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CDW

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Everything posted by CDW

  1. CDW
    I finished quite a bit of the superstructure work, but there remains lots of little details to be added. Also, applied the wooden deck material. What I have pictured here are the major superstructure sub assemblies sitting on top of the deck, not glued down. As well, the deck is just sitting in place, not glued. What I intend to do is to begin painting the camouflage pattern on the hull, then put some of that pattern on the superstructure pieces as required before gluing them in place on the deck. I have them painted in the major colors required, but they need that final touch. As well, there remain a bunch of details to add, including railings, guns, life boats, rafts, search lights, etc., etc. If anyone sees something I need to do differently or add, please let me know. I am always open to constructive criticism. This is the first time I have used that self adhesive wood decking. It's a little tricky getting it in the exact place you want it while it wants to stick to everything in near proximity whether you want it to or not. And once it is stuck down, I doubt it could be removed without completely destroying it.
  2. CDW
    Dear Kurt I agreed and will not again use terms to suggest something is an illegal copy, thus legitimizing the illegal sale of a copy. However, I used those terms very loosely in this context. In fact, I was careless in the use of those terms. I am certain that if you hold side by side the parts of the Harbor Freight airbrush with the Iwata airbrush to compare the two, they are most definitely different. They are not the same, they are not a copy. The reason I am certain, I own both airbrushes. If you wish, I can make a pictorial comparison between the two, but I think what you are after is even the suggestion that an item for sale might be an illegal copy. Am I correct? I can not argue the quality of the Harbor Freight product is equal to an Iwata. It's not. But what I have found is that with some fairly simple modifications that I can do at home to improve it, my Harbor Freight airbrush is quite capable of doing an impressive paint job. On a par with Iwata, or other name brand airbrush products. In any event, you have my most humble apology for using terms that are sensitive in nature on this forum. None of us should hold lightly or condone any type of illegal activity, in particular in this context, copyright infringement. I certainly do not. Best Regards
  3. CDW
    I'm going to be posting some new photos very soon. But before I post new photos, I just wanted to say how critically important it is with this model to carefully test fit and look ahead in the instructions to see more clearly exactly how the parts are intended to go together. This is specifically true where various sub assemblies go together to make a final major assembly but its not limited to just and only that. Part of the problem here I think is that the model is very complex. The instructions offer no verbiage whatsoever, but only some types of "universal" (I'm assuming) symbols that are not intuitive. Unfortunately, no part of the instructions give any indication of the meaning of these symbols. Some parts of various sub assemblies require that certain parts be installed only after the sub assemblies have been put in place. But the problem is that nowhere in the instructions are you warned of this. You only learn after you have either gone through much labor in testing and/or trial and error. This is not intended to scare anyone away from building this beautiful kit as the results are worth the effort. But it's just a word to the wise. This is not your 1950's-1970's Monogram/Revell/Airfix kit by any stretch of the imagination.
  4. CDW
    James I love your choice of the Norden for a first build. Your work so far looks spectacular, like you have been doing this for a long time. Keep up the good work and please, keep posting updates with more photos. Craig
  5. CDW
    This is the Academy kit?
  6. CDW
    Glad to have found your build thread of the Warspite. it looks great!
  7. CDW
    Wow, I hope all that machine shop and it's tools were not scrapped, too. But probably they were. I've heard stories about all the equipment that was tossed overboard after WW2 was over. Kinda gives you an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, doesn't it?
  8. CDW
    Dozens upon dozens of parts went into constructing this part of the superstructure. Still need to add some small assemblies (guns, range finders, masts, and search lights) before this little sub section is completed. This was my first foray into the adhesive backed wooden decks. The ones seen here came with the Art Vox deck set. Everything else is right out of the kit box, including the photo etch pieces. It's amazing and at the same time tedious how they have broken down the smallest parts into multi piece assemblies. Even the little doors are separately molded plastic.
  9. CDW
    Well I have to tell you, the instructions for the Pontos Essex set is less than stellar to put it mildly. But I am lucky. A friend gave me the Trumpeter Essex kit along with a great photo packed book on Essex class carriers. The book should help me where it can be hard to identify from the instructions where some of the small parts go.
