Revell Type IX C (U505 Late) 1/72nd

[salmon]

Thanks SO.
I am a fan of showing successes as well as failures. We learn from both. There always seem to be both on my builds, sometimes more of the latter.

O.K. time to mount the bushing for the propellor shaft. I am using Merriman's fitting kit for the Type IX. Included is a foundation for the bushing. I tested the fit and verified my bushing matches the foundation piece. It did. The bushing will be affixed with a thick CA.


I found the space I needed extending out of the foundation was equal to the washers included in the set. So set the washers under the foundation, then glued the bushing in.


This might show clearer what I mean, here is the shaft, bushing, washers, and wheel lock in position. the next picture is the foundation in place.


To get the bushing in, a portion of the lip on the hull needs to be removed. I took to much out as well as cut into the hull proper. So there is a future repair.


It takes some extra grinding and filing to make sure it turns smoothy. The wheel lock needs an extra amount taken out too.


Even though I took out a area for the wheel lock, the set screw or grub screw was still hitting the hull. I filed a notch in the shaft to allow the set screw to set lower in the wheel lock.

[sam reichart]

filing a notch is a good thing. flat surface to flat surface. nice work on this model!

[salmon]

Thank you Sam, it killed two birds with one stone, I guess. It allowed the prop to turn because the set screw now did not set so proud and the flat area is a really secure area for the screw to hold on.
Once all was assembled, it was STILL binding!
The issue is the whole setup was now slightly moved back. I marked the end of the wheel lock, but also the lower set screw also was hitting the hull. I put some Sharpie on the set screw and rotated it, rubbing off the ink onto the hull (see arrow).


Both sides just needed a little more plastic removed. So, I endured the 114+ degree Fahrenheit temperatures in the garage to carve out a little more space for the wheel lock to turn. That took care of the binding and now they both turn smoothly.

[salmon]

Affixed the shaft strut using cohesive glue. The fit was a little off I could get one side to fit flush and the other had a small gap. that will need filling.


Here is the setup for the rudders. It fits in nicely and is keyed to fit only one way.


Drilled 1/8" holes for the rudder shafts.


A little bit of grinding is needed to give clearance for the gears.


Taped up to prepare for gluing the hull halves together. The deck will not be glued, it is in just to make sure the proper shape is kept.


Flipped the hull upside down and glued between the tape first. Gave it a little time to set and removed the tape. put more of the cohesive glue along the seam, holding it together where needed to get a close fit. The beauty of this glue is how it just wicks up into the seams. The beast is if you are not careful, you will have it run where you do not want to (I had a couple of finger prints in my Gato). The very aft end of the hull I did last. It had a small warp to it and needed extra holding to get a good fit.


Ta da, I will let this dry for a day or so. Now time to work on the main hull.

[salmon]

The hull assembly is mostly just following the instructions...I know the horror. However, the only addition was using screws to hold the aft assembly to the hull. Now before you look at the picture and notice there are two sets of holes on the hull, yes I did drill the pilot hole on the wrong side. Yet again, the confusion will be a teaching moment on how to fix your foul ups.
O.K. so on with the build.
I marked with some calipers the mid point or close to it, the edge that extends from the aft assembly. This lip will be used to bond the two pieces together. I drilled pilot holes, while holding the taped hull to the aft assembly, eventually in the correct place and tapped 2-56 screws into the hull.

Before putting the hull halves together, I notched the hull where the Dumas couplers come in to make sure there is no binding (it is a tight fit in there). You can see the edge of the hull is thinned out.

Also to give some extra strength to the bushing foundation, I filled any gaps with baking soda.

Then used thin CA to solidify the baking soda to the hull and foundation.

Then the aft side of foundation also got a nice buildup to secure it.

Cohesive glue is used to weld the hull haves together. The decking is taped on to make sure the hull dries in the correct shape.

[salmon]

It prevented me from adding the last two images....
Here they are

[scott t]

Great work and tutorial Tom!

Scott T

You almost persuade me to believe/build.

[salmon]

Scott,
Thank you. I have seen the great ideas you have, and I am pretty sure you have the skills. Even if you do not, building a sub will help develop those skills. Certainly, if a hack like me can do it, so can you! I believe you can finish this statement, "I can do all things through......."
You are a brother and if I can help please let me know!
Peace,
Tom

[PaulC]

Tom,

So why the screws in the hull seams? Have you had failures at those type joints with cohesive in the past?

