Guys,

Thank you so much for your comments. Makes the hobby that more pleasurable

Found out a day or two ago that ive been making a few errors... the rigging wasn't to my liking so i took it off and gonna redo it better i hope. The second thing was the fact that ive been wrong about U-201.... it was an atlantic boat. The camouflage threw me off as i thought little or no atlantic boats had it.

Not much difference there but i will go easy on the green there....

Gonna try and speed things up a little so i can post something new soon. After my vacation i got the modeling bug back with a vengeance so im working on four kits at the moment...trying to finish stuff up so im down to my usual two or three...

Richard

Richard I know the feeling I have way too many irons in the fire at the moment, seems like I just cant get anything done.

I did get the cell-u-clay laid on the bases yesterday, seems it is going to take a few days to dry. At least thats what the box says. I did mix it on the dry side to hopefully keep shrinkage down. I tried spackling putty, kind of like plaster. It dried too fast for me to work with, it set up in like 15 minutes, I am slow ya know.

Randy,

I recall putting crumpled up and unfolded again reynolds wrap in a base frame and pouring plaster of paris into the mold for my base. Being so liquid it leveled itself so all i had to do is pour and wait for three or four days so i could carefully take it out and flip it over. Really effective and went without a glitch for me.

Going through my older FSM mags there is a topic on the celluclay seabases in the May 2011 issue... I never worked with it myself and i dont even know what dutch term there is for it so not much help from me there buddy...

Richard

Now Richard the foil trick I hadnt even thought of, a great idea for sure ! Cell-u-clay is basically a fine paper mache, heres a link that might help you out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papier-m%C3%A2ch%C3%A9

I think if I do another one of these I will try your plaster trick sounds much easier and faster too.

Vetteman,

I am SO looking forward to your celluclay adventure pics! Really interesting stuff.

Well... to show you guys im not just sitting around drinking beer and watching movies.... I told you how i wasn't satisfied with the rigging i had so i went through the spares box and found me some PE stuff that felt suitable (looks like it could use some tightening looking at the pics i just made...):

And forward of the conning tower. Big globs of superglue but its a WIP, right?...:

And lastly i turned my attention to corroding the screws a bit with a heavy washing of sky blue. Also note the drybrushing on the saddletanks and rivets. Really makes em pop:

Planning is to tighten and tidy up the rigging, as well as giving it a more suitable color and wear. Also i will give it a dullcoat so the chalks i am planning up ahead will sit better.

Thats all for now...

Richard

Very nice, Kermit!

I finished most of the deck PE- just have to cut off the brackets for the hatches and replace them with PE and make a spring out of thin wire representing the spring to help open the hatches. Once this is done I'll post some pics.

Rob

these close-ups are cool kermit and show better the weathering work

Kermit,

While I was one of the first on the last build, looks like I'll be one of the last on this one.  Just haven't been in a submarine mood lately.

Here is an update. Got the deck PE done- took awhile to do this, although it may not look like much. Lots of plastic to sand down and replace. I'll prime it next, then start on the conning tower.

Rob

Great pictures Kermit !!!!!!!!!! Really Your sub is truly Kermified

Maxfax you have a case of very advanced superdetailgottadoit syndrome man !!!!!!

Well I aint even in the same league as you guys, damn fine work wow !!! But here are some pictures of where my build is at.

First off I used Cell-u-clay over plywood for my base, got the stuff applied and waited a week for it to dry. By Friday morning last week it still wasnt dry. So sis was at work and well the oven sounded like a good idea sooooooo In it went at 150 degrees for a few hours Took it out an let it cool, here's what I ended up with.

And I am here to tell ya this stuff dried hard as a rock ! I lapped the clay over the edges for shrinkage, but there was none, and had to use a file to trim the edges.

Next the scary part paint. First up is a dark gray and heavily lightened olive drab, Tamiya of course airbrushed here and there.

Next I used thinned blue and here is where it is at now.

Let me know what ya think, I still need to dry brush some white caps but does it need more and if so what. As far as the cell-u-clay goes I like this stuff, I had loads of time to play with it and get the look I wanted, other than the drying time, but I think the oven solved that. Wouldn't recommend it when the lady of the house is home though.

