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Sink the Bismarck! HMS Ark Royal, 26 May 1941


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This next sub episode looks like it could be a big hit. Seeing all those tiny parts neatly spread out is definitely not for those of a nervous disposition, but that said, you have to start somewhere.

 

I'm assuming beer time means no more work on these precious parts tonight. I think I'll have one or two with you. 

 

Cheers!

 

Terry

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Absolutely, indubitably, certifiably, Section 2 Bonkers :elephant::rofl2:

 

As for the Beer Stop - Well yeah  :winkgrin:

I'd get so much more modelling done if not........................................:whistle:

Bring it on

Rob

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Think I've just found another use for those surgical masks!

Would be a disaster to sneeze (or even do a weighty sigh) with all those parts laid out.

Mask will have to be removed for beer time though.

Tom

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I predict a safe and totally normal buil....

WhatthehellamIsaying?.

 

Madness but very kind of you to help us with this lunacy

 

Anyway

 

15854850145954585349786548090101.jpg

 

Is it Tuesday yet?

 

Building up the seat furniture on my present build reveals a native urgency

 

Need these tweezers

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Well you see Bill @perdu I couldn't wait so, as with all deliveries these days, the package and contents were removed to the decontamination room (garage) and decontaminated .............. never in my whole life would I imagine my hands would consume more alcohol than my mouth!

 

Terry

 

PS, that one is doing the rounds it seems!

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OK, here we go.

 

The first part is this, which eventually forms the central block of all 8 guns; the bit at the bottom, with 8 rectangular holes in it, is the rear of the mounting - the 8 individual breeches fit through those holes.  The bit at the top right, with 8 small circular holes, is the front of the mounting - the 8 individual barrels fit through those.

49712609048_a89205085b_b.jpg


... which looks after this once folded; not easy-peasy, but relatively self-explanatory / straight-forward:

49713144071_6b84113b27_b.jpg


Then you put three plates (inter-locked in a kind of cross of Lorraine shape) inside.  I learned from the test run that it is completely vital to get this bit right, because otherwise it’s almost impossible to align things thereafter, since all 8 gun breeches fix into this inner section, & the barrels pass through and out of the other side.  Here is one side (the one nearer the front of the mounting, eventually):

49713143786_39f8ed0f1e_b.jpg

 

...and here the other; you can see (if youre still with me!) that the inner four guns not only pass through the face of the block, but also through this inner plate, ending up fixed to the front plate (above).  This is the ingenious way that Tetra engineer the 4-in, 4-out look of the Pom-Pom; it works well, but only if you are very precise.

49712609003_d98a23b0d5_b.jpg


To help lock all this into position, you also have two half-moon geared sections - here you can see one fitted and the other waiting to be done:

49713464527_cba9e5b64c_b.jpg

 

...it ends up looking like this, seen from the underside:

49713464537_b10b65f412_b.jpg


You then have to build 8 breech blocks, one for each barrel.  I think this is the hardest part, because it’s essential that they end up the right shape (or they won’t fit through the block, as above), but hard to fold all 4 sides when they are so small.  It starts like this - incidentally, you might be able to see that I have filed the tabs on the far end slightly; I’ll explain why in a minute:

49713143671_0d793aa35c_b.jpg

 
...then this, where I have done one side at right angles, and the end cap (into which one day the brass barrel will lock) across to meet it:

49713464602_c1b6d04c60_b.jpg


Trial and error has taught me that, though you cannot do the full right-angles on all four sides this way, it helps to start the folds, ending up with this:

49713464577_66e49bb8cb_b.jpg

 

You then have to finish off with the thin end of some sharp tweezers - though to be fair to Tetra, this is stunningly well engineered, so it quickly becomes strong enough to align with the Tamiya pliers.  This is where you find out whether you’ve got the breeches the right shape, and where the filed tabs come into play, because you feed them through a hole in the rear face of the block (the original box shape), and (for the inner barrels) also through the rear plate inside (see above).  It sounds horrendous when described like that, but experience has taught me that provided it fits in through the front hole OK, it is so well engineered that the tabs fit into the right slot very easily with some careful manipulation.  Filing them a little helps with the fit, because margins are minuscule.

 

Anyway, as I stop this evening (this takes a lot of concentration!), I have fitted 4 of the 8 breeches; I hope you can see that the two inner ones are set deeper into the block than the two outer.  Bearing in mind that we are currently looking at the rear of the weapon, you might be able to see where this ends up, with the configuration of the guns - the 4 inside barrels poking further out than the 4 outers.

49713464522_56c4af5166_b.jpg


I hope I have explained that OK.  It’s easy to understand if you know where you’re going - I am SO glad I did a test run! - but there are quite a few Pooh-traps if you don’t take your time and concentrate.

 

More soon.  Stay safe

 

Crisp

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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On 3/28/2020 at 1:00 PM, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

Very thin paint and lots of dry mist costs over and over again is my method for that

Spray Misty for Me,  indeed.

 

On 3/28/2020 at 6:16 PM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Will the carpet monster gobble the lot?  

Will Crisp lose his marbles yet further? 

Tune in for the next exciting episode...

This thread has now officially achieved 'requires a theme tune' status.

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11 hours ago, Courageous said:

Looks like those tweezers are popular, mine arrived this morning.

Nice work with the PE, just wished I could see more of it...

 

Stuart 

I fell for a set of them too.

 

Martian 👽

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5 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

I fell for a set of them too.

Those tweezers must have an R naught of around 3 at the rate they are spreading!

 

Terry

 

 

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Thanks for the step-by-step Crisp.

 

"You can see…" - not me matey, this things tiny!

 

Kudos Sir, your poor eyes :D 

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I knew these things were small but was nearly apoplectic when I glanced down at the cutting mat on my desk and saw the size of the grid. Once I'd cleared up the coffee I spilled I noticed the hold & fold and eventually figured out that your mat must have larger dividing lines than mine,  Crisp. Phew.

Amazing micro-surgery nevertheless - even if it is 5x as large as I first imagined. You got me looking a folding tools on ebay, @Ex-FAAWAFU. :D

 

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Part 2.  I decided to leave the other 4 breeches for another day - partly because they aren’t easy but also because I could reduce the number of free-range tiny brass things significantly by working on the base.

 

There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news - which I know will please Stuart & others - is that I finally received my replacement iPhone today, courtesy of O2’s insurance.  My old phone - a XS - has been struggling for months, & only recently did I convince O2 the spontaneously rebooting itself 30-odd times per day is not normal behaviour for a modern phone.  Since I was pretty close to my upgrade date anyway, I paid a small excess and now have an iPhone 11.

 

Why is this good news for you lovely lot?  Because the camera is a lot better!

 

The bad news - not that bad, really - is that I clean forgot to take any photos while I was working.

 

So here is the underneath of the mounting:

49717011468_fd8a50ddc3_b.jpg


... and here the upper side:

49717551066_ca934eca3b_b.jpg

 

And here, since you all reckoned you couldn’t see it yesterday, is the block from yesterday’s instalment:

49717011593_c266a00b90_b.jpg


 

More tomorrow

 

Crisp

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