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LED

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Everything posted by LED

  1. LED
    My first photo etch!!! I think I'll keep it pretty much hidden till I get a coat of paint on it🤪. What a chore. I'm starting to figure out ways of doing things, but... I don't think I am going to use the photo etch for those square 'windows' to the front of the superstructure. That is what paint or a heavy wash is for!!! It seems like such a waste to file off the hatches just to apply PE hatches. In fact, as this time I don't see the benefit. Since I am modeling the ship underway, her hatches will be closed. And, the closed hatches have very little detail. On the other hand, I think the catapult and cranes will look great in PE.
  2. LED
    So, the Bro-In-Law has vacated the premises and I am grinding to start afresh on the Admiral Graf Spee. This video is from a site showing their build of an HO scale model train environment - the engines, the cars, the roadbed, the scenery, etc... I am slowly grinding my way through some of them. I think some of you folks will find the weathering techniques useful: Sometimes you can find the crown jewels in unexpected places. Her most recent video is about heavily weathering an diesel engine. That weathering job makes some of @RGL's stuff look like it came off the showroom floor 😁 BTW, I might have corrected my initial entry or maybe I didn't, but... The Admiral Graf Spee was out to sea for months before her sinking. She was active off the West and East African coasts, around the Indian Ocean, and then all the way to South America. Those paint fade weathering techniques mentioned in the above video will be implemented. They look quite doable. Finally - and this is scary - some of those engines she is painting can cost upwards of $1,000. Oftentimes higher if brass. Yowser, you have to have some serious brass nuggets to start detailing on those models. Before I touch an engine with a paintbrush I will have to KNOW I am pretty good. Not yet, not quite yet😶
  3. LED
    Yup, pretty slow... And, my Bro-In-Law is dropping by... So, gotta box the Spee and set things up for him...
  4. LED
    Wow, this is going to take some TIME... I didn't realize that the doors and 'windows' had to be drilled out. I thought they just had to be flattened or filed off to get the PE on. I've never done that before. Is that what you guys do? It sure looks like that is the process.
  5. LED
    Am I the only one looking down the funnels at those 'details' and noting a ladder... I think we just found the absolute worse job on the Dreadnought. Yowser, that would not be fun...
  6. LED
    Came out great!!! Little fix-ups needed here and there. A little work on the stern, and some bleed of hull red into the hellgrau 51, but tiny stuff that can be fixed after the paint completely cures. The only unhappiness is that the hull red - although I lightened it a bit - is very dark and the waterline is not contrasting very well. Regardless... Couldn't be happier with the results. Those drilled out portholes are pure happiness in the end. It wasn't as much a task as I thought it would be. Just a bit monotonous, but spread out over a few days it wasn't too bad. Now to do the sharpened pencil thang, fix the minor flaws in the paint, and apply a matte clear coat. Then off to either the superstructure or my first wooden deck.
  7. LED
    Pray for me... The time is nearing for when I must pull the tape off. Will there be a nice, level waterline - or... something worse, much worse One more hour till yank time...
  8. LED
    We all just have to be adult enough to look at What we want out of the kit What our skill level is and, our budget I lurked this site for about a year before I built my first model in 30 years. So, the 1:700 Tamiya HMS Repulse it was. I didn't want to spend over the kit price for something I wanted displayable, but not museum quality - especially since this was going to be a new experience for me. So, I had to step back from trying to duplicate the quality of RGL and others in that build. I don't think I will ever get there, but small steps and time may get me closer. You have to know what you want out of a kit. However, with the basic skills down and the enjoyment of the subject and the fact that this will be my first real 1:350 build, I am willing to spend the kit price on aftermarket for the Graf Spee. It won't be museum quality, but it will be presentation quality for my case (that I haven't built yet😶. So, the overall cost will be about double the cost of the kit alone. That is not a bad investment for what will likely be 4 - 6 months of 'enjoyment'. Not every kit will need this effort and expense. Some will just be a break, some have no chance of getting there, some will not get there for financial reasons - but, some will. GLHF
  9. LED
    Some amazing photos of the Admiral Graf Spee throughout her career: 'German Heavy Cruiser Admiral Graf Spee', Destination's Journey These cover her from christening through scuttling. Well worth reviewing if you want to see how refits affected her. Not going to post any of these photos. I know some are in the public domain, but others...
  10. LED
    Got the Hull Red on. Easy peasy... Hopefully😄. The truth will be in the unmasking after the bootline is applied. 🤞 BTW, you guys almost let me paint this dang thing without the prop shafts and stabilizers (or, whatever they are called)...
  11. LED
    It's weird how the color doesn't really show in the photo. My mix for Hellgrau 51 has a blue tint to it. The photo looks like a matt finish on raw plastic. Gotta get those photo skills improved, eh...
  12. LED
