Return to the BUILD
In this issue, we will be attaching many small details to our port engine and to the Engine Room Deck.
Contents
Parts
Materials: All of these parts are plastic.
Magazine
- Giant of the Sea – Cunard Line: The Great Rival
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Build
Engine Detail and Two Pumps
This issue contains a bunch of detail parts, but they are all silver in color. I can’t imagine they would have been this color on the real Titanic. Therefore, I am going to continue with my theme of painting various parts. As in the previous issue, instead of a bunch of small Mod Zones scattered about, I am sharing this information in one big Mod Zone before we get started with the build steps.
First, I airbrushed the Gangway (32V) and the Vapour Separator (32L) with Tamiya XF-89 NATO Black acrylic paint:
You may notice a tinge of green on this Vapour Separator. This was accidental overspray from when I was painting the green parts later on. As it gave this part a tinge of ‘age’ almost like moisture build-up or algae growth, I chose to leave it alone. I kind of like the look:
Next, I masked off and airbrushed the top section of the Valve Control Rods (32T) in the same NATO Black. For the hand wheels at the ends of the rods, I used Vallejo Model Air 71.067 Bright Brass Metallic acrylic paint. After I finished painting all of these parts, I came back and used my Metallic Gold Sharpie to add some contrasting color to the square ‘blocks’ at the top of the Rods:
I again used the NATO Black on the Base of Large Pump (32E). The two Detail A for Large Pump (32D) and Detail C for Large Pump (32H) were airbrushed with Vallejo Model Air 72.729 Sick Green, followed by a wash of Citadel Nuln Oil Black to darken down and ‘dirty’ them a bit. The tiny Detail B for Large Pump (32C) was painted with the Bright Brass Metallic:
The steam pump at the bottom of the Reversing Engine (32U) was painted with the same Sick Green/Nuln Oil Black combination. The two gold details were colored with my Metallic Gold Sharpie:
The Base for Lubrication Pump (32B) was painted with the same Sick Green/Nuln Oil Black combination. The valve/gauge section of the Tube for Lubrication Pump (32I) was masked off and painted with the Bright Brass Metallic. Once this paint dried, I hand-painted the tiny gauge face with a drop of Vallejo Model Air 71.270 Off-White acrylic paint:
For Auxiliary Engine Part C (32P) and the handwheel of Auxiliary Engine Part B (32K), I used the Bright Brass Metallic again. However, for the round section of Auxiliary Engine Part A (32J), I just used my Metallic Gold Sharpie:
I masked off the handwheels of the Valve for Large Pump (32A) and the Large Pump Connection (32R) and painted them with the Bright Brass Metallic. I decided to leave the Detail D for Large Pump (32S) silver, but I did color the two round details on the Pipe for Large Pump (32M) with my Metallic Gold Sharpie (not seen here, I took this picture before coloring them):
I painted the cog on Detail B for Lubrication Pump (32O), the entire Control for Large Pump (32N) (not pictured), and the entire Pressure Gauge for Large Pump (32G) (not pictured) with Bright Brass Metallic. Finally, I hand-painted the worm gear section of this Detail B with Vallejo Model Air 71.070 Signal Red acrylic paint. There is a reason I chose this red color, and I will explain why in Step 11 when this part is installed:
That’s it for the paint work, now we can get on with the build!
The Port Engine Details
NOTE: In this issue, you may notice that I did some of these steps out of order from the instructions. This was to make my installation process a bit easier.
Step 1
Secure Auxiliary Engine Part A (32J) into these matching holes of Auxiliary Engine Part C (32P), orientating it as shown.
I highly recommend test fitting all of the parts in this issue before using tiny drops of super glue to secure them into place. Some parts may have extra plastic at the ends (flashing) that might need to be trimmed off with a sharp hobby knife in order to fit correctly:
Secure the D-shaped hole of Auxiliary Engine Part B (32K) onto the the matching curved end of Auxiliary Engine Part A (32J), as shown:
Step 2
Retrieve your port engine from the previous issue. Secure the two pins of this Auxiliary Engine assembly into the matching holes at the left rear Column, as shown.
Fun Fact: On the real Titanic, this was actually the ‘turning engine’. It had a worm gear at the bottom between the upright cylinders that connected with the top of part 32O to engage the Cogwheel on the Crankshaft. This small engine was used to slowly turn the main engine for maintenance, lubrication, and to rotate the crank position during the warming-up stage.
Remember, we added the End Plate to the front of the starboard engine – however, we are working with the port engine in this issue:
Step 3
Fit the four tabs of the Gangway into these matching slots along the left (outboard) side Columns of the port engine. The staircases each have a pin at the bottom that fits into matching holes of the lower Catwalk, as shown.
Be careful as you install this Gangway so it does not dislodge the smaller Gangways we installed earlier:
Step 4
Press the two pins of the Vapour Separator into the matching holes on the right (inboard) side of the forward Cylinder of the port engine.
Fun Fact: On the real Titanic engines, these were actually the main engine stop and throttle control valves.
These pins were such a tight fit that I needed to sand down the sides of the larger rear pin a bit to make it fit right, as shown:
Step 5
Press the two pins of the Valve Control Rods into the matching holes on the outboard side of the forward Cylinder of the port engine.
