MikroMir 1/350 USS Sturgeon Nuclear Submarine For Tom.

[Rhino]

This submarine model is becoming tedious. I swear I filled and sanded this whole sonar dome smooth.
MikroMir is not as bad as the horrible 1/350 Dragon Ohio class SSGN kit. This kit's hull doesn't flex when you fill-sand-cuss, repeat. There has been cussing!

 

[moon puppy]

Probably best not to call it battle damage huh?

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Something I have found when using sanding sticks or sand paper is that they are not hard and on seams they can press into the seam area (slightly softer plastic?) thus you end up with the seam line still there.
I almost always us metal files on seams. I have a lot less trouble with the seam turning into a depression. However, using a metal file on curved surfaces does take a little practice.

 

[Rhino]

Probably best not to call it battle damage huh?

No. It must be "Just so".
This is the part of the boat that crumples when impacted. Battle-damaged Sub's are most often never seen again.

 

[Rhino]

I went militant "old school" on the bow of USS Guitarro. I soaked bits of stretched sprue in liquid glue and schmushed it into the joints, then a skim coat of Tamiya basic putty. Careful wet-sanding yielded acceptable results this morning.
Thanks again for looking in!

 

[centaur567]

Up periscope!! Gary S.

 

[Rhino]

Paint progresses on Tom's 1/350 USS Guitarro. She seems suitably sanded, smooth and whatnot at this time. The base pedestals came yesterday and the 3D printed screw is on the way. I am having submarine happiness today!
Thanks for looking in!

 

[moon puppy]

That towed thing, just how long a cable is it?

Looks smooth Chris!

 

[Rhino]

That towed thing, just how long a cable is it?

Looks smooth Chris!

Some submarines have cables as long as 2,200 feet.

 

[moon puppy]

They have sensors all along the cable or just at the end?

 

[Rhino]

They have sensors all along the cable or just at the end?

Google says the passive sensor array is 156 feet long. US Navy Surface vessels carry almost a mile of cable for their towed passive sonar array.

 

[Rhino]

The 3D printed 1/350 screws arrived for USS Guitarro. I am skeptical of this model medium, but these look quite good!
Cheers Mates!

 

[moon puppy]

Looks high tech! What's the little screws for?

 

[Rhino]

Looks high tech! What's the little screws for?

Those are vortex attenuators. They obviously attenuate vortexes.
They reduce the size and intensity of submarine propeller tip vortexes, minimizing the formation of bubbles and cavitation.
US Navy Boats don't use them anymore.

 

[Rhino]

Brittle. Yeah. Sheyit. DO-OVER! It's a good thing 2 of these come in each package. BETTER!


With more than a few bottles of Testors PLA flat red on hand, I used some Testors flat brown and mixed me a bottle of Hull Red.
There was one more little flaw in the lower rudder/hull joint to fill/sand/cuss repeat. After that, USS Guitarro is good for bottom painting.
Thanks again for looking in!

 

[moon puppy]

So that's an 11 year old mix?

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Well there was an OOPS, then there was PURDY!

So that's an 11 year old mix?

Not sure about 11 years old, as the small bottle Testors is still available at Hobby Lobby. One of their colors I use is the Zinc Chromate Yellow available in the small bottles only.

 

[Rhino]

Interesting use for the glass files my buddy Mark sent me. If you have a paint spatter while airbrushing, these cool little files can sand the drop smooth. The paint takes on rather a polished look.

 

[Sharkmouth]

Interesting use for the glass files my buddy Mark sent me.

Mine got confiscated as the 'Czech glass files' were exactly what my wife couldn't find here. she promises to replace them upon visiting Poland next Spring. Oh well, I still have a set of polishing pad from the Hobby Lobby clearance section!