tip of the nose.
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yes it did glen thanks for the info.i also know about cracking that revell plastic but with a litte work it comes out ok.
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Another update... bullnose!
I tore apart and redid the bullnose on U-673 ... again... and posted the information on my build site.
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673
go to section "Hull Detailing 2"
Here is a pic of the not-quite-finished bullnose, but I'll post additional pics when it is done.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/channel_sculpting2.jpg)
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MUCH nicer
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Your new bullnose was worth the risk!
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Great project Glenn! Keep it up!
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Nice work Glenn.
Cheers,
Dougie
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I am highly motivated to complete U-673 for our upcoming contest CAPCON 2011 on September, 24, 2011. The hull was already completed, but I hadn't started on the conning tower (well, except for making the REALLY cool Flak-37 cannon from photoetch). So starting about 1 week ago, I have been doing marathon modelling sessions, going late into the nights.
The CT is going to be REALLY fun to do for U-673, with the forward AA platform, railings, ammo stowage cabinets, etc etc etc etc. :) I only have a few scant & fuzzy pictures to work from. Ahh... the challenge. Since U-673 is a converted VIIC, and I was using a VIIC/41 kit as the basis, I had to do a fair bit of grafting & surgery to make it look proper.
Here are the results of my grafting together the CT using VIIC/41 and some VIIC parts:
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And some other details. MANY thanks to others who have posted their detailed builds online (Siara, etc.)
There are still many details to add, and some things to change.
Full steam ahead... damn the torpedoes!!!
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Great to see you back at work, U-673 is cming along pretty nicely!
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I forgot what a pain it is to add tiny, fiddly, dropable, loseable PE parts! LOL
The tricks... hydrate lots when modelling so the hands don't shake, and avoid modelling over carpetted areas!
But wow does it look good when they're on there. hehehe
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Looking good Glenn. I find my problem is fixing the little pieces of PE with CA glue. Its really hard to get just the right amount of glue on, without long strings appearing and falling onto the kit or overspill oozing out from behind the PE and looking scabby. As you say, when you get it right , it sure looks good on the model.
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Thanks!
Whenever it is feasible, I try to solder the PE parts together using Koki paste (thank you, Siara).
But you're right, when attaching the PE part to plastic (or together when solder paste is not an option), yeh it is difficult to get the right amount of CA glue. I have a method that I describe in the "how to" section (http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=332.msg9747#msg9747). I may be a bit time consuming, but usually ensures the PE pieces stay in place without globs of glue all over.
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Aaaaah finally...i was looking all the time for your progress! ;D
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Hi Glenn,
that detail is looking very sweet! The hardwork is worth it just looking at the "near completion" and dashboard CU.
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First attempt at brass wire railings... turned out well!
I used 0.80mm brass wire, and Koki solder paste at the joints.
I jigged it on corkboard, using straight pins to hold the pieces in place.
Melted the solder paste using a butane pencil torch with a hot air tip (NOT the torch tip).
The results are strong, clean joints.
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FINALLY some paint gets laid down!!!
I went with Siara's recommendation on the primer... Citadel Chaos Black spray primer, available from Games Workshop. AWESOME stuff, too bad it's only available in a spray can.. but I decanted it for spraying with my airbrush. Works on plastic & metal, very thin, adheres well, dries in minutes.
For colour I went with WEM enamel paint - some of the best paint around for Kriegsmarine colours - thinned with good ModelMaster thinner. I used Schlickgrau 58 which is what is listed for U-673 (thank you Wink & Dougie). The first coat laid down nicely... but I must say I don't care for the colour! Looks grey/green to me... blech. ;D
After some putty work & another paint coat, I'll be painting the wooden slats black/charcoal individually by hand... so you'll be able to see the grey in between the individual slats. Then the weathering inside the tower... then the assembly & external painting... then the forward AA gun deck!!!!!!!!!!! :D
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Hello Glenn, good to see that you are active again on the forum.
