dont know how to start

[andrew mccannParticipant @andrewmccann88184]

hi i have built three model warships hood ark royal and bismark they are all scratch built around 4.5 feet and nothing was bought it was all made from wood all the detail was made with a small band saw and a sanding disk they look good from 8 feet away but i now want to make somthing bigger with very fine detail  i have seen a model of hms intrepid 1/72 i think around 8 feet and as it is from the clyde i fancy building it but the plans i can see are only 1 /96? and also where would i get all the deck fittings as i want to take my time and get somthing quite impresive any advice?

[Mike DavidsonParticipant @mikedavidson22772]

First of all create your plug from which you can create a female mold by covering the whole thing in fibreglass and resin. the secret here is a tin of CantStick waxwhich you apply to all surfaces you don’t want to stick to your fibreglass mold.My technique which I cannot fault is to give the plug a good thick coat of wax, and then buff it up to a high gloss, then apply another thick coat of wax, and then buff it to a high polish. If you really don’t want it to stick, apply 12 coats of highly polished wax….East Coast Fibreglass will deliver it to your door if you don’t want to waste your car polish

[Penny LeeParticipant @pennylee76979]

Hi Andrew,

I’m looking into to posting a youtube video that will,unfortunately, discourage you from building 1/72 carriers…..yup…..Bill M’s 1/72 nimitz.

You might have seen the 1/96 one which breaks into two halves and requires a transit van to transport.

regards

Penny Lee

[DylParticipant @dyl]

Hi Andrew,

If you are thinking of going down the scratchbuild route for the hull, then I can’t disagree with either Mike, or Penny for that matter as making larger models, isn’t always difficult to do, but size of the things can become a problem. Even the modest HMS Jamaica that I have made at around 5 foot long, is a pain to load into the hatchback car that I own. However, if you feel that 1/96 isn’t quite the size you want and you fancy a larger model? Then you could potentially buy fititngs from say Fleetscale, or Sirrmar  for example, who will be able to supply Modern Royal Navy fittings in the 1/72nd scale and maybe Airfix can supply the Sea King Helicopter, Land Rover, figures or even a Scorpion, or Chieftain Main Battle Tank. I’ve built a model of HMS Fearless in 1/192 scale and I built the ship and all of my fittings from scratch. Also if you can get it the original Super Models Discovery Home and Leisure DVD is useful as they build HMS Fearless from scratch in quite a large scale of 1/48. They start from plan through the hull fibreglass moulding process of the hull to making castings.

Good luck

Dylan 

     

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

you forgot the pva release agent, mike.

oh and no……….never use car wax, it contains silicon which reacts to the gel coat.

[Mike DavidsonParticipant @mikedavidson22772]

   Well Neil thank you for your observation which I value, but, when I wrote my hints and tips, i write it just the way it is I specified Cantstick wax because that is what I use most successfully , and I have used PVA release agent, and had a large part of my model detatch itself and stick to the mold writing both off in the process. BUT, if you coat the PVA release agent with Cantstick wax and buff it up to a bright shine, you will have a most  pleasing seperation I promise.

[JC Uknz 1Participant @jcuknz1]

You might want to check out the web page of an american firm.  I have dealt with them on several occasions and found them very helpful, even repeating my order when the first shipment went missing, so naturally I think they are a good outfit to deal with.

http://www.bluejacketinc.com

[JC Uknz 1Participant @jcuknz1]

If you go to a plan printing shop I think you will find that they will do a copy of your 1/96 plans to 1/72 scale without any problem .. let your fingers do the walking check the yellow pages

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Speaking from experience and preferring to build large-scale models I feel that this thread has only lightly touched on the unique problems associated with big model boats. 

These problems are not just confined to planning or transport you also have to consider the problems of launching and storage of such a large size and therefore heavy model. Any model over 6ft in length is difficult to carry, manoeuvre and lower into the water and is better handled by two people.

A model over 8ft in length, being so cumbersome and loaded with ballast, is best launched from a trailer which of course would require that the boating lake has a slipway and that your transport is either a very large car / van in which you can fit both the boat and trailer or you fit a tow ball.

A model over 10ft long has to be treated like a full size boat and put on a trailer both for transport and launching.

Don’t forget that big models require a lot of storage space

Paul

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

You could buy a Kayak then build you boat over it then you would be able to sit inside to sail it.

Len.

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

What became of those two giant models from the Southport club…………….the builder used to sit inside them………………they were always at Woodvale Shows………………..and about ….20`-0" long!

Unfortuneately, the builder passed away a few years ago

Bob

[andrew mccannParticipant @andrewmccann88184]

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