Submersible discovering a lost U Boat

[Peter Gillson]

Hi guys

Taking a rest from figures, in particular my Dunkirk series and its time to start this one:



The plan is to make a boxed diorama featuring a wrecked submarine, being discovered by a remote submersible vehicle which will have a led fitted. Hopefully the inside of the boxed diorama will be reasonably dark (like the deep ocean) with the led illuminating it.

it looks a very straightforward kit - here are the sprues:

the hull - a sox inch ruler gives an idea of the size.

 

[Peter Gillson]

The first stage will be to build a wrecked U Boat.
being a believer in the learn-from-other-people principle I am going to follow the way Ron built his, larger, wrecked U Boat as per his blog:

A disappeared then re-appeared U. Boat.

In July 1944 Germany started to send U.Boats into the Indian and Pacific Oceans to assist her ally Japan in the war effort. Many were sunk en-route by the allies. One of the boats that did get through was U.196. She was based at Penang, Malaysia. On November 30 1944 she set off on a patrol -...

www.scale-models.co.uk

step on is to mark out the hull and take my trusty Dremel to it, so it off to the workshop to do this.

 

[Peter Gillson]

After an hour in the workshop, dremel in hand I have produced this:



at first I drilled through but the plastic is quite thick and the holes looked too false so I changed the tool to a larger grit-block type of thing and from the inside thinned the plastic in the areas where the holes would be until it was very thin - or until I was right through, as in a couple of places! Then I changes to a smaller bit and carved out the holes.

the fortunate thing about a boxed diorama is that I only have to really detail one side!

 

[Mickc1440]

Been looking forward to this project starting, nice start on the erosion

 

[Waspie]

Peter, are you going to show the inner pressure hull through the outer hull damage?

Looking forward to this one progressing. Interesting subject.

 

[Mini Me]

So Peter, I thought this was going to be a German U boat not a "Swiss" one! That hull is riddled to say the least. But I know you have a plan for this, so I'll stay tuned for further developments.

 

[Jim R]

Sounds a very interesting build. Will there be any interior details at all visible through the holes or are you just going to rely on dark and murky?

 

[Peter Gillson]

Mick - welcome aboard, I hope the result is worth your anticipation.
Doug - yep, a representation of the pressure hull is inserted.
Rick - I have a plan, but as one general (I cannot remember who), said - no plan survives the first contact with the enemy! Let's see how this develops!
Jim - in this scale I think dark and murky will do. I admit that I was tempted to but one with interior
details but decided that would make the project far to big and time consuming.

here is a photo of the assembled sub:






it is a simple build and went together quite well - although since it will be covered any slight misfitting did not matter. Now for the white glue and barnicles, and for those i'm off to raid the kitchen.

i'm not sure whether or not I will use all of the sub, that decision will be made when I start to make the box, so the whole thing will be covered.

Peter

 

[Waspie]

The bow damage, vertical lines, makes it look like it did battle with the screws of a large surface vessel and lost!!!!

Just read a book by a chap called David Black about similar damage to one of our subs in WW2.

 

[Peter Gillson]

Doug - i just attacked it, no real thought as to how the damage would have been caused.

 

[Mini Me]

A few well placed Depth Charges would have been my guess

 

[papa 695]

Great idea, and a great start Peter. Just pulled up my chair for this one, I will sit quietly at the back.

 

[Peter Gillson]

Hi Guys

a box of polenta and semolina later and we have this:



After adding some colour - various shades of brown with touches of yellow or green with a few places where there is a hint of red. Since the aft area will be in the deepest shande it has the darker blueish shades.


a the moment I think the colours are unrealistic for the deep sea - as tou get deepet the colours go leaving everything blueish grey. It is surprising how quickly colour vanishes, I recall my diving days and even at 35 mtrs it is mostly grey. I think I will need to make the rear - the part which will be least illuminated by the remote vehicle - darker to help emphasis the light and the general darkness.

while the paint dries, I can play with the LEDs.

 

[Peter Gillson]

i have a couple of LEDs, a white one and a blue one and to evaluate them I decided to try illuminating my Ambush boxed diorama since it is quite dark - here are the results:




I think the blue might be a bit too blue so I am planning on using the white, which will mean making the aft of the sub a lot bluer. It is now a bit of wait and see' - until I build the box I will not know how dark to make the aft section.

so, next is back to woodworking.

Peter

 

[JR]

Great idea Peter , looking fwd to the box.

Nice table top in that photo, liked the burr.

 

[spanner570]

Coming along a treat Peter.

"I just attacked it..." There is no other way to do hull damage. Faffing around looses the effect. Fortune favours the brave!

I'm chuffed you think my boat good enough for initial reference purposes.
Although judging by your work on the outer casing, 'help' is the last thing you need...

Nice one.

With the exception of where the light will illuminate the marine growth, painting and blending in the rest of the boat grey/ blue is by far the easiest option. Well, that's what I found with my attempt at a deep down wreck build.

Ron

 

[Peter Gillson]

I've been pondering on the front of the case, just plain wood might look a bit bland.

I placed the sub in an old box and used two 'L' shapes of card to replicate the hole in the front I worked out the rough size of the hole and the rough size of the box itself.

in the past I used some pine to make the front of the case] but this time the hole can be about the size of a photo frame so I have decided to use two (cheap) photo frames. The plan is to fix one inside the other with wood filling the gap, forming a slightly recessed detail. the frames are greay but I intend to paint them, either black of dark blue.



Peter

 

[Peter Gillson]

Hi guys

Finished this one. one 'problem' with boxed dios is the time it takes to make the boxes! Luckily my other hobby is woodworking.

here are a couple of photos:

with the light off:



and with the light from the submersible on:



Peter

 

[Mickc1440]

Wow that came out of nowhere, it looks superb Peter

 

[Mini Me]

Nice job on this one Peter. Looks good under both light effects.