Nice work Vetterman i had the same problem with dry time on some diorama base i did (lots but never finished one )

the only thing i can advice is to dark all the colors i think

Waiting for final pictures 

Randy,

So good to hear from you. The forum is a quiet place without you...

I totally dig your approach and see where you are going with it. Like bsyamato pointed out i would try a medium black wash on it though to darken the lot up a bit. It looks pretty but too "tropical" if you get my drift.

And thinking about it, i added a light emerald green wash to all the blues on my dio last year. It really added a lot of color variation to it for me. Just a brainstorm there. Your base really looks great and like my own dio, it will draw alot of attention if you should ever display it somewhere.

You know, after seeing your WIP this morning drinking coffee i totally had this big daydream of doing a depthcharge dio in 1/350 or 1/700 one day... I was thinking along the lines of filling up a small aquarium with some form of gel halfway, add the sub....and filling it up more in increments as i add (exploding) depthcharges. Lastly, on top a destroyer is going overhead throwing the charges as it speeds along. Would be a total showstopper now wouldnt it? And all of that because i just saw your Wip....go figure.

Richard

Is it my dry wit and stunning smile you are missing or are you saying I am loud

Yeah Kermit between life and getting my little business going I haven't had much time to even think, which is more than likely a good thing.

Took your advise guys and darkened the base with some deep green, much much better now. Thank you for helping out.

Richard I was thinking along those lines when I thought of this build but hadn't thought of the depth charges. And I think you have something there that, I would LOVE to see  done. And what comes to my mind and would really look cool would be to simulate a depth charge going off under water just behind the sub. So Richard, ole buddy, ole pal. Is there gonna be a round 3 ??? You know ya wanna do this build and what better excuse.

Randy,

I am still pondering over wether or not to do another round.... Maybe a 6 month extension is an idea? And that little 3D dio is still going round in my head....

But back to the topic at hand for me.... my type VIIC. It is finished! I spent more time on the rigging by coloring and tightening the lot. I also added the kriegsmarine flag by sandwiching some reynolds between the two halves so i could fold it a bit. Lastly i gave it a good chalk with rust and white.

Look for yourselves gents:

I am planning on taking some better shots in daylight conditions...might even submit this one to the FSM staff. Still want to make the gallery one day. Thank you guys so much for watching along and commenting while i was busy. I really enjoy it

Richard

Round 3! Round 3! Round 3!  Of course since I have done subs for the last 2 I need to do some sub hunters... Of course I could always finish up my FFG I started long ago if there is an extension...

Kermit, this U-boat is certainly worthy of Reader's Gallery in the magazine I must say... Beautiful work Why do I keep hearing the theme music from Das Boot in my head when I am looking at this?

Me too for the round thee !!

The first GB cannot be forgot (or something similar )

Kermit thumbs up for the VIIC updates and for the new avatar

"(A)SW GBII - extended indefinately!"

now i'm sure i can submit a sub!!

Kermit,

Nice weathering and overall finish in the sub. I hope mine turns out as well. Just got back from the US for a vacation in Las Vegas. Interesting place...Glad to hear that this GB will be extended, because I'll need the time!

Rob

Guys,

I knew you guys would be pleased. Now,... untill theres nothing going on for a while i will just keep the GB running. I have a few projects in my mind myself that would fit nicely in the GB and most shipping models just take a long time to complete like Rob's 1/72 sub.

So no stress in any circumstance and i would be happy to put new models on the list for anyone interested!

Richard

Moving right along...

I decided to go ahead and start my next naval subject: 

It's a german "Schnellboot" or patrol boat type S-100. Bigger than their english and american counterpart they had depthcharge racks and two torpedo tubes with one reload for each tube. These extra two torpedo's were often left off though due to the weight reduction. It had a topspeed of 43.5 knots with a short burst top of 48knots.

Also this kit has the option of depicting it with the standard 37mm anti aircraft gun or a quad 20mm one. This last version was less practical however due to the requirement of an extra crewmember to handle it.

