Styrene construction -- plank on frame -- question

[Treadhead]

I'm a fan of the plank on frame technique of styrene construction. This is good for approximating compound curves so that little sanding is needed to get a smooth shape.

There are two ways that I have seen. One is where the styrene skin is fitted 'up and down' between two adjacent styrene bulkheads. The other is kinda like the model ship-builders do -- this is where styrene strips are placed lengthwise across a series of bulkheads.

Are there any preferences out there for either technique? How many of you have used either? I'm curious. Do you have any additional tips?

Thanks

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

I build model ship, and I use both.

Where the curves are constant at the mid ship I will use sheets.
Toward the bow and sterns I use strips. I typically use the widest strip that will follow the curve. Another trick here is to let the strip go where it want. If it does not follow the previous strip, bevel cut the end or edge so that the strip will lay flat with little or no force.

Forcing a strip to bend will often create a "bow" between frames that will disrupt the curve of the hull. There are some other tricks to this, but it depends on the type of hull frame spaceing and how the strips/sheets are laid also.

8)

[macfrank]

Are there any preferences out there for either technique? How many of you have used either? I'm curious. Do you have any additional tips?

Thanks

I've used both. My problem with the "up down" (or side to side) approach is that I can get a step right at a bulkhead.

What I do (if I have the room) is to fill up some of the internal space with either blue foam, surfboard foam, epoxy putty or even kleenex wadded into the space and covered with epoxy putty. It gives a backing surface that lets me sand without cracking open the joints between strips, or bending in the surface (I tend to use really thin plastic).

I also "preform" the plastic if it's going to follow a sharp curve. I just run the strip over an X-acto handle until it curves the right anount.

Frank

[Treadhead]

Thanks This helps me a lot.

There was an Italian scratchbuilder (Massimo Barbieri) who built some awesome 1/24th scale WWII fighters using the plank on frame technique (lengthwise using strips)

I've always wanted to try this -- and now I'm going to give it a go

[macfrank]

Ken Duffey scratchbuilt a 1/72 A-90 Orlyonok Ekranoplan. The step by step pictures on his page are very informative. He used small plastic strips in between the bulkheads to form the ship's skin, then filled the gaps with epoxy putty and sanded everything smooth.

He has more pictures here

Frank

[Treadhead]

Ken Duffey scratchbuilt a 1/72 A-90 Orlyonok Ekranoplan. The step by step pictures on his page are very informative. He used small plastic strips in between the bulkheads to form the ship's skin, then filled the gaps with epoxy putty and sanded everything smooth.

He has more pictures here

Frank

Frank

Thank you IMMENSELY for this post and those pics. This is exactly what I'm attempting to do. Just finished the upper rear frame and will attempt the skinning next.

Again thanks. Ken's work is amazing

[big-dog]

Checking Ken's work, I remembered that Evergreen (possibly so does Plastruct but never checked) has slats of styrene in all number of widths. Those would be perfect for that kind of job. You'd only have to cut to length. And believe me, that type of job is big enough without having to make your own slats.

[macfrank]

Checking Ken's work, I remembered that Evergreen (possibly so does Plastruct but never checked) has slats of styrene in all number of widths. Those would be perfect for that kind of job. You'd only have to cut to length. And believe me, that type of job is big enough without having to make your own slats.

They call it "train siding" and comes in all sorts of slat width and thickness. The really narrow stuff makes great decks for 1/350 ships. The wider stuff is ideal when you need strips, like you mentioned, cut to length. Making a long strip of styrene of a consistent width is not fun.