Message from Mylo

[mylo]

Hey all,

Been out of the loop for a few weeks. My recent relocation has been DEVASTATING on my subs.

THE SCOOP:

My 1:25 VIIc/41 display only boat (Ser # 001) was totally destroyed in the move. It fell off a table from a height of 4' and smashed all to hell. At best, a few parts are salvageable for a future build. My custom cabinet that I built for it is also toast.

My r/c converted boat (Ser # 002) survived the move in the custom built crate that I made for it. ....however....when I was away for a few days, a nasty wind storm (hurricane...basically) came up and blew the thing over, crate and all. There it sat, busted up in the crate on it's side for 4 days while the heat of the sun came up, lots of heat for several days. The sub basically melted while in the crate, warped all to shit from being out of it's cradle, in a wood box in high temps, and is not salvageable. I had no choice but to store the sub in it's crate outside. I thought that I had it secure, and I thought this would work temporarily.....I thought WRONG. Result: destroyed sub.

So........ for my 1000+ hours of labour and about $5000, I have two wrecked subs. I have no submarine production facility as of yet, all my tools are still in boxes "somewhere", ....AND....it's going to be a long time before I get back up and running since my new place is going to require far more work than I initially thought. It saddens me to say that if you were patiently waiting for me to produce one of these 1:25 VIIc/41 U-Boats for you, it's not going to happen for a long time. I would suggest you look elsewhere. The advantage about all of this.....WHEN the day comes that I have a functioning sub in the water, it will define stubborn perserverance. ....the Lord above is testing me, ....I know it.

The GOOD news:

I'm still on course for Regatta '08 and will be putting on my 2 cents on how to scratch build such a thing as a 1:25 U-Boat. If there is interest, I'll still bring my wrecked r/c conversion VIIc/41 for people to pick apart and look at/handle without fear of damaging it. So, if you are attending Regatta '08 and would like to see my wrecked sub, let me know. Otherwise, I'll leave the thing in the graveyard.

That's the update.

Mylo

[mike dory]

CRASH

Mylo - My heart goes out to you buddy, I've been where you are. (In my case American airlines desided to turn the boat crate over and suport the boat on it's periscope, The wording "THIS SIDE UP" and big arrows didn't mean much. However, please bring what you have, We can still get some great ideas from seeing it I'm sure and I'll let you run one of mine....All Our Best my friend... Mike Dory

[sam reichart]

jesus h christ Mylo...weren't you

jesus h christ Mylo...weren't you only moving a short distance?
did you have any insurance on your stuff?
sorry to hear that your work was all destroyed...

[tsenecal]

did the molds survive?

did the molds survive?

[dougie995]

Hi Mylo,

Very sorry to hear

Hi Mylo,

Very sorry to hear of your news. With all the effort and skill you put in to these boats, this must be a nightmare for you. Keep you chin up.

Cheers,

Dougie

[mylo]

Mike,

I always "try" to

Mike,

I always "try" to find the positive. In this case, given that my r/c VIIc/41 is heavily damaged, I will have no apprehension on letting people handle it as much as they like, get right in there and take a peek at the guts too. Pull it apart, makes no difference to me. Anyone handling it will also likely have less "stress" as well....I mean.....it's already busted. So, this is the upside....there HAS to be an upside or I'll start to cry.....again.

Sam,

Yes, I was only going 90 miles. My display sub and cabinet was totally shattered before I even got it on my flat deck. I can't blame the movers on that one, I'm the oaf that dropped it. LESSON: Ask your neighbour to help you move a 9' long sub in a nicely crafted display case that was custom made...or it might fall and get destroyed. This is not the first hard lesson I've learned doing this build. My r/c converted sub was destroyed by an act of nature....no insurance. I've asked my insurance company if I could specifically insure my subs and was politely told that I could NEVER get the value from them that I think they are worth. To the insurance company, they are toys worth.....oh.... maybe $200 bucks or so.

ts,

Two parts molds are "missing" and the one for the upper deck was damaged. "Somehow", the movers managed to rip a rubber mold. They probably used it as a cushion for some piece of furniture or something. I was told to submit a receipt for my claim. So, I told them that I have 50 hours of labour at $50/hour plus $250 in materials for a total of $2750. They laughed......I got a cheque for $50 bucks. .....I cried.....again. I can rebuild these molds. I have the all important hull half molds as well as the original mold plug. I will get into production again, it's just going to take much more time than I thought.

Dougie,

I threw my hissy fit, swore a ton, cursed God a couple times, and then realized that acting like a goof was not going to fix a damn thing. That's when it hit me that MAYBE the wrecked sub could be of some use. The NEXT sub I build will be a killer, I've learned a lot since starting my first one.

LESSON of the DAY : Moving is VERY tough on submarines.

