jwvolz

Nice work on the paint scheme. I built this kit a few years ago, it really is nice. 

The problem with these boats is even if you manage to pull off the build, the shape is just horrible. They look nothing like any prototype. 

On my Cruizer I used one of Caldercraft's nice resin boats. I was painting it anyway, and it detailed up very nicely. 

Good luck with that ME boat. 

I continue to be so impressed with your metal work Richard.  

21 minutes ago, Tony Dee said:

Any thoughts on using a Dremel to fair the bulkheads?

I do it that way. Especially helpful on the rock-hard plywood Model Expo uses. Do most of it before you install them on the false keel and finish with sanding blocks once installed. 

Planking looks very nice. 

19 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thers the challenge   do all 110  same time😉🙂

 

OC.

But where to put them when done...

In all seriousness, need to purge a bunch, as there are better options available now for some, and interests have  changed a bit too. 

On 4/28/2020 at 5:38 PM, Landlubber Mike said:

Awesome diorama!!  Well done!

 

I told myself I can't start looking at armor kits.  First it was plastic ships - that led to plastic plane kits - which then led to plastic car kits on the shelf.  Must look away now...

Don't fight it Mike. There are roughly 110 aircraft kits in my attic, and a few pieces of armor! 😄

Wow, beautiful work!

Retrofitting back to WW II would be pretty tough, depending upon what is in the PE set. You're missing all of the 40mm and 20mm guns, as well as eight of the 5" guns. The antenna/radar array/masting will all be different too. 

There are many other smaller details that will matter as well, such as removal of the Tomahak and Harpoon luanchers, the rear flight deck vs. catapults for the Kingfishers in WW II,, ships boats etc... I'd personally wait to find a set that would work on the modern NJ. The Pontos set does look amazing. It wasn't around when I built the kit. I know it's a lot for what you get but the Gold Medal set is good and is available, and you're only out $20 at this point...

Every Model Shipways kit I've built has had very tight fitting bulkheads, so nothing unusual there. Good work so far. 

I'm almost exclusively an acrylic guy myself, odor/VOCs being the reason. I still have some Floquil primer I use now and then, but let it dry at least ten days before anything goes over it. Dry to the touch means nothing with lacquer; you have to wait until there is no residual odor.

Although I usually mostly Vallejo for flat, if I want a super dead flat finish I will use Testor's Dullcoat lacquer as my final finish, even over acrylics. It does work, but the only way to apply it safely that I have found is super light airbrush mist coats. I still generally try to avoid mixing systems and really find that there is generally nothing I can't do with just acrylics. For example, Model Masters acrylics come in a wide color range and availability, how ever their adhesion to bare styrene is abysmal. I've been burnt numerous times by them over the years, and now will only use them over primed plastic. For primer though I find I don't need anything more than whatever random light gray Tamiya acrylic I have handy. I've never had any paint come off with tape when doing that. 

Good luck OC. 

4 hours ago, Gahm said:

You do an excellent job on the Granado. Just watching your build log makes one wish to build her, too 🙂

 

Thomas

I can't recommend Granado enough Thomas. The Caldercraft kit is nice, with plenty of upgrade opportunities. It's a great looking model when finished, of something a bit different from the usual. 

Great work on the anchor Ron!

It's not you on the chainplates.

I had to scratch build all the links for them on my Cruiser. If you place them at the correct angles the kit ones, all being the same length, won't work. 

Thanks Ken. Still always looks odd to me in other than RAF markings. I built an RAF Mustang in the past as well, and that one always looks funny to me as well. I'm just conditioned to seeing certain aircraft look a certain way. 

Thanks guys. 

Decals are complete.

There aren't a ton so it went reasonably quickly. Eagle Strike decals are very nice to work with and respond well to the Micro Scale finishing system of Micro-Set and Micro-Sol. Next up, another gloss coat to seal them in preparation for a panel line wash. 

1 hour ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Nice work Joe.  You're a master at modeling ships and now it clearly appears planes.  Anything you can't do?  

Ha! Thanks Mike. Well to start, I'm terrible at basketball...

Seriously though, I've been building plastic a long time. I go in spurts between that and wood. Heavily into the airplanes at the moment. 

The anchor looks very nice Eamonn. 

Nice job!

52 minutes ago, Roger Pellett said:

Red stripe and yellow wingtip?

Quite possible, which would be the reverse of the Mustang, which has the red outboard. Hard to tell from the photo above.  The foreground aircraft "VV" clearly shows a lighter color outboard of the (likely) red. It could be RAF Sand or it could be yellow. The port wing has the Dark Earth right up to the stripe forward of the aileron, but a hard cut-off and none outboard. I wonder... Sand and yellow would look very similar in black and white. 

This page shows all the variations: http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/31st/31planes.html

Here's the Mustang with the red outboard of the yellow.

That's good engineering when the cockpit goes in from underneath like that. Accurate Miniatures kits do that and they are some of the most well thought out kits I've ever built. 

4 hours ago, Javlin said:

Joe know anything/reason for the red stripes?I know that Reece crates had the black on the wings and tail ,Nice  paint Kevin

Kevin,

The 31st Fighter Group had red and yellow ID bands on the outboard area of the wings certainly on their Mustangs. I've seen one picture with the Spitfire showing just the red (may have been colorized) and a few more with just the yellow. Most photos are of course black and white. 

Here's a picture showing the stripes in b&w. To me that doesn't look like it could possibly be yellow; too dark. 

Art,

In my humble opinion you really only need a good photo-etch set. When I built the kit I used this one:

http://www.goldmm.com/ships/gms3njss.htm

It's not crazy expensive and provided everything I needed. I used some aftermarket chain for the anchor chain and aftermarket decals as well.

I can't seem to find the photos from my build other than the dead links to Photobucket on this thread on another modeling site: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/172054-tamiya-battleship-uss-new-jersey-bb-62/&tab=comments#comment-1597532

Any questions as you go I'd be glad to help. 

Absolutely, one bottle should be fine Art.