king derelict

It's a hard block inside the jar so I think it's going to last a long time. I rough cleaned the brushes with water to get most of the paint off, wiped them on a paper towel and then wiped them on the surface of the block until I got a lather and then shaped them with my fingers to make a point. I think it will be a good routine to get into. Alan

Well. it was time to blow the dust off this build now that the Geisenau is safely in a display case. I trimmed the brims off the hull sections and hull connectors, at this point concentrating on the inside faces of the hull and the outer surfaces of the connectors to get best fit of the hull sections. The connectors are a tight fit in the bow and stern so any imperfections need to be shaved off. This PLA plastic is evil to work with. It is very hard to sand or cut with a knife. The brims actually were easier to remove by peeling the majority off by hand and then scraping the remaining lip down and finally sanding. I only did a rough job on the exterior surfaces because I want to try to get the interface between the two sections as good as possible. Now that I am working on the hull sections I can see the imperfections in the printing. The rib has printed with gaps on one section and the port hole brow is distorted in the same piece On another section the port holes themselves are only partly printed and the weld lines are missing in places There is generally quite a lot of plastic fluff on teh exterior surface details which I have been gentlt sanding off The ledge that engages with the hull connectors and I assume sets the decks printed with gaps and detached from the hull on completion of the print Looking at Yves hull, it looks a lot neater. Its interesting that the same machine using the same settings and the same filament printing the same files can produce differing results. The lack of repeatability is something I am still trying to come to terms with and improve on. I removed the support from the rudder well by running a drill down the support and the torque was sufficient to tear the support cleanly out of the shaft. That's a tools you don't often see on the work bench in 1/700 land I glued the connectors into the relevant hull sections after carefully dry fitting and checking that I had the hull sections all oriented correctly and the hull connectors also the right way round. I marked them all before separating them to glue. The MEK solvent rather scared me, not helped by reading the MSDS sheet for it. My work area is not easy to ventilate as much as I think would be necessary. I decided to use 5 minute two part epoxy, mixing a fresh small batch for each connector. It seems to be holding well so far although I don't like epoxy glue too much. I find it difficult to use neatly and having been born with the messy gene i seem to transfer sticky patches everywhere, usually the unmixed resin so it doesn't even set and remains sticky forever. I swabbed the work surface off with alcohol at the end of the session. Most of the hull has been assembled. The sections went together well with little gap between sections and generally looking like a clean up of the interfaces and some light filling will produce a good hull. The connectors seem to have worked well it setting the sections in position to give a straight hull. The captain is checking progress and wondering where the stern is I was so engrossed in Geisenau that I didn't print the deck pieces so they will now be started. I'm still undecided about making it an RC model. Thanks for looking Alan

The grass looks very good. I think the vegetation is going to blend the buildings and the walls together and soften the lines to make it look spectacularly realistic. Its coming together beautifully. Alan

Thanks OC. I appreciate the positive support. This has been my biggest and most complicated kit to date and I thought it might be too much at my skill level but I have learnt a lot and enjoyed it immensely. I need to be tidier and I want to try some basic rigging but there was just too much fragile stuff around on this one to risk experimenting. Alan

Thank you Craig, praise from the experts is something to treasure. I plan to look into our Dollar Tree tomorrow and grab some material for a photo box. I got the Masters brush cleaner today and gave my old brushes the "restoring" treatment to see if it helps get a point back. Alan

The figures look very good. They really add to the car making it seem to move. The car paint looks great. Alan

The swastikas were completed on the ensigns and the staffs added to the deck. I used the PE stays but felt the staffs were too flat looking and used the plastic ones. The railings were finished and I did some basic shading on the hull and rusting around the anchor hawse and lower portholes. I'm still learning the techniques and am keeping it simple and not too excessive. Its easy to swamp a 1/700 model. I need to make a light box for better photos for the next model. Thanks for looking in and all the helpful and kind comments throughout the build. I think this is complete. I don't want to risk rigging and ruining the result. Maybe on a simpler model Thanks Alan

They do look good. Looking at the Kolinsky sable brush prices on Dick Blick you may be right that these are "friends of" but as long as they perform they will be an upgrade for me. I did get some brush cleaner and restorer to see if I can keep them pointed nicely. Apologies for hijacking your thread. Alan

I just ordered those brushes. My current (cheap) ones won't hold a point and have random loose hairs. The Kolinsky ones look very good. I got a set of the Army Painter dry brushes to try. A video says they perform as well as the Artis Opus ones but may not last as well. I'll see how I get on with them and upgrade later if they are getting a lot of use. What do you use to clean your brushes? Thanks Alan

Thank you Craig It seems its a bit of a lottery these days. I used the same source as I used before for Flyhawk kits that aren't stocked in the US and he did well with them. The XY chains from Hong Kong arrived quickly too. I bought a couple of books from Black Eagle in Russia in June and still no sign of them. I suspect the problems are with the postal systems rather than the vendor. I just checked the tracking number for the Hood and there was an entry two days ago so who knows, they may still arrive. I try not to have too much money tied up in each order. Alan

