Inspired by Steampunk Flotilla

I'm making some progress on 2 USS South Carolina Class Dreadnoughts that are inspired by SF.
They will basically be waterline models that happen to be powered.
I'm making flotation rafts "bread and butter" style out of foam.

 

Here are the 2 "hulls" roughed out :

 

The first of 8 custom turret shells just came off the FDM printer.
I thought about printing it in resin but, decided that I didn't want to wait forever for it.
I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, considering that I didn't use any supports.

 

Seems familiar somehow... Given how tiny the hull is, you might as well make them full hull...

 

That one is nice. I like the "Great White Fleet" color scheme.

 

I'm mocking up the motor nacelle and the drive line.

 

I’d like to put one in my pond for decoration

 

It seems that I've built a submarine upside down?

 

I reworked the propeller to give the blades a more realistic cross section. It's not a true NACA airfoil but, it's similar.
Here it is (on the left) next to a Kaplan style prop (on the right) that I had laying around :

 

Working on drive shafts. I made up some custom die holders that make threading the ends, by hand, *much* easier.

 

Nice work on your drive module. Have you thought about keeping the prop tight to the module to eliminate the exposed prop shaft? Another idea comes to mind looking at this. Assuming the prop tight to the module, extend that module baseplate aft past the prop and have a mount for the rudder servo. Servo would tuck up into a hole in the hull. The rudder would then screw right to the servo.

 

Thanks, Steve. I was thinking about something similar to what you've suggested.

 

I'm working on the motor mount to go inside the nacelle. I needed a 3d mock-up of the motors that @BigGunJeff recommended in another thread.

 

I didn't leave much room to mount the motor : ( I ended up printing a cradle that will be glued in and resorting to zip ties to secure the 380 size motor. I'm not thrilled with it but, other people, with more experience than I, have said that works.
Here are the virtual parts and the real ones awaiting assembly.

 

That looks fine. We've survived worse. Once upon a time, some of us even used to silicone our motors directly to the bottom of the hull. How barbaric!

 

OK. Good to know : P

 

The barrels came out pretty well.
Next up: Figuring out how to make them elevate.

 

That looks nice. What scale are we talking here? 1/96? 1/144???

And don't forget the hatches on top of the turrets

 

Thanks!
They are 1:120. That made the hulls just a few inches shy of 4 feet long.
The turret shells will get more detail : )

 

I made up some stuffing tubes for the propeller shafts.
Instead of messing around with press fitting oilite bushings into brass tubing that's the wrong size for them and then having to ream them out to fit the shaft, I just printed bushings that are the right size.