  10. CDW
    Bill I just received a Pontos detail set for the 1:350 Essex aircraft carrier. I may have bit off more than I can chew. Incredible amounts of small detail. Don't know if I will be able to see or work with all of it. It will be a challenge for certain.
  11. CDW
    Tim Liberty ships are very interesting to me. My uncle served with the US Navy as a gunner aboard a liberty ship during WW2. He is dead and gone now, but he once told me a lot about his tour of duty at my mother's request. Even after so many years had passed, he had a very difficult time talking about the combat. It was harrowing. He was with a convoy of scores of ships going through the North Atlantic headed to Murmansk. It was supposed to be safe as the allies had gained air superiority and many U-boats had been destroyed. Despite all that, they were ambushed by German Ju-88 torpedo bombers. Most of the convoy was lost/sunk. Their captain was experienced enough to take advantage of fog and disappear into it until the attack was over. I wish I had written down and/or recorded what he had to say. As they say, hindsight is 20-20. Yes, the 1/350 photo etch is a little too difficult for me to see as well as I would like. PS: I built but did not completely finish a 1:350 Trumpeter Liberty Ship. Your photos in this thread will encourage me to finish mine. Your photos show detail I did not have access to when I was building mine and I gave up trying to figure out all the little details including all the rigging.
  12. CDW
    What a beautiful model. Glad to have found your build thread.
  13. CDW
    So glad to have found your build thread and will be following from now on. Beautiful model indeed.
  14. CDW
    One of my primary hobbies is building and flying scale RC aircraft models. Epoxy is a go-to adhesive where the most strength and durability is required. Very often, only small amounts are needed. A drop of each part, A & B are mixed on a plastic coffee can lid or similar plastic surface. It is not necessary to be extremely precise and I do it by eye. No mixing cups, no scale, etc. Works like a charm. As long as epoxy is kept in a controlled temp/environment and out of sunlight, mine has lasted years without incident.
  15. CDW
    I probably won't use this technique here with this model, but there is something else you can do with blue tack that's interesting. If you are doing an airbrushed camouflage on a model... flatten, shape and use the blue tack as a masking. Then when you paint, sort of spray the paint where it comes over and across the blue tack mask and applied to the surface to be painted. If done properly, you will get a blended mask separating the colors rather than a hard line you would get with masking tape. I don't know if the way I am explaining it does the technique justice. On another day and subject, will share the technique with photos and step by step if anyone is interested. Another good feature of it is that it will not peel off paint as sometimes masking tape has a tendency to do. However, you don't want to leave it on a painted surface too long. I usually remove it as a masking as soon as my paint is dry to the touch so as not to spoil any paint under the mask.
  16. CDW
    Right up front with this post, let me apologize for being such a lousy photographer. I tried to get some closeup shots of these small AA and secondary guns before I painted them, but just couldn't get the correct distance to focus properly. Maybe I should mention how I handle the painting of small parts like these as someone asked how I kept from obscuring small details. First, the parts are all airbrushed and not painted with a brush. Second, you want to use a good quality paint with fine pigment. I happen to use Vallejo paints but there are other equally good alternatives. Vallejo are readily available for me and they offer a large range of color choices. I buy a handy product at WalMart (in the office or school supply section) I call "blue tack", but it is known by a trade name as seen in this picture. It only costs a couple of dollars and it lasts a long time. What I do is cut a small little 1/4" square piece of this "blue tack" and place it on the end of a toothpick. The small part can then be set down on the blue tack and held in place for airbrushing. The part is easily removed when painting is finished. Here are some photos of just some of the guns and gun turrets. Many more besides these. It's quite a chore getting all the little pieces prepared to go onto the deck.
  17. CDW
    They say these small, detailed plastic parts are possible because of a new "slide mold" technology. Now, what exactly is different about slide molds from the former molds we knew as kids when we built Revell, Monogram, and Airfix kits, I don't know. But I do know the difference is night and day. Instead of plastic blobs that remotely resembled a particular object, these are detailed down to minute things, like facial expressions on sailor figures, precise recessed rivets, and so on. And in such a small scale.
