Thread: Building a Tamiya Missouri with Super-detailing

Originally Posted by Builder 2010

Got the chance to do a little work late this afternoon and an hour tonight and made some nice progress on Turret #3. Finished putting the PE on this one and it started getting easier...note, not easy, easier. I'm still trying to develop a way to apply the super glue in tinier ammounts. My gluing does not meet my standards.

I'm including a picture of the Small Shop holding tool in use. The part I'm cutting is #225. You can just see the attachment lines that will be cut to free up the ladder underneath. You clamp the piece you want to cut underneath the beveled edge. I also learned that you apply pressure on the cutting blade straight down. You don't slide it back and forth in a sawing motion. It will always pull at the part and deform it. Straight down pressure keeps the part's shape. You then rotate the holding tool and cut the opposite edge. The black plexiglass plate under the parts is included in the tool. It gives you great contrast so you can see what you're doing, and the cut parts stand out nicely.

Attachment 25251

To make it easier to hold the turrets without damaging the fragile PE and to air brush them, I drilled appropriate holes in a plank. This worked well for the subesquent steps like drilling out the blast bags and fastening the rest of the PE railings and such.

Attachment 25252

I wanted to try mounting the brass gun barrels and decided that the old Missouri could take part in sacrificing itself for the cause. I removed its turret #2...forcibly... and sawed off the plastic barrels. I filed flat all three togehter and then used a prick punch to locate the centers. I'm usually pretty good at this. I had even drilled out the plastic barrels of the old Mo with a scale 1/350th sized 16" bore, so this was easy. I used a small pilot drill in a pin vise and then opened it up to the required 2.0mm. This is then followed up with a 1/8" drill to countersink the opening. The barrel fit perfectly and looks real good.

Attachment 25253

Attachment 25256

I then cleaned up the blast bags on the plastic guns and glued them to the new turret. It is easier to saw and drill all three guns at the same depth and angle when their fastened to the turret. I'm toying with different ideas for the slide area of the gun just as it enters the blast bag. I bought some 1/16" chrome tape that I may use or go back to my trusty aluminum foil with foil adhesive on the back. Using the matte side and then toning down the shine and color to make it look like well-greased steel may work better. I'm afraid the tape is too thick. Painting the brass with paint isn't my first or second choice. It'd be great if I could get someone to electroplate the barrel and then mask and paint the rest.

Here's the complete turret waiting for the guns to dry firmly. If you look cloasely at those life rafts you might be able to see the teeny, tiny oars glue in there on the PE mesh. When painted the oars will stand out. I'll amputate the plastic barrels when they're nice and solid. 1 down, 2 to go.

Attachment 25255

I was looking at photos of the japanese surrender on the deck of the Missouri and I noticed that there seem to be no railings on top of the B turret. Am I correct?