Hi All,

I.C. Crips here!
This will be a fairly long build for me, but I'm looking forward to this immensely.

This isn't a new release, it's been around for a while. the inclusion of some nicely done Photo Etch parts will help somewhat - although I like making my own metal parts. Italeri have produced this kit in 1/35 scale and its a monster! Checking the very well packaged parts, there is little or no flash to be found and plenty of size to make many improvements in detail to a fine kit.

The total cost so far, including the 5607 kit from the Netherlands is around £200. I have the RC tx and rx, many LEDS, electrical components and a ton of paints (italeri to other makes has been done where possible).
I'll need to buy 10 cheap simple servos at about £17.00 and 4 good quality servos at about £50.00. My ESC will need upgrading (about £40.00), will still use NiMh or lead acid - I like old, simple to recharge via plug in port hidden is deck locker. No worries about Lipo fires etc. I'm still a 'brushed' man and I reckon on 3 * MFA 380's might be ok. Motors, shafts, mounts etc and general electrics I reckon will add another £40 - £60. We'll see how close I am!

Painting is nearly all by airbrush - I can only use a tiny hand style brush for crew faces etc, in my mouth and it takes a lot of concentration to hold it and paint!

From the Photos you'll see the Bow, midships and stern sections. I've temporarily assembled them to check for any serious warping, or joining problems. Happy to report, apart from some sprue ends on the areas along the top of the hulls, there are no issues with fit.

The only 'serious' omission from Italeri is I have no 2.3*4.5 screws that will fit into keel to join the halves together. Main screws for hull top - all present and correct. Only other screws found are 6 * 2.3*6.5 and no spares either! Luckily, like most of us, it's not a problem to raid the hoarded supplies and find some. Shame really Italeri must ensure QC is carried out on all the kit parts.

Taking things as I will have to do them, some of you might spot the motor placed inside a torpedo half. This motor, from a £2.99 eyebrow trimmer, is perfect for what I plan for the torpedoes. Each weapon will be launchable via a spring system. Door opens, motor spun up and spring released. Each torpedo will have monofilament to keep it tethered to ship. After some great advice from the Portsmouth Model Ship guys, I'm not allowed to use explosives to simulate the torpedo hitting a target. But, after a long search of rules applying, I can use the 'throwing bangs' from the likes of Amazon - I've bought 500 for £3.75. These will be in the warhead section and by modifying the torpedo body will be replaceable within a waterproof warhead section.

I'm hoping to use the nimble fingers of my daughter, Amy, to solder the motor wires, include a 1.5v AAA rechargeable and, as my brain is still working on a couple of cylinders, I'm going to try to use a tiny PCB and have some form of steering and motor cut out. Hell and that's just the torpedo.

The first build part will be the Forward Bofors weapon. I'm going to adapt the crewman from the 5607 kit and cross drill a pin through his shoulders to give simulated arm movements, via a servo that will also raise and depress the weapon. Another servo will be used for slewing control.

Obviously I'm going for RC conversion. Not sure about the Lurssen effect rudders yet (might be easier for me to have outer two rudders moving conventionally - we'll see how much hand control deteriorates during the build), but will move as many features as possible, give her correct lights (I fancy a high power LED for the searchlight). I'll use Arduino and Nanos' to control the lighting, anchor windlass, searchlight rotation, Bofors sweeping etc. That way I can assign a lot of the 6ch RC I've got to operating sound effects, rudder, Throttle - leaving very little for these crippy hands to try and do.

Amy will help as much as she can with the very small fiddly bits, masking up for paint etc. I've had to be realistic with what is still possible for me to do, but I reckon I can do 70 - 75% still under my own steam.

Hope you like the build as it progresses.

Andy

After carefully checking the 56 page instruction book, I am going to put the two crewmen on a clear platform (simulating their positions better) to rotate with the rear gun mount.

The Radio antenna will make a slow 90 - 90 degree sweep as if searching for triangulation of radio transmissions.

I might be way over the top and launch the depth charges tied to monofilament( cos I don't want to lose them!) and tie any launching to a safety cut-out on the props to prevent fouling until they are retrieved.

There also seems to be enough room to servo the main searchlight for a sweep across the sea search.

Maybe the engine room hatches need to be openable.

Let's get building!

Hi All,

As I said this will be out of order of instructions in places, I have to make things fit and wire a loom around the hull as I go.

No.1 - Took Part 7G (page11) and trial fitted in Forward Deck (Part 5C) - great fit, terrible ejector marks inside on 'wooden' floor. Oh well, the coffee stirrers will be used for a new floor!

No.2 - Took a standard, cheap, 9G servo (as low as £11.00 for 20 online!), mocked it to base of part 7G and tried in the hull - Loads of room underneath assembly. Removed mock up and measured diameter of hole in driven gear of servo - it's 1.7mm (arrowed). Measured stub on shaft of part 70E (page54) - it varies between 1.8 to 2.0mm (arrowed and it ain't round!!), which means with a bit of thinning of the base that would fit over the floor of the Gun 'tub' and a tiny piece of silver wire drilled and threaded between the stub of 70E and a drop of epoxy in the servo hole, we'll be good to go.

Couple of questions if anyone can help please?

In larger ships, you couldn't rotate a for'ard gun to fire backwards at the forecastle (now there is a surprise!). On the S38, I can't work out if the weapon could rotate 360 degrees or was a 180 to 180 sweep. Depending on thoughts I can leave the servo as fixed limits and sweep via an Arduino Nano, or remove the stop in the top gear, centre the wiper pickup and make it constant rotation - Rotary switch A on my TX will adjust rotation so that seaman isn't doing a camel spin!
Any thoughts?

Secondly, The only pictures I have are black and white - like me very old!, the kit calls up 'white' as the gun frames colour. Well I can weather them white or use a different colour altogether if any member knows better than me (and that can't be hard!)

Cheers Andy

Just had email, paint has shipped on 24 courier.

Hopefully, make a good start very soon then.

Oh, just an aside - and I know I'm crazy, but - - -

The dimensions of the torpedoes set me thinking (all about bang etc). Turns out a 7.62mm blank shell (£8.00 for 50) would nicely take the place of the torpedo warhead area and with a metal 'firing pin and brace' made up in the main torpedo body, it might just give a great bang and flash, above all its totally legal. I'm going to model the torpedoes before installation in case the blank is too powerful, leading to unintended destruction!

Andy