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madtatt

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Everything posted by madtatt

  1. madtatt
    Oh yes, Javlin. Tell me, when I think about how much money I've put into my Bismarck, unbelievable. But it's just money. And when the result is pleasing, it makes the model builder's heart happy. I'd be happy to hear more from you. 😊
  2. madtatt
    Thanks for the info, Jeff. You're absolutely right, these fantastic prints from Micro Master add so much more depth to the model. So it doesn't matter if they're not entirely historically accurate. 😉
  3. madtatt
    I also really like the early look of the Yamato. That's why I've been looking for the additional turrets. You can get them from this company, for example... Yamato 155mm Turret
  4. madtatt
    Thank you both for your wonderful and inspiring words. Wow, Jeff, when I see your Mikasa, my heart melts. She's turned out so beautiful. What I don't understand, Jeff, is that you're talking about three pinnaces. Where exactly would the third pinnace have been stand on Deck? Javelin, thanks again for your compliment. It makes me very proud. So, for my research on this ship, I'm almost exclusively using what I can find online. I do have a few books about the Mikasa and the IJN, but they're often about their historical background. Strangely, the pictures and technical information about this famous ship are very sparse. Which, as you say, is a real shame for such a large scale, as there's so much detail that could be included. I found the following page on the Internet, which helped me figure out how I wanted to display my pinnaces. Steam Pinnacles, Pickets and Tenders Among other things, you can see the following two photos which contributed to my decision not to change the cabin. Here you can see the pinnace with its cabin fully fitted and without a tarpaulin. It's also not as elaborately painted as in the following photo, which reinforced my intention to paint it a warlike gray. It shows the H.M.S. Royal Sovereign. And so I decided not to make any changes to the Micro Master boats. I simply didn't feel comfortable removing the splash guard from the rudder and damaging the railing. The manufacturer of the 3D print is located on the other side of the planet, and another Micro Master order for me has been stuck in customs for over three weeks anyway. I didn't want to take any chances. First, the basics again. There's a narrow edge that I had to negotiate with the cradles. So I lined the front part of the cradles with styrene. Fits quite well. Then the base colors were applied. As already mentioned, this one also uses the gray of the war paint. Then a mandatory aging process. This is the first step. Man, those boats look great. And put it on the deck to test it.
  5. madtatt
    Ahoy, Jeff. Oh yes, I've also noticed that space is at a premium on the ship. I don't see any end in sight. But the fun is also the challenge, right?! Thanks again for the helpful tips. I've also been thinking about the final appearance of the pinnaces. I examined the following two photos, although I don't know if they are the Mikasa's boats. The fact is that there was no helmet screen, just like there was no cabin. There was apparently only one tarpaulin. I'm a little torn about how to proceed. I'm really afraid of destroying the pinnaces when removing the two parts. As you know, they weren't exactly cheap and come from the other side of the world. I really have to think carefully about whether to take that risk or just install the boats as they are. There's virtually no historical evidence of this ship, including the appearance of the pinnaces. 🤫
  6. madtatt
    Thanks, Mike. I absolutely agree with you. Especially when it comes to all the little things. With cannons, small boats, and the crew for example. It's fantastic how much more depth these details can add to the model. The pinnace wouldn't get as much out of it, even with the set of pontos from the original kit model. But when I think of fully printed sections like the bridge you mentioned, I'm just as torn as you are. Where does model building end, and when do we enter the realm of simply assembling Lego bricks? But everyone has to decide that for themselves. I think, as is often the case, the happy medium is the right way.
  7. madtatt
    And immediately, I have the next nerve-wracking construction phase ahead of me. But I was particularly looking forward to this part. I’m starting to incorporate a miniature marvel of 3D printing technology into my model. The 50-foot steam pinnace. https://forums.kitmaker.net/images/emoji/google/star_struck.png?v=14 But first, I have to get it into the cradles and onto the struts. I made a jig for that. One each for the starboard and port sides. The stripes aren’t exactly evenly spaced on the two sides, and I have to take that into account. I now glue the cradles onto the gauge and can then align and change them easily without damaging the now quite delicate Mikasa. For example, the distance to the access to the higher deck is important, as the pinnace’s rudder extends quite far out. And toward the bow, I have to pay attention to the funnel rigging. I have the same problem with the cradles as I did with the cutter amidships. They don’t fit where they were originally printed. And besides, only three were planned. But the pinnace rests on four struts, so I need one more cradle. It’s nice that four boats will be hanging from the davits at the stern later, so I can repurpose the cradles. Then I took out the profiles and adjusted them. It’s better. And so the first pinnace could be placed in its cradles and placed on the deck for testing. You can see a faulty print in the hull. This has already been claimed, and I’m getting a new one. In front of the boat, you can see a thin round rod. This is supposed to simulate the funnel rigging. You really have to think of everything. At least you should try to, so you don’t end up on your backside in the next step. https://forums.kitmaker.net/images/emoji/google/worried.png?v=14
  8. madtatt
    Let’s continue unspectacularly. We’re still missing skylights, handwheels, and a winch on the main deck at the stern. First, another small collection in my printed organizer. Nothing complicated, so straight to the result. The deck continues to fill, both front and back. The small stuff on deck is now roughly completed. I would like to show you this wonderfully detailed skylight a la Pontos again in a close-up. That’s what sets these kits apart. Molded plastic can’t replicate that.
