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  • B2010,

    Indeed! Your modeling is really nice! I wasn't aware of a Modeler's forum here at WAB until you pointed it out to me last night. I normally post on The Ship Model Forum and have a 5 year project going on - building a 1:200 scale NEW JERSEY (BB-62) circa 1968-69 from the Trumpeter 1:200 USS MISSOURI kit. It's been a real interesting, if not frustrating, project - the hull is not correct in it's below waterline shape (as is the case with many of the Trumpy large ship kits). So, a lot of extra work involved. Much of the conning tower/amidships is scratchbuilt to conform to the 1967-69 modifications that were made to the ship.

    I have a modeling acquaintance out in AZ who does aircraft models - and quite well - he would certainly appreciate your TBM model.

    Thanks for sharing this link!

    Hank

    Comment


    • You guys have me in awe!

      Nicely done, everyone!
      “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
      Mark Twain

      Comment


      • The Missouri Story

        My model was of the MO during the time between signing the Surrender in August and some mods in Pearl Harbor in October 1945. During that time two things happened. They holystoned the deck blue paint off the teak restoring its natural color and removed the triple 20mm AA guns and tubs that flank #2 turret. I wanted to show off the laser cut decking and didn't want to paint it deck blue, but I also wanted all the WW2 radar suite and armament intact. The only time the ship was in that condition was during those few months, since shortly after the 20mms were gone. And after Pearl, the Measure 22 paint scheme was changed so the entire hull above the boot topping was navy blue, losing the haze gray above the sheer line. When it appeared in NYC later in 1945, those changes were in place. If you don't own it, it might be worth you while to get the Iowa Class Battleships book by Robert F Sumrall. It's the most complete treatise on these ships that I could find. I also downloaded many pics of Iowa ships for more details especially the little stuff like how the antenna leads enter the boat.

        On Photobucket,

        http://s1215.photobucket.com/user/Bu...?sort=3&page=1

        there's a album of most of the Missouri build that I did. These are many of the pictures that accompanied the build thread here on WAB. It's a Tamiya 1:350 kit with Eduard, Alliance and Tom's photo etched, ABER 16" brass guns, laser-cut decks and a bunch of scratch-build parts (brass masting for example). I was offered a place in the Missouri Ship Museum at Pearl Harbor if (and it's a big IF) I could get it there from Kentucky. It's very delicate and it's sitting in our space bedroom and it's where it will stay.

        My goal was to create a 1:350 model that came close to the level of detail of larger models. The finest of which was the 1:48 scale Missouri built by Gibbs & Cox during WW2. At that scale each gun or appliance is a model in itself. It was displayed at the Smithsonian for years and now I believe it's at the Naval Museum at Annapolis. It's over 19' long and is spectacular in every sense of the word. He's a picture of that model. It's an inspiration to us Iowa Class builders.

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        I used these images to add all the vertical support poles under all the overhanging gun tubs plus adding a very tiny boat davit winch that was sratchbuilt out of four pieces.

        The reason why I blogged it here is this story.

        I had built this same model in 1985 just before the age of PE came to be. It was a nice model, but lacking. In 2011, when my #1 grandson started getting into building models, I decided to build another Tamiya kit, but this time pull out all the stops and see how far I could go with it. I wanted to replace the plastic prop shafts with metal but didn't know what color they should be. So I went on Google and asked, "What color are Iowa Class Battleships Propellor shafts?" One of the answers that came up directed me to WAB's Battleship Board. So I signed up and asked the same question. Rusty Battleship then posted this amazing picture of himself standing on the Missouri's shaft when it was in Long Beach getting refitted in the 1980s.

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        Rusty aka Dick Landgraff was the yard superintendent that supervised the IOWA rebuilds and knows every bolt, tank, space and washer on those ships. He explained that the shafts are coated with an anti-fouling paint and are sort of white. Then the fellows on the board asked if I could post the build in the Modeler's Corner.

        I had already posted a massive build on a forum (a year-long build of a 1:16 RC B-17E on commission from an RC Flyer on RCScalebuilder.com) so I was comfortable with doing a daily journal.

