Model Fleet: 8/31/07: Matty's Models' 1/200 FBM BOW UPGRADE

8/31/07: Matty's Models' 1/200 FBM BOW UPGRADE

Posted by Matty on August 24, 2008, 21:37:21, in reply to "BOW and NOSE CONE"
4.235.201.8

--Originally Posted 8/31/07--

Pssst - hey bub - you recognize this:

Click on Image to EnlargeThat's right - it's the Matt Stein Models 1/200 FBM bow casing upgrade. The pattern master, approaching completion. I know it looks rough - a strange combination of see-through yellow resin, purple paint and putty applied, removed and re-applied several times by now - but a lot of little, accurate details have been added in the process. This is why I'm posting these unusually-high resolution pics to give you a good look at them.

A look made better by some glare on the (back-lit) surface:

Click on Image to EnlargeYou sub vets will recognize I've got almost everything depicted but the four (rectangular) retractable cleats, on which I'm working even now.

Note all the circular features are not scribed but rather are drilled out completely and then filled with plastic dowel (white); of exactly the matching diameter. Before insertion, the lip of the hole is rounded or "bevelled" by a slight amount - so that, when the rod is chopped off and smoothed flush, a near-perfect circular groove is depicted around its edge For the ballast tank air vents the effect is repeated twice - using plastic tubes (white) with dowel (gray) inserted within them - thus "nesting" the effect to get uniform, concentric circular patterns.

Here is the appearance looking for- and aft along the deck:

Click on Image to EnlargeThe large oval torpedo-loading hatch is likewise a (white) plastic insert, seated in a drilled-out void. (The small hole in its surface is an artifact which will be filled.)

In addition to the above-mentioned cleats, the crew access hatch, including very fine details like tie-down eyes, will go on soon, as this piece is finally "getting there".

Meanwhile the companion nose cone upgrade is even closer to completion:

Click on Image to EnlargeHere all details are on and the entire piece has been recast uniformly in resin; the last, developmental master stage, suitable for final shaping/surfacing.

Note the "shark-fin" sonar dome (which points upward when assembled), and next to it a fairlead (needing to be drilled out), as well as another tiny, flush circular feature (a sonar transducer, I think) which was again formed by a dowel insert in a bevelled hole and then chopped off flush.

Notice the torpedo tube doors are also scored - deeply - but from the inside; for easy cutout to open up any tube(s).

The resin of these nose cones needs about 2 weeks' curing before they can be final worked - and the first of them are already about a week old, so…

Just thought your enquiring minds might like to know!

Cheers,

-Matty