CDW

SWEET...jealous...she is gonna be nice...Ronnie Sox was my hero when I was a youngling...king of the 4-speed 

thanks gents.......I had to do a double take with the paint........it's reflecting the finish on my desk.   one of these days,  I gotta get a new desk    I masked the body,  but paint still found it's way into the door groove.  gotta fix that.  got a little bit done today.......lawns mowed and errands run.
   thanks Jack and all who hit the like button  

Since I was a youngster, as many of the participants in this website, I have been building models that range from stick and tissue airplanes, solid hulled ships and planes, and armor from all fronts of World War Two etc, etc.
I spent four years building the Model Expo Syren which I consider my first serious wooden ship effort. That was a great learning experience for me. The Model Ship World website served as an invaluable source to make my model building experience meaningful and, although frustrating at times, an enjoyable hobby.
 
After I retired I finished the Syren and jumped right into the ME Confederacy. For me, Confederacy was almost too much but I don’t give up easily. She’s coming along quite well but I needed a change.
 
Today’s plastic models are a far cry from my previous plastic builds. Photo etch presents challenges and possibilities not thought possible a few years ago.
 
So Confederacy was put on the shelf temporarily and research on a new project began.
 
I chose the Hobby Boss USS Alaska, CB-1, in 1/350 scale. I really don’t why I chose this ship. It just caught my interest. The kit had good reviews and plenty of photo etch options available. Anything with multiple 40mm Bofors quads gets my attention.
The USS Alaska enjoyed a brief but meaningful wartime history.  She went to the Pacific with the Missouri at the end of 1944. Alaska’s main battery was nine 12in guns with ten 5in as a secondary dual purpose battery. With a speed of 33 knots and an extensive AA compliment, her main task was providing AA support to the carriers. Alaska was longer than any of the battleships at Pearl Harbor. There is much discussion as to whether the Alaska class was a Heavy Cruiser or a Battlecruiser which it had originally been designed to counter.
 
Kit: Hobby Boss 1/350 scale. The instructions are well done. I didn’t strictly follow the suggested sequence. For instance I assembled the 40mm quads early to see if I would want to replace them with PE. The kit PE are good but I did use some aftermarket items. The kit could be easily built as is from the box and produce a very nice model.
 
References: Warship Pictorial #43, Alaska Class Cruisers, a multitude of websites too numerous to mention, and Mike Ashey Publishing #3, Building and Detailing the Hobby Boss USS Alaska.
Note: Although Mike Ashey’s Publication #3 deals specifically with the Alaska, I think the book serves as a good training tool for beginners or, in my case, getting back into plastic and PE.
After market upgrades: PE items were purchased from White Ensign, B&D Barrels, Master Models,       Alliance Modelworks, and mostly Infini.
Note: The kit supplied PE is, IMHO, quite good and in the future I would have a new kit in hand before I started buying upgrades. Of course seeing what other modelers are using can be a good starting reference point.
 
Paint: I didn’t know that so many shades of gray and blue existed and I still ended up mixing my own deck blue.

I decided to use USN Ms.22 paint scheme as this was in use when Alaska went to war in the Pacific. The flashier Ms. 32/7C scheme shown on the box was used during her shakedown cruises to the Caribbean.
She will also be built in a waterline configuration which is where the build log begins.
 

You've been busy, Jack. 
I love that Ranch Wagon Ford station wagon. 
You know, you are the first modeler I've seen do an online build on the Stearman kit. I am surprised what a nice kit that is, and you're doing a great job with it. When I saw that kit advertised for sale, I imagined it was a rebox of some old tooling they found somewhere in an attic, had no idea it was a new tool.

Moving right along:
 
Installed the engine into the fuselage,installed the wind screens,  and lower wing

 
To show just how small this model really is - it fits in the palm of my hand
 

 

Yes, I happened to live in Tulsa when Jack Kearby was working on and finishing his production-accurate SE5a using Replicraft plans. I got to crawl all around, unfortunately before the days of good cell phone cams. I didn't see the first flight, but I think I visited the weekend after and saw him fly it. At the time I was flying actively and would have strongly considered donating a testicle if it would have allowed me to fly it, but not surprisingly he never offered... sigh. I don't think anyone else flew it when he owned it, if I recall he sold it at some point.
 
Jack Kearby's S.E.5a

I need to check, but I think I may have reached the age where fishing licenses are no longer required in my state. 🙂 It's a benefit of becoming a senior  citizen at some point.

