SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post

ET2SN · 05-09-23, 07:20 PM

Having some fun with that propulsor/ducted screw.

Bronco must have given up with the Seawolf's propulsion system.

The pieces you get are pretty neat and have an excellent fit. You get the outer duct, the inner stator, and the outer stator and hub. Either this thing runs on electro/magneto/pump jet tech or, something's missing.

I was goofing with cleaning and fitting these three parts, when it hit me.

It was time to make the call and build it as a ducted pump jet.

In my stash, I have an almost-completed Hobby Boss Yassen class SSGN, also in 1/350th scale (kit # 83526). The Yassen kit came with two options, a large-ish standard screw and a very fiddly ducted pump jet. From civilian intel, it sounds like the design bureau made a big stink about the pump jet but they couldn't get it to work. So, the first hull has the standard screw (which is how I'm building the Yassen).

THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER THROW OUT SPARE PARTS.

I opened the box for the Yassen and found the pump jet's plastic impeller. It looks slightly small and it would take some major surgery, but there's enough room to fit the impeller blades between the Seawolf's stators.

The only tricky part is that you'll have to drill out the center of the impeller's hub. I opened my case of regular drill bits and found that a 7/16th's inch drill made a tight fit with the impeller's mounting hole, so that was what I would use to remove most of the hub. Take your time and drill slowly, the impeller hub is going to become very delicate as you remove the plastic.
Eventually, the drill bit should cut out enough of the plastic so the center of the hub will just pop off leaving the impeller blades and the outer "ring" of the hub. Unfortunately, you aren't done yet. You'll need to drill a 1/8th inch hole (at least) to mount the impeller blades on the Seawolf's main shaft and keep them centered. This may be a good time to break out a miniature/jeweler's round or rat-tail file.

This why I enjoy scratch building and modding small parts. It feels great when it works.

Now, its down to paint. The duct and the cap of the impeller and stators will be painted in NATO Black. The impeller blades will get a thin coat of Titanium Gold and for the stators, I still haven't decided. Either Titanium Silver or Dull Aluminum.

05-09-23, 07:20 PM	#7
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,513 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Having some fun with that propulsor/ducted screw. Bronco must have given up with the Seawolf's propulsion system. The pieces you get are pretty neat and have an excellent fit. You get the outer duct, the inner stator, and the outer stator and hub. Either this thing runs on electro/magneto/pump jet tech or, something's missing. I was goofing with cleaning and fitting these three parts, when it hit me. It was time to make the call and build it as a ducted pump jet. In my stash, I have an almost-completed Hobby Boss Yassen class SSGN, also in 1/350th scale (kit # 83526). The Yassen kit came with two options, a large-ish standard screw and a very fiddly ducted pump jet. From civilian intel, it sounds like the design bureau made a big stink about the pump jet but they couldn't get it to work. So, the first hull has the standard screw (which is how I'm building the Yassen). THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER THROW OUT SPARE PARTS. I opened the box for the Yassen and found the pump jet's plastic impeller. It looks slightly small and it would take some major surgery, but there's enough room to fit the impeller blades between the Seawolf's stators. The only tricky part is that you'll have to drill out the center of the impeller's hub. I opened my case of regular drill bits and found that a 7/16th's inch drill made a tight fit with the impeller's mounting hole, so that was what I would use to remove most of the hub. Take your time and drill slowly, the impeller hub is going to become very delicate as you remove the plastic. Eventually, the drill bit should cut out enough of the plastic so the center of the hub will just pop off leaving the impeller blades and the outer "ring" of the hub. Unfortunately, you aren't done yet. You'll need to drill a 1/8th inch hole (at least) to mount the impeller blades on the Seawolf's main shaft and keep them centered. This may be a good time to break out a miniature/jeweler's round or rat-tail file. This why I enjoy scratch building and modding small parts. It feels great when it works. Now, its down to paint. The duct and the cap of the impeller and stators will be painted in NATO Black. The impeller blades will get a thin coat of Titanium Gold and for the stators, I still haven't decided. Either Titanium Silver or Dull Aluminum.