It was your build-log of the U-673 with all your tips and hints that helped me a lot during the build of my U-995.
The result was a first price with my U-995 during a modelling competition in Belgium last year, i think that was impossible without all the info i got from your webpage.
You`re build is looking really good and i will stay tuned on this topic ;)
Karel
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The wooden panels (PE pieces) inside the tower turned out REALLY well. After priming & painting the inside of the tower (see previous pics), I sanded down the wooden panels to remove the paint and expose the brass again. The gray between the individual wooden slats remained as I intended. I then used a microbrush to apply JAX Pewter Black (metal blackening solution) to the bare-metal PE slats to turn them black... then drybrushed the slats with a bit of medium brown paint. The results were excellent!
I added in the fold-down seats on the sides, and started with a bit of subtle weathering using the simplest method... a sharp pencil. A graphite pencil is great for simulating paint wearing off a metal surface, especially on edges. If I got over-ambitious with that, it is easy to remove with a pencil eraser. :)
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Hello Glenn, good to see that you are active again on the forum.
It was your build-log of the U-673 with all your tips and hints that helped me a lot during the build of my U-995.
The result was a first price with my U-995 during a modelling competition in Belgium last year, i think that was impossible without all the info i got from your webpage. You`re build is looking really good and i will stay tuned on this topic ;) Karel
NICE!!! Congratulations, Karel. I'm glad my build information was helpful to you.
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Next is the painting & weathering of the CT wooden floor, and a bit more weathering with some washes & rusting. Then I can assemble the major tower pieces finally... and start on the forward AA gun platform!
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Floor... painted & weathered
Wash... applied (ProModeller Dark Dirt wash)
Major pieces... assembled!
Putty... applied!
Now we wait for the putty to dry, and let the sanding & sculpting begin.
After the major construction & surgeries are done, will again use the Archer U-boat rivet set to replace the rows of lost rivets... booyahh!!
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Great job! Darn I miss working on my boat... Think I'll have to do another in 1/72
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Added the front ammo storage cabinet to the front of the tower. The gun platform will go immediately below it. :D
The "fun" part will be making the front platform railing from scratch... not sure yet how to tackle that one.
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I made the railing of the U-995 completely from brass 0.5mm wire and glued everything together with superglue.
Using superglue worked for me, but it is not really suitable for this job because the construction is not very strong...
(http://i56.tinypic.com/2h3qxaw.jpg)
Karel
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Wowwwwwwww.... nice job!!!
Are ALL the rail parts made from 0.5mm brass wire? The top rail looks thicker than the down stanchions.
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Progress was halted a bit today, as I was forced to do emergency repairs to the fine grillwork on the sides of the tower.
Originally I had thinned the plastic from behind, and then drilled the individual holes.
Well, with all the sanding I've been doing lately, it really weakened those areas until finally it started breaking apart between the holes.
There was nothing I could do to save it. :(
Luckily, I still had leftovers from the U-Brass set that I could graft into the tower!!! Kudos to Wink & Dougie for creating that set, you saved my bacon AGAIN!
I carefully cut out the PE pieces, and filed the edges close to the holes. Then VERY carefully I cut matching holes in the plastic tower, fitted the PE pieces, and used CA to glue them in place flush. To seal & blend the edges with the plastic, I applied a bit of CA around the outside edges, then a squirt of CA Accelerator hardened the CA. Some light sanding later and voila! Nicely grafted pieces. A quick brush of paint showed no edges... looks good!
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Wowwwwwwww.... nice job!!!
Are ALL the rail parts made from 0.5mm brass wire? The top rail looks thicker than the down stanchions.
You are right Glenn, i forgot to tell that the top rail is 0.7mm..
More pics of the railing can be seen in my topic: http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=443.0
By the way, nice repair on the grillwork, looks very neat ;)
Karel
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U-673 is sure going to be one "interesting" looking boat, with the front AA platform.
Here's a teaser.
And yes, ALL of the holes in the forward resin platform had to be drilled out. Over 1000 I think?
