Hi,

I was wondering how you could build a scratchbuilt sub that looks like a sub. I seen people making them out of polystyrene and fiberglass but i dont get it. Can anyone give me a crashcourse on scratchbuilding a semi sub looking sub?

www.hrfsbo.com/sub

Oh cool thanks. Um where do you get fiberglass though? And can this stuff be used for u-boats and how strong do these hulls get?

Try your local hardware store, they might have fiberglass cloth in stock. Thickness depends on how many layers of fiberglass-resin combination you use. Most sub hulls tend to 2mm to 3mm thick. I wouldn't recommend a U-boat for a first scratchbuild though, most WWII boats have very complex hull lines that are difficult to model for a beginner. Modern nuke boats are much easier to build.

Ah, i see. I must look around. I love buying those giant 1/2 in thick pink foam from home depot. would that work for the foam part of the hull? Like the mold that would wrap around the fiberglass cloth?

Thanks for the advice cap'

No problem[8D], most builders use foam as a master model to coat the fiberglass around. I believe this is called the "lost foam" method.

Hey that site is cool. Um what is teh ductaping part for?

After fiberglassing, you"ll need to break the completed hull away from the master model that you've covered. Since epoxy resin (used in combination with the fiberglass cloth) doesn't stick to duct tape's smooth surface, it offers easier removal.

Oh i see.

Interesting[&:]

Wat about where the sub's ull comes in half how do you make or cut that?

Simple, just mold the master model in half!

Oh ok i still have to find the fiberglass clothe. Thanks for the input.