Container Ship Test Fit

David,

What a wonderful looking ship!    I really like it.    Is it for your layout or some one else?

Randy,

Thanks, It is for a friend.

Dave

Nice! Looks like the real thing to me! Big like the real thing too!

Nice DAVE!!!!

What ya gonna use for an anchor?

David, you are an artist!  That ship is beautiful.

That is one REALLY BIG ship!  The layout must be immense to fit that in.  I'll bet it'll cost about $10,000 for the containers to fill it up.

Nice Work Dave!

Wow that is one good looking ship. How long is it?

Thanks guys,

Pete,

It is around 8'

Dave

Looks great Dave.  You did such a nice job with the 5 minute foam tower, could foam be an option if you were more deliberate and detailed?

Here is the start of the tower. I decided on mdf

David

I will first apologize ahead of time and don't want you to take this the wrong way however I am going to correct you on a bit of terminology with regard to the structure elevated above the main deck on a vessel.

It is either called the "superstructure" or the "house" but never a tower.  Not your fault as you are most likely not a mariner. 

PS.  Once you are finished with your house letter across the forward bulkhead....  "Safety First" or "No Smoking" or both in the color red....  it will add a sense of authenticity.  Also  commercial vessels are required to stencil their IMO number on the front of the house as well.  It is a unique number for that vessel that does not change throughout it's lifetime even if the name of the vessel, flag, or owner changes.  See Photo's

Sorry, don't know your name but,  Thank you for the info!  I am very new to modeling boats and ships.   The photo I am going off of does not have any writing on the super structure.  

I had an HO guy tear up my Monongahela tow boat because I used the wrong windows.   Oh well.  It is a constant learning process.

Please feel free to add any more comments that might help make the model better.  I appreciate the input and I am never offended

Dave

David Minarik posted:

I appreciate the input and I am never offended

Obviously, we're just not trying hard enough!

Well I google searched for the IMO number on commercial vessels. It appears placement is on the stern of the hull.

Are you making it out of LEGOs?   There is a guy making either an aircraft carrier or battleship out of LEGOs.  I think he used like 800,000 LEGOs just for the first 2 layers of the hull.  It really looked pretty cool. I think it's on youtube.

Rick

This ship..any thoughts on R/C operation?

Dave,

The progress is looking good.

Alan Graziano

Won't the bilge water from the ship rust the track on your layout?!?

A couple of suggestions would be to add a rotating radar antenna on top of the house using a geared electric motor and you might consider looking at card stock containers to save on wieght and cost. There's some pretty realistic card stock containers being made now. 

prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Well I google searched for the IMO number on commercial vessels. It appears placement is on the stern of the hull.

Bingo... as someone who sails, you are correct. It is also located somewhere in the engineering spaces... but that is beyond the scope of this model.

A couple other suggestions for exterior accuracy sake...

When naming your fine vessel, not only should it appear on both side of the bow, and again on the stern, but also on boards on either side of the bridge/wheelhouse, typically on wooden boards with gold or white lettering.

However you choose to flag your vessel... practice is that you fly the flag of the country where the vessel is registered on the stern, and fly the flag of the visiting port (I will imagine this is a US port for a US railroad) from one of the lines on the yard arm (horizontal pole on the mast)

A bright orange lifeboat would also add some realism to the model.

It is a great looking ship though, excellent work!

Dave.

So far so good, it is going to be a very nice model, no space for a ship that size or any size, but I like the way you work so I am following the progress. 3mm or 1/8th MDF is a very handy medium for O scale modeling I have used it a lot.

Thanks Roo.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

David Minarik posted:

I appreciate the input and I am never offended

Obviously, we're just not trying hard enough!

John,

You made me spit out my coffee! lol

Dave

I soldered up some railing last night.

Very nice, so 8 more and you have a fleet!

David Minarik posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

David Minarik posted:

I appreciate the input and I am never offended

Obviously, we're just not trying hard enough!

John,

You made me spit out my coffee! lol

It was just such an obvious target.

BTW, where is this monster going?

As far as properly marking the IMO number on a vessel....

We are all right...

The SOLAS regulations say the following:

The ship's identification number shall be permanently marked:

    in a visible place either on the stern of the ship......or on the front of the superstructure.....

    and

   in an easily accessible place either on one of the end transverse bulkheads.

Love the idea of placing an orange life raft on the vessel....I would suggest a stern mounted one.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

David Minarik posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

David Minarik posted:

I appreciate the input and I am never offended

Obviously, we're just not trying hard enough!

John,

You made me spit out my coffee! lol

It was just such an obvious target.

BTW, where is this monster going?

John,

It is going on my friend Brian's layout.  It is the 60' x 24' one Allan Millers has been writing about.  This piece will be about 8' back so I don't think I will get too crazy with detail.  I think you could work on a model like this for a year or so if you wanted.

I do think I am adding the enclosed top life boat.

Dave

Tonight's progress. 

We all have our own way of constructing  projects. David, your way is excellent.

alan graziano

Alan Graziano posted:

We all have our own way of constructing  projects. David, your way is excellent.

alan graziano

Alan,

Thank you!  It is not nearly as detailed as your models.

Dave

Great thread,  Thanks all

Looks great Dave!

Looking awesome!

Dave.

Could I ask a question I know your a busy man and I respect your time.

I noticed with the Steel Mill and now this ship you use Wire and solder for the handrails is that because there is less chance of damage or do you find with a jig it's easier over styrene.

I'm asking because I have to make a lot of handrails soon for my project, thanks in advance.

Roo.

Roo posted:

Dave.

Could I ask a question I know your a busy man and I respect your time.

I noticed with the Steel Mill and now this ship you use Wire and solder for the handrails is that because there is less chance of damage or do you find with a jig it's easier over styrene.

I'm asking because I have to make a lot of handrails soon for my project, thanks in advance.

Roo.

Roo,

The wire, TIG welding rod, is very strong and sturdy.  It is also extremely cheap compared to brass.   I believe it is 3/32.  They do make it 1/32 if you special order it.  It is also copper coated which makes it very easy to solder.

I made a jig out of some brass tubing to cut the vertical pieces all to the same length.  For the blast furnace, I used brass roof walk for the catwalk.  The vertical pieces were soldered to the catwalk.  Then the horizontal pieces are soldered on.  This part goes pretty fast and makes the whole structure very strong.

The process for the ship decking was much easier and faster.  I drilled holes in the MDF with a drill press and inserted the vertical pieces.  The horizontal pieces were then soldered on.  Pretty easy!

I think styrene would take a lifetime unless it was pre-fabbed.  

I've been watching your cast house progress.  It is looking great!  

Hope this helps 

Dave

Dave. Thanks for that information it will help me. I once had a business with one TIGs and three Migs among other equipment, used to recondition Torque converters for Automatic transmissions never thought about that wire for modelling been away from it to long.

Roo.

salute Roo! (sri I got you and your kangaroos confused with mitch and his multiplying Giraffe herds)

I have a 3500 stall in our 69 Chevelle... old three speed. It's a mystery.

So mig wire for handrails and ladders? Nice... (thanks fo rthe fun flashback.)

miggy