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And with the Flak37 mounted. ;D
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There is NOT a lot of information about the front AA platform on U-673... in fact there are only 2 blurry photos that I've been able to find!
From that I was able to "guestimate" the front AA platform railings, and created some rough drawings that I'll use to build it. Due to the complexity of this railing, likely I'll use alu. rod (more bendable) for the curved railings, and brass rod for the straight parts. I'll be using CA to put it all together. Not as strong as a solder joint, but a lot easier to do.
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Added the stanchion bases to the front AA platform, using 1.5mm (0.060") plastic rod.
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Love the progress, and the funkiness of this boat!
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Building railings piece-by-piece is very boring, tedious, and frustrating... but the results are satisfying!
Fortunately the more you do, the quicker it gets since you pick up tricks along the way. :)
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So far... :)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image2.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image3.jpg)
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Congrats Glenn, amazing work!
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Interesting look, the forward gun platform :)
Wel made Glenn.
Karel
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Great! Can't wait to see further developments!
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Here's the MOSTLY-completed forward AA platform.
Reminder to self: get the railing plans RIGHT cuz having to cut things apart and re-do them after you THOUGHT you had it right is just plain annoying! :P
Don't worry, I'll be filing the joints to make them look better.
Need to add: support legs, ladder, antenna conduit pipes, wire anchor brackets.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image4.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image5.jpg)
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Ladder made from 0.50mm brass wire, soldered together with Koki solder paste. With the Koki solder paste, I don't need a soldering iron... rather I use a butane torch with a hot air blower tip. Works fantastic, and the soldered joints are very strong.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image7.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image8.jpg)
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I've been going back & forth about using the Nautilus wooden tower decks.
The PROs of using the wooden tower decks:
I can paint the tower in one shot (without masking), then stain & weather the decks and install them afterwards.
The only CON about the wooden tower decks is that they seem overly thick.
The wooden decks are 1.05mm thick... then when you put it atop the plastic deck it looks unrealistically thick.
Options?
1: Scrape down the plastic deck, or 2: thin the wooden deck to a more reasonable thickness.
Option 1 is not really... well... an option, since the tower was already assembled and scraping them down would be very difficult. Sooooooooo....... out came the sanding sticks!
I sanded the wintergarten (lower) wooden deck to 0.60mm thickness and it looks MUCH better when laid atop the plastic deck.
Below are some pics of the regular thickness upper tower deck (1.05mm) and the thinned wintergarten deck (0.60mm).
I also had to file & cut some grooves in the wintergarten wooden deck for the small round hatches, so the clamps & hinges fit properly.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image9.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image10.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image11.jpg)
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I had the same problem, i sanded the wooden deck as thin as possible and glued it onto the plastic deck.
In my opinion that is the best solution..
Karel
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Love the progress, and the funkiness of this boat!
Yup, this sure is one funky-looking boat!
Can't wait to build the quad 20mm flakvierling for the rear platform. :D
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Like FoxbaT, I too chose to use the 3.7cm Flak M42 cannon from the following Griffon Models set:
GMA-N005 1/72 Standard Armament Scheme for WW II German U-Boote Type VII C/41 (http://www.griffonmodel.com/product_view.asp?id=98&classid=75)
This set contains enough parts for two twin-20mm guns, and the Flak cannon.
(For the rear 2.0cm quad flakvierling, I'll be deciding between the Eduard PE set and the Griffon Models PE set for the S-100 boat.)
The 3.7cm Flak cannon is ALL brass... teeny-tiny PE pieces and a turned metal barrel. It truly is a masterpiece to behold... and certainly a challenge to build. I selected this to be a project for the wonderous Koki solder paste instead of using CA to glue it together. It results in a very strong cannon, but it is a challenge to use solder paste on such small pieces... you always risk other previously-soldered pieces coming off.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/IMG_0688.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/IMG_0689.jpg)
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U-673 did not have the cable mounting brackets on the top forward edge of the tower (like other boats did), so those slots were filled in. The new brackets will be on the top railing of the forward AA platform.