    Yowser, after a lot of putty, much sanding, and a bit more primer than I like, I finally got the Hellgrau 51 on the hull. And, still had a seem in the hull. I think it would have been noticeable by Muppet Children when displayed, so... Since I am likely going to use a stand I decided to fill that seam with the ole' wet finger technique. So, the hull is masked for applying the anti-fouling red after the putty dries, gets sanded down, and a flat clearcoat cures. I'll get the clearcoat on tonight. This hull has been a nightmare, but she is coming along. I really don't like this kinda 'work' in modeling. I managed to avoid wiping out the detail on the hull since most of the kluge work has been on the seam - which in spots was more a gap, a hole, a canyon... Next, a little more more masking for the boot line and a bit of flat black. Then post some exciting photos. All heck, why not spread the pain around - I'm sure all of you have dealt with this: The amount of work to get here has been stupid. It is a known issue with this kit, but I think mine was special. Anyway, looking at the sprues and the bits of superstructure I have been 'working' on it seems to indicate that the rest of the kit is pretty good. At least I don't think I'll be gluing open boxes together and hoping things square off... Any ideas on improving the masts. RGL was right in that the Pontos aftermarket kit had masts, but it was more than a bit overwhelming for my current skillset. I would never finish the kit. But, I do like the subject, so perhaps in a future build. The masts are both fragile and a bit clunky. It would be nice to replace them with something a bit sturdier and elegant.
  13. LED
    Ooo, that use of bed foam while working the hull is a great idea. Looking good.
  14. LED
    Wow, that is impressive. I never saw it coming.
  15. LED
    It looks like the hull will come through. However, I think I am going to rattle can primer rather than messing with the airbrush. Man, that hull took a lot of putty. It was kinda warped in 3D 🫣. I hope it comes out. From the look I believe it will be fine... Then paint. Then off to the superstructure. Actually, I think I will start the superstructure build soon. Maybe as I wait for the primer and the three hull colors to dry...
  16. LED
    All that repair work slowed things down. Finally got some putty on that mess. Waiting for it to dry. It will come out alright. I was going to take a photo and post it, but... Duke is playing UNC tonight. So...
  17. LED
    Hope the rest of the kit is engineered better than this: This has been a PITA. I used medium gap filling super glue and a roll of tape. This is the first time I have ever used such glue. I may have lathered it on a bit too much. It is taking forever to dry...
  18. LED
    I'm not dead yet!!! I was going to post a pre-paint, but finished and filled hull. Wow, the fit and finish of this is awful. I knew that was the case, but this is going to be a bit difficult. Not only does it want to split apart, but the fit at the bow and stern pins is god awful. My understanding is that the rest of the kit is a gem, so all will be forgiven. I will get the hull completed tomorrow under natural light. I can see better in natural light. Anyway, I have received all but the Micro Master turrets - and, I ordered those just recently. Here is the aggravating hull and the aftermarket items:
  19. LED
    Many thanks, Greg. Nice tip for the inner porthole ring. Anyway, if there are noobs out there (me!!!) who fear carving into a perfectly good plastic model ship then take a gander at this PlayList of an HMS Hood 1/350 Trumpeter kit. The site is David's Ships. I found his site quite a while ago when I first started getting reinterested in building model ships. Highly recommended.
  20. LED
    Wow, looks awesome... I'm glad I spotted the mention of the MicroMaster guns in one of your early posts. They are amazing. Bought some for my build. Now, I see you painted them on their supports. Follow the leader...
  21. LED
    Noob Question: Do you leave the drilled out portholes: Open Put a dark backing behind them Build some kind of light blocking structure in the hull A simple layer of hemorrhoid cream seems to have healed the pox 🤪
  22. LED
    Nine hundred and ninety nine portholes on the wall, Take one down and drill it around. 998 portholes on the wall... Not worth a photo. And, if I decide to get the Pontos detail kit, then a pox on RGL and the rest of you. A pox, I say!!! 🫣 However, the Pontos kit is for the Trumpeter model, not the Academy model. I looked at the high end Academy Admiral Graf Spee and it did not include masts. It looks like I am just going to have to be extremely careful with the masts. I am 0 for 4 though. Ugh...
  23. LED
    As a taxpayer, I only wish😆
  24. LED
    Questions: I absolutely know I am going to wreck my masts. I also know that my cat likes to eat them - I actually completed the Tamiya HMS Rodney (1:700), was about to post my success story here, and ... my cat destroyed the superstructure and masts.🫣 I was recovering from a wonderful pair of rotator cuff strains, finally had a good sleep, and woke up to an odd crunching sound. He found the top half of the ship quite tasty. Who would have guessed. So, given all that, is there a good source for material for masts or maybe brass kits for them? I found most of this stuff on Squadron.com. Is there a source that has most of this that maybe sponsors this site or is otherwise a great experience? Is Squadron.com a good vendor that I can count on? BTW, that 'Model Ship World | Ship Kit Database' in the sponsor/advertiser section is really well done. I wish it had more plastic kits in it, I'm not skilled enough yet to tackle a wood kit. And, is it worth it to drill out the port holes if I don't model the ridge over them? I've never worked on a ship this size. I've never had to deal with that. Drilling them out doesn't seem to bad, but either fishing small wire cuttings or brutally small PE over the port holes seems horrific.
  25. LED
    And, some GREAT footage of the Admiral Graf Spee in Montevideo (British Movietone):

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