Terry1954 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 So with work on the Vosper continuing, and a couple of other "offline" projects going on (each of which will get an RFI), I decided to start my first ever venture into 1/350 scale maritime modelling. I have great ambitions for this scale, having watched others on here producing superb examples, @robgizlu, @Ex-FAAWAFU, @beefy66, @Courageous, @longshanks and @Nick Charnock to name just a few. You have all conspired to inspire me into this scale, so in short, this is your fault! I wanted a quick subject - is there such a thing as a quick Terry build I hear you ask? Well, surely a 1/350 "smallish" submarine with so few actual parts to bring together, must be a ripe candidate? I have only ever built one submarine model in my life. That was a scratch built Oberon in 1/600 (if my memory serves me right? which was done as a "bet" with a long standing friend, at the age of around 15. I seem to recall I won the bet, but he and another good friend ended up joining the Navy, so with the benefit of much hindsight, they won hands down........... So the subject is this, acquired at a very reasonable price at a show earlier this year. I got much change from my £10. Submarines have always fascinated me. Such mysterious, quite deadly things that lurk below the surface. Silent invisible delivery systems capable of immense destruction from the unthinkable armageddon scenario, through to the ability to sink any surface vessel, the ability to launch standoff tactical cruise missiles over vast distances, the ability to carry out surveillance duties and even act as a silent taxi service to land special forces in discreet places, all potentially without detection, although not always of course.............. If you have read this far, you probably know all that, so to the model......... The obligatory sprue shot: Not much there really. I have always had a mind to mount 1/350 scale maritime subjects in a sea scape. It normally feels right for me, but in this case, I've chosen full hull. So, the two "big bits" are first. There is an impressive amount of detail on the hull. and being a Chinese subject I have no idea how accurate it is, but it looks good to me! In aircraft modelling terms, this next part can take me weeks, often months, but we are already "closed up" And with some putty applied to smooth out the join, surely we are almost there.... Well, almost... Clearly there is smoothing to be done, then the other parts to apply, but already I am feeling the pleasure of such a quick build (so far) after all that scratch building going on with the Vosper! Hopefully next episode will see the fuselagehull cleaned up and ready for paint, with a handful of other parts in place. I suspect the real fun will be the paint job, as I won't be satisfied with "just black, and a red bottom............. Thanks for looking Terry 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 5 hours ago, Terry1954 said: the fuselagehull Gidday Terry, I often call the body of an aircraft the 'hull' 😀. And although I've never done a 1/350 sub there does seem to be quite a bit of detail molded into the hull. I'm looking forward to seeing your paint job. Regards, Jeff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Ooo, a Terry sub and nearly finished! Full hull or not, get it into a seabase, it''s where it is meant to be after all. Now, no stalling. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 16 hours ago, Terry1954 said: I have great ambitions for this scale, having watched others on here producing superb examples, @robgizlu, @Ex-FAAWAFU, @beefy66, @Courageous, @longshanks and @Nick Charnock to name just a few. You have all conspired to inspire me into this scale, so in short, this is your fault! It wasn't me I didn't do it honest Guv 😉 This is looking promising although I almost always put my builds into a base I still like to see submarine on a pedestal display otherwise there aint a lot to see 🤔 Stay Safe beefy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 11, 2020 Author Share Posted July 11, 2020 13 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said: Gidday Terry, I often call the body of an aircraft the 'hull' 😀. And although I've never done a 1/350 sub there does seem to be quite a bit of detail molded into the hull. I'm looking forward to seeing your paint job. Regards, Jeff. Thanks Jeff. There is a surprising amount of detail in the hull, more on that shortly .......... 9 hours ago, Courageous said: Ooo, a Terry sub and nearly finished! Nearly finished eh ? 🤣 Watch this space! 3 hours ago, beefy66 said: This is looking promising although I almost always put my builds into a base I still like to see submarine on a pedestal display otherwise there aint a lot to see Yes, as a general rule I like to see ship/boat models in a sea base, but submarines feel as if both ways would work. I think I'll stick with full hull on a pedestal for this one, although last minute changes can occur! Hull detail issues. The draught marks on this one are raised details, which are fine enough but have already been affected by some hull sanding and in anycase are not convincing enough for me. These will have to be marked in some other way - not sure how yet. Maybe there are decals available? The front join of the hull halves was a challenge, as the six torpedo doors are finely engraved around this area and again have been partly removed in an attempt to get a smooth join. The centre doors actually span the join, which is frustrating. Re-scribing these seemed too tricky given the curvature around the nose, so first plan is some thin card shaped to each door and stuck down. When this is well and truly dry (days I would imagine) I plan to rub them down as thin as possible giving a slightly raised door shape. If that doesn't look right under paint, then they will be sanded flush, and the doors represented by a very slight variation in paint shade. First attempt shown here, and you can also see the heavy draught marks. The fin (I believe sail to our American cousins) is not bad in detail, although this shot doesn't do it justice. The recess at the top, can take either of the two supplied top parts, there being a choice