John C Butler Class DE Build

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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Ok....I have collected enough data, and I think I'll start the show. This is my first full hull build and its gonna be a kit/scratch/bash. Enlarged the plans for the hull and laminated them to the cardboard backing off of an old drawing pad. Now the fun part, cutting out the keel and the bulkheads. It just so happens that I have a minature jigsaw made by Microlux that is just dandy for cutting the thick cardboard. Here the 10 pieces of the eggcrate are laid out, ready to be sanded, slotted and fitted....Still have to do the spacers between the bulkheads.....
 

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cmdrted

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Jul 8, 2004
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That is the neatest jig saw. Is it straight 110v or is it a DC transformer tool? Looks like you have the hull laid out pretty well. My first scratch build was the Evarts class DE. These are fun ships, good luck!
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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YEah theres a power supply involved. Mine actually came from Sears as Craftsman had a Mini Tools line fer a while. Microlux is sold at Micro Mark, there is also a mini belt sander I have found invaluable, I actually wore the first one out. Theres also a Proxxon line and a Minicraft tools line. Every modeler needs to have these in their arsenal!
 

hasse neren

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Dec 10, 2006
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Hi Chief400.
Warship Number 11, DESTROYER ESCORTS in action from The squadron/signal puplications have nice references and pictures of your destroyer escort.
Hasse.
 

rlwhitt

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Aug 25, 2006
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Chief, what do you use for a cutting surface when doing these formers? IOW, where does the blade go? Or do you just freehand it in the air? :grin:

I was considering a Micromark scroll saw, but have been put off by the price relative to how often it'd get used. This might be an alternative.

Rick
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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hasse neren said:
Hi Chief400.
Warship Number 11, DESTROYER ESCORTS in action from The squadron/signal puplications got nice references and pictures of your destroyer escort.
Hasse.

Thats Good to know! I just ordered it from Hobbylinc.com!

Theres a stand that you can get with the saw, that makes it into a table top jigsaw, but I either freehand or jus keep moving the workpieceso th immediat cutting area hangs over the edge of the table a bit , while the rest of the sheet is still supported. Sears doesn't carry them anymore (At least not that I have found, be glad to be proven wrong) but its well worth the investment! I use it on all sorts of projects.
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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Made some progress today! Slotted the bulkheads, and cut out the stringers at the waterline. Glued it all together, still needs some sanding, but its starting to look like a DE! First view is from above.....the second from the keel. Card modeling is too cool!
 

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jasco

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Jan 4, 2005
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Ah, scratch cardmodelling without a computer program... That's something I can sink my teeth into! I will be fascinated to see how you derive the shape of the hull sides. Will you do an expanded drawing on the drafting table, cut and fit, or what? Also, what is that cool looking pine block in the background?
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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Atually what I've done so far was a free download of a Uraguay NAvy CAnnon Class DE. I used Adobe Acrobat to up size it to 155% to get it in the 1:200 range. The deck and hull sides were included, So I'm just gonna enlarge them too. Need to sand the frame up real good. As a mater of general practice, the deck tends to be a heavier laminate too doesn;t it? I can cut it to shape but I can't detail it yet without good deck plans (which I'm hopin are enroute) But if anyone out there can help it woul be truley appreciated! That big chunk of wood is the top half of the bow section for a Mercury Class Battlestar in 1:2500 scale .....
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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Boy the Cannon Class has reall got a lot of documentation! Hardly anythig for the John C Butler though! Got good info on the 5" gun turrents at this site:

http://www.de220.com/

Also some really good deck views of USS TWEEDY in Mothballs undergoing an Incline Test.

I did a mockup from paper using the enlarged download files, I think it pretty good, mind that its only foloded and not glued in anyway, just checking the overall size. Opinions? Next to redraw in CAD, Color, add some details....
 

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hasse neren

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Dec 10, 2006
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Hi Chief400,
notis that you do the same thing as i do, in my building. Asking for help and looking after fact´s of the real ship i´m building. That´s i think is the only way to make a nice replica of a real ship. Currently my self I´m building plastic ship models and i have been on forums and on the www. for mounts now, for to get good references and detail photos of the ship i´m curently building. Have to finish my plastic models, and after that it´s the ELBE HIGHWAY in 1/400 scale thas going to be my next object. My first card model. Keep on Chief400 your Escort Destroyer going to be great.
Kind regards Hasse.
 

cmdrted

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Jul 8, 2004
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Chief, looks good so far, are you going to hull plate her from scratch? If so clean up the formers 110%. Make sure all the fuzz is off and tapers for each former. I tried once with the formers squared and it gave her the lean dog look. So far so good, good on ya' Chief!
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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Ohh yeah...I got lots of sanding and cleanup to do on the hull yet.....I need to get a footprint of the superstructure so I can draw up the deck and laminate it so it can get sanded down to spec too. I also plan to 'pad' her ribs with strips too keep er from looking emaciated when the hull plates go on.

Hasse, the onlyway to go! I have been know to use a plastic model from another scale as a guide for a project......
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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I've noticed something interesting about card modelers, you are either scratchbuilders totally or ya build kits as they come. theres no, "scratch bashing", at least not that I've seen. Doncha all take parts form one kit and combine with other pieces parts to make something new and different?

Fer instance. I spe4nt all day sunday designing and building 5" turrents....I ended up with something moderate, but I still wasn't pleased, just so happens I was looking at Gremir's EXCELLENT USS Selfridge.....Wassdat? Right there....Above the Aft Dual 5" turrent? WHY THATS A SINGLE 5" TURRENT! And look at all thos e yummy detail parts to use! (That Scurring sound is me uploading funds to the PayPal Account) ZAP YA! I was gonna get the Selfridge anyways! now I got a REASON TO!]

Now I'm cruising looking for DE photos...and I run across a USS JAccard....hmmm now where have I heard that before??? SUNUVAGUN!!!!!! A quick trip through PMS's Search Engine (Who would thunk that PMS could be a pleasent Acronym?) and I come up with a FLY MODELS USS JACCARD in 1:200 scale nonetheless! and theres a Jap destroyer as a bonus! WOOT! More bash fodder!

OK so I've now dedicated about $24 to what was a wholly free project.....but what the hoot? I'm gonna have a lovely model that no one else in the world's got! That my friends is PRICELESS!!!!!
 

Chief400

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Dec 4, 2006
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RyanShort1 said:
Hey there,

Sorry to burst a bubble, but have you seen these plans? http://lcoat.tripod.com/depage.htm

I wish I knew how to post this without bursting the bubble.

Ryan

'UMMMM YEAH! thats what I'm resizing to use as a superstructure, its a pdf of a scanned hand drawing, looks good as is, but I can do better! The turrents aren;t 'quite right' to my eye......Sorry I thought I had posted allthe appropriate links! No bubble burst here!
 
R

RyanShort1

Chief400 said:
'UMMMM YEAH! thats what I'm resizing to use as a superstructure, its a pdf of a scanned hand drawing, looks good as is, but I can do better! The turrents aren;t 'quite right' to my eye......Sorry I thought I had posted allthe appropriate links! No bubble burst here!

Whew! I'm glad that it wasn't a problem!
I really am enjoying the thread!

Ryan