Topic: My build of HMS Solebay.

[karlgalster]

The Action P96 Servo morph is pretty good but the actual maximum angular movement stretch you can get is limited to + or - 90 degrees or + or - 80 degrees. The higher angle is that quoted on the Action data sheet and the lower is quoted on the componentshop.co.uk web site who are now the sole stockists of Action items. At ?14 a go not cheap if you require one per turret or you intend ganging them.

[paul swainson]

Great news,  I have now bonded the decks to the hull and am rubbing down to a nice smooth edge.  All guns in and all motors set.  Will put up photos of the work later.  Now I can put her in the water.

[cabin boy]

Good luck with water test, just done mine, Solebay looks magnificent in water, even in the limitations of a bath. My ship finished fully fitted, including motors etc. Only boats to finish. Photos taken and hope my son will post them for me this evening. Clive

[paul swainson]

Great Clive look forward to seeing them.

[paul swainson]

As promised here are the photos of the hull before the deck was bonded and then the photos of the deck bonding.

[paul swainson]

Once the deck was bonded and all cracks/errors in the deck to the hull was filled with marine filler, she was rub down and looks a treat.   So started on the for deck and started with the anchors.  I drilled the head of the anchor with a 0.8mm drill then filled down the anchor arm so that it would move through a 180 degrees and pined it with a small 0.8 copper pin cut from a rod.  Connected  my own anchor chain and secured to the anchor.   Taking a photo copy of the bow and stern elements from the plan, I transposed all the detail to the deck and fitted all the walk way ribs and all the anchor gear.   Even drilled the inlet tubes so the extra chain goes into the hull.  Drilled out the anchor chain rollers and fitted then to the base.   Then drilled out the anchor holes and widens the hole to take the anchor arm.  See photos.

[paul swainson]

Did the same for the stern deck and fitted every thing in place.   Dry fitted the Depth charge racks so that I know where to put the walk ways.

[paul swainson]

Then the the first coat of primer has been applied and will now wait 48 hours to dry before I put on the second coat.

[radio joe]

whoopee the deck is bonded  ha ha ha    But to be serious she's looking good Paul.

[paul swainson]

Yes Joe have to agree with you but one thought I like the look of the photos when she is in white before painting, she looks so alive and bright.

[radio joe]

White eehh that would make a nice target for the  Admiral Graf Spee LOL. (yes I know the date is about 5 years off). let's make it Prinz Eugen now that is possible.

[paul swainson]

Well Here she is nearly all kitted out just the life boats and rafts to install and then the railings.   I would like some help in which way I should go in painting the colour.   Should I do the decks first then cover them up and paint the superstructure and the hull or the other way round.

[radio joe]

Hi Paul,
I painted the hull first, then the fore and aft decks in the "red lead" colour and then all the other decks, although I did paint them without all of her armament in place it made it much easier, then you just have to scrape off a little paint where they are glued, once all the ship was painted the last thing was the railings while they were still in sheet form I rubbed them down both sides with 1200 grit paper so they were ready for paint then trimmed them out and fitted them to the model and painted them when fitted, I used a micro drill to fit them I've never found the heat sink method very successful.
Having said all that I do only use a brush to paint, I've no idea how you would do all that with an airbrush.

[paul swainson]

Thanks for that Joe,  I am hoping to get a response from guys who have also used an air brush.   I have not followed the plan building instructions from Deans, I have found that building in small groups lets me see and check my work.  The one thing I have learned that is I will open up the kit box next time and check every item for quality of the cased items.  Some as you have found had to be reworked or fresh one made.  I found when I was check to install the sea launch and 27 ft whaler one of the Derk's has no feet on one side.  not much fun 15moth down the line.  I know Deans does a great service and always replaces the item but it would be nice to get the item wright first time. Grump over.

[karlgalster]

As an air-brusher I would suggest the following:
Paint as much as possible off the model. Practically all fittings individually stuck to a base with say blu tack or double sided tape and same colour items sprayed in single batches. The idea is to make masking (the key to airbrushing) as straightforward and hence accurate as possible.
Paint superstructures with minimal fittings attached. If possible spray in sub-sections so as to keep masking as simple as possible. e.g. the double height forward structure would be airbrushed as two separate items.
Deck airbrushed with minimal fittings attached. e.g. no turrets, bollards, stanchions, railings, fairleads capstans etc etc
Hull - whether you paint the hull side or the deck first sides is not important as you will need to mask alternate areas whatever the order. Having said that I prefer to paint the sides first.
Glaze portholes and windows after airbrushing.
Use high quality masking tape - Tamiya (helps minimise leakage of paint under the mask and should not remove paint when the masking is subsequently removed).
If you get a run - just wait till dry, rub down and do it again, don't try and bodge it
Bear in mind you will always have to hand paint something (e.g. bridge decks in confined spaces with bulwark supporting brackets making masking impractical).
Just my thoughts
Robin