        It really worked well since besides Rusty, there were other followers who had intimate knowledge about these ships. They were also instrumental in hooking me up with the curators of the Missouri and New Jersey ship museums. The NJ would have been much more doable since I'm originally from Philly and get back East a few times a year. But they only display ships that actually were in actions with the NJ. Rusty was heavily involved in the IOWA reconditioning and they weren't ready to receive any models.

        I will check out your 1:200 build. I've had my eye on that model for quite a while since it's been on sale at MicroMark, but I simply don't have any space to display it. It would really give me the chance to go all out on my favorite ship. Fine Arts Models has a 1:192 scale museum model that they had offered years ago and I actually had put my name on a reserve list ($8,500) until my wife found out about it. His ship models are some of the finest offered for sale in the world. Check out their website if you haven't already done so. www.fineartmodels.com

        I had also posted some finished Missouri pics on the same website on which you're posting I believe.
        Last edited by Builder 2010; 26 Jun 17,, 16:27.

        Comment


        • Your Thread

          Hank,

          What's the URL of your build thread on Model Warships? I'm a registered member also and did publish some Missouri pics 5 years ago. I went to search your post, but am getting a lot of unrelated stuff.

          Comment


          • B2010,

            The picture of Rusty (Dick Landgraff) - I also have that - he's on the stbd outboard shaft of NEW JERSEY during one of her 1980's drydock periods. Here's the URL to my build: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum...?f=59&t=154697

            Fine Art Models are wonderful, but w-a-y too expensive for my pocket. They are beautiful, no doubt about it! Your model looks extremely well done! There isn't (or doesn't) seem to be much of an interest in NEW JERSEY during her Vietnam War configuration, unless of course, you served in her as I did.

            I'm currently doing hull numbering, etc. and hope to get the main deck on very soon - the upper works are pretty much finished - now only to have more permanent radars and masts from the PE that I designed and had a company in UK print for me. It never ends!!!!

            Hank

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            • I'm reading your entire thread. Terrific work! Wonderful work space! I am a horrendous slob when I work and I love the way you have the tools at ready right in the front. I may adopt it.

              Obviously, you have the same (and more) reference material than me. So I won't suggest that again. Eduard has drilling masks for the ladder grabs, but I believe you're way past that at this point. I'm only on page five. Clearly, you can do so much more at the larger scale.

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              • B2010,

                Well, I thank you very much for the nice remarks! Much appreciated. I'm just slightly younger than you (70.5) but also have been building a while. To be honest, I should take a picture of my workshop (spread over 3 rooms in a rented mobile home near where I work) - it is ANYTHING but neat. I take the Slob of the Year award hands down. Books, copies of this & that piled all over the place. I would love to have a real workshop; but such is life at this point. Here is my shop back in 2009 while working on my sloop of war PEACOCK:
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                Ladder grabs - different for each manufacturer, and nothing in common - a real downer when trying to use PE from one vendor to another. You would think that a 12" hand rung would be samo-samo - not the case!!! Model building has changed so much since the early '50s (my first kit - a long box Revell USS MISSOURI - terrible kit, but still selling like crazy; go figure!!) regardless of whether it's ships, planes, trains, or cars. A lot of improvements and some disappointments - but, all in all a great hobby!!!

                Hank

                Comment


                • Hank,
                  Figured I respond here since I'm still reading stuff that year's old in your thread.

                  I'm on page 9 and read about the mast disaster. First of all, I'm glad I'm not the only lunatic who built models in motel rooms when on business travel. I spend a half year living out of a Holiday Inn on I-10 in Channelview, TX. I would come home (Philly) on weekends. I'd leave my models and tools at the front desk and each time they wanted to see the progress. Not many folks did that and it really kept me sane and out of trouble.

                  As for disasters. I spent lots of time creating a mold to shape the WW2 main antenna dish and formed a very nice antenna, CA'd all the rings and back supports and then dropped it on the floor. If that wasn't enough, I rolled my desk chair over it and turned it into road kill. Completely and totally destroyed so I made another, but it really wasn't as good as that first one. As I described in my thread, the Eduard pre-etched PE was so fragile that it would break even before attempting to bend it. I actually got them to send me a complete 2nd set for free. Luckily, I was able to build these destroyed pieces with that. I also crushed the radar on the top of #1 16" gun director, but by that time, I had already gone into the 2nd set so I had to reshape it. Again, it's not as good as it was, but unless you're very close you can't tell.

