chj

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.

Be sure to check the weight if you go the aquarium route - my 48" long aquarium weighs more than 50 lbs.

See what you think about Trumpeter 1/350 Scale USS Lassen. I've had good luck with Trumpeter, and you may be able to make it into the USS Kidd.

I have had problems with all the water-based paints and airbrushing; even had problems from color to color with the same manufacturer. What I do now is adjust the compressor settings and thinner amounts every time I paint on a test piece before painting the model. Its a PITA, but it works.

I got these from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wolfcraft-3454404-Needle-Nose-RATCHET-Clamp/dp/B000GATAXC/ref=pd_bxgy_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000GATAXC&pd_rd_r=ca015d27-905f-11e8-bb65-89337eb223e8&pd_rd_w=m0eVK&pd_rd_wg=QnYJI&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=1475879231140687736&pf_rd_r=EKKJGJPMXYJSXJ09RZME&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=EKKJGJPMXYJSXJ09RZME

I found artist pigment here: http://www.kamapigment.com/store/index.asp?lang=1&catpage=500. The store is located in Montreal, so perhaps that would be better for you.

Question, please. How do you know what each of the small parts represent? Tamiya identifies many of the parts, but it seems to me that Trumpeter neglects to do so. I bought AOTS for The Sullivans, but can't find a similar publication for each WWII ship class.

I use an 80% distilled water to 20% alcohol mix with Tamiya acrylics that works perfectly for me. Cheaper too!

You can paint plastic and resin to look like wood, but it takes a while to get it just right. Use super thin transparent acrylic washes in multiple layers, with darker colors first. I have used streaks of raw umber, burnt umber, and green ocher as a base. Then added thin layers of yellow ocher as a finish. Golden makes a transparent flat acrylic you can put on top if you feel the paint is too shiny.