Calling all USN Landing Ship Tank LST-542-class fans

[Nelson51]

Thanks Tom, I went to your scratch build site and needless to say impressed would be an understatement. Also, a correct statement is your never done with this type of things. I wish I had your woodshop to do the solid hull but with us currently traveling the country in an RV not possible. Your ideas on printing are right on and your supports and angles make sense. The Midas is now currently in line for many changes. One thing I really got from you was I was holding back from printing anything, but now I think with the parts I am satisfied with I can start doing them. I will be living on your site a lot as the amount of info over there is very informational. Thanks for letting me in on your info.posting.php?mode=reply&f=51&t=126216#

[Fliger747]

I think a wooden hull could be successfully constructed with only an inexpensive portable scroll saw. I made the original APA hull with only this equipment. Plywood bulkheads and balsa strip shell require little equipment. If you are in a climate where you can set up a small table outside, sanding would be inconvenient in an RV. My friend Hank Strub is printing and accumulating parts for a T-3 Tanker. I firmly believe that one of the reasons we see many extensive kit bashes and fewer actual scratch projects is a reluctance to build hulls. A very different set of skills and equipment, though not particularly difficult to time consuming. I guess constructing a hull as less than 10% of the total time investment in a project. It's just intimidating.

Good luck! Tom

[jepot]

I just happened to see this thread and decided to post some pictures of something I have been working on. My dad served aboard the USS Midas ARB-5 in WW2. He was aboard the ship when it put to sea after its conversion to the ARB class till it sailed home after the war and put in the reserve fleet. I am modeling it and I am going to 3-d print it for my Grandson and Great Grandson so they can have something physically close to visualize it rather than a picture. One thing I will say right up front I never meant for it to be a down to the blueprint accurate as I don't have any blueprints to go by. I simply collected as many pictures of the Midas (thanks to members who pointed me in the right direction) as I could and the other ARBs so I could make something visually close. There are tons of things I will be changing before I print it. If you look at pictures of the ARB class closely the first ones varied some from one to the other. I based most of what you see on the deck the Oil barrels, welding tanks, doors open, and other stuff based on a clear picture of her when she was by Hampton Roads. Again, it's not totally accurate but I thought I would show kind of what it looks like. I am going to print it in 1/96 scale. Mainly because I spent way too much time with detail that wouldn't show up otherwise. Thanks for looking.

this is great!!! thanks for posting!

[jepot]

BRP Sierra Madre ( ex USN Harnett County) of the Philippine Navy as it still holds fort against foreign incursion at the Spratly Islands...

LT57 with my RPS Bulacan (ex USN LST843)- notice the difference in masts with the standard monopole and the tripod mast...