                  I soldered as much of the masting as I could since I really don't trust CA very much. This was before I had a resistance soldering system by American Beauty. It wasn't cheap, but makes soldering miniature assemblies possible.

                  Also for the fine guy wires I use a high E guitar string. At short lengths it's rigid as heck and really works. I used J-B Weld to secure it.

                  For radio rigging I used the finest gauge E-Z-Line. It really performs in small scales.

                  Comment


                  • B2010,

                    Dick Landgraff pointed out to me that my 1st attempt on the fore mast was not to scale. The entire structure is 2nd effort and better than the first. All scratch built. The main mast is also, but will be replaced with a much more detailed and correctly scaled one that I developed with Model Monkey for his 3D product line. This will take a while to get in place. The ECM rig on the 011 Level of the conning tower is also going to be replaced with my PE designed and printed parts (Starling Models - UK). This will occur also in near future. I need to get the deck put in place and equipment/parts/etc. located - I hope to finish NJ this year and move on to a 1:200 scale PENNSY (also a Trumpy ARIZONA bash) pre-war version (waterline). THEN comes the 1/144 scale FLETCHER Class DD - USS STODDARD (DD-566) circa 1966-68.

                    Getting back to the mast - the 3D printed main mast will be correct as to leg/brace diameters and will have much more detail than the brass one in place now. Also, after my trip to NARA this spring, I got photos giving me info to correct my CAD drawings for all the radio antennas etc. that the current mast has on them incorrectly (Lack of info...).

                    I too use E-Z line although its tendency to stretch is a bit of a hassle. Next time I change guitar strings, I'll hang on to the lower E string for modeling use. The kit PE (Trumpy) seems a bit more fragile than either the Pontos or Eduard does, although sometimes it's hard to tell.

                    Hank

                    Comment


                    • Hank, I finished reading your entire thread and comment on page 29. Really wonderful and ambitious build. As you may have seen in my other railroad thread, I'm doing some serious scratch-building there too. I'm actually pushing the envelope there more than I am with plastic kits. 72 and still learning. As long as the eyes and hands hold out, I'm good to go.

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                      • Stuff

                        Got ahead of myself. Read your last entry and missed the great pic with you and the Peacock. I've also built rigged ships and have a cutaway Corel Model of the Victory's midsection which I bought years ago. But here were two that did get finished. The first was an awful Steingraeber kit of and American War Sloop. It was my first and only plank on frame kit which I built in the early 70s. The second was a re-build that I did for the Corinthian Yacht Club in Eddystone, PA. The original was a very old model of a 4-masted Barc probably late 1800s with metal masts. The modeler built with what he had handy and made mast tops out of cut tin cans. Spreading trees were tooth picks. The rigging had rotted away and they were paying me $1,500 to re-rig it. When I was finished everything above the main deck itself was replaced. This included scratch building all the deck houses. Top mast spreaders were soldered brass. I finished it in 1997 and it's still on display in their club house.

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                        BTW: That Revell Missouri was the first model that Revel produced with their own dies in 1954. It was also my first model. It was my 9th birthday. I couldn't wait to get started so I began building it on the living room rug. I had the Testor's liquid cement in the box top. Of course it spilled and in my panic, I placed it on top of a piece of Kleenex and put that on top of a piece of finished furniture. Of course the glue tipped over and spilled onto the lacquered table. The destroyed lacquer remained there until my mom passed in 1999. I had run upstairs to hide in my room. Dad gave me a spanking which I never forgot. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

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                        • Re: Stuff - Ha!!! I'm laughing my ass off - those type of modeling mishaps I think are rather common - BUT, certainly not without drama. Reminds me of Tim Allen gluing the board to his forehead in one of the Home Improvement episodes as well as Ralphie and the Red Ryder air rifle in A Christmas Story. I think the Revell MO kit I also built in 1954 in Charlotte, NC on the couch in our den. Quite the proper place to build a model ship!!!!

                          Your Tall Ships are really nice work - repairing/refurbishing older models is a good opportunity to use our skills, but also learn a bit about a ship we may not have come across otherwise. One of my friends at home who is also a ship modeler has done a few recent repair jobs for people who sought him out. Could also be some extra $$$ to boot! Here is a shot of PEACOCK completed:
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                          I've PM'd you in re. to the FLETCHER topic.

