Tigerdvr

Another update.
I'm having "fun" working on Framing the stern. The stern frames were way too loose for the slots so I decided to fix the outside ones first and use them to work my way in. When the 2 outer frames were fitted I noticed that Bulkhead 8 wasn't properly squared up. The outer stern frames had a 4-5 mm difference from the centre which was quite noticeable. Bugger...!!. Cutting the additional outer supports I put in helped a bit. When adding the inner stern frames I found after adding the lintels that two of the frames were misaligned as well. Bugger again...!!.
So I am fumbling my way through at the moment. Some additional sanding will be on the menu later.
Here are some photo's.

As everybody else has said - Welcome! Looking at the pics of your plastic ship you seem to have a good eye for detail and that goes a long way when embarking on any project. I too spent many years building plastic ship models and had a lot of fun doing it. It wasn't until my "later" years - after the kids had grown - that I started building in wood. There is a learning curve but it is not all that much different from other forms of modeling. Take your time, ask questions and never give-up.

I like your minesweeper. It looks like a nice scale to work in. This is the place to expand your modeling horizons.
Enjoy, Harley

To those who gave likes, thank you and thanks for stopping by.
 
Steve
 
No more railings!

The last pile of railing wire and stanchions was trimmed, sanded and fitted in place.

After the sections were built up they were washed and air dried with help from the Admiral’s hair dryer.

All port side railings and davits are installed.  Celebratory photos are below.






With the ship nearing completion I wish to thank all those who contributed so much during the 100 episodes to date.  Without your support, guidance, helpful criticism, terrific ideas, gentle and not so gentle nudging the ship would not be what it is today.  It could always be better but it is way more than I ever thought it would.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I like your minesweeper. It looks like a nice scale to work in. This is the place to expand your modeling horizons.
Enjoy, Harley

I like your minesweeper. It looks like a nice scale to work in. This is the place to expand your modeling horizons.
Enjoy, Harley

I like your minesweeper. It looks like a nice scale to work in. This is the place to expand your modeling horizons.
Enjoy, Harley

Well, she's done. Thank you to all who have followed along, made suggestions and contributed ideas. 
Hopefully I'll be back soon with a lobster boat build that I don't think has appeared here before.







 

Radio Antennas and Flags
 
 
I found a 48-star flag and the house flag for the Luckenbach Steamship Co online and copied them to my graphics program, adjusted their size, copied them and flipped one copy, backed each half together and printed them out.

In order to get the paper to hold furls I used a trick I found on some modeling site. I cut a piece of aluminum foil slightly smaller than one half of the flag. I glued it in place using rubber cement because white glue has too much water in it and it will make the printer ink run. I then placed a length of halyard rope along the fold point, folded the flags and glued them together, once again using rubber cement. The furls were made by folding the paper around a pin, alternating directions.
 


The antennas are made from some metallic thread provided in the kit, it simulates bare wire nicely.  Both antennas run between the main and mizzen masts and are connected to the coupler tower on the flying bridge. The insulators near the ends of the antennas are just small blobs of white glue built up over several repetitions.
 


The last thing left to add is the guns and then the big job comes - cleaning and dusting the model prior to casing it.

Lifelines and PE Railings
 
 
The kit supplied PE railings were too thick for me so I used some 1/192 railings from Tom’s Modelworks which I find very easy to work with. The lifeline around the fantail gun platform is brass and thread.



 
Next up will be the radio antennas and flags.

Gluing the sided on one section at a time.

I have been working on, and receiving parts in the mail for, the Arizona Memorial. 
 
First I got the moorings from Model Monkey. Then I found a photo I will use for the diorama. And lastly, I started working on the no2 turret, the mud lines on the hull and received the Memorial from Shapeways.
 



 

I have done some work on the Arizona. I cut the hull as I had marked them, cut up the main forward deck, drilled holes in the nos. 3 and 4 barbettes, cut the bow off, removed the no. 2 barbett from the secondary deck. Also, I did a mock-up of the damaged ship.
 
 

Based on the drawings, I marked how much of the hull needs to be removed to replicate the damage from the magazine explosion.
 
 
 
 

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.

Thanks everyone.
Just a small update to keep the momentum going. First I added some blocks to the working stand to secure the model.
Next I added the Sub-gun deck Platforms. I am not totally happy with the look but I was experimenting a bit as these platforms are barely seen.
As a side note I have split the 1/8"x1/16" basswood strips into three batches. The lighter ones, the darker ones and rejects. I used the best of the rejects for these platforms. I don't have the luxury I had with the Syren covering the hull with copper plates so when I get to planking the hull I want to make sure I use the best strips.
I also added the safety timbers, the shadow box and timber frames. I added some temporary loose timber strips in the gaps of the frames.
Next will be fairing the hull..... Here are a few photo's.
 

It's been a while, been pretty sick. 
Well, I worked on those anchors. Filled in the holes and gaps with CA glue and filings from the thicker anchor. Primed them for painting. Made the iron rings and served them. Painted them with flat black enamel. I just couldn't use the metal stocks. Made them out of wood.. Made the iron bands from the black pinstripe tape provided in the kit.  They seemed to turn out pretty good. Shaping the bouys now. Will make them out of wood.
 
