Sorry I have not commented on your build before now but I just have to say well done and hope it survives well in combat. ABS plastic is great stuff been using the stuff for 30+ years for plastic model and Warhammer 40K habits. The largest model I made was for the Heavy Gear miniature game also in 1/144th scale http://www.starshipmodeler.org/gallery6/se_vig.htm . The Landship Vigilance sits on a 4x8 base.
I would love to 3D print or scratch build one of these corvettes so I would be interested in the set of plans you came up with. Monetary compensation provided of course, assuming that is kosher.
I have a large box of one of the alean races the Tau i think i need to put together, I was planning on it wife and I had found a local gaming establishment when the moderon day plague happoned... I alaso have lord of thr rings i have a decently sized Gondorian army along with the army of the dead to go with it to help my army.
It has been really hot and no cover to work outside, today was nice and cool today so I fiberglassed the back half of the ship. I fited beaded styrofoam in between the ribs to make the shape using Elmers glue and sticking aluminum foil to save the foam from melting. removal of the fiol, and foam with warm water in the bath tub She Floats... when I added the deck and wheel house she turn turtle and sinks. more sanding and another few layers of cloth to the aft of the ship and I will be happy with the end results.
After starting my new job yesterday it was the first time I had touched the liberty ship. I sanded it down with a sander wife bought me, got fiberglas sandings all over my self (outch) im still trying to scrub it out of my skin i was wearing shorts and a T shirt. Afterwards I mixed up some resum and brushed on 2 layers. I am fairly happy with my go at it. The job fell through so we came back to El Paso :/
I am as close to happy with saying I'm done with the fiberglass bottom aside from the bilge keels on the lower mid. Next, make the cuts...
I cut long ways for most of the ship on both sides just above the curve under, but the rules are strange as they say to the bottom 45 degree bend of the bottom and it also says the penetrable areas must be 1 inch below the water line. witch is it? And the aft of the ship I am still trying to figure out the rules as that is clear as mud to me.
It's one inch below the waterline or down to the 45 degree tangent point, which ever is higher. On your Liberty ship, the 45 degree rule will keep you from having to cut away too much in the stern. The sides look fine. PS. You're glass work looks very nice !
Thank you for the compliment on the fiber glassing it is not even 1/8 thick tho, I am finding that worrisome once the bb's are in the air.
Wife and I moving to our new apartment. After allot of thinking about how to go about adding the Rudder and servo I am getting to it. I also had to cut the most back part of the ship frame off to fit the rudder section to the fiberglass. I turned a brass plug in to the mount point for the rudder, there are recess at the top and bottom for O rings. this is the Grease Lock I am planning on using for the Exit of the ship hull for the shaft of the Propeller, a O ring on each end and filled with Grease to hold out the water. its a idea I have had for a long time instead of using a stuffing tube. I have had this idea since 2014 when I designed this liberty model.
Well I just made the brass rudder plug a permanent part of the hull, I used Fiberglass resum and shredded cloth. Next file excess off the top and glue the frame to the fiberglass bottom and attach the rudder linkage and servo snd try it out.
Water activated glue is definitely a new life experience, weting plastic then adding the glue dose not work. So instead i put the glue on then misstep water on then placed the two parts together, then quack, quack tape to hold it tightly together...
I was doing a bit of cutting last night... The frame and lower Fiberglass Hull is finished, aside from the side skins and the aft propeller shaft exit. now its time to finish up the fitting of the top side of the ship.
I revised the steering gear linkage a bit, and temporarily added a Duck Tape skin to see how well she floats. and sank her a few times... she needs quite a bit of ballast weight she rolls over and floats on her side.
It's looking good and yeah, it's gonna need some weight. I filled my 3DP Liberty Ship with a few rocks for her maiden voyage. I learned a neat trick, on another forum, that helps with initial flotation tests : Fill up lengths of PVC pipe with water, old nuts & bolts, or lead shot and cap the ends. Easy ship ballast with no zebra mussels : )
What rules set are you building to? Are there holes in the bottom of the frames to let water evenly distribute in the hull? Are you planning for any water channeling?
