The Ship Model Forum

Thanks for your comments. The build slowed down a bit but I did manage to do some work over the past few weeks. Cedar had some very prominent catwalks which I tried - and failed- to make in styrene. So I ordered the IJN oiler catwalks set from L'Arsenal and have used these.
[attachment=7]catwalks.JPG[/attachment]
The front masts/derrick posts have been added with their very visible 'bridge' in between which will support some of the ships' lights.
[attachment=6]frontmast.JPG[/attachment]
And I'm on the home stretch with the bridge superstructure. The only major thing left to do on this side of the ship is to build (...raid the spares box for) the boats and their davits.
[attachment=5]bridgefinished.JPG[/attachment]
And the rest of the project. The current plan is still to have two tugs supporting her on the Nieuwe Waterweg for unloading in either Eemhaven or Maashaven while meeting a typical inland barge, a 'kempenaar'.
One of the tugs, Apollo, has now been skinned in styrene and has had its various bollards added. Like Jim's Schelde she has the extra bollard posts to prevent the superstructure being struck by a runaway towing cable but unlike Schelde Apollo will also have a towing hook.
[attachment=4]apollobollards.JPG[/attachment]
Most of my work recently has been put into the kempenaar. I wanted to get a convincing inverted 'V' hatch coaming ('luikenkap') on a hull with substantial sheer. After a number of failures I managed to get something looking right by having a very light razor saw run on the back (plain) side of a strip of Evergreen 2025, folding the strip and glueing it down on a flat strip of .5 mm styrene.
[attachment=3]kempenaara.JPG[/attachment]
The kempenaar also needed some bollards and like those on Apollo they were made from . 5 mm styrene rod.
[attachment=2]kempenaarmorebollards.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=1]kempenaarsize.JPG[/attachment]
And as i was finishing my photo session someone came 'round to have look.
[attachment=0]nosingaround.JPG[/attachment]

Your positioning of the barges reminds me of watching from my hotel ships and barges moving with the tide on the Huang Pu in Shanghai.

Keep up the nice work! Tom

I'm really enjoying this build so far.. can't wait to see the end result...
Keep it up..

Paul :big_grin:

Great to see some update. Glad you decided on a diorama for it. Love the work on those masts and winches as well, the devil is in the detail. :heh:

Nice work, the smallest scale I have seriously built in was 1:550 where I constructed a DE (WWII vintage) that I used to drill on. I also use the same technique to build the superstructures levels upside down from the deck above. For the DE I made life lines from an Ex girlfriends long hair, which has worked quite well! Very strong. Balsa is easy to work and very satisfactory if sheathed with a good surface material. For my Missouri I used styrene over balsa which was effective for many of the complex shapes around the bridge and fire control tower.

Keep up the good work! Tom

Some progress. The bridge is almost finished now and has been glued to the rest of the superstructure.
[attachment=3]bridgegluedon.JPG[/attachment]
The winches have been built and attached, they are modyfied Shelf Oddity winches. Probably the most expensive items in this project but I like the looks.
[attachment=2]winchesandwinchcontrollers.JPG[/attachment]
And I have been thinking about the way I'm going to present the ship. The plan is to do a small late 60s or early 70s diorama of the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam as this means I can use some drawings and pictures I have collected over the years. The harbor tugs will be the beautiful semi-streamlined Smit tugs of the era and I may add a passing 'Kempenaar' barge. So far it is just the basic hull shapes in styrene.
[attachment=1]tugandbarge.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]dioramaidee.JPG[/attachment]

After being sidetracked by an aircraft carrier I'm continuing this project. I have used one of my last BFM windlasses on this buil.
[attachment=5]windlass.JPG[/attachment]
I have build the masts by taking 1.5mm brass rod with 2mm circles on top, punched of from styrene sheet using a punch and die set. I have tied speaker wire in small knots around the masts in order to make the boom supports, working lights and pulley supports. Ladders are from the spare box.
[attachment=4]mastsdetailed.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=3]mastspainted.JPG[/attachment]
The funnel was detailed and painted in a pale yellow color (vallejo 916 sand yellow).
Still have to add some crew members and close the bridge.
[attachment=2]funnelfirstpaint.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=1]twobridges.JPG[/attachment]
Finally the hatches and their opening rails were painted and added the the hull.
[attachment=0]overviewapril.JPG[/attachment]
I am now looking at ways to build the walkways and the heavy railings on the main deck.

