Topic: Anna Marie Build

[bkempins]

I have starting building the Anna Marie kit. I plan to make this a static, water line model for a model railroad harbor project.  The first photo shows the hull next to a HO engine and automobile.

I would like to make the ship longer. I did some research and found some prototype ships that are similar to the Anna Maire that are about 30m longer but with the same beam.  For example, the BBC New Your, and BBC Niteroi type. See https://www.bbc-chartering.com

In looking at the kit, it seems like lengthening the hull would be fairly simple, especially once I cut it at the waterline. Then simple cuts down the middle of the sides. I would have to fabricate revised deck pieces, but that should be simple. I am thinking  about adding  a scale 25-30m to the length. Before proceeding in cutting the hull, I was wondering in anyone else has tried this? I would appreciate any tips. Would this be reasonable or would I be committing a hydrodynamic faux pas?

I started on the  superstructure already. I scanned the kit drawings and used my laser to cut the parts. This made everything nice and square, especially the windows. In this process i found a few kit drawings parts that didn't quite line up, so I modified the drawings a bit. I also added tabs and slots to ease assembly. 

I glued the stack to the superstructure as I plan to paint the whole assembly white. The photo shows it temporarily placed on the hull.

Bernard Kempinski

[colin]

i see no real problems that would occur through lengthening the Hull.... 
might be just as easy taking a pot (plaster) mould of the centre part of the Hull, to make the new side parts match up with the freeing ports and Hull lines,... just a thought.. 

[radio joe]

Hi Bernard
My thoughts are looking at the size of the hull in relation to the engine I doubt anyone looking at the finished model would appreciate whether it had been lengthened or not, so would seem to be a lot of work, but if you are doing it for your own satisfaction then that I understand, be interested to see what you do.
 

[bkempins]

One of the visual points I want this project to convey is how modern ships dwarf the trains. The pier I have laid out is 13 feet (3.9m)  long, so there is room for display some big ships alongside the trains.  The left part of the pier will show loading break bulk and project loads. The right hand side of the pier will have a grain elevator and associated loading conveyor. I plan to build a bulk carrier for that area.  In laying out the scene I thought that two ships would look  better than one massive one. 

The Anna Marie is actually quite a modest sized ship compared to many others. I was concerned that lengthening this hull would create a hull form that was too slender. I was relieved to see there are other ships with that L/D ratio. But, another option is to keep Anna Marie at the current length, and make the bulk carrier larger. I need to make some mock-ups and see what they look like.

Because the Anna Marie will be along the far wall of the display, the narrow beam will be harder to discern. So lengthening the ship will not look awkward. I just want to be sure that a lengthened hull would not be unrealistic.

This project will be part of a book I am writing for Kalmbach Publishing on Model Railroad at Marine Terminals and wharves.

 

[bkempins]

I did some more work on the superstructure. I  reworked the bridge valance parts. My initial try at the valance was too low. Then I  added home-made some hand rails to the superstructure. The Anna Marie kit comes with etched handrails, but for this model I opted to make the railings from 0.020 inch phosphor bronze. I elected to do this because the phosphor bronze hand rails can be soldered and are much stronger than the etched parts.

I also thought some more about making the Anna Marie longer.
With a beam of 7 inches, extending the Anna Maire hull from 39 to 50 inches is very much within the realm of feasible. Seagoing ships have L/B ratios of around 7:1. For example the BBC New York class ships are 130m long and have a 16m Beam. That works out to 58.5 inches long and 7.2 inches in beam in HO scale. That generates a L/B of 8.1.

I think the best approach to lengthening the hull is to cut off the parallel mid body and fabricate new parts on the laser. That way I can add the scuppers and other holes very precisely and easily. Those parts are essentially flat panels. The bulwarks on the kit require a bit of work in filing and sanding, so getting rid of as much of the kit bulwarks as possible will make for less sanding.

[fastcar]

Bernard,

I was wondering how the build is going.  I would like to use the Anne-Marie or Fairwind in my Miami River layout, but reducing the hull to waterline height seems a bit risky on an expensive model.  While the Fairwind is 1/76 scale it is hardly noticeable when you are comparing HO scale 1/87 (3.5mm/ft.) to 1/76 (4.0mm/ft.). 

If you have cut down the hull please let us know how this turned out and what method did you use.

Regards,

Larry Boyd

[bkempins]

I'm back to the Anna Marie after working on several other projects. I had some trouble with peeling paint on the superstructure when wet sanding some flaws. After some thought, I decided to make a new superstructure as I was unhappy with the squared off windows and the bridge as well as the peeling paint. The new superstructure is laser cut acrylic. I changed the design somewhat. It has an external stair instead of ladders. The navigation bridge  is bigger too.

