Hank

NOTE RE. Resin Mold for Mk. 35/Mk. 25 FC Radar Dishes: When I left my workshop Thurs. morning the molds had been poured Wed. night and still had not set up properly - this is the two part Micro-Mark Fast Cure Resin CR 301. I guess I didn't mix it 100% evenly or did not properly mix the A&B parts - it could be some of both - I'm hoping (Yea, right!!) that it has turned hard, white, and set when I return Sun. p.m. BUT - I'm not expecting it to be. If not, after cleaning the Delrin mold, I will remix using the drop by drop method to ensure equality of A/B and mix as thoroughly as possible (it's clear - how can you tell??? ). Other than that, I don't know what to do. My secondary mold, a scrap piece of wood drilled like the Delrin, is probably useless at this point. Another modeler in Alaska has sent me the molds for my life raft packs (I did the masters and sent them to him to make molds). They will be molded from the same resin, so the dishes are really the test bed for learning this process. Too bad that Part A & B aren't the kind of solution that turns a color when mixed - that would really let you know quickly if you've done it right. So, anyhow, resin molding 101 is in session... Hank

Jason, Thanks much, I really appreciate the comments! How's yours coming along? Hank

David, Thanks - I just wish I still had 20-20 acuity with hand/eye coordination - bifocals can be good and bad - esp. when trying to do modeling details. And I do have one of those visor-noculators (my word ) - such is life! Hank

Well, after some time since my last update, I have a couple photos of the current status of the superstructure and After Air Defense Stations to show the progress I'm slowly making on the model. Once again, the assemblies are simply put in place, nothing permanent at this point: Comment - Some of you more astute battleship nuts may notice the modification to the After Air Defense Station Tub - the bumpout on the side was unique to NEW JERSEY, added during her 1967-68 refit. I'm currently working on the two Target Designators which will be loc'd on either side of the MK. 37 director base inside the tub. I have two of those TD's also loc'd on the 08 Level Conn Station and they are just barely visible in the lower photo. These are not the Mk. 1 TD's that were used on the IOWA's from WWII - Korea. I've started tryiing to make resin radar dishes for the Mk. 25 and Mk. 35 radars that are associated with the Mk. 37/Mk. 56 F.C. Directors - this (resin molds/casting) is something new to me and will be a learning curve, for sure! The Mk. 56 directors will also be scratch built (possibly molded, don't know at this point). Hank

Mark, Well, I certainly appreciate the nice remarks and I'm glad you're following the build. Never a dull moment!!! Hank

seamless....hmmmm ....NOT!!!!!! But thanks for the kind sentiments. And yet the more detail you add, the more details you find that you missed! It's a vicious circle! Hank

Patrick, David: Thanks so much! Well, I guess it's more a personal knowledge than what others can see. Hank

Well, the upper conning tower is complete - with the exception of the (2) 35' Whip Antenna that will be added at a later time to the angled bracket at the 011 Level. While the ULQ-6 ECM framework, etc. is not perfect, it will have to suffice until I can re-design a CAD file for making a PE brass sheet of uniform parts that will replace the current ones. This would be in order to make the framework more consistant in width, etc. Next construction will be the 08 Level Open Conn. Station and adjoinning lower conning tower/fwd. stack. Hank

Mark, Patrick, David: Thanks for the reassurance that I may have to revive my old drinking days - NOT!!!! This work is very time consuming, subject to the constant carpet monster, but in this case 100% necessary. With Mr. Landgraff's first hand account of the final construction/adjustments made to the ECM set, I'm doing the best I can to represent what was put up there by his crew at LBNSYD. Hank

Martin, Thanks so much for the kind remarks. Yes, I'm currently reading Richard Landgraff's book A History of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard - he's my "fittings" consultant I've mentioned in my posts. Research (history) is always ongoing. Hank

I've started on the ULQ-6 radar antenna frames and after two nights of work, I have a couple of photos to show my progress. Actually, I'm a bit further along with the lower framework, but these are the latest photos. This phase of the build is assisted by R. Landgraff (as mentioned in an earlier post) who actually worked on the final construction of these ECM units in 1968 prior to the ship's departure for WesPac. So, I'm fairly confident that his knowledge will pay off in the long run. While I'm using my CAD file for the overall construction of these frames, I'm thinking that they could be improved upon by perhaps being produced in PE brass and designed to be a folded-over frame instead of individual pieces as my framework is currently constructed. This would also eliminate the fact that the two frames are not 100% identical and that all the members were the same width, etc. So, when it comes time to mount these units on the conning tower, I will probably use minimal glue so that they can be replaced with a more professionally designed and constructed set in the future. Wednesday night I got the intial painting done and begin work on the lower "Derby Hat" framework construction that will be added below the existing framework. The actual ECM gear has yet to be constructed and then added. Hank

