APA project

[Fliger747]

Though I don't have an Irish name (really!) my first antecedent in the new world married a gal from Dublin circa 1740. They are both buried in the Old Mechanic's Cemetery in Westfield Mass.

I am printing another batch as of the five, one got smushed, another rocked off to parts unknown when I was trying to unclip it from the others. This resin is a bit brittle in some thickness and pieces part with some enthusiasm when an attempt is made to clip.

Here is one, a survivor.

Note the shoulder rests, perhaps purloined from Orlikons?

Tom

[Fliger747]

Well harrumph!

Summer is too alluring. Made a nice if short exploration with my light plane to the Arctic Brooks Range. Always different to be at the bottom of the food chain. Carried bug dope, bear spray and my seven shooter with somewhat of a belt and suspenders approach.

Back and did a little LSM work. I had cleaned off the stern, filled the holes and added a new anchor assembly and bracket, as well as new rungs and the scupper flaps. I removed all the stern life lines, inside and out and replaced those and touched up with some of my home made APA grey. It won't be done till I replace nearly everything. The 20 mm tubs need some gun gear boxes and tubes for extra barrels. Also printed the nav lights that go on either side of the "Castle" but have'l added them yet.

Next step is to scrounge thru the photos I can find and add whatever insane and minor items I can find till free deck space is measured in small single digit square Millimeters.

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

A photo of the current stern, everything replaced. Still missing the stern lights, currently printing. The side nav lights have been installed on the "castle" (not shown).

Tom

[Iceman 29]

Super, Tom!

.. & Nice trip!

[Fliger747]

Maybe a little off topic!

Near my camp, fresh Grizzly and wolf tracks. Being at the bottom of the food chain, carrying bug dope, bear spray and my seven shooter...

[Fliger747]

I actually found some items to ADD to the APA. Low and behold I hadn't done the tubes for extra 20 mm barrels and cooling! So after adding some on the LSM I decided to print some more for the APA. Didn't have enough so printing some more! Interesting in the attachment bracket for something at an angle on a round surface make a helix surface. Not as obvious as one might guess.

Tom

[Fliger747]

Things progress as does my estimation of them I have decided to replace all 10 20 mm Orlikons on the APA. So we will see how that goes! I printed an initial batch of six and made a few small revisions to the design and the printing supports as well. My technique and materials has undergone a progression during this project. There are numerous items which I would go through and re do but of course it's best to have a mature technique to start with.

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

The bridge (One of the few things not secured) with the new "Orca-lons" (A whale of a machine gun) and barrel cooling tubes.

[Fliger747]

Closer view of the 20 mm "Orca-lons", whale of a MG...

These are a simpler version lacking the lead computing sighting associated equipment. Perhaps I need to do one of these "because".

[Song Jung Gun]

Hi,Tom!
It's most beautiful and reality is good.
Regards; Song

[Fliger747]

Song:

Thank you for the kind comments. What I find somewhat dispiriting is a realization that I no longer possess the complete scratch skills to replicate very many of these items by traditional means. I could maybe spend half a day with lathe and fine file and make one jeep wheel, of somewhat lesser but OK quality. I already made a complete set of handmade AA for this vessel and well know the difference in the final result. Plenty of hand skills designing and fitting many of the 3D pieces, but perhaps not the pride of say a fine watchmaker.

Kindest regards! Tom

[Fliger747]

This evening view of the LSM, steps forward, steps backwards. Knocked off the main mast and forward range light etc. Fixed all that this evening and rigged the halyard for the national ensign (finally), fixed a few more rails and whatnot. The doors are activated by two large hydraulic cylinders in the foremost superstructure deck. I constructed these on scant information (a common theme) and attached the small fairings which hide some of the levering mechanism to open the doors. I happened across a stokes litter in a parts box full of which on first glance appears to be full of dead mosquitoes. In photos I have seen on on the starboard outboard rail near the location of the accommodation vertical ladder.

