USS Lafayette 1/200

Nothing · Dec 28, 2009

well its probably been a good year scince ive done any kinda build thread so bear with me.
kit is 9 pages, with 1 page for stand and 1 page with stand and sail for the USS John Adams.
there are a lot of formers and not sure if its overkill or not yet. but i laminated them all to 1mm. (im using 90lbs paper, which is new for me as i usually work in the 65 lbs range.)

the parts have standard flaps but i prefer butt joining so i made my own.

started at the front rolled the sections.

now you can put the sections together using no flaps and just the formers. the formers fit perfect into each section but using the inside joiners throws them off a bit.

now you could fold the flaps to 90 degrees and glue to the placed former but i glued the sections together and dropped the formers in got a good placement and glued in place.

and the bow section is done. id like to note that each section was a tight fit.

i usually use markers on the edges but these colors are not typical and would stand out. when i get the hull all together i will go back with watercolor(which i can mix to match) and clean it up.

ekuth · Dec 28, 2009

Looking good so far!

Nothing · Dec 28, 2009

pretty much do repeat do down the hull

untill we get about mid way then we need to put in the missile tube. the tube is sandwiched between 2 formers.

then its back to moving on down the line.

papaace · Dec 28, 2009

looking real good Nothing. let me know when it comes available!

Nothing · Dec 29, 2009

thanks papaace.

hull complete

theres a little riser that now needs to be placed at this point over the missile tube.glue needs to be on the outside. doesnt matter what this area looks like as it will be covered later.

JT Fox · Dec 29, 2009

A good design Nothing.

It's good to see it coming together.

Cheers JTF

Nothing · Dec 29, 2009

thanks JT

a note-
i recently had to set up my printer in another room so i use my laptop to print now. i use foxit on the pc but have adobe on the laptop. i had to make some corrections and reprint a page and the scale was off. adobe for some reason defaults to shrink large pages to fit. so make sure to print with no scale changes selected. so my model will actually be 3% off of 1/200. doesnt sound like a lot but it shrinks the overall model by 1/2 inch.

ekuth · Dec 29, 2009

Okay, for the watership ignorant among us... this is a submarine, yes?

Either way, it's looking nice. Segmented hulls are a PITA for me.

Nothing · Dec 29, 2009

yes this is what is referred to as a "boomer" - a ballistic missile submarine. can you explain what PITA is?

Elliott · Dec 29, 2009

Stands for Pain In The Keester :mrgreen:

She's looking good!! Wish I could do butt joints in a consistent manner. I know, just like getting to Carnegie Hall - practice, practice practice. :cry:

Nothing · Dec 30, 2009

ahh pita. i understand now.lol

i started putting on the upper hull formers. and i realized what i had in mind wasnt going to work.

so i whipped up some more formers...

barry · Dec 30, 2009

Looking good as usual

barry

papastumpy · Dec 30, 2009

Looks good so far. I like how you keep thinking ahead to over come obstacles. Look forward to more, I am not really a Sub man, but your's does get interest. :wave:

Rick

Nothing · Dec 31, 2009

next we need to paint the bottom edge of the box black

bend the sides of the missile deck, and put in the missile well.

put together the fore section of the missile deck. tabs are on the parts but again i made internal tabs. i use a white glue as it is strong but flexible as i will need to shape it later.

Nothing · Jan 1, 2010

put on the fore part of the upper hull.making sure it is centered.

then the aft section...

lay the section across the top aligning launch tube.and glue. i would advise to sand the top of the support box flat.

then work our way around gluing the sides.

Elliott · Jan 1, 2010

You make it look so easy! And good!

OK, I've gotta know. Who's the unpainted character supervising the work? I can't make it out clearly enough on the box to identify it.

Nothing · Jan 1, 2010

lol thanks. this is not a complicated design. been tryin to get away from that.

the figure (which is propping the sub up so i can take a picture) is a special forces triple nickel in afghanistan. its put out by The Regimental S-4. its another one of my hobbies