Jesse 

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.

Assembly of the deck structures required some patching. I am using a putty which is new to me. Perfect Plastic Putty manufactured by Deluxe Materials works well and has no odor at all.
While forming a construction plan, I decided to not follow the kit instruction sequence. I have to consider painting and detail/PE installation. I’m building subassemblies with the less fragile PE parts installed. All the subassemblies will be brought to the primer stage so I can prime them in groups.

I recently completed the 1/350 USS Alaska. That experience is proving to be a blessing and a curse. Construction experience particularly with PE is a blessing. The research material and the MSW build logs shows what details are possible to recreate, sort of a curse. Now I see details in pictures that I previously didn’t see or wouldn’t think of trying to build. I find myself spending a lot of time checking photos on the various references that I have gathered. Meanwhile trying to make sure that I stay as close to the Kidd configuration as possible.                                                  

The superstructure components were assembled, patched where necessary, had base PE like hatches/doors, ladders, and fire hoses added. .3mm plastic strip is used for rails on the super structure etc. Some of the hatches are shown open using White Ensign doors.


Clay makes a handy part holder. A bulkhead was added to reinforce the structure because of the open doors. The wheelhouse needed the windows enlarged a hair. The open hatch/door needed a port added because it overlaps the port in the bulwark. To open the doorway I drilled progressively larger holes and then finished the shaping with a file-carefully.


Some views, nothing glued to the deck--


More to follow- - - 
 
 

I wanted to build the “Anti-Kamakasi” upgrade of a Fletcher class destroyer. The kit is The Sullivans DD-527, offered by Trumpeter. The Sullivans was not upgraded to the Anti-Kamikasi configuration during the war. The USS Kidd did have the upgrade so I'm making the necessary changes to the Trumpeter kit.
Referred to as the Anti-Kamikaze Mod (AKM), the main upgrades include replacing the midship 40mm twins with 40mm quad mounts. The Mk 51 directors for the quads are moved from the rear stack to a structure where the forward torpedo tubes had been. The four midship 20mm Orlikon singles are replaced by four 20mm double mounts. Two twin 20mm mount replace the three single mounts on the fantail. There were other various electronic/radar/jamming installed. Each ship varied in their configurations
The Kidd was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd who perished on the bridge of the USS Arizona at Peral Harbor. The Kidd is a National Historic Landmark berthed on the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, LA.
The Trumpeter kit has components for a 1943 and a 1945 version. The instructions clearly define each version. As usual it’s important to go through the instructions particularly to avoid mixing up the 43 and 45 parts.
The kit is supplemented with photo etch mainly from Gold Medal Models. The GMM PE supplies parts compatible with the Trumpeter and Tamiya Fletcher models.
Master Model.PL, Alliance, Black Cat, Infini, White Ensign, and the parts box all provide additional details for this project.
Main reference: Classic Warship Publishing #45 Square Bridge Fletcher
 


Ready to start 
 
I intend on mounting the Kidd on an ocean base so the hull was formed in a full hull configuration rather than the optional waterline configuration. This gives me more room for the water effects. The rudder and screws will be left off for now. The lip(?) around the hawse pipe got sanded away while working on the bow. New ones were formed from plastic parts from the scrap box.
After the hull was assembled the deck was secured to the hull. The anchor detail was sanded off. The anchor gear will be replaced with real chain and a new capstan.



The bollards and chocks are removed. The bollards will be replaced and the chocks are part of the PE railings---
More to follow
 

My Niagara is FINISHED!
 
And before anyone points it out; i know that is not the correct flag (should have 15 stars and stripes) but us poor backwoods types, stuck in the wilds of western Pennsylvania never managed to get the correct flag from those responsible for such things back at the "seat of Government" so we used what we had - like many items used in the actual construction of Niagara (and Lawrence) - they used what they had. In all seriousness this is my first try at rigging a  flag so I took the cowards way out and bought one that was as close as the correct one as I could find. I did try the Chuck Passaro method explained in the Cheerful monograph but could not get a satisfactory result - I probably do not have the "correct" tissue paper - I tried three different types and then resorted to a commercial one from Model Expo.
 
Here are some pictures of Niagara before she goes in the case which I don't have just yet. I will get some more pictures after I clean up the shop and find a more presentable background (assuming there is one).

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.

The stacks can be a bit of a project if one looks at the various photo references long enough.
Because of the poor fit of the top piece of the stack I trimmed the sides flush and used a ½ round .08mm rod to simulate the joint between the top and body of the stack.
The plastic cross member on the rear stack is replaced with a brass rod structure. The inside of the tops of the stacks was cut out and replaced with a combination of paper and plastic.
A review I read pointed out that the ventilators on the kit stacks were too thick. Checking a number of photos proved that to be correct. The ventilators were removed and replaced with PE grills and framed by Plastruct .010 strips.
The plastic around the searchlight platform has been removed and will be replaced by canvas covered PE rail. Floater net baskets were added as were pipes up the front of the stack.
PE was borrowed to make up the railings around the top of the stacks. The PE ladders seem a bit massive and will be replaced.