Confederate Double Ender ironclad in 1/250 scale

[Knife]

I decided that all the light blue lifeboats were getting boring, so I decided to mix up their paint schemes. The one I liked best has CT's deck planking pattern on the outside and his weathered wood pattern on the inside.

I also used CT's wood pattern to cover the grating on the main deck and convert it into a hatch.

[jagolden01]

Looking very nice. Fine call on the textures for the boats and the deck hatch loos great.

[Knife]

I printed up some of CT's flags and spar torpedos to complete the model. The flagpole and anchor hoist took up too much room on the bow so I chose to not install the torpedo and will save it for a later kit.

The only suggestion I would make to CT is to add some of the planking pattern to the center section of the deck. I ended up with a small sliver of blue showing after I glued the deck armour in place. Having the edge of the center deck colored with the deck pattern would hide any misalignment of the armour.

[ct ertz]

Great job! I will take your suggestions to heart and do some recoloring. I am unsure how the anchor lines would have worked, it looks like on the drawing that they simply let through or over the deck hatches and into the hold. i do not know how the winch might have worked. They possibly may have simply let to holes in front of or beside the deck hatches down to a steam driven winch but again, I do not know. How where you going to hook up anchor lines?

[Knife]

I'm thinking bollards would have been used. With up to four engines this ironclad could fight the tide and didn't have to be moored in place with strong anchors. Small anchors or dock lines could have been secured to bollards on both ends of the ship for mooring. It seems to me if they had to use heavy anchors that needed a winch to raise that the anchor chains would bite into the deck if fed up from chain lockers and down through the deck hatches. That's why I left the anchors off this particular build. I assume they would have used small anchors that when not in use would be stored below deck.

If you want to recolor the lifeboats you can use the photo from post #21. It's designed to be printed out on regular (65lb) paper and then folded in half to give the darker wood on the outside. I can send you the BMP file that I used if you want it.

Don't forget my other suggestion that if the deck is layed out on an angle that you could make the deck and side skirts one piece. I'm not sure what programs you're using in laying out the pieces and how difficult this process might be, but tilting the pieces would remove several joints.

SO CT, what's going to be your next project? I'm going to build up your Raleigh, Tuskaloosa, Virginia II, and shipwright's Virginia. My ironclad fixation should be complete by then.

I know CT Ertz has designed 18 Confederate ironclads, but is there a list somewhere of what they all are? Are all available for download/purchase?

[lepercan]

Has anyone considered 1/160? "N" guage figures are really easy to find.

[ct ertz]

I do like the idea of figures being available but for now I will probably stick with 1/250 scale for now.

Here is a list of my ship models.
01-CSS Wilmington, ECardmodels.com Shop
02-CSS Fredericksburg, ECardmodels.com Shop
03-CSS Virginia II, FREE download of basic at PM, full model at ECardmodels.com Shop
04-USS Chillicothe, ECardmodels.com Shop
05-William Norris Gun Boat, FREE download at PM
06-CSS Palmetto State, FREE at ECardmodels.com Shop
07-CSS Missouri, ECardmodels.com Shop
08-CSS Huntsville, ECardmodels.com Shop
09-CSS Tuscaloosa, ECardmodels.com Shop
10-CSS Charleston, ECardmodels.com Shop
11-CSS Raleigh, FREE download at papermodelers.com
12-CSS Tennessee, ECardmodels.com Shop
13-CSS Georgia, ECardmodels.com Shop
14-CSS Milladgeville, ECardmodels.com Shop
15-CSS North Carolina, ECardmodels.com Shop
16-Confederate Picket Boat, FREE at PM
17-Dismal Swamp Vessels, ECardmodels.com Shop
18-Richmond Yard double ender-coming soon
19-CSS Georgia 1/600 scale, FREE at PM
20-USS Tyler timber clad-coming soon
21-Selma Vessel-coming soon
22-CSS Yazoo City-coming soon

These are all either available now or are in the final stages of development. I have a 1/2 dozen more in the works as well.

CT

[ct ertz]

Ok, I have the gun deck rigged with a single rail and a series of pivots to monuver the gun around with a standard pivot carriage. It has been suggested to me that the gun may have been put on a wheeled carriage riding om twin rails to maneuver around the casemate. I am working out this much more practical carriage-rail arrangement now.

Also, I am having trouble getting my parts to angle as Knife had suggested, and still fit.

I also added better deck hatches as well as billiards and bits.

Getting closer....
CT

[Knife]

Post #9 on this thread shows how I thought the pieces might be arranged. Looking back on it I still had the maindeck split into three pieces. I don't think you could get the both the base and maindeck as single pieces unless you add another sheet. The CSS Raleigh model has a nice set of cleats and bollards that could be imported into the double-ender. I think that the deck would have hatches instead of grates for two reasons; to keep water out and to repel boarders.

[Knife]

Here's a photo of a model of the CSS Arkansas that shows how the anchors might have been used on the double-ender. Note that it shows a grate rather than a hatch.