Fleetscale Admiral Graf Spee

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Excellent work, Robin

I like the quality vacuum case too

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Posted by ashley needham on 24/10/2014 08:26:19:

Robin. excellent work. One day I must get round to trying this technique. Your little moulding box is very neat.

Ashley. Nb this method has just become more difficult now with the EU ban on more powerful vacuum cleaners!

This is where Grandmothers come in useful – they are really good at sucking eggs!

Colin

[Master ShipwrightParticipant @mastershipwright]

Robin,

Thanks for sharing you vacuum moulding process. I plan to build a model of the Russian armoured cruiser Rurik sometime in the future so the technique will be put to work. Alas the ship's boats won't be as goods as yours, I don't have that level of skill.

Martyn

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Paul

Thanks Paul. The wheels are from soldered 0.35mm dia tinned copper wire. They are just a star of horizontally taped wires soldered in one iron application to a vertical wire inserted into a tiny drilled hole in an MDF board. The vents are solid styrene rod of two diameters glued as a tee then sanded etc to simulate a vent. The oars are 0.5mm styrene rod glued to blade shaped strips from 0.25mm styrene then shaped with a knife. Not that good but at a distance quite effective.

Funny you mentioned the vacuum cleaner. I am always dropping tiny components on the floor and unable to find them. I dropped one of the launch railings and could not spot it so used the vacuum cleaner to cover the whole area. Found it in the Dyson slightly bent but usable.

Robin

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Thanks Bob, Martyn. Ashley – vacuum cleaner is an old VAX with only a 1050 watt motor so I think currently available Vacuum Cleaners would still do the job but you do need a nice simple tube from the vacuum cleaner to make fixing to the lower box easy. Our Dyson although it packs a good vacuum it has a fancy fitting for the brushes which would be difficult to use

Robin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Robin. Next time you drop something, stretch a bit of cloth over the vacuum sucky bit so the (whatever) does not make it into the bag (or cyclonic chamber/woteva). It will still suck up ok.

Colin. I think that would very cruel using a grandmother to assist in vacuum forming !! (assuming I had one still with us)

Ashley

[David WooleyParticipant @davidwooley82563]

Hello Robin Brilliant this is top draw work , Superb job of the vac forming and making use of a household vacuum cleaner . Great methodology you make the results look achievable which is what it's about . Look forward to seeing the finished results in the not to distant future.

Dave Wooley

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Thanks Dave for your comments. Seems many years ago that I said to you I wanted to build a Graf Spee or one of her sisters. Its taking me a lot longer than I had anticipated. Hope to finish it late 2015. Lot of detail work still to do and most of the painting, rigging and stanchions and railings.

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Hi all. I have been working hard on the AGS over winter and have now reached the stage where it looks like a ship. As the serious sailing and holiday season approaches I have to put the AGS on hold for the time being. I also need to repair one of my other models ready for various Surface Warship Association outings. AGS is about 90% complete requiring main deck stanchions/railings; all the rigging; the mounting of the two cutters and all of the deck edge things like bollards which will be installed once the stanchions/railings are finished and oh yes the tricky painting of the Arado Ar 196. 1400 hours so far.

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Just think, Robin; while you have been building this magnificent beast someone else sat through nearly three thousand episodes of 'Eastenders'. They have nothing to show for that time but they will never be able to spend it differently.
AGS is looking terrific, mate. Puts my little wooden powerboats to shame.

Dave M

[Robin LeeParticipant @robinlee31938]

Thanks Dave. Used to watch Corrie some years ago but gave it up – too many dead bodies. Eastenders – I must be the only person on the planet who has never seen a whole episode – saw the start of the first ever and switched off.

"beast" – ah that sounds like a line from "Battle of the River Plate" Only us oldies would remember that.

Robin

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