mikegr
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Everything posted by mikegr
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most of these brigs were built domestically in Hydra, Psara and other areas. They were funded by Greek ship owners from their maritime profits. In other words it was their private contribution to the War of Independence. From the ancient ages of battle of Salamis to later ages, the built of light but fast and maneuverable ships along with good seamanship was the key factor of the Greek Navy. After the reform of the Greek State the government decided to form a Navy by ordering vessels from abroad like the American frigate Hellas and more.
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I removed the flight deck so I can work easier underneath. Square barrels of 5" guns were replaced by proper round ones. Added PE bridge windows.
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I bought my first airbrush too it comes with a mini compressor. Mostly for general painting and making shades on sea base. First attempt was white not the best color to start with. Will see how it goes.
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PE may look marginally better. What makes the difference between a nice model and a great one is that 5% extra detail. However i have to agree that this may not be an issue. There are many ways to overcome missing details or improve appearance. For example great paintwork can be critical. But can be of no importance at all Take a look at this is fine artwork based on superb painting which is beyond critisism. However looking at this handmade masterpiece it is easily understood that painting is of little if no importance. For me considering the fact that this is made only with basic tools in hand and not even putty for corrections, i believe painting would only damage the model
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Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160
mikegr replied to mikegr's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1901 - Present Day
Meanwhile bridge deck is done, only details need to be added
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So basically I got the wood hardener product. It is a transparent liquid with water consistency and smells like glue for plastic models. I decided to do the "jam" test. I cut balsa 1 mm thick in about 32x10 piece. I coated with it with one layer then a second one after some hours (balsa absorbed it really quick). Another same dimension piece was given a couple of layers of one ingredient epoxy.A third one was coated twice with polyester.Each one was given tested with a 200gr weight on it. One the right corner you can see the product (hardener, epoxy, polyester). As you can see the first piece had a min distance of 5.5 cm from the table, the 2nd about 6.5 cm and the 3rd one 6cm. That means the epoxyfied balsa was the most rigid of all. Or at least, epoxy is as good as a wood hardener. Note that polyester was well absorbed but wood remained sticky means that wasn't dried, perhaps more catalyst should have been applied, not sure if that plays any role.
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The air fleet is almost done. Smaller that before but better with better look
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Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160
mikegr replied to mikegr's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1901 - Present Day
I have applied several layers of thick primer and sand it. It got an almost smooth surface. Then I applied a coat of car body filler liquid, bought in a bottle. It is a bit more easy to work with and gives a fine smooth finish. I applied several coats each time less amount of it. I used glaze putty to fill in small holes. There's a lot of work to be done yet.
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The first batch of air group is done. Some PE parts were nightmare and the belly of the planes is not well painted but it won't be visible.
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Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160
mikegr replied to mikegr's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1901 - Present Day
It is a bit sad that there's no interest for making a model of this fine ship. Thats why I decided to built my own. I have finished filling the hull, thick coated with acrylic putty and sanded. Too much dust but this was sanded down easily in 30 min. In some areas the layer was thinner and polystyrene was exposed. This time I put bit if wood filler locally for quick dry. After done with it I will give several layers of thick acrylic layer, gesso style.This will create an extra protective layer and smoothen the surface for the final car body filler application. Like I did with my experimental Alfa class project.
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I (re)built at last the first plane
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I think its time for a clean up I am going to use some planes from an old vintage fujimi kit. They don't look that bad they even have their own propellers, of course I will use PE instead of them.
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To rebuilt this I have several PE parts. IJN aircraft upgrades, 25 mm AA guns and some other parts from where I can extract some useful items like masts, safety nets,railings etc. Finally I have wooden deck sticker that can be cut on demand
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Cap San Diego by mikegr - 1/160
mikegr replied to mikegr's topic in - Build logs for subjects built 1901 - Present Day
the last accident literally smashed my hopes for an easier work on shaping the hull. Giving the perfect shape is crucial for the appearance of the model. However I will need a great amount of filler (added weight) and a lot of extra sanding work. Under these circumstances I realized one thing: The project Cap San Diego is over... Why? Because Cap San Diego Lite is on. Learning from the rookie lessons I already started the process of a new hull with different approach. With better materials and lighter as the previous one would require a big amount of filler. Keel will be made from 4mm plywood instead of 8 so I can work easily the sharp bow and the round stern. Bulkheads are made of 2-2.5 mm wood instead of 3. For main deck a strong wood less than 1mm thick will be used instead of the 2.5 mm MDF which proved too heavy and problematic (don't forget I use paper model plans so I need to to adjust wood thickness according to plans.
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Next project. Aoshima IJN Taiyo. A not so popular warship and even less popular 1:700 model.
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I found it also on a domestic seller, kind unusual. About 100usd per half gallon. I also found this, it comes at 500 ml can. If does what promises might be a solution. https://bormawachs.com/dettaglio_new.php?idprod=0641&cat1=2&lang=2 A friend who owns hardware store, gave me some polyester, he insist that soak the wood in it, will solve my problem. I get i will do some experiments and if doesn't work i will buy a specialized product.
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Even talking about static models i am concerned about weight distribution, for an unknown reason i want my projects to be built not top heavy. Maybe later decide to make an R/C project. For frame and bulkheads i would use a thicker and strong wood. But everything from main deck and above must be lightweight and durable. For smaller superstructure parts i have a lot of options. Aluminum, styrene and balsa sheets will do just fine. But for main deck that can be from 50 to 100+cm long i would rather use something strong but also flexible so it can keep up with the curves of the hull. Carbon fibre is expensive only if used extensively, making my own sheets is possible. Besides ordering high quality wood from Europe is 60€+ minimum shipping even for minimum order cause of the item dimensions. So at the moment i need either to improve what i have and learn how to use it functionally or need to find substantial materials.
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Υes there are. Carbon Fiber. More flexible, stronger and thinner that wood. When you say resin you mean epoxy or fiberglass resin? I understand that cloth is required to make the hull waterproof. Is it required on static models?
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What is exactly wrong with balsa? It is used extensively in R/C airplanes as well as for high end models like the USS Indiana, built for the Indiana World War Museum in Indianapolis
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I am based in Greece. Best access to wood is from North Europe, mostly Germany. Shipping though can be prohibited because of their size and the recently increased rates. Note that i work on modern ships so "quality wood" appearance is not an issue for me. In contrast, i have to convert all wood texture to a totally smooth surface before paint. I also avoid to use styrene for large surface parts, i prefer wood. From my theoritical research one way to reinforce big and thin surfaces is by adding cloth and polyester at the back side of them, of course i need to experiment as i haven't use resin/liquid polyester before
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