Merriman's Submarine Modelling Masterclass

[merriman]

Definitely two old bubbleheads talking a lot of shit to each other.

and that was on a good day.

 

[Arjen]

Stills would not have captured the job as well as the video. Happy to see two friends at work.

 

[merriman]

Stills would not have captured the job as well as the video. Happy to see two friends at work.

I hear you.

I'm going to switch to video reporting for a bit -- see how that works out.

Format is simple: no format.

I'll just put on the GoPro equipped horse collar any time I head to the shop and roll tape till something useful happens that you guys might find useful. Giving my old Canon still camera an opportunity to cool down.

David

 

[Arjen]

Don't abandon the still camera entirely, stills save me the bother of hunting for the right moment to freeze the image. And stills are the best way to admire great models.

I'm going to switch to video reporting for a bit

Looking forward to it.

 

[merriman]

Don't abandon the still camera entirely, stills save me the bother of hunting for the right moment to freeze the image. And stills are the best way to admire great models.

Looking forward to it.

Point well taken, Arjen.

OK, let's do this: I'll intersperse the video imagery and narrative with stills of previous or related work, with pointed narrative, to drive home the specifics of techniques presented. How bout that?

 

[merriman]

View: https://youtu.be/sQsmi4PME3o

 

[merriman]

 

[merriman]

Yet another reason to hate robot made kits!!!​

 

[Scott Kenny]

Yet another reason to hate robot made kits!!!

All the volume-limited pieces!

I have a (very nice) STL file set for the Rocinante from The Expanse, ~30" long (works out to 1/57 scale). The inner structure is in ~8"x8"x8" blocks that you have to glue and screw together. Because the typical hobby printers only have a ~200mm cube for build volume!

 

[merriman]

All the volume-limited pieces!

I have a (very nice) STL file set for the Rocinante from The Expanse, ~30" long (works out to 1/57 scale). The inner structure is in ~8"x8"x8" blocks that you have to glue and screw together. Because the typical hobby printers only have a ~200mm cube for build volume!

Sounds like you have a task ahead of you, Scott. Right now I have an even lower opinion of thin-walled 3D printed hulls than I did before. What a chore getting these flimsy things back into proper shape.

 

[Scott Kenny]

Sounds like you have a task ahead of you, Scott. Right now I have an even lower opinion of thin-walled 3D printed hulls than I did before. What a chore getting these flimsy things back into proper shape.

It's a Robert James Models STL kit, the internal bits are pretty big chunks. No complaints posted in the FB group about flimsy construction.

 

[merriman]

 

[merriman]

 

[merriman]

View: https://youtu.be/UvO-9w4vE4Y

 

[merriman]

 

[merriman]

 

[Scott Kenny]

You turned that railing jig on a lathe?

 

[martinbayer]

You turned that railing jig on a lathe?

Ideally, if our self professed resident luddite actually bothered to provide at least rudimentary explanations of his processes along with his lazy photographs, you wouldn't have to ask perfectly pertinent questions like that - but you see, he just likes to post cryptic pictures without explanations, because he's ultimately concerned someone might best him at his own game...

 

[merriman]

You turned that railing jig on a lathe?

Nope. Cut with hand-tools. Just follow the magic circles. No sweat.

 

[merriman]

Ideally, if our self professed resident luddite actually bothered to provide at least rudimentary explanations of his processes along with his lazy photographs, you wouldn't have to ask perfectly pertinent questions like that - but you see, he just likes to post cryptic pictures without explanations, because he's ultimately concerned someone might best him at his own game...

I could write long narratives for each picture. This would burn me out quickly and I would soon stop posting here.

Or.

I post pictures and leave it to you to request a narrative to further explain what I'm conveying in specific pictures that interest you.

Pick one!

 

[merriman]

 

[Lockleer1]

You just gave me an idea for another project's railing. Is that Jake's Arkmodel type VII? Hope you and Jake are well sir!

 

[merriman]

You just gave me an idea for another project's railing. Is that Jake's Arkmodel type VII? Hope you and Jake are well sir!

Some more ideas for you to consider:

 

[Scott Kenny]

Hey, might want to double-check the joint on the forward-most upright at the top railing. The last picture seems to not show much-if-any solder there. Hate to have it shift while making the molds!

 

[martinbayer]

I could write long narratives for each picture. This would burn me out quickly and I would soon stop posting here.

Or.

I post pictures and leave it to you to request a narrative to further explain what I'm conveying in specific pictures that interest you.

Pick one!

Option 2 it is then for me, obviously. Thank you for sharing your absolutely astounding/outstanding work within this forum, kind Sir.

 

[merriman]

Option 2 it is then for me, obviously. Thank you for sharing your absolutely astounding/outstanding work within this forum, kind Sir.

Very good, and thank you for the kind words. If, at any time, you have specific questions just ask and I will deliver more pictures relevant to the question AND narrative to explain the specifics of what is presented. I learned from others who worked to foster this Craft. Time has come for me to do the same by passing the torch.

 

[martinbayer]

I could write long narratives for each picture. This would burn me out quickly and I would soon stop posting here.

Or.

I post pictures and leave it to you to request a narrative to further explain what I'm conveying in specific pictures that interest you.

Pick one!

I have exactly ZERO interest in your postings as far as they *purely* pertain to submarines, since I'm an Aerospace guy, so you do you! And if you want to electronically ban me from your site, please feel free to do so, even though I don't feel I've ever electronically polluted your site.

 

[merriman]

Hey, might want to double-check the joint on the forward-most upright at the top railing. The last picture seems to not show much-if-any solder there. Hate to have it shift while making the molds!

