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       Gidday All, many years ago while in a doctor's waiting room I picked up a copy of a Reader's Digest. In the book section at the rear was a story "The Ship That Out-Sailed Time". The article told the story of USS Mullany, a Fletcher-class destroyer. I read the article, was fascinated by it and never forgot it, it is quite a story. I've wanted to do a Fletcher class for quite some time, in particular this ship, and decided now is the time. Those of you who know me will know of my preference for the 1/600 scale in ships, and as there is no kit I can use that I know of it'll be another scratch build.

       Wish me luck.

 

I hadn't intended to start the build thread until I was a bit further advanced but then I thought "What the heck, let's do this", so here I am. I'm planning on using the technique I used for my recent Flower class corvette, but with some refinements due to lessons I learnt. The first task, obviously, is to get some plans of the ship. And for this the internet is a marvelous thing. 🙂 The diagrams I found aren't very big, but good enough I think for the scale and hence size of this model. Using these I cut a centre profile piece and the upper deck, both from 0.5mm thick styrene sheet.

MULL10 hull & deck cuttout 1

       On the profile piece I removed 1mm from the keel and 0.5mm from the cutaway under the hull. This is to compensate for the thickness of the upper deck and the hull strakes (side and underneath strips), all of which I intend to do in 0.5mm styrene. As you can see I've marked the frame (rib) positions plus glued a 'keel' of 1.0 x 1.5mm styrene, glued on edge to give some rigidity. I'll do this on both sides. I've also marked where I'll drill holes for mounting screws (M), numbers 1 and 5 turrets (G) and also the single rudder (R). I forgot to do this for the rudder when I did the Flower class. The reason I've marked these locations is to make sure I have plenty of styrene in those locations to drill into.

 

       I didn't do a very good job of the deck though, the two hull halves aren't equal, the starboard side a little wide and the port side a little narrow. Plus if you look carefully you can see a bit of a hollow, or dent, in the port side edge at about frames 19 and 20 (my numbering). So I spent a bit of time on the starboard side getting it right and then used it as a half-template, to have another go. Plus I cut out the final piece using a sharp new scalpel blade, not scissors. I got a much better result.

MULL50 upper deck cut

       I've also started gluing what I call the 'vertebrae', the pieces that will sit just under the upper deck and between the frames. These are to join the upper deck to the centre profile piece and are made from 1.5mm square-section styrene. I decided to make these pieces snug between frames, and as the frames will be cut from 0.5mm styrene I used 0.5mm drill bits as spacers. I started at one end and am moving gradually along the hull. I did the starboard side first, starting at the bow. Holding the drills down with a bit of masking tape helps. The advantage of metal drills instead of scrap styrene for the spacers is that I won't accidently glue the spacers to the model. 🙂

       Anyway, this is as far as I've got. So stay safe and keep on modeling. Regards, Jeff.

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1 hour ago, beefy66 said:

Great start there Jeff will pull up a seat and follow along might pick up some more interesting tips.  👍

 

Stay Safe 

beefy 

 

53 minutes ago, Faraway said:


:ditto:

Ah, this looks to be interesting. 
Jon

Wot the Bro's said

Rob

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Jeff,

 

I rather enjoy watching these scratchbuilt 1/600 ships of yours come together. Interesting subjects and interesting building techniques. 

 

However, not being a ship modeler, I sometimes struggle with scale. I keep looking for hints in the background to provide some idea of just how big ( or small ) whatever it is you are building really is.

 

Something, a ruler, a coin, a matchstick, or ... would do wonders to help me get my 1/600 scale addled grey matter in line.

 

cheers, Graham

  

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34 minutes ago, ColonelKrypton said:

Something, a ruler, a coin, a matchstick, or ... would do wonders to help me get my 1/600 scale addled grey matter in line.

Gidday Graham, will do. I'm not in favour of coins myself as they vary in size and if they're foreign currency to a viewer they're not much of a guide. Rulers are usually the best I find.

 

The large squares on my cutting mat are 10mm a side, the small squares are 5mm. The model itself is 191mm long with a beam of 20mm. The vertical lines indicating the frames/ribs are about 10mm apart, except those near the bow. In future I'll try to remember to include something in the photos to indicate size. If I forget, as a rough guide anything in 1/600 scale is about 3/5 (58%) the size of an item in 1/350 scale. HTH, and thank you all for your comments and interest.       Regards, Jeff.

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Oh, nice! :popcorn: 

 

I found an online version of that story at http://www.ussmullany.org/Outsailed.html. If you haven't read The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, I highly recommend it!

