Hr. Ms. Java 1925 by Piet - FINISHED - Pacific Cross Roads - 1:350 - PLASTIC - Light Cruiser of Royal Netherlands Navy as she was in 1942

[Piet]

Thanks for your kind words Lawrence, really appreciate it.  I'll be visiting your new build for sure.

 

Cheers,

[Piet]

Hello all,

 

Here is an update to the "Java" build.  Beris Mulenko  from "Pacific Crossroads" gently informed me that I made an error with the deck paint.  Sources in the Netherlands told him that the deck was painted in dark grey paint for camouflage purposes.  Thus, no matter how much I like that wood deck color I have to go by what the ship looked like in 1942 to keep it authentic.

So, we put the ship back in the dockyard and called up a bunch of painters and a lot of paint and proceeded to paint all the deck areas. The paint job came out very good and it should stand out against the blue sea.

 

I made a start with the diorama base a few days ago. I used a 1/4 inch thick cabinet door for the base, 28 inches long by 8 inches wide. I am using the same molding for the sides as I used for the O19 model display base, except I removed 1/4 inch from the bottom part of the molding. After the molding is glued and nailed to the sades it'll make a tub of 1/2 inch depth.  I am using brass trim nails for it to lend some support for the glue as i did with the O19 display board.  

 

I had to buy a few additional clamps that can open up to clamp the side molding to the base plate.  For the side pieces I'll have to rely on the nails to secure the molding to the base as the glue cures.

 

This is as far as I got. Next order of business is the polymer sea material. HobbyLobby sells the stuff for about $30 a pint.  I also need the blue coloring material to mix it into the polymer to make it opaque. They also sell a polymer material to make the waves and other water features such as the shell splashes, bow wave, the turbulent water at the hull sides and stern. Like I mentioned before, this'll be an experience for me, a first time effort and hope it comes out okay.

 

Okay, here are a few picks.

 

 

Hr. Ms. Java with her decks painted dark grey. Hmmm, she does look more war like.

 

The base of the diorama with the molding pieces loosely placed along side and on top of it. It's a very simple molding material that I'll stain in maple.

 

Here I have st "Java" on the diorama base as I like to display her.

 

Another view.

 

Cheers,

[JesseLee]

Looking great Piet!

 

I have often looked at the polymer stuff on the shelf at Hobby Lobby and wondered about it. I have never worked with it so I am anxious to see how it works with you.

 

Jesse

[popeye the sailor]

I don't know how you got into all the nooks and crannies.......but you did a first class job painting the deck      I too,  will have to see what your using, as I've never heard of it either.   awesome progress!

[Old Collingwood]

She is looking really nice.

 

OC.

[Piet]

Thanks very much gents for your kind words.

 

Yeah, Denis, it took some real delicate maneuvering with the paint brush.  Fortunately for me, My hands are still rock steady and by supporting my painting hand with my non painting hand it worked out. Even do some spots left handed. 

 

When running my aircraft repair business way back when, I have worked a lot with epoxies, resins and urethanes but not this polymer stuff. In a way it works similar and can be poured in thicker layers. A lot will be experimenting on my part. The base layer should not be much of a concern, it's the finishing of the sea's surface and the area around the hull that'll be a challenge. We'll see how how it all comes out.

Another challenge will be the guns discharging their grenades.

 

I bought a bag of really good looking beansprouts yesterday to make an Indonesian salad with.  Gwen likes it too, so this morning is spend time in the kitchen.  This dish is called "sambal taygeh."  For the afternoon I wanted to glue the molding pieces to the base but all my glue had dried up due to lack of use and had to run out to get a fresh bottle of Titebond. I did manage to glue and nail the two long sides though, before beer thirty

Tomorrow we'll do the side pieces. After that's done I can fill the "tub" with water to see how many ounce it holds so I have a measurement to go by when buying the polymer stuff.

