MO 65 from the old BTCAD site

sjsquirrel

Member
Long ago there was a nice collection of models on the BTCAD site. I had downloaded many of them, and last fall I started building a ship model from there. The site is no longer alive, but a few months ago I did find them in the wayback machine.

I started the ship just to do something different from all the aircraft and spacecraft stuff I usually do. The model, at a scale of 1/72 is finely detailed, with A LOT of very small parts. It's by far the most challenging model I've done so far, and I'm enjoying it so much i decided to start a thread on it.

So, first off, I've attached a picture of the model from a few months back.
The second picture shows the parts I'm working on now. These are, I believe, ventilation funnels. You can see how small they are. The third picture shows one of the base cylinders (part 40a visible in the second picture) rolled on a straightened, standard paper clip. These puppies are tiny, and there are ten of these to build! Each funnel assembly actually consists of three pieces. Parts 40 and 40a that you can see above, and there is a small (about 1/16 inch) circular piece on a different sheet that forms the back of the funnel.

Later I'll post a picture of the model as it is now. It's such fine, tedious work that I've been building other stuff in between when I need a break. I posted some pics of those projects to the gallery for anyone that's interested.

Can any of you experienced ship builders tell me how to prevent the indentations from showing between the formers? I'd like to be able to improve on that the next time I build a ship.
 

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sjsquirrel

Member
Current status

Here's a shot of the current status of my build. I only have one more funnel to build, then I get to move on to other parts :mrgreen:.

TTFN

Steve
 

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RonC

Member
Indentations between fromers can be reduced by doubling the thickness of teh deck and side panels. I use 190gsm card stock. A glue stick is good for laminating the sheets of card.
On a recent model that was a bit larger than the one you are woking on - a full hull - I tried out the expanding foam that builders use to stop gaps. It swells up in an alarming way, but then can be pared back with a hobby knife and sanded. That produced a good result, and I will use it again next time.

Also check out David Hathaway's suggestion for making railings from cotton thread - see papershipwright.co.uk - a model ship never looks complete until it has its handrails and rigging

Regards, ronC
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Thanks Ron. I'll probably try both techniques sooner or later. That cotton thread idea from papershipwright is excellent. I'll definitely be using that for the railings on this one.

I finished the last of the funnels last night and got them all glued in place. On to other bits now.

More later,

SJ
 

zot

New Member
SJ.
I would like to check these models out. Do you still have the old web address or link through the wayback machine?

Scott
 

Bowdenja

Active Member
You can also glue horizontal stringers between the bulkheads to keep the paper from warping inward.

I've even seen builds where styrofoam was added in between the stringers and sanded into the hull shape before adding the hull skin.

john
 

zot

New Member
Floral foam works well. It's really messy though. It has a fine "grain" and sands down easily but it gets everywhere.
 

sjsquirrel

Member
SJ.
I would like to check these models out. Do you still have the old web address or link through the wayback machine?

Scott

There's a link through the wayback machine in my first post above. They had lots of good models.

Steve
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Thanks for the ideas

You can also glue horizontal stringers between the bulkheads to keep the paper from warping inward.

I've even seen builds where styrofoam was added in between the stringers and sanded into the hull shape before adding the hull skin.

john

Thanks John.

I imagine the styrofoam could get messy, but I'll keep this in mind as another option though. I've been reading up on instructables about hot-wire foam cutters, and I plan on making myself one. I could try using the former pieces as a pattern to cut the foam pieces, and the hot wire cutter would eliminate a lot of the mess.

And thanks for the floral foam suggestion Scott. I think I'll avoid that one because of the messiness.

I'm going to have to start thinking about which ship to build next.

Regards,

Steve
 

Fishcarver

Active Member
"MO4" (Maly Okhotnik=Small Hunter)

Squirrel: Well done!
I have wanted to try this one for awhile!

Keep up the good work!
Jim
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Squirrel: Well done!
I have wanted to try this one for awhile!

Keep up the good work!
Jim


Thanks for the info on what the MO means. I assumed from it's equipment that it was sort of a sub hunter. It has lots of depth charges on the back, as well as a few small guns. Other than that though I don't know anything about it and hadn't bothered to look. I should do that....

Anyway, I think you'd enjoy the model. It could easily be scaled to twice the size and still be a challenging build. Finished a few more parts last night. Will post pics later.

SJ
 

Fishcarver

Active Member
Soviet MO2: Are you done yet?

Sqrl: Look forward to seeing more work on the "Small Hunter". Am about to start mine!

Regards!
Jim
 

Beachead

New Member
I've been on just a few USN ships in my previous career. Some warping looks good cause some of the real ones did. Even the ole CV-66 had some. The older one's more so. The modern building tech of recent years does tend to make this problem not appear though. Anyway, just my two cents. The build looks good any how.
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Latest updates

Not too much to report since the last update. As mentioned all of the funnels are on, then I moved on to the second type of funnel, and some storage boxes around the deck. I'm building the light hatches now. The attached photos show all the flaws, er, I mean details of my work. Also a couple pics of the things that have been distracting me - experimenting with other techniques and media.

Enjoy,

SJ
 

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sjsquirrel

Member
I've been on just a few USN ships in my previous career. Some warping looks good cause some of the real ones did. Even the ole CV-66 had some. The older one's more so. The modern building tech of recent years does tend to make this problem not appear though. Anyway, just my two cents. The build looks good any how.

Thanks Beachead. Funny we were both posting at about the same time there. That's good to know about the real ships warping some. I'll keep that in mind - the idea is to minimize, not eliminate!

I'm still enjoying this build, but also liking that I'm getting toward the end of it. There's so many more things to build....:mrgreen:

SJ
 

Fishcarver

Active Member
Today's "Flaws" are Tomorrow's "Teaching Points"!

Squirrel-meister: What you see as "flaws" now are teaching points for the next model that you build. As far as I can see, you are doing very well!! DO NOT BE YOUR HARSHEST CRITIC!!

I don't know how many card models that you have built before this one, but you are doing a fine job with it; as it is more than a little complex.

Just FYI: The "funnels" are ventilators for the below-deck spaces. The "boxes" are exactly that: ammo boxes for the fore and aft heavy machine guns (HMG), probably 12.7 mm or 14 mm. If the boat got really lucky, it may have had a 20 mm cannon on the foredeck.

The major weakness of the MO* class was that they did not carry torpedoes. This was later rectified.

Carry on and finish the model!

The price is right, and you are doing OK!

Regards,
Jim
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Thanks to Fishcarver

Thanks Fishcarver.

I have built quite a few models, and I do hear you about being my own worst critic. Quite often I'm not happy with a build as it progresses, but by the time it's done it looks great even to me. You can bet I'll finish it.

I started on the two main deck guns a couple days ago. Many small, fiddly parts. Pics soon,

SJ
 

sjsquirrel

Member
A little progress

I installed the two light hatches and have started on the two main deck guns. Haven't had much time for modelling lately so not much progress. Here are the light hatches (small fit problem with the base of those not matching the top parts) and the base of the deck guns.

By the way, I keep forgetting to mention that I translated the instructions (which are in Russian) using Google translator, and have updated and refined the translation as I work along. If anyone wants a copy let me know and I'll email the document (it's in MS Word format).

TTFN
 

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SJ
I've always wondered what that boat looked like built-up. Thanks for sharing.
BTW weren't the MOs sort of gunboats on the Black Sea harassing the German supply routes?

David
 
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