Many thanks for all your condolences.

Mylo

[Guest]

Mylo,

You can get insurance for

Mylo,

You can get insurance for your models, it will cost you a little money to do it though. What you need to have done is to have them appraised for replacement value. Somebody like David Merriman could do it for you. I have ship models appraised before I ship them just so the shipper knows what they are dealing with and when I have it done it I usually pay around $50.00 to have it done. I will usually get a notarized letter from the appraiser saying that to replace said model would coast X number of dollars. What you need is someone like David Merriman who builds models professionally and does restorations his word would be considered a professional opinion. It is also a good idea to have this done so you can have it added to you home owners insurance in case of a fire or something else. You may have to put a rider on it to get the insurance but it is worth it. My model collection insurance cost about $60.00 a year.

Also someone like Mr. Merriman could substantiate the cost of your molds for an insurance claim, think of it like being a auto body estimate to prove your loss. This all being said you might have to hire a lawyer to get anywhere but there should be one or two floating around this site somewhere that could help you.

I hope this is some help to you,

André Anderson

[rick]

Damn.......sorry to hear this Mylo.....Rick

Damn.......sorry to hear this Mylo.....Rick

[herrmill]

Mylo,

Steve just informed me

Mylo,

Steve just informed me of your loss after I referred a fellow pirate who was interested in large subs to look over your thread. I'm sorry to hear the news & wish you best at rebuilding your VII.

Don't worry, West Lake will still be here waiting for your big sub when its ready.

Chuck

[JWLaRue]

Mylo,

That's really bad news. Cannot

Mylo,

That's really bad news. Cannot the second hull be patched together so as to serve as a new 'master'?

-Jeff

[mylo]

All,

Appreciate the responses.

Chuck, I

All,

Appreciate the responses.

Chuck, I was going to mail you personally given your interest in obtaining of of my VIIc41s, but I don't have any of my e-mail addresses here at my work computer. I figured you would catch this thread.

Jeff, my r/c boat was warped as well as damaged, I'm thinking due to extreme heat as well as it leaning on it's side. It would not work as a master. To "fix" it (if even possible) would take longer than making a new boat. It's new role is as an instructional tool. I'm bringing it to Regatta, if you're going, you can see for yourself.

I only have to remake a couple moulds to be back in production with this baby, ....it'll happen. The move, and all it's carnage, was bad timing basically.

The long and short is, the r/c U-Boat world will have to wait even longer before any of Mylo's 1:25 type VIIc/41s go on patrol. I'm not happy about it, but this is the situation.

Hope to see some of you at Regatta and have you take a peek at the destruction for yourself.

Mylo

[Guest]

A Message from Mylo

Mylo, I'm saddened and frustrated as well to hear what has occurred to your museum quality boats during your recent move. I really don't know what more to say to that which has already been expressed by others. I hope you will avoid recounting those chain of events, attempting to conclude how you may have avoided what has occured as I feel you probably did what was right at that time and nothing more can be expected. I also know that may be easier said than done. I know that your experience and knowledge of boat building will be much appreciated by others while you attend the Sub Reggatta and share your work. I'm hopeful you will put this unfortunate incident behind and move forward, taking all that you have learned and experienced with you in whatever projects you may begin, both at home and elsewhere. Best Regards, Al Nuci

[mylo]

Al,

I do hope that

Al,

I do hope that others can gain "something" by looking at my model.....and hearing me ramble on how it was made, the mistakes, successes, and things I learned along the way as a guy brand new to scratch building submarines. It does offer a unique opportunity for people to REALLY handle a large sub model without fear of damaging it....and having the owner go ballistic. After I calmed down some, I realized that the model still offers itself as a good instructional tool that I plan on using as a reference during my presentation.

While I don't feel my r/c boat was "museum quality", I do feel that it "WAS" good given my intent on it being a sub to be played with. I appreciate that fine compliment. I'll build another and it will be better still. Ser # 002 ALMOST saw the water......missed it by....THAT...much (Agent 86).

At the end of the day, yep, I have two non functioning U-Boat models ....BUT..... I have gained experience and knowledge that will allow me to build an even better boat. With luck, I won't die of old age before that happens.

Mylo

[pirate]

Hi Mylo,
I feel your pain

Hi Mylo,
I feel your pain with the loss of those models.

I have a good way to look at it though. If you get the R/C model together and running (warped and all), then when it runs under water the light refraction from the water will make it look normal since the boats all look warped underwater anyway. Just thought I'd try to get a laugh out of you.

Yes, please bring it to the regatta. Even a hard earned lesson is a good lesson for other modelers to learn from. And I'm sure there are still some remnants of the great detail work you put into it for the rest of us to admire and appreciate. I'd still love to see it myself.

Pete