Trumpeter HMS Kent

[andy55]

Decided to try a proper ship after doing the Schnellboots. At the moment just trying to build it up ready to prime. Seems that the deck in front of the wave defector (?) should be steel but Trumpeter have got it timbered.
Apparently the dazzle camo extended to the deck so will leave as is.
Want to put it in the sea when finished so wondering about waterlining it. Hummm, do I just draw a line and take the dremel to it...

 

[boatman]

Decided to try a proper ship after doing the Schnellboots. At the moment just trying to build it up ready to prime. Seems that the deck in front of the wave defector (?) should be steel but Trumpeter have got it timbered.
Apparently the dazzle camo extended to the deck so will leave as is.
Want to put it in the sea when finished so wondering about waterlining it. Hummm, do I just draw a line and take the dremel to it...View attachment 497068

HI Andy its is steel an its called a breakwater not a wave deflector but that is what it does on the real ship an im lookin forward to your build as i'll be following along as i love ships also keep up the good work an if you are goin to fit her in a seacape ask 570 as he does a really good job of cuttin off the bottom part of the hull draft

chrisb

 

[Dave Ward]

Decided to try a proper ship after doing the Schnellboots. At the moment just trying to build it up ready to prime. Seems that the deck in front of the wave defector (?) should be steel but Trumpeter have got it timbered.
Apparently the dazzle camo extended to the deck so will leave as is.
Want to put it in the sea when finished so wondering about waterlining it. Hummm, do I just draw a line and take the dremel to it...View attachment 497068

Andy,
waterlining can be nerve wracking, especially when it's an expensive model! I try to assemble the hull halves, with the deck, to give a more-or-less rigid box to work on, I use masking tape to give a straight line - then its the cutting disc in the dremel & grit your teeth! I dont try to get it off in one chunk, I cut transversly, so that it can be moved in pieces - it's messy & eye protection is a must! Don't try to rush it, especially round the stern & the bow. Try to get as close to your line as possible - less clean up!
I use a sanding drum in my rotary tool to remove most of the surplus, then finish it off with a sheet of wet & dry on a big flat surface. It's a messy business & cleaning up all the chips is a pain - they get everywhere ( check your hair! ) - Good Luck
Dave

 

[boatman]

Andy,
waterlining can be nerve wracking, especially when it's an expensive model! I try to assemble the hull halves, with the deck, to give a more-or-less rigid box to work on, I use masking tape to give a straight line - then its the cutting disc in the dremel & grit your teeth! I dont try to get it off in one chunk, I cut transversly, so that it can be moved in pieces - it's messy & eye protection is a must! Don't try to rush it, especially round the stern & the bow. Try to get as close to your line as possible - less clean up!
I use a sanding drum in my rotary tool to remove most of the surplus, then finish it off with a sheet of wet & dry on a big flat surface. It's a messy business & cleaning up all the chips is a pain - they get everywhere ( check your hair! ) - Good Luck
Dave

YES Andy what Dave is sayin is very true as ive done some yonks ago but what Dave says is spot on
chrisb

 

[andy55]

Andy,
waterlining can be nerve wracking, especially when it's an expensive model! I try to assemble the hull halves, with the deck, to give a more-or-less rigid box to work on, I use masking tape to give a straight line - then its the cutting disc in the dremel & grit your teeth! I dont try to get it off in one chunk, I cut transversly, so that it can be moved in pieces - it's messy & eye protection is a must! Don't try to rush it, especially round the stern & the bow. Try to get as close to your line as possible - less clean up!
I use a sanding drum in my rotary tool to remove most of the surplus, then finish it off with a sheet of wet & dry on a big flat surface. It's a messy business & cleaning up all the chips is a pain - they get everywhere ( check your hair! ) - Good Luck
Dave

Thanks for answering Dave, hoped you would, but didn't want to show favouritism, . So it is a case of taking the Dremel to it. The hull is one piece and the deck is in sooo. I'm guessing that it will make making the hole in the water a lot easier as well.
Thanks
Andy

 

[spanner570]

All good advise.
The only difference being when I cut a full hull, I make the cut 4/5mm below the waterline. This safely allows for any wobbles when cutting the plastic. This also allows for any up and down of the wake and wash of the sea against the hull sides.

