Ulfberht Project Scratch Concept Design 1:250 Scale

[Michael Mash]

Thank you Don. Of course, you are always welcome to look around.
One word of caution: If you go aft of the funnel, watch for openings in the deck. The gangway ladders have not been installed there yet.

New photos:
This round of images shows the installation of the supports for the gun platform just above the bridge. Then the railing was installed around the bridge deck. Finally the gun platform was installed above the bridge and a ladder was added to connect the bridge deck with the catwalk that leads to the funnel.
The ladder and railing are made of paper. The gun platform is made of card and paper.

Kind Regards,
Mike

[Michael Mash]

Hello Modelers,

Some progress has been made as seen in the images. I spent much time during the last several months drawing and experimenting with various configurations for the masts. My objective was to keep a late 19th century appearance throughout. I knew I wanted high intensity lanterns at the top, so I did that and created “observation turrets” just below the “crows’ nests” and the lanterns. The portholes have a diameter of 3-feet, giving the crew wide angle views of the horizon. The lantern assemblies were created earlier (page 8 of this thread).

The crows nest floor, observation turret floor, and aft superstructure deck in the final image are all made with card. All other components were made with paper.

Since the aft superstructure area looks rather empty, I’ll begin work on that area next (image 152).

Kind Regards,
Mike

[romanmodels]

looking good Mike

[Mike1158]

Marvelous, great results from meticulous craftsmanship.

[Michael Mash]

Thank you David and Mike,

Work has continued with the Stern Superstructure. There will be a pair of 47mm rifles needed on each side of the docking bridge. Those will be located beneath the deck that sits on top of the docking bridge (seen in image 155). Because that location will continue to be less and less accessible, installation of those guns needs to be done now.

47mm rifles are very commonly found on nearly all pre-dreadnought battleships. This one will carry between 12 and 16 of them. Each one has 7 parts with paper rolled gun barrels. The parts are all hand cut except for the “shoulder stock”. Those are laser cut. I used the Russian 47mm guns found on the Peresvet class battleships as my guide for the design work. So my “Ulfberht” version should bear some resemblance to those.

Railing will be needed for the aft superstructure. The template with the railing can be seen in image 160.

Kind Regards,
Mike

[Michael Mash]

Hello Modelers,

This round of photos shows work with tiny assemblies. It was necessary to install two of the 47mm guns on the aft superstructure before adding the two auxiliary boats. So I made all 18 of the 47mm guns that Ulberht will carry. All the parts for the guns are paper. Note: the shapes in the background of the images are helping me experiment with camera focus. Image 163 shows the four 47mm guns installed in the gunner's nest above the bridge.

After completing the guns, I was able to move on to the first two auxiliary boats for the stern superstructure. The thwarts/frames are made of card. The remaining parts including the hulls are paper. The oars are laser cut.


Kind Regards,
Mike

[Don Boose]

Belated kudos on the continued work on this fascinating project.

You ship manages to capture the look of period warships while also being unique.

Don

[Michael Mash]

Thank you Don. I always appreciate your kind remarks.

So . . . Work around the aft superstructure continues. I created an emergency steering station located just behind the aft mast. The three wheels are laser cut card.
Also added were a pair of ladders (paper) and railing (paper).

Image 172 features parts and assemblies for the first of two U-Mk2 Hydravion (Seaplanes) for long range scouting. Included are wings, wing connectors, floats, propellers, wheel/drive belts, tail assembly and the motor. The airframe in the center of the image includes two seats, one for the pilot and one for a spotter. The pilot’s chair also has a steering wheel (not easy to see). All the parts are hand cut paper except as follows: The propellers, steering wheel and outboard wing connectors are laser cut paper.

To make the Seaplanes plausible on a predreadnought warship, I knew they would need to have a very early configuration. So, while creating the parts, I did some research into some of the first aircraft equipped for the sea. It was a lot of fun. Image 173 shows Henri Fabre at the controls of his “monoplane” on floats in 1910. Image 174 is a great image of a U.S. Navy NC-4. This one provided the shape for the wingtip floats on my Hydravion. Otherwise the “Curtis” was a bit too modern, but I could not resist showing the photo. It would make a great model project.

Kind Regards,
Mike

[Don Boose]

The details add a lot to the appearance of the model. The period Hydravion is a nice touch.

Don

[Royaloakmin]

Those railings are impeccable.