I found a great way to keep small PE pieces in place and heat the Koki solder paste without the part moving... tape!
Here is the wire bracket I soldered onto the front AA platform brass rail.
I stuck on a small piece of blue "low tack" tape and made a "shelf" for the PE piece to sit on. Then I added the solder paste & put the bracket in place. The piece is so light, and a small piece of blue masking tape has enough strength & tack that it stays in place and doesn't droop.
I use an old Weller (?) butane torch with hot air tip to heat the solder paste; the blower tip is fairly small so it has good accuracy. Usually the solder paste is melting about the same time that the tape is starting to singe a bit. Voila... solder melted, part didn't move, strong joint! Tape removes easily.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Torch_hot-air-tip.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image12.jpg)
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Good tip Glenn! thanks for that ;)
Karel
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Glenn, am speechless!
two questions:
-do you also use a soldering wire or the koki paste alone does the job?
-would you provide me w a reference number for the koki paste you've been using? (i did some research and apparently koki produces quite a nr of different types of soldering paste, so i cant figure out which is the most appropriate one for soldering tiny PE sets)
thanks in advance and congrats again for the excellent work!
SG
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Hi SG
Thank you! :)
I've gotten a LOT of good tips from the people here and other forums... but mostly from here.
It was Siara who recommended the Koki soldering paste a long time ago, and I am SO glad I went that route.
I don't use solder wire at all anymore for soldering PE. With solder wire you need to have direct heat applied to the pieces being soldered long enough to melt & flow the solder wire. By the time everything heats up enough for the solder to flow... EVERYTHING heats up. That is not good when dealing with small PE parts (and esp. those that are close together).
With Koki soldering paste, you only need to use a VERY small amount, and it is easy to apply with pinpoint accuraty. The paste is thick & sticky enough to keep the pieces together while you heat it with the hot air blower. That way only the solder paste gets heated and not everything surrounding it. It takes very little indirect heat to melt the solder paste. Just wait until you try it! The trick is to find a good butane pencil torch with a fine hot air tip... not sure who makes these anymore.
Here is the URL for the Koki paste I get from TechGSM. It's not cheap, but it should last a very long time considering how much you use & how much you get in a tube.
http://www.techgsm.com/Solder_paste_for_SMD_KOKI_40g,3937.html (http://www.techgsm.com/Solder_paste_for_SMD_KOKI_40g,3937.html)
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Thanks very much Glenn, that was most illuminating! ::)
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The completed (?) forward AA deck.
Filed/sanded the railing joints, added the antenna wire conduit pipes which route underneath and go vertically into the main deck below the platform), and added the platform support legs. The latter were probably the most difficult to do correctly, as they needed to be well braced and at equal angles. I think I nailed it. :)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image15.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image16.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image17.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Image18.jpg)
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Looks like I have something to change... it seems the forward antenna wire conduit was on the PORT side only, not both sides. A bit of minor (?) surgery.
And NEXT time I scratchbuild railings, better believe I'm gonna solder everything!
CA'd railings are SO fragile. :-[
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The kit gun deck railings clean up nicely with a bit of sanding & filing.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Picture013.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Picture014.jpg)
I found a trick to removing plastic railings from sprue frames without making them snap.
Do NOT use sprue cutters to try to nip the railing from the sprue frame... chances are the thin railing will snap!
Instead, use a dremel mototool with cutoff disk (at high speed) to cut through the sprue frames close to (5mm or so) away from the railing. The railing will come free from the sprue frame, with small pieces of sprue frame still attached.
After the railing is free from the main sprue frame, use GOOD sprue cutters to remove the excess sprue bits.
I use a Xuron 2175ET Professional Sprue Cutter (http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/2008/11/15/xurons-new-professional-sprue-cutter) which is probably the BEST sprue cutter I've ever used. Finish by sanding the part smooth.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/xuron2175et.jpg)
Xuron also offers a 9180ET Profession PE Scissors (http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/2010/01/31/xurons-new-pro-pe-cutter-sneak-peek) which I will look at getting, too.