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

The "Brown Water Navy"? Shows the recently added bow door actuating cylinders. Not a lot of good info in this area, just a few bad photos and sketchy sketches. At about this time I knocked off some items, the range light and some rail, fixed but not yet re painted.

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

When I drafted and printed the "Castle" I left the door opening open to the bridge, but didn't do a door. I sort of wish I had done the bridge interior, lesson learned. Not sure however how I would paint it as it was printed as a single enclosed item, decks and all. Finally did a quick acting WT door for the bridge and the aft starboard tank well that I also left open. The door twas sized to match the opening by designing it off a plane set back from the original 3D designed opening and then transferring the door to it's own file for printing. Very thin and small items, biggest issue was the door not wanting to stay flat. Drying at 120 F in a small oven seemed to help a little.

Cheers: Tom

[Willie]

Howdy Tom and all,

Tom I will never stop admiring this construction of yours.

I have reviewed the thread over and over again downloading most of the pics. I have always got something with these WWII Haskell APA�s, perhaps with something else than merely the ships, all the way from the walls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. This is actually one of the all-time favorite pieces in my helmet collection, WWII harvest, later enhaced with an EGA.

The sheer-force-brute outlines and the complexity and richness of the deck details make these APA�s very attractive items to model.
I have in my store an already-built Revell USS Randall/Montrose, the present from a good friend who has disposed of all his models. It is very well built, but barely OOB, and by the mid 70�s standards. I am tempted to dismantle it completely, and rebuild it following some of your solutions. At 1/376 the product cannot be your superb 1/120 model, but with a little effort I think it can be a worthy project.

Enjoy your summer light, and very best regards from the other ocean,

Willie.[/size]

[Fliger747]

Willie:

I still have the Revel model kit, probably the original as issued in the mid 1950's, about the time the "Away All Boats" movie came out. I remember my dad taking me to see it in the theater. So maybe I built this (glued together) it when maybe I was ten or so. It's not in good shape but an interesting relic. I hope that they re did this kit! I have seen some scratch 1:350 APA's and AKA's on the board, the gentleman did rather excellent work on them!

Thank you for the compliments, your building skills are really excellent! Both Hank and I are following your DD build closely! Sometimes a parallel project is useful when things drag a bit in a long build.

Best regards: Tom

[Fliger747]

This was the Revel kit of Randall that I assembled at about age 10 (maybe). Over the intervening years it lost most of the mastworks, actually amazing it exists at all.

[Fliger747]

Liking Pascal�s use of the cutting machine I bought a similar model. Making peace with a new software for design is frustrating, not having any teenagers in the house. The stencil material is not locally available but should be here via Uncle Jeff in a few days. My 3D software which I am now comfortable is not useful for this. I did with some difficulty hand produce a �PA 224� file. We will see! Allegedly the program can use the computers fonts but no luck yet getting an appropriate font into the computer quay.

Tom

[Fliger747]

Some progress! Figured out a download of both "Long beach and "USN Stencil" and did with some effort get the design program to swallow both fonts. This is currently envisioned to be a large part of the the utility here, though who knows where future used go. If I can work out how to cut the heavy Strathmore paper for some structural model elements this may also get some use in the next project. Currently I only managed to cut out a very nice circle which is what I resurfaced the bottom of the APA gun tubs with. Uncle Jeff says I an supposed to get my stencil material by Wednesday, though the PO can be counted on to take most of a day to get it to the PO Box.

I would redo the boats, except most of them are glued down.

Cheers: Tom

[Fliger747]

First pass with matt vinyl cut with the "Silhouette machine" Using the vinyl with removable adhesive is a no fault no foul way of experimenting with this. These are pretty thin and not obnoxious but by cutting a mask and using paint a somewhat better result is possible. Applying these letters and numbers to the overhanging compound curve stern counter is a little fussy. I think the bow will be easier.

Tom