of everything closed up, or everything poking out (technical term) I'm planning to use both, with the closed up version having some of the access hatches etc drilled out, and use the sensors/scopes positioned into these giving a bit more depth and realism. I may use brass rod and scratch bits if I can get a better picture of what these look like in real life. May have to use some artistic licence here! This is the closed up part with what appears to be relevant hatches/doors marked, ready for modification. I also plan to ensure the front part has required depth, and possibly some added detail if I can get some decent shots of a real one - unlikely I know. Two or three Chinese crew would look the biz in here I reckon, so need to think about that. That's all for today. Terry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 2 hours ago, Terry1954 said: Watch this space Yep, here we go...bow caps, drilling mast wells, you just can't help yourself. Stuart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Lots of detail molded in to the hull. I’m not familiar with the Song so can’t attest to how accurate it is, but it should build up to a nice model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnoldAmbrose Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Courageous said: Yep, here we go...bow caps, drilling mast wells, you just can't help yourself. Give him a break Stuart. 😀 Remember, this is Terry's first foray into 1/350 scale floaty (divey?) things so he hasn't had a chance to build up tolerance to the modification bug. 😁 Or perhaps he readily succumbed, like a lot of us. Carry on Terry, I'm (we're) interested in your solutions to these issues with the kit. Regards, Jeff. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Not sure if I belong in the group you cited at the start of the thread but thanks. Detail looks good, and I imagine it's satisfying to get the build done quickly As to the depth marks (if that's what they are) Archer raised detail decals might be one solution Keep it coming Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 14, 2020 Author Share Posted July 14, 2020 On 7/12/2020 at 3:49 AM, ArnoldAmbrose said: Carry on Terry, I'm (we're) interested in your solutions to these issues with the kit. Regards, Jeff. Thanks Jeff, I guess I did succumb a bit to some mods. I couldn't build this one OOB! On 7/13/2020 at 3:19 PM, robgizlu said: Not sure if I belong in the group you cited at the start of the thread but thanks. Detail looks good, and I imagine it's satisfying to get the build done quickly As to the depth marks (if that's what they are) Archer raised detail decals might be one solution Keep it coming Rob Thanks Rob. I might check Archer out but I think I'm aiming to achieve a painted on look for these draught marks. The kit raised detail for these doesn't look right me. So first casualty on the fin was the bridge area surround, which looked way to thick to me. So it had to come off to be thinned down: I managed to reduce the thickness by over a half, so that feels better although potentially still overscale. Also shown are the drill outs in the fin top part, to represent the opened hatches for the scopes and sensors etc. I cut a small disc of very thin plastic card to represent a hatch in the open bridge. I can't be certain that is exactly right, but they have to get access somehow and I'm guessing it should go about there. Pictures of other submarine types show something similar, consistently. The bent part at the back of the fin got damaged, so have fixed that now! So here is what we have so far. I've replaced a couple of the sensor "poles" with some brass and hollow tube, to get a closer to scale telescopic effect. I need to check references on the Song class as I have seen similar pictures showing opened hatch doors where the sensors are raised up, and certainly the original kit part shows doors scribed with a break line down the centre. Those who know these things may also offer some advice on this? As you can see from about, I need to clean up the area around the top of the fin to a smooth surface and may even fit a couple of items at the very front in the bridge space itself, up against the surround to represent some equipment I've seen in similar pictures - a compass fitting maybe? That's it for today. Terry 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Making huge differences - the sensor poles look the Dogs.... Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo99 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 On 11/07/2020 at 20:05, Terry1954 said: This is the closed up part with what appears to be relevant hatches/doors marked, ready for modification. I also plan to ensure the front part has required depth, and possibly some added detail if I can get some decent shots of a real one - unlikely I know. Two or three Chinese crew would look the biz in here I reckon, so need to think about that. This any help for you 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo99 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 My knowledge of Chinese is nil, but 1st one says its a 093G - fin seems off though. This one may be better.. "On depth" LOL 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 12 hours ago, robgizlu said: Making huge differences - the sensor poles look the Dogs.... Rob Thanks Rob. There seem to be few areas where you can go to town on these subs, so top of the fin is crying out for super detailing! Thanks @gibbo99, they are helpful pictures, although as you say neither appear to be Song class. I've managed to dig out a few similar pictures on the net of the Song class which have helped. They show some differing combinations of which sensors are up at any one time, which I guess is realistic. What is interesting also is that your pictures, and those I have of the Song, show read internals to some of the areas. and many show crew in the front part, often a lot of crew in such a small area! Need to source myself some Chinese Naval crew in 1/350! This one from sinodefence.com And also this one from Military-Today.com It does seem the front bridge area is a popular place to be! Terry 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 3 hours ago, Terry1954 said: crying out for super detailing! What are you thinking ! 