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Trumpeter 1:350 USS Essex Late WW2 Trim

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  • Hank, those are nice details! You've got one thing going for you; at 1:200 the rails are almost twice as robust as they are in 1:350. Do these baskets hang on the rails? That's going to be one hell of a boat when it's done. If you are hanging on the rails I wonder if small wire hooks would work. If I was going to build my boat again, I might even resort to soldering the FNBs to the rails before I add them to the ship. That would hold like crazy, but would require lots of pre-planning on my part AND not messing up the railings that kept falling off the frets, onto the floor (repeated times). The fact that I had any usable railings was a miracle.
    Last edited by Builder 2010; 09 Jun 18,, 16:08.

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    • B2010,

      Some are hung from the handrails and others are mounted on the sides of the bulkheads and other places. Here's a shot that shows the stbd side during our commission:
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      Hank

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      • There sure is a "boatload" of them and they're very conspicuous so you really have to do them well. I am certain that you will!

        I had a near catastrophe a little while ago. I was doing a home repair job (installing new LED puck lights under two cabinets that had halogens) and needed to use a pin vise with a pilot drill for the screws. I was fussing with the drill and was putting the various bits behind the ship on the workbench. I was reaching back and forth and on one of the reaches brushed past one of those radio antennas and bent it 30 degrees off of vertical. In order to do this some of those little tiny trusses had to deform. I was able to straighten it and, while there's a bit of distortion left which I will spend some quality time next session to straighten it some more, it will work. If it comes to pass that I have to replace it, there are a couple of the older set that are still usable too, so I'll be alright. It just goes to show you, don't do anything around an almost finished model if you intend on actually finishing it.

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        • Much as I would like to get the whip antennas in place, I'm NOT going to until the very end. I was able to order from Pontos an additional 8 or so since the ship has quite a few of the 30' whips. I've already got them painted and ready to install, but this will occur last!

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          • Essex: The Home Stretch (Part A)

            Good idea! Keep everything that's super fragile off as long as you can.

            Well, dear readers, we are on the home stretch. Speaking of home stretch, how about that Justify? Being a Louisville resident, we're very attentive to great horses. He's going to spend some time at the stables at Churchill Downs. I got the long-range radio antenna rigged, added a few of those little end railings (pain in the butt), added two inclined ladders to go up some minor elevations in the port side catwalk system, weathered the area around the anchors and, finally, started adding the air wing and the little people. The model will be done TOMORROW!

            Rigging the antenna towers started by running the horizontal lines (4) from one end to the other. For the aft towers this was just two. For the foreward towers the lines led through the middle one to each end. I simulated insulators with a drop of Bondic. It worked very, very well for this purpose. In fact, I would recommend it. After curing it for a couple of seconds I colored it with a touch of Tamiya clear green. The lines are just CA'd directly to both sides of the towers for the up and down lines and to the outriggers for the athwartships lines.

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            For the downrunning lines, I first belayed the lines to the bottom rungs of the towers and then just touched them with thin CA where the two lines touched. As noted before, once the CA hits the E-Z Line, it will cure almost instantly. That's a blessing and a curse. If the lines accidentally touch they will stick there too.

            Here's what the front set looks like rigged.

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            The aft towers came out the same. Whew! This was one of those steps that could go very, very well or very, very badly.

            I then attempted to add some rust around the anchors. I'm not happy with the result and will redo it tomorrow. It's too much. I just want a touch of rust where the anchor would naturally bump the ship.

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            It was time to install the air wing. I decided to just put a dab of thick CA onto the landing gear and set them down. I first laid them all out in a logical arrangement, then started in the front and worked to the back.

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            I then put the first little person on the deck, the plane starter.

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            I have to decide how I'm going to arrange the folks. They're all deck people with different colored shirts. With plane ops underway, many of the armorers, fuel guys would be in the catwalks and out of the action. The deck would be full of yellow shirts. I don't have any brass. There's another fret with officers types that I don't have.

            Of course I couldn't leave well enough alone and decided to jiggle one of the planes to see how the thick CA is holding. The plane I touched was the last Avenger. One side was not attached, and when I attempted to remove it to add more CA, the landing that was stuck was really stuck and unglued itself from the air plane. So I had to get it off the deck and reglue it to the plane. Then the other gear came off. And lastly, I dropped the darn thing on the floor and one of the horizontal stabs came off and the prop. The more I messed with it the worse it got. Tomorrow I will rebuild it and get it back on the deck...one way or the other.

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            • Essex: The Home Stretch (Part B)

              The last thing that happened today was me getting a new lab coat. My last one served well and was so gross that my wife insisted that I get a new one. I get one about every four or five years whether I need it or not. I like the kind with snaps since they're easier to get on and off. Amazon has a good selection of them and this one was around $20. My first one was given to me by a lab manager at Engelhard. It was a really high class garment that was quite substantial. The ones I've had since there have not been so. The last one was a static proof garment for working with electronics. I really don't need that and the new one is a softer (more comfortable) material. I try and wash it occasionally, but model paint and super glue do not wash out!

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              Lots of pens in the pocket… I must be an engineer...

