1:72 US NAVY Acoustic Locator 3D tisk 1918-1925

A US Navy acoustic locator in 1:72 scale

An accessory for a diorama in the form of an acoustic locator of the US Navy from the period of the years 1918 to 1925. According to the name these are parts made by 3D printing, which makes sense with a device composed of thin tubes, struts and a rotating frame: such shapes are hard to make at this scale other than by printing.

The real subject

Before radar appeared, approaching aircraft were sought by ear. Acoustic locators were large funnel-shaped collectors of sound on a rotating stand; the operator had his ears joined to the funnels by hoses and, according to the difference in loudness between the left and the right side, turned the whole device toward the source of the noise. The bearing obtained served the anti-aircraft artillery and the searchlights. The method was sensitive to wind and to surrounding noise and lost its sense as the speed of aircraft grew, but in the 1920s it was among the best that was at hand.

Working with printed parts

• Cut the remains of the print supports off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and sand the facet left by them gently.
• The parts are not of polystyrene; they are glued with cyanoacrylate glue, not with liquid plastic cement.
• Wash and degrease the parts before painting; the paint will not hold on a residue of print resin.
• The thin struts and tubes are fragile; take them out and fit them with tweezers.
• The metallic look of the device will stand out after dark shading and a light dry brush in a lighter shade.

Where the accessory fits

Into a diorama with a coastal battery, with an anti-aircraft position or with a scene from the beginnings of aviation, where it is to betray the period and the purpose of the place. The package contains the accessory given. Figures, a base, paints and glue are not part of it, unless stated otherwise.