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1/350 Titanic


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Hi,

Always hankered to try a Titanic build, one of the most famous (or should that be infamous) ocean going liners. I wanted to build a big model and set my sights on the Academy/Minicraft 1/350 scale, which makes a model around 1m long. Eventually one appeared on Evilbay and I managed to get it for £20 and better still it was the deluxe version which includes the etch fret for the rails etc.

titanic01.jpg

titanic02.jpg

The downside of this purchase was although complete it had been brush painted (rather badly) both hull and deck so this would need to stripped before I could make a start. Having contacted the previous owner he assured me that the paint used was acrylic so I chucked on the Mr Muscle oven cleaner and waited.

Deck colour came off with no problems:-

titanic03.jpg

The one piece hull however still has paint in the top row of windows, but along with drilling out the portholes I will need to file these out anyway so no great shakes:-

titanic04.jpg

The deck planking detail on the kit has raised lines, so raised in fact that the passengers would have to step over them!

titanic05.jpg

Not too sure how to attack them but obviously they will need to be sanded off and possibly rescribed, or grand plans of replanking might be an option.

So now the setting:

I guess a couple of options here either;

1. Titanic complete on a stand

2. Waterline model in the sea showing her in full glory steaming from Queenstown in Ireland to New York.

3. After the iceberg collision and starting to sink.

The intention is to build the sinking diorama with lifeboats launched. Lights will be on and I will be using LED's to illuminate the interior with F/O for runs to nav lights etc. Got a few sets of unused twinkle lights which have everything I need resistors, switch etc.

titanic06.jpg

Just a spray with clear yellow to give an incandescent glow should do the trick. LED's run much cooler than bulbs and have a longer life which is important if the hull is assembled and access impossible.

Plenty of online research sites and many devoted to Titanic model building, I'm currently using TRMA and a site devoted to building the Minicraft kit Rivet Counter.

So that is the challenge, sorry for the long intro but I feel this build will be a long one!

All aboard ! :captain:

Doc

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May I suggest you do it as a waterline?she would look great ploughing through the sea at 20knots.

Thanks Phil, yes that was my first intention of building a majestic Titanic as a waterline. Although a diorama showing the horror of the accident would tell more of a story possibly.

Whichever way this build goes I have much to prepare first with the hull so I will cross that one at a later date.

Cheers

Doc

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The deck planking detail on the kit has raised lines, so raised in fact that the passengers would have to step over them!

Not too sure how to attack them but obviously they will need to be sanded off and possibly rescribed, or grand plans of replanking might be an option.

Doc

Fascinating subject Doc, this would make a really impressive model once finished.

Regarding decking, you could use some Evergreen sheet, they make large-ish sheets which are pre-scribed (they make various ones with the scribed lines/grooves various distances apart) and you could use the original decking as templates to cut them out. I once made a sunken Bismark without turrets and such, and used Evergreen sheet for the deck, worked out ok.

This type of Evergreen sheet:

100_0201.jpg

B)

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Sounds just the ticket Neil, problem solved! :thumbsup2:

The other solution is to use a decal sheet produced by Bruce Beverage specifically for the 1/350 scale Titanic:-

BBDECL3.jpg

It consists of darkened lines printed on a clear background, so you just need to paint the pale pine background colour and apply them. These are the scale distance and spacing.

Cheers

Doc

Edited by Dr_Fester
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Will be watching this closely, one of those models I would love to build, but know I probably never will :violin:

Personally I prefer full hull exhibition type ship models, but don't mind me! It would look great whatever. Of course, you could go Phils way, and build it sunk... :mental: (but cool)

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Sounds just the ticket Neil, problem solved! :thumbsup2:

The other solution is to use a decal sheet produced by Bruce Beverage specifically for the 1/350 scale Titanic:-

BBDECL3.jpg

It consists of darkened lines printed on a clear background, so you just need to paint the pale pine background colour and apply them. These are the scale distance and spacing.

Cheers

Doc

One hell of a decal to apply Doc. :unsure:

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If you've a scanner, try scanning the decks that you intend to 'plank' and create a form of planking within whichever photo editing suite you have. I have a generic large image I use simply with planks that can be pasted within delineated borders to form an instant 'planked deck'. Using the photo editing facilities, you have an almost unlimited scope to change the focus, colour, colour intensity and appearance of the deck, and can of course highlight individual planks, add in directional changes in planking, vents, skylights, deck edges, and even the footplates set into decks immediately adjacent to doors.

