Spaceman Spiff

It does appear to be resin. I have had pretty good experience using celluclay. Form it around the ship (may have to add a little extra in case of shrinkage), coat it with thinned white glue, paint, and topped with Future. I like using celluclay and find it easier to make waves and less messy (for me, that is big) than working with resin. After the celluclay dries to the desired shape (remember that it will most likely shrink some), I coat it with white glue that has been thinned with water. This gives a good base for the paint. I pretty much use enamels and have never had a problem with coverage/reaction. For the initial water color, I use Testor's Model Master Dark Sea Blue (FS15042) and spray the entire water area (using airbrush). Then I lighten the blue and create various shades using white and yellow and dry brush them to highlight and create depth and color. Also, I use plain white drybrushed to similate foam, etc, typically found in wake, whitetops, etc. Once I am satisfied with how it looks, I will coat it all with two or three layers of Future (after the paint has dried for a couple of days, of course) which gives it a wet look. Works for me!

Looking great so far! How are you going to weather it?

I though the Gunze Sangyo was discontinued, or unavailable in the US?

Thanks for all of the answers!

For example, the one by Model Expo - is it a good buy? Useful or not? Thanks for your time?

Although not as impressive as those, this one fits up there pretty nicely... a 1/6 scale turbine powered F-4 Phantom done up in VF-111 livery. By far my favorite jet! (not me in the pic...)

A litte update, but no pics. At the point where I am going to set the island aside for now. I still have to put a primer on it to check for blemishes and do all the PE work, but that will be done at a later date. On to the hangar deck now. Hopefully, will have pictures soon!

I have thought about this, too. Would heating it work? I know that heating (annealing) PE parts makes them easier to bend, but I don't know if this would apply to white metal parts.

Oh, ok. I think I will stick with that and the build logs. Would rather not pay those prices and deal with all that drama...

I have this same kit and am following this and others intently. I may be wrong, but didn't someone do an entire "practicum" free of charge on this? Edit: I think this is the one I heard about... http://www.modelboatyard.com/avs_articles.html

Thank you all for the kind words. Tonight I should finish putting the doors on the island and will start adding the various odds and ends (made out of styrene sheets and rods) to liven things up a bit. Then it is on to the hangar bay for the next round of insanity...

Here is a little more. The flight deck is a replacement - the original was warped sideways and couldn't be fixed, so they sent me a new one. This is a great company and will sent replacement parts free of charge without any questions asked. Can't beat that! The kit included a complete set of PE, so it looks like I will be having some fun... They also sent a complete back dated air wing of all aircraft that were on her during the 1969 time frame. Hope you all enjoy the pictures and I will continue to post progress when my two little ones give me time!

Here are some more parts. The first picture shows the gun turrets in cream colored resin. During the timeframe I am modeling, she didn't have the modern systems as in the sea sparrows and phalanx system. I contacted Iron Shipwrights and the supplied all of the necessary parts to backdate her for free of charge (yes, FREE!). Also, the green parts are to be put in the hangar deck as part of the sides. One is pretty poorly cast so I will be remaking it in styrene. I know what everyone is thinking - with the flight deck on, not a lot will be visible through the elevator doors, but I just can't help it... The second picture shows a bunch of miscellaneous parts. However, these aren't numbered and the instructions, well, leave a little to be desired...

Here are the parts to the ship, as requested. Hull: The detail is pretty good and for the most part I am pleased with it. I will add some extra bits because I just can't leave well enough alone! Thanks to Dad's cruise book for the extra pictures. Looking at the bottom of the hull, the pour stubs are huge and I really, really hate sanding/shaping resin - so, in this case I will put it in a base with water effects to appear as under way. That way, I don't have to do a lot of extra work and deal with the poor prop and rudder.

Thanks guys. Cap, I have an Iwata airbush for the painting. Yes, he is doing well - I am trying to get him into shipbuilding because I consider him to be a master woodworker (if I could only be half as good...), maybe one day! Craig, that is pretty much how I do it, too. However, in this case I will attach the island to the deck before painting because the fit isn't quite the best and I will have to use some filler. Oops, this is in the Q&A section as was kindly pointed out...who do I ask to move it? Thanks!

