IJN Amatsukaze by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - Halinski - 1:200 scale - CARD and Brass - WW2 Japanese Destroyer -

[maaaslo]

Japanese ships vere littered with these binoculars. Ive seen when someone built yamato, he made so many of them... probably ´cos Japs didnt have radar...

i hope you didnt forget to make lens for those.

[Dan Vadas]

4 hours ago, maaaslo said:

i hope you didnt forget to make lens for those.

Yeah, I'm working on those but optically grinding them is proving a problem .

 

  Danny

[cog]

Try contacts

[popeye the sailor]

clear cello and a sharpened brass tube the same diameter?  nawwwww.....now I'm getting silly  

[CDW]

A tiny dab of clear epoxy will make a very nice lens.

[maaaslo]

Guys cmon, i was kidding, right...?

[cog]

2 hours ago, maaaslo said:

Guys cmon, i was kidding, right...?

Really ... never thought you could be ...

[Dan Vadas]

4 hours ago, maaaslo said:

Guys cmon, i was kidding, right...?

WHAT .......... ???? Hells Bells, I just spent 3 hours .............

 

  Danny

[maaaslo]

seeing your progress, i got in a mood. I've assembled frames for the Duilio ironclad (i am selling second copy). god, i have never faired so many frames in my life...

[Dan Vadas]

1 hour ago, maaaslo said:

seeing your progress, i got in a mood. I've assembled frames for the Duilio ironclad

Yay .

 

I'm into my 3rd day on the Bridge and still won't finish it today. So many small details to make - and most of them won't be visible later on . At least I know they are there, and it's all good practice.

 

There are three different types of Binocular Stand to make. I guess this one incorporates a Bearing Compass?

I've painted the step irons and PE doors. There's also some bracing under the overhanging part of each side - this is made from 0.3mm nickel-silver tube, the only stuff in that diameter that the Hobby store had (not cheap ). Here are some shots overall :

And one last pic to give an idea of scale :

 

  Danny

 

[cog]

Looking good, Dan. Very sharp

[CDW]

That's very nice detail. Just the right scale for a destroyer model.

[Dan Vadas]

I think this item is a small Range Finder (correct me if I'm wrong - the kit doesn't give any idea of what most of the assemblies are.) Small items like this are usually harder to make than large ones. This one is 3mm square :

There are about 24 parts to the large Range Finder. I am very happy with the way this assembly has come together, just some minor edges to touch up :

The roof of the bridge is curved so it has a ceiling and several ribs to form and support the top skin :

I made a small error when trimming the edge of the roof to accept the walls, so I had to cut the walls into three pieces to get everything aligned properly. Two small tabs give extra strength on the cuts :

 

  Danny

[Papa]

Amazing detail in paper!

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Ron. I noticed that you have a Card model of SMS Hegoland in the offing - good luck with her . I trust you will be doing a Build Log ?

 

I've fitted the roof of the bridge. Some filler was needed on the seams. Here's how it looks before any cleaning up ...... MESSY :

I use a narrow chisel point Xacto to remove the bigger lumps, and then a wipe over with a Q-tip dipped in Acetone to smooth it. The Acetone will remove some of the printing if it's over-used, so care must be taken :

The final details to be fitted to the bridge were the PE Railings. Note the tightly bent ones around the two hatches. I drilled a hole for each leg and used thin CA wicked in with a cut-off needle to attach them. One of the few times I use CA .

 

The railings I've got are longer than the ones indicated on the model, so some modifications are needed. For example, the two straight railings on the roof are one section of "standard" railing with an extra leg inserted into the middle with CA :

And finally - a couple of pics of the finished Bridge after painting. It still needs a coat of Testor's Dullcote, which will make all the touch-ups virtually disappear :

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

After applying the Dullcote. Sure enough, the touch-ups are almost invisible. They actually look 200% better in "real life" .

 

 

  Danny

[CDW]

If someone just looked at the pictures of the completed assemblies without reading any of the text, would most likely not realize this model is made from paper/card stock. The way you are blending in those seams make it look as though you've been building this type of model for a long time. Beautiful workmanship.

[clifforddward]

Danny:

This is my first time seeing a paper/card ship kit being built...fascinating what detail is possible and how with a proper build the overall appearance appears much more than just paper....look forward to following along as you continue the build.

Best Regards,

Cliff 

[cog]

Dan,

I still wonder about the size, I know Igor uses a giant match stick, and Patrick a hughe watch, but I can't seem to get a hold on your build. Must be quite big to get the details so spiffy! The bridge brushed up rather well I would say even at 100%

 

Cheers

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks CDW, Cliff and Carl.

 

32 minutes ago, cog said:

Dan,

I still wonder about the size, I know Igor uses a giant match stick, and Patrick a hughe watch, but I can't seem to get a hold on your build. Must be quite big to get the details so spiffy! The bridge brushed up rather well I would say even at 100%

Does this pic help Carl?

 

  Danny

[BANYAN]

Where did you get that giant ruler and knife Dan? 

 

Looking really good; your blending of the seams and touchups is spot on.  Were the lifebuoys/rings actually that colour, seem to really stick out when great effort was made to neutralise the lines and colours of the rest of the equipment? 

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Dan Vadas]

1 hour ago, BANYAN said:

Were the lifebuoys/rings actually that colour, seem to really stick out when great effort was made to neutralise the lines and colours of the rest of the equipment?

Yes, but I had to paint the red on the edges. Life rings are supposed to stand out, aren't they .

 

  Danny

[amateur]

Now knowing how huge this part is, I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't cut out the windows to put the interior in

 

seriously: quite smaller than I expected it to be. Wonderfull work!

 

jan

[cog]

Thanks Dan, it seems to be a lot larger ... without adding the tools  

Cheers

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for looking in again Jan and Carl.

 

I bought a few sheets of PE from Tom's Model Works suitable for IJN Destroyers :

The kit Deck Reels weren't very detailed, so I only used the rolled tubes and replaced the discs and support frames with PE. There are 7 of them, of four different configurations :

I spray painted them with Tamiya IJN Gray :

 

  Danny

[popeye the sailor]

nice work with that part of the super structure.....came out very good.   the PE parts will enhance the model for sure!   the reels look great  

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Popeye.

 

Next assembly is the Main Superstructure Base. I forgot to take any pics of the construction of the skeleton as I made it, but the pic below from the instructions is self-explanatory :

The sides had a couple of interesting "whoopie-do's" that took a lot longer to get right than they look :

The Funnel Base is next. Lots of care had to be taken to make sure the skin fitted properly. If I thought I was going to get a break from sanding by building a Card model I was very wrong . An hour's work sanding the correct angles in the top part :

Bending the skin took another hour before I was happy with the fit :

The skin received the usual strengthening tab at the join :

 

  Danny

[Captain Slog]

Hi Danny,

 

You're making great progress.  The Bridge structure turned out really nice.

 

Cheers

Slog

[BANYAN]

22 hours ago, Dan Vad said:

Yes, but I had to paint the red on the edges. Life rings are supposed to stand out, aren't they .

HI Danny, in peace time yes - not so much in an operational environment - just becomes another location and targeting aid   Not sue, if back in these days, this was a consideration though

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you again Slog and Pat.

 

Pat, Amatsukaze was completed in October 1940 - 15 months before Pearl Harbor. That makes it peace time in my book .

 

Another Alien Invader - this time the Main Engine Room Vent. Here's the part after cutting out :

 

And 3 hours later after gluing it together. No filler or paint has been applied yet, not much will be needed :

 

  Danny