HMS Repulse 1/96 RC scratch build

[steveuk]

Here is my current project 1:96 scratch build HMS Repulse for RC.

Repulse is one of four Resolution class missile subs built in the 1960's. De-commissioned in the 1990's they are now sitting at Rosyth naval base 'cooling down'.

I started this scratch build project a few years ago now. To be honest I didn't think it was going to take quite this long.
Anyone interested in Resolution class subs will already know - good ref info on these is still hard to find. I must have spent a year just researching and collecting info wherever I could.

Here are some pics of Repulse in her final refit form, which is how I will be modelling her.

[steveuk]

Some more pics of Repulse final refit, this time looking from the stern.

[steveuk]

Resolution hull form pics showing beneath the waterline are hard to come by, but here is a great photo of Resolution in drydock showing the refit bow sonar profile, which is quite different to the as launched 'porpoise snout' version folks are used to seeing. See the Renown 'as launched' version for comparison on the right. This 'as launched' bow shape is what the commercial Jecobin plans depict (more on this later) and what the R&R Resolution RC hull is based on - since the plans used to build it were based on the Jecobin info.

The drydock pic also shows clearly the new refit bow profile and also the true torpedo door shape and placement. At this point Resolution has had her bow planes and refit bow plane fairings removed. Note also the exposed lateral sonar arrays.

[steveuk]

More about the commercial Jecobin plans for Resolution as I said earlier - From what I have seen these plans are quite inaccurate both in general shape and detail placement. Considering when they came out though, ie pre-internet and when Resolution class were still very closely guarded/'sensitive', I think it is fair to say the Jecobin plans were a product of their time. This leaves us sub modelers in a difficult place, because there are no other plans available (to my knowledge). I had no choice then but to draw my own set of working drawings. Using good profile photos and using known dimensions I put together what I consider a more accurate depiction of the Resolution class hull form.

I began construction first though with the bridge (sail/tower). Using a great full side shot of the bridge to give me an accurate profile, I traced and resized to my working drawings. I made up a perspex footprint of base and top and contoured the basic shape following these. The outer skin is epoxy putty (Milliput). I find this accepts scribing fine lines through stencils. The final outer layer of tiling was made using printers litho and glued on. I know this is old school, but I dont have CAD and 3D printer. So, after a bit more fettling with fine detail I sprayed with grey primer to see how it was all shaping up. Looks ok to me generally, but very close up I do see flaws which I want to tidy up before it gets handed over to be molded. Let me say that working in 1/96 is pretty hard by hand. Those tiles work out 3mm square! After this I will be glad to get back to my favorite 1/48.

This series of pics shows progress on the bridge. last pic shows model bridge compared with real.

[steveuk]

Moving on to the hull. I started off with a section of plastic tube, just happened to be the right diameter. After I checked that it was perfectly straight it became the base for the main pressure hull, where the hull form is a regular cylinder. The front and stern tapers were then built on using profiles taken from my drawings. Mainly built up using car filler (polyester putty). The missile deck was added using perspex for the top and sides. The radius corners were built up out of more filler. Pics show general shape starting to take form. I decided to build the bow shape 'as launched' first so I can then build onto it the new refit sonar profile - like the real thing. So at this stage the hull is looking 'as launched'.

[JWLaRue]

Steve,

Very, very nice work!

-Jeff

[steveuk]

Thank you Jeff. More updates..

Next phase of the build I began adding the plasticard outer layer. This way much of the surface detail, esp on the deck, could be scribed in whilst the plasticard sheet was still flat on the worktop. I also drilled out all the tiny holes using miniature drills and pin vice. Then these detailed pieces were cut out and glued onto the model. Here are some shots of the deck and missile hump after the detailed plasticard skin had been glued on. I also added the clunky 'garden gate hinges' onto the missile hatches, yes they do look clunky like this on the real thing too. These hinges are small lengths of jewelery wire cut to size and superglued on. Much easier to say than do. In practice I had to file all ends to get a nice squared off finish to them. In the photos the bridge is just placed on the deck to see how it is all looking together.

[steveuk]

..And some shots of the bow in progress - plasticard cladding going on. 1/96 scale is very tight to do by hand but I am trying to stuff as much detail into this as I possibly can. We really want this to have the level of detail one expects from a static kit. btw if you spot flaws and mistakes at this stage it is my intention to go over anything which needs prettying up before it finally goes off to the molders.

[wingtip]

now thats some detailing..

[sam reichart]

awesome bit of work going on there. the detail is extraordinary.

