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Topic: Thunderbolt |
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aronhk
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 6:35am
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I take that back.....its not a solvent actually.....it will not separate lipid molecules. But it does dry out and destroy some finishes.
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Ed B
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 9:51am
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Steve, thanks for cleaning tip - have good brushes and will proceed with caution.
Dave, here's a couple more pics that may help. I removed one 20mm, shown upside down in 2nd photo. Am getting much better new camera, will post better shots later. If you ever get to CT will be happy to let you examine the real thing.
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Steve Tuhy
Advanced Member
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 Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 10:29am
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ED;
IF YOUR MODEL CANNON MEASURES 10-7/8" LONG, THEN YOUR MODEL IS 1/8 SCALE. THATS A PRETTY GOOD SIZED MODEL. FROM THE LOOKS OF IT , SOMEONE DID THEIR HOMEWORK. WOW!
Steve Tuhy |
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Ed B
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 2:09pm
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| Thanks Steve. The cannon actually measures 10 1/2 stem to stern. The width of the mount face (excluding the cradle) is 6 13/16. Overall width is 8 1/2. |
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David Waples
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 4:41pm
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Hi Ed,
Thank you for doing that. That answers a lot of questions right off the bat. I'm assuming that each cradle is identical except that two are longer than the others? I'm interested in how the back of the cradle attaches to the tub. Does the chute support the weight of the back of the gun or is there something else hiding under there?
The photos I detached unfortunately are small. Could I persuade you to attach them to an email and send them to me? My email address is davidwaples@comcast.net.
By the way, I have not heard back from my friend at the model club. Either his email is down or I'm on the *@%!# list for missing the last few meetings. I haven't forgotten.
Dave
David Waples |
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Jerry Gilmartin |
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 11, 2007 - 9:10pm
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Hi Ed,
Great photos! Which leads me to a couple of questions.
#1 Is that a joystick between the operators legs that controls the turret movement?
#2 Is that a red firing button on the top of the joystick?
#3 Underneath the Mark 14 gunsight mounting platform looks to be a gizmo of some sort with round knobs on it, could it be the air compressor/power regulator for the gunsight?
#4 THe manual trigger for the 20mm guns are on the side of that square box at the back of the 20mm gun. Were these guns triggered using electric solenoids? Are they represented on the model? I have never seen one of these solenoids so I am guessing.
Thanks for posting these awesome pictures.
Here are pics from Gene Slover's Navy Page MK14 tech manual
First the air compressor:
Here is the side view of the MK14 shows the air hose conns:
Here is the other side of the MK14 shows range handle:
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin |
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Ed B
Advanced Member
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Posted on: Dec 12, 2007 - 7:07am
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Dave and Jerry - I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my very limited ability. But a picture can be worth a thousand words. Please bear with me for a few days until I get my new camera up and running - I'm moving up from an Olympus D-580 to a Nikon S51C, and the improvement will be dramatic. Incidentally, Frank Andruss had previously commented about the odd manual operation of the Thunderbolt. Well, keep in mind this gun system was invented and designed by Elco - I knew the principal designers, and they were both mechanical engineers, so perhaps that explains it.
Dave-
- I'll be happy to email higher res photos, but wait until I get new shots.
- The chute supports the weight of the gun - there's nothing else hidden underneath.
- When I take new photos, I'll probably slide out the other guns to better reveal the cradles. I'll have to do that to prep for cleaning anyway.
- To me, the most intricate parts of the model are its guns. In fact, that butterfly lever on the gun moves down and up to press against the magazine(?).
- The only other moving parts on the model are a 2 inch T-plunger that inserts into that can in the right rear corner, and the elevation pistons which yield about 100 degrees of movement (10 below horizon to straight up).
Jerry -
- The button on top of the joystick is indeed red. Dave's earlier comment would suggest that it's a dead man switch, not a firing button, but I have no clue.
- I have no idea how the guns were triggered. There does not appear to be any representation of the manual trigger you describe.
- Below those knobs on the gizmo are two levers, which don't show in my photo because of the angle. Although there is plenty of room, there is nothing represented on the other side of the gizmo. I would guess the gizmo is meant to be the power unit, because there is nothing on the model that resembles your manual's Figure 5.
Other variations between the model and your manual:
- On the left side view, the air inlet and air outlet are represented, but without elbows. The cable connection is not represented.
- On the rear, the reticle lamp access cover is not representd, nor are the thermostat access plugs.
- On the right side side, the pressure gage is not represented.
- As can be seen in my very first photo, the front window arrangement is significantly different - my model has one rectangular front window, and the light filter is not represented.
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David Waples
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 12, 2007 - 7:46pm
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The Elco blueprint I picked up from PT Boats Inc. indicates the following...
1. The joystick moves the turret.
2. The red button is a deadmans switch. I would assume you have to hold it down for the turret to operate and the guns to fire.
3. The guns are fired with a foot switch operated by the right foot.
That's as much as I can tell you from the drawings I have. The drawings don't include the gun sight unfortunately.
Dave
David Waples |
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David Waples
TOP BOSS
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Posted on: Dec 14, 2007 - 5:39pm
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Greetings Ed,
I was able to contact my friend regarding the cleaning of your model. His recommendation is that you contact a museum and they may be able to lend some help and/or advisce. Sorry I don't have more but I tend to agree with him. You have a very valuable piece of history there and it's worth preserving for future generations.
Dave
David Waples |
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TGarth Connelly
New Member
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Posted on: Dec 15, 2007 - 1:59pm
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Ed,
Please email me at PTConsultingNHR@aol.com - I'd like to "talk" to you in regard to those photos of the Thunderbolt, OK? Thank you.
Garth
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