Hey everyone. I started work again on Yamato and Bismarck refits. I used a MultiMax dremel to peel off the balsa but it is a very slow process so I used a good old chisel and went at Yamato. Just need to sand her hull clean with the MultiMax dremel and then I can start the new sheeting. I will be installing new foam channeling. I am going to use the pink foam this time. I seen how well it works on Missouri and it's easy to work with. After that the stuffing tubes will need to be relubed, gears greased, and I need to modify the servo platform. New Armor will be installed. Once done just need to install a new pump hold down and a new electrical harness for the batteries. The rest of the gear will be inspected such as the Co2 lines and valves and if I need to replace any I will. Think I will try the new Termite MAIN Turrets this time and add additional detail to them. I will also be building new Catapults and new planes. Give it a new paint job and we should be good. For Bismarck the hull needs to be sanded clean and the repairs to the main deck will commence. A new Main deck hatch will be made to support the new superstructrue and it's details. New Main Turrets will be installed. The old motor mount will be removed entirely and a new one will be built. I have a new servo platform dedicated for pump activation. It will have 2 Mag type switches to activate manually with a redundant switch and another switch will be float activated. The old superstructure will have some minor repair but it is staying as it is wearing the 19 years of battle damage including damage received from IRCWCC NATS 2010. Roma will have it's pump moved back further in the stern area as far as it can possible go. I am going to move the pump outlet to main deck level. Roma will eventually be repainted sporting the Venetos Camo pattern and the model will be renamed Vittorio Veneto. Here are some pics.
Yamato's hull is cleaned up now. So is Bismarck's hull. I removed the rudder servo platform and found that the rudder itself is seized. No water in the servo. I think it just burned out. No problem. I have a new Pump switch made already and I will be making a better rudder platform. The Motor mount was removed. It was easy too because it was rotted out. Scraped away all the crap in the hull also. Tomorrow I will install the new waterchannelling for Yamato. While that dries I will install new water channelling for Bismarck .
Good progress today. Finished the new waterchannelling on Yamato. Bismarck's interior hull fully scraped clean. Old stuffing tube supports and the motor mount have been removed. Tomorrow I will work on the servo tray, install new servos for the firing system and begin work on the new battery harness. I sent an email to Strike about ordering a new pair of drive motors for Yamato and a new Bilge Pump for Missouri. The current pump in Mo will go back to Yamato or Bismarck. Making good progress. Once these beasties are done I will get a group shot of the 4 behemoths Yamato, Missouri, Bismarck and Roma
Crut. So it Mighty Moe, Yammer, Bizy, and Roma!! the Biggest to the shortest of the Smallest!! Not that any are small but, you know what i mean!! Nikki
They are my most favourite of the battleships. I have a Tirpitz and Nagato waiting to be built and a KGV and Dunkerque. There's Konig and VDT and VU for the small ships and a lone cruiser the Graf Spee.
Jeez Curt, I only have My LST and Doria! But I would love to get Atlanta!!! That way, Doria can Be an IRC boat and Atlanta can be A treaty Boat!! Nikki
Waterchannelling completed on Yamato today. Bismarck hull is sanded clean ready for sheeting. Deck been sanded down. All deck details have been removed. Back at it again Monday.
Hey Curt, when do you thing the four are going to be Ready again!! And I i'll stand by what i said, There great ships!!! Also How Much Bigger is Roma to the Doria I'm getting? Nikki
Much bigger Nikki. British called all thier ships a she. However the Germans referred to Bismarck as He as the Captain announced to the crew that a ship of this caliber and named after Otto Von Bismarck can only be referred d to as He in German circles. Whatever you want to refer to it is fine by me Nikki. I am guessing but Doria is a much shorter and not as wide as Roma and not quite as heavy.
New waterchannelling completed on Yamato and Bismarck. New motor mount built waterproofed and installed in Bismarck. New stuffing box support bracket installed and waterproofed. Rudder post reinforced on Yamato. Pictures to come later next week.
Work on Bismarck continued. Rudder servo mount installed. Rudders hooked up. Pump installed pump secured with new bracket hold downs. Tested all the lines feeding the cannons, no leaks. Checked all servos through radion control and they all work great. Now need to install the armor and resinstall the gear. From there the model will be sheeted.
Installed the internals in BIsmarck . Just need to connect the cannons and conduct a firing test and wire up the pump and test that. Internal armor was installed and completed today on both Bismarck and Yamato. Hope to begin sheeting this week or next week but both will be sheeted so that will be a lot of sheeting to complete.
Finished all of the internals today for Bismarck. Everything is back in place, secured, waterproofed and working. New pump switch is in the radio box and is operated by a servo that already controls the lights. I installed a lever micro switch , well not micro but same large switches I use for my throttle system. I just flip the toggle switch on my Futaba TX and the pump activates. The only thing left now is to connect the cannons and test fire them. Ok now that the internals are ready I need to sheet the hull. I will also be starting the new superstructure for Bismarck too with it's own center hatch. I think I can have both Yamato and Bismarck ready before the end of this month. That's the goal for now. I want my 4 bad ass battleships at the pond with me. Post Office still has a major backlog so I have no idea when I will get my stuff to finish the MO and start the North Carolina for Craig. Till that arrives once the 2 bad boys are done Tirpitz will be started. I will get pics hopefully soon. Wait ....I just got work from my lovely wife who is soooo supportive of the hobby (WINK WINK) that a parcel has arrived at my previous address. No worry I have relatives there. I think it may have arrived. Better go get that now. oh one more thing.... YAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!
Finally I can post some pics of Bismarck and Yamato. First Bismarck.. This is the pump and hold down for the pump. The new drag discs... The radio box you can see the firing servos , the throttle servo and the pump and light activation servo Aft compartment showing the new motor mount, pump and part of the drive shaft The BEAST sitting comfortablly and secured in it's mount. The hoses and valves are facing aft. Originally I had them the forward valves facing forward and the aft valves facing aft. Center section of Bismarck showing the 20 oz bottle and reg, the 2 SLAs, the lobster looking thing on one of the SLA is the receivor inside it's roach motel box. You can see the radio box as well. BTW. The box is not waterproofed at all. It has dozens of holes drilled out of it's bottom . The servos are waterproofed themselves. The box itself provides a nice mounting platform and when the water is evacuated from the hull it drains from the box immediatly and there's no standing water left in the box. There is a clear cover that covers the top to keep out any objects that decide to drop in from the top. The box is raised off the hull bottom and is secured on platforms with velcro for easy removal. This area is below the forward hatch containing the forward cannons. I raised the bottom with pink foam and secured the actuators and the main accumulator tank for the dual sidemounts. I had to gouge a trench as my A turret cannons were touching the foam. Need to dig a little deeper to clear the gas caps. Another view of the center section Looking towards the stern just behind the crossbrace is the rudder servo mount The Engine room. Here you can see that shaft alley has a nice large mount to secure the large stuffing tube. No shimmy on the shaft here I forgot to turn on the light overhead. Anyway this is Bismarck currently.
