R25 class Räumboot - building finally

[Steve D]

Quick Boxing Day update on the rubber dinghy.

 

This is the look I'm trying to replicate

 

 

These dinghy's were supported at the back by two vertical beams and held down in the cradles with two webbing straps

 

The colour in this picture was pre-war, the pictures I have during wartime clearly show dark dinghy's, I'm presuming dark blue tinted rudder based on pictures of real ones I can find on line.

 

This was the £D model I drew a few months ago which incorporates the cradles and beams as one model

 

 

Here it is with a base coat of tyre black, the grab rope added and the webbing straps made up from thin copper

 

 

And lastly, sitting on the deck in near final paint (still needs weathering and the black wraps on the oars added)

 

 

The timber thwarts are lightly grained (my second only attempt at wood graining), I'm pleased with this look.  The oars are made up from limewood, printing those would be cheating.  The weathering will include a weak white wash to lighten up the rubber, tether rope added from fine crochet thread knocked back with some dark wood stain, as is the grab rope.

 

One little model at a time

 

Cheers

 

Steve 

[Courageous]

Getting better and better. Nice dinghy.

 

Stuart

[Steve D]

11 hours ago, Courageous said:

Getting better and better

Thanks Stuart, it's still looking quite open and uncluttered but the detail should start to pour in from now on, there is plenty left to come

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[robgizlu]

Splendid as ever Steve 

Happy New Year

Rob

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, robgizlu said:

Happy New Year

And to you Rob, happy modelling 

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Andreas.R]

Admirable skills!

Happy New Year!

[Steve D]

19 hours ago, Andreas.R said:

Happy New Year!

Andreas, thanks for following my little build, I hope you are finding the work interesting

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Steve D]

Back to the mast.  Pre/early-war and in the shipyard pictures, all R-boats have full height main masts with three lamps on a vertical spar parallel with the mast.  I presume these lamps are to indicate sweeping operations in progress.

 

However, once you look at the pictures from later in the war in camo, none of them have the full mast, they have at least one whip aerial and sometimes a small stub signalling mast attached to the wheelhouse, not in the tabernacle.

 

So, I've decided to follow this practice which also gives me the benefit of being able to use an identical sized case as the s-boote so they will form a matched pair 

 

I've fitted the tabernacle with the hinge bolt installed but no mast carrier, not sure it could be removed without cutting equipment so I guess they would leave it in place

 

Here you can see this plus the stanchions on the wheelhouse roof installed and painted.  Those forward sloping diagonal extensions held a chain, will be fitted later.  Also attached to the forward corner stanchions are longer diagonal poles that support the loop aerial, more on that later

 

 

The covered flag locker is in place, the second flag locker will be next to that short mast and wiht the canvas rolled back and the flags installed

 

For anyone interested, these are the Kriegsmarine signal flag alphabet and numbers

 

 

And no, I won't be painting them, but the tissue colours will sort of match

 

Next I sorted the breakwater, not sure why that took me so long to get around to but it did.  Anyway, here it is in place.  This was just scratch built from odd bits of brass

 

 

The anchor windlass winding handles are stored on the rear face of this, still to make.  also, at least one boat pole was stored forward beneath the braces

 

It's also been driving me mad that I knew I had seen a colour picture of the depth charge but for some reason I'd not saved it.  From memory it had yellow ends so I really wanted to find it again.  You know how sometimes stuff just appears and sometimes no matter what search word (in either English or German "Wasserbombe G" in case anyone is interested) it just doesn't re-appear.  There are actually very few images easily found and I have them all. 

 

Then today, there it was! and so, to save others the same frustration, here it is

 

 

And so, with the confidence of a colour picture to back me up, here are the 6 Wasserbombe painted in fancy yellow and the release ropes added

 

 

I've left the racks light grey but painted the outer barrels medium grey, the explosive core mechanism is painted dark gunmetal.  They still need weathering of course, but I'm really happy with them

 

I've also painted the galley hatch assembly but the picture was so out of focus, that reveal will need to wait until the next update, sorry

 

Cheers and Happy New Year 

 

Steve

[robgizlu]

Steve - she is looking fantastic - I love the wood deck and those depth charges are the Bizz.  Wonderful detail

Happy New Year

Rob

[Andreas.R]

Hello Steve,

 

this " yellow Wasserbombe" looks a little small? I have Photos of those used by the destroyers and they are 1/3 bigger like yours.

Regards

Andreas

[Steve D]

3 minutes ago, Andreas.R said:

this " yellow Wasserbombe" looks a little small

Actually, now I look at it closer, you're right, they do seem smaller than the ones I've modelled.

 

Can't remember which resource i got the dimensions from, but for completeness, the detail came from these which are from a US navy publication.  The sizing works perfectly with the deck layout and othe rpictures so I'm confident on the size

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Andreas.R]

Yours have the right dimensions, I'm only referring to the yellow one.

It has the same design but seems to be a little smaller

[beefy66]

Lovely work as usual there Steve.  

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[Steve D]

Quick update on the fo'c'sle detailing.

 

First, the mysterious rack just ahead of the wheelhouse shield

 

 

Seen here with a couple of rope fenders sitting on it.  I think this picture was taken on builder's trials, no armament fitted.  I think Jochen suggested this was for ammo storage and that may well have been the builder's intention but RUL's are clear in the operational pictures next to the crew-flat hatch.  So, I think that were just left and used to stow stuff, ropes, canvas DC covers etc., easy to secure to stop them washing overboard.  Now the forward racks are different.  I've decided they could have been used to store spare Flak barrels and they are exactly the right size for a two barrel case, an image of which I fund on line

 

So, here is where I've got to, slowly detailing stuff.  Empty smoke buoy racks next to the mysterious rack, but containing smoke buoys in the racks next to the wheelhouse (gun still not painted, more detail needed)

 

 

Better shot of the forward racks, one case open showing the two spare barrels

 

 

All this stuff is removable and un-weathered at this stage.  Note the rivet detail on that wheelhouse....