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Awesome, can't wait to see some paint on it!
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Hello Glenn,
Following with real great interest !!! Very pro.
Cheers, :)
Pepper-M
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I used 0.65mm brass wire to make the tower ladder steps (4 per side).
After cutting 8 lengths of wire, I annealed them with my butane pencil torch (torch tip) to make them easier to bend.
I used the "Grab Handler" tool (http://www.missionmodels.com/product.php?productid=16462) to make the initial "U" bends, then I used my "Bug" PE folder (http://thesmallshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=9) to fold down the steps. To get them all the same, I used a piece of masking tape on the PE folder to mark the edge of the wire. When I installed the steps onto the tower, I used a piece of styrene to set the proper gap behind the step.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Picture015.jpg)
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I think the tower is DONE!!!
Now I can prime it, replace the lost rivets (Archer set to the rescue!!! hehe), and then paint it
After that the wooden decks go in, and other small bits.
The periscopes and antennas will be the absolute last things to be installed on this model, as they are very fragile.
Next up... building the remaining armament.
U-673 was an AA test bed, so I'll be mounting the 3.7cm cannon in the forward AA platform, 2x twin-20mm guns on the upper (rear) gun deck, and a <gasp> 20mm quad flakvierling on the lower (rear) gun deck. I'd have hated to be in the crosshairs of this boat!
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Picture021.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Picture023.jpg)
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I forgot what a pain it is to add tiny, fiddly, dropable, loseable PE parts! LOL
The tricks... hydrate lots when modelling so the hands don't shake, and avoid modelling over carpetted areas!
Yes, the tiny, dropable, loseable parts are a pain for sure. But I have a method that helps.
I always keep a flashlight beside me when I'm working on such parts. If I drop a part, use the flashlight.
No, don't shine it down on the carpet (even a tile floor is sometimes hard to find some parts on) from above, but instead lay the flashlight down on the floor and shine the light horizontally over the floor. You won't see the part any better, but what you DO see is the shadow cast by the part, and it makes it much easier to find.
Just yesterday, I was reducing the size of a metal watch bracelet that the store I bought it from said couldn't be made small enough to fit me. A little U-shaped spring sprung and landed on the white, grey and blue flecked tile. I knew about where it was because I'd heard it, but still couldn't find it after 5 minutes of trying. So I went to the other room, got a flashlight and spotted it within 5 seconds.
I still couldn't actually see the spring when I looked directly at where the flashlight revealed the shadow, but reaching for the shadow, it was easy to pick up.
The watch fits perfectly now.
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That's an excellent method, Pat, an improvement over the eyeball to floor method to see "big" objects - I like the light/shadow! But I thought the point of E was to lose al the parts? (after bending nd mangling them of course) ;D
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Mmmmm interesting paint scheme! :)
Maybe I should just leave the tower black? Didn't they have an experimental black nicht camo pattern? Yeh yeh... THAT'S it !!!
Okay, colour goes on next.
And the silly thing about priming it black? Try putting on rivet decals on that! The rivets nearly disappear as soon as they are applied. LOL
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CTpriming1.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CTpriming2.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CTpriming3.jpg)
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First order of the day yesterday was completing the one twin 20mm gun that I started before.
LUCKILY I found my CA glue tips for ultra-fine application of CA glue. That made a HUGE difference in the ease & precision of building the guns.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Twin1.jpg)
It took from 12PM to 2:30AM to complete the 20mm quad flakvierling... I refused to sleep until it was done, I needed to keep my momentum going!
It turned out beautifully I think. I used a combination of Eduard and Griffon PE sets, as both had good things to offer.
And yes, I did make "braap braaaaaappp" noises when I completed the gun. ::)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Quad1.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Quad2.jpg)
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A bit of mockup of the tower, showing 3 of the 4 guns (front 3.7cm Flak cannon, a single twin 20mm gun, and the rearmost 20mm quad flakvierling).