Not sure if you're talking to me or to Lou. If me, then yes, the radiator pipe cam loose from the upper wing/radiator.

When I first posted these photos, it made me realize one of the radiator pipes had come unglued from the radiator. It's fixed now. It's amazing what details can be seen in photos that often escape the naked eye.

Thanks JCT. Enjoying that RV?
My brother and his wife sure do get a lot of use out of theirs. Almost every time I call him, they are out on a lake somewhere, fishing. That couple love fishing more than anybody else I have ever seen. They are darned good at it, too. His friends kid him and say, "Gene could catch a fish by casting a lure in a bath tub." I can tell you from experience, you can be fishing all day long in your boat, never get a bite, and he will pull up near you in his boat, cast a line over near your boat and catch a fish. 
 

Shipping from Czech Republic in less than 1 week? That IS impressive. 

So I got up this morning with the full intention of spending some quality model building time. But there was one little thing I wanted to do first out in the yard. One thing led to another (more yard work) and the next thing I knew, it was time to come inside and take a shower, change clothes, and take my daughter and granddaughter to drop them off at the movie theater. After picking them up, my wife wanted to take them to the mall to pick out new birthday clothing. Right, getter done. Came home and did more yard work until it was dark. 
It's time for another shower and change of clothing, but it's my full intention of burning the late night oil to get that modeling time in. To get myself in the mood, I like to listen to favorite music, like this one. Oh yeah, I am ready now.
 
 
 

Can you imagine....if just one lucky (or well placed) round was to hit and sever that cable, aileron control would be totally lost and the plane would probably spiral to earth in a death crash. Such was the life and times of WW1 aviators. A brave bunch those were when aircraft were so unreliable and fragile.

Wow, OC. You are quite the resourceful one when it comes to searching down aircraft details. Thanks for those....they will get put to use.

Wow, OC. You are quite the resourceful one when it comes to searching down aircraft details. Thanks for those....they will get put to use.

So I got up this morning with the full intention of spending some quality model building time. But there was one little thing I wanted to do first out in the yard. One thing led to another (more yard work) and the next thing I knew, it was time to come inside and take a shower, change clothes, and take my daughter and granddaughter to drop them off at the movie theater. After picking them up, my wife wanted to take them to the mall to pick out new birthday clothing. Right, getter done. Came home and did more yard work until it was dark. 
It's time for another shower and change of clothing, but it's my full intention of burning the late night oil to get that modeling time in. To get myself in the mood, I like to listen to favorite music, like this one. Oh yeah, I am ready now.
 
 
 

Can you imagine....if just one lucky (or well placed) round was to hit and sever that cable, aileron control would be totally lost and the plane would probably spiral to earth in a death crash. Such was the life and times of WW1 aviators. A brave bunch those were when aircraft were so unreliable and fragile.

Wow, OC. You are quite the resourceful one when it comes to searching down aircraft details. Thanks for those....they will get put to use.

I worked on the torpedoes doors. Not an easy task. Keep in mind that a few parts have to be fabricated as nothing is provided in the kit by Trumpeter. Once again, the PEs from RCSUBS bring a nice addition to that delicate part of the Type VIIc submersible: 

Using brass rods, I fabricated 4 commands to link the door mechanisms to the front bulkhead:

Once painted: 


Yves
 

You are so right  - it was such a dangerous time and the  bravery of the pilots was amazing,    there is an event over here called Shuttleworth Fly In  all period planes from WW2  to biplanes  - some amazing  yet seem so fragile  aircraft.
 
OC.

Just like to  help my friends and family on here if I can.
 
OC.

From this site   -   http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/projects/se-5a-reproduction/se5a-walkaround
 
Thought it might be of use for all the  close up pics of structual details.
 
OC.

Here you go mate  - pic of the actual cover on a genuine SE-5.
 
OC.

You've been busy, Jack. 
I love that Ranch Wagon Ford station wagon. 
You know, you are the first modeler I've seen do an online build on the Stearman kit. I am surprised what a nice kit that is, and you're doing a great job with it. When I saw that kit advertised for sale, I imagined it was a rebox of some old tooling they found somewhere in an attic, had no idea it was a new tool.

You've been busy, Jack. 
I love that Ranch Wagon Ford station wagon. 
You know, you are the first modeler I've seen do an online build on the Stearman kit. I am surprised what a nice kit that is, and you're doing a great job with it. When I saw that kit advertised for sale, I imagined it was a rebox of some old tooling they found somewhere in an attic, had no idea it was a new tool.