Dr. Ullrich Boehme

Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag

Cap Arcona Part 2

 

Translation: Ralf Schnurbusch

After my experience with the Bremen, where the installation of tables and chairs was difficult after I had built the side walls, I have decided t0 install the more than 800 chairs and hundreds of tables before I built the sidewalls of the room.

As I had the impression that chairs and armchairs could be short to supply each table, I had scanned some chairs and had made this way some spare parts. Because the chairs become very soft through folding I have sprayed them with clear varnish on the backside to get a more solid cardboard. I colored the folding and cutting lines as I don�t expect that the chairs on the liner had white edges. The same applies to the two concert pianos including the piano bench. For the library I have made a few "books� and some magazines on wooden sticks as known from the twenties. I added some figures including a piano player (does he play a tango) which make the scene more alive.

In order not to loose track or motivation upon the sheer quantity of chairs, I have made myself always a definite goal, for example to make the chairs for the rectangular tables, than the big oval, etc. As according to a Chinese proverb the longest journey start with the first step, this was my summer work, sometimes only 6 chairs, sometimes more or less, up to 60 on one evening. The longer this continues as faster I became. The chairs on the outside edge on the room to the side could not be glued yet as the outside walls of the superstructure had to be first installed.

Some confusion arose in regards of the front end of the main deck. There the part 69 c is one time as one level and another time as two levels depicted, although the kit only contains a one level high part. With the closure of the front building part, viewed from inside a big hole appears, especially as the wall 77 does not have an interior decoration as the other inner parts. To strengthen the front part I have build in a cardboard segment in across. The color I have chosen on the PC to get the same color as the other inner walls.

Now I started the superstructure. Directly on the deck are gluing flaps for insides and outsides. I glued first the inside walls. As the windows in the front areas have grills printed on, the windows towards the stern not, maybe because there are the positions for the photo etch parts. I do not use photo etch parts myself, first because the cutting out of windows is a challenge to me and also because photo etch parts are expensive. The decision to cut out the windows and doors was made very early. The corresponding parts should be colored brown from the backside and then sprayed with clear varnish long time before starting to build with them, so you give it a long time to dry. The coloring is recommended before spraying because the varnish changes the felt tip pen colors. The cut out of the windows is millimeter work, but it works fine. At the windows where you want to see inside, I have placed a clear foil between inside and outside wall. At the stern where you do not look inside the windows, I have attached a blue foil. In the backwards area the model has crossbeams, to which I have glued 1 mm small edge from cardboard around the inner outside edges. This way a pocket was formed. In this pocket come later the guidance for the deck, this will be attached there. These guides are formed practical as a T and can be slide inside the pockets. The construction of inner and outer side allows this. But they are not there yet.

The Cap Arcona has on each side of the Promenade deck 24 doors. The door window I have cut out the same way as the other windows, then I have glued the whole door on clear foil, after drying I cut the door wings separate, the edges colored and the doors so installed that you see the grill from front. As the doors are very wide open, you would not see the backside and I could spare myself the cutting out of the windows. That did not apply for the swinging doors between the dinner rooms.

At the inside of the front superstructure I could not make it that easy, as the inside windows show the window grills. Except the round inner arcs, which have to be cut out as a whole, I had to cut out from each window inside and outside. The outer side were installed once for the lower part of the superstructure. It follows the boat deck and after that finally the upper edge. After the installment of the boat deck it follows the parts 72 and 74 the covering of the promenade deck at bow and stern. The windows had to be cut out as well and the windows on my models have at the stern coverings on glass every second window. Here were according to plan sliding windows. At the front coverings of the promenade deck I have opened the doors and added a few deck chairs before adding the deck. On top the front coverings 74 there is a small space between handrail and trench a small space. This part I have cut out as well. Now I only have to finish the covering of the outer front sidewalls and then I will start the play deck.

Will be continued ......................................