This is a picture of the same drag disks on the Iron Duke. They look scale and they are plenty strong enough.
Lexan tube for turrets. Sold by the foot, so I have some left over for a future project. The tube is actually 1/4 inch smaller in diameter, my plan is to wrap it in flexible plastic to bullet-proof it. The plastic will have detail molded in for the taller turrets.
Started shaping the subdeck for the bow. While the subdeck will be continuous, the topdeck will be composed of two sections, one for the guns and the other to access the middle of the boat. Next step is to notch the subdeck and trim the height of the ribs, then create the topdecks.
Created three sections, all are cut and now need to be joined to the top deck. Need to sand them first for good adhesion
Ok, found out that the 1.5 props were not going to work very well, so off came the props from the Duke. This meant that the gearboxes needed to move aft as the shafts were a little shorter. I took this time to make them perfect, I might even have to take a file to the props when they are spinning to slightly grind them down. Went ahead and smoothed out the bottom for easier install, will build this back up when everything is in its place. Tape to cover the old holes, epoxy paste on the outside and west system on the inside of the hull.
Remember those gearboxes sticking through the hull (to get the shafts more parallel to the hull), well they are sanded almost flush. I added fiberglass cloth and epoxy so everything is thin, but very strong.
Time to make shaft supports (struts) to keep everything in its place. I have two sizes up from the drive tube, the inner is solid while the outermost has notches for the brass plate. Everything is silver soldered and strong. The legs are long so I can handle it while using the MAPP gas torch.
Legs are cut, the one on the left has a hole drilled that will get a small rod that will then be epoxied inside the hull. The one on the right has a bend that conforms to the hull. Still a little more cleaning to do, but not bad at this point.
Before I can install the struts, I need to get the rudder shafts built and placed in the hull. Rudder at top, collers with SS set screws, (4) oilite bearings, and two brass shafts.
Too much clearance at the top of the rudder, I moved the posts upwards to get maximum prop coverage. These rudders are off the Duke as well, will need to be cleaned up.
Struts are in, had fun cutting up the hull but no worries. All this gets epoxied into a solid base. Notice the clearance from the prop to the rudder, you really want this as close as possible for maximum turning.