These patrolcraft were also used for raids on english installations and even mining even though it could carry very few of them. Used extensively in the north sea between the Netherlands and England it carries extra excitement for me since they used to be stationed fairly close to my location during the war

Sprues and decal sheet:

And i couldn't resist starting with gluing the hull together to get a feel for it's size. And it is of a generous size i can tell you!

The very first picture also showed you a german navy crew set i purchased a while back. They will man my model to add some eye candy.

I hope you will all like my choice and i look forward to get underway with it!

Richard

Since this is now extended indefinitely, I will be able to get my FFG done And see what other subjects I can come up with. That new 1/48 Revell Ventura would look good in an Atlantic ASW scheme... Or some other 1/48 aerial sub hunter...

Kermit, I have seen a couple of those Revell Schnellboots built up. They are really sweet builds when completed. One of my favorite tales of those boats is their sortie from Le Havre against the D-Day invasion fleet on the morning of June 6th.... That is pretty cool that there used to be some based near you. Much of our local WWII related history here is being erased by redevelopment or the exodus of the aerospace industry from California.

stikpusher

Since this is now extended indefinitely, I will be able to get my FFG done And see what other subjects I can come up with. That new 1/48 Revell Ventura would look good in an Atlantic ASW scheme... Or some other 1/48 aerial sub hunter...

Kermit, I have seen a couple of those Revell Schnellboots built up. They are really sweet builds when completed. One of my favorite tales of those boats is their sortie from Le Havre against the D-Day invasion fleet on the morning of June 6th.... That is pretty cool that there used to be some based near you. Much of our local WWII related history here is being erased by redevelopment or the exodus of the aerospace industry from California.

That's sad isn't it...

Alot of the bunkers that the germans built and used overhere are protected buildings here though. You still see them scattered throughout the countryside here since this region i live in was a strategic point in the defence of antwerp (i am in Middelburg slightly to the north of antwerp). Heck, there's one just a mile away from me....

Wow, Kermit! You'll probably be done that kit by the time I'm done the conning tower!!!

I bought that kit in the fall at a show for $10 dollars(not the flak version), and got the Eduard PE kit off EBay for about half price! I look forward to the build!! I have a PDF file of an Osprey book about the S boats with lots of pics- send me your e mail and I'll send it to you.

Glad to see others are all for another build, it will keep me going!

Rob

Huge piece on the workbench Kermit

Well since it's going on for a while, i'll be able to get the S-3 Viking started.

Kermit yup that boat is gonna keep ya busy for a few days for sure. Gonna be fun watching this one come together.

Guys dust has settled for a few days around here so I selfishly spend a couple of days out in the man cave building and gluing an painting. Got the edging around my base and the destroyer and sub mounted. I wanna thank out fearless leader and Bysamato for their help getting the colors right for the base. Here are a couple of pictures, still have a few more things to do to complete this.

Hope ya like it so far.

Randy,

Absolutely great use of color variation and wave effects on the water! I am seriously impressed and the adding of some green tints did add alot of oomph to it KUDOS there my man.

For the extra wet effect you might consider being extremely generous with brushed on future. I did like four or five layers on my dio and it turned out amazingly well for me with the emphasis on generous

Great woodworking too btw.

Richard

After my wildcat for NMF GB entered the paintbooth i have started the schnellboot. Currently i am still in the painting phase of the basic hull and deck and working on the armored deckhousing. Should have pics up somewhere in the weekend

Richard

Vetteman: nice work on the diaroma. Going to add any smoke to the ship? Done the bulk ok the inning tower. Lost a couple of bids on a CMK kit that  included the attack periscope and base, UZO and other key parts. The kit parts are all wrong, now I will have to scratch build them. Post some pics hopefully in a week.

Maxfax,

Bring it on!

Well,...

I promised some WIP pics so here we go.... Like i said i was working on the deckhouse:

I must say for a twenty some buck kit it packs alot of nice surface detail to work with, and a nice big one in 1/72 too. 

The deckhouse was dryfitted to the deck for show:

Next up should be finishing up the hull by painting the antifouling red and the light ghost grey main color... More to come soon! Hope y'all like it sofar.

Richard