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David Merriman's 57" Seaview part 4 |
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Both the Teskey and DeBoer Hull 1/96 scale kits of the SEAVIEW offer few kit parts or instruction for those wishing to properly
detail out all the equipment and furnishings seen within the hull through the four big observation window. Both manufacturers leave it to the assembler to come up with a viable representation of the
Observation Compartment (OC). And, that's just what I did for my buildup of the 1/96 DeBoer Hulls TV version of the SEAVIEW, I scratch-built the OC interior
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First step, outlined in the previous section, was to identify a sources of pictures and plans that faithfully described
(graphically) the interior spaces.
Second step, which I chronicle here, was to come up with a means of representing the deck, wall, and window girder area in model form.
Finally, I would
build up the figures, furniture and equipment, produce tools from that work, then cast resin and metal parts from the tooling. Parts produced from the tooling constituting the items that would outfit the
model.
Listen and learn. I'll drag you to the trough of knowledge but I can't make you drink. Instead of wasting your valuable time composing letters of outrage to post at the Cult site because I
hurt your precious feeling, try this: Study my words, examine the photos, think over how the material presented can be applied to your specific projects and ... build something!
The principle
reason I don't go the direct route of building model parts from scratch and then using them as the final product is the need to produce multiple copies of each item for later commercial use. You see,
boy's and girls, I do this for a living, I sell after-market fittings kits. And I'm doing so now with the SEAVIEW items I'm showcasing in this article; to date I've sold several packages of 1/96
aftermarket SEAVIEW detail and running-gear components. The same stuff that I've arrayed here for your inspection, understanding and wonderment.
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Before I could press on with the neat looking stuff on the inside of the SEAVIEW - such as the figures, furniture, equipment,
and that intimidating looking behind-the-window girder work - I first had to establish the deck; transverse bulkhead between OC and Control Room (the 'crash doors'); securing frame (strongback) to hold
the clear acetate window piece up tight from inside the hull; the girder foundation piece; and deck bracket that would permit perfect registration of the OC deck within the hull as it was
installed/removed through the removable FS-1 access hatch at the bottom of the submarines bow.
This particular model of the SEAVIEW was built up to be a fully practical r/c submarine; capable and
built to withstand the normal rough handling such models are subject to in and out of the water. The entire OC was made removable to permit easy inspection and repair of that unit during the course of
the models service life.
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This r/c model boat (much like the actual Fox effects miniature) was built as a 'free-flooding' type submarine. That is, the
entire hull, sail, OC, and other structures free-flood with water as the model is placed in the lake/pool. Only the removable water tight cylinder (WTC), mounted in the hull, containing the electronics,
ballast system and propulsion items is water tight.
This models entire OC fills and drains with water as it is immersed or pulled out of the water. No effort what's so ever was made to make the
windows, FS-1 access hatch, and other structures comprising the hull 'watertight.'
Note that the plastic sheet OC deck has already been marked out with pen to denote the location of the girder
network, wardroom patricians, bulkhead, and walls. Those vertical components have already been cut from sheet and are arrayed behind the deck. The two projections below and either side of the deck are
the make-up points for the mounting brackets bonded within the bow, which index and secure (with the aid of two thumbnuts) the OC piece securely within the bow of the SEAVIEW.
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With the deck of the OC established and indexed to fit properly within the hull I turned my attention to creation of a set of
window girder templates. These were cut from heavy gauge styrene sheet one at a time, installed upon the forward mounted 'foundation' piece and secured at their after ends onto temporary false transverse
bulkheads (the after false bulkhead mounting the four outboard girders, the foreword false bulkhead supporting the two inboard girders.
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Several attempts for each type girder were made till I had achieved a set of window girders that fit up hard against (but not
hard enough to be distorted by) the temporarily installed brass window strongback piece. Working out the exact rake, height and length for each type window girder template was time consuming and
frustrating work, but one of the most important tasks of the entire OC job: care and exactness of fit here was essential. If these templates did not fit properly then neither would the masters, nor the
parts produced from the tooling made from those masters.
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Once the six girder section (the longitudinally oriented girders, the ones who's forward edge is positioned behind a window
frame) shapes were represented by templates, the templates were then used to trace outlines onto thinner pieces of styrene sheet. The full blown girder masters were made from the thinner styrene sheet.
Building the girder masters involved cutting them to shape, punching out the 'lightening holes' in each piece, and then gluing narrow cap-strips of styrene top and bottom of each girder to form
the characteristic 'H' section of these structural members.
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The holes in each piece of girder were started with a punch mark, followed by a drilled pilot hole which was then sized with a
rattail file spun in the chuck of a variable speed drill (always power ream in reverse, as most rattail teeth patterns are right-handed). Tedious, time consuming work. But, with the exercise of care
during layout (the transfer of points and lines from plan to work) the lightening holes were cut out with reasonable precision.
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(Incidentally, though both the Teskey and DeBoer SEAVIEW kits purport to represent the vessel in 1/96 scale, there are variances
in size and geometry between the two products. So, when I go about the task of adapting the OC masters I've produced to fit the DeBoer Hulls kit to fit the Teskey kit ... yet to be delivered... I
will likely have to make a dedicated set of window girders to fit that kit. But, that's a problem for a later date).
When gluing styrene to styrene you are best served to use a solvent type cement
(forming a weld, or cohesive bond) not adhesives like super-glue. As each narrow cap-strip was positioned onto a girder master, a thin line of cement was applied with a small brush and capillary action
counted on to draw the solvent into the gap between girder and cap-strip thus effecting a seamless weld between the two.
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Once all the girder masters were made, assembled together, test fit within the bow, errors corrected, and the array
disassembled, each girder piece was then primed, spot puttied and readied for creation of a spin casting tool. From that RTV silicon rubber tool would be cast metal girder model parts. It is vital that
the master fit properly and that all observed problems corrected before committing the masters to creation of the production tooling -- again: if the master don't fit, neither will the production parts!
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Note that at the lower forward end of each window girder (all six of them) there projects downward an indexing tab. Each girder
tab fits a corresponding slot at the top of the foundation piece. Surprisingly, a dry-fit of the entire girder/foundation tab/slot equipped master assembly revealed that the foundation/girder indexing,
coupled with the transverse/longitudinal joints, keyed the assembly tight enough to make it a very sound unit -- without glue!
When something of this complexity works so well, after so much
invested effort, it can't help but make your day!
Damn, I'm good!
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Just about finished with the foundation and girder masters. Here I'm putting on the final touches to the foundation master by
installing the inboard 'kick plates'. Once the girder and foundation masters were completed, they were set aside as I worked the other OC masters. Only after all the masters involved with the interior of
the SEAVIEW bow were completed did I set about the task of making the rubber tools needed to create resin and cast metal kit parts.
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More interior construction
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