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Mockup1.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Mockup2.jpg)
Aircraft beware... stay away from that boat!
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The primed turret is A-mazing, Glenn! I can well understand why you did the "braaap" noises when completing the AA guns, since am having my own pains w a semi-scratchbuilt 1/400 20mm AA gun (which is due to be completed-i will submit it to the forum asap, not before the proper long n loud "braaapping session" has taken place ;D ). Please let me know your CA glue tips for "ultra-fine application of CA glue", they will be most welcome... a propos i found a butane pencil torch with a hot air tip and am looking forward to receiving the koki paste i ordered to test if the welding technique can be applied to a smaller scale (1/400 in my case).
Keep up the excellent work and thanks for sharing it with us
Cheers!
SG
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And the final gun (twin 20mm) is done!!!
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Twin2.jpg)
I started using CA glue tips for applying micro-fine drops & seams of CA glue to put the guns together.
http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=823.msg9866#new
Once you start using those glue tips, you'll wonder how you ever got this far without them.
I wish I had found those tips long ago, they make PE assembly SO much easier.
Funny, sounds like the same for what Koki paste did for soldering PE! :)
I just happened to find a bag of glue tips that I had bought 2 years ago. I'll be getting or making more fer shur.
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The goods & bads about painting...
The GOOD:
1. FINALLY I get an idea about what the boat is going to look like.
2. Knowing I am nearing the end of the build. :)
The BAD:
1. After a black primer, after spraying the lighter colour I get to see all my flaws! :P
2. I still don't like Schlickgrau.
3. Knowing I am nearing the end of the build. :(
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Parts.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Colour1.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Colour2.jpg)
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Really nice looking, that thing was a porcupine!
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Heheh the U-boat crews said the same thing about my dad's Sunderland aircraft... they called it a "flying porcupine."
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ha! He did good!
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Another marathon building & painting session last night... and the armament is all DONE and ready to install!
Primed, painted, painted again, and weathered... here are pics of the bigguns (big guns) on U-673. :)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Quad3.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Quad4.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Flak3.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Flak4.jpg)
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I sprayed colour on the tower using Schlickgrau as a base, and added a mild camoflage pattern using Blaugrau. That went onto the tower and also the gun shields too. :)
Remember... "artistic license" hehehe
I wanted to give U-673 a fairly "grungy" look, and so I sprayed slightly heavier coats of paint on the tower. With the rougher finish and the proper washes & drybrushing I had planned, it would give the appearance of surface rust and also rust bubbling under the paint.
I used 2 washes... the BLACKWASH included with the RustAll weathering set (http://www.rustall.com/product-info), and a Dark Dirt wash from ProModeller (http://www.florymodels.co.uk/washes/). The latter must be used sparingly.
Looking good so far!
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CamoPortFnt.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CamoPortRr.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/CamoStbdFnt.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Top.jpg)
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Looking good! I love the bridge interior!
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Very nice. I love the flakVierling !
Cheers,
Pepper-M
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After 3 years in the making, disaster struck the U-673 project in the 11th hour. :'(
Perhaps it was the long time the hull was sitting and paint drying out, perhaps it was the clearcoat I had used... but after I did a wash of RustAll on the hull the paint severely bleached, in some places nearly white!!! :o
Panic set in, obviously.
I tried using Methyl Alcohol (denatured alcohol to some of youz) to wipe it off... got rid of the rust but made paint worse! Aaaaarrrrggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!
Thinking I was drying out the paint severely, I then tried wiping down with mineral spirits. This returned the paint MOSTLY CLOSE to its original colouring... but then the paint started to come off in some areas so I was down to bare plastic.
Frying pan --> into --> fryer
So it was time to decide just how badly I wanted this project to go well... either take drastic actions or scrap it.
I'll take Door #1, Monty.
Thank God I invested in a really good quality airbrush... a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity 2-in-1 with ultra-fine tip. Thank GOD!