3 hours ago, Terry1954 said: differing combinations of which sensors are up Logic prevails in the main; radar, w/t, search periscope and possibly a snorkel, the others go up as-and-when. 3 hours ago, Terry1954 said: Chinese Naval crew in 1/350 As if you can distinguish between sailors uniforms in this scale. 3 hours ago, Terry1954 said: popular place to be! Only when it's a nice day. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Some great reference for when you do try a sea base there Terry Stay Safe beefy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 Thanks for your latest comments Beefy and Stuart. I agree Beefy regarding the sea base reference pictures. Well, all major parts are stuck together now, as I stuck the fin and its own side fins together! The top has had a few small bits added to represent some items of equipment inside the bridge - all speculative I must add, but pictures of similar submarines bridge areas, show one or two bits of kit. I also straightened up the rear bulkhead behind the open area, with small strip of card. On 7/15/2020 at 12:18 PM, Courageous said: Logic prevails in the main; radar, w/t, search periscope and possibly a snorkel, the others go up as-and-when. Sound logic thanks Stuart. I've managed to get a bit more refinement on these items, which may all find themselves sticking out of the fin in the end! This next one is so small, it's on a piece of fuse wire. It's the small bit sitting just in front of the Vosper ammunition locker! You can see the real version on the picture below. It appears to be slightly offset to the left of the picture. Looks to me like some sorts of small comms kit. This build is certainly getting me hooked on submarines! Terry 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo99 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 It looks like a "Furuno" clone civilian RADAR to me. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Coming along nicely there Terry and so quick are you feeling alright 🤔 got to be your quickest build so far. beefy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 2 hours ago, Terry1954 said: hooked No hook...no hook...other fish to fry. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Ignore that young Beefy - he's just being jealous Cracking progress. Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 On 7/19/2020 at 7:32 PM, gibbo99 said: It looks like a "Furuno" clone civilian RADAR to me. Yes, I would tend to agree. Not sure I can replicate "Furuno" on the edge of the dome though .....😁 On 7/19/2020 at 8:06 PM, beefy66 said: Coming along nicely there Terry and so quick are you feeling alright 🤔 got to be your quickest build so far. beefy You are right Beefy, coming along way to fast, so I slowed down a bit! On 7/19/2020 at 9:47 PM, Courageous said: No hook...no hook...other fish to fry. Stuart Too late, Astute is in the stash and another following soon! On 7/20/2020 at 8:51 AM, robgizlu said: Ignore that young Beefy - he's just being jealous Cracking progress. Rob Thanks Rob! Well a bit of a slow down this last week due to many conflicting domestic priorities, one of which was having to build this for one of my grand daughters (4 years old). She chose the kit, and the colour scheme I hasten to add. It's the rather basic Xtrakit version. Fear not, there is a Czech Master Scimitar in the stash for a proper build! The underside is of course midnight blue (her choice again), and there will be many and varied decals applied to her taste............. We digress... I did manage to get a coat of AK's one shot black onto the Song That last shot has highlighted some further cleaning up on the top of that fin! I decided to airbrush the "hull red" next, the plan being then to mask that for the top coat black. First attempt, Tamiya Hull Red, straight from the jar: Looking at the few reference pictures I could find, this was nowhere near red enough, so second coat has some flat red added, to brighten things up a bit: The jury is still out on this, as compared to this, we still seem a tad too brown: I'll sleep on that and decide whether to brighten things further tomorrow. One last thing today. I decided that this would not do as a name plate, given my appalling inability to read Chinese: So today we have this, a work in progress I hasten to add! More soon Terry 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 2 hours ago, Terry1954 said: Too late, Astute is in the stash and another following soon! I did try. I think I need to talk to myself too, I walked out of the LMS yesterday with a bag of AFV's. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo99 Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 3 hours ago, Terry1954 said: Yes, I would tend to agree. Not sure I can replicate "Furuno" on the edge of the dome though .....😁 Yea, I doubt that would be easy 😆 Nice update though 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 22 hours ago, Courageous said: I did try. I think I need to talk to myself too, I walked out of the LMS yesterday with a bag of AFV's. Stuart We all do it. Increasing the stash that is, not talking to ourselves! 22 hours ago, gibbo99 said: Yea, I doubt that would be easy 😆 Nice update though Thanks! I set about masking off the hull red this afternoon, ready for an airbrushing session tomorrow. I have several projects in need of some initial paint, so I like to batch them up where I can to maximise airbrush use and do a clean up afterwards. First part down. This one is key to get that demarcation as accurate as I can. Looks like a large sonar/acoustics panel under the chin, so that will get a very slightly different shade of black.. I was expecting the curve at the back end to be trickier than it was. Happy with this. And a large piece of tape along the bottom to hold it with! Pretty happy with this now All set for tomorrow's mammoth airbrush fest. Apart from this one, some components of the Vosper will be getting some paint, along with some 1/72 AFV's, a 1/72 Spitfire VC and a 1/48 Meteor. More on this one soon. Terry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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