thibaultron

A steal of a deal!

Hi Eric, Just found this log. She is coming along nicely. Looks like you are having fun with this one.

Looks good Eric.  That old kit is turning into a lovely model.

I think you guessed correctly on the metal band. The bowsprit, though, should not be tapered where it fits into the cap. Perhaps too late to fix at this point, but something to file away for future reference.
 
Cheers! 

What solder did you use? I assume this is the joint that broke later in the log? I was making some rings to strop my deadeyes and the joint kept breaking until used silver solder and a torch. Some people have had luck without that but it worked well for me.

I attached the jib to the ship, breaking the weld in the process. So it goes. I also wrestled with the mast heads; the supplied ‘pre-cut’ one don’t match the profile view in the plans and I wasn’t clever enough to see ahead enough to catch that difference. Such is the price of wisdom...

To recover, I scraped with an xacto blade and then I stained the wood slightly my trusty water-soluble walnut brown. 

I blackened the loop and took a moment to blacken the other brass bits and pieces. I should have done this earlier, the brass black dyed the wood!

I soldered the brass loop. My iron was probably too lightweight since it took forever to melt the solder. Then some quick filing and steel wool.

Thanks for the review! I just ordered a copy from Amazon for ~$19 US.

Thanks for the review! I just ordered a copy from Amazon for ~$19 US.

Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance
 
Conrad Waters
Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing, 2019
25 x 29.5 cm format, hardback, 320 pages
363 B&W and color illustrations, appendices, bibliography, index
MSRP £40.00
ISBN: 978 1 1885 3
 

In my previous book review, I observed that the title undergoing scrutiny at that time had a lot of illustrations, but it didn't have very many visual elements -- the two things are not synonymous. This book, British Town Class Cruisers, has a variety of visual elements -- and in spades. But before getting into that, let's take a quick look at the table of contents. The nine chapters cover:
 
1. Class Origins
2. The Design Process
3. From Construction to Delivery
4. Design Description
5. Wartime Improvements
6. Wartime Operations & Performance
7. Post-War Requirements & Repair
8. Post-War Operations & Disposal
9. Evaluation
 
Now let's get some of the basics out of the way. This is a book about WWII cruisers, so all of us ship nuts naturally want to know some essential tid-bits of information, such as what did the ships look like? what were their performance specs? and what kinds of armament did they carry? Trust me, Conrad Waters does an absolutely top-notch job of giving the reader all of those particulars in exquisite detail. Where this book excels, though, is in the details you might not expect. For example, the Town-class were built under the restrictions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which restricted the total tonnage of light cruisers the British could build. That and the particular need of Britain to protect a far-flung trade empire had a profound influence on British naval designs of the 1930s. Waters does an exemplary job, in a very readable fashion, of how these considerations were reflected in the eventual design and construction of the class's members.
 
Here's another example of a something extra you'll find in this volume. We arm-chair historians of course want to know what the ships we're reading about did during the war, and Waters does indeed provide that information, including details of the class's service in Korea and well into the Cold War. But one nice and unexpected perk is the detailed descriptions (including diagrams) of every bomb and torpedo hit suffered by the class, based on historical damage and after-action reports. These provide interesting details on the survivability of the class, as well as an examination of improvements made to both construction and damage control methods as a result of lessons learned in combat. In a similar vein, Waters also describes developments within the class such as the evolution of AA armaments, even at the expense of main guns, brought about by the need to defend against faster, more modern aircraft. We're also treated to discussions of improving radar capabilities and how that played into various combat successes at sea.
 
Okay, let's get down to the good stuff -- the eye candy. This book is a visual treat. There are plenty of diagrams, tables, and cut-away drawings. There are several hundred very crisp B&W photos, including some that are single- and even double-page spreads. There's even a few color photos. There are also seven color plates that feature 14 paint and camouflage schemes. The best of all of these though is two pull-out pages featuring three color plates of original design drawings. These include rigging diagrams for both the Southampton- and Belfast-subclasses and a longitudinal profile of Southampton. Even if you're considering the book only as a visual reference, you won't be disappointed.
 
