discussion Neil's 1-35 Liberty Ship Diorama

[Neil Merryweather]

I'm imagining the net will be a challenge. Your 3d bits are amazing as usual.

Thanks for the compliment, there's going to be a lot more of it, actually, but we're coming to that.
As for the net, you're not wrong, Rick. I do have a solution which is the result of a lot of hours searching and abortive internet purchases,but I think I will save that story for nearer the time it gets used

 

[scottie3158]

Neil,
Chair pulled up mate will follow the magic.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Good to see this started. It certainly will be big. Thin styrene sheet would be my first choice for cladding but it might not be suitable for what you want.

I'm thinking thin metal, myself Jim, possibly the copper I used on the Higgins boat. I want something I can dent convincingly like this


and then there's all those rivets....

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Neil,
Chair pulled up mate will follow the magic.

Glad to have you aboard sir!

 

[Airborne01]

Much as I didn't like my Old Man I have to give him respect for being a Royal Marine Assault Cox'n on D Day - this will certainly resonate with the photo's and stories from him and his oppo's. Look forward to the end result mate
Steve

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Much as I didn't like my Old Man I have to give him respect for being a Royal Marine Assault Cox'n on D Day - this will certainly resonate with the photo's and stories from him and his oppo's. Look forward to the end result mate
Steve

Wow Steve, respect absolutely!
Do you know which beach? I initially assumed Sword or Juno, but I know the landing craft crews on all the beaches were not necessarily the same nationality as the main assault troops .
Cheers
N

 

[flyjoe180]

Have visited this ship myself Neil. Watching you build progress with interest.

 

[Airborne01]

If I recall correctly Neil it was Sword - not 100% certain, and him and his siblings are long gone. so I can't confirm
Steve

 

[Ian M]

and dents! what have they done to the poor thing target practice!?

 

[Neil Merryweather]

First off, I'm not sure if I'm in the right place- Is a new thread a topic?
If not , could a mod please re-direct me?

Anyway
I’m very grateful to this forum for providing me with the impetus (via Group Builds) to build this project I’ve had on the stocks for at least ten years. The first phase is complete, thanks to @Geoffers’ D-Day GB, with the LCVP (link).
I mentioned in my GB thread that the LCVP is intended to be part of a diorama but I didn’t go into any detail- well now is the time. And I’m glad it’s a six month GB because I will surely need all of it..
The diorama is set at sea, off one of the American beaches on the morning of D-Day as the GI’s climb from their ship down the scramble net into the LCVP, while the ship’s crew lean over the rails watching them. As reference for the ship I started with a set of photos I took in San Francisco of the preserved Liberty Ship Jeremiah O’Brien .
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Let me say right here that I'm pretty sure it didn't necessarily happen exactly this way, but a Liberty Ship was all I had at the start and now I’m too far in to change it , so artistic licence is going to be employed frequently during this project.
Having decided to use a Liberty Ship as my base I started trawling the internet for plans and photos to fill in the gaps in my own stuff. I printed parts of plans at 1-35 scale and I found a basic 3D printable model which I used to rough out the scope and size of the diorama in 3D CAD. I even bought a 1-350 model of one to check the finer dimensions- at 1-350 all I had to do was multiply by 10, and even I can manage that!
Then I gradually started to add bits and pieces to flesh it out,and as a way of improving my CAD skills, and before I knew it I had pretty much designed the whole model in 3D CAD. I should point out that this wasn’t quick- it took me about eight or ten months in lunch hours at work.
Anyway this is what I hope it will look like
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where have the pictures gone?

 

[Steven000]

Hi Neil, like I said in post #5, I never saw any pictures in your first post?

 

[Neil Merryweather]

My apologies to everyone , I didn't realise the pictures had disappeared in the interim

here's the whole post (with luck)

I’m very grateful to this forum for providing me with the impetus (via Group Builds) to build this project I’ve had on the stocks for at least ten years. The first phase is complete, thanks to @Geoffers’ D-Day GB, with the LCVP (Link attached , I hope).
I mentioned in my GB thread that the LCVP is intended to be part of a diorama but I didn’t go into any detail- well now is the time. And I’m glad it’s a six month GB because I will surely need all of it..
The diorama is set at sea, off one of the American beaches on the morning of D-Day as the GI’s climb from their ship down the scramble net into the LCVP, while the ship’s crew lean over the rails watching them. As reference for the ship I started with a set of photos I took in San Francisco of the preserved Liberty Ship Jeremiah O’Brien .