  9. madtatt
    Yes, Jeff, you need this Yamato from "Glow2B." It's fantastic. Compared to that, the "Nichimo" model is complete rubbish. The two of us will then build two glorious, giant monster ship models from it. 😁
  10. madtatt
    I completely agree with you, Jeff. This model is turning out to be a mysterious adventure. But with a high level of entertainment value. Yes, the anchor chains really look great. If you need them, I'd be happy to send you the link to where I got them. I also installed them on my Bismarck. And I hope you'll be finished with your work shed soon and we can marvel at your latest construction again. 💪
  11. madtatt
    Today we’ll continue without much ado. I had time over the long weekend to finish the anchor section. That was fiddly.😵‍💫 In this area, the Pontos set was used exclusively. KA failed to score points here. Of course, double-link chains had to be purchased again. It’s disappointing that two very expensive aftermarket kits like KA and Pontos don’t consider it necessary to include proper chains. 👎
  12. madtatt
    Very good job.👍
  13. madtatt
    Just another small update that I had to do before moving further toward the bow. I was still missing the bollards and other small items that would go directly in front of the bridge houses. These are now also attached to the deck. This had to be done so that I could install the companionways that lead to the main deck. This means the inner area is almost complete. And so the bridgehouse was glued in front of the steam pinnaces towards the stern. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to install the companionways behind the pinnaces. Now I can start with the anchor area at the bow and have cut everything I need out of the boards.
  14. madtatt
    After a short break, I’m continuing. The lower bridge houses are finished weathering and can be put on the deck for a test run. Now I have to think about the most logical way to proceed. I think the rear bridge house is not glued to the deck yet. Because directly behind it the steam pinasses come onto their cradles. It’s probably better to have a little more room for my fat fingers. For the armored control center, I lined the entrance with a profile. It was clearly too thin. And there isn’t much space in front of the bridge houses up to the tower. So I’ve already fitted the lower parts of the tower into their barbettes and made them move freely. They were practically impossible to move. And I’ve also prepared the lower ladders that belong on the mast.
  15. madtatt
    Hello Jeff. Yes, the information about this ship is truly sparse and often contradictory. So, thank you very much for the wealth of information you've given me. 👍 I'll proceed as follows. I won't be doing the cable reel and drainpipes, as I can't see them in the photos that show them painted gray. So I'm going to finish the bridge houses now, just like you saw them in my picture above. I'm excited to see how it goes.
  16. madtatt
    Another little mini-update to round off the weekend. The only thing missing were the support poles for the awning, and then the base coat could be applied. The protruding details such as profiles, davits and the like are accentuated again with a light grey. In combination with the preshading, this creates a fine first contrast Now I can start aging next week.
  17. madtatt
    Now that the lower part of the masts is firmly anchored to the deck, I can turn my attention back to the bridgehouses. First, I soldered more attachment points for the rigging. It simply holds best. As mentioned in the previous post, I noticed two dark squares. I believe these can only be the gratings of the accommodation ladder. Since I'll be showing my ship at full speed, as usual, they'll have to be stowed there as well on this model. But that won't happen until after I've attached the bridgehouses to the deck. What I'm already doing is attaching the corresponding davits. I've identified them in the following pictures. Rear bridgehouse.... And the implementation by me. And at the front. Strangely, my image editing program didn’t allow a green arrow. So a white arrow points to the davit. Note that the davits point to the right and left. Great, I love searching for details like Sherlock and then adding them. 🔎
  18. madtatt
    Hi Jeff, it's me again. I discovered something else interesting about the pretty good and well-known picture of the Mikasa at the Vickers shipyard shortly before its completion. I enlarged the bridgehouse and discovered the gratings of the accommodation ladder. See green arrows. Since I want to show the ship at full speed, I need them stowed. What I can't find, however, are the drainpipes you added. Is it possible that these were also added to the museum ship later? To prevent tourists from slipping when its rain? 😁
  19. madtatt
    Good morning everyone. Another question for Jeff. You left out the small handwheel on the square mushroom structures and changed the height. I also think it's a ventilation duct and not a hatch. You took the height of the ventilation duct from the picture of the museum ship. However, there it's also positioned a bit further forward. And now to my thoughts. I found an original photo where the bridge houses are clearly visible and brightened it up a bit. However, I can't see these structures at all in the photos. Whereas the wheelhouse is quite clearly visible. Could it be that the height of the ventilation ducts on the museum ship was only subsequently changed? Otherwise they must be visible from the front view of the bridge house, like here, again on the museum ship. And another question that occurs to me, Jeff. Where did you get the information that these cable drums were installed on the bridge houses? I've carefully reviewed all my photos of the original ship, but I can't find her on any of them. 🤔
  20. madtatt
    Today, it was all about properly securing the masts to the deck. I’m always a little nervous before such important steps. That’s why preparation is key to ensuring everything goes smoothly. That’s how I did this small plate that serves as a support for the stop angle. By placing it on the bridge house, I can quickly check the angle of each side of the mast. This is important because the time window is very small. I use superglue with a long setting time, but it still has to be done quickly. I won’t keep you in suspense, but it worked. I laid some more rope next to it and had a sailor check the ropes. And everything went smoothly at the rear as well. Phew… The deck amidships is slowly filling up. Now I can continue working on the bridge houses.
