Renown build

just gonna put the progress of renown when it gets done

 

i greatly underestimated this stuff

 

Renown shaped to rough, interestingly i let her sit for 2 days to make sure there would be no soft spots. my surprise when the saw came up all gooey from one frame

 

Looking good. Keep us posted.

 

Your boats looking pretty Sweet Ian!!
You coming on Saturday?

 

Looking good Ian. Were you planning to bring it with on Saturday?

 

yes she will be there, mostly smoothed i hope, about half done right now, anti torpedo bulges are killing me

 

so sweet!!!
Cant wait to meet you Ian!

 

there... bulges mostly conquered, need to find something to fill the holes left by the foam, was thinking of plaster or body fill. ideas?

 

short hair bondo would work Cutie!!
Try that... or wait until Sat and you can try it right here.. we have some you can use!!

 

Looking good.

 

Looking real good, that carpet looks like it will be fun to clean.

 

The fun depends on who has to clean it []

 

Ian,
Ralph Coles and I have made many hull molds. We've found the best thing to use to cover the foam is plaster (dry wall compound or polyfilla).

The first 3 commercial grade hull plugs I made (Hood, Z23, Kent/Canarias) used Poly-Fair compound but it took forever to sand, being very hard when cured. Since then I've used drywall compound or poly-filla - easy to sand and touch-up defects with.

Anti-torpedo bulges are always a pain to shape on British ships. The ones on HMS Furious are even more sharply curved than Renown/Repulse or Courageous/Glorious. They're posing a major challenge to get exactly right and symmetrical to port and starboard. Should be done in a few weeks though.

When you're satisfied with the shape make sure you seal the plug with Zinser shellac, the white type with chalk in it. It's sandable and will improve the finish. It also seals the hull plug for waxing. Without a sealer you can wax it for days and the mold's gelcoat will still stick to it, causing failure of the mold to release from the plug.

Good luck!

Bob

 

So thats why my hull did not release very well, it took alot of the plaster with it, I need to remember the shellacing step for next time.

Thanks for the info Bob.

 

Glad to help David,

I learned from experience - had a major problem with my first plaster hull plug (Espana). It had about a dozen coats of wax but almost the entire surface stuck to the mold.

It took hours of chipping, soaking and sanding to remove the plaster, wood and expanding foam from the mold. After that I started shellacking the plaster and there were no more mold release problems.

Just sent you an email re the KK.

Bob

 

Ian,
I hear you've bought the Hood. I built the beastie but disarmed it before selling it to Chris Osborne in N.B. 3 years ago. The superstructure is an exact replica of Hood's after trials in 1921. Plans were from 'Anatomy of the Ship: The Battlecruiser Hood'.

I have all of Hood's armament and pneumatics in storage awaiting transfer to HMS Vanguard. If you want to drop by with the model we can catalog the required Clippard pneumatic components and measure the hose lengths. I can also show you where the pneumatic components were designed to fit and how to copy the brass servo mounts and brass 180 degree rotating turntable for Y turret.

From what Craig told me the guts of the ship are unchanged from when I sold it to Chris O. I think all Chris did was add the rigging and the naval review flags - a nice touch. You've probably found the trick to getting inside - bolts in the boat deck ventilator trunks.

Note that under revised IRCWCC rules Hood's rudder can be replaced by one 50% larger. The rudder I made is thin brass folded and soldered (at the aft end) over a smaller Graupner nylon rudder kit. Best way to enlarge it is to solder and 'sweat' another fairing of thin brass over it. Pretty easy - I can assist with that job, having done it before. Depending on trials you might need to switch to a more powerful rudder servo.

The larger rudder is absolutely essential. Hood handled like a scow, which was the main reason I sold it. With the larger rudder it should turn reasonably well for such a long ship.

There are special tactics for using long, slow turning R/C combat ships. I've operated a few of them and can advise. Email or call at 422-9639. Looks like we'll have a few long British BC's in action by next spring: 1-2 Renowns, Furious and Hood.

Bob

 

Looking good Ian I hope she turns out good, I can't wait to see her tomorrow

 

She is going to be very sweet once done. I cant wait to see her and maybe pick up some ideas for when I go to do my own.