Posted by Matty on September 5, 2009, 22:09:58, in reply to "BOW and NOSE CONE"
4.254.134.147

-"...He has flooded his tubes, Kaptain!" -"Has he opened his outer doors?" -"No, Kaptain..." ...The Hunt for Red October, Paramount Pictures, 1990 Ah, but Matty's Models is opening the outer doors - or, more precisely, is greatly improving their molded representations in the FBM nose cone: Click on Image to Enlarge At left, using pairs of square-section plastic tubes, two pair create the foundation for 4 doors positioned much more reliably - both w/r/t the bow, and to each other - and having their own, internal vertical and horizontal references. With the first-pass result shown at right. Just a fraction of the original tubes remaining - but the resulting openings are far more uniform in size and spacing than if simply carved out by hand (as in the last version). Note this version will also include the tube-flooding ports - one on each cheek - and possibly also the anchor locker, shown tentatively started here. On the 2nd pass, refining the openings, the part now looks like this: Click on Image to Enlarge The tube doors are just beginning to aproach their final shapes (which, surprisingly, are more complex than you would've thought!) OK, two pairs of tubes for four tube doors - elementary. But what, then, does this represent: Click on Image to Enlarge Guess it - and there are actually two correct answers - and you will win one free (with your subsequent order from Matt Stein Models, or for just the price of actual shipping), as soon as they start rolling off the line. I'll give all y'all two weeks (from the above date) to send me your best (single) guess. "Verify range to target, Vasily - one ping only, please..." Cheers, -Matty

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Posted by Matty on April 18, 2009, 22:41:38, in reply to "BOW and NOSE CONE"
4.235.205.110

Obviously this project has endured severe delays - through which I've confronted the sheer impossibility of promising a release date - and, though I alsoi hate "teasers", I think you really have to see this: Click on Image to Enlarge These are much better shots of the surface detail than I was able to show you before. At left, note the tiny lashing eyes surrounding the open hatch (and one on its back) are each about a third the size of a pinhead - and there are a couple more, even finer details on which I have not yet even been able to get my camera to focus! At right, note the inside of the hatch is accurately detailed; its contours are mirrored in the hatchway at its feet, such that, to depict the hatch closed you need only to chisel it off at the base, and drop it in. Likewise for any or all of the fittings: bow fairlead, cleats (including a pair back at the foot of the sail), and capstan - which on the real thing are retractable; simply chop each off at its base, which is scribed to depict its surface panel, when retracted. One of the later holdups has been to engineer the same sort of thing (except kind of in reverse), for the torpedo tube- and tube-flooding doors (not visible), in the nose cone. Another has been to greatly improve the fit, and interior locator tabs (not visible) - none of which was possible (for me to do, anyway) when the project was first begun. Of course, the primary value of this upgrade remains the accurization of the overall bow profile of the Revell (ex-Renwal) Lafayette- or Franklin-class SSBN: This latest pic is the best demonstration of the accurized profile which I've been able to photograph so far. The OOB hull is too fat - there's no getting around that - but the upgrade optimizes the impression (again, as best I can do it) of the finer, more tapered bow which these boats actually had. Again, I do apologize for not being able to promise a release date. But I do have available a couple developmental pops with exactly the same surface details shown above; they lack only the improved fit and interior improvements to be incorporated in the commercial release. If anyone(s) wants right away one of these latest, developmental sets - bow casing plus accompanying nose cone - I'll sell you a set for $45.00 USD, plus actual shipping; just eMail me. (Include "FBM", "Matty's Models" and/or "resin" - anything to identify your request as not for deletion as spam - in your title.) And of course, when the final version is ready for release, you will be the first to hear about it - right here, on ModelFleet! Cheers, -Matty

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Posted by Matty on August 24, 2008, 23:00:01, in reply to "BOW and NOSE CONE"
4.235.201.8

