Return to the BUILD
In this issue, we continue to add to the hull as well as some light blocking and then attach two more superstructures to the Boat Deck.
Contents
Parts
Materials: The Bracket and Fourth Hull Section are metal, the Stickers are vinyl, and the rest of these parts are plastic.
Magazine
- Giant of the Sea – The Many Lives of the SS Germanic
- Step-by-Step Instructions
Digital Instructions (click image to download)
Agora Models consolidated the printed build instructions for Pack 12 (Issues 63 – 68) into a single digital PDF file:
Build
Hull Section
As usual, I pre-painted some of the parts of this pack before I began:
- For this issue, as before, I airbrushed and sealed the Fourth Hull Section (and the Hull Section from Stage 65) with Vallejo Anti-Fouling Red 71.442 and Vallejo Satin Varnish 70.522 acrylics paints:
- And again, I hand-painted the end caps of the Benches with Vallejo Model Air 71.057 Black acrylic paint and then gave them a light coat of Vallejo Game Wash 73.200 Sepia to bring out the details a bit better.
Step 1
Retrieve your Bow Hull assembly from the previous issue. Fit the Bracket onto these matching posts inside the rear starboard (right) edge as shown, then secure this Bracket into place with two (2) AM screws.
This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:
Then, fit the Fourth Hull Section for Port Side to the lower left keel, aligning the mounting tabs to the matching posts as shown:
Secure the forward edge of this Hull Section to the existing Hull with one (1) LM screw.
The Allen Key for this screw was supplied with Issue 15. As I have mentioned before, using the key is time consuming. Therefore, I used a stubby bit ratchet with a 2mm Hex bit to make this much quicker and easier:
Secure the lower edge of this Hull Section to the existing Keel with one (1) IM screw:
Reflective Stickers
Step 2
Note the designations of the various stickers on the larger Reflective Self-Adhesive Stickers (63G).
These Stickers are identified by their shapes. I have noted them here:
Step 3
Retrieve your engine room Deckhouse assembly from Issue 51. Fit Reflective Sticker #19 to this interior aft (rear) wall of the Deckhouse, aligning it to the two window openings.
I highly recommend using tweezers for this as I have seen other builders struggle with these Reflective Stickers. Since I am painting the insides of every deck structure on my Titanic, I am not using these stickers at all. However, I will show where they should go:
In the same way, fit Reflective Sticker #8 to this interior port (left) wall (without any windows) of the Deckhouse:
Step 4
Fit Reflective Sticker #20 to this interior forward wall of the Deckhouse, aligning it to the three window openings:
Finally, fit Reflective Sticker #9 to this interior starboard (right) wall of the Deckhouse, aligning it to the two window openings.
Step 5
Retrieve your Boat Deck assembly. Fit this Deckhouse to the matching location on the aft section of the Deck.
As part of my Custom Lighting solution, I added a length of my COB LED Strip inside this Deckhouse, wired to about 12″ of 2-wire cable:
I drilled a 2mm hole through the Boat Deck at this location to allow us to feed the new wires through:
Then, my Deckhouse was fitted to the Boat Deck as per the instructions:
Carefully turn the entire Boat Deck on its side, then secure the Deckhouse into place from below with four (4) AP screws.
These AP screws were supplied with Issue 51:
Step 6
Retrieve your Third Funnel/Base assembly from Issue 53. Carefully turn it over and fit Reflective Sticker #13 to this ledge:
Step 7
Fit Reflective Sticker #1 to the interior wall behind the ledge of the previous Sticker:
Fit Reflective Sticker #2 to the interior wall in front of the same ledge:
Step 8
Fit Reflective Sticker #5 and #10 to these interior walls of the Third Funnel/Base assembly, aligning them to the windows:
Step 9
Fit Reflective Sticker #18 and #4 to these interior walls of the Third Funnel/Base assembly, aligning #18 to the window:
Step 10
Complete the lining of the Third Funnel Base by fitting the appropriate Reflective Stickers, as shown:
Step 11
Retrieve your sheet of Self-Adhesive Strips from Issue 61. Peel one of the long strips from the backing paper and adhere it to the LED Strip inside the Third Funnel/Base assembly, as shown.
Make sure this Self-Adhesive Strip does not interfere with the wiring going up into the Funnel:
Step 12
Feed the LED cables of the Third Funnel/Base assembly down through the holes at this location on the Boat Deck.
Continuing with my Custom Lighting solution, I added another length of my COB LED Strip inside this Deckhouse, wired to a foot of 2-wire cable. For any locations under a Funnel, I place the LED strip facing upwards. This will allow the clear round stock LEDs to pass this light up to the Funnel exterior:
I simply ran the wires for this COB LED down through one of the existing square openings:
Then, we can attach this Funnel assembly to the Boat Deck.
TIP: Make a mental note of which cable is for the LED Strip and which cable leads up to the Smoke Generator inside the Funnel. The Smoke Generator cable is much longer, but mark them if needed:
While pulling the wire slack through, fit the Third Funnel/Base assembly to the Boat Deck, as shown:
Secure the Third Funnel/Base assembly into place from below with six (6) AP screws.
The instructions would have us secure this assembly in a later step, but let’s just get it attached now. These screws were supplied with Issue 54:
Connect the plug from the LED Strip (53A) to socket ‘J1’ on the LED Strip underneath the Third Funnel/Base assembly, as shown:
Retrieve your LED Cable from Issue 50 (marked ‘Z’). Connect the plugs of this LED Cable between socket ‘J3’ of this LED Strip and socket ‘J1’ of the LED Strip towards the rear of the Boat Deck, as shown:
To test these lights, retrieve your LED Cable (52A) last used during testing in Step 12 of Issue 61. Connect this LED Cable between socket ‘J3’ of the rear LED Strip and the ‘MOT/LED’ socket of the Tester Unit:
Step 13
Retrieve your forward Superstructure assembly (with the first two Funnels attached) last worked on in Issue 49. Fit the two Tarpaulins onto the matching Lifeboats A and B on both sides of the First Funnel.
I have my Lifeboats A and B safely in storage, but I temporarily placed them to show how this is supposed to look. I plan to attach them permanently later on in the build:
You may even want to tape these Lifeboats in place so they do not become lost. I am keeping my Lifeboats stored in my screw box until much later:
Thoughts
More Hull sections attached – excellent! And, we now have both of our rear Funnel assemblies installed! I am sure we have handled this Boat Deck carefully up until now, but we really need to be gentle with it going forward. The unused Ducts, Benches, Pipe, and smaller Reflective Self-Adhesive Stickers sheet will be used in a future issue, so store them safely for now.
Next Up
Issue 64 – Fourth Hull Section (Upper Port Side), Cross Support