Hey TB. Can you post a link to the papercraft sub? I would like to see it 

Aha!

   I thank you sir!

 I have a papercraft sub, and surprisingly it too is about thirteen and three quarters of an inch long. The only difference in it's shape is a drill looking thing for the forward third! and it doesn't have the side windows.(Those could be added) It is one from a site that you buy them and download them. They have a regular "U"boat too.

Tanker-Builder

Okay!

     I have to ask, How long is that sub?

 

Okay!

     I have to ask, How long is that sub?

Dodgy

That beast is looking so cool Bako.

 

 

Hey Ferg. It is getting readied to menace the high seas!

Thanks Mate!

That beast is looking so cool Bako.

Bakster: Ack, looks about as complex as the real thing! The electricians we get here at work never cease to amaze me how they can figure out anything about this mess of spagetti wiring we have in all our electrical boxes.

TB: Yeap! Stuff never stops surprising me. I do something 99 times and it works fine then on number 100 it goes completely twisted...

Well!

   I recommend a test subject anyway. A person needs to learn how the stuff works,because it will surprise you!

For the most part the wiring is done. It is quite the rats nest.  I say for the most part because the gator eye LEDS are not color matched very well. They are from a cheap kit of LEDS and you get what your pay for. It is very noticeable. I will probably have to address that next and before I start gluing in the decking.

Gamera

The searchlight looks fantastic Bakster!!! 

And the Enterprise is coming along well. I know what you mean about fit issues. The one where the engine pylons joined the secondary hull gave me fits on mine. I'd heard lots of good stuff about Polar Lights but this kit annoyed the krap outta me. Funny, their Klingon battlecruiser fits way way better.

Interesting idea about the Rub-and-Buff. I've heard of people using it for stuff like NM finish aircraft and even metallic dragons for stuff like Dungeons and Dragons figures. Never used it myself though. You could always just use an old model or one you got cheap as a guinea pig to test things out. 

 

 

Thanks Gam...

Interesting to note about the Klingon ship.  

Dodgy

RubNBuff is a very useful product, but it has a wax base. I would definately not use it without lots of practice.

Dodgy

 

Tanker-Builder

Yes!

           It is fixable. Before it sets you can remove it with lighter Fluid, paint Thinner and with some colors, Alcohol! NOOOOOOO! do not do this Sub With it. Your next one will suffice!

 

Good to know, TB.

RubNBuff is a very useful product, but it has a wax base. I would definately not use it without lots of practice.

Dodgy

The searchlight looks fantastic Bakster!!! 

And the Enterprise is coming along well. I know what you mean about fit issues. The one where the engine pylons joined the secondary hull gave me fits on mine. I'd heard lots of good stuff about Polar Lights but this kit annoyed the krap outta me. Funny, their Klingon battlecruiser fits way way better.

Interesting idea about the Rub-and-Buff. I've heard of people using it for stuff like NM finish aircraft and even metallic dragons for stuff like Dungeons and Dragons figures. Never used it myself though. You could always just use an old model or one you got cheap as a guinea pig to test things out. 

Yes!

           It is fixable. Before it sets you can remove it with lighter Fluid, paint Thinner and with some colors, Alcohol! NOOOOOOO! do not do this Sub With it. Your next one will suffice!

Rub-N-Buff: Interesting thought but it sounds too dicey for my skills. I'd have to vet it, and thoroughly. I have too much energy invested into this build to try something untested. If it fails... is it fixable? That would be my first and ultimate question to its use. Aside of low patience being a build killer, I would add that my doing something not tried before is high on the list to kill a project. I'd probably stomp on the model if it went sideways. No joke. That'd be it. Best I stick to what I sort of know. Lol. 

Tanker-Builder

Oh!  That one, Good Luck!. Mine went to the "Shelf of Doom"

 

Probably where mine belongs too. Will see if I can make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Oh!  That one, Good Luck!. Mine went to the "Shelf of Doom"

Hi!

          I got to thinking(I know that's dangerous). Something I used back when I was a kid to do a plane( A Y.B. 49)( an old A.M.T. Try at a plane kit) might work on the Sub. There is, or was a product called "Rub-N-Buff" That was used by Picture Frame shops and Antiques Restorers. It was a nice paste,Similiar to toothpaste in consistancy. You put it on, Either on your clean soft rag or in Little Blobs all over the surface of want you wanted aged or Tinted. Then you gently rubbed it all over the surface.

