My current build if final fitout on the Haruna and starting the Akagi. I decided i liked the 1927 design of the boat with it's forward guns and three decks and discovered that no major changes took place below the waterline and the topside changes are fairly minor. anyway im going to do this as a fairly high number of pictures and descriptions including parts where I screw up as we have several new guys who would like to see some more information on wood hull building and this being #4 for me I have made enough mistakes to teach others to make mistakes now. Laid out the ribs and cut them out and just used a gluestick to glue them to the board. i have traced them before and this just works better. don't really need to worry about getting the paper off when you are done either. just make certain you soak it good with epoxy if you leave it on as varnish doesn't penetrate the paper as well. test laid out the ribs for this as wanted to see if i might have to redo my l,j,k ribs(i might) made the keel using 3 24" long sections joined at greater than 45degree angles for maximum surface area. created 2 more for the top ribs and will probably use 1/4 basswood for the rest of the stringers I need all but one of which are above the waterline. tommorow will see the keel knotched and the ribs as well so I can dry fit everything and start laying out the inset areas.
the 1931 plans came from strike and modifying them into the 1927 fit is simpler than making the whole set of plans.
well I ran into rule one of wood hull building... need more clamps this is going to be a problem.. the ribs are built from l forward to D for the second deck but the others are only for deck one. will probably join the whole ship as a single rim than cut out the areas where i need to do the step later once I get all the twisting and buckling out of the ship. can't see it but there is a fair bow in the ship at the K rib just forward of where that picture ends... about half of it will be taken care of when i finish cleaning out the notches. wanted to finish the rim tonight but after my dremel jumped out of its holder to get my finger and my hacksaw blade came loose and got another i'm done for the day. had about 5 minutes left with the hacksaw and about 15 with a file for the rim and then about another 30 minutes with the bandsaw for the ribs but meh. need to read the rules and see exactly how high i need to make penetrable. if it's to the top of the flight deck i'm just gonna build a hollow shell and use 1/8 foam with a single layer of fiberglass at the top to keep weight down up there as much as possible.
got the first rim stringer on and if i had a single piece of wood large enough to have done the rim i would have done it that way but this works. just more work to keep twisting and buckling out. cracked the stringer on the b rib forward so when everything dries i get to patch that back in and put a but joint backer on that one. frankly i need to back the ribs from the c joint forward. pictures for those of you new people who want to build a DD so you can see why they are so hard to build that is the Shimakaze sitting inside the Akagi.
tonight or tomorrow i'm going to start cutting the casemates for the rear guns and am confirming the stringer rules are 1/8 edge on max. and i read that the hangar deck is what is the dividing point between SS and pen hull on a carrier..... which hanger deck 1,2,3? 1927 akagi has 3 hangar decks 2 for launching lowest hangar deck is right at the top of the hull form in the rear of the boat. top is halfway up behind where the second level deck is.
up to 5 hulls now. one finished one being torn apart one being mothballed, one in tugboats workshop as i forgot it and the akagi. i like building models and these are just more fun to build. plus if i don't want to battle one i just skin it in 1/32 plywood or foam it in and glass it. The hard area starts at deck one and does that little step to the second deck. deck three was an addition. makes building some things i was gonna curse at way simpler. simply in the first line drawing i posted it goes from the first launch platform aft till the step. and on durability does fiber mat hold up to bb strikes better than woven? 2-3 layers over some 1/8 foam is what i have planned for most of the SS to keep it super light and accommodate the fun little juts that exist on the boat. sometime in the next month I get to build and install some pulleys so i can hang my boats up in a 14' ceiling out of the way. will probably do a mesh sling like a hamock that is closed at the top so it doesn't let them fall out if wind starts to upset them... or just make transport boxes with eye bolts on the ends to hang them from.... probably going to go with the eye bolts.
quick poll 1927 or 1930 smokestack? 1927 has the pipe going down the length as seen in the kaga picture. 1930 has the side just smokestack as seen in the other one
got the rear casemate formed and depending on how it comes out i may tear out all the ribs and print them so they are more uniform and consistant.
seems unlikely. Not for want of trying, though. I just have a huge head start and show no sign of stopping I have one DKM Leipzig hull forming that is the start of a to-be-released scratchbuilt fiberglass hull tutorial, and one RM Pola wood hull building, using the $60 toolbox, just to prove the concept And there are more to build after that! ...although I will likely sell or otherwise dispose of new hulls, vice trying to battle a new one yearly. Looking forward to seeing Akagi come to life!! This'll be great -EDIT- 1930 smokestack is cooler
now i'm stuck debating if I want to say good enough or rip the ribs out in the casemate. the angle looks to severe but is within a degree and has a slight twist on the port side. do I go for show piece or not... do I go back and rework. pics once I find my phone again.
going to make it so the entire SS comes off. if I don't I don't think I can get the boat in my car. found my hovercraft as well so this build will probably slow down some more while I get that 7 year project finished.
