uncarina

Another update:

Cheers,  Tom

Just catching up here. Your work is truly marvelous! I am learning a great deal here, and admire your initiative and ingenuity. For example, the trennels on the deck look much more authentic than I’ve seen using other techniques. If I may offer a humble suggestion, a small drop of medium to high visosity CA applied with a toothpick then painted could be used to seal the gap in those links. In any case, I will be following your work with interest!

Cheers,  Tom

Just saw your build and I am very impressed! Usually the macro is not a friend, especially in this scale, but the eye just gets drawn in to the detail and authentic look. Well done!

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks!

Cheers,  Tom

Great progress!

Cheers,  Tom

Yves, I find it to be pretty useful: as a durable clear coat for adding decals, as a barrier for enamel weathering washes, to protect and enhance the clarity of transparent parts, to simulate clear glass in instrument panels, and most recently as an adhesive and sealant. Plus it can be thinned with ammonia. Haven’t tried it on floors yet!

Cheers,  Tom

Yves, absolutely, and you are very kind! I use an Optivisor, a Xuron photoetch cutter or rounded X-Acto blade, a Smallshop photoetch bending tool, and several different tweezers. For adhesive I use gap-filling superglue, low viscosity superglue, and Future acrylic floor polish. I actually prefer to use the last whenever possible because it is more forgiving for positioning and removal. Otherwise, it's a mindset for the Pontos set: approaching each piece as a separate kit!

Hope this helps,  Tom

A bit of work on the funnel:

Cheers,  Tom

Great to watch your progress!

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks Jason, will do!

Cheers,  Tom

Thank you Yves! There is more converting and scratchbuilding than had I expected from the Snowberry release. I’ve made a little more progress than the latest photos, so I’ll have to post an update soon.

Cheers,  Tom

5 hours ago, RGL said:

Like everyone else, I dream of the day they make it in 1/350. Looking good 

Thanks! Yes, I agree it would be a relatively popular release. Similarly, I’d like to see their 1/350 HMS Abercrombie and HMS Roberts in 1/200 scale. Maybe someday...

Cheers,  Tom

I agree!

Cheers,  Tom

37 minutes ago, jdowney said:

Hi Tom, welcome to MSW!  Tucson is a great place, I lived there for many years before moving to New Mexico.  I worked my way through the U of A in the 1990's with a part time job in one of the local hobby shops.

Thank you! Yes I love it here. I worked at the U of A for 19 years, then a budget cut meant I had to leave. The fate of many educators here!

Cheers,  Tom

15 hours ago, BobG said:

Welcome, Tom! You'll enjoy your time here.

 

My wife and I will be spending a couple of weeks in Tucson in the first of April. We've never been there before and are looking forward lots of hiking and sightseeing in the area. I'm also an avid cyclist and I hope to so the ride up Mt Lemmon weather and legs permitting!

Bob, that should be a good time to visit; last April had temps in the low to mid 80’s, so here’s hoping the same for this year! Mount Lemmon is a shrine of sorts for us roadies: longest continuous hillclimb in the state, especially if you climb to the observatory. The road is in good condition as well, with a wide shoulder for the climb. The grade is between 6 and 10 percent. Hope you have a tailwind both ways!

Cheers,  Tom

49 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

Excellent choice on that newly released kit. And what a wonderful display of clean and fresh brass..... I feel like it is going to be a pity to paint all these beautiful parts.

 

Your craftmanship is absolutely beautiful, clean and precise. Bravo!!!

 

Yves

Yves, thank you so much! I agree about the painting...if the Rodney did not have such a great camo scheme I would certainly hesitate. In the meantime, I have to take photos of what lies underneath! Thanks for your support.

Cheers,  Tom

16 hours ago, Barryc said:

Hey Tom,

 

One never knows who's going to turn up where!

As I've come to expect, very nice work!

 

Barry

Barry! Great to see you here, and thank you! Hope you are doing well.

Cheers,  Tom

Chris, that must have been an epic build! Mine has been calling out to me recently, but I promised myself I would complete my current build first. However, I do have her in a spot where I can see her every day to remind me! Thanks for your encouragement.

Cheers,  Tom

22 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

What a Fantastic looking build  - can't wai to see more,    Warm welcome  to  the   "Plastic play Party"

 

OC.

Thank you very much! I have several more installments to bring her up to date.

Cheers,  Tom

2 hours ago, Shotlocker said:

uncarina,

 

Very nice work on the photo etch. The photos of the Walrus aircraft sitting on top of that turret made me wonder if they flew it off or removed

it before they fired those cannon...seems like if it was still on there the blast would shake that fragile air frame to pieces - any ideas on that?

I'm not well-versed on battleship operations.

Thank you! I'm using an Optivisor, two viscosities of cyanoacrylite, acrylic floor polish, bending tools, several tweezers, muttering, and some patience! They would remove the aircraft from the turret and stow it; even so, I imagine the blast would be a maintenance concern.

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks! It's an epic build, one of the biggest I've undertaken.

Cheers,  Tom

A few more:

Here's a more recent update. To build the Rodney with the Admiralty camouflage dating 1942 and beyond, the Pontos set is essential, since it incorporates all of the changes made to the ship. For example, around this time she had 17 20mm Oerlikon cannon, but the kit only provides 13, as well as the quad 0.50 machine guns which were deleted. There were also changes made to the bridge structure, and more pom-pom directors fitted. While the Pontos set is expensive, I figured that since this is going to be my one large battleship build, I might as well go for it. Hope you like her so far!

Cheers,  Tom

Here is my in progress build of the 1/200 Supermarine Walrus by Trumpeter, with some help from Pontos...and yes there is a battleship attached!

Cheers,  Tom

This is a very long term build, with me working on the kit about once every few (or many) months. Here's a more recent update:

--the 4" gun shield is 3-d printed

--the gun tub and splinter shields are entirely photoetch

--the breakwater is styrene, using the kit parts as a template

--the anchor winch is 3-d printed

--the Oerlikon tubs are photoetch

--the Pom-pom is 3-d printed

--the gun tub is from the kit, thinned with a Dremel tool

--the skylights and rear hatchway are photoetch

Cheers,  Tom