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United States by Papa - JSC - 1:400 - CARD


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The United States was a passenger liner launched in June 1951 but didn’t enter service until June 1952.  
53329 gross tonnage

1928 Passengers

301.8 meters overall length

4 Westinghouse steam turbines producing 240,000 HP

Crew of 1093 

 

My first step was to identify every part and sheet and compile a notebook with plastic sleeves to keep every thing organized.

This kit has been on a shelf for 4 years.  I was getting tired of carving whaleboats for my C W Morgan, so I started her about a week ago.  Waited until the hull frames were in place before staring photographing.  
One reason for choosing this kit was that it is on card stock and doesn’t need laminating.

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I have been working on the aft side panels for several days.  The instructions are not clear as to where parts go.  The kit parts themselves often have markings that indicate what number part is attached. Others don’t, specifically these side panels.  The instructions say “attach parts 39,40,41,42,43,44, to part 38 and attach to hull.   Part 38 is clearly the side (parts have L and R indicated).   The other parts are saw tooth looking curved parts of differing lengths.  Eventually it dawned on me that these were to be attached along the curved openings in the sides to have a place to glue them together. The sides have openings so that they fit the curve on the stern.  So here we are. I need to hide that white seam on the port side with some black ink. 

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Looking good!

Building: 1:64 HMS Revenge (Victory Models plans)

1:64 Cat Esther (17th Century Dutch Merchant Ships)
 

On the building slip: 1:72 French Ironclad Magenta (original shipyard plans)

 

On hold: 1:98 Mantua HMS Victory (kit bash), 1:96 Shipyard HMS Mercury

 

Favorite finished builds:  1:60 Sampang Good Fortune (Amati plans), 1:200 Orel Ironclad Solferino, 1:72 Schooner Hannah (Hahn plans), 1:72 Privateer Prince de Neufchatel (Chapelle plans), Model Shipways Sultana, Heller La Reale, Encore USS Olympia

 

Goal: Become better than I was yesterday

 

"The hardest part is deciding to try." - me

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Another somewhat obvious hint. I put each sheet into a plastic pocket and wrote the number of the sheet on the plastic. As pieces are cut free of the sheet, they go back into the numbered pocket so that they can be found again.  On my previous card ship, now trashed, i had loose pieces everywhere.  Very difficult to find what you need!

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That looks so dificult  No way would I attempt something like this  -  Hat trully taken off for  you  with your build.

 

OC.

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

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Another lesson regarding reading the instructions carefully.  I left out some parts under those wings including a stairway.  Somehow i missed the box on the deck with the “scissors” icon meaning “cut me out”.  A stairway was to go in the hole and on the deck were 2 partitions called “wind screens”.   I was able to slip these pieces in after the fact.  😬

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There are many things wrong with the build and the errors accumulate.  I am learning as i go along.  I did use some CA to stiffen some very thin pieces a trick i learned from reading Dan Vadas build logs. Something is certainly needed to stiffen the decks. It seems to me that trying to spread CA over that large an area would be a messy job and could cause more problems than it solves. Gluing folded tabs on corners and edges leads to problems also.   I think one needs to score and fold inside the line by the thickness of the card otherwise the dimension increases by 2 times the card thickness.  I may try this on the next few cabins.  Overall this kit is a learning experience.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Today i received my new copy of the United States liner card model from Poland. 
1. Photo shows how to properly join the beam sections, using tabs #6.  I missed this the first time.
2. Note the triangular section in the middle if the frame, 13.   In my first build, I didn’t realize there were 3 tabs in there needed to attach the frame to the center beam until i had cut the center out of about half the frames.  I had to jury rig new tabs. 😳. I learned my lesson and am doing it correctly this time.

3. i also learned  that i need to write the part number on each part when cut out. Doesn’t take my 78 year old brain long to forget what part is which.

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Good to see you back on this  - sometimes a second attempt  is what it needs  - sometimes for your own  piece of mind.

 

OC.

Edited by Old Collingwood

Current builds  


28mm  Battle of Waterloo   attack on La Haye Saint   Diorama.

1/700  HMS Hood   Flyhawk   with  PE, Resin  and Wood Decking.

 

 

 

Completed works.

 

Dragon 1/700 HMS Edinburgh type 42 batch 3 Destroyer plastic.

HMS Warspite Academy 1/350 plastic kit and wem parts.

HMS Trafalgar Airfix 1/350 submarine  plastic.

Black Pearl  1/72  Revell   with  pirate crew.

Revell  1/48  Mosquito  B IV

Eduard  1/48  Spitfire IX

ICM    1/48   Seafire Mk.III   Special Conversion

1/48  Kinetic  Sea Harrier  FRS1

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If i may add another hint learned through trial and error.   Don’t try to glue too many tabs at once.  They just will not stay in place and everything gets out of whack.  For example, on the frames i would add a bit of glue and firmly attach one of the 3 tabs to the “false keel”. Once that set, i’d glue the second. Etc.   Likewise, in gluing the long waterline piece i glued one frame at at time, and one side at a time.  It was slow work but everything stayed aligned.   After about 3 frames i decided to add the reinforcement stripwood.  One tab, one strip, one side. Then the next.  It took a while😀 but i am pleased with the result.  

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I have found that Aleen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue has a longer set time than regular white Tacky Glue. This comes in handy when you need to glue surfaces that need to be adjusted as you work. I used it on the cowling and spinner on my recent Ki-43 build; each is made up of concentric rings that need to be nudged around a bit as the glue sets. White glue sets too fast for this, and CA is too messy for the job. With the Gel Clear, I achieved some of the nicest ring structures I have yet done.

 

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Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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It isn’t obvious from the picture, but I misinterpreted how this aft cabin was laid out; the little doors look weird.  I discovered the error when the next deck level went on with the ladders.  I got it correct on this second attempt to build the United States 

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The hull skins at the stern have wedges cut out (kind of like darts in sewing) to shape the stern to the frames.  On my first attempt I tried to glue the skins on and close the wedges with the tabs at the same time.  Bad idea!  And the stern was grossly misshaped.  This time I glued the tabs and shaped the stern first. The stern is much better now, at least off the ship.  It was still a ridiculously complicated  job to get the skin attached smoothly.  The port side is in, but not as smooth as i’d like.  Not looking forward to the starboard side. 8 more hands would make it easier.  Maybe with a few dozen more paper ships i might get the hang of it.  

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