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madtatt

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Everything posted by madtatt

  1. madtatt
    I've finished the bridge and its girder and am now starting to add more details. First, I'll take care of the signal flags. So I created this prototype. For this, I've built a small wooden cabinet out of styrene to store the flags, which I'll probably make from tissue paper. I'm toying with the idea of having a figure here later, holding one of the signal lines to raise a flag, something like this... Now I have to build four of these little cabinets first, I'll keep you posted.
  2. madtatt
    @Jeff59 Thank you. And once again, thank you for this valuable information, Jeff. You are a wellspring of knowledge. 👏
  3. madtatt
    Hi Terry. It's very unfortunate that Amati is letting its customers down with such errors. It just goes to show that companies don't think it's necessary to do a little research before launching a product. Especially since the effort required to gather this information is extremely small. Despite everything, you're making a great model out of it. 👍
  4. madtatt
    Hi Terry, a beautiful and interesting build.👍 However, there's one thing that's not quite right. DKM submarines don't have a red underwater hull. The hull color corresponds to today's RAL 7016, or anthracite gray. I don't know how historically accurate you want your model to be, but I thought I'd point it out. 😉
  5. madtatt
    Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s get our glue out again in 2026 and, above all, stay healthy so we can continue our wonderful hobby. I used my day off to tackle another tricky task.You might remember that I wanted to do things differently than planned when mounting the posts that support the bridge on the bridge deck. First, I glued the bridge securely in place yesterday and let it dry thoroughly until this morning.Then I pushed the posts through the holes I had already prepared. The profiles at the top were cut to size, and that was it. A little brown paint, and you can’t see them anymore. Then I attached the support pillars at the front. That was a bit tricky, to be honest, but it worked. Thanks in part to my assembly stand, which allowed me to lay the model on its side again and made the job much easier. And so the bridge and its supports are now in place. It wasn’t easy to align all the support pillars perfectly straight and parallel to each other. I really like working with the team below me. The posts still need to be aged, but I'll do that this weekend.
  6. madtatt
    From my Mikasa build report. 😉
  7. madtatt
    Thank you so much for the lovely compliment, Chris. Yes, I plan to take the model to one or two trade fairs. First, the largest plastic model building fair here in Germany, the Euro Model Expo. And then there's one in the Netherlands, the Scale Model Challenge. And every now and then, friends of mine put on a temporary exhibition at the Maritime Museum in Hamburg. I'm also considering taking the Mikasa there. I'm already working on a transport box so it survives the journey undamaged.
  8. madtatt
    Hello everyone. I used my time off to recruit even more crew. They’re actually members of the German Navy. But as soon as they received a nice new styrene flat cap, they started speaking Japanese. 😁 So I’m further increasing the number of available figures. Everyone dressed up and ready to board the ship. I remembered the words of user dafi from a German forum, who spoke of group formation, and I hope I’ve implemented it adequately. With a group of sailors talking amongst themselves. What could the boys possibly be chatting about as soon as the officer turned his back on them?! Something needs to be repaired on the fan cover, and a sailor is bringing more equipment to the storage lockers. An officer steps out of the armored command post and the sailor gives a brisk salute. At the stern, a sailor goes into the control station, and an officer keeps an eye on the boys working in the pinnace. I’ve already distributed the figures on the lower deckhouse, so now the upper bridge with the cams can finally be installed. I would have difficulty reaching those spots afterwards, so that’s how I did it before. Even these figures are barely visible afterwards, but again they give the model depth and a touch of life. The good thing is that I could easily use the DKM sailors with their incorrect clothing.
  9. madtatt
    You're very welcome, Ferrus. And it seems you've hit the mark. Your tarp turned out great. And on your first try, impressive! 👍
  10. madtatt
    @Ferrus Manus Thank you so much. I use tissue paper that I dye brown. Then I soak it in diluted wood glue and shape it. For example, I lay it over a boat and lift the paper with tweezers, folding it over itself to create an arrangement of folds. Then I let it dry thoroughly. After that, I apply a wash with very diluted dark brown paint. I let it dry again and then drybrush it with a light brown or light gray. I hope you find this helpful.