I don't bother 'Dremeling'. I simply sink the cut hull into whatever sea it sits in.

Which ever method you use, just take your time. It can be easy for the whizzer to slip!

Ron

 

[Dave Ward]

I use a saw blade in the rotary tool, the slitting discs are a bit fragile in my hands

You have to adjust your speed, to suit the saw diameter, and hold tight, the vibration can be intense
Dave

 

[boatman]

AN have the cuttin disk running slow or you will melt the hull an like 570 has said dont matter if not a prefect cut an he is right regards how the water level runs along the sides of the ship as in the middle the water dips down in a low u shape due to hull speed as ive seen on my ship models when sailing
chrisb

 

[andy55]

All good advice, did wonder about cutting below the waterline to give some wiggle room for cutting and mounting. Had to laugh at 'running slow or will melt the hull' just had a view of a pile of melted bubbling plastic. still thinking, but more or less decided maybe time to try a torpedo strike. As in when the Kent got hit be the torpedo. Maybe... might destract the eye from the dazzle camo.

 

[Andy the Sheep]

Andy, I never tried such a surgery thus I'm the last person to be entitled to give advice, but I think that working on the sea base (the hole in the water) instead of waterlining the hull would be easier and, in case of mistakes, less costly (better bin a base than a whole kit IMHO).
Prudently yours

Andrea

 

[spanner570]

Good point Andrea.
There has been occasions when my nerves have cracked and I did leave the hull intact, then built up the base enough to allow the hull to be buried.....perfectly acceptable and a darn sight safer than surgery too..

Over to You Andy.

 

[Dave Ward]

Good point Andrea.
There has been occasions when my nerves have cracked and I did leave the hull intact, then built up the base enough to allow the hull to be buried.....perfectly acceptable and a darn sight safer than surgery too..

Over to You Andy.

Downside of that is the base has to be that much thicker....................swings & roundabouts!
Dave

 

[andy55]

Again all good advice, I suppose at worst the model becomes a jigsaw of many parts lol. I have cut plastic before, not on a model, think it was perspex, now that is an issue to cut. As Dave says you have a thinner base which I prefer.

 

[Dave Ward]

On a big model - HMS Kent is 540mm long in 1/350 - a thick ( at least 30mm ) base will take a lot of material & weigh quite a bit..........................
Dave

 

[andy55]

On a big model - HMS Kent is 540mm long in 1/350 - a thick ( at least 30mm ) base will take a lot of material & weigh quite a bit..........................
Dave

40mm keel to deck. 6mm base + 9mm foam then filler on top. Just under 30 if I waterline it. So yes Dave, 30mm is about right. If I leave it in one piece, then it will be 40mm +. Thinking don't need a huge amount of filler as don't want the waves looking like a tsunami. 6mm mdf base seems to of worked OK on the others I've made.

 

[andy55]

Just thinking, would a torpedo hitting in the stern make 10800 odd tonnes jump a bit... hummm

 

[Dave Ward]

40mm keel to deck. 6mm base + 9mm foam then filler on top. Just under 30 if I waterline it. So yes Dave, 30mm is about right. If I leave it in one piece, then it will be 40mm +. Thinking don't need a huge amount of filler as don't want the waves looking like a tsunami. 6mm mdf base seems to of worked OK on the others I've made.

I get my MDF from here https://www.woodsheets.com/ - cut to any size, material - nice clean square edges that don't need any extra preparation. More expensive than doing it yourself, but I'm not geared up for carpentry & it saves a lot of hassle!
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

this may be of interest - https://www.world-war.co.uk/Kent/kent.php
Dave

 

[andy55]

Hey Dave I can cut square corners, honest. I get my mdf from b and q, but then I'm fortunate enough to have a garage and tools. Seen the site, very good with full history. There seems to be a lot of discussion going on as to what the actual colours were. Yes the colours are documented, but what shade of grey was MS1 in 1941 (shruggs shoulders) greater minds than mine. I've gone for an approximation, with the lines as close as I can get.
Andy

 

[Dave Ward]

The colours are specified on paper - but was all the paint available?, was it mixed up properly? were the surfaces clean? I always take the attitude that if it looks OK, then it's right! Even if all the colours were applied correctly - then a few weeks' exposure to sea, salt & wind would degrade them - so near enough is good enough - heresy to some modelers I know................
Dave