Rambling on about Models and other STUFF

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Hi Everyone!

Well, It’s official, I got hacked at the bank. Can’t even take care of the Bills and they destroyed my card because it had been compromised! If that ain’t a revolting development I don’t know what is. Thank Goodness I bought gas yesterday. I almost lost a computer from that s*&T two years ago!

So I will be doing a lot of Benchwork. Have anyone of you ever done a Vac-U-formed Ship or Aircraft in a large scale i.e. The scale that can mean the model is over four foot long! I have built big before, but this is somewhat of a real task. If I hadn’t been in the hobby as a Hobbyist and a Proffessional I would’ve taken a no vote on this one.

I definitely learned that the model in 1/87 of a Great Lakes Freighter is as limber as the real thing. I will have to build a whole structure inside just to stiffen the hull. I realised that as soon as I saw it. Boy ,this thing is as flexible as an wet noodle almost! The thing that surprised me is that to get detail pics of the decks I will have to sign in to a site I will only use for this model.

Funny thing, I was trying a Custom Car with the Top from a 66 Dodge Charger. I figured I would be able to get another at H.L. as I had seen them just recently. Guess What? haven’t seen one since I made the cuts! So now I have a charger with a big hole where the roof is supposed to be! That’s the one with the Silver Charger onn the Box! Oh well, I will figure out something. Maybe a Charger Station Wagon?

Anyway as you know this got interrupted. Sorry about that. Power went out. Seems a breaker didn’t like all we were using and said the heck with this and Popped. It was one of the Mains. Landlady had to get an Electrician to figure out why the CFI didn’t work properly. Shoot the house is only 14years old!

Back to models. I was looking the other day at some older models on line. Then I espied the 64 Ford with the trailer and the racing Car version of a Falcon? or Fairlane? Interesting in that the Galaxie is the promo type Chassis, Interior and Body. No working Headlights or Tailights! And, This IS the atypical promo interior ! Six whole pieces.All the seats ,floor sides are truly the Old Style Bucket interior. For that kind of money, No thanks. I will just build another Monogram/R>O.G M.E.262!

Reminds me of the time I saw a 105 self propelled gun. Didn’t have one in my Armor group. 24.95 plus tax! Guess What,remember the fairly basic old model from Aurora! That’s the way this one panned out.I.ve seen more detil on a Card Model for gosh sakes. Very toy like and swirly plastic. gees! So there you have my letting off steam rambling. Thanks for being here and listening.

2

Edmund Fitzgerald?

3

Sorry that happened. Always a good idea to keep a couple of $ C around.

Once I read an article where the modeler filled the vac assembly with some kind of spray foam that didn’t heat up or expand as it cured. And there’s a mike Ivey article I have of a similar thing in a kit bashed plastic franken-hull. I’ll look for it.

In both cases made the thing rigid.

Bill

4

Hi Eugene;

No, the Client does Not want it to even by chance to be reminiscent of the “Fitz”. Hard to avoid with the Type, But not really a biggy.

5

Hi Bill;

I thought about that, then looked at his doctor scribble writing. He wants at least four hatches open. Being as how there were three main cargo compartments on these I don’t think that would work. I have built boxes that slip in at those points the rest is "O"scale bridge sides glued inside in a box shape. It Worked!! The Bottom has the triangle tube support I described in another Post!

6

That’s a big model. The Fitz was almost 800 feet long, in HO thats more than 9 feet!

Of course if I were to scratch build her, I’d go 1/96, or even 1/192.

Bill

7

I get cc hack about once a year. My bank is great about not charging me. They issue a new card rapidly. Thing is, we do a lot of bank pay and we need to notify those venders. Every year we miss a couple and have to go through the routine of apologizing and sending them the new info.

8

Hi Bill;

Yeah, as lakers go, in H.O. she would be Big! Remember her and her two sisters were the biggest on the Lakes at the time. Now there are three that overshadow that claim. Thing is, they had to build to limits of the canals they sometimes Transited.

The fascinating thing is they were not the most streamlined either. Even full they didn’t meet any Beauty requirements . BUT, for their job and all that, they were beautiful in a Rugged way! All the Newer ones have everything Aft now. They look like Container-Ships with No Cargo!

I have built longer ships for R.C.Battle groups in which we shot B.Bs at each other. The idea was To Sink! the opposition.We usually did these in 1/96 scale. My Freighter was almost eight feet long and My Battleship( The Bismark ) was 12’ long!

These were built to standards that Allowed them to be battered till they did sink. We usually put Bouys on them so we could find them after a battle. Then we would fish them out, Fix the battle damage and sail on!

There were times when the Local drugstore was inundated with folks, (Male and Female), buying Male protection in which to encase our Drives and Electronics. It Worked too! The ships, Even the Fibreglas or Plastic ones had windows that were soft so the B.Bs could penetrate the sides of the hulls .We even had Bilge Pumps! Sometimes these would shoot water out eight feet or more in a solid stream.

My last ship of the type was a Japanese Cruiser. At my very last meet I went out on four sorties, Two as an Allied vessel and Two as an Axis vessel. Took a lot of damage as an ally But didn’t get sunk. Did get sunk as a Axis vessel. I was the last to go under!

We either used aircraft grade Tissue or Light balsa to cover the hulls or both if we wanted a real good looking ship. During Battles we just slapped the tissue on with fast drying Dope and went back out to play. You sure learned miniature ship handling in these meets!

These were, for a kit somewhat more solid than This was when I first got it! The Bridging and Triangular core did Stiffen her up though. It would,ve been nice to have the older wheelhouse though. Many upgraded Lakers did keep the original House but everything changed down Below and Aft, and inside that Forward structure!