discussion 1/144 MikroMir Holland class submarine

[Dave Ward]

After the ICM 1/144 Type IIB sub, I decided to have another go, even smaller, the first Royal Navy submarines

This is a short run model, but the injection moulded parts are delicate, as are the PE parts. I got a bit ahead of myself & glued the hull together before taking the piccies!



You can choose any one of the 5 members of this class, the differences being slight paint variations & decal numbers. Although a White Ensign is provided, it was only seen at launch - at sea there didn't seem to be any flag flown!

The class had a crew of 8. No.5 has half her crew on deck - there are towing cables rigged along the side of the hull. An officer is sitting on the edge of the hatch/conning tower ( fore & aft cap ) - the rating in front of him is at the helm. The 3 smaller light coloured pipes are air tubes - the taller pipe is the ( fixed ) periscope.
I've decided to do a waterline model, despite it going to be rather small. I think that the 'N' gauge railway passengers will be converted to RN matelots & officers
Dave

 

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
Your last sub worked out really well. Looking forward to seeing you tackle this tiny one.
Jim

 

[Bortig the Viking]

Although a White Ensign is provided, it was only seen at launch - at sea there didn't seem to be any flag flown!

Maybe it would get wet, lol. :tongue-out3: :smiling2:

 

[Dave Ward]

Being such a tiny model, progress can be quite quick - I made a lipped base - I used masking tape to lay out a rough waterline. Then vertical cuts..........................

Horizontal cuts to remove the excess material - keeping close as possible to the tape

After removing the tape, I sanded the hull down on a sheet of emery paper it doesn't have to be perfect, as the sea will cover the waterline


Hull added to the base - I'll roughen up the plastic card, so that the DAS will have something to key into. I'll use two layers to avoid cracking & warping

The depth of sea will be 1mm plus the 'waves'
Dave

 

[rtfoe]

Nice Dave that you're doing it waterlined. A submarine in its natural state with three quarters of its body submerged. They remind me of the British X Class subs.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[Dave Ward]

I found this:

I suspect that the artist has made it more roomy than it actually was!
Dave

 

[Bortig the Viking]

I found this:

I suspect that the artist has made it more roomy than it actually was!
Dave

Would I be right in assuming this only went out in shifts, as I can't see any living/sleeping quarters, it must have felt a bit like a coffin in there.

 

[Dave Ward]

Would I be right in assuming this only went out in shifts, as I can't see any living/sleeping quarters, it must have felt a bit like a coffin in there.

Well, the range of these A class was 250 miles @ 8knots = 30+hrs. They could spend a day and a half at sea. So they would be on watch keeping - only 4 sleeping/resting at a time, the others being on duty. Generally the crew would bunk on a depot ship, whilst in port, the sub being moored alongside. All of these crews were volunteers, and they would receive 'hard lying money', a small bonus on their pay for bad conditions. It was very hazardous, on an essentially experimental vessel. ( I once visited a modern RN sub & I was claustrophobic on that!!!!)
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

The first layer of DAS applied, the plastic card surface was dampened, to give better adhesion

The final thin skim will add the sea details - DAS can be thinned with water, to a slurry, that you can use a paintbrush ( kids' nylon brushes are ideal ), to smooth & add ripples etc.
This will now go into a cool room for a day or so, so that when it dries, it doesn't crack - at least not too much!
Dave

 

[dave]

interesting subject, I went on one of the old diesel-electric O-boats at Faslane, and I will second them being cramped. As I recall I could only stand upright in two places, underneath the conning tower and underneath the forward torpedo loading hatch.

 

[Dave Ward]

I visited HMS Alliance ( when she was still in commission ) when I was a teenager, at a Navy Day ( Falmouth? ), It was cramped, dank, claustrophobic and smelled! Now, I recognise that was a mix of oil, diesel and bilgewater, which I became familiar with a few years later..............
There's no way I would go underwater on one of those things! I spent all my time in the MN trying to stay on top of the water - and succeeding!!!
Dave

 

[stillp]

My only experience was a trip around a US submarine at Battleship Park near Mobile, Alabama, which was quite roomy - enough headroom in most places. I still wouldn't want to spend days/weeks in one though.
Pete

 

[Dave Ward]

My only experience was a trip around a US submarine at Battleship Park near Mobile, Alabama, which was quite roomy - enough headroom in most places. I still wouldn't want to spend days/weeks in one though.
Pete

Ouch, I visited Mobile in the mid 80's - the most unsettling place I ever visited in the States, the racial tension was really frightening ( and I visited some scary places in the 80s! ) - I went ashore once, and that was enough for me...........
Dave

 

[stillp]

Scariest place I've been in the USA was Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans. Lovely park, but as the sun went down and the drug dealers started setting up shop in their trucks, I realised I was an ethnic minority...
I didn't actually go into Mobile, just Battleship Park. My hotel and conference centre was at Point Clear, across the bay. Nice place, 3 staff for every customer so great service, even by US standards.
Pete

 

[Dave Ward]

New Orleans! Bourbon Street, Basin & Canal Street - had a few good nights out there - only problem was that after a few drinks - all the live Jazz groups sounded the same. We eventually found a sidestreet bar - which advertised 'positively no jazz here' - it was packed!
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Realised that I had forgotten about this - I'd put it in a cool place for the base to dry - and out of sight, out of mind!
I mixed a few pellets of DAS with water, to create a smooth mud-like paste, then used one of my less-than-perfect paint brushes ( I have a lot of those! ), and filled in any obvious holes, then attempted to create a few bow wave/wake effects - not too apparent, but I'll be able to pick them out when painting.

Next up, after the DAS has dried out, I'll paint it with a PVA solution, to seal it ready for the acrylics...............
Dave

 

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
The sea looks good. You have a way with DAS clay.
Jim

 

[Dave Ward]

Hi Dave
The sea looks good. You have a way with DAS clay.
Jim

Jim,
thanks for that! - The one thing I don't like about DAS is the long drying times - you can 'force' it, but that leads to cracking & shrinkage. Letting it dry in a cool place over a day or so is the best way, but needs patience............
Dave

 

[David Lovell]

Good stuff Dave, made a few of the micromir kits as with a lot of limited run kits they can be hit or miss people shouldn't expect shake and bake but fun to build and the subject choice is always unusual looking forward to the next showing .

 

[Dave Ward]

Good stuff Dave, made a few of the micromir kits as with a lot of limited run kits they can be hit or miss people shouldn't expect shake and bake but fun to build and the subject choice is always unusual looking forward to the next showing .

David,
this was an ebay auction win - I certainly wouldn't have paid full price for this tiddler - probably why I haven't made any MikroMir models before!
Dave