X craft build

I just wish there was something I could do you for in return, mate...

Both hatches now fitted, spot of Andy's magic filler required here and there, but other than that..I'm happy. My hands aren't though...my right hand/wrist are now hurting badly. Time for a break and watch the MotoGP, methinks...

Can't do much work on anything today, both hands are badly swollen again...this is getting ridiculous now. With due acknowledgement to Meatloaf..."Life is a lemon, and I want my money back...".

Anyway, a quick update on the X craft...I've spoken to Debbie at Models By Design, and Andy is going to mould me a replacement front hatch, same size as the rear one, so at least both of them will be the same size, should make it look a lot better.

I've also ordered a replacement propellor, the 35mm one looked silly, so I've ordered a 45mm one, which I'm sure is what X22 had fitted to it.

If (IF) my hands decide to play ball later on, I want to make a start on cutting out the flood holes...it's got to be done.

This is the Robbe periscope kit assembled and dry fitted for the time being, got a lot of sanding to do before it gets fitted properly. Looks pretty good to me...

The start of the prop shaft support, just needs a good application of epoxy to complete that job.



And the nice new 45mm Raboesch prop fitted, looks much better than the 35mm one I had fitted earlier.

coming on at a cracking pace mate your doing a great job how long is she

Thanks mate, she's 41" x 4.5", nice convenient size to transport about, and supposedly 1/15th scale.

Once again, thanks to David Merriman and his Skipjack fittings kit, I now have a prop tube support for the X craft. I think this piece was part of the torpedo tubes fittings, but seeing as how I don't have room for torpedoes in the Skipjack, it seemed a shame not to use it. It saved hours of work trying to make a support, it could have been purpose made for the X craft ...thanks David!

It's a bit tight and more than a bit dark in the stern section, but the picture gives you an idea of what it looks like with the prop shaft support and the cylinder in place.



Next little job...make up the supports to stop the equipment tray rotating in the cylinder. I've also bought myself a fancy carbide round file from eBay, so when that arrives I can commence with the worst part of the build...the flood slots.

I hate cylinders, it's official. The concept of installing square objects into round tubes just does not compute, it's totally alien to me. I've really tried hard to get my head around the perishing things, but to no avail.

As soon as Andy gets back from Poland, and makes the new lip and lid for my radio box, that's what's going in the X craft...sorry David, but square things should go in square holes!

i'm back and you'll be able to put the square peg in the round hole soon mate

Welcome home, mate...hope you had an uneventful trip?

I like square things in square places, that's where they belong!

Despite my hands not cooperating at all this morning, I've managed a couple of little jobs.

Thanks to Andy and Debbie at Models By Design, I now have both hatches the same size...looks much better, I think. Just a drop of Andy's magic filler (our Andy) to fill the gaps and we're done with the hatches. Apart from making the operating levers, that is...

And thanks to Malcolm at Cornwall Model Boats who managed to locate a pair of Robbe periscope kits for me, I now have both periscopes made and dry fitted.




(I also had a stern lecture from my carer for leaving a pile of fibreglass dust on the floor after fitting the new forward hatch...)

your doing a grand job there rich 'very smart indeed

Thanks Andy...the worst is to come though, those damn flood slots, not looking forward to that.

Today's little jobs were  to fit the rudders and the dive plane...I did manage to install  the rudders, but after making a start on the dive plane, my fingers said 'enough', so I had to call a halt. There's always tomorrow...



And yes, I know I cut away a bit too much on the top rudder, but it's nothing a sliver of styrene sheet won't cure. My fingers weren't cooperating with the razor saw...

And this is how far I managed to get with the dive plane...the ares shaded in pencil are to be cut away.

How did You Know where to cut , the right angle ?.

The two plane supports are actually marked with an indentation of where to cut, Marius...it's best to allow a 1/16th of an inch to allow for sanding to get a good fit.

The dive plane I marked up by offering it up to the gap between the two rudders, allowing a good 45* up and down movement.

Richard, this is coming along nicely!
Keep up the great work.

Well, thank you Tom..most kind of you. It's a slow job because of these blasted hands, but I'm getting there.

Ballast tank made and installed...

you only having the one in the nose rich 'wont that make her heavy up front mate

Ah, I have a cunning plan, mate...full size X craft would often run with the stern trimmed down to give a bit more bite to the control surfaces. I'm copying Paul Cook's idea of running bows up on the surface, filling the tank to trim the bows down, then diving on the planes. I've seen Paul's boat in action, and to me it looks very scale like, so I sort of "borrowed" the idea. I am going to change the tank though to a shorter, fatter one, mounted vertically instead of horizontally, and moving it closer to the radio box...that should cut down on water sloshing about in the tank.

Had to have a complete rethink on the ballast tank, tests showed that the first one was too long and too thin, and too far forward, so back to the drawing board I went. Someone on Facebook suggested short, fat and vertical may be the way to go, so this is the Mark 11 version. Shorter, fatter and vertically mounted...the weight distribution should be better too. Next job (after a nice cuppa tea!) is to knock up some caps to seal the ends and make up the inlet pipe, that will sit central in the end cap and fit in the keel.

Much as I regret saying this, but that was a total disaster! It's too far forward (again!) and I can't get the tank back any further due to height restrictions under the deck, so it's back to the drawing board again.

A shorter tank is called for, about half depth of the Mark 2...now, where's my razor saw?



(why didn't I leave this as a dynamic dive boat.....)