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ChrisSC

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Everything posted by ChrisSC

  1. ChrisSC
    From the start I did plan to make it a quick build just to add to the set. The PE is a decision I've wrestled with. One point in favor of building her simply as the manufacturer suggests is that the kit does come with a very extensive decal sheet and clear parts that would go in spots that usually have railings. I considered just putting PE on the bow and stern but thought that would look kind of half way done. The main stopping point for me on the PE is the balconies, there are just a crazy amount of railings to be put there. I think I am figuring it will be all or nothing and looking at the kit when completed it will be obvious that it's an out of the box build. I'll put this one on a low shelf lol! I'm glad Queen Mary 2 was built in real life, she is an ocean liner, but I just don't have a passion for the ship. It is the apartment block decks that put me off. I understand they were necessary to make her profitable enough to be built but I guess I'm old fashioned in what appeals to me aesthetically. I think that has crept in to my enthusiasm towards building the model. It is similar to how I feel about the France vs Norway. After the profile of the France was changed with the addition of more decks she lost much of her appeal to me. Same with military ships, a battleship I would enjoy building much more than a modern cruiser or destroyer. As with most things I like the classic looks of things from an earlier time. Just the other day I watched a TV program on the SS United States which has been just sitting there rusting for a couple of decades. I would rather have her sit there than someone buy her and add ten decks to her as a floating hotel. I think the original Queen Mary made out the best, from the exterior she still looks like the Queen Mary but is still maintained. In the end I will wind up building the Queen Mary 2 in 1/400 scale and she will get all her PE lol!
  2. ChrisSC
    More progress on 1/600 Queen Mary 2.
  3. ChrisSC
    Thanks OC and Lou. It is a pretty large kit for a 1/600 scale. Lou I'm not really all that enthused about building her but I figured since I have a few other 1/600's I may as well add her. I've decided that I'm just going to build the kit out of the box and not add any significant amount of PE. I think it would cost me more money to buy enough railings to fit this ship out with PE than the kit itself. Just the balconies would need who knows how much railing to purchase. I have this ship in the 1/400 scale also so I guess I will detail that one. I'm not a fan of cruise ships and she does remind me a bit of a cruise ship with all the apartment block decks. That being said, she still is the only passenger ship currently in service I would build a model of.
  4. ChrisSC
    1/600 Queen Mary 2 is moving along quickly.
  5. ChrisSC
    Thanks OC. Wemattson, no I'm not lighting it. There are a lot of decals and some areas painted white, that may be what you're seeing.
  6. ChrisSC
    Thanks wemattson and Yves. The kit has a tremendous amount of decals, I've never seen anything like it. I chose to paint the waterline area as opposed to using the decals. I didn't have much confidence in getting them to line up properly as they are in 6 pieces. They are also very thick and require about 3 minutes to slide them off. I have found they are silvering despite my using a gloss coat to apply them on. If you enjoy working with decals this is the kit for you lol.
  7. ChrisSC
    I decided to do a quick build of a 1/600 Queen Mary 2. I'm going to try to build all the 1/600 ocean liners available before I move back to the larger scales.
  8. ChrisSC
    Thank you wemattson, Mike, and Yves. Yves, I have seen some spectacular builds of the 1/200 Titanic on some other forums. I'll get to mine eventually but I could only hope to do half as well as some of the builds I have seen. Some of these modelers working on that kit have amazing talent. The amount of aftermarket support for that kit is also unmatched. I'm kind of tired of seeing Titanic but that's one kit I look forward to building.
  9. ChrisSC
    Thank you all for the kind words. OC, I'm not sure what's next but what I can tell you is it won't be anything made of resin in 1/700 scale lol!
  10. ChrisSC
    Well I'm calling this 1/700 resin Normandie done. That's about as much as I feel like doing to it. I doubt I will ever put rigging on it as it's so fragile I think a breeze would break stuff off! This was a lot harder to build than I ever thought it would be.
  11. ChrisSC
