U-45 WIP - Completed October 2019

[Mr. Bill]

Thank you everyone for your gracious comments.  The momentum on U-45 is really moving now and I finally see the end in sight!

Cheers,

Bill

[Pepper-mint]

Joining all the Gents Mr.B, travail tr

[Rokket]

very nice turm work too!

[Mr. Bill]

Hello !

I encountered some problems with the net cutter supports and the aft cable supports, but finally managed to overcome them after several attempts.  The major issue was how to construct a support with the necessary brackets to mate with the small photo etched brackets already installed into the deck.  I tried several methods and materials, but nothing really worked properly until I thought about the technique that Siara used.  Inspired by Siara, I experimented with brass rod and aluminum tubing and found a solution.  The brass rod comprised the main support part while the aluminum tubing was used for the brackets.  Tricky part was drilling the tube and cutting the slot to mate with deck parts.  Once glued into place, the aluminum tube was squared with a file to better resemble the actual thing.

The photos show the supports dry fitted with small lengths of copper wire to hold them in place.  Stretched sprue with the ends heated to round them like bolts heads will be used for the final assembly.

The first photo shows the net cutter assembly in place.  The kit part was modified to add one additional cutting tip to the blade.  Also visible in this photo is the small modification to the edge of the anchor well.



A closer view of the net cutter assembly



And a view from the other side.



This image shows the aft cable supports, constructed in a similar manner.



Another view of the support structure.



Thanks for looking, please let me know if you have any questions.  Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

More progress photos showing the relocation of the "bumps" and installation of the bracket for the bow plane tension wire attachment.  I carefully cut the bumps from the hull with a new blade and relocated them to the proper position.  The brackets are spare PE items that I inserted into carefully cut very small slots in the hull.  They are small and a bit difficult to see in the photos





Cheers,

Bill

[Mr. Bill]

A few more photos to give a general idea of where the project is at present.


This image shows the galley hatch edge made from styrene heat molded to the proper shape.



A general view of the deck with items dry fitted in place.



Forward escape buoy dry fitted.  I reworked the light to get it a bit more accurate looking.



Image of the tower temporarily bolted into place.



Closer view of the tower with white board in place.  I made some faint boot scuff marks with a pencil.



20 mm dry fitted to deck.



Another view of the 20 mm.



The 88mm deck gun dry fitted.


Thank you for having a look at the photos.  Please let me know if you have questions or comments.

Cheers,

Bill

[TRM]

Everything is looking great Bill!  

[bracco_n]

Boat looks great Mr. Bill!

[NZSnowman]

Looking great, Bill!

[Rokket]

Beautiful, beautiful brass and scratch work. the details make it sing!

[Mr. Bill]

Hello Everyone!

Where has the time gone?  Seems like just yesterday I was working on U-45, when actually it has been many, many months!  Some minor progress has been made since my last update, but not much.  I encountered a few nasty problems with U-45 that resulted in some long and frustrating delays.  Foremost among these delays was when I discovered some minor separation of the seam between the deck and hull that required careful repair and reinforcement.  I believe the problem with separation had to do with air temperature changes causing the brass deck and styrene hull to expand and contract at different rates.   It has been several months since I fixed this problem and fortunately the seams appear to be holding together very well now so I feel more confident in proceeding with the project.  The lesson here is that when utilizing large pieces of different materials (wood/styrene/brass) that have relatively long and/or large contact areas (like deck to hull), keep in mind that these materials will react differently to the surrounding environment so eliminate seam stress where possible and avoid direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.
Look for updates along with photos soon!  In the meantime, your questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome.

Cheers,

Bill 

[SG]

Hey Mr Bill
Am glad you succeeded in overcoming the troubles and am looking forward to seeing the pics soon!
your U-45 is a masterpiece!
Cheers!

SG

 

[Rokket]

She sure is a beaut!

I was worried about the same deck problem with wood to styrene for my U 557, so I made a tight press fit, then reinforced the hull at just below deck level with two cross pieces. Essentially this took all stress off the deck, and the deck just dropped in to sit on a shelf.

For the AMP Type II set, we provided folded tabs in the deck pieces, for a pressure fit and much more gluing surface area. It's a tough problem we wanted to reduce.

She does look mighty fine tho, so keep going!

[Mr. Bill]

Hello!

Just a quick note to say that U-45 has not been lost in action and is still very much alive.  It has been a long time, but I do plan to bring this project to a successful conclusion.  In the meantime, your continued endless patience is much appreciated!

Cheers,

Mr. Bill

[Rokket]

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