The long shafts of these Valve Control Rods can easily be bent out of shape. Therefore, I used a tiny drop of super glue behind each one where it touched the Gangway (arrow below). This helped keep them all straight and parallel, as shown:
Fit the ends of the Valve Pipe (32Q) into the matching holes of the Vapour Separator and the Valve Control Rods, as shown.
I installed this part last so it would be aligned correctly. I attached it into the Vapour Separator first, then slightly bent the Valve Control Rods to slide the curved end of the Pipe into place:
Step 6
Fit the D-shaped bottom pin of the Reversing Engine into the matching hole at this left (outboard) location of the Catwalk.
On my model, this was a very tight fit and required scraping off the paint (both my green paint and the base silver color) from the D-shaped pin. Once fitted, this should stand perfectly vertical, as shown:
This is what the left (outboard) side of our port engine should look like after completing these steps:
The Two Thrust Block Pumps
Step 7
Fit the Detail B for Large Pump (32C) into the matching holes of the Base of Large Pump (32E), noting the orientation shown below.
This was a very firm press-fit connection, but I did still use a tiny drop of super glue here:
Fit the keyed posts of the Detail A for Large Pump (32D) and the Detail C for Large Pump (32H) into the matching recesses of the Base.
Make sure these Details are orientated on the Base correctly, as shown:
Secure these Details into place from below with two (2) EP screws, one for each. Make sure the parts do not rotate as you tighten the screws:
Step 8
Fit the lower D-shaped pin of the Detail D for Large Pump (32S) into this matching hole on top of Detail A for Large Pump (32D).
This Detail tank should be perfectly vertical with the side hole facing the nearby nearby narrow end of the Base, as shown:
Fit the upper valve pin of the Valve for Large Pump (32A) into the matching hole in the side of the Detail D for Large Pump (32S).
The curved pipe that runs down from the upper valve should end up perfectly vertical and aligned with the Detail D tank, as shown:
Fit the D-shaped pin of the Large Pump Connection (32R) into this matching top hole of the Detail C for Large Pump (32H).
There are three tiny pins sticking out the side of this Large Pump Connection, however only one of them is D-shaped:
Fit the curved end of the Pipe for Large Pump (32M) into the end hole of the Large Pump Connection (32R).
To make sure this Pipe for Large Pump was aligned correctly, I actually jumped ahead a step and fit this Pump assembly onto the Engine Room Deck (to the right (inboard) side of the existing Thrust Block). I able to see how the lower pin on this Pipe fits into a hole in the floor. Then, I was able to align the curved end of this Pipe perfectly into the Large Pump Connection and glue it into place:
Fit the pin of the Pressure Gauge for Large Pump (32G) into the matching top hole of the Detail C for Large Pump (32H).
You may notice I touched the face of this Gauge with a tiny drop of the Vallejo 71.270 Off-White acrylic paint:
Finally, I made sure that the curved pipe from the Valve for Large Pump (32A) was fitted into this nearby hole in the Engine Room Deck.
Step 9
Retrieve your Engine Room Deck assembly from Issue 26. Fit the keyed post of this Base for Large Pump into the matching hole at this location inboard of the existing Thrust Block. The pins of the two Detail pipes fit into nearby holes.
I did this already in the previous step.
Secure the Base for Large Pump into place from below with one (1) EP screw:
Fit the D-shaped pin of the Control for Large Pump (32N) into this matching hole near the Base, as shown:
Step 10
Fit the keyed post of the Base of Lubrication Pump (32B) into the matching hole of the Engine Room Deck on the left (outboard) side of the Thrust Block, as shown.
This Base should be parallel to the Thrust Block:
Secure the Base into place from below with one (1) FP screw:
Fit the D-shaped pin of the Detail A for Lubrication Pump (32F) into this matching hole of the Engine Room Deck, next to the Base as shown:
Right before I installed this Detail A, I colored the ends of it with my Metallic Gold Sharpie just for fun:
Fit the D-shaped pin of the Tube for Lubrication Pump (32I) into this matching hole of the Engine Room Deck, next to the Base.
This Tube (and the curved pipe) should be parallel to the Thrust Block:
Step 11
Fit the D-shaped pin of the (32O) into this matching hole of the Engine Room Deck at the corner of the Thrust Block, as shown:
The D-shaped pin on this part is at a slight angle – this is by design. There is a tiny worm gear on this part that, on the real ship, would have engaged with the teeth of the engine’s Flywheel. However, since our Flywheel is able to turn and this part can’t rotate, we cannot have the part actually touching the Flywheel. Therefore, I temporarily installed my port engine so I could fit this part as close to, and parallel with, the Flywheel without actually touching it:
Thoughts
I know there was quite a bit of custom paintwork in this issue, but I really believe it helps add authenticity to our engine room. The colors may not be perfectly accurate as we don’t actually know what exact colors all of these parts were in real life, but I love how it turned out anyway!
Next Up
Issue 33 – Turbine Steam Pipeline, Handwheel/Support, Reversing Gear, Low Pressure Pipelines, Gangways, Pipes, Detail
Great job. I followed exactly your paint scheme and now the engine looks really good! Thanx!