  11. madtatt
    I’ve slightly opened up my assembly jig again to determine the positions of the launch and cutter. To do this, I removed the davits from their injection-molded frames and inserted them into the designated holes. Then, using a small strip of styrene profile, I positioned the boats at the same distance from the outer edge of the hull. So far, it’s looking pretty good. It’s definitely a tight fit, but I can get all the little boats in place. Before I secure them, though, I’ll make sure everything is perfectly aligned. I simulated the rope of the pulley system with a wire, and it fit quite well on the cutters. However, this doesn’t work with the barge. The arrow shows where the rope hits the stop and the barge has shifted backward. Here I need to raise the davits or modify the pulley system. And so the ship continues to take shape.
  12. madtatt
    I have a small addendum regarding the cutters. It didn't seem right to me to leave the oars unsecured in the boat. So I secured them with a rope to prevent them from slipping. And this is what it looks like now on the Mikasa. And with that, I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful Christmas. 🎅
  13. madtatt
    Oh man, how true. 😅 Not much has happened since the last post. But I finally managed to finish the top row of cutters and the steam launch. The oars have been distributed among the cutters. Here are the details again. I’ve distributed some more ropes. And I packed a little bit of tarpaulin into the boats. That’s how I tried to make them a little more varied. The barge has also been given a small anchor. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to secure the cutters. But then I found a picture showing that even the small boats were secured with a chain hoist. And that’s how I implemented it. And I wish everyone here a Merry Christmas. 🎅
  14. madtatt
    Thank you so much, Jeff, and Merry Christmas to you too! That's right, I've finally finished the little cutters and I'll show them to you in a moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing your display case when you present it here. And I can only return the thanks for the tips and support, Jeff. Here's to a happy new year with lots of glue! And now to the boats. Aged… …and positioned for testing. I definitely like it better than with the white floorboards.
  15. madtatt
    The little mast is absolutely fantastic. What a tiny gem! 🫠 I also have that small vise, by the way, and I think it's great too.
  16. madtatt
    Thank you for the interesting video of the museum ship, Andy. 👍
  17. madtatt
    That's so kind of you both, thank you so much. Have you ever heard of this?! Nothing is as constant as change. I was thinking about the 32-foot cutter and its color scheme again this week and simply changed it. It didn’t seem right to me that the tidy Japanese would soil the white floorboards with their feet. I believe it’s generally accepted that the inside of the hull was painted white. But the floor would get dirty very quickly. So I redid it and painted the floor in wood tones. I think it looks much better now. And placed on the deck. Yes, better.
  18. madtatt
    Hello everyone and happy first Advent. I've finally finished installing the tarpaulins on the bridge, completing another delicate task. And here's how it looks now. After consulting with users, the supports on the railing for the sunshade were removed and will be folded up and stored on the deck later. This was likely related to the work being done on the tarpaulin. Since the bridge is roughly finished, I wanted to continue working amidships before attaching it to the Mikasa. So I turned my attention to the three missing lifeboats. And subject them to the usual procedure of painting details and weathering. The first cutter is finished. Micro Master makes truly first-class 3D prints. Painting the rope neatly on the side of the cutter was truly a test of patience. But the middle deck is also slowly filling up. Starboard deck complete.
  19. madtatt
    And now, for the sake of completeness, here’s the finished version. I did a little more work on the shadows and highlights in the drapery folds. This was especially necessary for the second figure from the right, as the tarpaulin shouldn’t be floating in the air. So, for the crouching sailor, I shaped it to fit over his knee. I’m trying to get the sailors to interact with each other on stage. I think I hear the two on the right quietly saying, “Hey, how do you tie that tarp again?” It was also important to me to create reasonable points of contact between the boys and the tarpaulin. It should look as if they are pulling on the tarp to get it into the right position. So that people will believe they are in the process of attaching the tarpaulin to the railing. And last but not least, it was played on the Mikasa.