 

Cheers, 

[Canute]

Piet, make sure any and all holes in your base molding are sealed. Those epoxy "waters" will find the holes and you'll pour it onto your floor.  We found that out years back, doing exactly that for a wharf scene on a model railroad.

 

Java is looking great.

[cog]

With reference to Ken's remark: You could use a transparent acrylic kit to seal the edges ...

[Piet]

Good advice, thanks fellows.  Yep, I have been thinking about the sealing business too.  When washing off some of the glue I noticed a leak in several places. I have some fiber glass material left over from building the O19. Plenty of resin stuff.  You'd think that the Tite Bond glue would be enough but I'm not taking any chances.

 

Did some more work on the base this morning. I set the nails a little and filled the dimples with wood filler, had lunch and then sanded everything down - smooth.  I needed to go over it again adding some more putty. Tomorrow I'll finish the molding.

Then I'll do the "water proofing" of the inside of the base. After that's cured I'll measure what the volume is so I can buy that polymer stuff with the blue coloring.

Staining the molding will come whenever.

 

Cheers,

 

[cog]

I've seen someone make water by colouring the mould, and poor the translucent polymer stuff on top. Was somewhere on youtube. It had a rather nice effect as it gave depth to the water. I am curious as to how yours will turn out!!

[Piet]

Yes Carl, I have also seen similar methods. One is using a clear caulking compound over a blue painted base. It's cheap and effective. The problem I have is that red painted lower part of the hull.  We can see it when looking at it sideways. The frothy water around the sides of the hull may hide it but no guarantee. 

The polymer stuff at Hobby Lobby is meant for projects like this and a translucent pigment in it will certainly hide it. In addition to that they also sell a product especially made for dioramas like in model railroads. This stuff can then be put on top of the polymer sea to final shape waves and the frothy stuff.  I do expect having to use some added polymer paint to dress it up better.  Blue and yellow come to mind, the yellow is to make green and yeah, some white too.

 

This morning I mixed up a small batch of resin and brushed that around the inside corners to seal it. After it had hardened I poured 3 cups of water in it, which is about 110 liquid ounces. I set the model in it and the water level came up to the black waterline and is 2 mm below the edge of the molding.  Just about perfect for what I have in mind.  The only problem is the amount of polymer, it aint cheap

I could nail some thin planking to the base to limit the amount, just thinking right now mind you. If I go that route I'll paint it white as well and then with a dark blue polymer paint to give me a little boost from below, even though the sea polymer will be opaque.

Like I mentioned before, it'll be an experiment for me but with all the thinking and talking to a few folks who have used this polymer in rather thick applications, I am gaining some confidence in it.

 

I have also put 2 coats of maple stain on the molding, Not very happy with the covering of it. Even with the Minwax pre-stain application the Minwax stain didn't penetrate as well as I expected and is blotchy in spots. I'll play around with it some more and if need be I'll remove most of it and use thinned down oil-based paint on it, like glazing, to show the wood grain. First I was going to use an oak stain to match the O19 display board but this model is primarily dark I thought to brighten it up a little with a lighter stain.

First I'll try some things before doing the drastic stuff.

 

Here is how it loos like as of this afternoon. Doesn't look all that bad in the photo.

 

 

Cheers,

[cog]

Piet,

Why didn't you remove part of the lower hull to make it more like a waterline model? Since you do not make the water opaque, you can still do that ... What you also can do, make a filler from some (foam?) board to increase the contents, cut out the shape of the hull as to fit the Java in the position you want her ... less polymer to poor in ...

[Piet]

Thanks Carl for your great suggestions. In hindsight I should not have cemented the lower hull part to the upper part. Removing part of the lower hull crossed my mind but with a finished model that would be impractical.  Too late now though for all that but I have figured a way around the dilemma. Your suggestion about the filler is part of the fix, your brain waves must have hit me when not looking   Brilliant minds think alike   I was about to go to the home improvement store this morning to buy a piece of 1/4 inch of wood when on a whim I rummaged through my stash of "stuff" and found the backing of a cabinet  made of composite material of 3/16 inch thickness thick.  Being not a 1/4 inch that I wanted the ship was still a tad to high so I gauged a rounded groove into the base for the lower hull to lay in, removed some material from the bilge keels and presto I now have close to 1/4 inch to the waterline.

