The Ship Model Forum

SMU 14 in Floating Dock "F" in 1/350
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First of all I wish a prosperous new year to all readers and members of this forum.

After a little nightmare trying to order the kit , Burkhardt from BMK could help me and finally he sent me this lovely kit of the SMU 14, the former French Curie from U-Boot-laboratorium.

After a very, very short first inspection and when the Christmas guests had gone ....I needed to start.

As usual in a very chaotic way.

Running through my reference library it soon was clear to me that the SMU 14 should be displayed in the floating Dock "F" for reconstruction works.

This Dock was a small one mainly used for torpedo-boats and submarines.
Luckily I could find some nice pictures and so after a long while I started a new diorama.


More images soon

Greetings from Vienna, Austria

Peter Plattner
http://www.wmm.at/

It all started with the kit. A few resin parts, some CNC milled items and a fret of etchings. Seems easy enough for an after christmas built with an still existing level of red wine.
But to be serious, this little kit is from superb qulity and higly recomandable. The instrucions are clear enough even for me, moulds are crisp and nicely detailed. Beside that it is an item of the A/H Navy, my favourite theme, it is perfect to dive into resin ship building. These WWI submarines are so tiny, even if the Curie was with her 52m a bigger one. The biggest the A/Navy ever had.
I decided to build it in her later apperance with the conning tower and some other improvements. In this outfit it served after the war in the French Navy until 1928. A very long career for a submarine launched in 1912.

Last but not least, thank you Jim for your support getting me on tracks

with best regards
Peter

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A passion for modeling

This picture gives a nice overview of the Floating dock. SMU 14 was definitely in this dock as you may see in the first pic. As i want to keep the Dock and diorama in proprtion to this small submarine i need to cut the dock one third.
No the stadium of try and error I cut out sidewalls and floorplan from cardboard to find out the final arrangement and layout of the final diorama

_________________
A passion for modeling

This will be a nice one!
Good to see you at it again, Peter!
Cheers,
Guido

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AKA "Tailor"
VMF'06 - German Gamblers
Veritable Modelling Friends 2006, Germany

Never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth. - H. IBSEN

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk8zhb1sc4Pe3BRLqq3d-SQ

Cheers Guido, thank you for your welcome

After some hours of consideration, rough scetches and an overheated calculator the final arrangement was fixed.
For me it was important to show the submarine as much as possible and not to hide it competly behind these massive sidewalls of the dock.

Now I could start with the real model. Please forgive me as my photographic documentation is not that complete as it should be, but sometimes I was that enthusiastic that I completly forgot taking pictures.

First of all the interior framwork needs to be done.

With best regards
Peter

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A passion for modeling

This is great!-- I like the cool-headed planning aspect;

most of my models/dioramas just evolve,....

not always with perhaps the best result-...

Yours is a much more considered approach...

noted...!

JB

( and your Koreeitz looks sensational! - cannot wait till Telford!)

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....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

Hello Peter

interesting project and a good start sor far! I'm looking forward to your progress.

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Cheers,
Christian
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AKA "Painter"
VMF'06 - German Gamblers
Veritable Modelling Friends 2006, Germany

@ Jim, most most of my models/dioramas just evolve too. That is the source of some lovely misshaps while finishing. In this case I need som considerations ahaed just to kow what to do. But there is enough space for evolution.

@Christian, thank you for your encouraging lines... hopefully it turns to the nice.

These siedewalls are a litlle tricky as the inner surfaced is slightly angeld.

On Top there are guardhouses on every side. Of course they are different in size. I decided to make them from plastic card. Maybe from paper would have been easier.

With best regards Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling

The first test fit on the base gives an impression of the general arrangement. Or far better how it could evolve.

With best regards
Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling

Masterful!!!


will you be able to paint the inside of the flooding holes ok?- airbrush will reach in without having dead areas...?

This is coming along really swiftly and its sooo sharp

Love the space around the U-boat
The planning paid off!

_________________
....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

Leiwand, Peter!
Can we expect the diorama to be finished until and presented at Oberschleißheim?

Michi

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ROMANES EVNT DOMVS!

The main components have been put together. Scetches and considerations ahead helped a little but left enough space for unexpected results. As I didn´t want to cut the smaler guardhouse into half an overlap needed to be accepted. This just evolved as Jim says and was not planed, finaly I am happy with the result as it gives the whole thing a little dramatic aspect.
Of course some paint was needed on the inner sides before closing the whole thing. This gives now this lovely dirty effect
Another flaw I had to accept was that the plastic glue conecting the inner supports provided nice sink holes on the surface, so some putty was required.

With best regards
Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling

Hello Peter,

excellent progress. You did it really fast, I spent about two years to finish my Kilo class sub in a dry dock diorama!

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Cheers,
Christian
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AKA "Painter"
VMF'06 - German Gamblers
Veritable Modelling Friends 2006, Germany

@ Christian, it only seems to bee a speedy built. I started on Dec. 27th and could enjoy hollidays, so there was plenty of time for modelling. You will see how progress slows down soon. Like you, I usualy need years for finishing a modell. With this piece I try to change my habbits a little and build it constantly in a row as it should be ready for the Go Modelling Show in Vienna March 9th and 10th 2013. It might remain a dream.

In the meantime I played with the most tricky part of the submarine, folding and attaching the maindeck. Seems an easy task but turned out rather difficult. It began with the folding, as the engravings displaying the planking have been far better folding lines the the real ones. The next trap was that the joint holes on the hull didn´t fit with the etchings. Some sanding and sealing will be required there. Other parts like conning tower and rudder fitted well.

With best regards
Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling

Hello Peter


all begins to take shape, this is very impressive and original and as christian,I am amazed at how quickly you of progression
congrats for your dexterity
cheers
Nicolas

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https://ladiagonaledubosco.blogspot.fr/

Looks nice so far, especially the drydock.

That's some lovely scratchbuilding there.

Are you going to be doing a 1/72 after??

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Regards

Nigel

Thank you all for your kind comments. You will see progress slows down as I am back to workdays routine.
To build this in 1/72 scale would be a nice idea but storage space of my appartment would be blasted. So I will stay to my limits and make these larger units in 1/350 scale.

A testfit on the base with the already attached watersurface (thick aquarellpaper) shows that there is some stuff arround requiered. A small tender is defenitly needed. Maybe a new kit?

Siderails will be next step. I used the 2 bar type from Saemann.

Last but not least you may enjoy a glimpse on my modelling chaos. I always wonder how one can manage?

With best regards

Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling

" I always wonder how one can manage? " - "Das Genie beherrscht das Chaos - The genius masters the chaos"

A floating dock is a nice way to present a full-hull model in a natural setting. In the present case the dock was determined by the historical context, of course, but there are also docks that have a buoyancy body only on one side (not sure how it is balanced while being raised), which allows full view of the ship concerned.

The model is coming on nicely !

Regards from a former Wahl-Wiener,

wefalck

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Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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@wefalck good to see somebody who has been in Wien! I have a great understanding for your comments. There was a long consideration ahead as I wanted to display a true historic situation on one side and on the other not to hide to much from the submarine. That amongst others was the reason for cutting the dock. Finaly I hope I could find an interesting layout.

Again a sketch to find out how to do the interior strukture. I hope it is clear how it was realized.

With best regards

Peter

_________________
A passion for modeling