  21. madtatt
    Okay, let’s move on to the masts and pause for a moment with the bridge houses. I noticed the really tight space in which the masts have to be installed. Once the ladders leading from the bridge house to the deck are installed, there’s hardly any room left to properly secure and align the masts. There’s even less space toward the stern. That’s why I decided to attach the lower part of the masts in front of the bridgehouses. It’s nice that the lower mast is then split in two, so it won’t be a problem in terms of height. I also noticed the very limited surface area where the mast connects to the deck. I consider this a problem. Especially since I’d like to take this model to one or two exhibitions. A little more adhesive surface would be helpful. So I decided to make it larger. This was done using an M4 washer. I drilled it out to the appropriate size and reduced its thickness. I then soldered it to the bottom of the mast. Primed… …and painted and placed in the holes on the deck for testing. I quite like this so far. This should significantly increase the strength of the masts on deck and make aligning them at right angles easier.
  22. madtatt
    Thank you, Jeff, for the welcome to the delicate, nerve-wracking Mikasa Club. I feel honored to have been accepted. 😅 And thanks for the extremely valuable tips you've given me. I can really use them, especially on the bridge house. Of course, I'll be checking your build report again and again. Which brings us to the masts. I've thought long and hard about the best way to approach this. I've decided to first attach only the lowest part of the masts to the deck. I'm also concerned about the weak attachment of the masts; the adhesive surface is tiny. I'm therefore going to increase the contact surface by soldering a small perforated disc to the bottom of the brass masts. This will increase the adhesive surface and simplify alignment at right angles. We'll get to that in the next construction phase. Probably this weekend. Then let's see if I can get out of this tricky situation, as you describe, without any injuries, Jeff. 😉
  23. madtatt
    Hello together. It’s fun to put your own stamp on a model that’s produced in large numbers. However, you should be aware that sometimes things won’t work out as you hoped. That’s what happened with the last construction phase. Cost me a sleepless night, but first things first. A new coat of primer was applied very thinly to check the profile height and build quality. I quite liked it. As I considered how to proceed with the bridgehouse, I encountered a problem. I have to say that building this ship is considerably more challenging than, for example, the Bismarck, with its rather simple, straightforward superstructure. Everything on this old ship of the line is so delicate and intricate that you really have to think carefully about the order in which you assemble the model. The mast is another thing I’m racking my brains over, but that will come later. Now back to the bridgehouse and the culprit that made my life difficult. This one: This is the external connection from the bridge house to the deck above. The supporting structure is once again extremely detailed by Pontos and simply beautiful to behold. The problem is that this outer bracket on the bridge house extends very low and could conflict with my profiles. So, to be on the safe side, I removed parts of it and rearranged them. Believe me, that really bothered me. But I think I solved it quite well. Less is sometimes more. It was a bit frustrating to remove the profiles at this point, but I wanted to play it safe. With such delicate structures, I felt it would be too risky to just keep going, only to find out at the end that it wouldn’t fit together.
  24. madtatt
    A first coat of primer to check the profile height. Then I sanded it down further and adjusted it. Now I’m satisfied. The rain deflectors for the portholes are neatly lined up, and the door looks great. Pontos, in fact. The height of the portholes on the front bridgehouse is completely wrong; they are positioned much too low. So, they were filled with styrene round material and re-marked. Drilled and better… The grinding orgy continues. 😅
  25. madtatt
    And now we continue with the application of the profiles. I used the same ones on the bridge house as on the hull, only this time I glued them on the short side. I thought they should look narrower on the smaller superstructures. That’s why they were sanded down quite a bit afterward. But today is the end of it for now, the whole thing needs to dry properly overnight before I sand it. Now I can repeat the whole thing at the front bridge house.

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