  20. madtatt
    So, let’s create a scene facing the bow.First, cut the paper to size again and attach it to the railing with glue. I then attach it up to just before the point where I want to drive it in. Cut the corners and fold the top edge over lengthwise, then glue it down. This makes the whole thing quite stable and durable, even though I’m still struggling with the wrinkles. After weathering, I set up a few figures and the rapid-fire guns to see how it looked. I still think it would have worked better on the rear bridge. There was simply more space there. Nevertheless, I am quite satisfied with this small performance. And laid down again on the ship. I think it can stay like this.
  21. madtatt
    That's too nice, Jeff. 😊 And you set the bar very high in other things. When I think of the hull of your Bismarck, wow, fantastic! You know, if I ever need help with your ship, no problem, always happy to oblige. What can I say, Jeff. It doesn't always work out right away with things like that. When you want to add these kinds of DIY extras that weren’t originally planned, you have to expect some setbacks. I’m afraid putting the tarpaulin over the small wheelhouse was a bit too ambitious. There simply isn’t enough space to make it look good. Today I glued the railing onto the cabin and did a test fitting with a compass and speaking tubes. I’m afraid if I cram the two sailors and the folded-over tarpaulin up there, it’ll look like something you’d find at Woolworth’s bargain bin during their summer sale. And of course, I only get one shot at the actual model, and if I don’t like it… What a waste of that nice big space in front of the wheelhouse. I’ll see what else I can do with it. Maybe a little exercise with the searchlights, semaphore lights, and/or signal flags. No, I won’t discard this scene, but I will move it to the front bridge.
  22. madtatt
    And I’ve finished the next test. For this scene, I chose the roof of the wheelhouse. Space is very limited, but I think it worked nonetheless. Only two sailors are now pulling up the tarpaulin due to the limited space. The compass and speaking tubes also need to go there. The sailor on the right should also move a little to the right. I’ve placed it on the wheelhouse. I don’t think it looks bad at all. I could expand the scene in front of the cabin. The sailor who folded the tarpaulin during the first test could go there, and an officer yelling at the guys would also look great.
  23. madtatt
    Thank you so much, Jeff, that's so kind. But let's see if I can improve the poses even further. But first i am making a long strip of colored tissue paper is placed around the remaining railing of the bridge and cut at the corners. Once the strip has dried, I can fold over the top edge between the cuts and glue it down. A small model-making spatula with a ball head helps to neatly shape the tarpaulin against the railing. Then age again and you’re done. Once that was done, I looked at my work and thought, hmm, how could I make it a little more interesting? Maybe create a little scene where the crew is attaching the tarpaulin to the railing? Let’s see, Jeff. 😉 So I started this test run… …with styrene, an old railing and a few sailors. So far so good. Only one thing bothers me. Unfortunately, I only thought of it after I’d finished the railing on the rear bridge. And that would have been the perfect spot for this little section of groyne. It has the most space to properly detail it. Now I have to figure out where else I could fit it.
  24. madtatt
    Now that I’ve mastered the doors, I’m moving straight on to the next section, which I was dreading again. The mere thought of the tarpaulin that attaches to the railing made me break out in a sweat. This is where my homemade handle really comes in handy and calms me down a bit. It securely holds the part in my vise, making it much easier to work on. I first cut tissue paper to the correct size using my paper cutter and dyed it brown. Then, using a very thin mixture of water and MIG acrylic glue, I applied the paper to the railing. Shaped and aged, I’m already satisfied with my first attempt. Placed on the ship again for testing and it fits. Even at the stern, where the space between the bridge and the mast is extremely tight. Everything is satisfactory. After I succeeded with that, I continued tinkering a bit with the stand for storing the signal lines. You can see a first prototype in the following picture. The height is currently flush with the railing. I think I’ll make it a bit higher, though. I’ll also make the signal flags out of tissue paper and put them on the shelf. Let’s see how that looks.
  25. madtatt
    Thanks Jeff. Today I dealt with the doors of the wheelhouses. I discussed the color of the inner door panels with users who possess considerable maritime knowledge. Wheelhouses are usually painted white on the inside, so I logically painted the door panels white as well. But I didn’t like it at all. A user who served in the navy told me that bulkheads were often painted grey on the inside. And I followed that example with the doors. I think it just looks more harmonious.

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