An outstanding source of info for the Fletcher is The Floating Drydock's Plan Book Fletcher Class Destroyer of World War Two. I have a paper copy, but a PDF is available.  

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Gidday All, thank you for your interest and responses. And @dnl42, I found and read the article again the other day, it was the final push to get me to do this model. As I said, a great story. I've heard good reports about the book you mention, " .   .   .  Tin Can Sailors". I haven't read it myself, maybe my library can get it in for me. Thanks for the tips. I did a 1/700 USS The Sullivans a little while back for a GB, and have a 1/350 Tamiya Fletcher in the stash. Between them and some drawings and photos I have I hope I'll manage. Thank you.

 

USS Mullany copped a bit of a ribbing today. Well, the forward half of the ship did. 🙂

MULL80 fwd frames fitted

       I still have to work on frames 1 & 2 and taper the keel but I'll complete all the ribs/frames first I think. Each frame is in two halves, each half cut to the same half-template. I should have included some in the photo, I'll try to remember when I show the completed framing. The reason I do the frames in two separate halves is to keep the centre spine as intact as possible for rigidity. The deck, keel and strakes (when I add them) will probably give ample strength but then I have this highly developed sense of over-kill. I might have mentioned this before, elsewhere. I'm still feeling my way with this technique.

       Anyway, this is as far as I've gone, those frames have taken me all day (well, most of it). And I'm calling it quits for tonight. So again, thank you all for your interest.

Stay safe and keep on modeling. Regards, Jeff.

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It is starting to look like it should.

 

A long time ago and in a larger scale, I built something similar but I used plywood and notched the frames and keel. It was a lot of work and the fit left much to be desired. In the end I managed poor fit, misalignments and all. I am paying attention as your build has got my grey cells working formulating a plan.

 

cheers, Graham

 

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Gidday Graham ( @ColonelKrypton) this is only the second time I've tried this and it's nearly twice as long as the previous model, so twice as much scope for error? 😁 I use blocks of dressed wood quite a bit. Being purchased with accurate corners they act as a set-square and also to help keep things straight, the styrene being quite flexible. Early days yet. 🙂 Regards, Jeff.

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19 minutes ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

it's nearly twice as long as the previous model, so twice as much scope for error?

 

Or half as much obvious misalignment? ( easier to see something off by 1mm over a span of a couple centimeters vs a dozen centimeters )

 

21 minutes ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

I use blocks of dressed wood quite a bit. Being purchased with accurate corners they act as a set-square and also to help keep things straight

 

As do I. For scratchbuilding I also have a couple of small machinists squares that I use as well as some large square and hex nuts which are remarkably square for something mass produced and so common. Another favourite tool is called a 123 block.  Traditionally 1inch x 2inches x 3inches ground steel. Nicely square and heavy enough to hold bits in place while gluing. Perhaps a bit large for something like 1/600 or 1/700 ships however.  I have always thought the ideal size for model making would be 1cm x 2cm x 3cm and made of brass but I have not yet stumbled across any suitable scrap metal from which to make a couple.

 

cheers, Graham

 

 

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This is really nice Jeff.

 

Fletchers are my favourite WW2 subject, so many variations and options to choose from! Built them in 1/700, 1/350 and 1/144 so far, so will be interesting to see this project in 1/600 and see what you make of it, given no kit limitations 👍

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Gidday Guys, thanks for your input. I've never heard of those 123 blocks that I can recall, but they sound useful.

 

USS Mullany's hull has been framed. The diagram in the first post of the thread is what I used, but these contours indicate the outside dimensions of the hull. I'm planning on sheathing the hull with strakes 0.5mm thick so I had to reduce the curves by that amount. To make it easier I magnified the diagram by 400% on a photocopier and then ran off copies of the frames, one for each of the 22 frames. I then ran a line 2mm inside each frame, cut them out, re-arranged them back onto the photocopier glass and reduced them to 25%, back to 1/600 scale. That's them with the framed hull.

MULL90 hull frames fitted

       Twenty-two frames in all, each made up of two halves. The diagram was fairly easy to follow for the forward half of the hull (the right side of the diagram) but not so for the rear half (left side), the contour lines were very confusing and inaccurate. But I got them sorted eventually. I also found that the upper deck was a little too wide towards the stern. I wondered about leaving it as it was and not risk damage while trimming it. But I decided to give trimming a go, with a new and sharp blade. I got away with it. To give an idea of size, the large squares on the cutting mat are 10mm a side, the small squares are 5mm a side.