Takes a bit of getting used to - it's not easy at first, but ultimately it frees you from looking at other specialist products. Printing your own decks on your own computer certainly has the edge on some of the competitors. Plus, print on plain matt paper, don't waste photographic paper doing this.

Let me know if I''ve not elicited the description very well, I don't always explain myself very well. Sorry, I don't have any example images to show you.

Best Regards,

Doug C.

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Will be watching this closely, one of those models I would love to build, but know I probably never will :violin:

Personally I prefer full hull exhibition type ship models, but don't mind me! It would look great whatever. Of course, you could go Phils way, and build it sunk... :mental: (but cool)

I never said anything about it being`Sunk`,I said "ploughing through the sea at 20knots"!!!Also,I take great exception to `Mental`image attached. Phil

Edited by Phil Reeder
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Gonna be watching this one then.

I've always been interested in the Titanic story (since waaaaay before that bloody soppy movie came out) and I fancy having a crack at building something like this. I always envisioned setting it on a base, full steam ahead on a calm sea with all the lights blazing.

Very keen to see how you get along (I'll be taking notes). :winkgrin:

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Also,I take great exception to `Mental`image attached. Phil

I'm sure Nick(turnerdad) got the wrong idea of what you had in mind Phil. In fact I'm surprised just how many are in favour of the waterline option so I might go that route in the end.

Gary I've not tried any sort of lighting so this will be a learning curve. Had a previous life in electronics so soldering is second nature for me. :analintruder:

Just making a start with drilling out all those portholes, damn that ship had a lot! In fact the kit is lacking another 20 or so portholes which have to be added. Although this kit is a second generation molding with some corrections reading the research there are still some glaring mistakes which have to be addressed.

Right where's that pin-vise.......

Doc

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The Titanic is one of the few ‘civilian’ modelling subjects I’ve ever really considered.

Not sure I’ve got the bottle to do a 1/350 one though!

As to the decking. How about using thin wood veneer chopped to size? :hmmm:

Mart

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I never said anything about it being`Sunk`,I said "ploughing through the sea at 20knots"!!!Also,I take great exception to `Mental`image attached. Phil

Sorry, I meant Neil describing his Bismark "sunken" build he had just described, not Phil, apologies. :sorry:

No intention to insult anyone.

Edited by turnerdad
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Just noticed this for sale at the moment on E-Bay. Might provide a few ideas Doc.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TITANIC-Sinking-and-...p3286.m20.l1116

Quite like the model of the sinking version. Think the lifeboats would have been a bit more crowded though. Nice price too! That's gotta be the most expensive model I've seen for sale so far, albeit built to a high standard. Wonder how many he sells? Ah, just noticed on his listing........... 28 items since March 24 2008. Phew!

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Yeah I have been following that one on ebay. Not taking anything away from his idea it is a novel way of displaying the Titanic, but some of his detailing is a little lacking and if I was paying 3 grand for a model it would have to be PERFECT! Saying that, I do like the way the water has been recreated obviously using plaster rather than clear resin.

Cheers

Doc

Edited by Dr_Fester
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So today I have been drilling out ALL of the portholes :wacko: .

titanic07.jpg

Started off using a pin vise but that was getting ridiculous after the second row of portholes and an hour later out came the dremel :wicked: . Promptly whizzed through the rest and spent the rest of the time tidying up the square windows on 'A' deck.

titanic08.jpg

I have only drilled out the portholes molded into the hull, I have a few more to add certainly around the stern:-

titanic09.jpg

As you can see from this example from the Rivet Counter Tutorial the portholes on 'D' and 'E' deck extend to the stern much further, along with the missing portholes on the stern itself:-

Porthole.jpg

Obviously the kit was modelled on the Olympic and there are a few other missing portholes dotted all around the ship.

Cheers

Doc

Edited by Dr_Fester
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Decided how to portray the finished model yet? :hmmm:

I'm still unsure Mike, part of me wants to build it as a waterline and the modeller in me wants to create the sinking diorama as it poses more of a challenge.

Also chatting to Derrek Barrett from IPMS Milton Keynes about his model originally got my interest into modelling this one:-

Derek_Barrett.jpg

Cheers

Doc

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