conning tower interior / 3D model / 1/72

[Marko]

Here we go,

the last component of the subs interior, the others might get edited during final stages, will publish modifications if required
I took parts from Revell's 1/72  type VII again, drafted them out to a sheet of paper, scanned, and made these outlines:
note, black lines are main lines, red lines are only guiding lines, yellow are centerlines.
Now i have to take my drawings from F. K

[Marko]

update, to get the impression how it will be positioned, i also have drawn the model part (green), which is outer layer, thickness of plastic is roughly 1.9 mm, so the green surface gets an offset towards inside:

the holes for periscope and the hatch hole to gain access to tower, are not in scale, since revell and CMK made them roughly 1,5 - 2 mm too small, i could easily drill through revell and nautiluss deck, however i could not remodel the CMK's interior, so i will make hole dimensions according to other manufacturers.

[TopherVIIC]

Marko-
Not to knock anybody else's work in the past, but I suggest you make your work as accurate as possible as far as dimensions. Rather than perpetuate wrong dimensions because someone else made a part with wrong dimensions, you would be providing a part that is "more correct."
People who are serious tend to go for "more correct." I would rather have one after market part on any build that I knew was absolutely correct than five after-market parts that were slopped together and wrong.
Who knows - perhaps you will design modules for each compartment... better ones. I would always rather buy a better part than a known worse part.
Build up! Do not build Down!
Christopher

[Marko]

Hm, well you have a point there, however i dont see myself designing the full compartments, first of all, would not be fair towards the CMK, and second of all, material for print outs is pretty expensive
besides, if already CMK compartments have been selling poorly (far as i know) i dont see much point in doing this on large scale, maybe if someone expresses a wish, i could make a second copy, if more than few, i might even prepare molds, but in reality that would probably not happen

however, i see potential starting a whole new project, maybe another kit, or whole new Uboat from scratch, my drawings stockpile is growing pretty much

here i would also exploit an option to shout out for type II boat / vessiko drawings. I have the book vom originall zum modell, there are a lot of drawings inside, however the scale/ format is really small - only A5 per drawing, some A4. I'd like to get those drawings on A2 format or larger (like the planmappe series) any idea where to get them?

an update:
photos of 3d render, top of the conning tower is lightly rounded, i displayed the whole thing transparent for now, also photos of current test:

[tore]

Marko
It seems to me as if you have the conningtower hatch offset to stb instead of port. see photo below.
Tore

[Marko]

Marko
It seems to me as if you have the conningtower hatch offset to stb instead of port. see photo below.
Tore

Oh, i made a mistake while unrolling the mantle of the interior, probably i inverted the sides, on the 3d model is the correct position

[tore]

OK Marko, would you be able to make the top of the conningtower a bit domeshaped? See  posted picture.
Tore

[Marko]

uhm, it has a subtle dome, i think i made the ellipsoid cut in half, with height of 1,5 mm (per side), the peak of ellipsoid touches the bottom of the conning towers deck:

[SG]

Marko there should be some interior shot of type VII conning tower on U-boot im focus nr 8, at least that's what they state on the preview summary: http://www.freetimehobbies.com/lu2008.aspx
I haven't got nr 8 yet but am due to order it.
Anyways there's a very nice rendering of the conning tower interiors in the videogame silent hunter 5, battle of the atlantic, it might be worth seeing it.
I am sure you're already familiar w these:
http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570Photo8.htm
http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570Photo7.htm
http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570Photo9.htm
and the British periscope drawing at
http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-570BritishReport.htm
some more, but little to be seen:
U-47 (below)

U-408 (just posted for the ladder attachment)

Am gonna keep up the hunt for pics.
Congrats for the work you've done so far, it's pretty amazing and pure sci-fi to me, i've been following your thread silently but totally amazed by technical exchange of information, deep knowledge of uboats and skillfullness in 3d drawing
BRAVISSIMO!
SG
 

[Marko]

Hello SG,
thank you very much for the kind words, feel free to speak at any moment, as you already noticed, the more i get feedback from forum users, modelers the better gets result. I have some photos of the conning tower interior from Laboe, and as you mentioned, ill take your advice and download demo version of the game, just to make snapshots of the interior. Once i tried the silent hunter 3, and its darned difficult to make shooting solution manually, i struggled even with the computer assisted targeting

well, new update, i rendered it in different colors this time:
-green is model exterior, still without 1,9 mm offset inwards (plastic thickness)
-red is conning tower interior, what is visible through skin
-purple is conning tower exterior, skin thick 0,5 mm in order to get a solid part

Though i have a question. As you know, conning tower pressure hull is centered, with no special link which i could show as solid, except if i make it solid like it has current rendering. i could take out the frames that link the conning tower interior with skin, but then i would have to model the whole interior of the conning tower as well (diesel air intake, air inlet for compartments, and the rest of stuff) any opinions?




 

[tore]

Marko.
 I believe the tower casing contains so many vital and interesting items that I would show it rather than just having a closed box.
Tore

[SnakeDoc]

Few pictures can be found here:
http://uboat.net/gallery/U995C/
(photos 7, 8, 9).

And here:
http://u-995.com/brueckenwanne.html


--
Regards
Maciek

[SnakeDoc]

I believe the tower casing contains so many vital and interesting items that I would show it rather than just having a closed box.

I also think, you should show the installations inside the conning tower casing (emergency blowing installation, emergency air intake and exhaust, magnetic compass, control room periscope, gravity tank for the fuel oil compensating system, diesel engies air intake, ventilation air intake and exhaust, compressed air intake, oxygen intake, aerials...)


--
Regards
Maciek

[tore]

Marko
Before you put in all the stuff which belongs to the tower I guess you would have the basic steelstructure ready. The hatches are of course an important part of the structure. The upper hatch have the conventional shuttingdevice operated by a handwheel. Because of the overpressure which almost allways built up in the interior normally you would release the pressure gradually otherwise the hatch would fling open and in the exstreme the CO could be jettistoned, in fact when if the hatch had to be opened in a hurry there was alway a man having a firm grip on the COs ankles. So the upper hatch had lever preventing the hatch to fling open but allowed the overpressure to be released prior to opening. You see the lever on Simons picture. The lower hatch is designed as an emergency escapehatch hence a steelskirt protrudes down into the controlroom at the end of the skirt is a rolled up canvastrunk as can be seen on my photo below (ignore the very young concentrated me). In the event of an escapesituation, the controlroom and tower was flooded, the canvastrunk rolled under the watersurface of the trapped compressed air in the controlroom creating a watercolumn all the way to the upper hatch. The crew could then dive underwater, enter the submerged canvasopening and escape via the watercolumn and out of the top hatch. This procedure required some training which the crew got. Sorry long story.
Tore

[Marko]

Oh, well this was already done by CMK on their lower compartment, so there is no issue regarding that. However, on your photo, someone is at the periscope. Is that periscope the forward periscope - sea-to air periscope? Or could be main persicope also used in the command section?

I also noticed, that tower interior stretches all the way to command section, so i extruded it roughly 6 mm below main deck (on the render marked as gray). I've also cut the mating surfaces to the exterior, so i will be doing the whole tower interior (all the plumbing)