Bandsaw Steve

I'm fascinated - but I do think there are much easier ways to make a hull. It'd be tricky cutting all those matchsticks with a bandsaw! 😀

Looking really good. Very impressive! 👍

You do realise, of course, that Pullman car 8214 had that particular window blanked out in 1956 for a period of approximately 8 months. This was a security measure as the car was being used to transport high-risk prisoners from overcrowded English prisons up to Edinburgh from whence they were distributed to a number of regional gaols. See - the solution is simple - just make up some crap! 😀 Its called 'alternative fact generation'. I believe your American friends will be quite familiar with the concept. 😜

Looking forward to it. I always enjoy a good stuff up me. That's why I make so many of them. 😀

Oh - I'm off for a look!

Measure Once - Cut Twice... OK - Testing complete. Can now respond to my own thread after about 2 hours of faffing about with this $#%%!ing computer. Got there...and look - I think I can even post photos. Anyway - it's a fairly sad story this one, but I think I've learned something. Last time I finished with this shot and was feeling well happy with myself. 'First details on the boat' and all that... Anyway - in an idle moment I was reviewing some of my AE2 research guff and noticed this image of the starboard bow - about the only good photo of this part of the boat that I have come across. And I noted the complete absence of an enormous anchor locker like the one that I have made. Hmmmm I thought, whoever build this submarine did not refer sufficiently carefully to my model! And then I looked at the plans that I'd been using... plans I note for E29; a mid-war E-class submarine. Now I knew this all along and I'd already, very perceptively, noted that this one had a gun and AE2 did not. I had also noted that E29 had a completely different shaped conning tower. What I had not noted were that the anchor locker was completely different - ludicrously different in fact - and that there were many, many more flood-vent holes in the mid-war vessel than in AE2 (perhaps to assist diving speed). Upon further investigation it turns out that the 'middle bit' on the mid-war sub is way, way shorter than on AE2 (AE2's goes all the way to the rear hydroplanes) and there were numerous other differences, especially concerning the masts and aerials etc. The bottom set of drawings are simpler and 'rougher' than the beautiful set at the top - but they are actually of an early war E-class sub and are therefore much closer to what I need to build. I am not a rivet counter. Far from it, in fact I like to think of myself as the sort of cool, groovy, hair blown back in the wind kind of modeller that doesn't give a flying hoot about 'accuracy' and 'detail' and all that jazz . But actually I sorta do... Have a look. The top bit of plastic has an the enormous overblown mid-war anchor locker that I cut in the last posting- the image at the bottom has a teeny tiny one, (and looking at the photo I'm not even sure if that should be there!) So here we go again... mark out and cut out the relevant bits of plastic. I will draw to your attention my new set of Teflon-covered, heat-tempered steel scissors. They are my newest purchase and are awesome - get some! Now cut out the relevant holes that we need - try to get them in the right place and the right shape, and the right size and everything. Here I'm using a circular hole punch to make the little cubby hole where the chain goes. To my dismay I have also learned that the anchor locker on the starboard side was actually a completely different shape to that on the port side. Port side complete - much smaller anchor locker, fewer but larger flood / vent holes and mooring points. They look a bit untidy because they are all different sizes. I think it's correct though - both the plans and the photographs show that they are not highly uniform. And another view; just in case that's not enough. So what have I learned? Well everyone in model building always goes on and on about the importance of research. 'Research, research, research' they say. What they never tell you is that you actually have to do all this research stuff before you build things. Measure twice - cut once... not the other way round as I tend to do. Bandsaw Steve

Test...

Really good work - especially like the ocean.

Was working, very incompetently, on this project last night. Might manage an update tonight ( or maybe tomorrow night) but I have to warn you - its a pretty sad story of bumbling rework. Definitely not a 'masterclass' 😱😩🙁

Excellent! My dad made a heap of bikes for his 1/32 model tramway exactly that way! Once he'd made enough for the layout he just kept going - he's made dozens of them and just gives them away to anyone now. They make a great cute little gift 🎁.

Weather too hot for painting? No such thing mate! I thought the general rule was 'the hotter and drier the better' Gowaannn - slap some paint on it! ☀️

I'll see what I can do. Not much likely to happen tonight though - there's a new episode of 'Game of Thrones' on. 🐉🔥🔮☠️👹👑🦑🐉🐲💥😀😀😀👍👍👍

Wow, it's nice to be missed! I do apologise for the lack of updates over the last three weeks. Don't worry, the project hasn't been abandoned just reprioritised. I've been sinking time into a renovation/ redesign of my work shed which should result in much more efficient future builds. Am hoping to be fully up and running two weeks from now. in the meantime I have made a little progress on the sub and might get an update posted in the next few days. Best Regards, Steve

This is awesome - and no-one has to breathe any sawdust!😀

Good work