Posted by Richard Jenkins on June 06, 2000 at 11:29:14:
In Reply to: Remove all the top weight you can posted by Scott Andrews on June 05, 2000 at 13:56:30:
Good point about cutting out interior decks to lighten the superstructure. Also, doing this will allow you to put most of the decks on and still have access to the inside of the hull. This will give you a better idea how much ballast you'll need and where to put it to make the model float properly, and then you only have the very top deck to worry about. I have to admit most of my experience with making plastic models float has been with warships and tugs, which tend to be more stable. I prefer liners of course, but there just aren't enough liner models out there! However, I have been considering motorizing an Airfix Mauretania, so stability will definitely be something to keep in mind with that one.
Another possibility would be to add the weight outside the bottom of the hull, such as a sailboat-type keel. It could be removable for display, or somehow hidden within your display stand (which will take some creativity). It should definitely be a dark color to make it less noticeable in the water.
:
...For instance, in many places, the decks in the superstructer are carried solid across; you can cut away any portion that is within the interior of the deckhouses. Make the superstructure as "hollow" as possble. In some cases, even this won't be enough. The Revell Queen Mary was one that I finally gave up on. Short of scratchbuilding the bigger parts out of much thinner material, there was no way to get that sucker to float upright. Of course, it didn't help that the real ship was known to be "tender" in the first place. These models will tend to exhibit some of the tendancies of the real ship, with the nonscale top weight just making things worse!
: Regards,
: Scott