I mixed up some thin paint for the hull (the dark part was worst) and using very low pressure (8-10psi) and very small needle opening, proceeded to re-spray the hull section by section to re-colour the bleached paint. The airbrush is fantastic! I was doing this for many many hours but finally it looks half decent again. But still... :'(
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Thin paint sprayed at low pressure feathers really really well. :)
Did I mention to thank God for my H&S airbrush? I think I kissed it when I finished.
The overall result will be a very interesting look for the hull... well weathered and rusted :)
Some may say it looks fantastic, but I just have it in my mind what it SHOULD have looked like. Oh well.
Everything then got weathered.. including the tower.
Then the pieces went together... tower onto hull, railings, hatches, lights, armament.
Pieces remaining include the antennas and the periscopes... the latter will go on last.
The only major thing left to do is the rigging and the clearcoat. Booyahhhhh
I'll take pics this weekend with the model sitting on the CAPCON 2011 (http://www.ipmsottawa.com/capcon/) contest table.
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Glenn, I've been breathless and kept my finger crossed for U-673 until the new post washed away all fears...
Let's stun CAPCON now! ;)
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Dear world,
After 3 years in the making, I present to you : Glenn Cauley's rendition of U-673 "Flak-trap" in 1/72 scale
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished001.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished008.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished009.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished010.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished011.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished012.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished013.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished014.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Finished015.jpg)
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Congratulations! I think some crewmen would look great on it ;)
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Really FINE, MOST EXCELLENT, BRILLIANT job! She looks beautiful!
SO sorry to hear about the scary bit there, but you have recovered her well! ut some shots in the gallery, and let us know how the awards roll in!
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Woooooooow, i love it! Let the sunderlands come... ;D
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CAPCON 2011 has come and gone, and U-673 took a very close 2nd place behind a brilliantly-done Type IIB (a modified Type IIA). ;D
A bit sad about not walking away with top honours, but glad I was able to finish her and hear some great "fly on the wall" comments about her. If I was going to place 2nd against anyone, I'm glad it was the person who made the Type IIB. We both were complimenting each other on fine works! LOL
And I've GOT to find out how he did such an awesome weathering job on it... OMG.
I'll try to collect the pictures soon... I had to rely on others with GOOD cameras this weekend.
Onwards and upwards! hehehe
:)
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HURRAH! ;D
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Beautiful boat Glenn! Thank you for posting your building process and all the great tips and links to the products you used to create your masterpiece. You should be very proud of it!
Regards,
Brian
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I echo Brian's words! And 1-2-3 is nothing to sneeze at, so consider it all good. especially if you learn some new stuff!
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Pics of U-673 from CAPCON 2011, courtesy of Mr. Shawn Charland:
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230691.jpg (http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230691.jpg)
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230692.jpg (http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230692.jpg)
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230705.jpg (http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230705.jpg)
http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230707.jpg (http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/P1230707.jpg)
I already have some improvements planned! LOL
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Great pictrues!!!!
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looks really lovely, glad you've got them of her "in action"
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Here is the Type IIB U-boot that I was up against in my CAPCON category... and which took top honours.
http://models.rokket.biz/index.php?topic=829.0
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Your boat turned out beautiful Glenn, well done and congrats with your second place on capcon ;)
Karel
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Okay, time to play "catch up" with some of the details about the build.
Sorry for the delay, I was scrambling to finish the boat for our contest, and had no time to do write-ups... but I DID take pics!
Turnbuckles are used to attach the antenna lines to the railing brackets.