[bkempins]

I completed the basic superstructure using laser cut acrylic walls, styrene strips and photo etched hand rail stanchions and stairs from Deans Marine.  The stairs were very tricky to get just right. It took several attempts to get ones that were good enough.

I gave the superstructure a couple coats of primer, and then painted the final white with maroon decks and fluorescent red dodger.   Detailing to follow.

Bernard Kempinski

[bkempins]

I started working on the hull today. I had not worked with a fiberglass model before and I was surprised at how soft it was and easy to sand. I sanded the top of the bulwarks using a coarse sand paper and a sanding block. That worked pretty well. I used a straight edge and a set of calipers to check the line.

Then I used my dremel moto-tool with a cut off wheel to cut out the freeing ports. It was tricky to get each one perfectly like the others. But I was able to sand them and they look pretty good.

I next used auto body putty to fill in the backs of the bulwarks. Once they cured, I sanded them smooth.

Next  I'll add the decks. Once the decks are in, I'll cut off the bottom of the hull to create the waterline model. I plan to show the ship riding high as I like the look of the hull That is the best part of the kit so far.

[bkempins]

In mocking up my scratch built superstructure, I realized I did not leave enough room to use the metal castings to support the life boat. My life boat will have to be installed at a steeper angle. I did some research and found that steep angles are not uncommon, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

Also, the instructions show two different main mast configurations, but the drawings only show one. Can someone explain why? Is one optional?

[bkempins]

I started adding the decks. Since this is going to be a static model with the cargo covers closed, I made the deck supports from 1/8 inch plywood. In retrospect, I probably should have cut a single piece for the deck supports, but this composite construction with basswood strips and plywood panels is very strong.

I encountered some serious gaps where the forecastle deck meets the hull. I filled the gaps with strips of styrene, then gap filling CA with baking soda. I sanded that down and then put on a skim coat of auto body putty. Once that dries I'll finish sanding.

[bkempins]

I added the quarter deck tonight. Since my superstructure was bigger than the kit plans, I had to make the quarterdeck longer by 1.5 inches to make room for the freefall life boat. This extended bow edge of  the quarter deck past the curve in the bulwark, so I added to notches to the quarter deck to bring it back. I will put stairs in these locations. 

I had to make a new free fall lifeboat appliance as the one that came with the kit one was now too long due to its shallow angle. I based  the lifeboat appliance on a Norsafe design as I was able to download its plans on-line. The photos show a mockup. I will made a more detailed version later.

Next step is to cut away the below waterline part of the hull and get it ready for priming.
 

[bkempins]

I cut the hull at the waterline. The process went easily with a Dremel Moto tool and a cut off wheel.

After some hull details and a coat of primer, it's starting to look good.

[bkempins]

I made the ship holds as a separate assembly. I used laser cut parts to make a crisp assembly. It is essentially a shallow box. The hatch tops have laser engraved container tie downs. I think I will add small pieces to raise them above the hatch surface.  I used photos of prototype ship Jummetor as a guide, but did not have detailed plans to go buy.

[bkempins]

Yeah, I finally got to paint the hull in the final colors.

First I gave the whole model an overall coat of Rustoleum flat red primer. I let that dry overnight. Next I masked off the water line and deck area, leaving the area that would be blue uncovered. Then I painted that area with red primer one more time. Why? This helps seal any gaps in the masking tape. Any paint the seeps under the tape will not be visible. I learned this trick many years ago while watching Mike Lech's modeling show on PBS.

After a half hour of drying, I painted the blue parts of the hull with Tamiya Flat Blue  thinned 50-50 with alcohol. This is probably the easiest paint to airbrush, as it flows readily and dries quickly. I used my Grex airbrush with a 0.7mm tip and 20 psi. After spraying about three quarters of the bottle of blue in multiple coats (yes, it is a big model), I set it down to let the paint set. During this time I cleaned the airbrush. With the paint dry, I inspected the finish and it looked good. So I removed the masking tape.

I had some blue overspray in the freeing ports, but I expected that. The next step was to mix up a batch of Vallejo Cavalry Brown thinned with Vallejo thinner. I carefully sprayed from the top down to touch up the overspray and to give the hull deck and hatches the same deck color as the superstructure. The cavalry brown is a bit more red than the flat red primer.  I did not mask the blue. I just made sure I was spraying from angles the would not hit the blue. It helps to use a 0.7mm nozzle with only 20 psi. That helps minimize overspray.

Since this model is too big for my spray booth, I painted it on top of the booth and wore my respirator.

With most of the grunt work on this model done, now the fun begins as I add details and weather it.