Want to see something just gorgeous: Glowing like gold, this is a solid-fill "pop", testing the performance of an improved and more cost-feasible mold design; to ensure that it will both properly reproduce and then de-mold even a completely inflexible, heavy piece - yet one having delicate, protruding details - exactly as on this upgrade. As you can see, the result was 100% successful. Take another gander or two, looking down the centerline: Click on Image to EnlargeAll these details - every last one, down to the tiniest dimple and pimple - is accurate directly to actual photos from Donny Murphy's website about USS Casimir Pulaski SSBN 633; a Lafayette-class (Polaris/Poseidon) FBM. There are in fact a couple additional tiny texture details so fine they don't even show up in these pics! But I'll show you everything that my camera possibly can: Click on Image to EnlargeThese side views show the raised (retractable) cleats and capstan, all of which have scribing around their bases, so that to depict any or all of them retracted, the builder need only chisel off the raised feature flush with the hull. Likewise, at the foot of the hatch sits the accurately-scaled hatchway, to which it is perfectly fitted, for insertion - again, after carefully chiseling it free - in order to depict the hatch closed. On its back, and encircling the hatchway, are tiny raised "U"-shaped lashing eyes; again 100% accurate to reference photos of the real thing. This test casting already could, with some heavy grinding of overpour around the edges, be used to upgrade a sealed-up build of the Revell Andrew Jackson (ex-Renwal Ethan Allen, etc.) kit - such as the award-winning build of the 633 Boat by Gus Hager. However the actual part design is for a hollow casting; far easier to use. I have already popped two of those - again, just perfectly - and they could likewise be used on any sealed-up build from this kit. So, if anyone(s) out there just has to have one of the above right now, let me know and I'll be happy to fix you up. (We'll work out some custom price.) Meanwhile, the current plan is to take a couple more weeks to endow the final form with easy adaptability for use with the opening, or "cutaway" build of this kit, as originally intended. The matching nosecone, now fully completed, is likewise already 100% compatible for either type of build. I'll have more pics of both parts for you soon. Cheers, -Matty

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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

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Posted by Matty on August 24, 2008, 17:20:38, in reply to "RUDDER, TAIL- & SAIL PLANES"
Message modified by board administrator August 24, 2008, 21:40:56

--Originally Posted (approx.) 4/15/07-- (stand by while we recover this...)

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Posted by Matty on August 24, 2008, 17:04:39, in reply to "RUDDER, TAIL- & SAIL PLANES"
Message modified by board administrator August 24, 2008, 21:42:42

--Originally Posted 2/18/07-- Or rather, the question is: do you think they're ready? : This is the present appearance (as assmbled) of the Matt Stein Models 1/200 scale FBM rudder and tailplanes (plus J-prop); designed to fit the Revell-Germany Andrew Jackson (ex-Renwal Ethan Allen, etc.) kit. These parts have actually been refined to the state you see here for over 6 months now, but I have been holding back on their release because they are still not as accurate as I wanted: Click on Image to EnlargeThe main problem is that the smaller, bottom rudder (left) should "start" - that is, its leading edge should begin - slightly further aft than that of the large, top rudder. And - running a close second as a problem here - is the tail diving planes (center) which, though they have the correct overall outline, are hinged in the wrong place; the fixed stabilizers (forward) should be much wider, and the moveable (trailing) planes correspondingly narrower. In the center pic you can also see the reason I didn't correct both the above problems; the rudders and tailplanes are all connected through holes (visible through the resin) to internal linkages (not visible here) designed for this position within the tailcone. To accurize the lower rudder and hinge points of the tailplanes, the only solution I've come up with in the last 6 months would be to develop an entire, replacement tailcone - and the internal linkages - as well. Of course, builders of a completely static display can easily modify the bottom rudder and tailplanes to 100% accuracy. But for everyone else I really don't want to lose the above functionality; the sight of that big, beautiful top rudder turning as a single piece is quite satisfying! The problem is that further accurization by replacing the entire tailcone assembly would basically double the cost of the upgrade set - from about $15 to $30; not something which I (nor, presumably, you) would be eager to see. Now if I can at all avoid it, Matt Stein Models will never release any upgrade(s) whose design is deliberately half-a**ed. On the other hand, take another look at just how much this particular upgrade already improves the appearance of this kit (especially when accompanied by the J-prop as well) : Click on Image to EnlargeSo the question is: would you, the consumer, be interested in using this upgrade set as it already exists; providing the improvement you see here - or would you rather pay another (approximately) $15 for that last bit of accuracy? Let me know what you think - either with a response right here or e-mail me privately. "It's Your World"; ask and ye shall receive! -Matt "Matty" Stein Matt Stein Models P.O.Box 772 Sanibel, Florida 33957-0772 USA

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