CDW

58 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

And speaking of colors, I've tested stains on the wood applique/overlays and decided to use a maple color, except on the conning tower's floor which will be stained darker to simulate teak. I haven't seen you color your decking yet; have you chosen any colors or do you intend to retain the lighter, natural wood supplied in the upgrade package?

Ron

Ron

While I could be open to staining the decks, my results in the past have been less than spectacular. It seemed the stain was inconsistent over large areas. Blotches of dark and light areas. Maybe it was due to the stain I was using. What type/brand did you test to get satisfactory results? It's late in the game for me to stain mine, but would like to know for the future, other builds.

CDW

Next, I have to repeat an almost identical process to finish the front bridge. At least all the searchlights and guns are finished.

Do any of you have any sources for period correct Japanese battle flags I could scale to this ship? All my kit came with are some color printed flags on glossy paper. They don't even appear to be in the correct scale. I guess if push comes to shove, I could scan what I have, size them how I want, then print them on clear or white decal paper.

27 minutes ago, chj said:

Would an upside-down fish tank work? Pet stores have sales of all glass fish tanks here in Houston,TX for a dollar a gallon.

Of all the suggestions so far, I believe this may be the most cost effective solution. Maybe not as aesthetically pleasing as a proper display case, but would keep the dust off and still allow a visual of all sides and top of the model. 

At least in the USA, used aquariums are sold for pennies on the dollar in thrift shops and even given away for free in classified sections of newspapers sometimes. 

Searchlights, painted, detailed, and mounted.

Each of the search lights are 15 piece assemblies. I'll paint and detail these, then add the clear lenses and flanges last.

Ron,

The thing about all of these Pontos (and others as well) update sets, is that the pictorial "instructions" are not a build guide at all. They are simply photos of how the parts go together. It's up to the individual  modeler to work out their own assembly sequence as they see fit. You'll find yourself often going over each page of instructions over and over again, trying to find the particular photos you need for the step you're on. Best advice, read, read, read, look, look, look, then decide the way/order you think is best to tackle the model. You can see here how I did it, but that doesn't mean I did it right. There very well may be a different sequence that would work out better than the way I did it. Hope you have lots of fun doing yours!

CDW

14 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

There called  Voice Pipes mate, very common in pre electronic  versions.

 

OC.

That's too simple! Just kidding, but really, I had no idea exactly what the correct terminology was. Thanks for that.

I wonder how they directed their voice to where they wanted it, or did it just go out to whomever was listening regardless of where they were located? I'm guessing everyone heard it.

There's no doubt, the individual stanchions and wire look better than preformed PE rails. Particularly when zoomed in. Now whether or not the average person who casually looks at the model will recognize the difference is another story. But in the end, it's you, the modeler, who has to like what they're doing.

Plodding along.

Here is the rear bridge sans search lights, ladders, and crew figures.

What does one call the two pipes coming up on each side of the binnacle? I'm guessing those are the pipes used for verbal communication with the engine room and so forth, but I have no idea what they're called. Anyone know?

Oh, wow Ron! That's going to be fun to see your Mikasa. I am looking forward to that.

I think one of the prominent features of this ship will be it's boats. I'm going to try to find some reference pictures for them, but may have to use some creative license to get what I want.

I hope you will come back and let me know when you start your Mikasa build so I don't miss it. Thanks for your kind comments and for stopping by.

I built scale models for many years, but primarily cars, motorcycles, aircraft, and military vehicles, UNTIL I read this little book around/about 1990.

After that, I jumped right into ship models. If you ever have a chance to pick up a copy of this book, by all means, get it. The author does some amazing things with plastic ship models. Inspiring, for sure.

8 minutes ago, RGL said:

It can be an issue of standing too close to the wall at times. Some details are soo tiny as to be invisible to the naked eye, yet alone practical to attach so I don’t bother. Is it visible form arms length? Is it with destroying the piece for that invisible piece of detail? 

My feelings on the extreme small stuff mirror yours. If I can't see it, leave it out. 

Thank you Ken. The two bridges will get pretty busy once it's all done and in place. I think the little structure on top of the rear bridge is the pilot house. I could be mistaken.

Rear bridge with top deck attached. More detail to come on top deck later.

Finished up the remaining 47mm deck guns today. That takes care of all the secondary guns.

In the past few days, I met a modeler in the USA who has been building scale models for more than 75 years. He is 87 years of age and still going strong. He builds in all scales, types, and mediums. His finished work on plastic sailing ship models is amazing. But the thing that jumped out at me and reminded me of you, OC, is that he does all his painting and detailing with a brush like you do it. 

The two of you have given me a new respect for what can be done with a simple little paint brush. Outstanding.

The upper deck of the rear bridge. Photo etch structure in place on the bottom of the deck. A dry fit of the deck on the bridge. 

Will paint the deck, then add the wood stick-on deck before adding all the details that go on top of the deck...railings, more superstructure, search lights, guns, etc.

Thank you, OC. Much appreciated.

The rear bridge is ready for paint.

I want to follow along and see your progress. Card models are very interesting.

All the compliments are very well deserved. Outstanding work.

What was your single greatest source of photos for the Missouri? I never noticed the refueling details before now. They add a lot to the model.

I've been wondering, what, if any, are the differences between the Missouri and New Jersey modern vessels? I see where (Pontos?) offers a detail set for the New Jersey model as a Missouri. This leads me to wonder if the difference between the two models is only in the name and number?

For the moment, Mikasa is in dry dock. Our oldest daughter and her husband flew in from New Hampshire (from Popeye's hometown of Manchester) and we are having lots of fun spending time together and going places. Spent the day at Tarpon Springs today seeing the sites, then had a big family party tonight with cookout.

Let the good times roll. 

I'll just mention this one little thing that often amounts to a big thing (with paint) down the road.

Each and every time you remove the cap from your paint bottle, wipe off any excess paint from the rim of the jar and also wipe down the inside of the lid where it screws down to the top of the paint bottle, before you put the cap back on the bottle.

Why? A large cause (if not the cause) of paint chips inside you bottle is dried paint that accumulated at the lid and came off and fell inside the bottle when you removed and reapplied the lid. That's where all the little bits and pieces of paint are coming from that you can't break down for a smooth flow. Once that bottle gets enough of those pesky dried paint flecks inside it, your paint jobs and frustration will grow and grow.

That's some excellent looking brush paint work, OC. I like it a lot. It shows your talent with a brush, and that's something most of us have forgotten how to do or maybe never learned.

And it seems to me you are enjoying yourself by doing it. After all, that is the main purpose of our hobby, enjoy it, relax, and unwind.