  18. CDW
    I've been working a little every day on the Scharnhorst, but it's slow sledding with all the little bitty details that go on the ship. I must say that this Dragon Scharnhorst is by far the most detailed and finely made parts I have ever seen on any plastic model. It is extraordinary what the company has done with this kit. I'll have some pictures of a lot of small parts up, soon. Not quite ready yet. In the meantime, I have studied the net to learn what paint scheme was used on the ship in 1943, and to try and get some close up views of some of these small sub assemblies. The instructions are not really adequate. Through this study, I began to worry I might not find too much that would help. Then, came across a site that said to look on the bottom of the kit box, as there are color drawings of the paint scheme and CAD drawings of the sub assemblies that greatly help in properly assembling some of these features. If I had not read that, would have NEVER thought to look on the bottom of the box. But lo and behold, there it was!
  19. CDW
    For those who might be following or just reading through this thread, I thought maybe some of you might be unfamiliar with photo etch (PE) and particularly the micro small stuff. Lots of times, PE must be folded to represent a 3D object. When folding is required on micro small PE, some special tools come in very handy, maybe absolutely necessary to get an accurate fold. I wanted to show you a couple of the tools I use and how I use them. 1st is a magnifying light combination. I am sure most of you have something like this but if not, you will need to acquire one if you are going to work with small PE parts. My daughter bought me this one quite a few years ago for my birthday (what a sweetheart). The next essential tool is a photo etch bending device. It measures about 6" x 4", is made of a machined aluminum plate with a spring loaded steel machined plate that slides up and down by turning a set screw (the large black knob). This tool I acquired about 15, maybe 20 years ago. I am not certain it is production anymore as it was a cottage industry product when I bought it. In any event, this or a similar tool is a must. Next I am going to show you how to use the tool. The PE is slid under the steel plate precisely where it is to be bent. It is then clamped down and using a single edge razor blade to slide under the part, then bent up to a 90 degree angle (or whatever angle is required). If a second bend is required as in the case of my example, it is unclamped then repositioned where the second bend is required and the folding process repeated. The finished product looks like this. These are ammo box racks that are glued to the AA guns. A little plastic ammo box fits inside the ammo rack. At the present time, I am still laboring to finish building the AA and secondary guns. Next post, I will take some photos of the built, unpainted guns. Man, these things are so small! It's very tedious work to say the least, but quite fun in a certain masochistic sort of way.
  20. CDW
    I'm a plastic builder from way, way back. But I enjoy just about every facet of scale model building no matter the medium. Plastic does often give a quicker satisfaction as the turn around time to build can be much smaller (for me) than say a wooden ship. My HMS Victory sitting in dry dock comes to mind.
  21. CDW
    Well, I have been giving my family "hints" for far too long saying I really wanted the Byrnes table saw. So, within the next few months, I WILL acquire one. Not going to ask anyone permission to buy it, either. Would rather do it and ask for forgiveness than ask for permission and be told, No.
  22. CDW
    Thanks for the quick reply to my question. I would rather ask the question and be safe rather than make a post that breaks the rules.
  23. CDW
    Question, guys....if I paint and decal this model in the historical paint scheme, it will have a swastika at the bow and stern deck areas. Is this a prohibited photograph on this forum? If so, I shall photograph the model before applying the decals and flag.
  24. CDW
    These photo etch frets are included with the kit. Here are detail items being added to the kit contents. * A Cyber Hobby photo etch set that includes railings * Artvox wood deck * Set of brass gun barrels from Poland When I said some of this photo etch stuff is small, a photo of three different AA guns used on the model. The tiny photo etch parts that can be seen must be folded to represent ammo racks. In reality, these may prove too small for me to work with. Building each of these AA guns is a chore as the parts are so small.
  25. CDW
    Decided to drag this model out of the closet at build it to try and break my model building blues. I became a bit distracted by other life events and modeling took a back seat. Am hoping this will rekindle a fire. For starters, here are a few pictures of what I am building. Will add a simple photo etch set and a wooden deck to give a little flavor. I started by building the anti aircraft guns and secondary guns. The parts are so small and detailed, it's hard to believe plastic can be molded in that fashion. Plastic models have come a long, long way since I was a kid. For the youngsters among us, that was just after Noah built his ark.

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