British Town Class Cruisers wraps up with three nice appendices that are well-worth reading in themselves. Appendix I covers camouflage & appearance, Appendix II is a treatment of the class's Supermarine Walrus scout planes, and Appendix III lists the class's battle honors. This is, in all respects, an exceptionally written and illustrated volume. It has enough detail to appeal to hard-core fans of WWII naval vessels, but is also written in a style that will keep casual fans engaged. It is well-worth the asking price in this reviewer's opinion and a great addition to anyone's nautical library.
 
Thanks are due to Seaforth Publishing for providing a review copy. You can click here to purchase British Town Class Cruisers directly from Seaforth.
 
CDC

Just catching up CDW.  Your aircraft turned out great - beautiful meticulous work.  Love the clean details and the paint looks terrific.  Very nice indeed.
 
Gary

Eureka 1:32 WWII USN Aircraft Carrier Deck
 
Pictured here is the Eureka 1:32 scale USN carrier deck kit. The deck is manufactured in Poland and sold by various shops in the USA. I found mine on Ebay. Very reasonably priced.
The main deck is cast of lightweight resin. My copy looks perfect, no pinholes, no blemishes whatsoever. It comes with a pre made frame that fits around the resin carrier deck. It also comes with a braided wire to simulate the arrester wire.
In my photos, I have first painted the deck with Mr Color 1000 primer/filler. Next will paint the deck in an acrylic teak color, apply chipping materials before covering it all with a deck blue. The chipping will reveal the teak deck boards beneath the blue. The deck drains will be painted in a steel color. Deck striping in a light gray. Will use a wood tone paint for the frame.
 

Thanks for the comments gentlemen. Much appreciated.
 
Thanks for the comments...
 
I have no experience with 1:72 scale, but I believe there are several different manufacturers of the Avenger in that scale.
 
In 1:48 scale, I am aware of three manufacturers. There is the venerable, old, Revell Monogram kit, the Accurate Miniatures kit (in several different versions), and (I believe) a Hobby Boss version. Of these three, I have experience with the Monogram and Accurate Miniatures kits. The Monogram kit is a very old tool, but is proportionally a good scale model. It has raised details and toy-like working features but I have seen some outstanding scale models built from this kit. The Accurate Miniatures kit is very good. Recessed panel lines and a much more modern tool than Monogram. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is out of business but there are other companies (Italeri?) who have packaged the model for sale. It came in several different versions. The Hobby Boss kit is the newest tool of the three, but I have no experience with it at all.
 
Last, in 1:32 scale there is only Trumpeter. It comes in several different versions. Many modelers the world over called it the best 1:32 scale plastic aircraft model ever produced when it came out in 2005.

Craig,
What a fantastic job you are doing,  that detailing is stunning. 
I am intrigued by Trumpeters kit, and wonder how they stand out in comparison to other manufacturers.
What's your input in that matter?

WOW!  either you move lightening fast,  or I've been off line too long     superb plane.........the canopy and ball turret came out great!........been there with the decals though     yea....it stinks when that happens,  but you managed very well......kudos!  really great looking model Craig......really looks life like!

I'm gonna have to get one of those to go with my corsair.......
 
It's a beautiful kit and a gorgeous rendition....
 
You sir, are an artisan......

Beautiful aircraft Craig, it will look the db's when it's on the carrier deck😃

Lovely work mate  - really first class.
 
OC.

Prop installed, nav lights, most of the decals applied. A little more painting, then will start the carrier deck.

When this model first came out around 2005, it was hailed by modelers all over the world to be the best 1:32 plastic aircraft kit ever made. Not sure it still takes that honor, but it is a very nice kit. Fits very well. Great detail, but not overly complex.

Yes, the 400 leveling thinner works well with both of their paint lines, Acrysion and Mr. Color lacquer. Slows down the drying time and allows the paints to self level.

Stunning!

Received mine yesterday, have not had a chance to look through it yet.