USS Indianapolis by sgtcurly - Academy - 1:350 - PLASTIC

[sgtcurly]

  Hello and welcome to my build log of the 1:350 scale USS Indianapolis by Academy.  I will be adding detail from the Advanced Pontos Kit as well.  Just received this kit in the mail today and am anxious to get started on her.

 

  This is not my first model, however it is my first model ship.  It will be my first time working with aftermarket parts as well.  Although I have built a couple of Metal Earth models to prepare myself for the photo etch, this will be my first time applying after market parts to a plastic kit.

 

  My goal is to build her as she was when she left the Mare Island Navy Yard in 1945 heading out on her Top Secret Mission of delivering atomic bomb parts to Tinian,  just prior to her sinking.

 

  Here is a photo of the box art.  It has a copyright of 2019.

 

Here is a photo of what the model would look like without the Pontos upgrade.

 

  Here is the box cover for the Pontos upgrade.

 

Here we have what is inside the kit box.  

 

And here is a peek at what the instructions for the kit look like.

 

Here we see what comes in the Pontos kit.  Looks like a lot of fiddly parts.   

 

  And finally we have a peek at the Pontos instructions.

 

Time for me to get started.  Should have an update within a day or two.  Thanks for checking in on my build.

 

~Jason

 

[RGL]

Nice, Pontos instructions generally assume a lot of your ability to mind read but it really is excellent. Good to see another coming to the dark side. 

[sgtcurly]

  Thanks Greg.  I am now realizing why so many people speak of the Pontos instructions as they do.  I spent 2 hours going back and forth from the kit instructions to the Pontos instructions last night, just trying to figure out some kind of order.  Oh well, all part of the fun.

 

  Speaking of fun building the model, I am also very humbled in what these men went through at time of war.  This is one of the reasons that I chose to model the Indy was due to the suffering that took place during her time at war.  I am doing this build to do my part in carrying on traditions and histories.  During this build log I hope to add a few historical details to the log to honor and to carry on the memories of these brave men.  

 

  In saying this, if there are any corrections that need to be made, please let me know and I can see if I can accommodate those changes within my limited modeling ability.  Also, I am a soldier, not a sailor.  So, if I use wrong terms, please correct me on that as well.  Thanks.

 

  Now on to the log:

 

  Here are a couple of photos showing the lower hull.  I began to work on the port holes first using a pin vice with a 0.9 mm bit.  And I managed not to break the bit either.

 

  The first two photos are of the lower hull prior to drilling.

 

 

 

 

  The next two photos are of the port side with the drilling complete.

 

 

 

  This final photo is of the starboard side of the ship.  Port holes are drilled.  

 

  

 

 

  Now, if you look at the above photo, you will notice that there is also a piece of steel photo etch.  There is one for both sides of the ship.  What I need to do is remove the strengthening plate above the armor belt and replace it with the Pontos photo etch.  There will also be some photo etch riveted straps to put onto the strengthening plate.  These should make a huge difference in detail once painted.

 

  Now this would be a delicate task by itself, but if you notice on the starboard side, there is a plane fuel pipe that runs along the top of the plate.  I have not decided yet how I am going to replace that as there are no Pontos parts.  I have two ideas.  First, I might try to stretch some sprue.  I have done this before, but I am worried that I may not get a consistent thickness along the whole pipe.  My other idea is to see if I can find some solid copper wire.  Maybe from an old electrical cord.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

  Thanks for stopping by,

 

  ~Jason

 

[RGL]

I use brass rod for pipes, it comes in various sizes and is easy to bend unlike plastic which has a mind of it’s’ own. 

[Canute]

Jason, you might look at Tichy Train Group for phosphor bronze wire . It's a bit stiffer than brass wire, but holds it's shape. It's sold in packs of 10 or 12 8 inch pieces or 3 foot pieces.

 

Here's the link: https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/c/ho_wire/Default.aspx

[sgtcurly]

Greg and Ken,

 

   Thanks for the info.  I think that is the way I will probably go.  I did find some polystyrene rods, I am just not sure if it will be small enough.  I have to measure what I am scraping off and determine the exact size needed.  I may also sand off the armor belt and replace it after with flat polystyrene, as it is proving difficult to only remove the strengthening plate.

 

  However, after a few hours of work on the upper hull, I decided that I was getting a bit flustered and put it to the side.  Knowing that I have a ton of armament to put together, I began work on the twin 20mm anti-aircraft guns.  I put one together.  It took about 4 hours with a lot of breaks in between. I will need to put 7 more of these together.  The first one was rough.  First time working with photo etch, and being so small proved to be very tedious.  However, I enjoyed it.  I am sure my future guns will look much better.

 

  These first two photos are ones that I found online.  They represent what the final product should look like,

 

 

 

  These next two photos show what parts are needed to create the Twin Oerlikon gun.  It was very difficult to show the true size of these parts.  They are extremely small.  One piece that is missing from the photos is one of the barrels.  I had it, just forgot to pull two of them from the kit prior to taking the picture.

 

 

 

  And finally the last two photos show the final product with white primer painted on from a rattle can.  From a viewing distance, it looks pretty good.  Still, hopefully, the future ones will only get better.

 

 

 

  Next time, I will try a dark background to better show the white painted part.  Again, thanks for stopping by.

 

~Jason

 

 

[Canute]

Jason, it's a good idea to take frequent breaks working on the size of gear. Make sure you have bright lights and maybe an Optivisor magnifier. PE can add a lot of detail, but work smart. 👍