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1/700 RV Calypso Ocean Research Vessel TLAR 1223
- Thread starter Rhino
- Start date
Rhino
Super Moderator
A picture, a 3-view plan, some math, some measuring, some music, some drinkies and some nicotine.................
...........................yielded my solution to this Unpresentable 1/700 Present! Want a closer look? Okay, If I must.
Main and lower hulls, with stern diving platform in the folded position. Add your own mooring bitts. Proper pilot house, upper main deck and proper French 24' Runabout boats. Foremast goal-post top (supply your own posts and radar) properly shaped heli-pad, stern crane and diving saucer.
24-foot modern RHI boats that are too big for the boat cradles. Tenders? The original, horrible 3D kit (WRONG) Pilot house and the "Too Big" Pilot house that is, well, too big, but was a shame not to cast. You get the RHI's but not the other pilot houses in the kit.
The first casting was yesterday and I am delighted with the results!
RV Calypso is French, so my Sneaking Frog was included in this molding.
French and Calypso flags are included in my issue of this vessel. Such a beloved and documented ship deserved better!!
I am proud and happy to present this tardy but much improved 1/700 scale "Present".
For TLAR Models customers, She sells for the same $24.00 USD the ridiculous, inaccurate Chinese 3D print does. This is an unlicensed ship model without the blessings of the Cousteau Foundation. Her name and decals may change in an eye-blink. Merde!
I think Jacques would be proud!
Rather than my usual, tedious, banging on about every teensy little detail added to Masters, I chose not to bore the living dog-snot out of all my Mates and illustrate interesting end results rather than the whole, banal, long-winded process of model making.
How did I do?
Merci' for looking in mon Frer!
Rhino
Super Moderator
I got so fired up about casting the Big Cutter's hull, I may have skipped a casting step on Calypso. Maybe more than once. OOPS.
No worries! The plan was to chop the dog-snot out of a Calypso to make her Seester anyway. John Wayne's yacht the Wild Goose.
Bert Minshall was Wild Goose' skipper for 16 years. He knew The Duke at sea, at play with his family well. I ordered his book from Thriftbooks.
Rhino
Super Moderator
Wild goose began her career as YMS-328 in World war II.
This is what she looks like today. She is operated as a pleasure craft for hire by Hornblower Enterprises from Newport Beach, California.
Not this version. She looks too much like a floating apartment house. I wonder how The Duke would have felt about that.
This is the fit of Wild Goose I will make. The vessel where the Wayne family spent their good, quality time relaxing in Mr. Wayne's "Place of respite" Newport Daily Pilot 2018 quote. Powerboat, swim platform, lots of space for sunning and funning with wife Pilar and children Michael, Ethan and Marisa. More Yacht than Condo.
This should make the ol' Pony Soldier smile from On High.
New model of John Wayne’s yacht decorates hotel lobby less than a mile from the real thing
Now there are two places in Newport Beach to see John Wayne’s yacht.
www.latimes.com
That being said, somebody already built a nice model of Wild Goose.
The upcoming 1/700 Wild Goose thread will follow the example of 1/700 RV Calypso. The "Cliffe Notes" version, so I won't bore the dickens out of everyone with every minute detail.
Thanks again for looking in!
Rhino
Super Moderator
Loose Cannon Models proprietor, Hugh Letterly asked after a waterline 1/700 YMS-1 Yard Minesweeper. Since Calypso got her make-over and I am making a Wild Goose kit, his request seemed a reasonable one.
Shapeways markets this same 1/700 model in tan fine detail plastic. I will comment that their waterline Yard Minesweeper is a fine little model. The guns and mast are a little chunky, buy otherwise She scales out to 165 feet almost exactly. At a $15.00 price point, it is unlikely TLAR will produce this vessel in this scale.
Thanks for your interest!
Shapeways markets this same 1/700 model in tan fine detail plastic. I will comment that their waterline Yard Minesweeper is a fine little model. The guns and mast are a little chunky, buy otherwise She scales out to 165 feet almost exactly. At a $15.00 price point, it is unlikely TLAR will produce this vessel in this scale.
Thanks for your interest!
Rhino
Super Moderator
I'm working on the instructions for the Calypso kit. How-to's tips & tricks. One solid "warning" so far. I cast another hull so I could get a start.
None of the tardy Christmas present recipients are mind readers.
You can see better dry-fitting of the bridge was needed. The support frames for the helipad are a cast-iron bitch to get "just so".
Level fore and aft and port to starboard took lots of, ironically, dry-fitting. I wished for a helicopter to play with, UM! Include in the kit, but the 300D isn't made in 1/700 scale that I can find. How about an MH-6A Little Bird? AH-1Z Cobra? A Hughes 500D would be more accurate than what came with the 3D printed model. The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau meets Magnum P.I.?
At the end of the day, adding 1/350 300 gallon drop tank floats to an SA.313 may be the answer. It vexes me that it still won't be the exact correct Cousteau egg-beater. Whaddyagonnado?
Looks awesome. 
Rhino
Super Moderator
Foremast, trimmed, sanded flat and blacked for drilling VERY carefully for .0125 copper wire. The crow's nest should face the bow. The tiny surface search radar antenna cast, but I broke it off handling the masthead. A metal replacement will be found. The mast will be straight and square when final installation occurs. The dry-fit is a little wonky.
I advise against installing the mast before painting, the masthead is pretty delicate. That, and getting to the bridge winders for paint would be more difficult.
Diving saucer and crane. The French cutters will be an easy deal. That horrible gap in bridge to main deck join will need attention.
The hard parts are done.
OH!
Wait!
Mon Dieu!
We mustn't forget Francois (Fran-swah for you non French speakers) Frog! He's from Fraance, just like Jacques and Phillipe'!
Le Chat est sur la Chaise!
Au revoir!
Rhino
Super Moderator
Calypso's Tamiya flat white base coat went on tonight.
The deck tan doesn't look so dark now.
Remeber the awful gap I had between the bridge and main deck? Short bits of stretched sprue, a bath of Tamiya thin glue and squinch the plastic into the gap. Old-school model gap fix!
Thanks for looking in!
Nice fix!
Ever thought about doing the Disco Volante from Thunderball?
Ever thought about doing the Disco Volante from Thunderball?
Rhino
Super Moderator
DISCO VOLANTE Yacht Model - Etsy
This Vessels item by LuxShips has 2 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Vietnam. Listed on Dec 1, 2023
www.etsy.com
OR!
DISCO VOLANTE — MATTELINE
#thunderball #jamesbond #kenadam #johnstears #seanconnery #007 #emeliolargo #neversayneveragain #spymovie #1960smovies
www.matteline.com
Rhino
Super Moderator
The finish line is drawing near! The smallest Calypso Flag on the decal sheet makes a dandy nameplate for the funnel. The middle-sized French flag is in use here.
The deck tan looks swell after the rest of the model comes together. The helipad could use a light dry-brush of silver.
Box artwork sample pictures. Wrapping up the instructions pretty quick!
When I get the tracking numbers bought, Calypso kit recipients will be notified!
Jacque would approve!
Rhino
Super Moderator
I hope the Cousteau Foundation feels the same way! They can be a little snippy about all things Calypso.