Let me say right here that I'm pretty sure it didn't necessarily happen exactly this way, but a Liberty Ship was all I had at the start and now I’m too far in to change it , so artistic licence is going to be employed frequently during this project.
Having decided to use a Liberty Ship as my base I started trawling the internet for plans and photos to fill in the gaps in my own stuff. I printed parts of plans at 1-35 scale and I found a basic 3D printable model which I used to rough out the scope and size of the diorama in 3D CAD. I even bought a 1-350 model of one to check the finer dimensions- at 1-350 all I had to do was multiply by 10, and even I can manage that!
Then I gradually started to add bits and pieces to flesh it out,and as a way of improving my CAD skills, and before I knew it I had pretty much designed the whole model in 3D CAD. I should point out that this wasn’t quick- it took me about eight or ten months in lunch hours at work.
Anyway this is what I hope it will look like







hopefully they will stay put this time!
cheers
Neil

 

[Neil Merryweather]

I have clad the hull side with 1.5mm mount board as a substrate -I’m not wasting a pic on it - to which I will attach whatever cladding I decide upon. Experiments are being conducted as I type and will be reported upon completion.
I always intended to build the structure of the model from sheet material-foamboard,etc, so I have been studying my digital model to figure out the dimensions of the various structural elements, walls etc.
But I had a revelation....
I have two 3D printers; a small resin one, which I have used for all the detailed bits I’ve printed so far, and a large-format FDM printer (such as Dave Ward uses) which I have used for the larger pieces like the funnel and gun tubs.
It occurred to me that I have already made the model ‘virtually’, and it would be the work of only a little while to divide the larger elements into printable pieces, so I have started with the main deck walls.



I had to add some detail of seam lines, and the porthole detail is too subtle for the big printer , so I will make them separately on the small one .





They will be inserted later and backed with 2mm clear perspex, back-sprayed black - I am NOT doing the interior!
I made a recess in the side wall for the door





Here they are in a nice grey filament


The downside of using the FDM printer is that the surface finish is not at all flat-even when you print a piece flat on the build-plate.



Annoyingly this texture has to be sanded off, and unfortunately the only way is mark one elbow grease !
I do have an electric sander but the problem is that the melting point of the plastic filament is so low that it just wrecks the piece. So I started with P60 grit (which is practically cobble stones...!) and even that causes melting and has to be rested every now and then. I worked my way up through the grades to 320, which will give me a good enough finish for primer. So you see there is no advantage adding any detail with this printer.



Well, I think that's all for now folks.
Thanks for watching
Cheers
Neil

 

[Tim Marlow]

Excellent progress Neil. Interesting to see 3D printing in use for this sort of thing as well. As to the sanding issue, would working wet help (should keep the surface cooler) or is that a problem with the printing material?

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Excellent progress Neil. Interesting to see 3D printing in use for this sort of thing as well. As to the sanding issue, would working wet help (should keep the surface cooler) or is that a problem with the printing material?

Cheers Tim,
You're probably right, I will try it next time.
The great thing about 3D printers is they can be building something while I do something more interesting!
Although of course I spent a LONG time building it digitally in the first place .
The interesting thing is that I'm pretty much creating my own kit of parts,and in theory, when I have finished, almost all of it of it could be emailed to someone else to print it for themselves...

 

[Ian M]

I must say that I can not recall having seen these pictures that "went missing" at all. most odd.

That looks like it will build into a fantastic display when done. A real show stopper!

 

[Gern]

You don't do things by halves do you young Neil! Given the attention to detail that you gave to the LCVP that goes with this, methinks the end result is going to be spectacular!

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Such an interesting project and build thread Neil. Great work so far.

 

[Jack L]

This looks awesome!!!

 

[minitnkr]

I feel you're showing us the future now. Some great work. I would imagine AI converting photos to CAD files next.