1/35 Schnellboot Typ S-38 rc conversion

[Arjan]

I'm sorry, yes another one,  building S-38's seems to be a bit contagious here 🙂. Over 10 years ago I built Italeri's S-100 so most parts of the kit are quite familiar to me. Fortunately, the molding quality of some parts is much better than 10 years ago. There were quite a few molding defects back then :

 

 

Same parts , now cleanly molded,   cut to suit the new configuration (the riveter may have been slightly intoxicated though) :

 

 

I removed the brace/bracket/bolt detail on the keel because it seems to have been invented by Italeri .

 

 

The door of the 20mm gun tub should be pointing to the rear and not to the side. Italeri still have not corrected this mistake in their instructions :

 

 

I also started work on the tub opening in the deck. The opening is too small and lacks essential detail :

 

 

Arjan

Edited November 30, 2020 by Arjan

[longshanks]

Can't have enough Schnellboots

 

Kev

[europapete]

Revell have the same tub issue on their 1/72 kits also, undersized and with a fictional slope on the deck. Regards, Pete in RI

[beefy66]

6 hours ago, longshanks said:

Can't have enough Schnellboots

Agree with Kev I will be following  

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[Arjan]

Hi gentlemen, the Italeri S-100 kit was no doubt based on the Revell 1/72 one which explains why the mistakes are very similar. In some instances the Italeri S-38 kit seems to be too heavily based on the previous S-100 one which leads to this curious combination indicated with the red arrow :

 

 

The multifaceted part is actually Italeri's rendition of an MG 15 ammo rack (intended for the double drum magazines). No doubt the designer of the part had no clue what it was he was drawing.  Anyway, these racks were certainly present on S-100 boats :

 

 

But probably not in this position on S-38 ones, here I can only see one or two steps in pics. Italeri wants us to mount pe steps onto the mg ammo racks which doesn't make sense to me. Unfortunately this means one has to cut away the multifaceted objects and make new steps :

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Arjan

[dnl42]

Nice work so far! 

 

As a Naval Architect by degree, I need to ask if you will add Lürssen effect rudder operations?

[Arjan]

7 hours ago, dnl42 said:

Nice work so far! 

 

As a Naval Architect by degree, I need to ask if you will add Lürssen effect rudder operations?

Hi, no I won't. I will copy the setup of my S-100 model which means all three rudders are operated by one servo :

 

 

Also only two driven prop shafts instead of three, a third motor/ drive doesn't really improve the performance of a 1/35 model, it only adds weight. 

 

 

Some pics of the current state of my S-100 model, I still haven't finished the guns and crew, I always find it hard to completely finish projects (new ones are always more exciting 🙂).

 

 

The turning radius of the model is huge compared to my Elco PT models which is due to the long and slender hull and also because the side rudders are not in line with the driven props. I think the turning radius in real life would probably also have been rather big.

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Arjan

[Arjan]

Dry fit of the reworked parts. I prefer Tamiya putty, I have been using it for over 30 years, unfortunately it's hard to get in Holland nowadays (probably because of health hazards ....) :

 

 

After a lengthy search in my Schnellboot photo archive I came up with this pic (it's also in the Squadron/Signal and D-L books). It clearly shows two steps and also a hand wheel and pressure gauge I had suspected would be there.

 

 

This pic also shows one of the hand wheels in this particular position. The hand wheels are contained in the kit but have been crossed out in the instructions, obviously the Italeri people didn't know where they had to go.

 

 

After going through my pics for the umpteenth time I found the perfect one :

 

 

I have cut the deck and superstructure because the rear parts should remain detachable for access to the rc hardware :

 

 

Dry fit :

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

Edited November 19, 2020 by Arjan

[Arjan]

I think there might be an issue with the torpedo targeting computer contained in the Italeri kit. I had already noticed that the pics on the Italeri site of the S-38 model show the RZA 5  targeting computer present on S-38 and S-100 boats and not the computer depicted in the instructions.

 

 

The targeting computer that should be installed according to the instructions (the column of the RZA 5 is also included in the kit) :

 

 

I have only found one period pic of this computer :

 

 

My guess is that it's an RZA 3 targeting computer, the predecessor of the RZA 5. The column of the latter is also contained in the kit and the former may have been planned for use on the new S-26 kit Italeri announced at the beginning of this year. 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

[Arjan]

It was suggested on the German Historisches Marine Forum  that the hand wheel on the other (later ?) type of targeting column was for pointing the boat towards its target :

 

 

I found another pic in my collection showing the (earlier?) targeting column without the hand wheel, again it seems to be an older type of S-Boot. Keine Hemmungen translates into something like "no holds barred" or no restraints :

 

 

This still makes me suspicious :

 

http://www.ship-model-today.de/sd149.htm

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

 

 

[Arjan]

I have started work on the fore deck. I used Archer surface detail transfers for the tub opening. The pe blackout panels are too big for the smaller of the two hatches so I've made one from styrene.