Nice work. I swear, every time I see your post, I read the title as Irish "Cheddar", not "Cedar". :doh_1:

As I am 'essential' in the current lockdown I'm actually working more hours now than before the pandemic.
I did manage to squeeze in some modelling during the past few weeks and I was home during daylight today so I could take some pictures.
The funnel has been plated in styrene and its mast has been started. I am using a resin 'sprue' from an Orange Hobby kit for this.
[attachment=5]Funnelplated.JPG[/attachment]
Walking down from the funnel (the original actually had internal stairs to the mast platforms) we get to the bridge.
[attachment=4]bridgeexterior.JPG[/attachment]
As I will be leaving a bridge door open I have put in a rudimentary interior.
[attachment=3]bridgeinterior.JPG[/attachment]
I have also started working on the curtain plates of the lower superstructure decks.
[attachment=2]curtainplates.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=1]superstructurejanuary.JPG[/attachment]
And the first styrene and brass has been cut for the winchhouses and masts.
With everything stacked together she finally starts looking like a ship.
[attachment=0]overviewjanuary.JPG[/attachment]

And this is why I combine balsa and styrene for my superstructures. I build up my windows and plating over a balsa core and carefully gouge away some balsa behind the windows. After some filling, sanding and filling again they will be primed and painted.
[attachment=1]frontschot1.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]frontschot2.JPG[/attachment]

Hey Tom,
I've been using balsa/styrene for quite some time. Using styrene as the outer layer means I can use ordinary primers and acrylics 'out of the paintjar'. The plating and planking effects shown in these pictures can IMHO only be painted with good brushpainting acrylics over a fine (Tamiya) primer in styrene. It also shows why I do not use wooden deck stickers or deck decals on my civilian builds -not convincing to my eye. Model will be decalled, rigged and finished when I'm at the same phase with Irish Cedar as I am designing my own decals for both projects -will be one sheet I hope.
[attachment=4]goentoerhull1.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=3]goentoerhull2.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=2]goentoerfocsle.JPG[/attachment]
Otherwise I do not have much to show at the moment. Superstructure levels are being primed and sanded and the funnel has been built up in balsa.
[attachment=1]Funnelbalsa1.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]funnelbalsa2.JPG[/attachment]

I have had excellent results skinning balsa shapes with paper and then saturating it with thin CA. The resulting surface is smooth and can be lightly sanded. I have used this with success for ventilators, blowers and whatnot with small curved surfaces. Perhaps even good for bulwarks.

Good luck! Tom

I have built a rough version of the stack in order to see if everything fits together and agrees with my references.
[attachment=2]stack.JPG[/attachment]
While the rest of the superstructure were getting filled in with the sides and windows. This is much easier than working on the hatches. One round of filling and sanding and they will be off to the shed for a coat of primer.
[attachment=1]superstructurelevels.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]superstructureturned.JPG[/attachment]

On to the next phase.
The hull is having its warp resistance tested by the forces which bring order in the universe with a west country accent. RIP David Prowse.
[attachment=5]test.JPG[/attachment]
Meanwhile i started working on the superstructure by tacking the captain cabin and owners' cabin under the boat deck. I build my superstructures by building down from the deck above it using styrene strips and this one was an easy start.
[attachment=4]captainslevel1.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=3]captainslevel2.JPG[/attachment]
The other two levels have a curved front which leans back slightly. This is difficult to get right using styrene profiles so I have used two pieces of balsa in front which were roughly sanded in shape. I am now building and detailing the straight (back) parts and will return to the front of the superstructure levels when I have paintedn and glued the back parts together.
[attachment=2]levelzero1.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=1]levelzero2.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]levelsstacked.JPG[/attachment]

Fliger, thanks for saying its a wonderful build. Let's hope it will keep saying that way after the next phase. It will include the use of balsa for complex shapes.

