DIpping my toes back into Maritime - a 1/72 Vosper MTB

[Terry1954]

9 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Very impressive work Terry.

 

Martian 👽

Thanks Martian. I'm enjoying this build and learning much along the way, not only about the boat, but generally about modelling too!

 

There could be a short interlude to production work during the coming week and the following weekend, as my two eldest sons are 40 next week (no old geezer comments please) and we are hosting a party and general get together which includes their younger siblings (don't ask how many), all partners, and all grand offspring (so far). The odd gate crasher also sometimes appears. This basically means the house gets very full and I may have to give up the hobby room for a few days to re-purpose it as a temporary bedroom! Such events are also usually an excuse for grand off-spring to get me to do some modelling for them, in very short order, start to finish. Not for the squeamish.................

 

Normal service will be resumed soon enough.

 

Terry

[Courageous]

15 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

give up the hobby room for a few days

What!

 

Stuart

[Terry1954]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:14 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

[As a matter of interest, did the glue mitigate the cylindrical cross-section, as you hoped? I ask because something not entirely dissimilar is one of my options for replacing Ark’s prominent weld seams...]

Well, I had the airbrush out today priming some small scale stuff thats on the go, and some extensive detailed turret work ( 0.4mm hexagonal bolts on the canvas dust shield) on a 1/35 AMX-13. That's a targettank for those none the wiser and it's WIP is in the AFV section for any tank fiends.....

 

While I had the airbrush going with primer, I recalled your comment Crisp, so gave the bandstand a couple of very light passes to see what the plastic rod treads looked like. Before and after views......

 

 

This primer (AK's One Shot) certainly shows up flaws, but I'm generally satisfied with the results. You can still see that the treads have a slightly rounded profile, but once it's top coated and weathered up a bit, I think it will do the job.

 

As for the weld seams you were curious about, I still think this stuff could work. Below is an example of the same rod I used to restore some stitching beads on a 1/72 Aeroclub Gloster Gamecock (stalled build in aircraft section). I used plenty of liquid poly, and a cocktail stick tip to push in a pseudo stitch pattern. Very hard to see but it seems to match the existing beads pretty well. First picture showing the meted rod, second picture under primer. Remember this is 1/72, so pretty small all round.

 

 

I think it could be reduced even further with more poly, and/or more rubbing down. I guess you should judge for yourself!

 

Anyway HTH.

 

Terry

 

PS I should add that this build (and the AMX) will be shown as a WIP at the IPMS Farnborough show this weekend, and at Bovington in two weekends time.

 

 

[robgizlu]

Nice work on the bandstand - set the standard we'll all have to reach now!

Rob

[Courageous]

Much sweat and tears in that bandstand and with a coat of primer looks very smart.

 

Stuart

[Ripaman]

Couldn't agree more with what was said above from Rob and Stuart 

 

Regards

Richard

[beefy66]

What a difference a coating of paint makes cracking details on the bandstand 

 

beefy 

[longshanks]

Shows all the work you've put into it

 

Kev

[Dads203]

          What they all said

[TheBaron]

'Dorset man in outstanding bandstand saraband.'

Superb Terry.

[Terry1954]

Thanks for your comments gentlemen, @robgizlu, @Courageous, @Ripaman, @beefy66, @longshanks, @Dads203 and @TheBaron. I've been somewhat distracted these last few days firstly by Birthday celebrations yesterday (the one where I was once promised I could draw my state pension, but then they changed their mind so I have to wait another year, but I'm not bitter at all), and today involving a very pleasant visit to Farnborough IPMS annual show, where we were exhibiting as a club, and I met yet more enthusiastic modellers in the process. That can't be bad can it?

 

So I'm currently deciding which bits are next in the Vosper build sequence, which would be a much easier task, if I had a decent plan!

 

More soon

 

Terry

 

PS Thank you to the nice lady at the show today (I didn't get your name) who thought my 1/144 scale Royal Navy Jetstream T3 was "rather cute". 🤩

[TheBaron]

Hope you hade a great birthday Terry.

[Terry1954]

Wow, over two months since any action here, for various reasons though, which include doing a set of three fast builds for Telford in the meantime. Now that's over I can get back to this one. I had to review everything I've done so far to plan the next steps.

 

So when will that be you may well ask............. well we are about to shoot off to Strasbourg for a week driving via Portsmouth, Le Havre, Metz then Strasbourg. A family gathering with Karen's son and his family. So soon after my return, there will be a Vosper update, and work will also resume on the AMX-13 and Gloster Gamecock. I'll also RFI the Telford builds.

 

In the meantime keep modelling everyone!

 

Terry

[Terry1954]

OK, I've run out of excuses now, and after almost 6 months of no action here, I've actually started work again on the Vosper. Take note Stuart @Courageous!