[salmon]

Paul, great question!
The screws get removed once the glue has set for a day or so. I saw David do it and I wanted to try to learn something new. So, it was used to pull the hull lip closer on the overlap and get a tighter fit (in theory) plus keeping the front to back fit close without trying to juggle the two halves. You certainly could do this without screws, I did that for the Gato. To date, have never had a cohesive joint fail. Along the keel I will reinforce the seem with a thin strip of styrene.

[salmon]

So here is the hull with holes and screws removed, plus the damage from cutting out where the Dumas coupler would bind.

Using a sprue from the kit, it was stretched to various sizes to be used as plugs. These plugs get a liberal dose of glue to soften the hole and the plug. Then they are mashed together. The softened glue from both pieces meld into one.

Once 10 to 15 minutes have passed I trim the plugs down to prevent getting knocked off and reduce the chance of the plug drooping.

Now I will let this sit for a day. Then sand it smooth and see what I got.

What I am showing is not the only way to build. Most definitely not. It could be a completely wrong way (unless it comes out O.K. then I guess who cares at that point - LOL) There are many ways to skin a cat. I welcome suggestions and thoughts because the next time I build, I might use those ideas to learn more about our hobby. Many of you have been doing this for decades and I just want to learn. Trying something new is how I gain a better understanding and gain skills. I also try to include all my mistakes, again to help others get over a fear of "what if I do something wrong?" and to demonstrate what I have learned to fix my errors. Cause, if I can do it (speaking to the newbie or those wanting to build their first sub), so can you!

Second, I apologize for not being clear in why I did something. It is a funny balance of putting in enough info for someone willing to try building that they can gain information verses too much information that it just gets time consuming and boring. So, again I thank you Paul for asking your question. I would hope that anyone would be willing to ask. Especially if I am doing something wacky and you are thinking "What in the world is he doing?" or if I am not clear in what I am typing. I have some optical condition and ADHD that the mind and eye and hand do not always correlate to what I was thinking into what I type.

My hope is you enjoy the WIP. You know what I mean?

[Ralph --- SSBN 598]

Tom, if we all could build perfect the first time it would be assembly, not modeling.
I also post my mistakes as I build.
I mostly scratch build as you know, so I really don't have drawing or plans to work from.
Mostly photos.
I make drawing as I go.
I look at a small item to build and then see what I can do.
Compare it to a photo at the same angle and some times realize, I don't have the correct proportions.
So, I build again.
I have a box full of first attempts parts.

Your using sprue to fill the gap is what I do.
I don't have sprue pieces because I build with sheet plastic but I do cut small pieces and shape them to fit the holes or gaps I need to fill.
I too will use the glue to make the sprue soft and wooden block I make to fit the inside and out side so I can press the sprue/plastic piece in to the gap from both sides.
These same blocks can be used for the sanding process.
They are already shaped to the part being fixed.

I read everyone's build.
Never know when I will learn something I have not thought of and can use to my advantage.

One thing I am sure of, I can't go to the hardware store or hobby shop and buy the parts already made that I need.
I can buy raw material and then I will have to make what I want.

If you want to build submarines, you can not be afraid to just get in there and modify or make parts.
Running a submarine is a lot of fun but you have to understand, you have to like the building process because it's going to take more than a week ... or more to build one.
We work in plastics, epoxies and fiberglass ....... Mistakes can be fixed.
Call them modifications.... this reduces the stress level!

Tom, your signature line says it all!

[JWLaRue]

Tom,

This is a very enjoyable build thread. Your combination of photos and text is a good mix that makes it easy to understand what you are doing. I believe that everyone can always learn from a build thread.

-Jeff

p.s. At some point I'll be nagging you to submit all this good material for a build article in the SCR.

[PaulC]

Tom,

The screws make sense. I like your approach to filling the gaps and reinforcing seams. Well have to incorporate into my Gato build. Keep up the great work. I'm really enjoying this build!

[salmon]

Thanks guys for your support and kind words. I am out of town so it will be a day or two before I can continue, which is great because it gives the glue ample time to dry.