Info and plans for Roma/Littorio/VittorioVeneto

I'll let you see a pic when I get some work done on the plug for the mold. What's the preference in this representative sample of battlers: Comes fully assembled, costs way more for shipping, or a kit consisting of: Fuselage+float, 2 wings, 2 horizontal stabilizers, and a prop? I could assemble the float to the fuselage, possibly molding them as a unit with metal rods in the three pylons that hold them together. We'll see as we get closer to production. Cheapest solution is Fuselage and float molded separately, with holes for wood dowel or metal rod where those three pylons are.

My only major concern is the lil wingtip floats, they're begging to be shot off, and they're held on by 4 thin struts. I'll figure something out. Advanced warning is that this is not going to be a high detail model for rivet counters to marvel at Then again, I'm posting pics before anyone gets money in hand, so I don't feel that I'm leading anyone down the garden path.

So, feedback please? What do YOU guys like/want for this plane?

 

I have no pics of aircraft molds right now, sorry... during the schoolyear I work much slower than in the summer (when I can camp out by the beltsander). If I had my druthers, I'd rather do this stuff full time, but that annoying med school gets in the way. As soon as I have an OS2, you guys will be the first to know and have dibs on it. It WILL be done before the summer, though. It's high on the list. I have in front of it: Jap DN main turret & Komet hull (it's a one-off, 2/3 done for a nice fellow who can't build them due to health). So, spring break will probably be the OS2 finishing party. In token of Curt's service, he will get a couple of planes for free No guarantees on whether they'll fly, tho.

Before I get too into the project, I need some feedback on one thing: If it comes down to "more detail & more fragile", or "some basic detail & takes hits well", which would you guys like? Some people like to go into battle with planes on, some don't. For NCs, I think that the catapults are more or less in the way of the triple sterns, which would imply taking them off, but I want opinions from end users before I spend time carving.

 

Wow, that'd be HUGE! I'd be willing to, but I'd have to get plans for them, and it'd be summertime by the time I got them done.

Accuracywise, The molding process preserves tiny details. If you could see the dual 5" turrets (for US BBs), they are works of ART. Rob Stalnaker made the plugs for those. The process is very accomodating of detail work. The turrets can be molded out of a plasticky hard stuff, a tough rubber, or a bouncy rubber (which is what's used for the termite armor). I've been investigating using thick fiberglass for the main turrets, but doing that you give up detail, which is not as cool.

If I went ahead and did a set of 1/96 Yamato turrets, I can tell you 2 things: 1) It would probably be a little spendy (BC charges around $50 for the turret set in 1/144, and the mains are fiberglass) and 2) I would probably be compelled to build a 1/96 Musashi. I say spendy, but I would do these at cost just to be part of the project

If you want me to do them, and intend to buy a set, I'll add it to the list ahead of the Agano hull plug(the Agano is my pet project, not a rush). I can justify putting this ahead of the rest of the potential projects on the sheer coolness value of a massive Yamato. I'm already into the research & design cycle on the Kingfisher, and a fair number of people want those so I need to finish that first. The Jap DN turret plug is almost done, so that's not really a concern, time-wise.

My thoughts on the mains would be: Do a detailed plug, make the mold so that the outside is reasonably thick, but not too thick, so that I can line the inside of a tough rubber (good detail) shell with a couple layers of fiberglass, while still leaving enough room for guns. Secondaries and tertiaries are small enough that they can be cast straight-up. Do you intend to arm any of the non-main turrets?

Hmm... I just looked a pics of the 1/10 Yammer in the museum in Japan. Those are sweet looking I wonder if I could fabricate the canvas fume shields (or whatever they're called) around the barrels? That would look soooo cool.

 

Already have that book on my wish list at Amazon It was the first necessary reference I thought of when I read your post asking about this. I will also be ordering a set of plans from my friend Haruo in Japan who makes the most detailed plans EVER. The book will be necessary, but Haruo's plans are worth their weight in gold as well To see some examples, go to: http://www2.odn.ne.jp/miyukikai/sub1.htm and look! He includes with the plans a 3/4 perspective view of the superstructure! Incredible, and a really nice guy to boot. When I say at-cost, the book and plans aren't part of the cost They're for my inspiration and gratification. I wish I had wall space to hang all the plans I have
As far as cost, this far out in the design cycle, I don't have a clue, but I will post updates as design work progresses and as the plugs get built/sculpted/tossed/restarted The mains are going to be huge (by my usual scale), but realistically, it's not a whole lot of material on a materials-buying scale. The main investment will be time, to smooth out imperfections, get the details right and triple-check angles and dangles prior to casting the mold. Part of the beauty of a project this size is that I will get the mains done and can be casting them while I'm working on the 2ries (and then the 3ries), and send them to you so you can do work on your end rather than making you wait till I get done with all of them.
As far as casting them to accomodate cameras and guns, that's not too hard. They're going to be mostly empty space inside, so put what you like in there I figured that you'd likely arm some, if not all of the 2ry and 3ry armament, since I would if I was building one I already have some very good drawings of the enclosed triple 25mmAA guns, so that's good. If the rangefinders on the main turrets are close to the same size as the North Carolina's, you could put a tiny mirror inside one and take camera shots thru the rangefinder! On that note, I do need to point out that the Rangefinders will likely be cast as separate pieces. They stick out too far to flex the mold around (rangefinders on secondaries usually don't), so I'll have to build the plugs to allow fitting them together. On the definate plus side from that, doing a separate mold for rangefinders lets me do a better detail on them. If the book has a good diagram of the rangefinders, I can cast in a couple of cylinders in the back of the cavity "looking out" that can be painted to simulate lenses, and put a piece of clear plastic over it. Might even look realistic! Or I can leave as big a path as possible if you wanted a camera periscope in there. I may start a new thread for us to brainstorm ideas for it in the SAS section (since no one else is using it

I have a massive test on renal physiology on Monday, but as soon as that's over, I will be working on the OS2 plug, finishing Komet (tho that's one of those things that you lay some 'glass, and do other stuff while it cures), and in class I'll doodle on Yammer's Hammers. I'm supposed to be picking up a scanner from my parents' house this week, so I'll be able to post scans of doodles for everyone to critique and improve.

For the OS2 guys who may still be reading, I had a thought about removeable aircraft. How would you allied vermin like it if I made the catapult a 2-piece unit. The round base gets mounted to the deck and stays there, and the catapult is removeable. The OS2 would have a couple of brass rods in the float that would fit the catapult, and you could remove it or glue it in place. Then for battle, pull just the plane, or the plane + upper parts of catapult. Again, I still need feedback on what you want from the plane: rough&ready, or prettyboy&glass jaw.

If I was going to speculate, my 2.4GHz RC homebrew will be indefinately put off, for a good cause.

 

BTW Mark, which Yamato are you building, the 1945 version, or as built or what?

 

I've started a thread in the SAS section for us to brainstorm I might have some ideas... see you there!

 

Robert,
Pacific Front lists them as Miyukikai plans... but they are charging $30 more than Haruo-san does, and Haruo-san includes shipping in his price, and on your first order he sends you a detail booklet of random Japanese shipboard fittings/boats/ catapults... I agree, all his plans are of the highest standard.

I can't see paying $55 plus shipping for a set of plans I paid $24, shipped from Japan in about 2 weeks, for. But if Haruo-san wasn't selling them direct, they are easily nice enough to be worth $55.