Following a Master Model Maker

By George Elder and Bruce Gordon

Part 11

Packaging

There has been a considerable delay in painting the Lion models, due in large to the very complex camouflage scheme being used. This is similar to the KGV's Admiralty Disruptive pattern as worn in 1943. That, and fitting the PE airplane parts together has been a great challenge. In fact, the use of PE parts for the planes, etc., may have been too ambitious, although the crane is nearing completion.

In the meantime, Dave has developed an interesting packaging and shipping method that should be of interest. He has eschewed double-sided tape, foam inserts, or those elastic bands that can damage models. Instead, he uses a very similar technique to Alain at Quadrant models.

To begin with, two threaded female receptacles are securely fitted into the bottom of the Lion's hull fore and aft of amidships. The picture below shows an early trial with just one receptacle. A vinyl "slip-free" screw can be easily inserted and removed from the receptacle. The vinyl screw shown has a corrugated lip, but we have now switched to a thinner slot-headed screw that can be removed with a dime. Two holes are punched into a cardboard bottom piece that has two port and starboard folding flaps, and the model is secured to it.

In the final product, the model will be oriented parallel to the box sides. Shown is the screw head as it snugs down on the cardboard bottom piece. The vinyl screws do not slip due to vibrations, and hold firmly during drop tests. The screw-head surface area is large enough so that no tears have occurred in the bottom piece during repeated drop and toss tests.

The sides of the bottom piece are bent upwards to form a strong wedge that is well separated from the model itself. Tape secures the top. A bit of a focus problem on the picture, but you get the idea. Once again, the model will be oriented parallel to the box sides, and not placed at the angle shown here. Lastly, the completed wedge is secured within a box that will allow us to ship the model as is -- without having to repackage it. This will sure save me some time! The drawback is that the packaging is a bit volume-intensive. The benefits are many. One thing is for sure, Dave certainly is walking his own path when making this model.

Final Progress Report

The basic models are fully completed and painted, except for those damn PE cranes and planes! The planes have proven that reliably mating tiny PE wings to a tiny resin body is nearly impossible from a production perspective. It is simply killing the project, and resulting in great delays. Dave is now redesigning the planes to be more assembly friendly. The PE crane booms worked out perfectly. However, they do not mate well with the resin crane body, and thus a new body has to be made. The tolerances are miniscule. We have learned a great deal by doing this project, not the least of which is not to over-reach. PE parts are fine and dandy, but a nightmare for production runs of 200 models or so.

Lion Is Now Completed

These should be sent to us by Monday, pending the arrival of Dave's latest family addition -- a grand daughter!

Lion: Camo Finish

Here is the camo version. This is a very elaborate pattern:

The cranes and lifeboats came out well! I screwed up the lighting a bit when preparing the pictures because the paint is flat.

Lion: Standard Finish

Here is the non-camo version, which is similar to the Navis/Neptun "S" series: