GrandpaPhil

They aren’t too difficult to make either.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Congratulations! Very nicely done!

Very nicely done!

Steve, Thank you very much! The superstructure continues to grow: I have been using @Captain Slog’s Borodino build log as a reference to figure out the forward bridges. I need to make the forward part of the next deck up about 1mm thicker to fix a slight dip in the forward deck. Using paper as photoetch railings worked beautifully once I figured it out. Preshape the part as a block. Seal both sides before cutting out the railings and then when you paint, don’t lay them on something that the paint will stick to. Wait until the paint dries completely before handling and installing the part.

OC, Thank you very much! I finished the ladder and installed it after three attempts to make the handles failed. I also sealed everything that hadn’t been sealed yet. Then I remembered an article from Digital Navy that I read a while back about essentially using paper as photoetch. So, I broke out my light table and did some tracing: And then cut out the pieces that I needed for the lower ladder: It should be noted that I coated both sides of the paper that I cut the ladder from with clear coat prior to cutting, which made it into a type of composite material which won’t fuzz or fray out. I’m not particularly shy about making my own pieces, it’s part of why I like card kits. One of the recent NRJ’s had an article, an editorial, discussing card modelers and whether card modeling is a form of scratch building because a card kit is in essence a set of templates that a model is cut out from, very precisely, and built. For me, it’s not too different than what I did with my sailing Sampan, built from Amati kit plans or my model of the Revenge that is being built from Amati’s Victory Models line of kits. In fact, my experience with the Revenge’s plans led me to buy up many more sets of Amati plans. The only difference between those builds and a card kit is the thickness of material. In the other models, I essentially built up the card to the thickness of a wood part and built like a conventional wood model. However, the basic concept is pretty much identical.

Bob, Looking forward to seeing this one!

I seal the models as I go with an acrylic clear coat to protect them. As far as stability goes, once the hull is covered, they are quite strong. The scratch built ones are every bit as strong and durable as a wood build. The Orel kits are a little different than the scratch builds. The material is thinner and the pieces are much smaller due to the smaller scale of the models. However, once built, I haven’t had any problems, although the Solferino, which is the only other Orel kit that I built at 1/200 scale, is only a couple of years old and is kept in a case.

The conning tower is on: She’s taking shape!

Welcome!

Thank you very much! I have the conning tower built up and ready to paint. Working on my old nemesis, ladders: Slow but steady definitely wins the race here!

Don’t forget AAMM! https://boutique.aamm.fr/index.php?route=common/home That is one of my favorite places to buy model plans from!

The local restaurant is a great idea, especially if it’s one you really like. Another idea is that I’d bet your local Navy recruiter would love to have that model in their office.

Welcome!

And done: Thank you everyone for watching and for all the likes and comments! Quick note, I’m not too happy about the canopy, but due to the fact that I am most likely going to be building a lot more aircraft for the next couple of years, I ordered some canopy glue.

Welcome! I have the plan set for the Victory Models kit of the HMS Vanguard, which I believe the Model Shipways kit was a licensed version of. It looks like an awesome project! I plan to build mine eventually, most likely from card.

The decals are on and I’m waiting for the Max Hold CA that will hold the HF antenna to dry so I can attach it to the mast. Following my experience with my last round of plastic models, I sealed the model immediately following adding the decals to prevent them from curling up. I used the technique of putting thinned down glue on thread for the long-wire antenna, as is typically done with card models. I would have just used an eyebolt like in times past, but there’s not enough material to drill into on the rudder, so I kind of made my own EZ-line.

Welcome!

OC, Thank you very much! Much appreciated! Those helped me quite a lot and answered a couple of questions that I had! The Shangri-La is fully painted and assembled now and just awaiting decals, final highlighting and final sealing:

Glen, That’s incredible! I sincerely believe that is one of the absolute best SIB displays that I have ever seen! I can’t wait to see what you make next!

It’s now olive drab and gray: And the prop hub is painted: I am going to glue the prop hub on and then let the model sit overnight.

It’s mostly assembled now: Yes, that is a wooden antenna, lol. Time to paint! I’ll start with my usual priming with thinned down black paint and move on to the olive drab for the plane itself. I need to paint the propellor hub assembly and nose red. I figured I’d attach it after painting the plane itself the olive drab.

Incredible work!