This will reduce the volume of the polymer sea quite a bit and will come up to almost the edge of the molding, exactly as I was aiming for.  I can also add a few more pieces of filler to reduce the volume.  With a translucent sea and the whitish foamy water next to the hull the red lower portion will most likely not be visible. So, tomorrow I'll glue and nail the inserts to the base, measure again how many fluid ounces of polymer I need and go to Hobby Lobby to buy it.

 

I also found the solution for the yucky looking maple stain on the molding   I have some walnut stain and tried it on my test piece to see how that would look.  I like it, the orangy maple brightened the walnut, so I applied the walnut stain to the diorama molding. Below is a picture of the result.

 

  That dark spot is not a blotch but the shadow of my hand taking the pic and the light looking portion is from the light reflaction outside the garage. It really looks very good.

 

 

[Piet]

This morning I gauged out a groove in the base plate where the model will be sitting. It's about 1/16 inch deep. I could have made it deeper to 1/6 inch but I wanted the sea surface to come to the top of the side molding and with the two filler pieces that'll work.  The model sits in it quite level too.

Next I cut two pieces of that 3/16 backing board and glued and nailed it to the base plate, leaving room for the model to sit in. Measuring the distance from that filler piece I will be adding another layer of that 3/26 board on top of that. And so I did. Now I have 1/4 inch from these filler boards to the waterline.

 

This will give me a 1/4 inch thick polymer sea that'll also come up to the edge of the side molding. The model lays in there quite nicely and steady and on an even keel.  I'm a happy camper 

Next will be measuring how much of the polymer I need and buy the stuff and other supplies at Hobby Lobby. I hope they have a dark enough blue coloring but I can always use polymer paint to the surface. I'll do it like I would painting on canvas. The paints I have may no longer be good so I'll get some from Hobby Lobby.

 

Boris send me a message that the deck of "Java" is still too light. He said that it was closer to black. So I mixed some of the dark grey with black and will have to paint the deck again. There are still some items that need straightening, mainly the railings, they got a beating with all the handling. I'll wait with that till "Java" is firmly secured in the sea.

 

Okay, that's it for today.  here are a few pixs of the progress.

 

This shows "Java" with the double set of filler material.

 

A closeup of the bow inside the groove. Can you imagine that it's only 1/4 inch from the filler material to the waterline?

 

A closeup of the stern

 

Here I have put some blue masking tape to the board for a visual effect. 

 

Another shot from above.

 

Cheers,

 

[cog]

looks verrrrry promising. maybe give the inserts a slightly less hard angle ... 45º or 35º instead of he current 90º ...

[Mirabell61]

Lovely build Piet,

 

and a good paint job !

 

Nils

[popeye the sailor]

I thin your decks look fine...the set up looks great!  gonna be a sweet looking dio!  

[Piet]

Hey Carl, thanks for the visit and suggestions - however, I don't understand what you mean.  I purposely want the ship placed in a diagonal position in the diorama to get away from the standard center line method.  This will also give me the space in the large areas for the missed Japanese shell spouts.  The blue masking tape will obviously be removed and the tan colored filler pieces will be covered by the opaque polymer sea and not visible.

Please explain your suggestions, things can still be changed in the next day or so, If I feel it's warranted - no offense meant.

 

Thanks Wallace and Nils for your kind words.