In 1:700, the relative strength of materials and adhesives is pretty good. My 1:200 Missouri is now almost 60 years old since I originally constructed the hull. The overall ship has been significantly reworked, but being all wood in effect, no issues. A model, just as old, bit more crude, of an ARL with a hull of wood and aluminum has survived perfectly. My Alaska is all styrene in the hull, some plexiglas used in the superstructure, was begun 30 years ago, no issues. The APA 1:120 and about 4' long does have a plexiglass O1 level which spans about 55% of the length of the ship. It's been on there a couple of years with no issues so far. It's an "inside cat" as I suppose your waterline model will be. Living in the sub arctic, it's not likely to get baked as if one lived in Phoenix. For various reasons, that long plexiglas deck is in two pieces with what really amounts to an expansion joint, just like the one found on Missouri's superstructure midships.

I have a model of Whitehurst (DE) in about 1:550 which I made when i was flying out of Phoenix 30+ years ago using nothing but an exacto knife and a paintbrush. The lifelines are from a girlfriends hair. No issues, but that one's all styrene sheet.

Your wonderful project should last a long time if stored or shown in a good environment!

Pieter,

I doubt your 1:700 model would have problems due to different coefficients of thermal expansion for the materials (plastic and wood). While there will be small differences with normal temperature changes the glues and fasteners should control it.

Most (all?) plastics have large coefficients of thermal expansion, much higher than metals or wood. Thermal expansion of different materials becomes important with larger scale models up to several meters in length. In this case a temperature change of 20 degrees Celsius can result in a difference in change of length between wood and plastic of up to 5 mm (1/4 inch)!

There is an example on the Forum of a 1:72 scale R/C aircraft carrier over two meters long that was built in a cold workshop in winter and then buckled severely when put on the water in the hot summer sun. The plastic flight deck was fastened securely to the wooden frame at both ends and buckled upwards in the heat. Likewise, long plastic sides to the hanger deck buckled in the heat.

I had a similar problem with a 76 inch long (1.93 meter) 1:96 Cleveland class cruiser fiberglass hull that had Plexiglas frames and longitudinals epoxied into the hull to hold the flimsy fiberglass sides in the proper shape. I was working on it in the summer sun to get filler to harden quickly, and the Plexiglas expanded faster than the fiberglass. Some of the longitudinals actually broke the epoxy and popped out of the hull! Lesson learned!

Phil

I did. I just looked in the wrong direction. Stumbled on it when I was looking for solutions for something else. I want to do an SD 14 or B 26 in the faraway future and they have this typical currogated superstructure which may be based on Evergreen profiles.
[quote="Neptune"]Very sharp work so far. If I do see something as repetitive as those hatches coming, I do search for an "out of the box" solution to avoid testing my patience :heh:[/quote]

Thanks everyone for the comments.
Mr Falck, I think I have warping under control nowadays by having some styrene sections on this hull and not pushing balsa into place. Note that this hull went through spring, a fairly hot summer and fall without warping. If I do get problems she will be screwed to her base. I have tried hard foam and mdf in the past but I find them difficult to cut and sand and they have no clear grain to work with. Balsa is wood and I have 30 ish years of experience in working it with basic tools on wood. It works for me. For smaller projects I have tried laminated styrene only which can also work well but not on this size.
[quote="wefalck"]Missed this scratchbuilding project so far, unfortunately.

It occurred to me, that instead of using Balsa wood for fillers, using a hard foam, such as Rohacell (this is foamy Plexiglas, you can find it in some architectural modelling supply stores) or the styrene stuff used in building or MDF might prevent the thermal expansion/warping problem. The plastics have similar thermal expansion coefficients and do not react to changing humidity.[/quote]

Wow, I wouldn't have enough patience for all the work put into this ship. Like some else mentioned its nice to see scratch built ships especially in 1/700 scale looking forward to the progress of your ship.