Author Topic: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)  (Read 9577 times)

Offline Story

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Based on a comment made by Frank3k3 over on the thread about the tramp steamer, figured this deserved it's own build thread.







These are the 'inner hulls' of those Robert E Lee riverboat steamer kits I mentioned, each about 13" long. Tell me the lines don't look oddly familiar and at 15mm scale, are right about in the neighborhood of a Steel Truck.



For what it's worth, I'd originally been thinking of something like this - British steel coastal freight KYLERONA (1908)





1/24th scale tractor trailer sidewalls being cannibalized.


Offline FAAMAN

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What an interesting kitbash, this'll be fun to watch :) :)
"Resistance is useless, prepare to be assembled!"

Offline Frank3k

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This will definitely be fun to watch. Making a smaller steamer is good practice for a larger tramp steamer.

Offline Story

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Finally got around to the irritating task of mating the deck (1/24th scale tractor trailer siding material) to the hull, fixing the mainmast and framing out the deckhouse.






Offline Brian da Basher

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I applaud your use of binder clips!

Much enjoyed the update!

Brian da Basher
("liberator" of office supplies)

Offline GTX_Admin

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Looking good.
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Buzzbomb

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Nice one, great use of the Trailer siding

Offline finsrin

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Clever to use truck side.  Works surprisingly well. :)
Have three unfinished floaty kitbashes.  Appreciate pictures.  Watching how you do build.

Offline Frank3k

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Looks good - the cargo holds look the part, too. What parts did you use for the deckhouse?

Offline Story

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I applaud your use of binder clips!


I have binders full of boats! (2012 Presidential campaign joke)

But seriously - thank you for the compliments, Gentlemen.

Crew deck was swiped from the same pair of Robert E Lee kits (acquired cheap, primarily for their paddlewheel boxes), as where the 'wood' sides. Front bulkhead piece (w/portholes) came from a Revell North Sea Trawler kit (I used two hulls spliced to make another 1:124th screw-steamer American Civil War blockade runner).

For the wheel deck, I swiped the upperworks from a Shell Welder kit (one of three I snagged cheap).*

Pardon all the shadows, this was a hip-shoot pic.


Slow going of late, as I spend more time staring at references and then the parts box and then the model (rinse/lather/repeat). I might just 'cheat' with the cargo deck hatches and make some trapaulin'd "close enough" squares (remembering, the end state is for wargaming so build durability is a consideration).

Logically, I knew at least one ship's boat and the davits need to be on the fantail, along with some railings. There doesn't seem to be any stacks on the 'steel trucks' (unless someone can point out what I'm missing), but there'll need to be ventilators and gangways between the decks. Probably a tarpaulin rigged on the rear of wheelhouse deck.

What else?

Any one else run into the same problems working by rule-of-thumb from a template and not a plan?

*Two SHELL WELDERS have been spliced to become a 1:124th scale 21st century Q-Ship. You guys want a new thread on that build or do these cliffhanging WIP fits-and-starts updates bug you like they bug me?

PS: Illustrative mindset
« Last Edit: November 08, 2016, 01:52:52 AM by Story »

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2016, 06:28:09 AM »
At least some "Steel Trucks" in the top illustration show stacks, so I reckon it's a matter of how you figure your ship is powered.  I would think that diesels would require less in the way of stacks than any form of steam propulsion.  Just exhausting the fumes from the burning fuel for a steam-powered ship would require a stack or stacks.

Offline Story

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2016, 01:34:05 AM »
Wasn't thrilled with the proportions of the original mast and boom, tore that out and replaced with one about 80%.










For those in need of smaller versions, see Shapeways.com

http://www.shapeways.com/product/22SG4UU9H/ijn-coastal-freighters-quot-sea-truck-quot-1-1800

http://www.shapeways.com/product/CBHAWXCXH/ijn-coastal-freighters-quot-sea-truck-quot-1-1250
« Last Edit: December 07, 2016, 01:43:52 AM by Story »

Offline Story

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #12 on: December 30, 2016, 04:50:30 AM »
Priming starts.

Offline Frank3k

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #13 on: December 30, 2016, 01:27:50 PM »
Wow, this really looks good, especially with the red primer on. I love the lifeboat davits at the rear, too.

Offline finsrin

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #14 on: December 30, 2016, 01:50:35 PM »
Have three in-work ships.  Can appreciate what you are doing and dealing with.
I like it, it works - really. :)

Offline Story

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Thanks again for the kind words.
Coming down to the home stretch with this one, needs rigging, anchors, lifeboat and final touchup painting.


Offline Old Wombat

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Looking very cool! 8)
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Offline Camthalion

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2017, 05:40:51 AM »
very nice

Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Coastal Cargo Carrier or Japanese 'Steel Truck' (15mm or 1/100th-ish scale)
« Reply #18 on: February 10, 2017, 12:28:25 PM »
Anything more happening here? ???
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline Story

  • Nicht mein Zirkus, nicht meine Affen...
Many irons in the fire. Managed to get the standing rigging laid in.



This is part of a small fleet of 15mm scale vessels, circa 1935-1955. Pictured below with a South China Seas Junk (PYRO kit built @35 years ago, salvaged and waterlined) along with a Chicom Patrol Boat.



As a backstory, the USNavy scuttled/burnt a bunch of PT boat hulls in the Phillipines (summer of 1945). [This is fact. See http://www.ptboats.org/20-11-05-fate-001.html] An indeterminate number where handed over to the Nationalist Chinese. [This is supposition] This version is a 'bad guy' Chicom/Pirate vessel. [This is extrapolated fantasy] Sharp eyes might recognize that the Jap 25mm triple AAA gun is cobbled together from three 20mm Oerlikons and a 40mm Bofors base (courtesy scrap salvaged from a Lindberg BLUE DEVIL destroyer), as are the depth charges and life rafts.

I have no idea where those four watercooled Maxim guns came from, probably some WWII Russian model.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2017, 10:42:20 PM by Story »