 

Yes, Denis I agree with your comment about the deck but - - - If the "Java" had her deck painted a very dark grey, bordering on the black, during the war time period, which is also in accordance with the British camouflage method, who am I to argue?  I want to show the model as close to how she was when my father served on her.  If the "experts" tell us it was very dark grey, bordering on the black then that's what I need to do. Actually I preferred the teak deck but again, I must go with reality above my wants  

 

The paint colors are the least of my concern though, I must now model the "sea" as a 16 mph wind would look. From the actual reports i read that was about the wind strength on February 27, 1942 with scattered cumulus clouds. A nice for sailing.  Then how to depict shell splashes and firing guns and smoke out of the stacks. Everything will mean experimenting.  Oh, I have some ideas but am open to suggestions, the more the better.

 

Cheers,

[amateur]

Hi Piet,

 

I think Carl means the edges of the groove Java is sitting in, not the diagonal position of the groove itself.

if your see is transparant, you will keep seeing these rather hard angles.

 

I would consider not showing actual gunfiring. Most dio's use kind of fluffy material to suggest smoke, but in the instances I habe seen, it was just that: fluffy material attached to a gun.... perhaps less is more in this case.

 

Jan

[Omega1234]

Hi Piet

 

You’re certainly making great progress with your Java and, yes, no doubt, your Dad would be very pleased.

 

I like the diagonal placement of the hull in the diorama.  It adds an extra element of interest to the overall effect, not to mention giving you sufficient room to simulate the bombs exploding in the sea around the hull.

 

Very poignant and effective.

 

Oh...and happy birthday young man!!!

 

Cheers. 

 

Patrick

Edited April 15, 2018 by Omega1234

[cog]

Jan,

 

You hit the nail right on the head! Thank you for interpreting

[src]

Piet,

What a great tribute to your father and all the other members of ABDA who didnt come home.

 

In regards to your smoke effect, I am in agreement with Jan, most efforts at making smoke just dont look right. I think it might be the scale of the material used when compared to the scale of whatever is creating the smoke.

If you are really set on modeling smoke check this site out he seems to do a pretty good job. There might also be some ideas for your water spouts, I would assume a shell bursting under water would have some kind of light component to it.

http://dioramas-and-models.com/how to do it.html

Carl and Jan have a good suggestion regarding softening the edges of your grooves. Set designers use something called a Cyc wall to suggest unlimited space on a set. I would think the concept same would apply here. THe link below has a couple of pictures of cyc walls to help visualize.

http://westlightstudios.blogspot.com/

Best of luck.

Sam

Edited April 16, 2018 by src

[Piet]

Ah yes, Jan and Carl, now I understand what Carl meant.  Okay, rest assured that the sea will be opaque, or as opaque as i can get.  Perhaps using the word "translucent" threw you off, for which I used it as reflecting back up from the surface.  I have tried to clarify it by mentioning the word "opaque" several times, I think. So, my apologies for the confusion, me bad boy   So then, it does not matter about the edges or any other possible imperfections there may be in or on the base. 

I am however, still some what concerned about the coloring material that will make the polymer really opaque.  The store person assured me it will, but - - - 

All I can do at this time is to trust the instructions that come with all this polymer stuff and go ahead with it.

I can always add regular artists acrylic paint to the surface of the sea but wont know till the "sea" is poured in.  I also count on the whitish water around the ship that'll hide the red lower hull but wont do much good for those sharp edges of the filler pieces.

Based on the comments about the sharp edges though I plan to cover the cut pieces in front and rear of the ship, where it may be visible, with Dacron and resin and paint the bottom dark blue.  This can only help.  Thanks for the input.

 

Jan also thanks for your thoughts on the gun smoke thing.  I'll try it on one gun and not overly do it.  I am thinking of a wisp of smoke, at this scale that should be enough.  I don't want to make it into a caricature.  After I have what looks believable I'll post it here for your thoughts.  Like I said, this is new to me and finding my way through it.  It's easier to make a painting on canvas then a diorama.