          If you applied it to your rag You got a nice aged Patina on the surface. If you "Blobbed" it you got the patina, with a heavily shaded or colored,(Depends on how much you tried to remove) sunken or depressed spots. It came in Metallics and Pearls as well as regular Woody colors. The harder you buffed the brighter or glossier it got too/Except the Rusty colors and the woody ones whice worked into a more Semi-Gloss Patina. I don't know if it's still available, but I would check it out at the smaller Lumber yards, and Hardware stores. I am not so sure about Home Depot or Lowe's though? It might be available at Micheal's and or Hobby Lobby in the Hobby Paints(Art, not Models) and Framing depts.

For a change of pace I did a little work on the Star Trek build. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of filler work to do on this kit. This ain't no Bandai kit... that is for sure. 

Speaking of filler: In times past I didn't have much luck with Tamiya putty. The biggest issues I had with it was it was difficult to sand and difficult to feather. It seemed that I had to keep reapplying the putty and I often ended up up where I started. And that is, with ridges and dips. 

Well, on a whim, I decided to try it again. And this time, I reached for an aggressive grit to sand with. And I tell ya... that made all the difference in the world. It cuts the putty into powder and this then helps with feathering. Suddenly, I am appreciating the stuff.  Depending on the join, I may add one more step to this process. Using super thin CA I coat the join. Once cured, it sands to a smooth nonporus finish and it fills scratches that the large grit puts into the plastic. CA will also add strength to the join and helps to resist the join from separating. Maybe this will help someone.

Amen about impatience. It is a sure recipe for disaster. I will do my best not to go down that path! 

Thanks for your insight on hull color and victorean patina. That is the direction I was heading but you have given me more to consider. I am quickly reaching the point where this must be considered in earnest. So, your timing is good!

It is tragic that we can't see pics of your builds. They sound so awesome. And how I would love to see the Great Lakes Freighter you are working on. If I lived closer I would stop over and help you with your camera impairment. Even if it was a few hundred miles, I'd make the drive.

Thanks again, TB. And hang in there! Your have friends here.

Impatience!

      Oh, that is a good model's killer!. Don't let that get you now. You will be guided by what is building in the back vaults of your brain. Rust and Corrosion as is typical of a cast sheet iron Vessel not seeing regular yarding, but still kept maintained by Vigourous Wire Brushing while at the Island base! So shades of rusty iron ,Slightly colored to show the blue cast of clean iron with rust in areas to hard to clean without disassembly. Smooth but not pristine.

      You want what I call a "Victorian Patina" Remember that was supposedly the era where "Wooden Ships, Iron Men" gave way to "Iron Ships and Stern Men" Driven by the causes of war from the late 1800's to the end of World War One! There were many men who, if they could've would have stood against war of any type. They wanted peace .There is a problem with that as we all know. Sadly in all fields including Civilian Behaviour  men were always driven by Ego, Greed and the rest. There were those that were driven by Science. They would've had the upper hand if they could've.

      Thankfully, that didn't happen either. Again Ego would've entered and caused upheavals the likes of which we couldn't have recovered from. So we have dreamers. Jules Verne was one as was E.E.Doc Smith and Isaac Aasimov and the list goes on. The Vessel you have is actually closer to Verne's vessel but still not quite there. His vessel was somewhat Plain and typical of the vessels on the boards of many visionaries of the day. Just look at the real subs that came Before and After his book, like the Hunley! "Doing it Justice you are, My Padawan", I believe is what "Yoda" would Comment.

        As you know I am doig a GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER for a client. Were it mine it would be a super detailed and lighted version of the Queens of the Lakes that sailed back in the Late Thirties, Early Forties. I have a thing for Oil Lamps, Kerosene Stoves and Lamps and Coal fired ships. One of the most Beautiful vessels I have built was a paper Model of a Tug that was owned by Flagler of Florida, Rail and Road Fame. She was fired by hard Coal she she burned clean enough the vessel was all white and stayed that way for her whole career.The "Three Friends" Was and Example of what I like. Riverboats of Note, Like the Natchez, J.M.White, Sultana and of course the Robt.E.Lee. and the Sacramento.The last although a Missippi/Missouri boat, beat around the Horn and Finished her career many years later on Northern California's river of note! So a Submarine from then is right up my alley I hope that the future will allow me to pull the trigger. If not I will get a set of plans drawn up on my board and build my own. Keeping all the Victorian splendor and "Steampunk" like Science as well! Build Well, my Friend!