       Some of the frames need a little sanding to make them conform to the others, and the keel needs narrowing towards the bow. But not tonight. It's gone 10.30 PM here, time for my beauty sleep, which I know doesn't work. Oh well  .   .   .

       So stay safe everyone, and keep on modeling. Regards to all, Jeff.

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5 hours ago, Courageous said:

when I get round to my own 1/700 builds of the 'not available'.

Thanks guys. If this method ultimately works then it opens up quite a few doors for us - all we need are diagrams of the hull and superstructures. What ships do you have in mind?

Regards, Jeff.

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6 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

What ships do you have in mind?

British destroyers, particularly the early ones. Life should be simpler if I stick to waterline, so much of it is finding the right reference.

 

Stuart

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Gidday Guys, thanks very much for your comments.

       I've started cladding the hull of USS Mullany. I'm cutting strakes from a 0.5mm thick styrene sheet, cutting them 2mm wide. This is much cheaper than buying them in pre-cut strips. For the first two strakes I glued each to the hull near the bow, over a couple of frames at about frames 5 and 6. When the glue set I'd move along the hull, gluing them to about three frames at a time. As you can see, the first two strakes are continual for the entire length of the hull. That won't happen as I get further down the hull due to the cutaway under the counter (stern).

MULL120 strakes being fitted 1

       They look quite rough at present but sanding and filler should improved things later. You might be able to see bits of styrene poking up from inside. These are off-cuts from when I made the frames. They weren't much good for anything so they're now re-inforcing the joins between strakes. As I'm working down the hull (up in the photo, the hull is inverted here, obviously) I'm adding a strake on each side simultaneously. This is in case I add a twist or warp the hull by doing a side completely before I do the other.

      When I did my Flower class corvette I found that 0.5x2mm strakes were good, they were flexible enough to conform to the hull. I've used the same here but I'm wondering if thicker styrene such as 0.75mm would have been better due to the larger gaps between frames. I'm getting a bit of an 'oil canning' effect. Oh well, I'll see how it turns out. Filling and sanding might help.

       Anyway, this is it for now. Thanks for your comments and interest. Stay safe and keep on modeling. Regards to all, Jeff.

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Gidday All, USS Mullany now has her hull sheathed. It was reasonably straight forward, although towards the end it became a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, one for which I made my own pieces.

MULL150 hull sheathed

      I initially started with strakes 2mm wide. For flat areas of the hull I was able to use wider strakes but for those areas with tighter curves I narrowed them down a bit. I've still got to shape the bow and stern a bit, plus build up the skeg. Then I think I've got a few sanding/filling/sanding cycles to perform. So I guess I'd better get on with it.

       Thanks for your interest. Stay safe and keep on modeling. Regards to all, Jeff.

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Starting to look like a ships hull now.

 

I tried using a similar technique to make the fuselage of a post Second World War British prototype jet ( a Gloster E.1//44 ) that I was building for the "Anything but injection" group build

 

The technique worked out well but I painted myself into a corner with a few poor choices and the project stalled.

 

cheers, Graham

 

 

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       Gidday Graham aka @ColonelKrypton, thanks for the link to your model build. I've had a quick skim through and will have another more thorough read shortly. It was interesting in that some of the differences in our builds due to the subject matter (the centre profile former) and similarities - both of us deciding that narrow strakes/planks work best around hull/fuselage curves.

 

And I agree whole-heartedly with your statement - " No project is a failure unless you fail to learn something in the process."

 

       I also agree with you in that Evergreen styrene is easy to work with but not very rigid. I used quite thin styrene for my central profile former, partly for cost and partly as I intended it to form the cutwater at the bow, but as I could add a 'keel' and the upper deck to it I didn't have the bending/warping problems you had. I have an idea on that for you but I'll discuss it in your own thread.

       Since the post above I've done some sanding and applied the first layer of filler. I was thinking of using automotive body filler, a substance that @Bandsaw Steve has used successfully on his models but as it's not designed primarily for plastic models I decided to stick with what I know on this occasion, which is Tamiya Putty White. It worked well on the Flower class corvette and hopefully will here too. I'll experiment with auto body filler later on something that won't matter quite so much if it turns out not to be suitable on styrene.

       Anyway, thanks for your comments, link and interest.       Regards, Jeff.

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Just found this now Jeff.

 

I remember you mentioning a year or so ago that you wanted to build this ship so it’s great to see it coming together. It looks like your scratch-built hull has turned out well, from here the rest should be a walk in the park for a man of your skills and experience. 👍

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