 

Several of my builds on here have stalled for a while, but work is now commencing again on the AMX-13 (AFV WIP) and Gloucester Gamecock (Aircraft WIP), and all this stay at home time has enabled me to take part in the Nordic GB which is progressing well (Norwegian AF C-47) as well as building my first 1/48 aircraft for almost 45 years in the form of a commission build of aan Airfix Meteor 8. So I'm busy building again..............

 

I had to do a bit of a recap as to where I'd got to with the Vosper and what needed doing next. Still scores of small tasks to do, but I had to start somewhere so I fitted some of the kit deck hatches and tops to the engine vents thus:

 

 

The vent tops all seem to have some sink marks so they will need to be dealt with.

 

Then I started to think about scuttles. I have a set of Coastal Craft etched scuttles and need to use 10 of the smaller ones, having measured the diameter from the John Lambert plans. 

 

 

Lots of snipping and cleaning up to be done, all very delicately

 

 

I decided the best way to clean these up was to fit each one over a cocktail stick and gently sand off the small sprue nibs on each side.

 

 

I have to work out a way to place these over the existing scuttle holes as accurately as possible, and I think the answer lies in the use of the cocktail stick. I reckon I could poke each one into the scuttle hole in the hull after dabbing a minute amount of thin formula Gators Grip around the actual hole in the hull. The idea will be to then gently withdraw the cocktail stick, whilst holding the scuttle in place against the hull with the tip of a scalpel. This will require three hands of course, so some practice of this technique is needed!

 

Incidentally,  I first discovered Gators Grip in one of Crisps @Ex-FAAWAFU s Warship builds elsewhere in this section a while back. I must say it does everything it says on the tin and I am using it more and more for all sorts of applications. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Given that I need to come up with a placement technique for the scuttles (views on my idea above and alternative suggestions most welcome), and that I'm having some second thoughts over exactly when I should do this in the build sequence, with more work to be done on the hull itself, I am holding off actually placing these for now. All 10 scuttles are in a safe and secure place to avoid loss!

 

So the next challenge is some further work on the bridge. You will recall that I got this far in adding much internal scratch build detail to the bridge, taped together for now as much of the inside detail painting will be done prior to the major parts coming together:

 

 

Around the top front and top sides of the bridge, Airfix give you a "structure" to represent what I believe to be some sort of weather deflector. It fits flush and is really nothing like that on the prototype, as the real thing is supported proud of the actual bridge, by a number of supporting webs.

 

Aifrix's offering:

 

 

This fits onto the top of the bridge with no gap. The real thing stands proud, so there needs to be a small gap at the top also. 

 

 

I decided to reconstruct this complete fixture using some cut down plastic tube:

 

 

I marked out the shape onto my universal wooden work surface .....

 

 

The wooden strip is glued to the rear for rigidity while it all sets and will be useful to keep it so when the corner and edge pieces are refined. When that's done, the front to back length of the shield will be trimmed to the fore and aft depth of the bridge. All work for tomorrow I think as this needs to set overnight. I will need to construct around 17 support pieces to hold this structure proud against the top front and side edges of the bridge. They will need a curved profile on the outer faces to take the convex shape of the shield. The next job for this part.

 

Finally, another sub task is to get these ammunition lockers fitted each with 3 etched brass latches. Each latch contains two parts

 

 

Lockers sawn off their resin plug and cleaned up:

 

 

Etched parts ready for a marathon detach and clean up session

 

 

I feel back in the groove with this one at last.............

 

More soon

 

Terry

[robgizlu]

Heyyyy - Great to see!!

How long was that hiatus???

Nice job with the wind deflector and good luck with the ammuntion lockers - always fiddly litle buggers

I think you are on the right lines with the porthole/Scuttles, though using Gator's grip - you've got a good 90 secs before it starts to "hold" and I usually place by eye alone.

Hope this now goes through all the way to completion 

Rob

[beefy66]

18 minutes ago, Terry1954 said:

I feel back in the groove with this one at last.............

 

10 minutes ago, robgizlu said:

Hope this now goes through all the way to completion 

Quick play the music got to keep the groove going 🤩

 

beefy

[Courageous]

That's a good man, your back, now don't bugger off again.

Looks like the wind deflector is coming along fine, better than the kit option.

 

Stuart

[Terry1954]

20 hours ago, robgizlu said:

Heyyyy - Great to see!!

How long was that hiatus???

Nice job with the wind deflector and good luck with the ammuntion lockers - always fiddly litle buggers

I think you are on the right lines with the porthole/Scuttles, though using Gator's grip - you've got a good 90 secs before it starts to "hold" and I usually place by eye alone.

Hope this now goes through all the way to completion 

Rob

Thanks Rob. Sounds like I don't have to panic when placing the scuttles with Gators Grip.