Thanks Craig that is fascinating stuff. Some very useful techniques. It seems it would work well on AFVs too. Their brushes look nice but pricy. Your figures are developing very well. With OC too there is some real master class work to learn from. Alan

Thanks OC. its been a great kit to build. I understand that Hood and Prince of Wales are even better so I look forward to seeing their builds kick off. Mine are still in transit - or lost. Tracking has been silent since the start of August. That will teach me to think I could beat the delivery time from an in country store. Alan

After important diversions like undercooking the burgers and filling the GFs house full of smoke from the grill we return to the calm waters of the Geisenau build. The anchor chains were added. These came with teh wooden deck and I like them better than the two dimensional PE that were provided with the kit. I installed most of the railings. This is the first time I have done 100% of the railings using Gators Grip glue. I followed Craig's technique of cutting the longer sections into shorter pieces and found that much easier and its also less weight for the glue to hold while its drying. I also applied the glue and let it set up for a few minutes before installing the railing; the grip was much better that way and after a bit of fiddling with the first piece the rest went on quite well. I'm trying to avoid CA glue as much as possible; I have a nasty feeling I am getting sensitised to it. I finished painting the Arado and added the decals (well, alright not the swastikas on the tail) and placed it on the catapult. Much to my huge surprise the machine gun is still in place in the rear cockpit of the Arado i placed the flags on their staffs and started on the swastikas. So far so good. Just the flags to complete and install, the railings to finish and the weathering of the hull. Thanks for checking in Alan

The face on the middle guy is spectacularly good (the others are also really good). A real expression. Alan

Saturday always seems to be a day for errands so very little constructive gets down. Actually between tasks I was able to add a piece of the swastika decals, let it dry and add the next piece. The three piece stern decal wasn't too bad but the six piece bow one was a fiddly piece of work and needed thought as to how it fitted together. Letting each piece dry so the next piece didn't move it helped a lot and its not too dreadful. Considering the mess I had a couple of days ago I think its reasonable. A little bit of touching up, last washes and I can move onto the deck railings and anchor chains. Suddenly it seems almost complete. Thats almost scary! Thanks for looking in Alan

Thanks OC I was beginning to think I had ruined it. Alan

Ken, Many Thanks for your help. Armed with your information I was able to identify the ships crest on a couple of photos of the real ship. Just added them to the model. Thanks Alan

Last night I ran a line of clear coat around the inside of the paint masks at the bow and stern. This morning I started the layers of white paint. It took several coats to get rid of the pink tint but I think I have it back to white. Removing the masks showed no bleed of the colour this time (thanks Grant) and I think I can move forward after a bit of touching up. The deck plank lines are gone but I think its acceptable. I could try to scribe a few lines but I think it may look scruffy and I think I will leave well alone and hope the decals provide enough of a distraction. I added the torpedo tubes with help from Craig to locate them. Many Thanks. The last few small parts are now on so I looked at the decal sheet. This is my first WWII German ship and my first acquaintance with the problems of the swastika decals. I understand the political and legal issues that kit manufacturers have with selling in the global market but I am amazed at the length Flyhawk have gone to with the swastikas on this decal sheet. The ones for the identification panels on the deck are like jigsaw puzzles. Its going to be really interesting trying to get them placed; especially the bow panel; if I have figured it out correctly there are six pieces to it. Another minor grumble with the instruction sheet. It identifies a few markings for the Arado but for the ship you are on your own/ There is a ships crest and nameplate (items 17 and 18) but no idea where they live on the boat. The instructions have been a bit disappointing yhis time. It will be interesting to see how the POW and Hood ones are. Have a great weekend everyone Alan

Thanks Lou Now I have the decals to wrestle with 😄 Alan

Thanks Gregg It looks like it is coming out well. A lesson for the future though. I have Scharnhorst in the pile. Alan

Thanks Grant I put down a layer of sealer last thing yesterday and the white paint this morning looks like it stayed put. Thanks for the tip. Alan

I ran some sealer around the masks before painting the white again and I could see the sealer wicking under the mask as i did it. Those wooden decks are real sponges. Alan

OC; You're right - the breakwater would be the place to make the change. I think I may have dodged having to do that and I would rather not buy another wooden deck. Thanks Alan

I'm glad your brother turned up safely OC. Scary stuff. I am always amazed how well you paint these faces. Each figure has an individual face and looks very real - and they are tiny. Great Stuff Alan

Very impressive Craig. The paint finish is so smooth; its beautiful. I have been havering about the six wheel Mercedes staff car and this might nudge me over the edge; especially with the diorama possibilities. Great work The pin up girls and the Hitler Youth are the obvious items for the diorama 😄 Alan Alan