USS Arleigh Burke by rvchima - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1/16" scale - guided missile destroyer

[RGL]

Well done, that looked like hard work mate.

[hof00]

Yup,

I'd like to echo Greg's' Post!!

We had USS Samson visit here, awesome!!

Assisted with the Earthquake recovery in Kaikoura and then attended 75th anniversary of the NZ Navy.

 

(Arleigh Burke Class. (USN, You Rock!!))

 

Am really pleased that I could follow this build to understand the Ship!!

 

Awesome!!

 

Good to see Malaysia/Australia/Canada mucking in!!

 

Thank you so much!!

[rvchima]

And She's Complete - 89 days, 210 hours

 

Actually she's been complete except for the base since Dec. 5. Since my last post I added a lot of railings, a little rigging, and the rub-on transfers.

 

You can see some of the railings here.

 

The rigging is done with extremely fine metallic thread. There's no place to attach it, so it's just glued to the top of the yards and painted over with Haze Gray.

 

I expected decals but the kit came with rub-on transfers. You position them on the model and rub HARD with a blunt dowel. In fact I had to rub so hard that the solid hull was dented under the waterline numbers. The kit had multiple copies of the numbers which was lucky because several of them were ruined by the rubbing.

 

I used some nice quarter-sawn white oak for the base, and tapered the edges to resemble the angled sides of the ship. I ordered a bottomless plexiglass case just an inch bigger than the model on all sides. When I get the case I'll cut the bottom to fit and glue it up. So there's one more picture to follow.

 

 

 

 

[rvchima]

Summary - Arleigh-Burke Guided Missile Destroyer by BlueJacket Shipcrafters

 

The Arleigh-Burke class of destroyers are an engineering marvel, and BlueJacket's kit builds up into an awesome model. There aren't too many models out there like this. If you're interested in a modern warship, this is a good choice.

 

This is an expensive kit but most of the parts are high quality. The pre-carved hull is a big time saver, the cast metal parts are well made, and the photo-etched parts are beautiful. However many of the resin parts were quite rough and full of voids. I did think that at the cost the kit could have included brass props.

 

I bought brass pedestals and the paint set from Blue Jacket. I had gallons of paint left over. It was nice to have everything on hand, but it would have been a lot cheaper to buy paint from the (not so) local hobby store.

 

The kit had 5 pages of plans that were pretty good, but many of the parts were mislabeled. The instructions were terse and often in a confusing sequence. The photo-etched parts were nicely numbered but the cast metal parts were not identified at all, making it very difficult to find the right part.

 

The model is listed as one of Bluejacket's most difficult kits, but in an early post I said that the construction had been pretty easy. Then I got to the photo-etched parts. They are beautifully made but they are very flexible, paint doesn't stick to them, and glue joints fail because the paint lets go. I had to pre-paint the parts then sand the paint back off the glue line. I also had to buy a photo-etch bending jig and a Glue Looper to work with them effectively. The model was an interesting build but the photo-etched parts were less fun. I'd rather be cutting wood.

 

The model took 210 hours to build over about 3 months. That's an average build time for me. I just bought Caldercraft's kit of the HM Bark Endeavour for my wife to give me for Christmas. That should keep me busy a little longer.

[schooner]

Stunning work Rod - your build is one of the few that can stand up to close-up photos. The stand is a nice finishing touch - doesn't distract from the model.

So, what's next?

[rvchima]

Case Completed

 

I requested a quote for a bottomless plexiglass case from Premier Ship models in the UK. Their wooden framed case kits ship from England, but their plexiglass cases are made in the US. I got a call from Mr. Lawrence Sadler, their US representative in Florida. Larry took the dimensions and got a quote from the manufacturer in Tampa, FL. The cost was comparable to other cases I had checked on, but the shipping was quite low.

 

The case arrived in about three weeks, packed in more cardboard, tape, foam, and bubble wrap than I have ever seen in one package! Of course it was in perfect condition. I had already milled the frame for the base, so I cut it to fit, glued it up, and stained, sealed, and varnished it.

 

 

This is not the ship's final berth. I haven't quite decided where it will go in the house yet. Like a lot of you I'm running low on space for big models. Maybe I'll have to switch to miniatures.

[marius17]

Good morning rvchima,

I am writing from Switzerland-Lugano, I have now discovered your splendid work on the Arleigh Burke,
 I fell in love with this ship after watching the TV series "Last Ship", I would like to build 
this model in 1:144 scale, I have found some plans on ebay and the USS Momsen Trumpeter plastic
 model, I ask you if Bluejacket only sells the plans, it seems not, thank you Regards Mario Soldini

[MrBlueJacket]

Yes, we do sell just the plans for all our kits. Not on our website, but you can order #2051P for $50 plus S&H. Send an email to info@bluejacketinc.com asking for the plans, and we will send you a PayPal request.

 

Nic

 

PS I used to work in the USA for a Swiss company in Frauenfeld (Baumer Electric) and another one in Givisiez (Contrinex.) Always loved visiting there.

[marius17]

Buongiorno, grazie di cuore