Hey TB, thanks for the kind words, the commentary, and for following. I really appreciate all that. I hope the final product lives up to your expectation! 

If my buildup is in line of Goff, it may be serendipitously so. I would give credit to the model kit. Anything I have done thus far is drawn from what speaks to me. I don't have any goals in mind other than to follow that creative spark and do it as best as I can, or as close to best as I can. Impatience can be my worst enemy.

It is a fun build. I look forward to seeing what you do on yours! Also, I know there are other guys building this Model, I wish they would share what they have done. Variety is the spice of life.

THANKS again, TB.

You Know!

       I have watched this whole build up to now. You have certainly done an outstanding job! I have watched or stood by and watched others build from a distance.You sure do take the Cake!The attention to the details has taken what I considered a Knock - Off of the Goff design and put it levels above. As we all know, Goff designed to what Disney wanted. Although Walt tried to come across as everyman he was a bear to work for. I would imagine there were many subs that wound up on the Cutting Room floor.

       He only showed up once while I worked night Maintenance at the original Park, on the Submarine Ride while Stationed(Home Ported)in Long Beach! He didn't like the way the colors blended with the water. Total re-paint then was called for. The second in a year. So we did what was asked and still weren't pleased with what he came up with. I am beginning to think your sub definitely comes closer to the book, as a matter of fact I am sure of it!

Bakster

 

 

CapnMac82

 

 

Bakster

. I am sitting outside

 

 

Did Nemo leave you stranded on an island?

It's a milder day, today, it's only 90°F at 1111CDT and onlyexpected to get to 100-101°F today (was 105°F yesterday) . . . it's no time to be outdoors.

 

 

 

 

He did!  I have spent the day trying to crack a coconut open. I am thirsty. 

Oh a cold wave for you.

 

Hey Capn, Death Valley stole your rain.

https://youtu.be/KCww02FxL8Q

Spotlight is done, I guess.

Below: 

1. The LED chip was mounted to a plastic rhinestone that I sanded flat and sized so it fits into the light housing. I chose the rhinestone because it is already round, close in size to the housing, and the plastic is rugged. I drilled a hole in it's center so that the LED chip can shine through. The LED assembly was then pressed into the housing and for good measure a small amount of CA is added to secure it.

2. The conical piece is something I found in my stash and it is exactly what I was hoping for. I could not believe my eyes when I found it. I had looked through the box a few days earlier with no luck. I tried this and that... and I was coming up empty in how to close the back of the spotlight. But more than that, have the light seat properly to the boat and in a way that makes it look like it belongs there. Going through the bits box one more time I found exacly what I hoped for.  I sized it and it fits the assembly perfectly. Btw. That piece was a spare I had from my Redstone rocket kit. It goes onto the top of the capsule.

Painted and mounted. I chose the same aged brass as I did with the windows.

Lighted...

So from here I need to finish soldering both the gator eye and spotlight leads to the main wire trunking. After that... I can start decking which then closes the boat.

CapnMac82

 

 

Bakster

. I am sitting outside

 

 

Did Nemo leave you stranded on an island?

It's a milder day, today, it's only 90°F at 1111CDT and onlyexpected to get to 100-101°F today (was 105°F yesterday) . . . it's no time to be outdoors.

 

He did!  I have spent the day trying to crack a coconut open. I am thirsty. 

Oh a cold wave for you.

Bakster

. I am sitting outside

Did Nemo leave you stranded on an island?

It's a milder day, today, it's only 90°F at 1111CDT and onlyexpected to get to 100-101°F today (was 105°F yesterday) . . . it's no time to be outdoors.

Tanker-Builder

Oh Boy! Backster,  That Cat will get even with you .When you least expect it too!

 

My post about the cat was meant for this comment. I am sitting outside and can't see the phone well. 

Dodgy

Wow TB, I would so like to read your life story.

 

Good then that this is not my cat. Took it off the net.