Looking for a kit of USS/USCG Glacier AGB-4 icebreaker

Martin

 The chance of any model company producing a plastic/resin model of an icebreaker(such as Glacier) is slim to none. You would have a better chance of being elected king of Lapland, than the manufacture of such a model. There is simply no interest by most model builders in such an esoteric subject. To date the only plastic icebreaker models are the USCGC Eastwind/Burton Island, the Russian Lenin, the Japanese ice breakers the Shirase Glacier, the Fuji and the Japanese iceship Soya. In addition, Loose Cannon makes an 1:700 Eastwind and 1:700 Canadian Pierre Raddison. Also an Italian company produced an Eastwind in a 1:600, kind of rare. And in 1:1200, yes, the Eastwind! Also in the same scale the USCGC Healy and I think the USCGC Polar Sea.  I don't recall a wooden model of any ice breakers, but they might be out there. There is a large model of the Polar Sea at the CG Academy, built and donated by legendary builder Kieth Bender.

 You can contact Coast Guard models at their web site, I'm not sure if they produce a Glacier hull in fiberglass, that might be a start.

As far as a scratchbuilder making you up a hull....the cost of a hull(wood lifts or plank on frame) is in direct proportion to the size(scale) of the hull and the time a builder puts into it. For example, a hull, regardless of scale, takes a number of man hours to scale up(or down) the drawings you have. Then templates have to be made, traced out on aircraft plywood, then frames cut, planking fastened, and there you have your hull! Now take the amount of hours  the builder took to do the hull work(what is it worth to the builder, $20, $30, $50 per hour) plus material. Some builders charge by the inch ($75), depending on the job. I don't think you will find a "cheap" scratch builder, its time consuming work when done properly. That doesn't mean your builder isn't out there, but I never ran across a scratch builder that was inexpensive, I guess time is money.  

Now  another plastic model in a certain scale(not previously manufactured) of the YAMATO(or BISMARK or HOOD or ENTERPRISE or FLETCHER), now there's a winner worth producing. YEE HA!!! 

 

 

Dear Sir,
In your forum, you stated that if someone could build you a hull of the Icebreaker Glacier, you could "take it from there". That statement suggests to me that you have the confidence, talent and capabilities to build the entire superstructure.

If you can build the superstructure, constructing the hull is a much easier task. Might I suggest using the the hull construction techniques outlined in the Popular Mechanics 5 part series "Building a 3 foot model of the S.S. United States" (Dec 52-April 53) The article outlines in detail how to build a hull from a solid piece of wood.

I used the techniques in the article to build over 25 ocean liner models. Good luck.

Hull 488

The method you use to build your hull will depend on the type of plans that you have. 

If you have hull lines and offsets then you will be best served by building it using frames and planking.  Use the hull lines to create your frames and lay them uo on your keel based on offsets and frame measurements.  Then use strips to plank the hull.

If you have deck layout plans then "bread and butter" construction works well.  Use bass or balsa wood, or even foam core board to build up deck layers in the correct outline of each of the ship's decks.  Place glue (the butter) between each deck (the bread) and build up the general hull form.  Then fill and sand to get the correct hull curves.

 Other items to consider:

1.  What scale do you want.

2.  Are there ship fittings avaialbe in that scale.

3.  Do you want to model a full hull or a waterline hull.

Hope this helps, happy to talk to you about the different construction methods.

Matt