After a few abandoned projects, I decided to build the HMS Prince of Wales for fast gun combat (MWC ruleset). Hopefully, this vessel will see action during the 2009 battling season. Thank you for your interest and see you on the ponds! Jp
Visit this site I really wanted to scratch build my second ship. However, I did not want to sit out the 2009 battling season as I had done in 2008. I determined that I needed to have a floating hull before the cold weather set in (as it does quite early in Chicago) in order to mark the scale waterline and begin the other tasks associated with building. Thus, I decided to build the HMS Prince of Wales using a King George V hull I bought from a fellow MWC member. On a positive note, the experience obtained from working on a fiberglass hull may have brought me one step closer to being a true MWC 'renaissance man'. The careful observer probably noticed my fiberglass hull was cleft in twain []. This hull was made in Australia and cut in half for shipment to the United States. The manufacturer provided metal rods (which fit into brass tubes already glassed into the either side of the hull) and acrylic pieces to line up and reattach the hull sections.
Visit this site Before I begin, let me preface this entry by saying I did not find my copy of the instructions provided by the manufacturer for joining the hull sections until a day after I completed this step. Thankfully, all the pieces were well marked and the procedure was quite simple. I started by mixing a batch of West Systems epoxy (one pump of #105 resin with one pump of #205 hardener). I brushed some epoxy on half of the first metal rod and inserted this end into the appropriate tube already glassed into the hull. I repeated for each of the other four rods. Then, I brushed epoxy along the edge of the hull section and the remaining half of each metal rod. I brought the hull sections together and installed the acrylic pieces with the provided screws in order to line everything up. There was a gap (~ 1/8") between the two hull sections but I later learned that was to be expected. Also, I took care to keep epoxy away from both the top and bottom acrylic pieces because I decided they would eventually be replaced by wooden subdeck and water channeling, respectively.
Visit this site The bottom acrylic pieces were removed and the first layer of fiberglass (provided by the manufacturer) was epoxied to the bottom of the hull. I cut the layer of glass long enough to cover both the gap between the hull sections and the screw holes used to hold the now removed acrylic pieces. 3M Super 77 spray adhesive was initially used to hold the fiberglass in place until the entire section was covered with a generous amount of West System epoxy.
Thanks everyone. I put more glass over the gap between the hull sections last night. I will continue to lay glass for the next couple days (remembering to rotate the direction of the strands, of course). I don't really want to bore everybody with too many pictures, though. Jp
So how many people are doing KGV class battleships this winter? A local fellow and all around great guy GAVE me his old KGV (minus guns and guts, but with the parts I hate to do done [subdeck and deck]) to play with. Not sure which KGV it'll be, probably the Duke of York (which sank Scharnhorst!) [I will start my own build thread and not hijack yours further]
I am building a KGV this winter. I am outfitting it for Combat-x but it easily converts to MWC or Ircwcc. Under Combat-x Option 1. Quad sterns- Dual sidemount rotate- 1 full unit pump - 1 .25unit pmp. Option 2. Quade sidemount rotate( optional) Dual sterns - 1 full unit pump - 1 .25 unit pump option 3. Dual sidemount A turret dual sidemount b turret dual sterns 1 full unit pump 1 .25 unit pump.
Curt, what was the original post were we came up with the name for Combat X. I know i did, but if you remember which post, i'd like to take a look (the search didnt help me)
Visit this site I epoxied a few more layers of fiberglass to the bottom of the hull (being sure to rotate the fibers of glass with each layer). After, I flipped the hull upside-down and filled the outer gap and screw holes with Bondo automotive body filler. Finally, I sanded the hull with 100-grit sandpaper.
Visit this site I sprayed a layer of white primer over the outside of the hull. I'm not certain if it is necessary but I figured it would help protect the hull as well as allow the waterline markings to be more easily visible by providing a uniform surface color. Once the primer dried, I weighed the hull to just over 34 lbs (MWC scale weight of the King George V class battleships being 34.02 lbs). Then, I filled a small inflatable swimming pool until the hull floated freely and marked the waterline.
I have my moments. This is the time of year to buy the summer surplus swimming pools. You can probably pick one up for less than $20. Jp
That inflatable swimming pool is a great idea for a lot of us. I love shutting down the pumps to my Koi Pond and using it for float tests and such. It pays to have a 3000 gallon Koi pond at times.
