5c. Conning Tower – Railings, Ladders, Etc.

The fabrication of the tower railings was made very easy by the templates included in the Nautilus set. Templates are used to shape the included 0.030" aluminum wire (very bendable) for the upper and middle railings of both gun platforms. The Nautilus set even includes plastic rod and templates for cutting/notching the railing stanchions. I used thick CA glue to assemble the railings. Railing extensions and ladders were created using aluminum wire and styrene.

Brass Micro-Mesh (Scale Scenics #652-3501) (very fine diamond-pattern brass mesh), bordered at the bottom with masking tape, was installed in the lower railing gaps of both upper and lower gun platforms. The rear lantern was positioned high in the rear centre of the verandah railing, and electrical conduit was added from fine solder. The flag pole was fabricated from brass rod and styrene, and the ship’s bell was transplanted to its new location on the upper gun platform railing extension. The rear insulated antenna conduit pipes were created from styrene rod, and were inserted into drilled holes at the rear sides of the verandah. Flooding holes were drilled at regular intervals around the perimeter of the verandah.