I looked for a long time to try to find a 1/350 scale model of my Dad's carrier, the New Orleans. The only kit in this scale, or really any scale, of the LPH-type carriers, was this one by Iron Shipwright's. As much as I hate working with resin, this was the only game in town. The original kit was made as LPH-9, the U.S.S. Guam and made as it was retrofitted to the 1985 time frame. Dad served on the New Orleans during 1969 - 1970, so a good bit of backdating is in order. I apologize to those who I told I was going to start a build log on this, but with two young kids my modeling time is sorely limited. After moving at the pace of a directionally challenged snail, the island is starting to come along fairly nicely. Please excuse the fact that I don't have any pictures of the parts before starting, but I was a little absent-minded! So anyway, here goes! The kit, in some areas, is very well detailed - but in others, it really needs some work. Starting with the island, I purchased a set of PE doors from White Ensign (who happens to make excellent PE items). The molded resin doors are some of the things that need re-working. Although some may say otherwise, my AMS (advanced modeler syndrome, or to put it in terms - having to update everything to make it as accurate as possible) just won't let me leave well enough alone. Going from pictures of the ship from the 1969 time frame, I am also reworking the island. It is difficult to see in the photos, the walks have been extended using white sheet styrene. I also had to replace the back wall of the island with styrene due to poor forming of the kit items. As you can see from the photos, some of the doors have been replaced and also all walks have been rebuilt. Also noticeable is the use of Mr. Surfacer (500) and Tamiya putty to help with corrections. Please excuse the quality of my pictures - I make no claim to be a photographer! Updates will be posted as soon as I can, which at my current pace... Thanks, Eric

I never have used one of those tools - there are times I wish I had! However, I just use razor blade and one of those 6" metal rulers. Honestly, this combination has worked well enough that I couldn't justify the cost. For the round/circular items, I just find an item the approximate size and wrap the PE around it. Call me cheap, I guess!

Interesting tips. I will be following this as a reference for when I start my first wooden ship. Hopefully my mistakes will be correctable!

I second the airbrush/model paint for cannons, etc. Depending on the look, age, etc., that you want to portray, it is actually very easy to do. For example, when I do guns (not ship cannons, but individual arms), I use black and then dry brush with either aluminum or silver - or maybe another color, depending on the look I am going for. The trick to dry brushing is using a paper towel to remove as much paint as possible from the brush. Practice makes perfect! I find this method works very well, but there are so many different techniques - just ifnd one that you are comfortable with and go from there!

That is some seriously good work, Kevin! I am following this one closely. It looks to be a very big model - what are it's dimensions?

Here is one of my models using the dot filter method of putting dots of oil paints and then using a mineral spirits soaked brush to "pull" or "wipe" the paint - each time in the same direction. Although kind of hard to see in the picture, the darker streaks and stains were made using this method. The tank was painted in a desert sand color, coated with Future (acrylic floor stuff), and then the filter method - brown if I recall correctly. Once the Future dries, the mineral spirits has no effect on it. It is an excellent method for weathering - streaks, stains, etc. Harder to see on the tools and cable, the rust color comes from orangish colored pastels mixed with water. Sorry about the size of the pic, but I haven't quite got the sizing down... My photo skills leave a little to be desired...

As of now, I use Model Master paints - I am currently working on a resin (with a ton of photo-etch added) 1/350 LPH-11 U.S.S. New Orleans which was my Dad's carrier. I have never used acrylics outside of the Valejo for figures - except for using a few colors (blacks, browns,etc.) for washes, and maybe Tamiya's clear blue over jet exhaust...other than that, I only really use enamels. I have also used oils/mineral spirits as a means of weathering - I can't remember the "official" name of this method (filtering, maybe?), but it consists of putting dots of oil paints on the model and using a mineral spirits wet brush to streak the oil paint, which works very well and is very simple to use. If I can find a few pics I will put them up for you. I have yet to start a wooden ship, but have one waiting after I finish this. Well, that and a couple of snap-tite kits I will be doing with my four year old son. Thanks, Eric

Wow, I bet the Mo will be a pretty penny! The Yorktown kit sure does have a lot of stuff! but I have the syndrome otherwise known as super detailing syndrome (made that up! can't wait to dig into it!

Beautiful work, sir. I love the weathering you did - the deck looks like the ones you see in old photos. Truly amazing work! Funny, I just watched Toko Ri this past week. Great movie! Couldn't tell from the pics if a miniature Mickey Rooney and his green scarf was on deck... Your rendition of water is excellent! Looks easy to use - I may use it on my current project. Will have to give Dragon kits a shot - have never built 1/700, though. Opened my Yorktown last night, man what a bunch of plastic! I haven't built those old Revell kits in a long time - sometimes it's nice to return to the roots...

Great build - it looks great and love how you weathered the deck! I prefer ships, etc., as they appear in operational status and not factory fresh. How did you do the water? The only time I made water, I used Celluclay and formed it around the ship. With proper painting, I think it turned out OK. I have never built any Dragon kits with the exception of armor - how are their ship models? I only have a couple of plastic ships to build. Right now I am just starting on an all-resin LPH-11 U.S.S. New Orleans as a gift for my Dad, as he served on her during 1969 - 1970. There has never been a plastic model of the Iwo Jima class LPH's, but my with my luck someone would come out with one as soon as I finish this one!