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

[Arjan]

Thanks gentlemen ! I've just fitted the spare 2cm Flak magazines, the remainder of the fore deck parts will be fitted at a later stage:

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

 

 

[Steve D]

This is great Arjan, I shall follow with interest. 

 

I've seen a lot of pictures of this kit but watching it built will help my efforts on the other Schnellboot build

 

Steve

 

Nice S-100 btw 👍

[Arjan]

Thanks Steve, you are a brave man to embark on such a difficult and labor intensive scratch build. I have downloaded quite a few (Ebay) S-Boot pics over the years so let me know if you are looking for any specific reference images. Good close up shots are rare though, especially of the bridge.

 

I've just learned that the early type of targeting column was indeed used on some type S-38 boats at least. I must say that's a relief because these new Italeri parts have much better detail than the old ones from the S-100 kit. Today most of my rc hardware arrived and I have to decide now which prop shafts I'm going to use. I ordered both 3mm and 4mm ones.

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Steve D]

13 hours ago, Arjan said:

Good close up shots are rare though, especially of the bridge.

Thanks Arjan, that's really appreciated

 

Right now I'm sorting out the prop shaft a frames.  The drawings I have contradict each other and the photographs are not totally clear.  Although some drawings show the centre shaft with an A frame, this picture of Kevin Wheatley's S130 is clear it didn't have one. 

The outer two shafts (which are missing from Kevin's boat) did have A frames from other pictures, though Carlo Cestra's ' drawing show a single support vane not an A frame, I'm surprised he got that detail wrong...

 

This short is also a nice picture of the stern wedge installed to keep the bow down at  speed and the exact detail of the rubbing strips

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Arjan]

Hi Steve, indeed only A-frames for the outer shafts. As for reference material it doesn't get much better than these IWM pics :

 

 

Not related to Schnellboote in any way but I also like this pic 🙂:

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Steve D]

5 hours ago, Arjan said:

these IWM pics

Perfect, I'd not seen those, sorted

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Arjan]

Probably only of interest for those who make an rc model, this is how the props should rotate (when going forward) :

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

Edited November 27, 2020 by Arjan

[beefy66]

Fascinating information will come in handy soon I hope for me  

 

beefy

[Arjan]

For the past few days I have been working on the wheelhouse/bridge. The parts really go together well and so far this kit has been a real pleasure to build. The parts are very crisp and well molded but there are quite a few sink marks most of which have to be filled because they are in view. The wheelhouse should remain detachable so I haven't glued it to the forward deck section.  I will later fit it to the deck with neodymium magnets. I will glue down the roof sections later once the wheelhouse has been painted and the windows fitted. Fitting the clear plastic parts after everything has been sprayed will save me a lot of masking hassle.

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

Edited December 1, 2020 by Arjan

[longshanks]

The superstructure is looking very crisp and detailed

 

Stay safe

 

Kev

[Arjan]

After gluing the fore deck to the hull I discovered there was a gap between the fore deck and the front of the wheelhouse. I removed the locating tabs of the wheelhouse but I still couldn't slide it forward sufficiently to close the gap. It turned out that a strip had to be removed from the bottom of the rear wall (of the superstructure). I marked this strip in red :

 

 

No more gap now:

 

I also wanted to rework the bulwarks next to the torp tubes. These Italeri parts look pretty miserable :

 

 

The problem is that I haven't managed to find a good period closeup of this area, at least not of an S-38 Boot. This is the next best thing (not an S-38) but I assume it should be very similar :

 

 

I removed some of the Italeri rivets and used some 1mm Evergreen strip. I will add Archer rivets to these strips later. I might also drill out the navigation lights to insert leds.

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[Arjan]

Thanks gentlemen ! Not much progress, I drilled out the navigation lights, added MG pintles and some basic detail to the inner side of the bulwarks. I will paint the inside of the nav lights black to prevent light from shining through the plastic.

 

 

Regards,

 

Arjan

[mick]

great work

[Steve D]

Nice crisp work, this is really helping me Arjan, please keep up the posting (he said selfishly).

 

Steve