Jason, you dawg!!! - thanks (from both forums ! Hank

David, Thanks for the nice comment! Hank

Kevin, Well, actually the mast poles were brass tube, but the platforms, etc. were styrene - and they did take the fall and are now history!! I'm inquiring as to the fate of the 67-69 mast with my consultant to see where/what it's fate was (just for my own curiosity). More than likely was scrapped by the shipyard when the new tripod mast assembly was built in 81/82. Yea - a lot of calculations as to weight distribution, wind and sea spray effects, etc. in order to make it work properly and survive the elements at sea. Thanks for the kind remarks - I'll check out your BISMARK soon! Hank

CD - Very nice model!! You've gone where I could not make progress last year. I started the Anchor Hoy in 1:48, POB and thru a combination of losing interest and running into problems forming the planking, I put it all aside. If you do a search, you'll find my posts on MSW. I can see you are using the same plans that I was using that I scaled up to 1:48. At least, my anchor came out nicely and maybe someday I'll get back to this project. Good luck with finishing your hoy! Hank

Since my last post, I was able to contact and correspond with a former Long Beach Naval Shipyard project manager who was involved with the final fitting of radar and electronics aboard USS NEW JERSEY prior to her Sept. 1968 departure for WesPac. Richard Landgraff and I have been erstwhile correspondents/battleship enthusiasts since the 80’s and have now re-established contact after quite a few years of absence. Richard spent well over 30 years at LBNSYD working on the IOWAs through the years as the needs of the Navy changed and the ships were in service and out. Currently he is involved with the USS IOWA Museum located at the L.A. Ports. After an exchange of photos and a critique of my (2nd) mast assembly, Richard made a few observations which I have amended this week: 1) The foremast on NEW JERSEY was removed in 1967 at Philadelphia NSYD and replaced with a 36” diameter lower pole. The current available plans of NJ of this time period do not show the mast correctly. They also show the mast with a starboard side vertical ladder and this is also incorrect. The ladder is mounted on the front face of the mast; I now have photo proof of this thanks to Richard. I have removed the mast from the conning tower, modified (enlarged) the two mast support brackets and replaced (modified) the lower mast pole to achieve the required diameter ( 3/16” @ 1:200 scale) or as near to it as I could make it without major damage to the rest of the assembly. Historical Note - the original IOWA class foremasts were designed to be lowered in order for the ships to pass under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York harbor. If you compare these photos with the prior photos posted a week or so ago you will see the differences in the mast structure. I've also added the wire rope stabilizing stays on either side of the mast extending to the rear of the ECM equipment houses. 2) The forward tubular bracing I made for the lowest radar platform is not correct and was modified per Richard's directions to more closely resemble the actual bracing. In addition, side tube bracing that was omitted from the after brace was added. These corrections are not all that evident in my photos below. In addition to the technical knowledge I have learned this week, Richard has also provided me with other snippets of battleship history (namely involving NJ) that probably no one else is aware of. This kind of first-hand lore is slowly but surely disappearing as those associated with battleships and their construction/modification take their final shore leave. I am keeping these items of lore in a separate file as they are related to me in order to hopefully preserve these stories. One item of interest that I will share is that any photos you see of NEW JERSEY in her late 60's configuration with her 40mm gun tubs up forward of Turret 1 are PRE-deployment photos. Those tubs were removed the day I arrived on board in Sept. 1968 and Richard was supervising the yard crew removing those tubs. We left a couple days later for Westpac. The photos show the new mast structure with only touch-up painting left to be complete. I will begin work on the 08 Level Conning Station and ULQ-6 antenna arrays next week. Hopefully, I'll be able to "retain" Richard as my own "Dreadnaught Consultant" on this project since his 1st hand knowledge of this ship is so extensive. Hank

Rick - NEW JERSEY in the mid-60's did not carry 20 or 40mm AA guns - they (the guns) were completely removed in 1967 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. (see following post for additional historical note) I have purchased the Pontos Detail Up set w/o deck and am replacing the kit parts/PE as needed. Both the kit and Pontos PE 20 & 40mm guns/tubs/F.C. directors will not be used. An acquaintance in Alaska who is building a scratchbuilt ALASKA has spoken for them (at least at this point). I have seen the Veterans 40mm Bofors kits - WOW!! is all I can say. Hopefully, Pontos will be creating the decking for my project as I have been in correspondence with Kim, their U.S. rep. Good luck with your build - that seems to be a popular time frame for MISSOURI builds these days. Hank

Mark wrote: Yea, it really was for outdoor movies. I do recall seeing one on the fantail at night. We had a 16mm projector in the booth and got movies off the fairly current movie circuit as well as 40's & 50's hit movies that were making the military circles. When I get time to post a .jpg of my .pdf of the drawing I made, I'll do that. I'm not sure what the booth became in the 80's modernization. I'm sure those guys were too hip for just "movies"!! WISCONSIN had an additional room on the after starboard side of their booth - I have no idea what it was for - it's not detailed in the 1956 Book of General Plans, only shown on the main deck plan. From a 1964 photo of MISSOURI during the McArthur Memorial Service, hers looks to be very similar to NEW JERSEY's booth. Hank