[steveneill]

Looks like the real thing.

[steveuk]

Wow thanks for your compliments guys. You're very kind.

I'm currently working on 'oil canning' the bow areas where the acoustic tiling does not cover. When I get it looking good I will take some photo's of this section. For now here is a pic of the real thing where the oil canning between structural bow ribs can be seen. It is subtle but definitely there, this what I am aiming for..

[Davidh]

Hello Steve,

I have just looked over your build of HMs Repulse. Very impressive. I knew when I started building Resolution over a year ago that someone in the UK was building a Polaris boat. I had a tease from someone with just a solitary pic of the side of the sail and the detail!!!! I simply wish I had access to the detail you had. This boats going to blow mine away for detail.



My build is over at the Subdriver forum if you wish to look..

http://forum.sub-driver.com/forum/sub-pository/2880-scratch-build-hms-resolution-class-ssbn

http://zerobubblemodeldesign.jimdo.com/

Would love to compare notes.
David Hughes.


David Hughes.

[steveuk]

Hi David, Thanks for your compliments. Yes this boat has been in the making for a couple years now. You have discovered the main reason yourself, namely the lack of info on them. I have been studying these wherever I can find info. There are some good books with a few good pics in - including the commemorative launch booklets which accompanied each submarine, showing build and launch pictures - if you look out for them on eBay they do come up from time to time, soft cover. I have some old submarine books which also have some useful photos in them. Then there is the internet, although some searchiing (hours) is needed to find really usefull pics. Youtube has launch footage from old Pathe News reels. Imperial War Museum has some good pics. I have to say you have some pics I have not seen! eg Great shot looking straight down the bow with the crew on deck. By the looks of your details I would say you have found enough pics which tell you what you need to know, because your detail looks right to me. Hull shape wise I would guess you have used Jecobin plan lines for the parts where you simply had no choice. Unfortunately the Jecobin plans are quite wrong. eg on the rear control surfaces. I can tell you definitively the stern planes pivot square to the center line, they are not angled back as Jecobin has drawn them. Inside the soft cover commemorative booklet for Repulse there is one pic looking at the stern in dry dock - the bad news is its taken at night under floodlight and there is scaffolding and builders planks everywhere, but you can make out the stern planes are straight across. IMO the Jecobin bow is also much too slim. This project has been lots of research and detective work. And I have come to understand there are various subtle differences between the four sister ships. Anti slip paint schemes can also throw you off the actual shape.
I have been over to look at your build thread. Well done. It's a shame I didn't know about your build until now. But to answer some of your questions - The curved plate line you see on the hull just forward of the sail - this is simply where the hollow outer casing meets the pressure hull. Essentially Reses are built as a long cylindrical pressure hull, then there is a smaller cylinder built onto front and rear where the sub begins to taper, and these sections have frames added externally to build out the dynamic flowing outer hull form. The frames and hollow casing carry on to the missile fairing/deck. Underneath the missile fairing/deck is all free flooding, that's why there is a big long slot where it meets the round pressure hull. This long slot also appears to be their proper waterline when operational and fully laden. The 4 subs all underwent refits, although they didn't all have identical treatments. The addition of retractable sonar array out the stern looks to have been a copy of US sub technology. Prior to this our R boats required the towed array to be hooked on by a tender vessel when they reached deep enough water on their way out to patrol, and the tender would have to detach the sonar array when the sub was on its way back in. We can see what the cable fairing looks like from the missile fairing down to the waterline and it looks very much like the US subs. D Merriman posted a great pic of this (on a forum somewhere I forget). We can take our best guess this is how ours looks too. The bulges down the hull sides are lateral sonar arrays. In the drydock photos you can see some of the outer covers are removed exposing the crescent shaped frames with holes down the center with the sonar transducer cable routed through it.

Yes lets compare notes. If I can answer I will. Oh and I know Ron Perrott. He is the guy who will be producing this as a kit, as soon as I can get it finished. I don't know why he didn't ever get back to you.

[Davidh]

Hello Steve,

I didn't know they all had subtle changes between boats.

I had a tug of war with the MOD and after some procrastination on their part managed to get them to de classify some dry dock pics which I am able to share with you. These pics arrived too late for me however I only ask one thing, after seeing your pics I am going to retool my missile deck, I would love a heap of photos of your detail work (scribing) so I can get mine better. I haven't got the energy to completely re tool the whole hull.
Could I have your email address?
Mine is. d.hugheszerobubble@gmail.com

I don't know why Ron did not contact me, I could have done with his help.....

David h