 

Stanchions will have to come soon or I'll run out of stuff to play with.....

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

 

[robgizlu]

Bootiful!

Rob

[Dmitriy1967]

Steve

Why is this wooden bar in front of the breakwater? I couldn't find it in the photos of the real ship.

 

 

 

[Steve D]

8 hours ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

Why is this wooden bar in front of the breakwater?

Dmitry,

 

You and I will fall out if you zoom in so close on my pictures 

 

I placed the 1 mm sq timber there to provide a forward anchor (or buffer) for shield while I work things through.  The complex curve of the deck and shield isn't quite perfect (what is perfect?) and that gapping hits the eye and is distracting.  You may recall, this shield is my 4th attempt to get the shape right and I decided life is too short for a 5th.  Before I finally glue everything in place, I will probably sand this back to be very thin and just cover the slight gap, especially now that you have pointed it out to everyone....

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Dmitriy1967]

1 hour ago, Steve D said:

You and I will fall out if you zoom in so close on my pictures 

 

 

I didn't see anything! Really!

P.S. I'm carrying my microscope to throw in the trash.

 

Dmitriy

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

I'm carrying my microscope to throw in the trash.

Be sure to burn the trash afterwards, temptations etc....

[Dmitriy1967]

2 minutes ago, Steve D said:

Be sure to burn the trash afterwards, temptations etc....

I'll just delete the Google Translator and no one will understand what I'm saying. 

[bootneck]

1 hour ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

I'll just delete the Google Translator and no one will understand what I'm saying. 

I thought you already had done that Dmitriy! 

 

Cheers,
Mike

[Steve D]

Time I posted an update of my progress, or lack of

 

My stanchion plan didn't work.  I had planned to solder 1mm tube to the top of 0.8mm tube, drill a 0.5mm hole though the latter and mount it on a 0.6mm spike soldered to the triangular etched base,, perfectly, 60 times...

 

That was never really going to happen, but as it turned out, my jig for drilling the 0.5mm hole just broken drills so it went in the bin and I bought 60 commercial stanchions.  However, these all need turning down in the centre and base plus filing flat at the top and drilling the top hole out to .8mm before soldering to the etched base, so not free of work, but much easier.  The rear two that sit either side oof the roller fiarlead needed further work to allow me to fit a 0.8mm tube below the lower hole so they could be glued to the 0.6mm spike I'd left sicking up from the outer rollers.  Well, that worked, eventually...

 

Here is my set-up for turning the stanchions down in my lathe, the upper ball in a tube for support, 10 down, 50 to go....  It's quite quick actually, just boring

 

 

Then I spent an interminable amount of time fitting the chains to the wheelhouse roof forward stanchion extensions, too many things moving in mid air for my cllumsy hands

 

Here's a really unhelpful angle of this detail, also showing the beginning of the wheelhouse planking weathering, searchlight still needs making

 

 

Just visible is one of the three water hydrants (red thing below the life buoys) and the gangplanks installed in their brackets and the strange white circular stands that sit above the life buoys.  I think these are directional stands to help read a bearing of something being observed, any thoughts?  These were actually bolted to the upstands which were made from 16ba bolts, sweet...

 

Finishing the first Flak would wait any longer, in particular the shell catch net.  I had etched a frame for this though it is really too fragile.  I spent a hour online buying a range of net samples and then stumbled on a net bag in the garage that actually looked just about right so I used that.  This tiny item has just occupied much too much of my remaining time on this planet, but the first one is done.  Not neat enough, but it will have to do

 

Then the gunners shoulder rests that I'd etched looked horrible once complete, so they also went in the bin and I scratch built replacements from some brass tube and some ridiculously small silver soldering

 

This is the net frame before the netting was added, about 8mm cube.  Netting to the upper right.  The gun is in the background with the replacement rests and gun sight fitted which is unclear in this shot, sorry

 

 

And here it is made up and fitted in place

 

 

Its a bit rough where it attached to the frame, but so were the real ones, bad work = super realism  

 

T'other side, I may add some shell cases

 

 

And with the first round of painting done sitting in roughly the right place on the deck

 

 

Alternative shot with the gun on the f'c'sle, better view of the chains which still need painting of course.  Chain stopper in place, been fiddling wiht chains and the anchor winch as well, still work in progress there but nice to see that area looking busy

 

 

Overall, a frustrating few days, sigh...  But I'm pleased I actually got something made and didn't bottle and leave the net off (I very nearly did..) 

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Steve D
another picture added

[Dmitriy1967]

I was interested in the shell catch net. It seems that the designers did it in a hurry, just like you, having found something in the garage. It seems to me that German engineers could make a more elegant and compact design, as they love and know how to do.

And your work, as always, is beautiful, even though you scold yourself. 👍

[Steve D]

28 minutes ago, Dmitriy1967 said:

It seems that the designers did it in a hurry

While it looks big and somewhat clunky it stays still while the gun elevates and so needs that large opening to continue to catch the shells

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Dmitriy1967]

2 minutes ago, Steve D said:

While it looks big and somewhat clunky it stays still while the gun elevates and so needs that large opening to continue to catch the shells

 

 

So they just didn't want to add extra weight from the casings to the gun itself. I see.