Thanks all for the nice comments! I might add that the Main F.C. radar Mk. 8 (the rounded object above the optical rangefinder at the top of the conning tower) is also scratchbuilt. These items take a long time to create and thus, this project will take a LONG time to build. Hank

Well, after a month of making a second Foremast/Radars from scratch (this time mainly brass, not styrene) I've got it almost complete and mated to the conning tower. A few items left to add but couldn't do that until the mast was in place. the lower foremast yardarm will be added at a later date in order to keep from messing it up (which I have a tendency to do these days ) Next week I'll be back on the ULQ-6 ECM antenna construction which goes on either side of the upper conning tower "boxes". I've drawn that equipment in MicroStation so I have a fairly reliable drawing to go by in cutting out the brass angles, etc. for the framework. It's fairly confusing to someone without knowledge of what it is and why it's there. One item I will have to create from scratch is the after movie projection booth which is located centerline at Frame #180 just aft of the Tureet #3 gun barrels. This was not in existance in 1945, so the Trumpy kit does not include it. I've drawn it up in MicroStation from a few somewhat sketchy photos and drawings by Alan Chesley/Floating Drydock. This booth was added to all 4 IOWAs in the mid-'50s, but differs from ship to ship. My booth is depicted as of 1969 and I'm fairly confident that it is correctly represented with the exception of the after bulkhead mounted equipment - I'm still looking for additional sources of information. Hank

Evan, Patrick - Yes, I think you are both correct. I'm already thinking ahead of this and trying to gather more info on how the platforms were laid out - and this is NOT an easy task - very little to Zero info on the 67-69 mast configuration online. Most today is the IOWAs in their modern (82-90s) appearance. Esp. when it comes to detailed photos, plans, whatever. So, I'm really stretching the envelope on this one! Hank

Augie, Eamonn, Thanks for the support, etc - I have not yet begun to airbrush (no pun intended to our Grand Admiral Jones )! Hank

Update – 03/28/14 Well, Murphy’s Law bit me on the *** big-time Wednesday night. Somehow I managed to topple the superstructure & foremast from the model to the floor and the damage to the foremast is almost non-repairable (see photos from earlier post). The superstructure only had a minor injury overall and that’s been repaired. It will require some touchup painting, but that was going to take place anyway a couple nights from now. Bottom line, I’ve started to build a NEW Foremast. Rather than repair the existing one, I’ve decided to go from scratch once again. Only, this time the platforms will be made from brass bar, rod, and PE, and rather than solid styrene, will incorporate PE grating which is closer to the actual masts than my solid styrene plastic ones were. So, I’ve already soldered together the framework of the lowest platform and have sized and cut the upper and lower masts from brass tube. These will be drilled for the various support legs rather than depend on cryo to hold everything together. I do not have PE grating that is large enough for the entire platform, but will have to make the platforms out of various pieces and cut to size. Since there is grating available for the WWII inflatable raft baskets which won’t be used on the model (both kit PE and Pontos Detail Up Set), I have enough to complete the 3 platforms I need. I hope to be able to salvage the various radars on the damaged mast rather than making all of those again. I've got an order in for 1/32" sq. brass bar that should be here next weekend. Tonight’s photos show the 1st platform frame w/the lower and upper masts in place. It looks nasty now, but when painted I think will be better the 2nd time around. I’ve also taken time to ensure that the support legs are as close as possible to the actual mast – something many photos I have for reference are still hard to decipher since very few photos are close ups from different angles of the mast. One most helpful is actually one I took in 1969 looking up at the mast from the port 03 level. This photo shows the various platfoms on the mast and their grating, as well as positions of the yardarm and it’s components. One other note regarding the hull of the 1:200 Trumpeter kit - another modeler has done a 3D solid model comparison (using Solidworks) of the kit hull superimposed at the same frame locations as recorded in drawings of the IOWA class offered by Floating Drydock (can't recall the draftsman of these plans). The differences in the two patterns are noticeable, but in my opinion not to the extent that I would be willing to chop off the lower stern of the kit hull up to Turret #3 in order to correct these distortions. I plan to go ahead and build the model with the kit hull intact. I have some other ideas about how to display the model so that any "smarty pants" viewing it will realize what's going on and keep their opinions to themselves. I have too much $$ tied up in this project to try and mess something up further rather than just moving ahead with caution. Further - I have determined that the Light Gull Gray (Testors) that I was planning on using for the Haze Gray is not correct. I have tested and will incorporate Testors Light Ghost Gray as the Haze Gray paint for this model. It will also give me an opportunity to learn how to use my 12 year old "new" Badger airbrush outfit for the first time. Ghost Gray is not available in spray can. Hank

Mark, Popeye, Thanks for the comments. I hope to post later this week w/almost complete conning tower photos. Got a lot done last night, The PE on this kit is extensive (bought the detail up set from Pontos) and it takes diligence, patience, and TIME to get in place properly. Hank

Joe, Thanks very much. They'll look much better when the painter shows up! Hank