Andreas.R

Hello Jörgen, I am following your amazing build with great interest. The 3D printed parts and the vacuformed windows are of particular interest to me. As far as I can see, this model has no chrome parts. There is a good way to do this, especially for the reflectors in the headlights: Edding paint marker silver. I have this paint pen and it is very good for painting chrome parts - much better than silver paint! It's not very expensive either. I think it's worth trying this one out. Regards Andreas

Hello Steve I feel the same way, some projects take forever, but in the end you can see that the time invested was really worth it. I'll be following the build with interest.

The Fine Detail Plastic which I used still needs to be cured, and can be bent a little into the right shape. It happens due to design issues, the holding sprues are too thin! Regards Andreas

Hello modelbautony, when i have done the form for the vacuform - who will make it? I will send the form 3D printed in resin. The next will be the interior details of that cockpit, modifying the form. You could modify the decals attached to the cockpit, they are as bad as the cockpit. I think i have to buy the italeri kit - to get the right dimensions for the messy original cockpit. Regards Andreas

Hello Rob, i am working on the cockpit mold for the Vacuform, hope to get it right. You need blueprints to get the right shape! I've studied so many photos of this part that I have the shape pretty well in my head. Regards Andreas

I found a comprehensible explanation for this arrangement of the main artillery on the internet: For the construction of the ships, however, the dimensions were tied to the size of the docks of the French shipyards. The dimensions of the ships should be the same as those of the Courbet class and thus be 166 meters long and 27 meters wide. In order to be able to accommodate the new, larger and therefore heavier guns, they had to be moved closer to the bow and stern of the ships. Regards Andreas

Hello Pascal, despite your always fascinating 3D skills, i like the background information you are providing to the interested modelers/readers! Thanks for the time you spend on it! Regards Andreas

Hello Rob, there is cling film for food that you can apply over the original - it holds up quite well, is elastic and very thin. Then you could spray acrylic paint over it. A few little folds don't matter for the scan, since the scan has to be processed with meshlab anyway. The film can be removed easy and won`t harm the original. I hope it works! Regards Andreas

Hello Vesa and all others interested in this project! I'm also working on the cockpit, but I've found that it's very difficult to find the right shape. The front screen is the biggest problem: because it is transparent, you can't exactly determine the shape. The next problem is adapting it to the Italeri body. I found a site that creates blueprints for vehicles. I requested the drawings for the Lancia there. Unfortunately I'm still waiting! It's obviously not easy for the professionals either. If they create the blueprints for me, I will try to create the entire body in 3D - and will at least start with the cockpit. If it goes well, all other errors of the Italeri model could also be corrected However, the 3D scan might also be a good way to create a vacuform. We should definitely try it. Unfortunately, this project is going quite slowly due to lack of time! Regards Andreas

Hello Jeff, i do not shape the underside of the hull - it will be quite difficult to shape the curves (waves) Just use a few drops of superglue at the bow and aft, than fill the gaps with white glue. After drying, the protruding white glue can be easily removed with a damp sponge. The white glue must be water soluble and clear when dry. Regards Andreas

after a long time i can report some small progress again! On the aft deck I added a few small details, skylights, the torpedo loading boom and hatches. All these details have been 3D printed, and are far better detailed than the original parts. The aft boat loading crane has to be rigged, the aft superstructure is not yet glued on. I also changed the anchor chain, the first anchor chain had very round links, which I didn't like very much. The tiny ship bell is also 3D printed. I hope that construction will now pick up speed again! Thanks for looking! Regards Andreas

Some parts are really out of scale, especially the meshes for the air vents, or are missing entirely! For example the connecting pipe from the tank cap to the tank at the front. The tank cap should be glued to the front hood? Which looks bad with the front hood open. With this model you have to check every detail carefully! Much is unusable - and would have been just better done on the styrene cast parts. the replaced meshes and added tank details.

Hello Vesa, sorry for the late reply! The drive shafts are actually too short, a compromise because the front axle is steerable and the wheels are rotatable. However, this is hardly noticeable in the model.

Good morning! After looking at my merciless macro photos i always get the urge to improve on these points. Maybe you should sand the hull again with light pressure. I've always had success with it! Regards Andreas

rob, you have created another little masterpiece. Everything fits together so perfectly. I particularly like such unusual subjects!