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              • Originally posted by Builder 2010 View Post


                I have to decide how I'm going to arrange the folks. They're all deck people with different colored shirts. With plane ops underway, many of the armorers, fuel guys would be in the catwalks and out of the action. The deck would be full of yellow shirts. I don't have any brass. There's another fret with officers types that I don't have.
                Not sure about launching ops in WW2 but I can tell you that there is a swarm of multicolored shirts on an active flight deck on a modern carrier or LHD/LHA. Maint men doing various last minute troubleshooting(green shirt). people pushing planes around the deck (Blue shirts) Plane Capts/Squadron personnel looking after their plane until the driver takes off (Brown shirts). One that they may not have had back then were the safety nazis (White shirts)

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                • Originally posted by Builder 2010 View Post
                  The last thing that happened today was me getting a new lab coat. My last one served well and was so gross that my wife insisted that I get a new one. I get one about every four or five years whether I need it or not. I like the kind with snaps since they're easier to get on and off. Amazon has a good selection of them and this one was around $20. My first one was given to me by a lab manager at Engelhard. It was a really high class garment that was quite substantial. The ones I've had since there have not been so. The last one was a static proof garment for working with electronics. I really don't need that and the new one is a softer (more comfortable) material. I try and wash it occasionally, but model paint and super glue do not wash out!

                  Lots of pens in the pocket… I must be an engineer...
                  Holy crap thats brilliant. All the shirts that I have messed up and never thought of that.

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                  • Good advice. I just found a good color chart of the modern job. Apparently the only real change is purple shirts (grapes) were red shirted in WW2. I arrange them in some natural order.

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                    • B2010,

                      Yes, Yes!! Quite Debonair! I did have a tan one that I got from the lab at work many years ago, but it never fit right - may try to round up another one - Good Idea!! The model is really coming together at this point. One suggestion re. "people placement" - don't forget to "man your battle stations" - along the flight deck, etc.


                      Hank

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                      • Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
                        Not sure about launching ops in WW2 but I can tell you that there is a swarm of multicolored shirts on an active flight deck on a modern carrier or LHD/LHA. Maint men doing various last minute troubleshooting(green shirt). people pushing planes around the deck (Blue shirts) Plane Capts/Squadron personnel looking after their plane until the driver takes off (Brown shirts). One that they may not have had back then were the safety nazis (White shirts)
                        Also Ordnancemen (Red Shirts) finishing up any weapons loading and pulling safety pins off of bombs and rockets right before launch. Torpedo and depth charge safety pins on Avengers were pulled by radioman and/or gunner in flight.

                        Also regarding khaki on the flight deck....wouldn't there be chiefs topside during a launch? The only way you can tell would be khaki pants. And I thought Shooters were commissioned officers? Or did that come later?

                        Sorry to come in this late Builder...you have paid so much attention to detail I'd thought you'd want to know.
                        “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                        Mark Twain

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                        • There's another fret of naval personnel sold by Eduard that has other folks besides flight deck crew, and it looks like I may have to spring for that one too. And yes, I am sort of a detail hound, but not psychotic (at least I keep telling myself that). Just look and nobody seems to sell USN folks in gunnery garb (with helmets). I think I'll use the ones I have and call this ship DONE.
                          Last edited by Builder 2010; 12 Jun 18,, 15:32.

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                          • Originally posted by Builder 2010 View Post
                            There's another fret of naval personnel sold by Eduard that has other folks besides flight deck crew, and it looks like I may have to spring for that one too. And yes, I am sort of a detail hound, but not psychotic (at least I keep telling myself that). Just look and nobody seems to sell USN folks in gunnery garb (with helmets). I think I'll use the ones I have and call this ship DONE.
                            Not being critical...I am in awe of what you are doing. Just wanted share some info.
                            “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                            Mark Twain

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                            • No offense taken! I'm just going to add the ones I have to give it some color and interest. Lab coats are really cheap on Amazon. All kinds… I also wear shop shirts (flannel) old jeans, and some old Mephisto boat shoes where all the seams have let go. I do this mainly so I'm not tracking shop crap into the house. I also wear the lab coat because the basement gets really chilly in the Summer (counter intuitive, eh..) because there's enough leakage in the ducting that conditioned air leaks into a space that's normally cooler than ambient. In winter it's actually more comfortable because those same leaks are bringing heated air. If I didn't practically live down there, I'd worry about HVAC efficiency. Now I see it as a benefit.

                              Had just a few moments in the shop today after exercising and doing errands, so I fixed that semi-wrecked Avenger and got it back on the flight deck. Now I'm not touching any of them. I tipped the boat 90 degrees and nothing fell off so I'm good to go. Tomorrow, I'll add all the folks that makes sense to.

                              I fixed the landing gear using Bondic. Bondic has an advantage where you can cure it instantly without having to touch it. I find sometimes using accelerator on a toothpick to set the CA, that the CA sticks itself to the toothpick which then pulls it off the work piece and pulls the part out of position. With Bondic, if you can hold it still while shining the light on it, you're good to go.

                              When the crew's on the boat, I'll set up the backdrop and take some higher-res pictures of the finished product. That is… after I fix up that rust on the bow.
                              Last edited by Builder 2010; 12 Jun 18,, 23:21.

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                              • Essex: Completed!! (Part A)

                                Finished completely yesterday and took the beauty shots. I used the Canon EOS and mulitple exposures for great depth of field followed by image stacking software (ZerenStacker) to blend all those various focal point pictures into a cohesive whole. Here's the lineup.

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                                Last edited by Builder 2010; 15 Jun 18,, 02:42.

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