The union there has solder, I just cut away most of the fillet. And this is the finished item -- brass railing; no further tool-making on these, Scott.

I have exactly ZERO interest in your postings as far as they *purely* pertain to submarines, since I'm an Aerospace guy, so you do you! And if you want to electronically ban me from your site, please feel free to do so, even though I don't feel I've ever electronically polluted your site.

I have no beef with you, martinbayer. I simply took your comment as a platform to inform EVERYONE on why I only post pictures.

By the by, I'm very much an 'aerospace' sort of guy myself:

 

[Scott Kenny]

The union there has solder, I just cut away most of the fillet. And this is the finished item -- brass railing; no further tool-making on these, Scott.

Gotcha!

Like I said, didn't want stuff to break.

By the by, I'm very much an 'aerospace' sort of guy myself:
[all the images]

She looks like she's questioning your (and her) sanity.

Didn't she get the memo that they test prospective submariners for sanity back in sub school, and if you test positive for sanity they don't let you on subs?!?

[more history of rockets]

Holy crap, what weren't you involved in making?!?

What show was this?

[more rockets and wizardry]

Is that the Polaris from the Tom Corbett Space Cadet books?!? One of the first Atomic Rockets?!?

[more movie magic]

Jeez, how many movies were you involved in?

 

[merriman]

Gotcha!

Like I said, didn't want stuff to break.



She looks like she's questioning your (and her) sanity.

Didn't she get the memo that they test prospective submariners for sanity back in sub school, and if you test positive for sanity they don't let you on subs?!?




Holy crap, what weren't you involved in making?!?



What show was this?



Is that the Polaris from the Tom Corbett Space Cadet books?!? One of the first Atomic Rockets?!?



Jeez, how many movies were you involved in?

I didn't even go to sub-school. Cross-decked from a sub-tender to the TRUTTA one shiny morning at the Key West Naval Base piers and never looked back. Qualified on a diesel boat, did nine patrols on a boomer and wound up in the Diving community for 13 years.

Ellie was my partner in crime for about 35 years (D&E Miniatures). We did models for defense contractors, collectors, corporate headquarters, movie and TV (miniatures/effects work), and finally developing and selling mechanics to the r/c submarine community.

We worked on (usually as a third-party contractor for guys like Greg Jein because Ellie and I are non-union/Guild types) Red October, Crimson Tide, Abyss (consultation only), ST-5, STNG; and did some restoration work for Bob Burns and his mob of effects friends over there on the left-coast.

Cancer killed Ellie a bit over five years ago. That's when I hung up our spurs and went back to making this game a hobby again. She was a great set of hands in the shop and the resident gate-keeper in the office.

 

[Arjen]

Cancer killed Ellie a bit over five years ago.

That must have knocked the wind out of you.
It makes creating this thread all the more admirable.

 

[martinbayer]

I didn't even go to sub-school. Cross-decked from a sub-tender to the TRUTTA one shiny morning at the Key West Naval Base piers and never looked back. Qualified on a diesel boat, did nine patrols on a boomer and wound up in the Diving community for 13 years.

Ellie was my partner in crime for about 35 years (D&E Miniatures). We did models for defense contractors, collectors, corporate headquarters, movie and TV (miniatures/effects work), and finally developing and selling mechanics to the r/c submarine community.

We worked on (usually as a third-party contractor for guys like Greg Jein because Ellie and I are non-union/Guild types) Red October, Crimson Tide, Abyss (consultation only), ST-5, STNG; and did some restoration work for Bob Burns and his mob of effects friends over there on the left-coast.

Cancer killed Ellie a bit over five years ago. That's when I hung up our spurs and went back to making this game a hobby again. She was a great set of hands in the shop and the resident gate-keeper in the office.

David,

my sincere condolences.

Martin

 

[merriman]

That must have knocked the wind out of you.
It makes creating this thread all the more admirable.

Sure, but it was a long time coming. Them Island girls are tough little things. As long as the Doctors kept her out of pain, we were good with the care. Then, finally, when the brain had gone, a big helping of Morphine and it was done. Time to move on. No one gets out of here alive! So, make the most of what you got, while you still got it.

 

[merriman]

David,

my sincere condolences.

Martin

Appreciated. Best thing that ever happened to me was hooking up with that gal. Good memories, through thick and thin. Confidant, lover, cook, shop-hand, good with people (I'm not), and there to put her size-5 up my butt when required. The perfect package.

 

[merriman]

 

[Arjen]

So, make the most of what you got, while you still got it.

I salute you for that, sir.
My sincere condolences.

 

[Scott Kenny]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Dusty in here...

Another Disney-Nautilus? How often do you end up making those? Once every couple of years?

 

[merriman]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Dusty in here...

Another Disney-Nautilus? How often do you end up making those? Once every couple of years?

The first one was a Total Immersion kit of the Disney NAUTILUS -- I was only later to learn that that product was a pirated kit of Scott Brodeen's original work -- I never would have done that job had I know the story before hand!

Years later I aquired and r/c'ed a Brodeen kit. What a wonderful piece of work Scott did on producing that product: no pin-holes, no warped parts, metal where metal was the proper material of choice, and so to with the resin parts; a joy to work up into a proper model.

And now this 1/48 scale Disney NAUTILUS. Produced as a 3D printed kit. Well engineered, but what a pain to get the parts to fit together properly! And the plastic! Leave it out in the sun to long and it will turn to a steaming pile of goo. Give me GRP or thick polyurethane resin (as in Scott Brodeen's kit) any day!

 

[merriman]

 

[Scott Kenny]

Is that a 1/48 scale WW2 diesel boat?