 

20 hours ago, beefy66 said:

Quick play the music got to keep the groove going 

Thanks Beefy, I hear the music playing.....

 

19 hours ago, Courageous said:

That's a good man, your back, now don't bugger off again.

Looks like the wind deflector is coming along fine, better than the kit option.

Thanks Stuart, I'll try not to bugger off again, and to prove it, more progress............

 

This afternoons somewhat tedious task was to produce 17 identical (as near as I could) deflector shield supports. I used a piece of the tube from which the shields were produced, as a template to draw my curve for each support. The process was simple but laborious:

 

1. Produce a master from which to trace the next supports curve onto

 

2. Next one ready

 

3. Cut a diagonal so that my semi round file can start against a flat edge

 

4. Use semi round file to produce concave curve - this is the by eye bit, but once I'd got my eye in after a couple of practices I was producing fairly consistent brackets

 

5. Measure and mark from the top edge 

 

6. Cut

 

Then back to the first step, repeating 20 times, to give me some spares. I always used the first piece cut (as a master) to mark out each subsequent bracket, to try and avoid cumulative creeping errors in any subsequent brackets.

 

This shows a bracket being test fitted to the curve

 

 

And here we have all 20 complete. I won't clean them up until the time comes to fit as each one may need minor fettling in order to fit the shield. I have cut them very slightly deeper than I anticipate I will need so that I have some slack when fitting. That's the theory anyway.

 

 

At the moment the shield is oversize (fore to aft), but the plan is to cut that back. There is another issue to attend to which involves introducing the downward slope as the shield tapers to the rear of the bridge, as seen in the diagram below. My poorly drawn red line shows an approximation of where the cuts will need to be made. Compare it with the plan just behind. Thinking hat on.

 

 

I need a break from the deflector, so I think my next job on this one will be to place all those brass latches onto the four ammunition lockers.

 

Meanwhile, some further work needs doing on the C-47 for the Nordic GB!

 

Terry

[Courageous]

2 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

downward slope as the shield tapers to the rear of the bridge,

...and looking at that last pic and the shape of your deflector supports, as that pic shows a downward slope for the front of your cabin but your supports are vertical. You can tell me to 'shut up' if wish, especially after the bandstand tread episode.

 

Stuart

[Terry1954]

2 hours ago, Courageous said:

...and looking at that last pic and the shape of your deflector supports, as that pic shows a downward slope for the front of your cabin but your supports are vertical. You can tell me to 'shut up' if wish, especially after the bandstand tread episode.

Ah yes, the famous bandstand tread episode .......................... and yes, I was aware that slope is tricky, but I have a plan, and of course if anyone was going to raise that issue, I would be disappointed had it not been you!

 

Perhaps we should call this one "the Vosper deflector vertical support slope episode"?

 

Terry

Often challenged never defeated!

[Terry1954]

Efforts today have so far concentrated on the Nordic GB, so updates due there a bit later, but I did get some therapy playing with my new tweezers and some very small bits of brass.

 

These things (3 per locker) in need of cleaning up the tabs seen on the left and right side of each one, after cutting them from the etch "sprue". I was able to hold them quite tightly in some tweezers, while gently taking the tab off using a very fine sanding stick.

 

 

Could only cope with three more this afternoon so here is the second locker with the three cleaned up tabs secure with a minute dab of Gators Grip, ready for the second part of each latch mechanism. My plan is to do all four lockers with these parts first, then add the second part of the mechanism to all four.

 

 

If I get more time tonight, I'll see how much further I can get with the lockers.

 

Mind numbing stuff, and my hats off to all those of you out there that do this brass stuff often!

 

Terry

[robgizlu]

I did say - "Fiddly little buggers" 

Rob

 

[Terry1954]

6 hours ago, robgizlu said:

"Fiddly little buggers" 

Indeed. Not as colourful a phrase as I might use ...............!

 

So all four lockers have the first part fixed now:

 

 

The next bit was to be equally challenging in that three of these need fixing to the three brass plates already on:

 

 

With these I decided the minutest dab of thick Superglue would work better to attach them, like so:

 

 

The end result, one complete locker......

 

 

Three more to go, nine fixtures in all which all need cutting off, cleaning up and attaching.

 

See you some time after that which might involve lying down in a darkened room!

 

Terry

[beefy66]

2 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Three more to go, nine fixtures in all which all need cutting off, cleaning up and attaching.

 

See you some time after that which might involve lying down in a darkened room!

 

You obviously need to crank up the music Terry get your motivation going no time to for lying down come on you have got some catching up todo 

 

beefy 

[Courageous]

5 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

one complete locker......

As a matter of interest, how are those PE bits supposed to work in real life 'cos I can't see it?

5 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

lying down

Lying down is the same as buggering off ...stop it. 

 

Stuart