    Lou I never thought for a minute the railings were upside-down. I guess I should have looked at all the PE first. I have some of Toms Titanic windows and they won't fit the 1/350. The 1/350 kit I have is the Old Models Kit but it doesn't have any PE for the windows. In quickly looking through it there are mostly davits and railings and a few other things. I have no idea how I will approach the windows. The only solace I can take is I have looked at the kit finished by others and the windows look kind of sloppy on every build I've been able to find. Ocean liner windows are always an issue for me and liner windows and resin really don't play together well. If we were talking about a few windows then maybe if I were ridiculously careful I could get them done but with hundreds of windows I can't be that consistent. With this 1/700 version I have only been able to find one built to view online. I have had quite a few people tell me they have the kit but none are building it lol. On another forum a member sent me a link to someone's build of this kit. The builder basically had a bunch of PE commissioned and just about rebuilt a significant amount of the kit from what it was out of the box. I'm not that interested in spending any more money on an already expensive 1/700 model. From a foot or two away you can't see any of these details anyway!! The next thing that looks like fun are the davits. My eyes will thank me when this one is in the books! I will continue to forge ahead.
  12. ChrisSC
    Thanks OC. It looks better with a little distance between it and the viewer lol! I have another resin model of the Normandie that hopefully this one will help with getting my feet wet with resin. It's 1/350 scale and unfortunately it doesn't have the PE window frames. I would love to have had them switched with the more detail on the larger model.
  13. ChrisSC
    Thanks Lou. I was kind of taken aback when I discovered the railings were designed with the thicker rail on the bottom. It's the first time I've come across them that way. I agree, the real ship does look like the top rail should be the thicker one. In this scale I don't think anyone will notice unless they get in real close lol.
  14. ChrisSC
    Yup, it sure is small OC. Well about halfway through these railings I realized I'm putting them on upside down. I assumed the thicker rail was a top course like all the other PE railings I have seen. Turns out it should be on the bottom. Like the old saying says, never assume. I found this out when I got to a pre shaped railing in the well deck area. I am kind of just rushing through it now. This model requires a top notch skill set and experience with resin....and patience with good eyesight. I don't have enough of all three lol!!! It's a learning experience for sure in my case.
  15. ChrisSC
    This is a 1/700 photo etch marathon. I'm seeing double, maybe even triple!
  16. ChrisSC
    There are lots of details on these tiny funnels. I don't think they will be noticed when the ship is complete though due to the scale. I'm slowly moving along on this 1/700 resin Normandie.
  17. ChrisSC
    Thanks OC. Not to worry, there are many things left for me to screw up lol! Some of these 1/700 parts are crazy small. The spotlights and speakers are like specs of dirt. Too small for tweezers. A wax pencil and holding my breath sometimes works.
  18. ChrisSC
    Thanks Lou. Yes, we certainly don't want that repeat.
  19. ChrisSC
    I wasn’t happy with the forecastle paint so I tried to touch it up with a brush. This turned into a disaster as there was a bad paint reaction that ruined the whole forecastle. I thought the model was trash. I stripped it all off with acetone which caused a gloppy mess. After it was cleaned up I sanded, carefully masked and sprayed it again. Thankfully it looks OK to me now. I need to learn to leave well enough alone lol. New paint is on the right in the photo.
  20. ChrisSC
    Lou you are absolutely correct about the straight jacket. Some slow progress on this Normandie. Dry fitting some mostly painted parts.
  21. ChrisSC
    Thanks. I'm determined to finish it at some point regardless of how it turns out. I may need a straight jacket when I'm done though lol!
  22. ChrisSC
    Thanks. I had to take a break from this 1/700 resin Normandie to preserve my sanity. I now attached one side of the lower hull PE window frames and decals. This model is beyond my abilities and patience but I will finish it. The size of the PE and resin combination is not something I will do again lol!
  23. ChrisSC
    Thanks Wayne. The only thing I could come up with was using a Faber-Castell artist pen. It is the only thing I have found with a small enough tip to get in these tiny recesses. The issue is it is India Ink which doesn't dry on plastic or paint, at least not for a long time. I am going to seal it with light coats of flat clear and hope it does not run. I would rather have used a different type of ink but I ordered a bunch of artist pens and this small of a tip only comes in pens with India Ink as far as I can tell. The windows don't appear as tiny as they really are in photos. In person some are terribly small. I have my fingers crossed that the ink stays put after I clear over it!
  24. ChrisSC
    Thanks Harry and cog. Yes it has quite a bit of PE. I'm not sure how well I'll do with it though at this scale lol.
  25. ChrisSC
    Thanks Lou, yes low budget lol! Today I'm experimenting with getting color into the window recesses of 1/700 resin Normandie. Some will have tiny white PE frames over them if I can get them on and some need touch ups.

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