Here is a turnbuckle I ended up making:
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Tensioner004.jpg)
I used a 0.030" square piece of Plastruct rod, cut to 0.300" long and drilled in both ends with a #80 drillbit. For the wire ends I used 0.008" brass wire, wrapped around a 0.035 wire to make the loop. Then I cut the loop to leave a small gap, and then bent the loop to make the final shape. After cutting the straight wire to length, I used CA to glue a loop in each end of the plastic square rod.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Tensioner001.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Tensioner002.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Tensioner003.jpg)
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On each antenna wire there are several insulators in a row. While there have been many different attempts to create the best looking insulators using brass, beads, etc., I find the best pieces are the OEM plastic insulators included in the kit. These are, of course, molded together in groups of 2 or 3 and must be cut apart and modified. TRY not to let these lil blighters go flinging into your shag rug... chances are you'll never find them again!
After you cut apart the insulator group, cut off any additional "rings" or "eyelets" that are molded onto an individual insulator. (HINT: on insultor groups, the end insulators have eyelets). What you want to end up with is the most basic insulator "bead". Revell has already molded lengthwise grooves on 2 opposing sides of the insulator, so all you have to do is cut/file 2 more lengthwise grooves on the perpendicular sides. When finished, you'll have an insulator with 4 lengthwise grooves at 90
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Now that I had most of the rigging pieces ready (including some narrow & short styrene tabs to connect to the railing brackets), I was ready to go.
I used EZ Line 0.003" elastic line to simulate the long lengths of antenna wire. This is awesome stuff, and it stretches up to 7x its slack length (so they say). It cements easily with CA glue, and accepts paint... more on that later.
I measured and cut EZ Line to the appropriate lengths, and connected the insulator groups. You'll see in the pictures that things attach in a particular order.
For example here is how one stern antenna line is connected:
Railing bracket --> flat tab --> turnbuckle --> antenna wire --> insulator group --> long antenna wire --> insulator group --> antenna wire THRU tripod support and into hole in stern deck.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Rigging004.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Rigging002.jpg)
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Rigging001.jpg)
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I also used EZ Line for the ropes between the fore & aft side railings.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Rigging003.jpg)
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For the bow diving plane tensioner wires...
I had already mounted mounting brackets to the forward hull, on the forward part of the exposed pressure hull.
To make the spring-loaded tensioners, I scratchbuilt them nearly the same as the turnbuckles.
However, I used 0.030" round plastic rod (instead of square), and I added closed loops (not open loops) to each end.
(The closed loops were from some railroad detail parts.)
I attached the tensioners directly to the hull mounting brackets, then again used EZ Line for the wire.
(http://www.travel-net.com/~gcauley/U673/images/Rigging005.jpg)
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I had a fun time with the EZ Line. It installs easily and CA glue works very well.
To mimic steel wire, I loaded up a small paint brush with MM Acryl "Steel" acrylic paint, and painted the EZ Line. Voila! Steel cable.
Then I had the brilliant idea to paint another section of EZ Line the hull colour (Schlickgrau).
So I loaded up the paint brush with Colour Coats "Schlickgrau" enamel paint and applied it. The result was almost comical... the moment I applied the paint, the EZ Line sagged dramatically as the enamel paint attacked the rubber EZ Line. Oops! Back to using MM Acryl again. ::)
Here is information on EZ Line: http://misc.kitreview.com/tools/ezlinereviewbg_1.htm (http://misc.kitreview.com/tools/ezlinereviewbg_1.htm)
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I bought some for my boat, experimented, and liked it. But I ended up using hairless thread. So you found it no problem otherwise?
Since the lines were coated with that black preserver I think, I was going to leave mine the black rubber, but I was scared playing with it...:D
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I bought some for my boat, experimented, and liked it. But I ended up using hairless thread. So you found it no problem otherwise?
Since the lines were coated with that black preserver I think, I was going to leave mine the black rubber, but I was scared playing with it...:D
Nope, had no problems other than what happened when I applied enamel paint. It's really resilient stuff, keeps its tension well. I only put a mild amount of tension on mine. The EZ Line sagged a tiny tiny bit when I applied the MM Acryl paint, but then when it dried the line tightened up again.
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Hmm, good to know. I love first hand reviews
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Fantastic work Glenn! I followed your build on your blog. You put a lot of time and effort into the build and it shows. Exceptional work!
Ernest