Paper Ship: SMS Emden (1910), 1:250

[dr_gn]

A quick trip to Hamburg this week saw me getting a new kit from the Maritime Museum. This one’s a bit bigger than my previous three, at 477 mm long. It’s also rated “Sehr Schwierig”, so in theory a bit more tricky to build too:





Also got the laser-cut set:

Edited by dr_gn on Thursday 12th April 10:22

[4321go]

I’m in.....

[dr_gn]

Made a start on the hull sub-structure tonight:



It’s made in two halves and assembled with overlapping joints:



Must admit, with previous builds I’ve been super accurate with this part of the structure, and taken hours to get things perfect, only to have to cut and shut the cladding panels to fit. With this one I’ve taken a less onerous approach and stuck it all together by eye. It’s a bit of a whopper compared with the others; this is current progress with the Corvette for scale:

[shortar53]

Oh hell yeah Doc. This should be good.

I really enjoyed doing the Von Der Tann, cant wait to see how amazing your attempt at thus size turns out

[dr_gn]

shortar53 said:

Oh hell yeah Doc. This should be good.

I really enjoyed doing the Von Der Tann, cant wait to see how amazing your attempt at thus size turns out

I remember seeing that - looked very impressive complete. I'm hoping the hull will go together well on this one, after that, it's just cut, glue and repeat for a few months until it's done.

Not looking forward to the cost of the case for this one!

[dr_gn]

Finished the Tiger Moth this evening, so made some progress with this one by cutting out a few of the deck pieces and dry fitting them:

[robemcdonald]

Madness.

I’m sure it will be another stunner though.





Have you tried self flagellation?

[dr_gn]

robemcdonald said:

Madness.

I’m sure it will be another stunner though.





Have you tried self flagellation?

I have, but it tends to stain the paper.

[dr_gn]

The bulkheads and main decks are glued in place now. The rear upper deck is being test fitted:



I can’t help thinking the tolerance stack on all these pieces is going to lead to a few headaches very soon.

[robemcdonald]

Do you start in the middle?

I would imagine that would help with the tolerance stack issue.

[allegerita]

What kind of glue do you use? And even more interestestingly, how do you apply it?

I never tried any paper modelling. Well, I built a car once but that ended up in a disaster. I used hobby glue out of a tube.

[dr_gn]

robemcdonald said:

Do you start in the middle?

I would imagine that would help with the tolerance stack issue.

I didn't, but everything seems to fit where it should in terms of printed alignment, it's whether the alignment itself is right. For example, the rear deck is about 5 mm too long at the rear (according to the sub-structure), yet aligns at the front and at various points along the top edge. I'm hoping the hull sides align with the deck etc, rather than the sub-structure.

There's also the issue of the hull sides spanning three levels, and the external bulkheads needing to mate to them. Any skew and it's cut-and-shut time. It might be fine.

[dr_gn]

Test fit of the two-piece hull (stern section) seems to look ok. I might glue all of it together, and to the rear deck and slide it over the sub-structure complete:



Strange the stern doesn’t match the frame at all, but I’m only bothered about the fit on the outside so it’s fine:

[dr_gn]

allegerita said:

What kind of glue do you use? And even more interestestingly, how do you apply it?

I never tried any paper modelling. Well, I built a car once but that ended up in a disaster. I used hobby glue out of a tube.

I use Formula 560 canopy PVA applied with either a cocktail stick or with a small brush ( if diluted with water).

[dr_gn]

A few more pieces of the hull jigsaw puzzle:

[peterperkins]

I admire the human race, so many people with so many interests. This is excellent. We appreciate your work and dedication..

[dr_gn]

peterperkins said:

I admire the human race, so many people with so many interests. This is excellent. We appreciate your work and dedication..

Thanks - it’s a bit niche, but still satisfying to build.

[dr_gn]

One thing that can spoil a paper model is white visible on the edges of coloured parts. It’s usually neater to paint all edges and visible sub-structure before assembly. That’s been tonight’s job on the hull:

[dr_gn]

One disadvantage of using pva glue is that it can warp the larger, unsupported edges. I’ve straightened some of the more critical deck and bulkhead edges with balsa strip:



These anchor housings fit behind the hull sides. Good job I spotted them at this stage - they’re not mentioned in the instructions...

[shortar53]

Yeah, The dreaded 'PVA' wobbles can ruin a model.
Ive done a similar thing using little clamps and lolly sticks.
Looking good so far.