 

Thanks for the good words Patrick and your happy birthday wishes, 84 today and counting   Yes, the Japanese cruisers were actively shooting at them with there 8 inch guns.  These splashes are not very big though, not from 8 inch shells, but should lend a little drama to the piece and that's what I had in mind with a few smoking guns. 

 

I measured the amount of polymer I need for the sea, which will be a little over 36 fluid ounces.  Now I have to see how many ounces of that stuff comes in the can at HobbyLobby.

 

 

[Piet]

Thank you Lawrence for the best wishes. We have done nothing special for the "big" day, I'm just happy to be on the smelly side of the flowers

Yup, I know all about that kind of home work, done plenty of it in times past. Now it's just maintaining the yard and a few other things.

I can't wait for the start on your new model though.

 

"Java" is coming along slowly right now. Boris Mulenko told me to paint the deck dark grey so that I did yesterday. I also bought the polymer of the sea and a blue coloring to add into the polymer that'll make it opaque.  In order to make waves I bought some special stuff the diorama makers and model railroaders use.  It also can make splashes and other water features. All this is new to me but have read up on the how to's. 

I have filled the gaps in the base plate with some more of the filler material and then painted it blue with an acrylic paint. It may not be needed because the polymer will be opaque but one never knows.  In any case, it wont hurt.

 

Here is how it looks now.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

[lmagna]

Hi Piet

The next step is the scary part! The departure into the unknown.

 

Is there a chance you can try a small amount first to see the results before committing your beautiful model to the process? Or possibly cover the hull in kitchen clear wrap or Petroleum Jelly when you set it into the 'ocean.' That way you can get a second chance if you need it.

 

Crossing my fingers

Lou

[mtaylor]

You've got a good plan Piet.  Coming together splendidly.  I do think Lou is right about testing.  The casting resin doesn't expand during curing does it?  I've heard that some get pretty warm and also expands. 

[popeye the sailor]

look'in good piet     yea, I'd likely experiment too.

[Piet]

Thank you Lou, Mark and Denis for your good advice.  Yes, that has crossed my mind as well but there is that famous saying "boldly go where no one has gone before," or something like it.

No, seriously though, I will pour some that expensive stuff out into a wooden mock-up and see what happens.  Yes, it can get warm, depending on the thickness of the layer. I plan to have 2 layers of 3 mm each, which will not produce much heat, also depending how much activator/hardener I use.  The coloring stuff also reduces the heat generated by reducing the cure time.  This does't mean I will just go ahead and start pouring this stuff.

Yes, it also shrinks a little but the gap (if any) will be filled with that other stuff to make the "white water" along the ship's side and screw foam.  

To be really on the side of caution I could "grease" the hull with Vaseline and lift it out of the mold if it doesn't work to my satisfaction.  Then, when it looks like it's a go, I can replace the ship in the void and finish the surrounding sea with that wave making stuff.

 

So all in all, I'm looking at 2 thin layers with a third on top sculpting the actual surface of the sea.  I'm sure that I will need to do the final coloring with artist paints, which is not a big problem for me.  Being a self taught artist I have made paintings in oil, acrylic, tempera and colored pencils. For this project the acrylic paints would be the right choice.  I think I can produce a more believable sea surface then only relying on the polymer coloring.

 

Does it sound like I'm talking myself diving off the high board?  Hmmm, no, I'll be first playing with it and see what falls out.  So, I'll make a small wooden tray and do a small pour into it, let it cure and then use some of that wave making stuff.  Nothing but fun, eh what?  Don't stay awake on my account though

 

On another note, I send a few pics of "Java" with her decks painted in dark grey to Boris.  He send me a message back with PERFECT in capitol letters.  Makes me feel good.  

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

That sounds like a good plan, Piet.   I got my fingers crossed that all goes well.

[amateur]

Piet,

 Sounds lile a sensible strategy. 

One thought however, won’t the screws and axes not prohibit takimg her out again, and will these small arts be as heatresistant as the hull itself?

 

In your case my first thought would have been plaster of paris  

 

Jan