billn53 Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 There is a back-story to this build which is as much a part of this project as the kit itself. My story is told in the first couple posts of the WIP, I encourage you to take a look, it's an interesting read. Basically, my challenge was to build this old kit: In a manner that would meet my standards. As a former submarine officer on Nautilus, my standards were pretty high! Before I begin, I wish to thank these individuals who helped with this project: Mika, of Arctic Decals ( www.arcticdecals.com ), who ALPS-printed the white markings Steve, of Model Monkey ( www.model-monkey.com ), who sourced an appropriate anchor from the many detail items he sells MikaK, of Lahha's Mechanical Components (Shapeways shop), who customized a set of five-bladed screws to my specifications, and Ron, of Grandpa's Cabinets ( www.grandpascabinets.com ), who built a beautiful display case very quickly and at a reasonable cost The WIP, which I mentioned before, can be found here: Here we go! Standby, I have a lot to show you.... First, the beauty shots: Next, close-up details. I filled in the superstructure's limber holes, enhanced the edge where it joins the hull, included a home for the anchor (the original kit didn't have one), and added the small "DUUG" sonar dome on top: The sail (a.k.a. fin, or conning tower) is scratch-built: I detailed the deck by simulating Nautilus's wood planking; adding various hatches, openings, & the emergency messenger buoys; and added the safety track that ran from bow to stern: The large sponsion (and smaller on on opposite side) were for the large MACS acoustic research antenna (photo of that coming up). The two openings are for the diesel exhaust and seawater cooling outlet. The kit's stern was hacked off and replaced with a scratch-built one: I included a full array of ballast tank floods and various seawater inlet/outlet openings, using custom made decals: It so happened I had a second Aurora kit in my stash, so I built this straight out-of-the-box, per yellowed instructions, for comparison: Camera perspective makes my new build look much longer than the original. In fact, it is only slightly longer (due to the new stern): This pic shows how I re-shaped the bow to add the chin "bulge" for the BQR-4 sonar array: Comparison pics of the original and re-built sails: Aurora's missile launcher and storage container were never part of Nautilus's equipment. But, we did occasionally carry things on our rear deck. Here is the MACS (Mobile Acoustic Communications Study) array I mentioned earlier: Comparison of the original and re-built sterns: Aurora's kit was too broad in the beam, and had a "squashed" cross-section. I took out about 1/8-inch in the beam dimension, which helped bring the model's proportions back into alignment with drawings I have. That about wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed the show, and thanks for viewing! - Bill 45 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolphin38 Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Having followed the WIP and seen how much work you have put into this you can be rightly proud of your work, a great model and I salute you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 Great stuff; loved the build, love the result. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 I so enjoyed the WIP and the final result is superb. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeddahbill Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Excellent! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Looks great Bill, was great to follow your progress 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Wow! Your intimate knowledge of Nautilus has really paid off! I love the comparison images because they really demonstrate how much work you completed on the old kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 Very nice.👍 I agree with Alpha Delta above; building the model OOB to display the differences is a great idea. A 100% scratchbuild might have been easier! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuoy Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Excellent build! Love the comparison between your model and the original version! Thanks for a most informative and enjoyable build thread. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SafetyDad Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Lovely job! As @Bandsaw Steve says, building the two and then displaying them side-by-side is very informative Excellent work SD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinChipmunkfan Posted August 7, 2020 Share Posted August 7, 2020 Agree with all of the comments- a fantastic end product, the result of a great amount of skillful work on your part. The two boats hardly look to represent the same boat. Thank you for posting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 An excellent conversion/restoration Bill, one to be really proud of. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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