Kooklik u-boat question

[Maltedfalcon]

So I purchased Kooklik's u-boat from ecardmodels.
And then I used a laser cutter to cut out the hull formers, I have now triple-checked, and made sure my formers are correct, but the skins are just a hair too small for the formers. i.e, they don't come all the way up to the deckline or they are just a fraction too short to go between the vertical formers.

I read several threads where people have said the skins don't exactly fit. so my question is simple, do I shrink the formers or do I enlarge the skins. either is easy enough. but I want to make the correct change.

Can someone who made the model tell me the exact length of the completed model bow to stern. If so I can measure the formers and see if my formers are too big or my skins are too small.

Thanks

[airdave]

The skins are not too small.
but the model is designed with exacting tolerance.
There is little or no room for error.

First thing I would look at is the thickness of your formers.
Is the material thicker than what Kooklik intended?

I believe 1mm is recommended for former thicknesses (at 1/72 scale).
Even a tiny amount over will add up, when you factor in all the formers.

I built the model, but I downscaled it quite a bit.
This not only changes the dimensions, but offers more fit tolerance.
My only issues with the build were due to my experience and skill level.

http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/94741-post20.html

I remember experiencing an issue with skin alignment at the rear of the sub.
But again, its a builder issue.
This is similar to the problem of hanging wallpaper.
That first strip must be positioned correctly vertical...if the first strip is slightly off, the last one will be WAY off!

[jimbean]

It's hard to get an accurate measurement but I make it 36 7/8 inches overall.
cheers Jim Bean

[Maltedfalcon]

I understand what you are saying but I don't see where the thickness would become an issue in that the rib formers don't change diameter at all.
but I can easily adapt them to be smaller

[airdave]

No, I guess when you're dealing with a criss-cross assembly like this,
the thicknesses are not gonna change much
...I'm just considering things that might "fatten" up the structure,
and make the skins fit that much tighter.

[Maltedfalcon]

Originally Posted by jimbean

It's hard to get an accurate measurement but I make it 36 7/8 inches overall.
cheers Jim Bean

Jim - just what I needed, did you cut your own formers or did you use lasercut premade formers?

[Maltedfalcon]

Thanks for the info I put my keel together and basically got the exact length you mentioned. which meant the problem was with the skins, and after careful examination I found when I transfered the skins to 8.5x11, they scaled.... So great news! the formers are spot on.

[Maltedfalcon]

So next I will set the laser up to label each piece. So that a month from now I will still be able to identify each piece. the number of times I have cut out a piece and then later couldn't identify where it goes is bordering on stupid...

[Don Boose]

Looking forward to watching this build. Enjoyed the well-informed preliminary discussion.

Bon voyage!

Don

[airdave]

So, to clarify...the problem is not with the skins either?
The problem was with your scaling and printing.