                          Hank

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                          • Peacock's a beauty! What was it? Kit? Scratch-build? I love building these things, but I'm just spread too thin doing the structures for the RR, and digging into some plastic fun. I've had the C. Nepian Longridge's HMS Victory book for over 40 years and read it so many times I wore out the dust jacket. I've seen his ship at the Science Museum of London and consider it to be the penultimate wooden ship build especially at 1:48. The man wound his own ropes in the correct number of lays depending on their use. He had the canons cast with the crests on them. His "made-masts" were made with the correct number of components. It just goes on and one. And the way he did the decking...I used it for a reference when building the other ships since his drawings of how the shrouds go over the tops were very clear.

                            I would like to build one of the higher quality versions of this boat, but frankly can foresee running out of time and don't have the space to display even a 1:96 version of a first-rate ship of the line. Probably should start another thread to talk about tall ship modeling...

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                            • B2010,

                              PEACOCK - Sloop of War 1813, WASP class (one of three). She was the only one (of class) to survive the War of 1812. WASP was lost at sea, FROLIC was lost in battle. Lewis Warrenton was commander of PEACOCK. My model was totally scratchbuilt (1:48 scale); plans from Smithsonian Inst. I got the scaled cannon barrels (machined brass) from another modeler who didn't need them (I have some left for ????) and it took from 2006-2012 to build. I have visions of another scratchbuilt BOSTON (1799) but have put that on hold as correct and verifiable info simply doesn't exist (as it most certainly does for ESSEX). Everybody does CONSTITUTION; well, ole Uncle Hank DOESN'T do CONSTITUTION! The case alone is bigger than I can carry in either of my vehicles (of course neither is a truck or van or SUV). It was fun and very educational as I want to know the complete history of a model I'm going to spend all this time building. I also had kibitzing from an acquaintance - Author/modeler Stephen W. H. Duffy (Capt. Blakely and the WASP - The Cruise of 1814).

                              I too have Longridge's book on VICTORY and consulted it from time to time. I agree, he is over the top on every detail - very few modelers could hope to compete with this level of building. I also did probably 25 finished drawings in 2D CAD for items, masts, spars, boats, deck equipment, cannon carriages, etc. The ships of that period were constructed from a body plan, side elevation, and deck plan. Masts and spars were figured from John Steele's tables and it's there that I got the info for my masts/spars/fighting tops etc. It's a long term involvement - to do it right. I was given a partially started 1:93 kit of VICTORY several years ago but gave it back - way to much work to correct the 1st modelers many mistakes and it wasn't really a kit I wanted to build. I would however, love to build a 1:48 NORTH CAROLINA - but that is simply wishful thinking!!!

                              Well, thanks for the remarks about PEACOCK. One other bit of the model's construction - the copper plates are individual, designed to scale, and have the proper number of nail heads represented. I was being mentored by master modeler Arther Ortner who also built a 1:48 PEACOCK and had these copper plates designed for his model. There is a separate sheet for each side and the keel (total 3 designs). I was able to purchase the stbd and port sheets from the original model parts company but not the sheet for the keel. I doubt anyone will know. They are adhered using Pliobond rubber cement and it took 2 1/2 months to get the bottom coppered. Also, the rudder in similar fashion. Is this going over the top???? Anyhow, here are some close-ups of the model:
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                              My case also has two rows of white LEDS in the solid top w/switch and plug - so you can turn on the light at night and it bathes the ship in a nice cool white light!

                              Later,

                              Hank

                              Comment


                              • Oh Hank... it's truly wonderful. Thanks for posting more details about it and the additional pictures.

                                I hope the rest of the guys that read this thread are as impressed by it as I am. Having spent a lot of time reading about this level of construction, it's great to see the work of someone who has actually done it.

                                The longest I've ever spent on any given build is about 13 months and I've done that several times since moving to L'ville. The B-17, the Missouri and the substation project all ran longer than a year to complete, but I've never done a multi-year project like the Peacock unless you count the 5+ years this model railroad has taken, but I view it as a long series of projects, not one.

                                Again... terrific work!

                                So almost all of the armament were carronades, not long guns? Lots of short range impact, but long range... nada.

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